Have you ever spent time outside on a cloudy day, only to return home sunburned? Under a light cloud cover, you may not feel the warmth of the sun upon your skin, but you’re still being exposed to solar UV radiation—the cause of sunburns.
Click here to read the rest of my article on The Neighborhood and learn how The UV Index Forecast can help you prevent sunburn, skin cancer, eye damage, and even premature wrinkling.
P.S. – When thunder roars, stay indoors!
… listening to The Mowgli’s
I can’t vouch for their entire album, but The Mowgli’s San Francisco may be the catchiest song of the summer. Blending together eight voices (eight!), this joyous tune literally makes me bop as I sing and doot-doot-doot along. Even Levi gets in on the action, grooving and humming along from the back seat.
… processing my Alt Summit NYC experience
Did you catch my #altnyc pics on Instagram last week? The one-day conference held at the Martha Stewart Living offices (yes, Martha made a brief appearance!) was a whirlwind 10 hours of connecting with online friends, meeting new bloggers, and listening to variety of panels and presentations on topics ranging social media to entrepreneurship. Equal parts inspiring and overwhelming, Alt NYC, like Alt SLC, left me with a lot to think about with regards to growing my “brand” and the type of content I want to produce. Later this week I’ll be sharing my full recap and promise to fill you in on my recent blogging struggles.
… planning Levi’s second birthday party
Compared to Levi’s first birthday party, JB and I decided that we’d go small this year. Thank goodness I don’t spend too much time trolling Pinterest or party planning blogs. If I did, I’d probably feel really guilty about hosting a non-themed birthday party outside of the house. (Confession: I do feel a tiny bit guilty about my lack of Martha Stewart-like DIY skills. If I don’t include a couple of homemade elements at his birthday party, will I lose some of my blogging cred?)
… loving Christina Hendricks’s hair in the June/July issue of Lucky
How great does the red-headed bombshell look with shoulder-length waves? Since my hair is naturally wavy, I’d love to learn how to style it similarly, but I’m gonna guess that her hair was blown straight and then curled with an curling iron or hot rollers. I’m using the photos from her shoot as inspiration as I grow out my bangs.
P.S. – Four interiors currently inspiring me and last month’s list.
Because every woman’s pregnancy is unique, our newly launched Being Pregnant series is a way to share a variety of maternity experiences on the blog. Today we’re featuring Amy of Parker Etc, although you may also know her as a founder of Blog Brunch. I had the opportunity to meet Amy at Alt Summit in Salt Lake City this January when she was just barely showing, and let me tell you — she’s just as kick-ass in person as she appears online.
Q. When is your due date?
A. June 15, 2013
Q. Boy or girl?
A. No clue! Figure it will be one or the other, right?
Q. Do you have a name picked out?
A. We have a series of names picked out. Most are family names or they have some sort of meaning for the two of us based on places we’ve been or important people in our lives. It becomes especially hard once you realize how judgemental you are towards names! I think we all are secretly deep down…. it just really comes out once you’re being forced to name a small human!
Q. Is this your first child?
A. Yes!
Q. How has being pregnant compared to what you imagined it might be like?
A. I think people overshare the horror stories of being pregnant; they only really harp on the bad stuff. But what if none of that happens? It didn’t for me. I never got sick, I’ve enjoyed all my favorite foods and never had to buy maternity pants. My hormone levels have stayed relatively stable and the worst part might be my inability to wait to use the restroom. Trust me, let a pregnant person cut you in line for the restroom….. you’ll both be happy you did.
Up until this point, I had only heard how horrible being pregnant is, the weight gain and mood swings and gross stuff I won’t share….. especially in New York City…. it adds a multitude of obstacles. I’m now here to say…. hey, it’s been a blast! It makes my husband nervous how much I’ve loved being pregnant.
Q. What’s the best thing about being pregnant?
A. My newfound Beyonce hair and super nails. Ladies…. if you aren’t already, go get yourself some prenatal vitamins. Even if you don’t want to get knocked up anytime soon….. they do wonders, and I mean wonders, to your hair especially. I hear it falls out after the baby comes, but I’m choosing to ignoring that common statement and just continue tossing my hair in ignorant bliss.
Q. What’s the worst thing about being pregnant?
A. Well, I’ve just hit that point at 37 weeks (at the time this was written) where my feet are getting a bit puffy and, especially with the added humidity as we move into June, they don’t seem to be un-puffing anytime soon. I attempted to wear my oxfords the other day, and well, that didn’t go over so well.
Q. Any cravings?
A. Surprisingly, no. I had some aversions around week 10. I’ve been known for years to chew this one specific type of gum, but once week 10 hit, I couldn’t stand the taste of the gum and needed to spit it out after 30 seconds of chewing. I’ve now slowly moved back into the mint world and will pop Tic Tac’s like it’s my job. Yep, they are still around. Just me and grandmas across the Midwest are keeping that company in business.
Q. How do you dress the bump?
A. Dressing the bump has been one of my favorite things! My style pretty much stayed the same as I learned how to work with what I already owned. I’ve never worn super tight things, so most clothes fit fine until month 6 or 7. I haven’t really bought much in the way of ‘maternity’ specific clothes. I did get a few basic t-shirts and tank tops from H&M Maternity, cause trust me, those are the first things to start riding up your bump and causing a ‘baby doll tee’ look that isn’t attractive.
