Hi again!
It’s June! Almost July. In other words, it’s peony and lemonade and not-sad-salads-for-lunch-everyday season. June is my happy place.
What are you guys drinking today for the coffee date? I boldly enjoyed a half-caf coffee this morning because we were all out of decaf, and I’m not going to lie: I am feeling it. As in, I AM ALL OVER THE PLACE. My brain feels like a ping-pong ball. I need snacks! A checklist! A quick sprint on a treadmill! And then there’s Bjork, who could drink an espresso at 10pm and fall asleep within exactly three minutes. God bless his relaxed, adaptable brain.
Okay, so better choices for me in the drink department today: green smoothie, which I’ve already sipped on this morning; regular water, which is sitting next to me now; and coconut water for when regular water starts to get boring later this afternoon.
Grab your watermelon smoothie (OMG aren’t they the best?), your sparking water, or your Vietnamese iced coffee if you are so bold and lucky to be able to handle the buzz, and let’s do this thing.
Costco
We recently restarted our membership up again after two years away. It is stocking my fridge with the most juicy, candy-sweet nectarines my lips have ever touched and that is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
But also, I am having some love-hate things with it after having been away for two years.
Love:
- Organic produce times one million. There is so much good, organic produce, especially in the summer. Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries galore. And honestly, I wasn’t kidding about the nectarines. I bought them last week at the Maplewood Costco. SO GOOD. Fruit – and more specifically, organic fruit that doesn’t cost your life savings – is the number one reason we restarted our membership. I love you Costco!
- Samples and more samples.
- XL bags of Veggie Straws. The end.
Love/Hate:
- Being tempted to buy more than we probably need. For example, deck furniture, air purifiers, and a new TV while going to casually get groceries. (We haven’t gotten any of these yet but let’s just say there have been considerations.)
- Needing to have extremely good organization in the fridge and pantry, because when you buy in bulk, and you have a very tiny kitchen… it gets a little problematic.
Hate:
- The amazing snacks are – as stated – amazing. Little snack cheeses, a new type of protein bars, and individual coconut waters which are delicious. But guess what? I’m all of a sudden realizing that these are all individually wrapped and non-recyclable. SAD TIMES. I’m super bummed. This is probably obvious to people who have been aware of plastic and waste reduction for a while now, but this is kind of a new thing for me (started back here with the straws) and it’s bumming me out because the low-maintenance side of me really loves convenience packaging. Do I have to stop buying the individually wrapped cheeses and the little coconut water juice boxes? Can’t there be another way that is equally as low-maitenance?
- Also, Costco doesn’t have recycling in the store, even though they sell lots of drinks in plastic cups that could be recycled. No recycling?! What the heck! Come on, Costco.
What are your thoughts on Costco? Specifically on convenience or individually-packaged snacks and drinks? It’s so basic of me, but I am genuinely sad to give up the individually wrapped snacks.
Getting Clothes Altered
This week I’m going to be taking some ill-fitting maternity clothes in to get altered (this dress is not one of them – it fits like a glove and clocked in at 40% off).
The clothes were not ill-fitting when I bought them, but after wearing them, and washing them, and working with a body that is literally changing shape week by week… you guys know the drill. Suddenly things that were fine are gaping and pulling and doing weird things in weird places. Alterations to the rescue? I don’t know.
I have never had my clothes altered before. Tell me: Is it weird? A waste of money? The best idea ever?
Maternity Pillow
Laugh all you want because I’m sleeping amazingly well tucked into that little stuffed donut.
A) It looks completely ridiculous.
B) I ADORE IT WITH ALL MY HEART.
C) Honestly I am at the point where I’m not sure how people sleep without them.
C) Sage LOVES it. I have already willed it to her when I am done.
Paint Your Pet Night
Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh.
Okay, we did this in June, and I can’t stop laughing. I have no pictures because we were running late and it was a little stressful, and it was at a brewery which was of no use to either of us, and then (possibly because of the lack of a beverage?) I became a little too heavily invested in my artistic process and got wayyy too bummed that my 2-hour painting of Sage didn’t actually turn out like a Bob Ross masterpiece. THIS IS SO ME. I just care too much sometimes.
