Have you noticed that every 3rd person you talk to is bringing a new furry friend into their homes? Turns out this trend is very, very real. But truly, my kids are 10, 8 and 5 and, with all of us home, it couldn’t be a better time, sooo…. we are getting a puppy! 😬
Meet Labradoodle Annie and her litter. Annie brought these 4 boys and 3 girls into the world early Friday morning. I’m sure our loyal COAT readers are dying to keep up to speed on the details here so don’t worry, I’ll share more as soon as I can. We find that out sometime in June whether we are bringing home a boy or girl, and he/she will be moving to Kensington around July 11th. Send me name suggestions!
Here are some photos to tide you over:
Taking Care of Yourself
It’s crazy how COVID-19 is dividing us into various groups - the deniers, the angry, the obsessive-news readers, the list goes on. My neighborhood running group has now segmented into smaller groups of two or three so we can continue to run together by maintaining physical distance. The looks (and sometimes comments) we get from pedestrians that we pass are, at times, laughable because it seems so ridiculous and other times, enraging, because we know we are following CDC guidelines, yet that hasn’t stopped perfect strangers from casting their judgment. I’m trying to move on ( yet clearly, dwelling…) but the bottom line is I do miss the times of friendlier nods or ‘good morning!’ as we pass others.
It’s certainly clear to me that whatever category you fall in, we could all benefit from checking in on the state of our mental health. I agree with much of this article, so I’m going to give you the highlights:
Stay informed—but don’t obsessively check the news
Focus on the things you can control
Stay connected—even when physically isolated
Take care of your body and spirit
Help others (it will make you feel better)
I also recently turned to my college friend and sorority sister Licenced Psychologist Regan Mayo, PhD when I asked her for advice that we could post here for someone looking for a therapist but unsure of where to start. Here’s what Regan shared:
“Psychology Today is a great website for finding a therapist. I suggest reading the blurb and seeing how you feel about what the therapist has to say about their approach. Their site also provides information on specialties, years of experience, theoretical approach and if the therapist is in-network for any of the various insurance plans. You can search the site for particular insurance providers, by location etc. It is safe to assume most therapists are now doing teletherapy but I recommend clarifying if they conduct therapy by phone or video. Also, it’s common practice to call and ask for brief phone conversation to get a sense of the therapist before starting. If you do this, plan to have a couple of questions ready to ask. I suggest giving it 3 sessions to really decide how you feel about your therapist and therapy generally. I don’t recommend Talkspace or any of those newer sites that were doing teletherapy before we all had to. In-person is really best but teletherapy is what we have until we are past the pandemic.”
Creating New Games
We are now finishing up week 9 in quarantine and boredom is likely setting in. I have been battling this foe through this time and keeping it at bay with a fairly sizeable board game collection. I invested in the classics - Clue, Jenga, a good game of cards. However, over time I have found myself beginning to bore with these old favorites. I even allowed my girlfriend to teach me how to play Canasta in order to try and bring in new activities. Although an interesting game, it is my opinion that it is merely an over complicated version of Gin Rummy. One tip from MAA is to break out of this monotony by taking matters into your own hands. The Gaynor household has begun to abandon the premade games of the past and look to the future. That future is homemade games. Here are two ideas that are fun for the whole family:
Pin the Tail on the Donkey - You do not need much for this game! Just a couple pieces of paper and some tape. It is a great blast from the past and interesting test of your balance. I even enjoyed it despite having truly no skill in the game. Feel free to mix up this game with a theme. See the below picture for inspiration!
Homemade Guess Who - Did the game of ‘Guess Who’ ever strike you as odd? How can you figure out who it is when all of these characters are strangers to you! Well, worry no longer! With a homemade game of Guess Who, you can populate the board with familiar characters including Jim Costa or even Molly Allen! ~ Isaac
Recipe of the Week: Homemade Ice Cream
The New York Times had an article last week titled “Making Ice Cream in a Jar” - naturally, we had to try it. We don’t have an ice cream maker at home, and it said all you really need is a mason jar and strong forearms, so we went for it! And it came out pretty good! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it for yourself:
Ingredients:
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Steps:
Pour cream, sugar, vanilla, salt into a mason jar and screw on lid tightly
Shake until the cream thickens & almost doubles in size, about 5-10 minutes. You’ll know you’re done when the mixture doubles in volume and is about the consistency of brownie batter
Freeze for at least 3 hours.
PRO TIP - before shaking, add some fun toppings (i.e. chocolate chips, crushed up candy bars, berries, nuts)
Enjoy!! - Lexi
