A Socially Distanced Family Picnic on the Beach
While “Pandemic Fatigue” is clearly spreading through the country, I refuse to let it lure our family into relaxing the precautions we take to protect ourselves and our community from the spread of COVID-19.
We plan to stay home for the holidays. However, we set aside one evening in November to safely celebrate numerous special occasions with my closest friend and her four year old. Due to the pandemic, coupled with varying schedules and stringent safety protocols, our families hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year, despite the fact that we both live in LA. So we got COVID tests + results, and then meet up on the beach here in Venice/Santa Monica for a picnic— just the 5 of us. (We wore our masks except for when eating— click here to see my favorite masks and how I increase their longevity.)
The cozy, beautiful picnic setup— along with the delicious provisions included— were all supplied by Santa Monica Picnic Co. (Website / Instagram.)
Their service provided us with the table, rug and cushions, battery-operated lighting, a lovely tablescape, food and beverage, and even details like to-go boxes, a bluetooth speaker, a polaroid camera, incense, warm blankets, and an umbrella. (Textiles by Fragments Identity for Santa Monica Picnic Co.)
It was deeply therapeutic to reconnect in person with my best friend. And it was downright magical to do so as we watched our children play against the backdrop of crashing waves and the setting sun.
Thank you, Santa Monica Picnic Co. for the most memorable setting for our mini-gathering. I’ve lived by the beach here in West LA for 13 years, and this will forever be one of the happiest and brightest memories from my time living on the Pacific coast.
Learn about everything that’s included in the picnics here, as well as explore optional add-ons.
Note: This post was not sponsored, but the picnic was generously gifted by our new friends at Santa Monica Picnic Co, whose service we genuinely recommend.
Activities for Sheltering at Home in a Small Space (Week 6)
Sheltering at home looks different for every household. Here at the cottage, we haven’t deep cleaned the house, nor have we started taking new classes, learning new skills, or watching new shows.
Our home is a daycare from 7am - 9pm.
And it’s a small business office from 6am - 11pm.
7 days a week.
I’m not complaining. Being able to shelter from home with my family is a privilege.
And thankfully, to my surprise, West still hasn’t asked to go anywhere the entire time. I was expecting daily questions and requests, but they never really manifested. I find myself holding my breath for a breakdown that has yet to come.
Above: West speaking to our neighbor from across the 8’ porch that separates our homes.
The days go by quickly, some smoother than others.
West sweetly requests more undivided attention than I can necessarily give, I fall behind on work, I’m out of shape, I’m distracted during most calls and meetings, I’m making more typos in my writing, and days go by without being able to touch base with my parents.
But this is a time for heightened flexibility, compassion and patience— with others, and with ourselves.
WORK
As a far as conducting business is concerned, I stick to many of my Tips for Working Effectively from a Small Home / Apt During the Outbreak. Even though I can’t work uninterrupted for more than a 30-60 minutes at a time, I do try to practice helpful habits like separating myself from the rest of the family, clocking-in for the task and clocking-out when it’s completed, and having necessities and comforts within arm’s reach (and notifications off) so I’m not sidetracked.
PLAY
We are turning nearly everything into an activity to do with West. Our days usually consist of the following:
Reading (about 2 hours each day)
Listening to Pinna audiobooks / stories while playing with trucks, building blocks/tiles, train tracks, etc.
Watching episodes of Sarah & Duck or Puffin Rock with our mini projector
“Painting” the fence with water
Bubbles
Cooking, baking, cleaning and laundry as family games
Dance parties
Playdough (I refer to Erin Boyle’s DIY instructions here)
Building forts (on the couch, with a tablecloth tent, and with play silks / scarves)
Window darts (these are plastic, but I’m glad we have them—- they’re fun for the whole family and we use them constantly)
Running around the house and yard with the pups
Art class (stickers, simple crafts, color pencils and crayons, paper planes, etc)
1 hour of French zoom class with friends, 4x / week
Gardening, Farmstand harvesting and monitoring, and careful watering of the indoor/outdoor plants
Puzzles (we only have 4-5 small ones, but they’re enough at this point)
Basketball
Video / Portal calls with family and friends
Chatting over fences and through windows with our neighbors
“Fishing” in the main room or garden
Switching up meal and snack formats in the PlanetBox for in-home picnics
My Functional Uniform While Staying "Safer at Home"
My friends and Venice neighbors over at Late Sunday Afternoon made an epic hoodie that was intended for use while traveling and on adventures, but I must say— I’ve found it to be pretty damn useful at home. Especially as we progress through our 3rd week of adhering to Los Angeles’ Safer at Home + social distancing orders.
Plus, it pretty much sums up my mood lately:
Per my previous post, I find it super helpful to stick to a set of tips and rules when attempting to juggle the live/work realities of life in our small space during unique time.
For example, I always get dressed in the morning (even if it’s swapping one pair of stretchy pants for another).
And I aim to keep essentials (such as my password book, my phone, and my lemon water) at-hand… not because walking the whopping 6 steps across our tiny home is an inconvenience, but because when I somehow manage to accomplish a chunk of work during the day, I don’t want anything unnecessary to derail my train of thought or productivity.
And I usually cocoon myself with some sort of personal audio buffer while I work. The combination of my AirPods and the built-in padding around the ears on this hoodie are surprisingly effective at muffling the delightful but highly distracting sounds of my 4 beloved housemates.
I’m also partial to this piece because Late Sunday Afternoon makes baby blankets for children in foster care with the first and last yard of every roll of deadstock fabric they use for their signature ascots and multi-functional scarves, which they sew in-house. And their Venice store operates at nearly zero waste, using fabric scraps to stuff dog beds that they then donate to local shelters.
For this unisex hoodie, The Apollo 1, which was entirely designed, knitted and loomed here in LA, they used 30oz Natural, undyed French Terry Cotton. Some of the hoodie’s clever features include:
Extra padding for the ears
A secret iPhone pocket in the kangaroo pouch (made from antimicrobial fabric) that supports the weight of the phone without slouching the belly of the sweatshirt
A built-in eye-mask
An interior loop for keys (or, in my case, my iPhone earbud holder)
Extra padding on the elbows
This ethically-produced, functional top feels like a protective hug, which is something I appreciate now more than ever.
Note: This post was not sponsored. I simply love Late Sunday Afternoon, along with their unique and magical team and creations.