Hello, friends! I hope you’ve had a great February! It’s been a bit of a doozy for us, but there have certainly been some glimmers throughout the month.
We had some snow fall in our area in early February. Unfortunately, the snow arrived when Sophie was also dealing with a cold which meant that we didn’t get to go play outside (😭) so I figured I would bring some snow inside! I set up a play tray with her arctic animal toys & lots of snow and she had a blast (well, as much fun as she could have had with snow while indoors, anyway…).
When the whole household got sick I was inspired to finish these two posts that have been hanging out in my Drafts folder for ages: Helping Your Baby Through Cold & Flu Season and Helping Your Toddler Through Cold & Flu Season.
Today’s Five Things are items that have piqued my interest or things that have been on my mind / going on in my life recently!
FAVORITE SALAD KITS
These Taylor Farms salad kits have been a lifesaver for me recently. As a SAHM with two young children and a lot on my plate (ha!) I don’t always have time to cook something for myself, especially for lunch. I’m also trying to eat a bit healthier so these salad kits give me everything I need!
I have loved the flavors of every kit I’ve tried so far (my two favorites are the Everything & the Mexican Street Corn), but there’s such variety of options! I am impressed by the quality of the ingredients, I think the way that the toppings are packaged inside with the salad mix is so smart for freshness’ sake, and lastly, I really appreciate the bite sized chunks — it’s so frustrating when chopped lettuce is cut in large sizes that I can barely fit into my mouth. I have nothing but great things to say about these salads!
That said, I will admit that the nutritional value label is misleading (as they can be on most products). For example, the bag will say that one serving is 150 calories, but there are 3-4 servings in a bag… and who’s only eating 1/4 of a bag of salad?? MAYBE you could divide it in half, but that’s a wild expectation of a consumer. So while the salads may not necessarily the *healthiest* as far as calories go, they’re absolutely more nutritious than fast food or a pizza or something and they’re so filling & flavorful. I’m honestly obsessed and it wouldn’t be right to keep the information to myself!
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Fig. 1 SKINCARE
Ever since my rosacea diagnosis I have been trying to find a skincare routine that balances both my sensitive skin and its needs as late 30-something.
I came across this new-to-me brand and it seemed compelling enough for me to try. There’s a lot to love about these products, but the things that stuck out the most to me when making the decision to try this brand were that: (1) they’re cruelty-free, (2) they’re a good price point for their quality, and (3) their refills make them an environmentally friendly option.
I ordered five products to try out and I really hope that my skin likes them — (1) Gentle Cream Cleanser, (2) Hydrating & Balancing Toner, (3) Vitamin C 15% Treatment, (4) Ceramide Moisturizer, and (5) Retinol Night Cream – Level 1.
I plan to write blog post about navigating my rosacea diagnosis and everything that I’ve done to manage it + skin products I’ve liked — I’ll include my preferred skincare products there so I hope I can include this bundle! Only time will tell.
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VALENTINE’S DAY ACTIVITY
I’ve really enjoyed making ice-related activities for Sophie recently and this sensory “cake” was such a fun option for Valentine’s Day.
I was inspired by this activity that @teachingbythemountains shared on Instagram — she cleverly used a vintage Jell-O mold for her play setup, but I don’t have one so I decided to use one of the PlayTray wedges and it worked out perfectly! I used pink Gatorade to freeze into the cake wedge and shaving cream for the “whipped cream”, but you could totally use real whipped cream for a taste-safe sensory experience.
It’s super easy to put together, but it does take a little bit of forethought to get the “cake” frozen. I’ll link everything I used in the widget below:
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SUBSTACK
I’m very seriously considering starting a Substack. I won’t be fully migrating my content — think of it as a “yes, and…” situation. I will still be posting on my blog regularly (well, whatever “regularly” means to a SAHM of two littles under four 😅), but I think I might also start posting the same blog content to Substack for anyone who prefers that format for consuming content. I may add some additional content there, but I’m not quite sure what at the moment — I’m still brainstorming.
If there’s anything specific you’d like to see more of, please leave a comment below! As one option, I thought maybe I would open up a conversation space for anyone else dealing with hyperhidrosis so we can build that community and lean on eachother! I love that aspect of Substack — there’s the option to be a lot more conversational than just the one-way type of format with blogging.
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Planning for the Potential Fall of Democracy
I’m not typically an alarmist, but as Taylor Swift says, “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending…” — everything I have ever seen, heard or read about regarding the Holocaust is feeling eerily reminiscent of things currently happening in America. If I’m overreacting and nothing horrible comes to pass, the worst that can happen from this preparation is… nothing. 😂 But if things DO go south, it’s vitally important to make sure you have everything you need and a clear plan.
One of my favorite follows @juleytl reshared this incredibly useful planning outline + suggestions. Many thanks to the author for compiling this thoughtful list!
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I hope your February was a good one, friends!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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