14 Stay At Home Date Ideas You’ll Want to Try

My boyfriend David and I LOVE to go out on dates. Seriously, we live for margaritas at our favorite local taco shop, trips to the museum or zoo, and Saturday morning brunches. You can probably imagine my concern when I found out we couldn’t go out again for a couple of months due to COVID-19. Luckily for me, David and I were quick to come up with some fun date ideas we could do at home. So, whether you’re social distancing or just trying to save a buck, here are some at-home date ideas my boy and I have loved (and we hope you do too!)

Game Night

Board games are so underrated. Before quarantine, David and I hadn’t even played a single board game or card game together. Now, games are life. Here are our current favorite options for 2+ players!

• Exploding Kittens (seriously our favorite! If you’ve never played, I highly recommend purchasing. We get really competitive and laugh so hard.) – https://www.amazon.com/Exploding-Kittens-LLC-EKG-ORG1-1-Card/dp/B010TQY7A8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=exploding+kittens&qid=1585600569&sr=8-2
• Mancala – https://www.amazon.com/Mancala-Real-Wood-Folding-Set/dp/B001FA22DC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1NRR8R6UTZL89&keywords=mancala&qid=1585600650&sprefix=mancala%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-5
• Guess Who Clue Edition (Regular Guess Who and regular Clue work just the same!) – https://www.target.com/p/game-mashups-guess-who-clue-game/-/A-76431683
• Battleship – (we can play this silly classic for hours at a time!) https://www.target.com/p/battleship-game-retro-series-1967-edition/-/A-50696068
• Monopoly – https://www.target.com/p/monopoly-board-game/-/A-52117861
• 3 Up 3 Down Card Game – https://www.amazon.com/Ok2Win-3UP-3DOWN-Card-Game/dp/B01CPQD4YK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=3+up+3+down+card+game&qid=1586802819&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-1
• Order an Escape Room in a Box or Crime Scene in a box online or from your local Escape Room! (We borrowed ours from a friend!)

Paint and Sip

We aren’t usually an “artsy” couple but we LOVED following along to this couples paint tutorial on YouTube with a glass of wine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-dpSk0-HCU 

Here are our results!

Try a New Recipe

I think the best thing David and I did for ourselves right before social distancing got strict was buy an air fryer from Target. We have had such a blast making new snacks in the air fryer. Not only has it been fun, but it’s been delicious.

Here’s the relatively affordable air fryer we went with: https://www.target.com/p/as-seen-on-tv-powerxl-vortex-air-fryer-3qt-black/-/A-76544201

Also, something just feels right about baking in quarantine. Make banana bread, cookies, and cakes as MUCH as possible.

Cozy Movie Night

Set up some pillows and blankets on the floor in your living room, turn down the lights, grab a glass of wine, and pop-in (or just search for on Netflix because this is 2020) a movie. Preparing in advance for a movie night by making a fort or lighting a lot of candles makes it seem like more of an occasion than an everyday movie night.

Like a lot of ladies out there, I am a big fan of Rom-Coms. David? Not so much. However, it hasn’t been impossible to find a few romantic movies he’ll dig too. Here are a few “romance” movies your boyfriend won’t hate:

• 50 First Dates
• Slumdog Millionaire (Not a rom-com! More like a rom-crime)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Crazy Stupid Love
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• A Star is Born
• Disney’s Live Action Aladdin (Okay I’m reaching here but David loved this movie)

Fondue for Two

David and I had originally planned on celebrating our anniversary at the Melting Pot in Denver. Unfortunately, the Corona Virus rained on our parade… but we picked up fondue at-home kits from them instead! David got me flowers and lit some candles and it was just as romantic (if not more romantic!) than our original plan.

Have a Picnic in your Backyard

If you’re reading this in Spring of 2020 you might not be able to go for a picnic in the park, but who’s to say you can’t have a picnic in your backyard? Get that blanket and basket, pack some sandwiches (or pick up Chick-fil-a…), and get outside!

