As May arrives, I feel myself plunging head-first into the “spring cleaning” process that pervades my every move this time of year. As the weather warms, I’m wont to clean out the closets, the pantry, take inventory, re-jig and reorganize…and much of this months “orbit” list acknowledges this weeding out and refining. With travel, projects and milestones on the horizon, my sensitive pitta loves nothing more than to have the P E R F E C T thing for the days ahead, and these little bits are all making me feel so dialed/smart/whole.
Many of you know that our little guy Leo has struggled with eczema since birth. The good news is that some dietary changes are healing him from the inside out. Literally, we haven’t had a flare in over two months! (Yay!) And the even better news is that this incredible balm is there whenever he does get a little dry, or out of the bath. I have zero concerns about his sensitive skin, and the smell and virtue swirled into this beautiful balm is unmatched.
The heavy, density of kapha dosha (rampant in the springtime) needs a little PUNCH to kick it out of the house, and this is my favorite way to do just that. I add a little pinch to our pastas, pizza, and just about anything I’m eating this time of year.
Lately, when I’ve been making the Alpine Glow Green Bars I created for the gals heading to Denali, I’ve been swapping in this bad-ass greens powder. The best I’ve ever found, I also sometimes just slip it into my water in the afternoon when I feel I need a little lift. Ditch the over-stuffed AG1 on your pantry shelf and bring in this beautiful, balanced, actually-beneficial blend instead.
This is the glow. I had the pleasure of connecting with the founder of Vintner’s Daughter, April Gargiulo, last month. While April didn’t intend to at the outset, her desire to create something “we put on us that was worthy of going in us,” led to a product line that is perfectly in line with Ayurvedic principles, in the most high-performing way I’ve ever found, in a sleek, aesthetic treat of a package. I’ve been using the Active Botanical Serum + Active Treatment Essence for over 3 years religiously, and she implored me to try the cleanser too. She was right. My medicine cabinet now officially contains just three must-have products – this is the third.
I recall schlepping so. many. bags. to the pool last summer with Leo; the diaper bag, the snack bag, my bag, our lunch. So this year, well ahead of our afternoon splash sessions, I decided to buy a proper pool bag that was up to the task. Turns out that I needed a tote bag this huge for my daily life as well because it’s turned into my daily driver – it holds everything Leo could ever need, or all of my market haul, or our picnic, or or or. I offloaded three other bags that were half-assing this job and tagged in this one. Organic cotton, designed in India, in gorgeous, honest colors.
The BV Sandalia is my favorite shoe of all time. But when I dove into my spring/summer closet, I discovered that my pair from last season had taken a beating and were ready to be replaced. I had really put the soft, supple leather to the test digging around in the dirt with Leo last year. When I went hunting for a new colorway, I was over the moon to find this pair which not only tickled my fancy but is ALSO wrapped in a bamboo vegan leather, making them soft AND durable. Already in love two times over.
I don’t know about you but our kitchen towels get H A M M E R E D around here. And I was feeling pretty spendthrift buying new ones just because they didn’t match my aesthetic. So instead I bought a little baggie of this foolproof indigo dye and dyed them all blue. I LOVE THEM, they look amazing, reduced our consumption, elongated the life of our towels, and inspired me to revamp a few pieces of clothing from my wardrobe too. Win win win.
Back in January, I joined Function Health as a way of economically covering my annual lab fees for regular blood work. But this membership has far surpassed my expectations. The comprehensive labs gave me more insight than even my functional medicine practitioner has ever been able to draw, and for less! I learned that my biological age is 16.4 years younger than my actual age (which means I’m 27! Yay!) and I’m finding that the platform is an easy place, and an easy way to track my health + well-being. I have two big mountain ultra-marathon efforts coming up this summer, so staying on top of my biometrics is more important than ever and this membership is making it easy! I’ve loved this experience so much, I’ve joined Function as a partner + am recommending this service to all of my clients to streamline their intakes…and I recommend it to you too. Learn more + join Function here!
I’m riding my bike outside without sunglasses, and getting the sun on my naked skin instead!
As much as I love Peanut Butter Pow Bars, and Hazelnut Protein Bars, I’m making lighter, easier to digest snacks for my efforts instead. These Strawberry-Chia Jam Bars, for one.
All winter long, when the compost in the yard is out of commission, I collect our vegetable scraps for bone broth in the freezer. I made the likely last batch of broth and have shifted our carrot peels, beet skins, celery nubs, onion skins and other goodies out to the garden for the season.
In my ongoing closet audit, I’m finding myself shying away from any pair of pants that could even be remotely embraced as “skinny.” Wide, barrel-leg, lasso-fit and straight up baggy is my jam.
We don’t wear that much sunscreen in this house (see exhibit 01 on absorbing our Vitamin D,) but I will have to hunt down a tube of sunscreen for those big-day out occasions because all of last years ‘screen is expired (a reminder to check the expiration date on your cosmetics and skin care, my friends!)