FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. Colby has been very into silverware lately. He is getting pretty good at eating with a fork and spoon though it does get a bit messy. I love these silicone bibs because they are super affordable and don’t have a logo on them.

2. We have been exploring Southern Maine (and beyond) a lot more now that the weather is warming up. It was super fun to check out the L.L. Bean Flagship Store in Freeport, ME. By working remotely in a different timezone, we’ve been lucky to have our weekday mornings completely free to explore, so we get to enjoy some of the more touristy attractions without the crowds.

3. On a whim, my husband and I decided to give up sugar for a TBD-length of time. It was nice to just quit cold turkey with no end in sight and feel like we had control over something. It’s been a week so far and I think we are finally getting to the point where we don’t crave it. To fill the sugar-void, I’ve been loving these mini That’s It fruit bars.

4. This week I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It’s my book club’s pick for the month and I am very excited to discuss it with our ladies group, it was a really fun read! I’ve also put a few more of the author’s books on hold at the library because I enjoyed his style so much. Looking forward to reading more.

5. I celebrated my 8 year anniversary of working at UCLA this week. It feels super crazy to be working remotely from the east coast. I feel incredibly lucky to have a job I love and this time at home with my little one. Excited to see what the future brings!

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. I’ve been enjoying the Girls Just Wanna Have Funds podcast. It’s pretty basic as far as financial concepts and how to save, invest, and get a hold of managing your money, but sometimes it’s nice to have a solid refresher. It’s also been a good one to share when I get the inevitable “what should I be doing with my money??” questions from friends and family who haven’t been neck-deep in the FIRE blogs.

2. In planning for our house renovation, I’ve also been doing a lot of daydreaming around redecorating certain areas (and, just regular decorating for all of the new rooms!) and have been using Pinterest and Instagram a lot more as “mood boards” than ever before. A few accounts keep serving up things I save over and over: Plot Twist Interiors, Probably This, Sazerac Stitches, Banyan Bridges Murals, the Liz Lidgett Gallery, and Jest Cafe.

3. Ernie has been really into helping in the kitchen lately. He’s been using this crinkle cutter, toddler-friendly knife for a while (I got the recommendation from this Montessori-based Instagram account) and usually knows what to do with it, though sometimes I hear myself saying, “use two hands!” over and over again. He also likes to help stir and is great at setting the table. I’m looking forward to even more skills coming into play in the coming months.

4. Our household has been pretty strict about quarantine measures for the last year. But there have been a few instances where we wanted to get Covid tests, just in case (work exposure for my husband and general pre-bubble instigating). I’ve found that the Pixel Covid at home test kits are an excellent answer to this problem. Everything is contactless, as it’s shipped to your door and then you do a FedEx dropoff at an outside dropbox. The convenience has made it feel much easier and safer to do a test whenever we feel the need.