1. I ordered this ‘Vive La Resistance’ sweatshirt this week for rather obvious reasons. In all honesty, buying something that not only makes a statement but supports a cause I believe in made me feel better at a time where I’m feeling a little hopeless. Clare V., $125
2. When I was pregnant with Knox, my entire body was terribly dry. As a matter of fact, my skin has become abnormally scaly during all three of my pregnancies and it’s definitely one of the harder aspects of pregnancy for me because nothing 100% remedies it. However, to help alleviate the situation as much as I could and look less like a lizard, I began dry brushing and it has proven to be a game-changer. (Here is a good source of information on dry-brushing and its benefits.) I won’t lie, the process can be kind of painful at first depending on your skin's sensitivity but holy hell does it make a huge difference in the overall condition and appearance of my skin. Since a certain three year old I know recently poured blue toothpaste all over the brush I’d been using since I began the self-care practice, it was time for a new one. Enter: the ‘G. Tox Ultimate Dry Brush’. I am obsessed however, I should warn you that this brush is probably NOT a great choice for a dry-brushing beginner as the bristles are very stiff and intense. Goop, $20
3. Regardless of your stance on the mom jean trend, I believe we can all appreciate the virtues of the high-waist and non-skinny fit. Personally, I love them, wear them non-ironically, and find them to be the most flattering on my body type (which is curvy-ish, bottom-heavy, and, ya know… a mom.) These ‘PINCH’ cropped, straight leg pair are the ULTIMATE. As a former denim buyer and mom-jean devotee, please just trust me on this. AGOLDE, $178
4. I have to give credit for this find to my girl, Apes. I was determined to buy a fiddle leaf fig this year and to, more importantly, keep him alive. She told me about this ‘Boomerang Comeback Formula’ and I’ve never looked back. As you can see from the picture, Fitzgerald (yes, I named him) is not only alive but he’s thriving: he’s grown eight inches in height (8!!) and gotten eleven new leaves since I bought him in May. It probably doesn’t hurt that I baby the hell out of him. My kids look at me like I’m crazy but I talk to him as I dust his leaves every week, making sure to give him copious amounts of positive reinforcement because I swear it works. I’m not sure how much you’re actually supposed to use but I add about 1/8th cup of the liquid fertilizer into the thirty-two ounces of water I give ol’ Fitzy every week. FoxFarm Bushdoctor, $22/one quart .
5. To date, I’ve tried around twenty-three natural deodorants and only twenty-two of them have truly sucked. The single one that didn’t? A little natural organic coconut-oil based MVP that smells like the tropics and keeps your pits from smelling like a combination of ass and curry. It also moisturizes them and doesn’t leave any residue on your clothes. Kopari Beauty, $14
6 + 7. There is one beach activity that I mourn the luxury of experiencing now that I’m a parent: reading. Since Joe and I are leaving for Tulum early Wednesday morning for a little “you survived your first year with three children” gift to ourselves and I can think of no better opportunity to reignite my favorite beach pastime and no better source to do so than with the second and third installments in the ‘Mestra’ trilogy written by L.S. Hilton. Dark, twisted, glamorous, and indulgent, they are just what this mama needs to take her out of mom-mode. Amazon, $18 each
8 + 9. Speaking of being in Tulum, I’m a psycho when it comes to sunscreen. Don’t get me wrong, mama loves a tan and lounging in the sun with the best of them but ain’t nobody got time for skin cancer or wrinkles. My favorite adult sunscreen is the ‘Milk-Lotion Spray SPF 50+’ for body and the ‘UV PLUS Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50+’ for my face, both by Clarins. I don’t normally splurge on sunscreen but when I’m going to be spending so many hours over the course of five days lying on top of white sand in the Caribbean sun, I figure it can’t hurt. Nordstrom, $36 & $43, respectively
10. Joe travels a lot. Like, A LOT, A LOT. Last year, he finally decided that it made sense to upgraded his ten-year-old luggage to something a little more professional looking and, not to mention, durable. As soon as his AWAY suitcase arrived, I became green with envy because 1) I don’t have a suit case at all and 2) the one I do seldom use when I travel is the one he just decided was no longer in working order. So, you can imagine my sheer delight when a little over a month ago he surprised me with my very own suitcase! Mind you, the one he bought me is a bigger (because, duh) and greener (ha, natch) version of his own. ‘The Bigger Carry-On’ by AWAY TRAVEL, $245