May Faves
my favorite things from May, and the month in review
Welcome!! Every month, I share my favorite things from the previous month, and a little personal reflection on the month. You can read all previous editions of my monthly digest of favorite things here.
Last month I lamented the fact that it took me halfway through April to get to writing this post, and now that we are halfway through June and I’m just getting around to writing about May, I’m realizing that actually, maybe, this timing is just right!
May was A MONTH. The flurry of activities that come at the end of the school year cycle, added to the joy of beautiful weather and everyone wanting to do all the things - made for a very busy month indeed.
I started the month by fully weaning from nursing. I tried not to make a big deal out of it, but, it IS a big deal. Physically it was an easy process, as my daughter was only nursing twice a day, and we had introduced formula the month before when I decided to stop pumping. Emotionally - it’s a bit more complicated. The end of an era, so to speak (unless my husband surprises me and changes his mind about having a 4th!, I’m not holding my breath though, ha). I nursed my first two kids for over 18 months, so, I have been mostly pregnant, nursing, or planning to get pregnant since 2017. It feels good to have my body back! And to wear clothes that I don’t have to think about whether or not I can nurse in them. And to try THC gummies (these ones specifically). Good times, guys.
Now that I’m not nursing the baby, and am a little less tied to her (plus, she is one now - she turned one in June, which is absolutely unbelievable and I have not fully processed), I am excited to spend some more time with just my older two kids. Over the past year, they have spent a lot of time solo with my husband - most weekend mornings he takes them out to do whatever they’re doing for the day while I stay home with the baby and let her take a good morning nap. We meet up late morning and have lunch together, and then do things as a family after everyone has their early afternoon nap/quiet time. It’s been a routine that’s worked great for us, but it’s also really nice to spend time with the two of them, and go on fun adventures. And we did! At the beginning of the month, we headed into Boston to meet up with my sister for an open streets day. We brought bikes and scooters and were able to walk all around, stop at so many tables where vendors and groups were advertising (so many treats), and even managed to sit down for brunch at Via Cannuccia which was UNREAL (if you’re in Boston, you should go! It was fine with kids for brunch/breakfast, I would probably not do dinner there with young kids though).
Another Saturday I took them to get manicures with me. It was easily the least relaxing manicure of my life, but they both did manage to sit through getting multiple coats of pure glitter polish on their fingers and also under the dryer to let them dry - and I only smudged one nail!
Being able to spread out into our yard this time of year is such a gift - it feels a little less like we are busting out of our small house at the seams, and we are regularly reminded of how much we love our neighborhood and where we live. We’ve been having lots of BBQs in our backyard, complete with as many babies as we can fit into our baby cage play yard, lots of bubbles, lawn golf, ball games, and blasting music as loud as we can. I’ve been trying to spend an hour or so after bedtime every week working on our garden. It’s hard to motivate myself to do it, but it feels good once I’m doing it, and it is very rewarding to see our garden and lawn looking better bit by bit! I can’t wait for so many more nights in our yard all summer long!
We spent our Memorial Day weekend at home, without any major plans. We went to the South Shore to visit friends for a gorgeous beach day, complete with the baby taking a little cat nap on me which is basically heaven (and something she doesn’t do that much these days). After a day at the beach we went out for dinner and drinks at a great outdoor seafood spot, and discovered my middle daughter’s affinity for oysters (she had 6, honestly, extremely impressive!) I was pretty impressed to see all the 2 and 3 year olds give the seafood a try (the older kids were much more interested in chips and italian ices). Spending time with adults that we get along great with and our kids also enjoy being around (whether the adults have kids or not) is something that is super important to my husband and I - we are all happier when we get to fill adult and kid cups at the same time. So, I’m always so happy when we have the opportunities to be with friends that we are all genuienely excited to spend time with. Especially sepecial is spending time with friends that I have had since my childhood, and seeing our kids all together. It feels wild that we are old enough to have kids of our owns, since I really don’t feel that old at all, and my heart is bursting when I watch out kids together.
What was I into this month? A lot - Let’s dive in.
Non-products first, just a couple things that have been bringing me a lot of joy.
Sushi at Home & Weekend Afternoon Babysitters - We have a local fish shop near us that puts together DIY sushi kits that we are OBSESSED with. My dad got us onto it after he got the kit for us for one of our Sunday night family dinners, and Vinny and I ordered a kit for ourselves in May for a fun night at home. If you have a local fish shop you should see if they offer this! We have been having one of our babysitters come on Saturday afternoons to create some time for us to be able to do things around the house that we just never seem to have the time or energy to do. Right now, it’s a lot of gardening and yardwork. On this particular Saturday, I ended up having a weird fingernail infection that sent me to urgent care, which sent our day a little sideways, but Vinny got a few hours of yardwork in, then we walked to an inn in our town that has a cool tavern/bar situation for an ice cold martini, and then walked back home after our kids were already asleep and made ourselves sushi. It was so fun. Also, highlight of this evening was that when we were walking home a car of high schoolers honked at us and yelled out the window, “you guys are so cute!” They probably meant this ironically, but I took it as a compliment, and I won’t lie, it felt good.
