Nicole and I go way back to when we both were young, brand new business owners. We even shared an office! Her little girl, Charlie, is the bees knees, I love how strong the family resemblance is between her grandma, mom and now her daughter. She’s been doing so many cute things w/her daughter on quarantine, I’ve copied several things she’s done (tie dye kit, mermaid blow up house). She’s been busy working and baking a baby on top of it all so without further ado… read below to find out how she’s been doing it. ✌🏼
Tell us about who you are, your family and what you do for a living… and a little bit about how Coronavirus has affected those things.
My name is Nicole Hanriot-Tinkess and I am the founder of Swimwear and Activewear brand Beach Riot. We are based in Southern California. My husband and I live in Costa Mesa with our 3 year old daughter, Charlie Grace and I am 4 months pregnant expecting a little boy in Sept!
The coronavirus has not only affected how we work (from home) now but it’s also added extra stress on being pregnant and having asthma. We are adjusting to working from home as well as trying to keep our daughters school routine up! We are lucky to be able to do virtual preschool with her for 3 hours a morning, which gives us time to eat breakfast, shower and get ready for work and do morning emails!
How have you had to innovate your work/home life in order to continue (best you can) to work and function with new parameters?
Both my husband and I have brought our offices to our home. I am working from the kitchen and my husband is using our office for his work space. I am actually enjoying working from home because when it’s sunny I am able to take my computer outside and work from the back yard! Getting some much needed vitamin D for that little baby!
Have you explained what’s happening to your kids?
Yes, she knows about the “virus” and how we have to stay home. She seems to be enjoying having mommy and daddy home. She doesn’t seem upset about not seeing her friends or being about to go out. She talks about when the “virus” is gone can we go to Disneyland and see friends but seems ok being home for the time.
Crisis Learning is new to most moms… do you have any tips on how your family is handling?
Virtual School is saving us right now! We are lucky that she enjoys it and sits there and does activities for 3 hours a morning. Charlie attends Orange Tree Preschool and they are still open but also offer Zoom from the classroom. It’s very interactive and we print out the lessons at home for her to join in.
We also do Cosmic Yoga for some exercise which she is loving.
What fun things have you been doing with the kids while at home to keep them occupied and a sense of calm/normalcy? Share your “normal” routine…
So many crafts! We did a tie dye kit and dyed some pajamas and socks! Lots of painting and coloring and jewelry making kits! Indoor camping has been a hit as well as Facetime with princesses from @once_upon_an_island, tea parties outside!
Cooking has quickly become very important – how and where are you getting new ideas for meals? Can you share some of your favorites? Do you have any hacks, favorite places for takeout?
I am lucky my husband is the cook of the house! I do the salads and he does the meals! We do not take out but do get instacart once a week! We also ordered meat from the butchery in Newport, they will bring it out and put it in your trunk! We try to do fun theme nights like taco nights, Italian nights etc!
Where are you getting your farm fresh organic fruits and veggies? (Any programs (CSA boxes or delivery systems) we should sign up for to make life easier or share any life hacks in the kitchen that have made this time easier…
We have been having trouble getting eggs, which I have been craving this pregnancy. We just found Ryegoods.com and have been picking up flour and eggs through them.
How are you taking care of your mental health?
Melissa Wood Health app! Love her!
What boundaries have you set with news and social media as well as conversations you’re willing to engage in to protect your mental health?
I had to limit my news check to once a day, I had too much anxiety. It’s important to know what is happening but when it started to affect my anxiety I had to adjust what I looked up.
How are you staying connected to your friends? Extended family?
Zoom happy hours (minus the wine)! We FaceTime our parents one-two times a day! I also have a few group chats to check in with neighbors and friend groups.
How are you helping Charlie to do the same?
FaceTiming with the grandparents, friends and cousins.
How long did it take for you to shift your outlook- in order to produce something meaningful like your work, or photography or something creative in the midst of a low.
