Hi gang! Happy Monday and let’s get into a fresh new week. Most of us are deep into social distancing and stay at home orders these days, so it’s a good time to explore some good news from around the world. (Do we even remember what the outside world is at this point?)
Here’s what we’ve got on the menu this week:
Stories that seem to be themed around Space
Funny content from Instagram that we can’t stop watching
A great way to help kids and extended family members keep in touch
Updates from Good Idea Girls
and more!
Get ready to brighten your day and start scrolling!
Good Things
The Hubble Telescope, which fascinates me to no end, captured footage of a large galaxy that we can actually view from our home telescopes (assuming we have them.) They believe that this larger galaxy is actually the product of a big galaxy cannibalizing a smaller galaxy, which, arguably is not good news for the smaller galaxy. It does, however, make for pretty interesting viewing. We won’t see it as clearly as the Hubble can, but star-gazing is the perfect activity for re-orienting our perspectives during this chaotic time. If you don’t have a telescope, check out an app like Night Sky to pinpoint what’s above your heads at any given moment. You can even set notifications for when certain things pass above your head, like the ISS!
Image Credit: NASA
Apparently the theme of the week is space, as we have a Supermoon coming up Tuesday, August 7th. This means that we’ll have a full moon, and it will be at the point of orbit that runs closest to the Earth. This will be the “largest appearance of the moon for the whole year,” so make sure to plan time to view it! Check out the blog over at NASA for a little bit more about the Supermoon and other “rare sights for spring.”
Image Credit: Forbes
These days, it seems like everyone’s either panicking about not having enough toilet paper, or angry at people who are panicking about not having enough toilet paper. Kinda makes you wonder what people did before we had TP, right? If you’re interested in a brief dive into history (which I always am), check out this article from Nat Geo about ancient ways of, *ahem*, cleaning up. And please stop panic-buying toilet paper.
(PS - this is NOT sponsored, but I’ve got my eye on a bidet from Hello Tushy so I barely have to worry about a shortage of TP on shelves in the future. And to be more environmentally friendly.)
Image Credit: Nat Geo
In the vein of enrapturing positive YouTube videos, like the cooking channel from Issue #1, Foo the Flowerhorn has completely caught my attention and inspired me to think about the intersection of gardening and aquariums. Get lost in these aquarium videos, full of time lapses and betta fish and other interesting things.
Funny Things
The effects of this pandemic are very real and tragic, and it frequently seems that comedy thrives in tragedy. Processing difficult things with humor is part of human nature*, and in this regard, the internet does not disappoint.
Leslie Jordan, who has been in many things but whom I know best for his role as Beverley Leslie antagonizing Karen Walker in Will and Grace, is a gold mine of content these days. Check out the Buzzfeed piece on him, or head straight over to follow @thelesliejordan.
Benito Skinner is one of my favorite comedians to scroll through on IG. His content is hilarious and his impersonations are on point. Check out his recent video The Signs in Quarantine and figure out where you most identify. You can follow him @bennydrama7.
Trey Kennedy is another favorite follow. His videos are the type that my mom and I share back and forth because we can both laugh at and identify with different parts of the content. He recently released a short series on YouTube called Middle School Maddox which I highly recommend. You can follow him @treykennedy.
*Humor is an important coping tool, and laughter doesn’t mean that we take the tragedy of the pandemic any less seriously. Please let yourself feel joy and laughter if and when you can.
Kid’s Things
Because if you have kids, they’re breathing over your shoulder anyway. And if you don’t, forward this to a parent in need.
Last week, we talked about the Old Farmer’s Almanac, aka the content that my Papaw and Mamaw paid attention to as closely as I follow Buzzfeed. Turns out they’re not only for grown-ups, they’re for kids too! Kids can check the weather, moon phase, and history each day. There’s a joke of the week, question of the day, and cool information on animals, as well as lots of other stuff!
If you’re looking for a way to help your kids connect to the extended family members they can’t see in person right now, the Caribu app is the answer! My mom found this, and it’s been a great way for my parents to connect with my kids (which also frees me up to do…anything I possibly can in the time that they’re distracted.) It’s a video chat app that allows the adults to play games, color pictures, do puzzles, and read stories with the kids, all right in the app! It’s free until May 24, 2020.
Image Credit: Caribu
Did you know that Dolly Parton will also read stories for your kids? She’ll read a kids book live on Youtube every Thursday at 7pm, and you can find the list of upcoming books on their website. We’ve been recipients of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books for a few years now, and my kids are always excited to get new books in the mail. If you’re not doing that for your kids yet, follow the link and see if they’re delivering to your area!
Good Idea Girls
If you’d like more content throughout the week, make sure to check out Good Idea Girls! We put out content throughout the week and a podcast episode every Wednesday with content geared towards women.
Here’s what we’ve been up to lately:
Last week, we experimented with social distance podcasting thanks to our good friend Cris (aka The Batchmaker.) Check it out for a little dose of escapism, and tune in this week as we get back to more of our regular schedule after a few weeks of escapism.
Cris became our first guest post on the site last week, as she released her banana bread recipe so that we can all have a little taste of deliciousness from our own homes while her shop is closed. We’re so grateful to her for sharing this with us!
We also posted about some of our favorite products, like this foundation that feels like moisturizer and these joggers that are my uniform lately.
And finally, I shared some thoughts on how I hope to have changed after this virus passes. My feelings on our current situation evolve daily, but these are some basics that I’m sticking with. Spoiler: my bike is involved.
That’s it for this week! Thanks so much for subscribing. I’m so happy to have you here! if you enjoyed this issue of Good Things, please share us with a friend! If you have any feedback, I’d love to hear. Shoot me an email at hannah@goodideagirls.com, or find me on Instagram @hannahpremaratne.
Have a great week!