Hellooooo November! Or as my best girl Claire would say – rabbit rabbit! Fun Fact: I literally just learned about rabbit rabbit this week (more on the history here) and am now very much looking forward to every first of the month 😉 And what a month it was! If you’ve been following along on Instagram you know that we are now at our new (temporary) home in New Jersey aka C’s parents house. We are not really unpacked or settled, but we are working on it. The more we do, the better I feel, so my hope is that by the end of the week we’ll feel more grounded and at peace.
WORD OF THE WEEK | Compassion. This something that I’ve been working on individually in therapy and something I think the whole world could use a little more of. On a personal level – I’m really hard on myself. I’ve mentioned this before but it’s come up a lot lately with our recent move. I’m so mean to myself and I think if someone spoke to me the way I talk to me I would be apalled. To me, compassion is being kind, gentle and caring to oneself and others. To help foster self-compassion and build that muscle, I’m talking to my therapist, digging into journaling and reading a new book. I also really like the self-compassion work by Dr. Kristin Neff – you can find more from her here!
LOOKING BACK | We had quite the month – we checked some things off our NYC bucket list, packed up our apartment, moved into C’s parents house, celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, checked some things off our fall bucket list and visited our besties in Connecticut to “celebrate” Halloween (my least favorite holiday). Sometimes travel can be stressful, but a weekend away with our best friends spent chatting, snuggling and mostly off of social media was exactly what my heart and soul needed. And, even though Claire and I despise Halloween, we all dressed up as a construction site (three roads and a pile a dirt – pictures below) at Jack’s request. Originally we planned lots of fun fall activities, but it ended up snowing so we spent lots of time in front of the fire catching up. We also took our family photos in the snow with Kelly and I seriously cannot wait to show them to you. Gahhhh!
ONE THING I LEARNED | I really miss movement! My movement of choice is walking and/or yoga-lates, which I used to do in our living room but I got discouraged when it was…covered in boxes. So I put this part of my routine on the backburner and it’s completely impacted my mental state – I miss those added endorphins! When I was more consistent about movement I also felt stronger, both physically and mentally. Like, the more I moved the more I was able to stretch and bend in poses I never imagined I could do. And that felt really darn good! So that being said, I’m excited to get back to my morning Melissa Wood Health flows (review coming soon!) and walks. I shared the rest of my morning routine here.
WHAT I’M EXCITED FOR | Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. For us, it means several days focused on family and good food. This year we plan to do our first long road trip back to Chicago to visit my parents (who we haven’t seen since January) and my sister (who we haven’t seen since last Christmas). I think that’s been the hardest part about COVID for me – not seeing my family in person. It was the safest choice, especially since my parents are considered high risk because of their age and my dad had both of his hips replaced in the last three months. That being said, we’ve all been incredibly cautious and diligent so we’ve decided Thanksgiving is the perfect time for a reunion! We’re quarantining beforehand, getting tested and driving non-stop.
As far as the festivities go, I’m actually looking forward to an immediate family fest for the first time…ever. We plan to sit by the fire, cook and bake, do lots of puzzles and catch up. Holidays can be stressful and I think a slowed down, casual day is exactly what the doctor (kind of literally) ordered.
Some timely puzzles I’m thinking about bringing…
As far as the food goes, I’m still working through what I’m going to make! My mom is a wonderful cook and expert baker – she’s the reason why I love to do both! She is always so accommodating with my sensitivities and helps me create options I truly can enjoy! She bakes all of their bread, so we’re going to make our own gluten free version and might even do cinnamon rolls (on my bucket list)! If you’re in need of some healthified holiday food, check out this post on healthy sides from last year and stay tuned for an update!