It’s supposed to be fun, Linds! Bjork said. No, it looks great! Bjork said.
I am not exaggerating to say that it took me at least an hour to not be really disappointed in my painting. Lols. We laughed a lot and it was a really fun night.
Even given my over-zealous attitude and resulting disappointment in my skills, I would do this again in a heartbeat! Bonus is that it was a fundraiser for the rescue where we got Sage from, so it was a super fun way to support the organization that gave us our fur baby.
Have you guys ever done a paint/sip night?
Clean Living, Etc.
On the last coffee date, someone suggested that we talk about clean home / clean living. I love that idea!
Let me just say, I am not an expert on clean living. We do / eat / use a lot of things that are very mainstream and not necessarily “clean.” But I really like the positive snowball that happens from making little changes here and there, and that’s how it has to be for me to make any progress at all.
Here are some of the small things that we currently do in our home to keep it less-toxic and more-green-and-clean:
- No air fresheners.
- Unscented soy candles, or soy candles with essential oil fragrance (most of the time).
- Clean laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, etc.
- Wool dryer balls with essential oils instead of dryer sheets.
- Organic lawn care.
- Composting (which recently became available as a city service in St. Paul – yay).
- Glass food storage containers (Pyrex and mason jars).
- Paper straws and reusable water / coffee tumblers.
- Monthly drop off to recycle plastic bags and soft plastics (thank you, Target).
- Clean beauty (you can see my favorite products here).
- Mineral sunscreen.
There’s still A LOT I’d like to do to help us keep our home and personal care clean and toxin-free, especially with baby girl hopefully coming home with us this fall. But this is a start.
I’ve found it to be extremely overwhelming to try to clean it up all at once, so we’ve just started with one thing at a time and tackled the rest month by month by month.
What are your favorite clean living tips and tricks?
And now, a word from Sage.
She would like to take a moment to remind you that June (and July!) is a very good time to go outside and play and just get yourself all up in that dirt! This is true even if you’re not really the playful type (and she’s not). The laundry will still be in the basket. The email will still be in the inbox. The dishes in the dishwasher can sit for a day. Go play! Enjoy that hot sand and sun, and then go all the way under the water. Full dunk. You know, hair and everything.
Thanks for the coffee date today! *glasses clinking* Wishing the happiest of the warm weather times to everyone this month.
Goooo summer!
Hi! Can you tell me where the pendent light over the stove in the kitchen is from? Thanks!
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I also live in StP and shop at the Maplewood Costco! It works best for me to go in with a list and stick to it. On the subject of recycling and “clean living” (I’m not a fan of that phrase), now that China doesn’t want to buy our recycling, I think it’s more important to reduce all types of waste. Cloth bags, less Amazon deliveries (so wasteful), buying in bulk, buying at farmers markets, making stuff from scratch more. All very time-consuming (and I’m not necessarily doing all of these things all the time).
Lindsay, I noticed the “hopefully joining us” sentence. We lost our first baby at 9 weeks, and our daughter arrived safely in spring 2017. I’m pregnant again now, feeling much less anxious this time, but I just wanted to say I noticed and I understand. I’ll be thinking of you and Bjork and Afton, and your baby girl, who’ll be yours to love and who will matter, no matter what comes next.
Please feel free to email me. And in case it’s helpful, I found a lot of friends who’ve been in the same position in reddit’s r/ttcafterloss and r/pregnancyafterloss communities.
sage’s advice was my favorite 🙂 i couldn’t agree more with her (nor could my dog ollie!)
This was so delightful. Love a little peek into your cheerful world! Thank you for sharing!
LOVE these coffee date posts! Where do you find your candles? I have a hard time finding more naturally scented candles that aren’t SUPER expensive.
Dude.
Maternity pillows are the BEES KNEES. I could not have survived my pregnancy without it. I thought I’d keep it forever. Strangely, I grew to resent it once I gave birth. Sigh.
I love all of this, but came to say that I completely understand the pregnancy pillow obsession. Mine is shaped like a horseshoe and takes up half of our king-sized bed, but I’m pretty certain I’m going to keep using it long after I’ve given birth. How do people sleep without one?!?
it is the funniest way to wish a birthday thanks for sharing this type of blogs..
