With restrictions tightening up to prevent the spread of Covid and the weather changing, we are moving more towards spending time indoors. As we’ve all learned during lockdown, being at home doesn’t have to be a nightmare. From cooking projects, to video calls with friends, read on to find out 5 fun things to do at home.

1. Set up a weekly zoom call with your best friends

Your friends have never been closer, whether they’re across the globe or right next door. While you may want to minimize physical contact with your loved ones, it doesn’t mean you have to minimize contact all together: see them virtually. Set up a weekly zoom call with your best friends around the country (or the world) and that way you can keep contact with the outside world whether you go outside or not.

2. Re-organize your house

You may be thinking “re-organize my house? That’s not fun!” Think again, the more time you spend in your house, the more likely you are to notice its defects or things that are out of order. Instead of taking on the whole house in a storm, choose a room you want to tackle and make three piles: the “give-away” pile, the “put back in place” and the “maybe” pile. Try putting the “maybe” pile away for a few weeks and see if you missed anything from that pile. If not, that means you can give it all away. There is a lightness that comes from freeing up space, freeing up space physically, gives you more time to free up space mentally as well. Plus studies show decluttering reduces stress and anxiety, improves sleep, and boosts productivity and creativity among other benefits. So, what are you waiting for?

3. Get on board the sourdough craze

There’s a reason sourdough became so popular during lockdown, people all of a sudden had all this time they didn’t know what to do with it. Sourdough can be time-consuming but when time isn’t an issue, experimenting with sourdough is a must. Go to your local artisan bakery and ask for a small piece of sourdough starter or make your own by mixing water and flour in equal quantities. Put this mix in a glass jar, covered with plastic wrap with holes or a linen cloth with a rubber band, and feed the sourdough starter equal parts water and flour. Keep in a warm, dry place in the house. In ten days you will have your sourdough ready to make bread or tons of other cool recipes with.

4. Get Fit

Whether you are into yoga or rather sweat off the calories in a zumba class, the offer online is now never-ending. Nowadays there’s no excuse to not get in shape. You can even order some weights or resistance bands off of amazon and do some exercise while you watch your favorite Netflix series.

5. Make homemade jam or liquors

If you’re not as lucky as At the Aia to have your own fruit trees in your backyard, first head to the market to pick up seasonally-fresh fruit like persimmons or oranges. Then cut and clean the fruit. Weigh the fruit and put the weight of the fruit in sugar (preferably brown sugar to keep it healthy). You may want to add lemon juice or pectin depending on the type of jam you make. Bring to a boil and then simmer for several hours until the jam lightly coats the back of a spoon, which means it’s thickened up. A fun tip At the Aia learned from a neighboring goat pastor friend: add some beer to the jam while cooking the fruit. While the alcohol cooks off, the beer itself contains natural yeast which will allow the beer to act as flavorant and a consistency adjuster, creating the ideal jam. You can indulge in breakfast with our local “drunken” jams, included in a nights’ stay At the Aia. Book now!