10 Things You Didn’t Know You Needed Until Quarantining

Staying at home is the one thing we can all do to keep one another safe and flatten the curve.  It’s so important to oblige.  While we stay at home for days on end though, I think we are all finding that we may need things that we didn’t consider before.  Whether you are working from home or not, here are 10 things you didn’t know you needed until quarantining during the corona virus!

  1. Noise canceling wireless earphones.  Spending 24/7 with others means that there will inevitably be times when you want to shut them out.  It’s especially true in big cities like Manhattan where space is a premium and an entire family may be shuttered in a claustrophobic apartment with no patio, no balcony, and nowhere to hide and simply get some silence.  Whether you’re working and need concentrate or whether you just want to tune out your kids, these noise canceling wireless headphones are just as good as the more expensive Bose ones and will also double as your child’s zoom class earphones!  Win Win!  We have these and love traveling with them too.
    ipad, best amazon buysHighly recommend! Super comfortable even for a kid to wear, 40 Hours of play time, and 90% noise reduction while you listen to what you need to focus on.  With over 3000 reviews and still a 4.5 star Amazon rating, you know you can’t go wrong.  For the entire zoom set up that my daughter is modeling here, click the below Amazon pics for her super-sized ipad, and indestructible ipad cover.<
  2. Laptop desk.  Work from home?  Some of you may not have an official office, and some of you may just prefer to type from bed.  You’ll need a laptop desk to reduce neck strain, prevent your laptop from overheating and type in an ergonomic fashion.  Plus you can use them for breakfast in bed!  You just have to get someone to cook you breakfast in bed.  BONUS – your kids will love them for homework use and coloring from their beds.  Here are some options that I recommend.
  3. Airpods.  Having hanging wires dangling from your ears is so 2019.  With all the work you’re doing from home, and with all the podcasts, and audio books that I know you’re listening to while locked at home, it’s time to treat yourself to an upgrade.  They’re on sale now for $139.  Click the pic here.
  4. Google nest wifi.  Slowwww internet bringing you down?  Don’t waste another minute.  The last thing you need is to waste time on something so simple yet annoyingly frustrating.  Make everyone’s life easier at home with Google nest wifi which provides top speeds, range and doubles as a google assistant!!  Don’t we all need an assistant right now?</li>
  5. Wireless printer scanner all in one.  Everything from work documents and contracts to school assignments and coloring sheets are needing printing at home not to mention all the things needing to be scanned and emailed back.  Your old printer isn’t cutting it anymore.  Don’t stress, now there are amazing wireless options that have everything you need plus a copier too.  Mom tip, copy your kid’s favorite coloring pages before starting them!
  6. Wine of the month.  It’s wine o’clock somewhere and under these quarantine conditions, it’s officially OK for you to drink at ANY hour.  There I said it.  Now go for it and sign up for this wine of the month club cuz it’s an amazing deal and such a fun way to try out new wines!  Mother’s day is coming up. Forget the flowers.  Send this instead.  You can bet she needs it more.  Try this one.  You’ll save 62% and it was voted the best wine subscription club by wineclubservices.comwine club
  7. Blue light glasses.  I have 20/20 vision so have never had to wear glasses but I’m looking smarter these days because I just invested in a pair – blue light glasses that is.
    blue light glassesLet’s face it, under lockdown, we’ve all increased our screen time whether it be on our smartphones, ipads or computers.  You wouldn’t believe how many hours I’ve logged in on TikTok…er I mean on work emails.  My eyes started to hurt at the end of the day and I was experiencing mild headaches!  I didn’t know why until I started reading up on the effects of all this screen time.  This set that we have is just around $20 for 2 pairs.  Share it with someone you love or simply enjoy having a couple styles to switch out between.  And then go back to logging in unlimited hours in front of your phone cuz well, it’s a lockdown.. F the rules.  Click pics below for the ladies, kids, and men’s Amazon options.  I know your whole family is in front of the screens.
  8. hair clippers & scissors. Before we all start looking like cousin It, we better order some hair cutting tools because we are all going to have to learn to cut that hair.  I’ve learned from cutting my daughter’s hair all her life that the right scissors make all the difference.  Don’t even attempt to do it with your average paper-cutting pair.  You will just waste time, and be unable to get a crisp cut.  Click the pic below to check out these best selling scissors with almost 5,600 4.5 star reviews.  I’m also investing in this highly rated hair cordless clipper set for men and can’t wait to try out crazy hairstyles on my unwitting, desperate husband.  If he keeps annoying me during this lockdown, I may get him back by giving him a surprise mohawk or mullet…
  9. Coffee machine and milk frother.  We all need to limit our trips outdoors.  So even if your local Starbucks is serving up mobile orders or drive – throughs, it’s time to invest in a coffee maker, milk frother and the works or upgrade what you already have! Coffee WILL fuel you through this quarantine and it’s the morning routine you know you can’t live without. So think about adding on to your current coffee situation and DIY your favorite concoction at home.  I’ve listed below our white Keurig which perfectly matches our modern decor and milk frother you need to elevate your caffeine as well as another more affordable, best-seller with 2 serving options!
  10. Workout buys.  If you don’t want to gain the covid 19 (pounds), you’ll need to exercise at home.  Sad but true.  If you haven’t already, invest in your health and motivate yourself with a cute new workout outfit that can double as at-home athleisure.  Fashion always motivates me.  You’ll be looking cute, comfy and fit in no time. Ok maybe not necessarily fit (I know you’re all snacking) but you’ll definitely look cute and comfy. And that’s something!!  Below is Amazon’s editorial team’s top pick for best home gym, best bang for your buck, and Lulu Lemon dupe leggings so good that CNN wrote an article about them! Click on pics for the Amazon buys.

