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Meandering thoughts from the week —
I’ve been keeping this photo of myself at five on my desk. I originally thought she would remind me of how far I’ve come — an invitation to practice gratitude and astonishment on a regular basis — but she mainly tells me to give myself grace (I would never talk to five year old Jen the way I talk to 40 year old Jen), and tap into easy joys. How good it feels to stretch your arms; a full mug of coffee on my desk. Highly recommend putting a photo of yourself as a child on your desk and seeing what shakes out.
Something else I’ve been keeping on my desk: this post-it note that reads “Strive to be the lowest heart rate in the room.” I would do well to etch this onto every surface available to me. A cue to slow down and not rush through the life I’ve always dreamed of. I wrote more about this here, and the message has gotten a lot of shares on Instagram, too. I think a lot of us need this nudge, but I really needed it this week, and, frankly failed at it more than I succeeded. I was sprinting through the week. Too much pawing at my pockets; the margins too thin. I cried big, satisfying tears at one point, and it’s been a minute since I’ve done that. But that’s OK. In life, we will make mistakes. We must be like the fox — make more tracks than necessary — and practice resurrection.
One of the highlights of the week: my daughter asked to go to the bookstore. We took them to Politics and Prose and permitted them to pick one book apiece. In consultation with the friendly, knowledgeable staff there, she selected a new graphic novel which she in turn read six times in a row over the course of 24 hours. My son curiously chose a paint by sticker book, which I initially attempted to deter, but — eh. It’s OK. He has been really into reading these enormous encyclopedia-style books on dinosaurs, animals, sealife, etc, at home (current favorites: this and this) so maybe he just wanted something to play with. I need to capture this moment in action, but lately, my children have been coming to the breakfast table with books and propping them open to read while they eat. It’s so charming to see his tiny five year old form schlepping an enormous book and poring over the animal images (“mama, did you know this frog is poisonous?”) while he drips milk onto its pages.
Another (edible) highlight of the week: Landon made choux au craquelin using this Chef Steps recipe with the children. It took multiple days and a lot of work, and they were outrageously delicious. My favorite moment: we dispatched our children to bring a couple of the choux over to our neighbors, and I watched them from my front stoop as they communicated the instructions we had told them to pass along (i.e., “refrigerate if not eating tonight!”). There are two specific moments in motherhood that never cease to delight me: first, watching my children eat a full plate of food (I can’t explain it – hangover from not being able to produce enough milk to feed my children on my own and needing to supplement with formula? It is so deeply satisfying to me; I could watch their bird mouths forever!) and second, observing them doing a small thing independently, and working hard to do it the right way.
This week, I did not feel like I had the time to exercise, but I forced myself to do it a la the inspo “whenever you feel like you have no time to exercise, you need it the most,” and it gave me the best temporary sensation of slowing time and taking up space in my day. I usually do Sherica Holmon’s cycling videos (available on Apple Fitness) and she almost always says, at the beginning, “the next twenty minutes are just for you — so let go of what’s on your mind and take this time for you.” OK, Sherica!
Below: motivating myself to “just move the dirt” by wearing a pea tendril green, brand new fitness outfit (this one from Spanx – top here, bottom here, and a Beyond Yoga tank beneath; I think my code SHOOPXSPANX gets you 10 or maybe 15% off at Spanx).
After: the satisfying moment in which I put an “x” through the day to indicate I worked out. I’m proud of myself this month: I worked out more days than I didn’t. I find this visual very motivating. (Completion desire is real!) I had a few questions about this beautiful little desk calendar via Instagram. It’s from my favorite paper company, Appointed, but sadly sold out. Something like this would be a good (an inexpensive!) sub.
Finally, a moment of true rest at the end of last weekend: Landon and I playing our favorite board game over cocktails (Landon made Pink Ladies; aren’t they gorgeous, strutting around with that heavy lip of egg white foam?). One of the many reasons I love playing games is that it reminds me that I don’t need to fill every moment with something. I am often waiting for Landon to complete his turn, and I sit quietly and let my mind wander, or be empty. A surprisingly good way to practice slowing down.
OK, Magpies – into the new week. Shake a leg.
Sunday Shopping Poetry.
In this collage, want to make a little plug for my Rothy clogs (seen below). I absolutely love them. They have a sole that is suitable for outdoors but I mainly wear at home (or to slip on to take out garbage / run to the mailbox / etc). They have this arch support thing that feels like a massage on your instep. Sometimes I put them on and audibly sigh. I LOVE THEM.
A GREAT WAY TO TRACK YOUR FITNESS PROGRESS BY HAND // DROOLING OVER THIS STATEMENT TOP // A CABBAGE MUG FROM TARGET // MY NEW SPANX SET (TOP, BOTTOM) // MY FAVORITE AT HOME SHOE // THE BEST $15 TEE // FANCY PANTS // NEWLY OBSESSED WITH THIS SPF PRIMER* // I HAVE AND ADORE THIS PRADA CARD CASE — MAKES ME SMILE EVERY TIME I SEE IT IN MY BAG
*I have several products in this category that I love and alternate between. This one is new to me (I discovered it via Julia Berolzheimer, who was wearing nothing else on her face but this and looked like a radiant queen) but I routinely use the RMS SuperSerum primer to blend in with my foundation as well, and I also love the Iris and Romeo “Weekend Skin” which is sort of similar to both of these — probably the lightest-weight of the three.
Well, I’m finally trying the famous $15 tshirt! It only took a trip to Orlando (Uniqlo at Disney springs) to seal the deal, haha. It hasn’t made it through the laundry yet but I have high hopes for the inaugural wearing 🙂
Love the photo of 5yo Jen! I see a lot of Hill in that pic.
This week has been a doozy. I’ve been hit by something flu-like which my oldest brought home on the plane. AND we got a dog! A puppy no less! Not the best timing but she’s a rescue and we had to act now or someone else would snatch her up. We only found out about her 2 days before our trip from my dear friend who fosters rescue pups (I call her my dog vetting system). We took the dog home the day after our trip and that night I came down with the fever. So it has been a bit hectic! I feel like I’m on the mend today tho. The puppy is very sweet but not fully house trained (any tips please, Magpies!). I swore off puppies long ago but here I am. Trying to remind myself that we’re choosing the bigger life!