2020-05-17

We’re on day 60 of social and physical distancing and it’s starting to wear on everyone in a new way each week. I felt hopeful when they started talking about lifting restrictions in Connecticut but in reading the news and hearing what Fauci has to say on the matter, it feels like false hope and a sick joke. We’ve all heard people call this the new normal but to me it feels like that normal changes from day to day and week to week as we’re pulled in every direction by our leaders and the media.

Anel got is PPP loan which felt like a big victory at first, but once we realized that he most likely will have to be closed for a lot longer than we anticipated even a few weeks ago, we’re starting to have to really rethink how we both do business and our finances. That said we feel very very lucky to have our home and our jobs (in some capacity) and enough food to eat and remind ourselves and each other of that every single day. But the unknown future is scary.

On a more positive note, I’ve seen a major shift in my anxiety since I started drinking less and recording my daily activities. In writing down the things I’m doing each day, I’ve found myself exercising more and have been on three runs in the last week. Which, for me, is a big deal considering I haven’t run much at all since Amalia was born. I used to love it but kind of forgot about it and then felt intimidated by starting again.

I am going to write another post about my anxiety tracking after another week because the shift in just one week has been so drastic.

In the meantime, enjoy my list of 5 random things from May… and stay safe.

1. My all-time favorite PJs: I pulled out my Lake Pajama short set last week on a particularly warm night and remembered how much I love these uber-soft, perfectly fitting pajamas. A lot of the cute PJs that I see people wearing on Instagram aren’t all that comfy to sleep in but Lake Pajamas are different. I actually sleep in them every night. I like that they have pant sets with both long and short-sleeved tops and short sets with both tops too.

I get really hot while I sleep so I prefer the short sets. I have them in Seaside. As you can tell by the photo above, I wear them quite often. I decided to take a photo of them for this post yesterday so excuse the sleep wrinkles!

They aren’t too tight at the waist and the fabric is so insanely soft it’s hard to describe unless you touch it. When I first had Amalia, I lived in their maternity nightgown for approximately three straight months.

2. Goddess necklace: My friend Kat wears her goddess necklace all the time so I finally asked her where it was from and she told me about Awe Inspired, a beautiful jewelry company that donates 20% of their proceeds to a charity that you get to choose (from a dropdown). I wanted to buy myself something for Mother’s Day so I took their “goddess quiz” and got Athena. It resonated so I went with that one. You can see it pictured above. It’s so beautiful and I like how each size has two options. I got the 16″ – 18″ one so I can pair it with another 16″ or 18″ gold necklace depending on what I’m wearing that day.

Athena, the Goddess of heroic endeavor, fought alongside the Greek heroes and was sought by all for help and advice. Unsurpassed in warfare and wisdom, she inspired women to be both well-educated and fierce. 

3. Rubber Birkenstocks: It’s rubber Birk season, my friends! I wore pretty much nothing else on my feet last summer and I expect it to be the same this year. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats the comfort of a rubber Birk. I wear them to the beach, in the yard, to walk the dog, out to dinner. You name it, I’m wearing my Birks! I even convinced Anel to buy the men’s pair last year and now he lives in them too. He likes to wear them with socks in public because he thinks it embarrasses me…

I discovered yesterday that Tuckernuck also has a great knockoff for $40 that comes in a bunch of very cute colors.

4. Vooks: Anel discovered this app where your kids can watch their favorite books in video format. Amalia gets to earn time on Vooks and loves seeing her favorite books come to life. They have everything from Goodnight Gorilla to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and a ton more. Although it’s still screen time, it feels better than letting her watch TV for some reason.

5. Air Fryer: We got our air fryer for Christmas 2018 and finally just pulled it out when we found it in our basement storage room. Over the last two months, it’s gotten quite a bit of use and I can’t actually believe that I let it sit there for so long. I think I was intimidated by it because I had no idea what to do with it. But now I know the truth… There is nothing this thing can’t do. I use it to heat up frozen food for Amalia, we make kale and other veggie chips in it, I made buffalo cauliflower (insanely good) and I have about 75 recipes bookmarked to try in it. What do you like to make in your air fryer?

We have this one and like it but there seem to be a lot more affordable options out there.

Book – Untamed by Glennon Doyle: Oh Glennon… such an incredible female voice of our generation. This memoir reads like a collection of short stories from the author’s life. She is inspiring and makes me feel both liberated and empowered just reading the words on her pages. Glennon teaches us, as women, to stop trying to be a “good woman” and start truly living our truth by telling her own story of leaving her on-paper-perfect life (wife, mom of three kids) when she falls instantly and deeply in love with a woman.

Before that, I finished Daisy Jones and The Six which I had been meaning to read for a while. I loved it and just heard they’re making it into a 13-episode TV adaptation which I’m very excited to watch. The format of the book was different from anything I’ve ever read. It was written as an interview with the band members from a fictional ’70s rock band called The Six. So each paragraph is in the voice of a different character. I thought that would feel too frenetic but after a few pages I almost forgot about that piece.

TV Show– Killing Eve (Hulu): We finished Season 2 last night, and while Anel thought it got too weird and fantastical toward the end, I was shook by the finale and loved every second of it. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer have incredible chemistry and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I can’t wait to start season 2 of Dead to Me (Netflix) tonight! We loved the first season and can’t wait to dive into the second.

On the Homeland front, we finished the series finale and I thought it was one of the best series finale episodes of any show ever. Absolutely loved how they wrapped it up.

What else do I need to be watching?

Check out the 5 random things I was loving in:
January, February, March, and April.

And tell me one thing you’re loving this month!

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