THE WEEKLY EDIT:
Made: Ina’s Coconut Macaroons
Five ingredients, couldn’t be easier and delicious!
Trending: Tube Tops
Call them strapless or call them tube tops; the shoulder-baring, collarbone-showing cut is popping up everywhere like spring flowers. Whether it’s a set like this and this, a dress like this, a black tube reminiscent of my college years like this or more tailored option like this, I’m really into the bandeau.
Pre-ordered: Grilling All the Things by Gaby Dalkin
Grilling has never been my thing, but I’m making it my spring/summer cooking goal to change that. Not only because it involves less clean-up and feeds our entire family, but also because cooking outside while the kids play is the summer life upgrade I’m going for! And Gaby’s new book, ‘Grilling All the Things,’ is going to be my guide. With 100 recipes covering every part of the meal—from appetizers to desserts—the book reveals secrets for marinating, spicing, and cooking all kinds of foods. I got to leaf through it last week, and not only does it seem doable but, dare I say… easy? And it’s stunning!
Summer Sandals: A.Emery
Every pair of A.Emery sandals are so good and most are under $200 which I appreciate. The Jalen, Elliot, Kinto, Margaux, Nodi, Turi! Oooof hard to pick.
Browsing: EWG Verified
I like to cross-reference beauty and home products for their hazard score on the EWG site - it’s so helpful! Recently, I discovered that there’s an EWG Verified page on Amazon, making it easy to shop for EWG verified products, which feels like a life hack. I was happy to see the sunblock I use on my children on there, along with our toothpaste, kids shampoo, baby soap, bar soap, baby crib mattress and more!
Wearing: Trousers, Cooper Cardigan & Jewelry for My Feet
I tend to subscribe to the “if you like it, buy it in other colors” philosophy, and these 100% raw silk trousers are just that. I’ve worn them a ton in ivory, so I added navy to my wardrobe - they’re just so easy! Another Jenni Kayne (GERI15 for 15% off anytime) addition is the ‘Cooper Cardigan’ - I love the structured hourglass silhouette. And lastly, Larroudé sent these sandals which are like jewelry on my feet - fun and not basic!
ALRIGHT, LET’S GET INTO IT:
Prioritizing How Your Life Feels Instead of How It Looks
If you've ever spent time around young children, you've noticed the beautiful way they are who they are. Most toddlers aren't editing their dance moves to seek the approval of their peers - they're moving their body to the music in a way that feels good, that feels fun. They aren't stressing about what they're about to say - they're speaking their mind, exactly as their thoughts are coming. They aren't dressing in to fit in; they're wearing the prints, colors, and fabrics that make them happy. They aren't worried about how their body looks compared to their friends - they're just happy to be around them.
Over and over children will remind you that there is a way we are all born into this world - free, unique, truly authentic - and will also remind you that as adults, most of us stray from what we once were. Some of us may stray just a little bit, able to hold on to our authenticity, speak our minds, and not be bogged down by the thoughts of others. And then some of us fully lose this authenticity for one reason or another - eventually letting the thoughts of others dictate our lives.
When you mix wanting to be liked with social media, the obsession with being liked gets even greater - and literal - we are literally meant to post things to collect likes. Just like the approval many of us have sought since childhood, social media platforms ask us to perform to, once again, be liked - to get the most views (people to notice you), the most comments (people to talk to you), the most likes (people to approve you).
It's a vicious cycle that I've been talking with girlfriends about recently: how many adults prioritize how our lives LOOK instead of how they FEEL, which is the opposite of a happy life when you think about it.
The second we have a beautiful moment in front of us, the new natural instinct is to take out our phones and film it, hoping that this moment will be liked not by us but by others when we post it on Instagram. Or even more unnatural, the times when you create a situation with the intention of posting it to social media, like cleaning up your kitchen and staging a shot of your avocado toast to post to social, all while the delicious bread goes cold on your plate. Instead of prioritizing how that moment feels - a fresh piece of bread topped with gooey avocado as fuel for our body - we're prioritizing how it looks to our outside world, hoping that people will like our meal, instead of savoring it for ourselves.
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