It’s still a work in progress, working in the fashion industry things have changed. A lot of my future seasons are on hold so being creative has slowed down.
One thing I did that helped was ordering magazine subscriptions again which I haven’t done in forever, it’s nice to get something in the mail and also get inspiration from something other than my phone or computer.
Is there a mantra or saying that has been helping you get through?
I don’t have a saying but I have been praying a lot more and watching church services online, it has helped a lot with my spirituality and connecting with my faith.
Give us one of each of the following that you have vetted and can recommend::
Show: Little Fires Everywhere
Movie: The Birdcage (Makes me laugh) , or anything about travel, it makes me hopeful to get to travel again soon one day.
Book: Where the crawdads sing
Podcast: Crime Junkie ( I am obsessed, I joined the fan club lol)
Playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7n8Q584OmBsO3RXWNtA6bw
Dinner Recipe:
4 Servings (approx measurements)
Zinqe Le Bowl
1 Cup Brown Rice Cooked
1/4 Cup Mayo or Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons (more or less) Sriracha
1 – 2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes – [Cut in half and soaked in red wine vinegar + olive oil + salt/pepper for an hour or longer]
1 – 2 Avocado diced
1/4 Cup diced Comte Cheese (if you can’t find you can use regular Gouda)
4 cups Arugula
1/2 bunch of Cilantro Chopped
1/4 Cup shaved Parmesan
4 Servings cooked and seasoned Shredded Chicken Breasts or any other Protein
Mix together Mayo or Yogurt with Sriracha to make a sauce.
Once Brown Rice is cool mix the spicy sauce in so it is spicy rice base
Drain the cherry tomatoes once they have soaked up the red wine vinegar flavor
Put Rice in bottom of bowl, add tomatoes, avocado, Comte cheese, arugula, cilantro, add cooked Chicken + top with shaved Parmesan
We added a few jalapenos on top to add to spiciness, but you can do more sriracha or whatever you want. I want to go back and taste again so I can perfect it 😉
Baking Recipe:
Kids Snack: Peanut butter and apples
Favorite IG accounts (3):
Online shopping:
What are you wearing on quarantine:)? Are you staying comfy casual in loungewear or are you getting dressed? Give us some of your favorite go-tos.
This is one thing I am very adamant about, I make myself shower, do my make up and get dressed every day! Even if I don’t stay in it all day long. I have Zoom meetings and think it’s important to dress and look as if you were going into the office. It also makes me feel good and stay in routine for work.
Have you taken time to do any extra pampering at night with a bath and extra skincare or other things?
Yes! I take a bath every day, I try to make it special with candles and bubble baths. Plus my body needs it being pregnant 🙂
What’s the most fun thing you’ve done during quarantine? – or what are some fun things you’ve done during quarantine…
We had a ton of fun tie-dying as a family! It was actually calming and was fun to be doing something creative.
What are some silver linings you see coming out to the other side of this time? Personally and culturally.
I think everyone is learning so much about what the important things are, when we are busy its hard to sit down and make family a priority and focus on the most important things in life. This makes all of that come into prospective more. I love that I am getting extra one on one time with my daughter before our son comes as well.
Culturally, it’s going to be a big change and it can be scary to think about, I don’t know what its going to look like but I hope that we are able to get to a place where we were before.
Give a piece of advice on how to deal with this current situation?… anything that has helped you.
Get Up Get dressed and keep your routine as normal as it used to be! Don’t sit in PJ’s all day unless its the weekend!
I’ve also been supporting local florists! Sending myself a bouquet every other week to brighten up the home is really nice. @agardenbouquet
How can we support you (and your friends if you want to plug anyone) during QT??
Supporting small business! Our brand Beach Riot has been affected majorly by our retail partners so just shopping direct on our website is a huge help! Our warehouse is still open and shipping, plus we have a major sale happening right now!
Where can we follow you:)?