This past week, the temperature in Chicago did not break 0 degrees for seven straight days! A few days this week we woke up to below zero double digit temperatures. One day it was negative twenty degrees! -20! Can you even believe that?! That is basically Antarctica status. I might as well live in the arctic for goodness sakes! The deep freeze hit Chicago hard. After a couple of days where it was too cold to even think about leaving the house, you start to go a little stir crazy. And so after watching the 100th episode of Friends, we started looking for fun activities that we could enjoy despite the frigid temperatures. Because most of the country is still in the midst of the deep freeze, I thought we could all use a little help thinking about fun activities to do when you have to wear long underwear to keep from turning into an ice-sickle.
- Visit the Garfield Park Conservatory. If you are a Chicago resident, then this is a great way to beat the winter blues. The Garfield Park Conservatory is beautiful and much more extensive than the Lincoln Park Conservatory. The conservatory is warm and sunny and you can walk for what feels like miles, through rooms of exotic tropical foliage. After going on a walk through the conservatory, you basically feel like you walked outside through the desert or even a tropical island. I really enjoyed the afternoon we spent there. Plus it is free! You can’t lose.
- Read a great new book, preferably one by Celeste Ng! I started reading “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng on New Year’s Day and literally could not stop reading, I never left my apartment and read the entire day. I finished the book the very next day- it was just SO good. “Little Fires Everywhere” is the story of the intersection between two very different families in a utopian-esq suburban town. Celeste Ng is a complete and total genius and I will read whatever she writes forever. I loved the way that she subtly critiqued privileged suburban culture without being too over the top or in your face about it all. I just thought the whole story and plot was very thought provoking. This is a book you have to read. I just ordered her first book “Everything I Never Told You” which is also supposed to be insanely good and some people even like it better than “Little Fires Everywhere” so I am basically counting the seconds until it arrives. I just started reading “Luckiest Girl Alive” by Jessica Knoll because I heard amazing things so I will keep you all posted about that one too!
- Go see a movie and eat ALL of the popcorn. Sometimes there is nothing better than going to see a new movie! Matt and I recently saw “Wonder” which we absolutely LOVED. I loved it so much I wrote a post about it, here. Then this weekend, we also went to see “The Greatest Showman” which was really fun and very entertaining. The plot was not very well developed but the music was amazing. Matt and I love seeing musicals so we loved the big dance number scenes. The music produced for the movie is super catchy. The former journalist in me is also DYING to see “The Post” which comes out this weekend. Movies are also just a great excuse to eat that buttery popcorn! I can never say no. Never!
- Explore Eataly. If you live near a major city, odds are that you live close to an Eataly! Eataly is a giant Italian supermarket filled with different Italian restaurants. I love walking through Eataly when it is super cold outside. You can just wander around the stores with a glass of wine and fall in love with all things Italian. Right now our Eataly even has a cannoli station where you can make your own cannoli! What could be better?!
- Bake lasagna to bring to a friend. When the weather gets cold, I always crave lasagna. There is something so warm and comforting about eating lasagna on a snowy night. If you have some extra time on your hands, bake an extra lasagna for a friend. Dinner is one of the best gifts you could ever give someone. Make dinner for a busy single mom or a new mother. If you are already stuck inside, cooking is a great way to pass the time and bless another woman you love.
