links & loose ends, #1

a new series ft. what's getting me through the week

Hi friends! First of all, thanks for all the love and discussion on my post earlier this week (here, icymi). Second, welcome to a new series where I’ll be stuff I wanted to mention throughout the week rounded up into one letter..aka links and loose ends. The first half of this will be for everyone and the second half will be for paid subscribers.

I honestly dedicated a lot of this week to self-care. Or at least as much as I could. January has been a lot to process- with the fires and baby appointments, scary headlines and everything else life has going on at the moment; I wanted and needed time to re-center myself. After therapy, acupuncture and going to the gym as many times as I could manage, (oh, and a few pregnancy naps), I finally feel like myself.

Things I’ve enjoyed this week:

• Kate McLeod bath stones- Just one of those little things that makes my showers feel more luxe. I have these in the lavender scent, which helps me wind down at night. I use them in the shower and massage over my bump.

• Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street Series- Is it embarrassing I got through all four of these books in one week? They were just what I needed- a sweet story about a family in Nantucket with a lot of twists and turns and a love triangle. I also started Lessons in Chemistry.

  

• Mutha products- I will fully admit I bought body butter from this brand for my childless (ok she has two dogs but you get what I’m saying) best friend before I realized the purpose of Mutha was that it was for, well, moms. Oops! Lucky for me she told me she is loving it and even luckier the brand reached out and asked if I’d like to try their products. Let me just tell you- I will be using their body oil long after this baby arrives. I’ve never had my skin absorb something so nicely. Not greasy and I can throw on leggings/pants/etc immediately after applying. Also, reading the About page on their site has made me a lifelong fan.

• Stella McCartney Adidas workout top- As many of you know, it can be so frustrating to see your workout clothes fade and pill and waste away after only a few washes/wears. Well, I realized this week that this Stella McCartney x Adidas top has been with me for around 3-4 years and two pregnancies! I can’t believe this top stretches over my bump (wearing a size S for reference) but also is so comfortable and flattering. Linked above in black, also found it in grey here.

• Holding myself accountable (ish)- I didn’t do a lot of impulse buying this month and utilized my wishlist and open to buy (more on that here) to add quality pieces to my closet. I also stayed on top of spending by tracking everything in a spreadsheet. Will do a longer letter on this soon but just wanted to say it felt good to be organized about this. A big goal of mine this year is to be a more conscious consumer and I feel like this is a step in the right direction.

• body scrub- I know I mentioned in past letters that I find the YTTP scrub truly unbeatable, and I still LOVE it and use twice a week for those pesky arm bumps (it has AHAs and a nice woodsy scent).. but if you like a scent free situation and want something simpler this Fur Silk Scrub has left my skin feeling super smooth and I’ll definitely make sure to use it next time I get a spray tan.