Go for a Walk

I’m pretty sure I would have gone crazy by now if I couldn’t at least go outside for a walk during this time of social distancing. I think going on walks has become one of our favorite things to do together as the weather warms up. It’s where we have our best conversations and feel our best too.

Take a Personality Quiz and Compare Your Results.

• My personal favorite type of personality test – The Enneagram
  • $12 test https://tests.enneagraminstitute.com
  • Free tests https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test or https://www.9types.com/rheti/index.php
  • After you have figured out your types, the Enneagram Institute has a free resource to see how you work in a relationship together: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/the-enneagram-type-combinations
• Myers Briggs https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
• Love Languages https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/

Watch Church Service at Home Together.

This is a date. Don’t @ me.

Do a Puzzle!

Turn on some tunes and pull out a puzzle.

Get to Know Each Other Better by Asking Deep OR Silly Questions.

• So cheesy but I definitely bought us these conversation starter cards for couples. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RDNFSC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We haven’t read through them all yet because we can truly spend 15 minutes on one card.
• Would you rather questions https://conversationstartersworld.com/would-you-rather-questions/

Support Your Favorite Local Businesses Together.

Although we can’t go OUT to eat, we can still go out and pick up takeout from our favorite restaurants and coffee shops. This has been something I’ve looked forward to doing every weekend while in “quarantine.”

Take Turns Reading a Book to Each Other.

Just ordered David and I, Love Does by Bob Goff. It’s one of my faves and I wanted to read it again with him!

Just Spend Quality Time Together

All in all, I still miss going out to the movie theater and coffee shops. However, I’m really thankful for all of this quality time I’ve been able to spend with my boy and for this season of “slowing down.”

International Women’s Day/NEDA Week

how you love yourself is 

how you teach others

to love you

-rupi kaur 

🌸

Debated posting some of these pictures for a while. Not because I don’t like them, but because I was afraid they were “too much.”

I was reminded last week of my haunting eating disorder during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. I was reminded of an 18 year old girl who hated herself and her curves and would do almost irreversible damage to her body for even the slightest difference on the scale. 

We live in a world where we beg women to love themselves and take care of their bodies and then we shame them when they’re confident. 

The truth is, you will be too much for some people. Those aren’t YOUR people.

My prayer for all of you lovely ladies this week is that you will love yourself fiercely. I pray that you won’t dim your light to make others comfortable. I pray that you will be so much and so whole that it will scare them.

Happy #InternationalWomensDay 🌸

Hair Growth/Re-growth Tips

My journery with hair loss…

About a year ago, I realized that I was losing a lot of hair and a few months after that, when my hair situation wasn’t getting better, I assumed it was because I had too much unhealthy hair. I did a major chop over the summer (like 8 inches!) in an attempt to improve my overall hair health. A few months later, my hair loss issue hadn’t gotten better, in fact, it had gotten WORSE. I was losing hair by the handfuls and finding huge hair-balls in my room and bathroom. I PANICKED. In September I made a trip to my Doctor to get some vitamin levels checked and it turned out I had an iron deficiency. I took iron supplements for 2 months and not a single difference was made in my hair loss. I was still losing tons of hair and at this point I was very visibly balding. My doctor felt terrible that she couldn’t diagnose a problem right then and there and sent me to a dermatologist specialist. The dermatologist took a quick look at my head and immediately determined that my hair loss pattern was not nutritional but hormonal (center scalp) and sent me to an OBGYN who almost immediately diagnosed me with PCOS – polycystic ovarian syndrome. After I was clinically diagnosed with PCOS they ran some hormone tests and sure enough my body was producing an unusually high amount of a hormone called Androgen. Androgen, also known as the steroid hormone, is a male hormone that all women carry. This imbalance was causing me to lose my hair as a young female. My two immediate treatments were 1) birth control to level out my hormones with estrogen and 2) women’s Rogaine for new growth.

