I’m sure you know by now that I love a good girls night with my friends. But it’s been hard for all of us to catch up in the last few months. We’ve been keeping a list of things we want to do together when this period of our lives is over. In the meantime, I have been relying on technology to stay connected with friends.
Snapchat
We have our own Snapchat group. And while it can get a little confusing sometimes when there is more than one conversation happening, it’s been an excellent outlet for all of us. It the perfect place to vent about a crappy day and not so easy life situations. But it’s also really supportive and the first place we go to when it’s someone’s birthday. Did I mention all of the amazing Bitmoji’s to choose from?
Private Facebook Group
The private Facebook group wall is mostly made up of memes and funny videos. Mainly because it can take a while to tag everyone in the comments, plus sometimes you leave someone out if you aren’t paying attention. I like to count the number of people I tag because I know how many are in my little group of friends.
Zoom or Google Meet
After months of not seeing my friends, I decided we needed to try to catch up as a group. Out of the 13 of us in the group, four of us have birthday’s in July, so it made sense that we tried to celebrate some of those by catching up. So I set up a Facebook online event using Google Meet. I opted for Google Meet over Zoom because of the 40-minute restriction on the free Zoom plan.
Watch Party
Now you and your friends can watch something simultaneously and talk or chat about it at the same time. You can use a service like Watch Party, but most streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video and even Facebook have their own way to watch simultaneously with friends.
Playdate
As much as I love catching up with my friends, seeing my daughter play with my friend’s kids is quite amazing. And playdates at parks seem to be much better because there is no expectation when it comes to cleaning your house. Not that you need a clean house when people come over! My favourite playdate destinations are also my favourite places to go on mother-daughter dates.
Girls night
I’ve mentioned before that a girls night changed my life as well as sharing my tips for the ultimate girls night. So you know how much I love catching up with my friends sans kids and partners. Most of the time we just get together to eat and drink. Sometimes we play games like Cards Against Humanity, Never Have I Ever, Two Truths and a Lie, Truth or Dare, and Bad People.
Other Apps
There are so many other apps that you can use to stay connected to friends and family. Facebook alone has so many. Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Rooms, Facebook Groups and Facebook audio and video calls. You can also stay in touch via Instagram, WhatsApp and Skype.
Other activities
On top of playdates and girls nights, there is no end to other ways you can catch up with your friends in person. Catching up over brunch on a weekend is probably one of the easiest. Especially when kids are involved and aren’t invited. Although choosing where to go can be the biggest stumbling block.
So if your group of friends is anything like mine and hasn’t caught up in person in way too long, know there are plenty of ways to stay connected with friends.
