So do come on over and read it. Should you subscribe, you’ll be emailed every time there’s something new to read. Isn’t that nice?
I’ll have a lot to say, I’m sure (and maybe I’ll get Steve writing too; he is a fantastic writer). We hope to keep you laughing–at us, with us, either one works.
This blog isn’t going anywhere. But, at this juncture, this is where most of the updates will be!
Six months, four of us in a 24-foot camper… let’s goooo!
I regret not writing down more of the funny things the boys have said over the years. In the notes app, typing it quickly before I forget, because they are so hilarious to come back to (and so easy to forget, even an hour later). We remember them, always, with an air of disbelief. Did he really say it that way? Man, that’s funny.
Hi, hello. It’s been awhile.
Christmastime is coming, the shopping feels like it creeps earlier and earlier every year, and while this is self-serving––an influencer posting a gift guide with affiliate links at Christmastime––I’m hoping that it is, like a lot of my gift guides in more recent years, one that sifts through a lot of the crap, and gets to the heart of the good stuff (or at least the good stuff in my humble opinion). My own purchases in a year’s time have gone way down. I buy little these days, and I buy only what I really, really love, will use frequently, and will last. Or at least come pretty close to checking all three of those boxes. If it’s not something that taxes the environment, that’s a serious bonus but, admittedly, not everything falls into that category (and I am well aware of how incredibly expensive it can be to shop that way and only that way). And so, with that and more in mind, I do hope this is a gift guide worth browsing. I will also do my best to update the links as Black Friday sales go live because money doesn’t grow on trees.
A few of the neighborhood kids were over yesterday. The sun was out and the grass is finally green again instead of looking at brown, patchy spots where our lawn once was, and the trees have leaves on them, and you can just sense there’s a buzz about the air–however pollen-y that buzz is. Instead of heading into our respective homes when it gets dark at 4:30 pm, the Moms are still texting one another at 6:30, “send them home whenever!” and I’m sliding a pan of Applegate chicken nuggets into the oven, and dumping some peas into the Annie’s mac and cheese pot and calling it a success if it’s on the table by 8 pm. But who cares?! Summer is on its way and we’re living again. I tell Steve about twice a week, “I’m just so happy for the chickens too.” And I am. The chickens, the kids, all of us (minus the aphids on my roses; not happy for them).
In the span of a month? A few weeks? (Perhaps minutes, even.) Parker grew out of both the children’s menu at restaurants, and the “big kids” section of shoes. He usually eats more than me, a few weeks ago polishing off almost an entire Chipotle burrito, and when I went to check out a new pair of shoes for him and realized there was no size 4.5 to click on in the kid section, in disbelief, I headed over to the adult section where–lo and behold–there was his size. And for $25 more.
I’m rusty when it comes to blogging, but I’ve still got people to Christmas shop for, I still browse the catalogs and the internet and the downtown stores, and I still have needs (well, wants) so I thought I’d put together the simplest ever gift guide–with something for everyone (I hope). For him, for her, for kids–with some more specific categorizing within each of those.
Signed into the old blog today (ETA: two weeks ago actually, when I began this blog post). Had to blow off about an inch worth of dust and the WordPress login page creaked upon me pressing enter like the sound effects in the first few seconds of Boris Pickett’s Monster Mash, but here we are. Hi! Hello. What does one say after quietly stepping away for close to a year? Ya know what, let’s not be too melodramatic about it. After all, I still had Instagram. Let’s just begin.
01. Russell Brand on phone addiction // I am definitely phone-addicted and I very badly want to not be; running a business using your phone makes this complicated but that’s no longer a justification I’m willing to make
02. A new clean deodorant // I use the lavender scent, Steve uses coconut, they all smell light and fantastic; 100% of users had no irritation! Try it. DM me first on @itsahuntlifewellness for a special offer I’m doing right now; P.S. it cuts down on greenhouse gases because it is a refill! when it runs out, you purchase cartridges to insert right back into it
03. This spa-like playlist // I’ve had it on through our school days this week and it’s just right
04. Meditation // I’ve done it every morning for nearly a month, and some evenings too. I use Insight Timer to do so and it has been life-giving.
05. Jenni Desmond books // We’re reading these, and others, alongside our ecosystems study and her books are my new favorite children’s books!
06. Kindness // I follow Sharon Says So on Instagram alongside so many of you. One thing that keeps sticking out in my mind is “we cannot work for each other’s mutual destruction.” No us, them, just us. Another: there is a difference between listening to understand and listening to respond. Wow, yes. Convicted on that one, for sure.
07. Sports bras // I rarely buy sports bras and sometimes am put off by the prices of some ($60 for a sports bra?); after clicking around for too long, I saw these last week (granting, they were on sale) and bought a few hoping they’d meet my needs. They do! Favorite ones in awhile.
08. The book I’m reading // A really good choice for the start of a new year.
09. A soup recipe // I’ve made this twice in the last few weeks and it is so good. Absolutely in regular rotation here.
10. Menstrual cups // I’m talking about my love of them, and my hack that made mine fit much more comfortably over here if you’re looking to introduce greater sustainability (and fewer cramps) in the new year.
{my picture from sunrise a few weeks ago; sunrise this time of year is easier}
I have another post in drafts form called Reflections. I started it the other morning around 6 am–it was dark, the house was quiet, tree is lit and still up though practically dripping needles at this point–and I began. The problem with reflecting on this strange year is that my own feelings don’t feel terribly rooted. Depending on the day, the moment, the space I’m in, I have felt my own inner pendulum swing–a lot. Are you feeling similiarly?
Easiest holiday (anytime) treat. Ritz Crackers with peanut butter in between. Dip them in chocolate and let them cool. DONE. They don’t even require an oven.
Now some weekend reading…
