t shirt – 40% off | denim – 25% off | gold stacked rings | chain ring | pinky ring | snake necklace | hudson necklace | similar hoop earrings | staircase frames

When this quarantine first began, I shared 10 ideas for at-home activities.  At that time, I never could have imagined that three weeks later we would be in the same place, but here we are!  Since then I’ve come up with 10 more ideas for things to do at home.  Let’s get into it!

1) Take an Ivy League class… for free.

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia – some of the best universities in the country are currently offering free courses.  Check out your options here.

2) Paint by Numbers.

I have started painting silhouettes and finding things to paint and transform.  Someone suggested a paint-by-numbers kit and I thought it was brilliant!  I am loving this one and this one.

Another idea: finally get around to painting that room you’ve always wanted to paint.  I might paint our laundry room…

3) Binge a Podcast.

I have dozens of recommendations in multiple categories if you search “podcast” on this site.

A few new ones I’ve discovered that’s great: Viral: Coronavirus, Even the Rich and Whoop it Up with Vicki.

4) Watch a live concert.

This is on our list to do this week!  Watch a live concert once the kids are asleep.  Check a list of performances airing for free daily here and here.

You can also watch Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and the Rolling Stones on Netflix.

5) Make a candle.

I have shared some of my candle DIY tips in the “candles” saved story on Instagram, but there are so many fun tutorials to make a candle from scratch!  Love this one.

My candle tips are centered more around rescuing candles that aren’t burning well.  I got you!

6) Master the at-home manicure.

I have been so entertained watching everyone attempt their own gel and dip powder manicures at home.  Impressive!

I’ve gone the lazier route and ordered some press on’s that are reusable.  I am hopeful… but if they don’t cut it I will absolutely be learning how to dip my own nails.  I’d love to hear if you’ve tried!

7) Plant an herb garden.

This is one of the things I did over the weekend that I’m so excited about.  We have a brick plant bed that I knew would be perfect for herbs.  I’ve been waiting until spring to get it started, so I planted seven herbs and will be tending to them like little babies.

I even made DIY label markers by breaking off pieces of paint stirrers and painting them with chalk paint.

8) Flowers blooming? Make arrangements and drop them off at your friends doorsteps.

I’ll confess I’ve only done this for one friend but I’m trying to gather my vases because I want to leave more!  Our snowball plants are exploding with gorgeous flowers and I want to share them.

9) Perfect your makeup skills.

I heard Nene Leakes say she’s been watching makeup tutorials on YouTube and I thought… brilliant.  I need to catch a few!

10) Take a bike ride.

This is on our list.  We’ve gone on so many walks but I want to take my wheels for a spin.  We haven’t figured out what to do with Hudson just yet… but it’s a thought!

And hey – you don’t have to be productive.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with watching a Real Housewives of NY marathon or taking three naps.  For those of you with the same workload or multiple kids, I totally understand that there isn’t a lot of “free time” other than your normal routine.

To be honest, I’m probably about 25% less busy in my workflow, but now Hudson is with me every day.  So I still look at the clock and say, “how is it already 4PM!?”  BUT, we are finding time to garden, paint, play card games, cook, cook, cook and clean, clean, clean… you know the drill.

BUT, I heard someone say something along the lines of: one day your kids are going to read about Covid-19 and they’re going to ask us, “what did you do when you stayed at home for ___ months in 2020?”  I’m hoping I can say, “we planted herbs and bougainvillea.  We created art and played card games.  We got to know our neighbors and brought flowers to friends, drank wine by candlelight while listening to your great-grandmother’s records.  We even took a free history class online from Yale.”

I want to have some things to say that I can be proud of!  Is there anything you have done in the past few weeks that you’re particularly proud of?  I would love to hear.

And if you’re looking for some recipe inspiration, check out 15 easy things to cook at home here.  I’m going to be sharing my favorite pizza recipe soon!

Thank you so much for reading and sharing – XO –