I’ve noticed a pretty big difference in my hair health the past few months and I’ve picked up a few other tips and tricks on this journey that I think can work for anyone trying to get longer and healthier hair. That being said, here’s some hair tips for you.

Determine any nutritional or hormonal imbalances.

If you are experiencing a serious amount of hair thinning/balding, go see your doctor. I wish I would have before it got as bad as it did! Your hair loss could be as simple as you not getting enough protein, calcium, iron, etc. in your diet or it could be a little more complicated like a hormone imbalance, but still treatable.

Rogaine

I know what you’re thinking right now – ICK! Rogaine!? I’m not 80! You’re probably right (idk maybe you are 80) however, Rogaine WORKS. I don’t recommend just using it if you want more hair because this product is specifically for those experiencing balding.

Biotin supplements

Whether it’s those expensive Sugar Bear Hair gummies (they really do taste good…) or a $6 bottle at target, get you some biotin! I really do notice a difference in how fast my hair length grows when I’m taking biotin v.s when I’m not.

Sugar Bear Hair for $30 @ Ulta

Target gummies for $10 

Stop using shampoos and conditioners full of sulfates and silicon.

Really, stop. You can’t expect your hair to get healthier if you’re not investing a little extra into it. There are NICE drugstore/affordable shampoos and conditioners that don’t have silicone and sulfate in it! I’ll leave some of my curly hair specefic suggestions below. If you don’t have curly hair, don’t panic! All it takes is a walk down the hair care isle. All sulfate and silicone free hair products boldly advertise themselves as so.

• DevaCurl (NOT DRUGSTORE) My absolute fav for my curly hair gals. This will transform your hair.
• Shea Moisture (curly hair types)
• Maui Moisture (curly hair types but they have products for normal hair as well)
• Pacifica Pineapple Curls (curly hair types)
• Not Your Mothers Curl Talk line (curly hair types)

Silk Scrunchies

Whether I’m putting my hair up for bed or on the go, silk scrunchies are the only thing that touch my hair anymore. These never tear my hair out or cause breakage. They also keep my hair from rubbing all over my pillows in my sleep if I remember to throw it up in a LOOSE bun.

Packs of 5 for $8 @ Ulta 

Stop putting your hair up in a towel after you shower.

Ground-breaking, I know. The harsh fibers in towels can cause breakage and damage to your hair! Instead (if you really want to throw your hair up) use a cotton shirt. For my curly gals, apply your stylers immediately after your shower and scrunch with a microfiber towel and then let air dry. If you want to use a diffuser, I recommend using it only after your hair has been 90% air-dried.

Microfiber towel by DevaCurl for $20 @ Ulta

A slightly cheaper Microfiber towel that does the job on Amazon 

Stop brushing your hair.

GASP! Stop brushing!? Yes. Ever notice how much hair comes out in your brushes? Try switching to a comb, or better yet your fingers. I know that detangling with your fingers can be really tricky, especially when you have curly hair, but it’s the least damaging way to detangle and it’s not terribly hard to do if you do it in the shower and use a good conditioner. I try to finger comb unless I have a very stubborn tangle and then I bring out my shower comb. Even then though, I see minimal hair loss. The one little clump I lose in the shower 2-3 times a week (how often I wash my hair) is nothing compared to the huge clumps I used to lose daily in my brushes.

Shower comb for $3 @ Target 

Stop washing your hair everyday.

Please don’t stop washing it completely! Just stop washing it every day. Let your hair and scalp enjoy its natural oils before stripping it away. Dry scalp = breakage. It can also cause product buildup which leads to clogging of the hair follicles. So just become a hippie like me and wash your hair 2-3 times a week. 🙂

 

January Favorites

Hey friends! New year, new(ish) me. Going to start sharing with you all my favorite things every month! Here’s my January faves!

