- Getting Busy… You are what you eat, drink, apply topically to your skin, or insert into your body. A lot more time at home means some of us are connecting with our significant others a lot more too. If you’re using a mainstream lubricant it may contain some nasty ingredients like glycerin (pretty much sugar), silicones, parabens and a dozen other ingredients you don’t want in a highly absorbent part of your body. We recommend this or that (both fertility friendly!)
- Bins for Days… Sensory bins are Alison’s go to kids activity these days. If you’re just getting started with sensory bins you’ll need a large bin, some measuring cups and scoops. Fill it with whatever you have on hand!
- Weight of the World… Could a weighted blanket be the answer to your stress, insomnia, and anxiety? Maybe! Weighted blankets work through deep pressure touch which has been shown to reduce cortisol, the hormone in our body that is released when we’re stressed, and at the same time increase hormones that promote relaxation like dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin. Larisa has a weighted blanket in her room and both her kids sleep with one as well. Make sure to get a blanket weight appropriate for your body weight and we highly recommend a cover (and kids cover) since you can’t wash the blanket itself.
- An Intimate Affair… As more brides and grooms are having to push back their nuptuals, will more couples opt for a microwedding rather than waiting? Like a dreamy, fancy dinner party.
- #frontstepsproject… Both of our neighborhoods coordinated with local photographers to take pictures of our families on our front steps to remember this crazy, unprecedented time as part of the Front Steps Project. Whether you just sit and smile or get the family to act out a funny quarantine photo, consider doing this. The photographer normally stands nearby the curb with plenty of space away from you and the shoot lasts for just a few minutes. Can’t get a photographer? Just set up a camera and take a photo yourself. This might not be the best time in our lives, but it will be a time to remember.
- Pass on that Delgona trend… It looks so luxurious, so delicious, but yet… we’ve talked on a previous podcast about acrylamide, a carcinogenic chemical that occurs in the coffee bean roasting process. While levels of acrylamide are present in all coffee, there is double the amount in instant coffees which you need to use for the signature delgona froth. Skip this fad altogether, make it a rare treat, or consider using matcha!
- Nice Stems… We had a great question come in this week about our favorite ways to use the skins of fruits and vegetables so that you utilize the whole food. Our favorites are… making seasoning like lemon pepper with lemon skins, making potato chips with potato peels (so yummy!), adding chopped up kiwi skins to salad (just marinate them in the dressing for a few minutes), and using root veggie skins to stuff ravioli. Remember that you can also always use any vegetable stem or root by chopping them up and sauteing them with other vegetables or using them chopped up in a salad.
- Let’s Get Physical… It’s tough to stay active when you’re stuck in the house 24/7. Alison makes it a goal to ‘Close her rings’ on her Apple Watch activity tracker through neighborhood walks and dance parties with the kiddos. Larisa is forever addicted to the Sweat App BBG Workout.
- Who is Margo?… We got a lot of questions asking about Margo on the kid contract on Instagram. Margo is Alison’s daughter’s name for her Ok to Wake Clock! A lifesaver when transitioning from a crib to a bed.
- Longer Lashes… There’s so many beauty tips out there, but the ones that work are rare. Give this one a shot and you won’t be disappointed. Next time you’re putting on mascara, and hopefully its our collective clean beauty favorite, hold a mirror down low and put the mascara on while looking downward. You’ll get a ton more coverage at the base of your lashes and you won’t be crinkling up your entire forehead!
TGIF!
xo, Alison + Larisa
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