The Monthly Favourites: Lockdown Edition
Hello, how are you doing? Life is still pretty weird, isn’t it? We’re definitely getting more used to it all now, but I’m still struggling to get into much of a routine with everything and I’m finding that lack of routine really hard.
I always think I’m not one for routines, but I really need one! Having the school run and then being able to head straight home and get on with my work on my own normally, really helps. And even though I’m quite enjoying the slower days and getting to spend more time together, I am finding the lack of routine hard. But then I also know that it wouldn’t work for us if I woke A up at a particular time every day and was more strict with timings for work and how much we do each day. We just have to do what works for us at the moment, don’t we?
Anyway, there are some things in particular that I’ve really been loving whilst we’re stuck, safely at home; some things that have really helped make things a bit easier or nicer, so I thought I would share them today.
The Monthly Favourites: Lockdown Edition
Kindle
With the beautiful weather that we have been lucky enough to have been having, I rediscovered my Kindle that I’d had for about ten years – it’s lovely to read on and gives me a really good break from my phone. I love that it is literally just books, unlike if I used a tablet or my phone and I end up just checking my emails or social media quickly.
Typically, after using and loving it for a couple of days, my old faithful Kindle decided to break and was unfixable, so I decided as I was enjoying it so much I would treat myself to a new one. It’s really been helping me take breaks from my phone, and getting into a good book is so good for my mental health, particularly right now.
I looked at the snazzier, more expensive ones but I decided the most basic one was all I needed and hopefully this one will last me another ten years! I’m a bit annoyed that I had to buy a new cover for this one as they are slightly different sizes now and my old pink cover (which still looked brand new) is so much nicer and made of nicer, more hardwearing stuff too.
I’m so enjoying reading more again, and Ava and I will often have a little break from work with a bit of quiet time reading. It’s lovely that A can sit and read in her head now so she can sit quietly and read a book herself and she really enjoys it too.
Gigantosaurus: The Game
We recently got sent the brand new Gigantosaurus: The Game* to download for the Xbox and Ava really loves it. It’s a super cute game for kids (and adults!) and Ava (who is 8) plays on it a lot. It’s great because it’s easy for her to play by herself, and she’s been able to work out what she needs to do without our help at all (in fact, she’s taught us how to play it!).
Gigantosaurus: The Game is a 4 player adventure game based on the show ‘Gigantosaurus’ on Disney Junior. Players can explore and race together across prehistoric worlds in a one-of-a-kind dinosaur adventure full of secrets, puzzles and epic racing levels, and you can also play on your own.
It has lots of different parts to it which is great for Ava to keep her interested – she loves looking for the eggs, taking part in races after each stage (and winning!) and she is very proud of herself when she works out how to do something! The characters are really sweet and you can change between them during the game and they all have different skills which adds a nice element to it.
It’s been particularly great right now to give Ava something different to do for a little while and to keep her entertained and it’s a really nice family game for us to play together too.
Gigantosaurus: The Game is available now on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.
Here is the trailer for the game if you’d like to see: Gigantosaurus: The Game
Zero Gravity garden chairs
Last year I bought a couple of really good garden chairs so that after my big operation in August I would be able to at least just sit outside in the garden when I couldn’t really do much else. In the end, that didn’t really happen – I was in a lot of pain for a while and couldn’t move very easily at all, so I didn’t end spending any of the summer outdoors. But this year I am getting to use them loads already and I absolutely love them.
They weren’t the cheapest garden chairs (I think I paid around £70 for two), but they were absolutely worth the money – they are so, so comfortable to lie back in as they really support you, and I think they should last a really long time. They’re called Zero Gravity chairs and I got a set of two from Amazon, but they’re unavailable at the moment annoyingly. There are lots of similar ones though if you’re looking for a really comfy garden chair.
Easy banana muffins
We all hate eating bananas that are overripe in this house, and we’re terrible at not getting through them all whilst they’re still fresh enough for us to eat. So we’ve made these really easy banana muffins lots of times since we’ve been staying at home.
They’re so quick and easy to make, with simple ingredients and they taste great, but they do have a lot of sugar in them, so I’ve been experimenting with using way less sugar, as well as trying out alternative natural sugars like maple syrup (as that’s the only other thing I have right now) which I much prefer to use than refined sugars.
We also make a chocolate version with raw cacao powder which Ava loves, and I’m happy as raw cacao is really good for you as it’s full of antioxidants, plus she’s getting goodness from the bananas too. If I can perfect the low or no refined sugar recipe then I’ll be much happier and if I do then I’ll share a recipe on here, but for now, they’re still a tasty, satisfying treat and we both love them.
Exercising and Fitness Blender
I actually have a post coming up about my love for Fitness Blender and how amazing their workouts are, but I just wanted to mention them in my favourites as I think they are brilliant. They are a husband and wife duo who share great workouts on YouTube and their website for free.
They’re not at all annoying like some are and they really know what they’re doing. I’ve used them for years and even though the workouts are bloody hard, they can be quite fun – well as fun as exercising can be – and every time I do them consistently I really see changes in my body. Now that I’ve been doing them most days for a few months my body is more toned and I’ve lost a bit of weight (would have lost more if I wasn’t drinking like a fish every evening right now) and they just make me feel so much better.
If you’re looking for some home workouts to do then you should definitely have a look at Fitness Blender. Their 5 Day Workout for Busy People is a great place to start and they are all 30 minutes or less so you can (try to make yourself) fit them into your day and they show low impact modifications too if you’re new to it.
Monopoly Deal card game
I bought Monopoly Deal a couple of months ago and we are all absolutely loving it and play it all the time. When you first read the instructions it seems super complicated and confusing, but the best thing to do is just start playing and it will all start to make sense pretty quickly and you’ll all pick it up.
Ava took a bit of time to get it and didn’t play on her own at first, but now she knows exactly what she’s doing and wins a lot more than me!
Honestly, if someone asked me if I like the original Monopoly game then I would have said yes, but every time I play it I want to cry and run away – I just find it so frustrating. But this, this I love. It’s addictive.
It’s a quick-playing (but not too quick) card game in which the aim of the game is to get three complete property sets. Cards include: Property Cards, Rent Cards, House and Hotel Cards, and Wild Property Cards, Cash Cards and Action Cards, which let players do things such as charge rent and make deals.
We all think it’s great fun and you actually have to think and make decisions so even if you play it a lot then it never gets boring. I love it and I’m so glad I got it.
Get Monopoly Deal on Amazon (for less than a fiver!) here.
Drinks covers
As we’ve had some really great weather over the past few weeks I have been using these drinks covers loads to stop the pesky bugs stealing my drinks. They’re so good to have when you’re taking drinks outside and they also keep a cup of tea hot, although I don’t tend to use them for that. They’re made of non-toxic silicone and are obviously reusable and I just think they’re really useful so I thought I would mention them!
Is there anything, in particular, that you’ve been loving in lockdown or that has been particularly useful? Please share with me in the comments if so!
*I was sent a download code for Gigantosaurus: The Game but all words and opinions are my own.
