August 2016 | Currently

August has been hot, hot, and hot.  

I was driving through the city this weekend and saw a man wearing a wool-looking sweater and corduroy pants.  Mind you, it was 80-something degrees out.  I can only imagine two plausible explanations:

• He was a tourist… visiting from, like… the sun (or somewhere just as warm).
• He’s ready for fall.

I don’t believe in aliens and I want it to be summer forever.  Also I’m allergic to wool.  So basically, that man is my mortal enemy.  Just kidding.  

AUGUST 2016 | CURRENTLY

EATING

• Salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner – There is just so much incredible summer produce available and I feel personally compelled to eat all of it.  Looking for the perfect summer salad? I’ve got you covered.
• 80% of all my meals and snacks – This is not some sort of fad diet.  My children and dog (and occasionally, my husband) eat all their food… and then they eat my food.  I am basically the peasant of the family.

READING

A bunch of books with pretty covers (and really good insides, too)

• The Little Book of Healthy Beauty
• Ladies Drawing Night
• Invincible Summer 
• All the World
• The Artist’s Way

And a few articles and posts worth sharing

• Why You Should Spend 5 Minutes in Total Silence Each Morning by John Brandon/Inc.
• 10 Ways to Make a Staycation the Best Vacation Ever from The Kitchn
• 20 Fun Novels to Read at the Beach, Chosen by Authors from vulture.com
• Why Digital Reading is No Substitute for Print from New Republic

LISTENING TO

• Adele on repeat… in anticipation of seeing her perform live next month (insert 100 of the red-dress-dancing-lady emojis, and then a crying emoji, and then the two-hands-in-the-air emoji and then 47 exclamation marks)
• This fantastic episode of On Being: Running as a Spiritual Practice
• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Big Feelings” album on Spotify during every, single car trip… while cursing the day I revealed to Grace that this was a thing.
• Grace and Nick laugh hysterically on the swings.  And in the car.   And in their highchairs.  And in the bath.  It is the best sound ever.
• A new workout playlist, which I’ll share here in the next few days.  I’ve been enjoying a few Pinterest-inspired home workouts and running at Castle Island during the break between Mama Beasts sessions.

FEELING

• Bittersweet about Grace beginning preschool next month.  She is super excited and I know she will love it.  And I’m looking forward to some one-on-one time with baby Nick, and a bit more structure to our weekdays.  But I also sort of want both kids to stay tiny and young forever.  Which would be very weird and hinder their prospects for becoming healthy, successful adults… I am aware.  Meanwhile, we’ve been painting and making some pretty cool stuff together.  The girl loves her googly eyes.
• Way less itchy and way less dependent on Benadryl spray than I was two weeks ago… when I somehow got poison ivy all over both feet and like, in between all my toes.  We live in the city.  The only greenery on our property burned down a month ago (True story: someone threw a lit cigarette into one of our hydrangea bushes and it burned to the ground… but not before sending flames six feet into the sky.  We weren’t home at the time, and fortunately everyone in our building was okay.)  I still have no clue how or where or when I got it, but I’m telling you.  Poison ivy is no joke.
• Excited to sneak in one more quick trip to the Cape this month

WATCHING

• The Night Of on HBO – We have a couple episodes to catch up on, and I still run out of the room at least twice a show for fear of what’s going to happen next… but I’m hooked.
• Bad Moms – Watched this hilarious (and surprisingly heartfelt) movie the best way possible, with 34 other moms in one of those fancy movie theaters with the reclining seats and hard cider and french fries and no children… such an awesome Mom’s Night Out with the Mama Beasts.  

LOVING

For the record, these are not ads, just things I’m obsessed with and feel like everyone should know about them.  Some of these links, however, are referral links.

• Wearing baby Nick! He quickly outgrew our Baby Bjorn and was starting to feel not-so-secure in our linen ring sling… so we upgraded to the silk Sakura Bloom ring sling and I am completely obsessed.  I also really like the midnight black color way.  The silk grips really well and feels a bit more structured than the linen.  Let me know if you have questions about baby wearing — I could talk about it forever (or at least an hour).  
• Ebates for “back-to-school” shopping, or more accurately “both kids outgrew all their clothes on the same day” shopping – I hit the BabyGap sale hard (and will get magical cash back from Ebates) earlier this week, saving baby Nick from a lifetime of wearing togas fashioned from swaddling blankets.  It nearly came to that.  But it didn’t.  I also use Ebates for regular purchases like Diapers.com.  It really adds up. 
• Dollar Shave Club – I decided I was done spending a million dollars on razors and joined Dollar Shave Club on a whim (Nick uses Harry’s, a similar service).  For $6 a month, I get 4 razors delivered to my door.  The handle thing came in my first order, and yes, it’s super plain… but let’s be serious.  We don’t need lady razors.  Just like we don’t need lazy forks.  Or lady pencils.  Or lady steering wheels.  I’m super happy with the blades and for the first time ever, I’m remembering to use a new one every week.  So adult.
• Instagram stories.  I love seeing everyone’s candid videos and fun photos!  You can find me on IG at @elizabethev and @elizabethevart (for the painting, doodling, making a mess-type stuff). 

Also On Tap for Today:

• Making 9,000 appointments for the fall (check-ups, dentists, dermatologist, GI, vet, hair, and so on…)
• Looking forward to a little brainstorming session with my fellow HLB ambassadors
• Walk to the playground

How’s your August shaping up?