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issue #12 - the one on happiness spreadsheets, spacesuits, and Oprah.

July 04, 2020

I’m in constant denial at how close May is.

Maybe it’s because the weather is still chilly. Maybe it’s because it’s still March.

Maybe it’s because my brain can’t fathom that we’re less than 2 months away from R2 being born - and I’ve barely done a baby-related thing.

In any case, I’m going to live in denial a little bit longer and thoroughly enjoy our baby moon this weekend. We’re headed upstate and my only plans are sleeping (in the most comfortable bed, aside from my own), eating (the most incredible food and our traditional Taco Bell visit), spa-ing (have a facial AND massage booked next week), and binge-reading.

#ThingsILove This Week

  • I’m late to The Femails (an amazing podcast by Career Contessa) and binge listened to the first two seasons this week. My favorite episodes - Elise Loehnen, Anu Duggal, and Autumn Reeser.

  • I can’t stop eating raisin bran. Specifically, this one #pregnancycravings

  • Can’t stop wearing this bow-adorned cardigan either.

  • Baby things I bought this week - this changing pad and this activity center (recommended by my friend Bethany). I also bought Rho pajamas that matches this cap and swaddle for the baby and this robe for me.

  • My friend Jen and I are due around the same time, so I’ve been bookmarking many of her baby recommendations.

  • I’m overdue for a hair appointment, but Madison Reed Root Touch Up has been my lifesaver this week.

  • Blog posts worthy of your time - For When Things Aren’t Going Your Way, Why We All Need To Care About Inclusive Sizing + A Challenge, One Per Day, An Aromatherapist's Thoughts on Young Living and doTERRA

  • What I read/am reading this week:

    • Verity! This book is a million kinds of messed up, but in the best way. Once the book got to the titular character’s autobiography, it picked up steam and I could not put it down.

    • Grace recommended Matchmaking For Beginners as a post-Verity palate cleanser, and she was so right. The book was a frothy, sweet delight that had me smiling the entire time reading.

    • Internment - DAMN. It presents a chilling alternate near-future where Muslims are rounded up and placed in internment camps, and one girl’s fight for freedom. I wish I could say such a reality is far-fetched, but when the author quotes our current president and we have such camps built at the border, it’s not hard to imagine that this could be our actual reality. I read this book in a single sitting, and I highly recommend that you do the same.

    • I’ve been working on my postpartum plan - logistics, responsibilities, who to contact when I need help - and I’ve added a lot of what I read in The Post-Natal Depletion Cure to it. My OB is supportive of the blood work I’d like to do postpartum to assess my hormone levels. I’ve wound down on the advising/investment-related work until August. We’ve had a lot of family meetings with my parents and our nanny to talk through the logistical elements of the summer, and I’m preemptively apologizing for the things I will say when I’m postpartum. I know the likelihood of having postpartum depression again is high, and having a plan in place is very comforting - even if the plan ends up flying right out the window.I recognize how lucky I am in having so much support and that most new moms are not quite so lucky. To be able to have the luxury of creating such a plan and having people to follow it is one that is not lost on me, and I apologize if this sounds obnoxious or out-of-touch - but it is my reality, and one I’m deeply grateful for.

    • I have a LOT of new books downloaded to my Kindle for our babymoon this weekend. Jury’s out what I’ll actually read, but I have The Women’s War, Shades Of Milk And Honey, and Farewell To Dreams lined up.

The Top 5

  1. 19 Books Coming Out This Year That You Seriously Need To Read (BuzzFeed)I read and lovedOn The Come UpandThe Age Of Light(both gifted byBook Of The Month) and can’t recommend them more highly. I’m especially excited aboutThe Bride Test(I adored The Kiss Quotient),City Of Girls, and Queenie.

  2. How to Navigate a Special Needs Encounter (A Cup Of Jo)

  3. What late-night snacking has to do with sleep (Vox)Want to change? ReadChange Your Schedule, Change Your Life- and then change your actual schedule. If all you do is follow their bedtime and mealtime recommendations, it’s more than enough.

  4. How I Became Happier and More Consistent Keeping Good Habits — 250 Weeks Using a Lights Spreadsheet (Ultraworking)

  5. Abbi and Ilana's Friendship on Broad City Was the Best Kind of Chosen Family (them)

The Catch Up

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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