There you go!  Now treat yourself.  Life has been hard.  And you deserve this.  Add to cart and thank me later.

 

Click here for my top tips on staying sane during the corona virus pandemic.

Click here to read how I started the rainbow trend during quarantine through Instagram.

6 Ways to stay sane during the Corona Virus Lockdown

NYC just determined that schools were going to be closed at least until April 20th and possibly through the end of the year! If nothing else about the corona virus caused an uproar, this is the thing sending parents into a panic!  What do you mean, our kids will be home all day, everyday?  What do you mean, we have to keep them occupied 24/7 without going crazy ourselves? If you’re certain you’re going to turn certifiable trying to act like your child’s (un)certified teacher, read on for my top tips for staying calm during the corona virus self-quarantine

what to do with kids during quarantine, how to keep kids busy at home

  1. Stay positive

    Stay positive and at least for the 1st couple of weeks try and treat the period as a staycation.  With all this anxiety surrounding the daily news, it’s important to let yourself decompress anyways.  Find ways to take a breather from the stressful news for a bit, and you might realize: how much you still have to be thankful for, enjoy family time and that going back to the simple life is not so bad.  Who knows, you might find yourself enjoying getting to spend the whole day in PJs without a single place to struggle to be on time for.  I know I have!family pjs, matching pjs, mother daughter matching, mommy and me fashion

     

    Plus, it’s hitting spring break period for us here in NYC and though many of us have had to cancel travel plans, we were already planning to spend quality time with the family, right?  Try your best to focus on being grateful for this unusual bonding time.   It’s really not so bad having to make memories at home.  You still have internet after all haha. Generations before us had to stop life and go to war.  We can certainly Netflix and chill and escape through Instagram for a bit.  What I highly recommend though is to get offline and get those board games out!     Here are our favorite games to play with a 4-7 year old!

  2. Knockout that household to do list.

    For a lot of us, work will have slowed down which means we can devote more time towards tasks that were on our to do list at home – you know, the ones we normally neglect and don’t have time for?  Organize that medicine cabinet, clean out those drawers, edit your closet, disinfect that fridge and feel your stress level dissipate with each task crossed off the list.  Aim to tackle one household todo item off the list each day and  and that simple achievement will set such a satisfactory tone to the rest of your day.  Trust me, I couldn’t be happier right now about possibly facing armageddon with the most organized underwear drawer you have ever seen!