Hair Care

Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Hair Cream and Sculpting Gel

$7.99 each @ Ulta

I freakin’ love this cream and gel. I went a long time without using styling products on my hair post-shower. Crazy! I use these on my wavy/curly hair as soon as I get out of the shower, first cream then gel. I run these products through my hair with my fingers and then scrunch with a microfiber towel. On non-wash days I re-wet my hair with a squirt bottle and scrunch my hair with both again and it keep my curls looking fresh and bouncy!

 

Skincare

Vitamin E Oil

$4.99 @ Target

I keep this on my bedside table and rub a small amount on my face before bed. I can’t believe how much of a game changer this has been for my dry Colorado skin this winter. I wake up and my skin feels moisturized and glowy. Not to mention, it’s SO affordable. I sometimes even put a little bit on after my showers when my skin feels dry and it immediately makes a difference. I HIGHLY recommend for anyone with dry skin or scalp!

Beauty

Kylie Lip Glosses

$15 @ Ulta or Kylie Cosmetics online

I’ve talked about these before on my insta but I have been loving the Kylie glosses lately! I’ve always been a fan of her liquid matte lipsticks but for the winter those have just been to dry on my chapped lips. These are a great alternative when I want some color. Plus, they are the longest lasting glosses I have ever used, especially the red shade I have! The two I have are Candy K (nude) and Naughty (red).

Book

Chasing the Dragon

My mom got me this book probably a year or two ago for Christmas but it had been on my shelf collecting dust for…. A WHILE. Finally decided to whip it out and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. Long story short, this book is about a woman who moves from her home in the UK (at a 20 years old) to one of the most dangerous, poor, and sinful cities in China. Really amazing read for the Christian missionary.

 

Style

Turtlenecks

I’ve just been loving a good turtleneck lately. Easy, comfy, and makes you look like you really have your life together.

 

Teddy Coat

$22 @ Zaful

Comfy and trendy af! SUPER affordable and good quality!

Health

Yoga

My cousin and I have been really enjoying taking yoga together the past few of months. Stepped it up this month and have been going at least twice a week and it feels great! Never thought I’d be one to like yoga but it’s really quite enjoyable.

Our yoga mats

$25 on Amazon

 

 

Faith

Eat this Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm 

Free on YouVersion Bible App

Last week I decided I wanted to complete a Bible in a year plan. Every morning when I wake up the first thing I do is get on my app and listen and read along to my readings for the day. I like this particular plan because it includes a Psalm everyday (this is really nice while I’m reading the wacky Old Testament 😉 )

Yummies

Trader Joe’s Veggie Crisps

Didn’t think I’d like these as much as I did but I’m an ADDICT,  Vegan, gluten-free, and 150 calories in a serving.

Lime Flavored La Croix

Fun fact I HATED La Croix the first time I tried it. Thought all these white people were lying to me because it tasted like hairspray. However, after moving in with my cousin Alyssa (a La Croix addict) I started catching on (aka forcing myself to drink them) and now I’m hooked! The Lime flavor is especially yummy (shout out to my friend Alexia who recommended.)

 

Apps/Social Media

Unfold App – free with in app purchases

Love this app when I want my insta story to look particularly trendy.

T.V/Movies

Friends

Can you believe I waited 23 years of my life before watching Friends. I’ve been ending almost every night with at least 4 episodes. Even got my cousin hooked and we laugh our butts off together every night because of this silly sitcom!

Miscellaneous

Blue Light Glasses

$16 on Amazon

I’ve seen a lot of people on social media with these lately and decided to give them a try. Found a very affordable pair and I was not disappointed! Worth it if you spend a lot of your day looking at your phone or on the computer.

 

Rose Gold Coach Necklace 

I was given this necklace by my dad and his fiance for Christmas and I’ve worn it nearly everyday since. Sweet, dainty, and goes with just about everything.

Also, my bab sister is my favorite.

A delicious soup for delicious people ;)

Hey guys, Christina here. Today I decided to make my all time favorite 15 minute soup recipe for dinner and here I am to share it all with you. This is so easy a cave man could do it.