We obviously all want to buy up every piece ever offered on Hatch, but I’m no millionaire, so those prices just aren’t in my budget. But I do look at their photos for maternity style inspiration and then look for cheaper options to replicate it. Topshop and Asos have great maternity selections. Just be sure they are things you’ll get use of out during pregnancy and possibly after. If not, then just stick with what you have in your closet already.
Q. What are the essentials that have gotten you through the pregnancy so far?
and Bio-Oil
mixture. It also has turned into my ‘musk’. Those smells linger around you all day!
. I hide them in every purse pocket for when hunger strikes.Ed. note: It turns out that baby Anderson did not want to wait until June 15th to make her debut! Miss Parker Mae arrived on Wednesday, and she is simply adorable in the photo Amy posted on Instagram yesterday. Congratulations, mama!
P.S. – If you’d like to share your pregnancy experience, please send me a note with “Being Pregnant” as the subject.
{photo credits: Eric Ryan Anderson & Nate Poekert }
JB and I were thrilled to celebrate with our friends at their destination wedding in Boothbay Harbor, Maine this past weekend. It was standing room only at their Saturday afternoon ceremony, which took place “in the middle of cocktail hour,” according to the day’s schedule of events. It was short but sweet, and I definitely teared up during the groom’s vows. (It didn’t help that he did, too!)
After the ceremony it was time for hors d’ourves — passed appetizers, cheese and crackers, and oysters. Freshly shucked oysters. Omigosh, they were incredible.
Dinner was a buffet inside the Main Lodge and included lobster and roasted pig. The tables were adorned with empty wine bottles collected by the couple, each holding a single giant sunflower, and handmade doily runners. As a way to encourage guests to mingle and meet one another, there was no assigned seating.
Then it was time to move into the West Lodge (where our room was located) for dancing and dessert. As you can see above, the bride and groom eschewed a traditional wedding cake for a buffet of whoopie pies! Besides classic chocolate with vanilla filling, there were blueberry, pumpkin, and mocha whoopie pies.
But wait! There’s more! Towards the end of the party, Portland’s Gelato Fiasco showed up with a refrigerated cart and started serving the most delicious gelato I’ve tasted outside of Italy. I tried a trio of Blueberry Crisp, Sweet Resurgam (burnt sugar and roasted almond gelato with big chocolate slivers, named for Portland’s motto, which means, “I shall rise again”), and Maine potato donut (cinnamon and sugar glazed with big bites of potato donuts).
By that point, I was beyond full, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make (and eat!) s’mores at the after party bonfire! Naturally, they weren’t your run-of-the-mill s’mores; the marshmallows were approximately the size of four standard marshmallows.
Needless to say, I’m watching what I’m eating this week — until I head into New York City for Alt Summit later today! Tonight I’m attending a dinner hosted by Hayneedle at Morimoto. To say I’m excited about both the food and the company would be an understatement!
P.S. – If you’ll be attending Alt Summit tomorrow, contact me via Twitter or email so that we can meet up and say hello.
JB and I drove up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine from my parents’ house in New Jersey this past weekend to attend our friends’ destination wedding. Not only was it my first time in Maine, it was actually the first time both of us were away from Levi simultaneously since he was born. There may have been a tiny lump in my throat as we waved goodbye, but knowing that he would be safe and happy with my parents allowed us to relax and enjoy some much-needed alone time.
The last time I slept in a cabin was when I was 19 and a counselor at the sleep-away camp I had also attended as a child. The simple design of the lodges and cabanas at the Linekin Bay Resort, where the wedding was held, brought back memories. Structurally, our room was not much different from the cabins of my childhood (minus the graffiti on the walls!), but the amenities were a bit nicer than metal camp cots and open clothing cubbies.
Although the bride and groom made sure to explain that the accommodations were rustic, I suppose JB and I thought it would be more like staying at a resort and less like camping. Once we managed our expectations (and killed some large creepy crawlies), we grew to enjoy the simple charm of Linekin Bay.
At the recommendation of our friends, we brought bathing suits but didn’t take a kayak or sailboat out on the water. We didn’t even take a dip in the pool. Instead, we drove down to Freeport, Maine the morning of the wedding to visit the massive L.L. Bean flagship store.
We may love the sun, fresh air, and water, but shopping at L.L. Bean is about as outdoorsy as we get.
Our goal over the weekend was to eat lobster at every meal, and I had just enjoyed my first lobster roll Friday night. Shopping bags in tow, JB and I stopped for a quick lunch at Sprague’s Lobster in Wiscasset on our way back to Boothbay Harbor for the wedding. Although Red’s Eats across the street had a longer line, we thought it was quaint that Sprague’s was on a pier with picnic tables that gave it character. (Later we learned that the locals actually prefer Sprague’s.)
We shared a lobster roll and a cup of seafood chowder — both were ridiculously good. I’m not even sure there was any butter or mayo on the lobster roll. Just huge chunks of lobster meat. (There was also a lobster bake at the wedding that evening, but nothing can really compare to the fresh flavors of a simply prepared lobster roll!)
Tomorrow I’ll share some photos from the wedding. Nearly all of the details were D.I.Y. and just wait until you see what was for dessert!
P.S. – I’m excited to be attending Alt Summit in NYC on Thursday. Alt SLC was such a wonderfully exhausting experience in January, so I’m curious how a one-day event will compare. Let me know if you’ll also be there — I’d love to meet you in person!