    3.  Make fun plans!                                                                                                                                          The best way to deal with the disappointment of having to cancel plans is by making new ones!  Sure you may be self-isolating and sure social distancing is necessary but you can still plan for fun.  This is important because half the fun of experiences is anticipating and planning for them!  So get your family involved in brainstorming ideas on everything from what dessert to bake, what game you’ll play next, and what movie you’ll watch.  Additionally, I’ve started theme days!  I customize my 7 year old’s activities, homeschooling, art, craft and cooking lessons according to the chosen theme.  Each day gives us something new to look forward to and makes the same categories of activities seem fresh and new.  This weekend, for “cookie day”, we crafted the cutest kawaii cookies out of clay with our Klutz kits. klutz crafts, kids' crafts, craft cookie, clay cookieThen we baked chocolate chip cookies from scratch and ate them while watching my daughter’s movie of choice.  what to do with kids, chocolate chip cookies, what to do with kids at home, corona virus home activitiesFor spa day, we used our Klutz nail art kit for crazy cute manis (I even did mine all cartoonish cuz heck who am I gonna see this week?)  klutz kids, kids nails, kids nail artI also trimmed J’s bangs, lounged in robes while listening to spa music, enjoyed an Orbeez foot spa, and had a self-care Sunday with our masks.  For spa day, we also practiced our drawing skills by googling spa illustration and each did our best rendition of the woman with a towel turban, with candle and flowers nearby.

  3. Figure out a new routine. Whether this means consulting your family and creating a new hourly schedule or whether it means simply starting new morning, afternoon and evening routines to replace school/daycare/and normal extra-curriculars- set some sort of flexible structure in place. This will help normalize each day and keep kids on track with their learning goals and virtual classrooms.                                           
  4. Prepare enough indoor silent activities to keep the kids occupied while you work, meal prep or need some alone time.  Cuz Lord knows us parents will need a time out too!  Every morning when J wakes up (which is always earlier than I’d like to be woken up), she now knows she will have her journal and chapter book waiting for her at the dining table.  She understands she is to write in her journal about the past day and silently read before waking mommy up. When finished, she can play quietly until she is hungry for breakfast.  This buys me about an hour each morning to sleep in!  Am I genius or what? lol  See below for additional silent activities that young ones will love and not need assistance with!                               
  5. Have an arsenal of simple outdoor activities throughout each day that allows them to play individually or with a sibling.  Since playgrounds are to be avoided, it’s time to think ahead and stock up on outdoor play options.  Think bubbles and sidewalk chalk, relay races and ball games.  Here are some great options to have readily available for fun outdoor (or indoor) play!
  6. Have them help you with the chores.   Ever since J turned 6 she has been helping fold laundry -gotta love this kid.  But even when she was younger she helped do all my laundry sorting.  I’m all for child labor as you can tell.  No, but really, I have found that she loves getting to help mommy with all sorts of adult chores.  Vacuuming, cleaning (unbreakable) dishes and silverware, helping to set the table, or washing plastic toys are all activities that help mom while teaching kids life skills.  And we all need to pitch in when we are all home!corona virus parentingPrompt clean-up is a rule around our house too.  Before bringing out a new set of toys or activities, the first set of stuff must be put away.  This will help you control the inevitable kid messes and help you stress less.

Lots of luck to you all in keeping a new sense of order and calmness!  It’s likely to be a long, unpredictable road ahead of us! Let me know in the comments what your favorite tip was. And/or feel free to add yours in too in the comments below! I’d love to hear how you’re planning to best cope with the kids running amok at home!

God bless us all!

 

More Corona Virus Related Posts From Fellow Mom Friends

The stay at home survival guide by The New York Stylist

For a list of 5 things you can do at home while quarantined (all brainstormed by a couple of my favorite twin 9 year olds along with links for their favorite learning apps, see Twindollicious!)

For a curated corona virus shopping list with everything you need to stock up on, click through to The Very Best Baby Stuff’ !

Whether it’s virtual museum tours, music, events, films, Broadway or Netflix, the Average Socialite has listed the best ways to entertain yourself during this quarantine!

100 quarantine-friendly meal ideas from the Mom Uptown!

 

 

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