Re-watching Friday Night Lights - We watched Baby Reindeer which was intense but also very, very good, but, while watching, we found ourselves needing a palette cleanser show to be able to watch something different before bed and are now fully engrossed in FNL. It’s actually my husband’s first time watching, and we’re both fully enjoying. A little weird to re-watch and related way more to Coach Taylor & Tammi, but, still a lot of fun. And, honestly, Tammi is a really, really, really amazing mom. And, I’m still a Tim Riggins fan forever!
On the product front, I have made the switch over to some of the things that I use the most in summer-time — in general, it means as few products as possible, bare skin but sun protection, lightweight everything, make-up that will last through lots of sweat. Some favorites that are in heavy rotation right now include:
Epilator - In the summer I pretty much exclusively use the epilator for my legs. It’s life-changing. The upfront investment might seem high, but I’ve had mine for 3 years!
InnBeauty Face Glazer Highlighter - I’m obsessed with this brand. I’ve mentioned their Extreme Cream before - which was gifted to me, but I’ve now repurchased for myself, I use it basically every night, and a lot of days. I’m very intruiged by their newest serum. They have a whole lot of summer products, and I love the Highlighter. I have been wearing it most days after vitamin C serum, and before sunscreen. Just a tiny bit of glow in the best way possible. Pret
Biodance Face Mask - This fask mask is glorious. I use it one night a week and put it on a couple hours before I’m going to go to bed. That gives it enough time to mold to my skin before bed, and then I sleep in it. The glow in the morning is A+.
Queen Musia Mascara - this is a great mascara that was gifted to me by the brand, and I’m so glad they did because I’m not sure it would have been on my radar otherwise. I am EXTREMELY picky about mascara, but also, obsessed with mascara — in my ideal world its the only makeup item I’m wearing. This particular one, I find, is appropriate for daytime, but can also be layered for a night-time look, and packs a punch when layered. Plus, it’s long lasting and doesn’t transfer.
Tan Mist - I am an amateur self-tanner user at best, but I also use something on my face. I’ve played around with drops, but I really love this mist - it’s suble and fool-proof. I spray it on in the morning after I put on Vitamin C serum and moistuirizer - 5 or 6 sprays on my face, neck, & chest, then rub in gently (be sure to wash your hands). Then I let it sit for a bit and put sunscreen + any makeup I’m wearing over it!
Rayban Clubmasters - I went on a work trip to Jacksonville, Florida in the middle of the month, and as soon as I was comfortably in my seat on the plane, I had the ill-timed epiphany that I had forgotten to pack a pair of sunglasses. So, when I landed in Florida, I stopped at the first airport store I could find to get a new pair of sunnies. My options were limited, but I am a classic sunnies gal - I just always gravitate towards classic shapes, and am not really into trendy shapes - so I was pretty happy to have an excuse to buy a pair of Clubmasters. My husband too - we’re sharing these sunnies and we’re both pretty happy about it! My other two most favorite pair of sunglasses are these (30% off!) and these!
Alessia Black Linen Vest - I dipped my toe into the vest/waistcoat trend with this vest from Dissh, and I absolutely love it. It was a perfect piece to wear for a work trip in Florida this month, but I’ve also worn it with a slip skirt and with jeans. I’m planning on wearing it with silk pants, with shorts, with a maxi skirt, and with linen pants all summer long. I really love it (I took a US 8)
On the reading front, only a few things worth sharing this month — I’m fully caught up on the Magnolia Parks Universe, and wow, am I obsessed with the ending for Magnolia & BJ. I seriously cannot believe that we have to wait until next year for the final part in Daisy’s story!!! I also read Hello Beautiful, which had been on my list for awhile, and finally became available to me on the Libby app. Holy crap. What a beautiful story about love, soulmates, family, and sisterhood. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend. My TBR list is long for summer, and I’m excited to spend lots of time reading over the next few months, so I hope to share more great reads soon!! (PS:
always has the best book recommendations, and I added everything she shared in this letter to the very top of by TBR list.Thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned for lots of fun summer styling inspiration - including 4th of July outfit ideas, summer capsule pieces, packing inspo, and more!
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Weaning is really hard! I made the mistake of weaning cold turkey and had a pretty awful depressive episode after. Be extra gentle with yourself! <3
Omg Tim Riggins forEVER!!! My #1 imaginary crush