Love the selfie! The dress is so cute and you look beautiful! I also love the photo of Sage. Hope you frame that one. Cheers to summer!
Where is your bedding from? I love it!
Your refrigerator looks so organized. I’m ashamed to say mine needs cleaning. My mind has been all over the place lately.
Being 5Ft 2in I have always had to have things altered and it is the best thing. I highly recommend it. It’s just nice when things fit right and it makes you feel better in your clothes.
I absolutely get my clothes altered. I think it’s insane that women, who have much more curves than men, think they need to get clothing – particularly professional clothing – altered less than men. Owning 1 piece of clothing that fits well is better than several pieces of clothing that don’t. That said, in none of my pregnancies did clothing fit consistently throughout. Enjoy the change as much as possible! You look great!
What do you think of the paper straws? I bought a set of metal ones at the beginning of the summer that myself and my two little boys enjoy using. I do have a mild obsession with Dunkin Donuts cold brew coffee and I’m trying to figure out how I can use a reusable cup when I need to go there. I totally struggle with the individually wrapped items. I don’t want to buy them, but they make life with two little boys so much easier. We have also prayed for you and I will continue to do so as you carry that little girl! Congrats!
I am addicted to Bounce dryer sheets. I never thought about what a waste they are and that there may be an alternative. Thank you for the wool dryer ball idea! I love these coffee chats. And I love those paintings of Sage.
Love the green, clean living ideas. I use as little plastic at the grocery store as possible, so if I buy 12 potatoes, they don’t go in a bag. A new cashier once insisted that she had to weigh each potato separately!
Something that I have been doing lately is taking my own containers to the bulk food store. They weigh the empty container and write the weight on the lid with a grease pencil. Then they weigh it again when you fill it. This also helps me keep my pantry organized because everything is in a labeled container instead of a plastic bag.
I’m here to tell you that you will NOT want to surrender the snoogle after the baby, sorry Sage. I have an 18 month old and still sleep with mine every night (hubs is sure ready to be done with though!)
Hi Lindsey, lovely to see you looking ‘blooming’ and I love your dress!
I love your coffee dates and look forward to them with interest, as I live in England and while you have many of the same shops i.e. Costco and Aldi many of your products are very different.
Looking forward to the next coffee date with your maternity up-dates especially!
With love to you all
Jen ….. granny to 6 !
I love this latest coffee date and everything you shared. We too have a love-hate relationship with Costco…but mostly love. Our latest obsession from Costco is their delicious cold-pressed watermelon juice (Wtrmln brand). It’s so good! I highly recommend it, Lindsay. I too love all their organic berries! Where did you get those adorable two-compartment glass containers to store your berries in individual portions? That is brilliant!
I’ve attended a couple paint/sip nights! I’m amazed to say that I do really like going, although I am in no way an artist of ANY kind. My only issue is what to do with the painting once I bring it home. I end up throwing them out after a couple of weeks!
You guys have done so much at home for green/clean living. I’ve been working on eliminating plastic in the home as well, though it’s definitely a work in progress. Next thing to tackle: recycling my plastic bags and switching to reusable sandwich bags.
Are you able to share which maternity pillow you’re using? My bestie is very newly pregnant (as in, the general public is not aware) and I’d love to gift it to her in the coming months!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I went through a similar situation as you around the same time as you last year and followed along and took solace in your words about your journey then. I ended up having a healthy baby boy just 9 weeks ago. Thank you for sharing amazing recipes and your life experiences… they have helped me through some of the rough spots in life and are a bright spot in my day! Best wishes and sending lots of positive thoughts to you and your family!
I love these posts! I did a paint and sip night and my painting was terrible, like so bad my MOM couldn’t find something nice to say . I recently gave the canvas to my father in law to paint over. Clean living overwhelms me, but I try to do small changes too. We don’t but plastic bags so we don’t use them, we use cloth diapers most of the time and use tumblers for coffee. I would consider how much your body may change in the last weeks of pregnancy. By the end (I was overdue) I had like 3 shirts and a pair of yoga pants that fit. I had to buy 2 pairs of shoes because my feet swelled so much!! That said, I think whatever helps you feel like yourself during pregnacy and post partum is worth it. Thanks for a fun post!