Do you want to make soup that looks like this?

While looking like this?

Then look no further, delicious people, this soup recipe is for you.

Turkey Kielbasa and Tortellini Soup

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 bags of refrigerated spinach tortellini noodles from Trader Joes (Any refrigerated or frozen tortellini noodles will work fine! You want approximately 20oz though)
• 64 oz of low sodium chicken broth
• 28ish oz of diced tomato
• 28ish oz of marinara sauce (or tomato sauce if you want to add your own seasonings!)
• 1/2 a diced onion
• 5ish oz of spinach
• One 13oz turkey Kielbasa
• A few tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

This ^ will make approximately 6 servings so adjust recipe accordingly.

• (Optional bottle of moscato if you want to feel boujie while you make your soup)

 

First you’ll want to pour all of your chicken broth, diced tomato, and marinara into a large pot. Turn stove to medium/high.

Next you will need to start dicing your onions and cutting your Turkey Kielbasa into thin slices.

After your broth has come to a light boil, pour in both the diced onions and Tortellini.

(Sorry for the lack of diced onion pictures here…)

Turn stove heat to low/medium, cover with lid, and let sit for 2 minutes. If you are using alternative tortellini noodles, adjust cook time accordingly.

After your two minutes is up. Open lid and stir.

Next, throw in your Kielbasa. (Literally throw it in. Stand at least 3 feet away and toss each piece in like Lebron James)

Once you’ve put your Kielbasa in, re-cover with the lid and let sit for another 2 minutes.

Afterwards, put in your spinach and parmesan cheese and stir well. Then, add another dash of parmesan on top because why not?

And WA LA. Dinner is served. You are now a chef. You are welcome.

Enjoy!

 

Anxiety looks different to everyone

It’s officially Fall! Which means I’ll probably be posting more about mental health the next couple of months to help cope with my seasonal depression. Woo!

I was scrolling on Facebook the other day and saw a blog post titled, “This is what anxiety looks like.” It got me thinking about how anxiety is “supposed” to look. I think when we start to label anxiety as “looking” a certain way, we discredit people whose anxiety looks different from our idea of it.

For me, anxiety is waking up feeling fatigued after a full nights sleep and grinding my teeth like it’s nobody’s business. It’s numbness in my hands and feeling like I don’t even have the strength to hold a pencil. It’s having a panic attack in the shower and having to get out and lay on the bathroom floor until I can breathe again. It’s running across campus to the counselor’s office and getting there only to have nothing to say but instead cry and that’s okay because she understands. It’s making sure I have my anxiety medicine in my carry-on and arriving to the airport three hours before my departure because I’d rather wait in my terminal for two hours than have to worry about not making it to my gate. It’s struggling with an eating disorder for 3 years because being able to have control over something felt worth it, even if it meant hurting myself.

While these tendencies are mine, that doesn’t mean they are everyone’s. My cousin bites her nails, sometimes until they bleed. My best friend digs her nails into the fatty parts of her arms and legs. I’ve known people who pull their hair out, have muscle spasms, eye twitches, or shiver uncontrollably. Some people clean like crazy, binge drink/eat, or just shut down. Anxiety is all of these things but it is also so much more.

You see, if I only counted anxiety as the people who can’t sleep the night before traveling or someone whose instinct to loss of control was bulimia, I’d be leaving out a huge group of people who struggle with the same thing I do. I’d be ignoring the fact that ! 40 million ! Americans deal with anxiety and that every one of those 40 million people lives a life I know close to nothing about. Mental illness isn’t something that can be put into a box, because much like people – it just isn’t that simple. When we realize that mental illness looks a lot of different ways, whether that’s anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, etc. we can better drop the stigma around it and be there for ourselves and our friends who are hurting. I think that’s something even I can do better at.

 

 

If you are thinking about suicide or just need to talk to someone, you can speak to someone by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by texting HOME to 741741, the Crisis Text Line. Suicide help-lines outside the US can be found here.