In the past few months, my lifestyle has slowed down, but my beauty routine has actually picked up. It’s something fun I can do for myself — and it reminds me that I’m still a person, and not just walking around in circles in my apartment! Here are a few things that have been giving me a welcome boost lately…
My friend Abby Sharp has a trick for taking family photos: “My dad is into taking ‘album cover’ shots,” she says. “No art direction besides, ‘Don’t stand together!'” And they really do look cool!
Do you ever have trouble sleeping? The Calm app has a hilariously amazing solution: Get lulled to sleep by people like blue-eyed actor Cillian Murphy or legendary basketball player Scottie Pippen (could his voice get any deeper?).
For family dinners, I’m queuing up this broccoli pizza, which Smitten Kitchen calls “an ideal weeknight excuse for pizza.”
What kind of friend are you, according to your Myers-Briggs? (I’m a sucker for personality articles like this, including the definition of hell for each personality type.)
Trends are always fun/diverting to follow, and this fall is all about slouchy bags. Here are some in order of splurginess: oversized, clutch, gathered and cloud. Would you wear one?
P.S. More fun things, and 10 fast fall dinners.
Cup of Jo has been running for 13 years (!) so we’ve decided that every week, we’ll be highlighting one of the most popular posts from the past. Here’s one of our favorites, originally published on August 5, 2019. And we’re so excited to be returning our Motherhood Around the World Series next summer!
For the past six years, we’ve featured a series called Parenting Around the World, where we talk to mothers in all different countries about what surprises them most about raising children abroad. It’s one of our favorite blogging experiences, and we’ve visited places like Sweden, Japan, Northern Ireland, Abu Dhabi and Congo. We’ve also talked to mothers from other countries about what surprises them about parenting in the United States. Here are 12 of the best quotes from past interviews…
What are you up to this weekend? I’ve been blazing through Schitt’s Creek, and I’m in love with the Alexis character. (The way she says ‘David‘ makes me laugh every time. Ew, David!) Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun links from around the web…
“My kids don’t want to go outside.” (Alex wrote this NYTimes story inspired by our seven-year-old.)
How beautiful are these new prints?
Wow, this wild bookcase!
“I was in charge of the deck chairs on the Titanic, and they absolutely did need rearranging.”
What it’s like to appear on Curb Your Enthusiasm. (New York Times)
What a pretty 500-square-foot apartment.
Confession: I’ll eat any cake that has sour cream as an ingredient.
Dame is offering 15 percent off your first order with code CUPOFJO15. (This vibrator is the ultimate de-stressor.)
Digging this podcast, especially the Princess Diana episodes.
This little girl drew her own bedroom mural.
Plus, three reader comments:
Says Caroline on what’s the weirdest place you’ve taken a call: “I defended my architectural thesis from my childhood bathroom – I had to position myself on the camera to keep to toilet out of view. That view didn’t seem to scream ‘please take my research seriously – I promise I worked really hard on it.'”
Says J. on what’s the weirdest place you’ve taken a call: “My favorite video conferencing moment is the silent mouthed ‘thank you’ to an off-screen someone who is dropping a tea, snack, lunch plate, or once for a meeting with Asia late at night, an Aperol spritz! It’s such a quiet moment of real life and gratitude that I love spotting in a corner of my screen that reminds me how, though this is impossibly difficult, it’s still full of small gestures of love.”
Says Allyson on how will you stay cheerful this winter: “My surprising source of joy during *gestures broadly* this entire mess has been my four backyard chickens. My neighbor offered me four teeny fuzzy chicks in March and now Popcorn, Goldie, Vader and Chuck are my fascinating, flighty friends (who sometimes give me breakfast). A project outside of my own worry and anxiety is critical to my staying afloat. I’ve also gotten more sunshine than I normally would because I enjoy sitting and watching them harass squirrels and peck curiously at me to decide if any part of me is a treat.”
And thank you for all the incredible advice on this winter post!
(Photo by Karen Cuneo.)
By the wonderful Grace Farris.
P.S. What New York trees are wearing this fall and seasonal dressing.
Pop quiz: How many times have you washed your hands this year? (Doesn’t it feel like the answer is probably close to a million?) At first, all that frequent washing meant a lot of dry, scaly skin and ragged cuticles. But these past few months, L’Occitane hand care products have been a lifesaver.
