Quarantine, lockdown, isolation … different names, but they all mean the same thing. We are staying home nearly all the time and severely limiting when we leave our house. It’s been very interesting, because as an introvert I felt unfazed by the restrictions. We do grocery pick up orders anyways during normal times, and I order online often.
Of course, the huge change has been working from home and helping the kids with their distance learning. We have all been thrown into this new way of doing things, and I have to say our kids have adjusted really well. I like to think that it was my ‘laid-back schedule’ that we started from week one, but all three of our kids have just taken to online learning so well. The schools did have some online learning programs they used prior to the lockdown. That definitely helped the transition.
Either way, we’ve all learned a few things about each other and about ourselves. The kids have learned how strict I am about electronics time. Hint: very. I have learned that some days I can let go of the electronics time rules and everything is a-okay.
Here are five things I learned during quarantine:
Simple is better
Being at home means I’m seeing our house a lot more. I got the itch to rearrange some decor and knick knacks a couple weeks ago. I’ve been arranging simpler vignettes around the house, and it’s made to very happy.
Dalgona Coffee
I mean … does anyone know how the Dalgona craze even started? It has been shared on so many Instagram feeds, I can’t even remember the first time I saw this recipe. This is a picture of the first Dalgona Coffee I made, complete with my Quarantine Banana Bread. I have settled on a ratio of coffee grounds/water/sugar that my husband and I like, and one batch is enough for both of us. It’s so enjoyable!
Homemade Bread
Yes, there is a reason that all the flour, bread flour, and yeast have been out of stock in the grocery stores. That’s because people were worried about bread being out of stock, and they decided to buy all the supplies to make bread at home. I am no stranger to homemade bread. I used to make our sandwich bread a few years ago, and the price came out to .50 a loaf. Now, I could’ve gone right back to that recipe in the Tassajara Bread Book, but I was actually worried about the stores running out of yeast.
So, I turned to sourdough. I made a sourdough starter at the beginning of all this, and I’ve been experimenting with a few different recipes. It has been a fun adventure with a lot of trial and error. This weekend we tried Erica’s Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls and they were delicious. The next recipe I’ll be trying is her Sourdough Sandwich bread.
Since I had a good supply of yeast, I also tried my hand at homemade bagels. When our lockdown first started, bagels were out of stock everywhere. It was really strange. So, I decided to make my own. We actually really liked them, although they were dense and chewy. I used all purpose flour when the recipe called for bread flour. Bread flour is another ingredient that’s been out of stock everywhere, too. As soon as I get my hands on some, I’ll try bagels again.
Rolling With the Punches
This picture is from Easter Sunday. Our Easter was the exact opposite of any Easter Sunday we’ve ever celebrated (save that one year when I was sick with a stomach bug when the kids were very little). We stayed home and were exceptionally lazy. I planned nothing for lunch, except for my idea at 8 am that we should have barbecue chicken wings. This is very different than our usual Easter lunch, but it was just as good. I like to think that Will and I have always been good at ‘rolling with the punches,’ but this lockdown has definitely taken it to another level. We are lucky that the punches have been few and far between.
Seeing the Good
This has been my last lesson during lockdown, and that is seeing the good. There have been a lot of negativity during lockdown. I’m not blind to it, but I have used it as a catalyst for seeing more good and being a better person. I am actively ignoring and avoiding unnecessary negativity, and it’s opened my eyes to so much positivity and light during this dark time.
What have you learned during lockdown?
Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
