Hey y’all—happy Monday! I know the days of the week don’t have much meaning anymore, but I do appreciate a fresh start. My main goal for this week is to take advantage of the really nice weather and get out for a long walk at least four of the five weekdays. I also took Friday off work and am looking forward to a long weekend. It won’t be much different than any other day, but I plan to get takeout from somewhere fun, squeeze a workout in, and probably read a good book on my couch. If you feel like you need a mental health day, too, don’t be afraid to take one! I usually prefer to save my vacation days for a trip, but I think this day will do a lot for me right now, and I’m lucky to be working at a company that is encouraging us to take the the time we need.

I’ve been struggling with what to post here on TOT since a lot of my normal content focuses on my life out and about in DC and my travels. So the other day as I was brainstorming some post ideas, I thought it could be really fun to share five distractions I’m loving each Monday while we’re in quarantine. I’ll plan to share distractions from all aspects of my life—TV, books, makeup, podcasts, food, products, you name it. I always enjoy reading about what other people are obsessing over, so I thought it could make for a fun new series—and, selfishly, also thought this would also be a great exercise for me to find the bright spots in my life right now.

So without further ado, here are five distractions I’m loving right now!

01. VIRGIN RIVER ON NETFLIX

I remember when Virgin River came out on Netflix late last year since it was constantly recommended to me—but for some reason, I didn’t give it the time of day. Many of my readers have recommended it to me since, and I am so glad they did, it’s the perfect Hallmark-movie-like show I needed in these trying times. It basically has the same plot as Hart of Dixie, only it’s less whimsical—a nurse practitioner leaves her big city life behind to work for a doctor in a small town. (And the doctor just so happens to be played by the same actor who played Brick in Hart of Dixie, hah!) She befriends the mayor and the bartender as she settles into her new life. It’s ten 45-minute episodes and was renewed for a second season. I started it on Friday and had finished it by Sunday—it’s an easy binge watch if you’re looking for one this week!

02. APPLE AIRPODS

My sister recently got AirPods and was raving about them, so I finally caved and bought myself a pair last week. (I purchased them on Amazon since they were cheaper than buying directly through Apple.) They are so great—and if you’ve been considering them, I think now would be the perfect time to treat yourself given all the extra minutes we’ve been logging on our screens. They have made my long walks even better, and I love that I can listen to music or a podcast and not have to have my phone right with me. They’re definitely not necessary by any means, but I am loving them.

03. LAKE PAJAMAS

As I mentioned on Friday, I splurged and bought a pair of Lake Pajamas. I had purchased a pair a while back and really liked them, but just couldn’t justify spending $80 on pajamas at the time. But, since I am literally spending pretty much all my time at home, and it is supporting a small biz, I thought now would be the perfect time. I have been sleeping in them the past few nights and they are so comfortable! I washed mine on the delicates cycle and air dried them before wearing them and they didn’t shrink at all.

04. CATHY THE EXEC ASSISTANT ON TIKTOK

I love scrolling TikTok each evening because I feel like it’s the one social media platform where the content makes me actually laugh out loud—which is so important right now; laughter is the best medicine after all! One of my favorite things on there right now is from Freckled Foodie—since they’re all quarantined and working from home, her mom has taken on an alter ego of Cindy the Executive Assistant and the videos are so funny! The first one is here and you can see the rest of them by scrolling around on her page here.

05. MY ADULT COLORING BOOK

I’ve been craving something to do while I’m watching TV at night that is not mindlessly scrolling my phone, so I purchased an adult coloring book! My friend Emily had been showing off this super cute one on her Instagram Stories, so it’s the one I purchased. While I won’t be quitting my day job anytime soon to become an artist, it’s definitely a therapeutic and fun release!

EDITOR’S NOTE—I had to update this post with a bonus sixth thing I’m loving: on the newest episode of Some Good News with John Krasinski, he unites the OG Hamilton cast via Zoom to sing Alexander Hamilton to a young girl who missed seeing the show on her birthday. You can see it HERE—I would start watching at around 9 minutes, but the whole episode is great. I cannot emphasize enough how much this turned my mood around today!

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I’d love to know what distractions you’re loving—drop me a comment below so we can all enjoy!