How I’ve Been Spending Quarantine

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To be honest, part of me hasn’t minded quarantine all that much. I feel like I’ve developed a good routine and I’ve gotten some bonus time to spend with my family and relax without feeling guilty about it. However, it’s crazy to think that we’ve been in quarantine since March, and it’s hard not to get into a slump, especially with this summer being so different from all others. Normally I would be working and going to visit my extended family in Ireland. Instead, I’ve basically been at home all summer, so I wanted to share how I’ve been keeping busy these past couple of months.

At-Home Workouts - When quarantine first started, I tried a bunch of different instructors’ Instagram live workouts. It was fun to get to take classes from instructors all over the country, but it also became a bit exhausting trying to keep track of who was doing a workout when and deciding which one to do each day. Once I discovered Aubre Winters and Lindsey Harrod I became devoted to their classes. Aubre Winters does a variety of workouts such as “Athletic” Barre and Dance Cardio Sculpt, types of workouts I had never tried before but have ended up loving. Lindsey Harrod also offers a variety, but I usually do her Full Body Fire strength training classes and HIIT Cardio. Both of them are working on developing their own online platforms so I am definitely going to subscribe once they’re launched! I’m really excited about the expansion of virtual fitness because before quarantine I never would have considered working out from home, but now I actually look forward to it and it’s so nice being able to work out in my room or backyard using just my yoga mat, dumbbells, and bands. Obviously I’m excited for when I can finally (safely) go back to studios like SoulCycle and Barry’s, but I won’t be rushing back anytime soon.

Poshmark - My closet was long overdue for a major clear out, so I decided to try Poshmark. Honestly, it can be pretty time consuming, between taking good pictures of the item I want to sell, writing up a description, monitoring it, and then packaging and shipping it if it sells. But it’s pretty satisfying when I sell something! So many of my clothes are still in good condition but I just don’t wear them anymore and would have donated them anyway, so it’s nice to be able to make a little money from it.

Puzzles - I have never really been a big puzzle person, but my mom and I have gotten super into them during quarantine. I asked for this puzzle from Piecework Puzzles for my birthday in April after discovering it from another blogger I follow. Their puzzles are so cute (but hard!) and since then we’ve also done this one and this one as well. My mom and I joke that we both have addictive personalities so when we’re working on a puzzle it basically consumes our entire lives and we can’t focus on anything else until it’s done!

Hikes and Walks - My family has discovered lots of new hikes and walks in Marin for when we need to get out of the house (or it’s foggy in SF and we’re trying to find some sun). Some trails we’ve discovered are the Bootjack Trail on Mt. Tam, Ring Mountain, and Old St. Hilary’s. Even when we’re not going on a major hike or walk, I usually go on a walk around our neighborhood with some combination of my family members and our dog almost daily.

Charcuterie Boards and Cocktails - On the weekends, happy hour has become quite the occasion in my house (you have to have something to look forward to right?). I’ve had the opportunity to develop my charcuterie board making skills as well as learn how to make some of my favorite cocktails at home. Some of my charcuterie board staples are Rustic Bakery crackers, Cowgirl Creamery brie, prosciutto, fig jam, pear, and cocktail nuts. In terms of cocktails, an Aperol Spritz is still my first choice!

Enjoying my Backyard - Considering San Francisco can get pretty foggy and we don’t usually get the best summer weather, we have actually been really lucky with the weather during quarantine. We’ve done several upgrades to our backyard, including getting a couch and fire table for our deck and new plants for the lower part of our garden. As a result, we have been using our backyard much more than we normally would have. Pretty much any day it’s sunny I’m out there tanning!

Reading - It’s been so nice having more time to read during quarantine. Some of my choices have been hit or miss but Big Summer was a perfect summer read and I also liked Untamed and Conversations with Friends. Some others currently on my list are Park Avenue Summer, Such a Fun Age, and Rodham.

TV Shows - Normally I would barely ever watch TV, but during quarantine I’ve definitely found the time to. Some shows I’ve been watching are The Morning Show, Normal People, The Politician Season 2, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

I hope this gave you some ideas for summer quarantine activities, and I would love to hear how you’ve been keeping busy!