Picture: Jennifer Garner, Instagram
As far as celebrities go, Jennifer Garner is relatable. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, she's been spending much more time at home, and she says she's been baking a lot of bread and watching a ton of The Office. Of course, her tearful Instagram post about the sitcom's finale got comments from Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, and Mindy Kaling, lest we forget that she is, in fact, a movie star with A-list Hollywood friends.
The point is, though, that the mother to Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, 8, has really been finding comfort in life's small pleasures as of late. Below, the Capital One Venture spokesperson tells AD more about her life at home post-COVID-19 lockdown, including the quirky purchases that have helped make her house more hospitable for homeschooling and what has her excited about life even during these darkest of times.
Architectural Digest: It seems like everyone has purchased some unexpected items since the start of the pandemic. What were yours?
Jennifer Garner: Oh, my gosh. Everything from little school desks that you’d have at school to costumes, because I make different [pretend] restaurants for my kids and dress up in different characters. I feel like if the mailman knew what was coming he would think, What in the world is wrong with this woman? I bought a Bob Ross Chia Pet.
AD: Are your kids doing school at home?
JG: They are. I can’t complain. They have been really great about it. They are big enough to take matters into their own hands. Especially this year now that my son is in third grade instead of second grade. He’s much more focused and independent. I mean, he is still a little boy. But I am proud of them.
AD: Do you have a little school area set up for them in the house?
JG: Yes. They each have their own areas and sometimes we swap them around just to give them something new to look at. Everyone is slogging through.
AD: I love your Pretend Cooking Show on Instagram. Have you added any interesting kitchen supplies to your arsenal because of that?
JG: Is it not crazy how much flour we have all bought? There is always a lot of flour in my house, but this has been a particularly fruitful time. I always make my own vanilla, and that is a whole thing. I haven’t bought anything special for Pretend Cooking Show, though.
AD: Do you have a favorite recipe that you have made on the show?
JG: I only really make things on the show that I make all the time. Every now and then I’ll make something that is a little bit of a surprise to me. But I guess my favorite thing would always be any kind of baking bread. There is something so homey about it. And I hope if anyone had wanted to try baking bread because they saw me make a mess of it and that everyone is still happy anyway, well, that would make me really happy and feel successful.
AD: What helps you stay positive through it all?
JG: My kitchen. Cooking and baking. Reading to my kids at night. The Office has brought us a lot of comfort.
AD: I saw your post about that!
JG: Yeah, well, guess what? We have looped back around and are watching it the second time! Definitely that and dreaming up my next adventure and having faith that it will happen. And finding a way to be creative.
AD: In addition to spending time at home, have you been spending time on your farm? What is your favorite thing to do there?
JG: Oh, that is easy-peasy—anything involving the tractor. Actually going to the farm this year was an extra adventure, because normally I will find a way to stop off in Tulsa and drive to my little family farm when I'm flying to or from the East Coast. This year I had to make a road trip out of it.
AD: What is something you are excited about in the future?
JG: I just finally booked my first real airplane tickets [since COVID started]. My sisters and I are meeting up to go skiing with all of our kids. I didn’t know that I could be spending my Capital One miles on streaming or Uber eats, and they don’t expire, so I have been coveting all of my miles. I said to everyone, “Okay, some airplane tickets are on me.”
Written by Rachel Wallace.
This article originally appeared on Architectural Digest.
