FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. It has been a week. My husband and I both have been extra busy at work and Colby is going through a sleep transition – 2 naps down to 1. We’ve been circling back to our sleep training guide book for tips and relying heavily on our Nespresso Pixie machine.

2. Feta pasta has taken over the social media foodie posts, I finally made it, and whoa, it’s delicious. I am going to add this into my rotation of easy weeknight meals.

3. Colby is really into board books and specifically ones that include animals so he can find the dogs and say “woof” right along with us. A few of his current favorites are The Very Busy Spider, Y is for Yoga, and Snuggle Puppy. Our go-to car activity is this Around the Farm book with animal sounds, it can keep him entertained for much longer than anything else.

4. I enjoyed this compilation of celebrities before they were famous from IMDB. Trying to figure out who each person is was a fun way to exercise my brain.

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. Last summer I signed up for the MomsRising email listserve to stay abreast of political and social changes that were affecting my family. I’ve since added checking their ‘Take Action‘ page once a week to my schedule. I really appreciate all the work that goes into making this page a one-stop spot for me to feel like I’m using my voice to make a difference. Whether it’s adjusting a pre-crafted letter to Congress to add my name in support of upcoming legislation, signing a petition, adding an event to my calendar, or reading or watching new content from the group, it has made me feel infinitely more aware of what’s going on in the United States.

2. I ordered this shampoo bar a few weeks ago. I have been super apprehensive about shampoo or conditioner bars for years, because it just didn’t make sense to me how they could work or not just immediately fall apart. But our household has been really trying to find meaningful ways to cut back on our plastics use, and seeing all the shampoo, lotion, etc. bottles lined up in our bathroom was making my heart hurt. Surprise, I actually love the shampoo bar and can’t see myself going back to bottles anytime soon!

3. New bookstagram follows I’ve been psyched to find for lots more recommendations: Bookish and Black, Diverse Spines, honeybuttergal, the baked book babe (an IRL friend!), and readswithrosie.

4. Our kitchen pantry is tiny and cramped and I’m constantly looking for ways to make it more organized, easy to use, and mostly looking for a way to open the doors and not have an avalanche of pasta boxes and sauces fall on me or the floor. I’ve ordered a few different storage bins and mesh baskets from the Container Store and hoping this is going to be the change that finally fixes the mess that is that closet.