ONE THING I’M PROUD OF | C and I planned ahead and had our ballots sent to New Jersey in September, so we were able to vote early (while still NY residents). C always says that voting is our greatest right and privilege as Americans, and I used to think that was kind of cheesy but this year it feels particularly meaningful – especially for women.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my voting history, experience with politics more broadly and my personal views and values specifically. It can be so easy to fall into a groove, vote down a party line or participate in elections without doing your research – I’m not proud to say that I’ve been there, done that. But interestingly those are not the values that were instilled in me. Growing up, my parents were always incredibly involved in the election process – they went door to door for candidates, volunteered at our local Republican office and acted as election workers at the polls. This might be the first year my dad won’t be an election judge (and he only agreed because he just had surgery). While I don’t identify as a Republican like my parents (I was a registered Independent until I learned I couldn’t vote in the primaries, so now I am a registered Democrat), we have always had really healthy and productive conversations in our home. And for that, I am beyond grateful. We actually agree on a heck of a lot, and talk through the things we don’t. For me, the idea that we should not talk about politics or share who we are voting for seems outdated and unproductive. On the contrary, I think if we normalize conversations instead of just reading headlines, we’d get a whole lot farther.
This year I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, because I believe in a woman’s right to choose, especially when it comes to reproductive health and access to assisted reproductive technology like IVF, something that may very well be in my family’s future. I also believe strongly in racial justice, that climate change is very real, and that it’s okay to admit when you are wrong and work to be better. I believe in conversation over confrontation, I despise bullies, and I want to grow my family and raise my children in a more inclusive, stable and fair America. You don’t have to agree with me. It’s okay if you don’t! But that is what I believe and I welcome conversations about any and all of the above.
My ask of you, friend, is to vote. Make your voice heard, and stand up for what you believe in, whatever that may be.
SNAPSHOTS | Some unedited #lifelately highlights from my camera roll…
our last trip to the met / fall in central park / omg this leaf!!!!
missing my elevator selfies / brooklyn vibes / meditation inspiration
my favorite giftable treats / moving day x 2
new views / my boys in our new park / our christmas jammies! (currently ON SALE!)
healthy pad thai in my new pan / unpacking my closet / soup + snow at the wiley’s
BROWSING, READING, LEARNING, LISTENING | I have not been reading much lately and the things I do read are usually articles so I’ll share a few that encouraged thoughtful conversations, both inside my own head and with others!
The first is this one about the Turnaway Study, about a team of researchers who followed 1,132 women from the waiting rooms of thirty abortion clinics in twenty-one states for five years. The findings are fascinating and worth reading, regardless of where you stand on the issue of abortion.
I also loved this article from earlier this year that makes the case for a multiparty democracy and outlines how our current situation on Capitol Hill is pretty much the equivalent of two kids on the playground sticking their tongues out at eachother. It’s thought provoking, maddening but also points out ways in which our current structure could change.
As far as where I find articles, it really depends. I’m not really a news person per se, but I subscribe to three different newsletters in my work inbox: The Morning Briefing via The New York Times, The Daily Skimm via The Skimm and 5 Things via CNN. I used to get People notifications (#guilty) but had to #unsubscribe because because human interest stories make me really emotional. ANYWHO, I feel like newsletters give me a solid overview of what’s going on in the world without me feeling completely bombarded and fatigued (we don’t really watch the news during the day or night, with the exception of 60 Minutes). I highly recommend newsletters if you’re interested in getting up to speed and then on with your day!
The one type of book I’ve been embracing lately? Cookbooks. You know I love to cook, and now that we have a large kitchen at our disposal it’s been super fun to get back to our weekly routine of making meals together! I just ordered this cookbook and this one, both are gluten, dairy and refined sugar free and were recommended by my dear friend Nicole!
Last but not least, I thought this video did a fantastic job of outlining the facts on how and why conspiracy theories easily spread on platforms like Instagram, what certain hashtags really stand for and how we can be more aware of the content we consume and share. Regardless of your personal or political beliefs, it is worth a watch.
ICYMI
Fresh Fall Beauty with Beautycounter
Loving Lately: Credo Favorites
Switch to Safer: Laundry Detergent
Easy Eats: Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
Easy Eats: Fam Friendly Grazing Board
SHOP THE POST
Awe, I loved this of on my mind, Nora! I really hope you and C can get settled in NJ so you can start to be back to your normal routine 🙂 if you make those GF cinnamon rolls, let a girl know haha! I am also dying at your halloween costumes!! hope you had a great Monday! 🙂
Oh Libby thank you SO much! This comment really means the world to me, as these are my favorite posts to write. Still gettling settled but hoping every day gets better. I am loving your NYC shots so much!