In 2020 I didn't try a lot of new-to-me desserts. I did plenty of comfort eating with old ones but didn't really try much in the new department. The one thing I remember trying was fried bananas with honey from my favorite Thai place, which was absolutely phenomenal. I don't even like bananas much but that was very good!
If 2020 saw a rise in gardening across the nation, 2021 will likely only see even more gardening take place. I'm predicting lots of funky and weird ideas as creative people stay home and try to find new ways to have fun. I'm already doing some pretty weird stuff in my garden arena this year!
In one of my couples groups we have been sharing our creative ideas for dates in quarantine. The consensus is that curbside takeout is the best way to go, unless you get a cooking subscription or ingredients to cook together, which a lot of couples enjoy doing. These are all fun ways to enjoy your time together while still social distancing.
Do you enjoy learning about poetry from a teacher rather than on your own? Or maybe you just want to discuss it with fellow learners. Online poetry classes can be found all over the place and Coursera has several great offerings for those interested.
University of PA's Modern and Contemporary American Poetry is a wonderful class. I can't speak for the other classes from experience but there are poetry workshops, classes about songs and poetry and many other offerings that you might be interested in.
One of my favorite games to play is Tetris, which isn't great for big parties but nice for small groups who enjoy taking turns. Yes, there are multi-player versions, but for some reason I really prefer using Dr. Mario for that kind of game. The peppy music and Mario tossing pills is just fun for two players.
After falling a little behind on my Christmas reading and watching, this week I watched the second season of Home for Christmas (which was cute but not as awesome as the first season) and read The Afterlife of Holly Chase. This book was so fun! If you love A Christmas Carol, you need to read it.
I am a big lover of flavor and not a big lover of sugar and calories, as many of you know! So I'm always trying to find fun new ways to make flavors without adding either. One of my favorites is to brew herbal teas and mix them in with smoothies. A good hibiscus tea is basically fruit punch, and there are so many tea makers that you could try a blend daily and never get bored. I love to try new orange blends, especially those that taste like Push pops, myself!
One of my favorite ways to sneak in a treat now and then is to incorporate a little bit of fast food into my salads I make at home. Did you know, for example, that a six-piece chicken ring from White Castle is 12 carbs? That's not too bad, and my partner and I will either split it or use the order in our big salad of the day if we're fasting the rest of the time.
Some of us can greatly benefit from sharing our self-care and stress relief tricks with one another. I know if I don't do at least one or two of mine daily I definitely feel it! Some of my musts are my daily vitamins and supplements (I definitely feel down if I skip my daily magnesium!), deep breathing exercises, a hot cup of tea, music, a walk or a bath soak, which has many of the same benefits as exercise.
Birdhouses and bird feeders are my jam. I love to feed the birds in our neighborhood and watch them nest. Lately I've been looking for more unique ideas. We usually build our own but there are so many cool ones out there that it's tempting to buy one!
Most of us expect to see vultures scavenging off other dead animals for sustenance, but I had no idea that butterflies did it! Can you believe that butterflies love the salt that's not only in our sweat (which is why you'll see them land on your arm), but on dead animals? They also like to lick feces and blood! Ew.
I LOVE to drink my meals. If I could make every meal into a smoothie without a mess, I probably would! I am a big fan of getting my spinach and avocado that way, especially on a busy day when I can just drink it while I'm working or homeschooling. It's a great way to cram in vitamins and minerals without having to cook, which is not one of my hobbies. I'm also only a fan of spinach in salads otherwise, so it's a fun way to get my greens in without having to whip one up.
Move over, rating shows and movies: ranking episodes is now all the rage! Fans are constantly rating which episodes are best and worst, and those rankings are making it to everything from IMDB to listicles across the Internet.
My teen and I are reading Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point right now, so it's funny that we came across this news today: the Grateful Dead crocs have sold out! They were just restocked and are so popular that they just can't seem to stay that way.
You probably already know that you can invest in a light lamp this time of year to help with your mood. Did you know that your library may even have some to check out? It might be worth looking into. But you might not know that there are lots of apps made to help with stress and anxiety now, too.
My teen is all about psychology and philosophy these days, and yesterday I was informed by said teen that many 80s songs have a great slow beat to slow your heart rate. Did you know that your heart will match up to the slow beats around you, which is why it's helpful to play music with slow, soothing beats when you are stressed? The kid further informed me that by playing just a few minutes of this music a day, kids in schools feel less stress and have better days. Why don't we all do that?
Watching the terrorism in the capitol last week was incredibly disturbing for most of us, and the FBI's warning that further armed protests are planned in every state capitol is unsettling as well. We all want to do something in these uncertain times, but what can we do?
For 2021, I thought it would be fabulous for us to share the ways we're uplifting women in our communities and lives. For starters, I've been reading books almost exclusively by women lately, including those by Stacey Abrams. I'm reading her activist books now but her romance novels are also on my radar and buying those is an easy way to support the real life Captain America, as many are calling this wonderful leader!
When I found out that butterflies are attracted to dead frog bodies, among other creatures, I was repulsed at first. Butterflies? You would expect carrion feasts to make it onto a buzzard's menu, but a beautiful butterfly? Well by now we all know that butterflies are a messy goo as they transform, so why not enjoy a messy body or two for dinner?
I'm one of those people who thinks that exploring our own ocean is even more fascinating than finding out what's out there in space, even though that, too, is incredibly interesting. But when I saw these images of the "Grand Canyon" of Mars, I had to agree that they were breathtaking!
