Oh man. I have a lot to say on the topic of having children – first, second, or otherwise. Since the day our little guy was born 5 years ago, my husband and I have been asked if we’re having a second child quite a lot… My husband and I were together for 6 years before we got married (and I hated wedding planning). Then it was another 3 years before we decided it was time to have a baby. We aren’t fast-paced movers, obviously. I had my IUD removed 9 months later (by the way – I’m HUGE fan of IUDs – I only hear negative things and I’ve loved all 3 of the ones I’ve had) and we started trying… Fu ..read more

The temps are hot and the peppers are ripening in the garden. We have a few bell pepper plants this summer and one jalapeño plant (because I’m dying to pickle some)! As we get more familiar with summer gardening, I’m scoping out fun to recipes to save. These serrano pepper recipes are my first go round. Serrano Pepper Recipes It’s funny to think of sweet bell peppers as being in the same family as the killer spicy peppers too, but they are! While not universally true, the smaller (thinner and shorter) the pepper, the more punch it has. So a big poblano pepper has a bit more heat than a bell p ..read more

You’ve probably heard about the recycled plastic water bottle workout wear companies, so you won’t be surprised to hear about sustainable activewear. Sustainable Activewear Sustainable activewear, like sustainable swimwear, is complicated. It’s complicated because we want it to flatter our bodies, look good, and withstand all that use and sweaty movement (just being real here – evening a morning walk in these hot summer months is a sweaty affair). You know I’m all about that organic women’s clothing, but materials like cotton and linen really can’t do everything we need in workout wear, so th ..read more

I’ve always loved the look of straw hats and bags, but the flimsiness of the materials and items always deterred me – oh, not to mention the fraying aspect. When I discovered the brand for the best straw hats and purses, however, I now can’t get enough. The gorgeous hat above is the Margot Hat! {Shop: Straw Fedora} Best Straw Hats Ok, so here’s the thing – Eric Javits makes the best straw hats and purses. They’re actually made from their patented Squishee material which looks exactly like straw, but is made of recycled plastic! #swoon You may be thinking that doesn’t count as straw, but hear ..read more

The BBQ is a regular for dinner cooking this time of year. Thankfully my husband loves it! We often split up cooking with him handling protein and sometimes veggies on the grill and me handing everything else. When we have burgers, I like to find a mix of filling and lighter dishes. Here are a few of my favorite healthy side dishes for hamburgers! Healthy Side Dishes for Hamburgers Below are cold sides, gluten free options, make ahead recipes, and a few other favorites – all great healthy side dishes for hamburgers! Burgers, turkey or beef, have a stronger flavor, so you can handle sides with ..read more

I love summer makeup. That seems silly, but my face actually has some color, so I don’t feel the pressure to create contour and variation – or basically make myself look healthy and normal like I do in colder months. While my minimalist makeup routine doesn’t change much season to season, it has fewer products and a much lighter weight moisturizer/foundation situation – so much easier. You can also see my clean beauty skincare routine as well as my go to non toxic hair products! Summer MakeUp Primer This glow first priming serum goes on smoothly, giving you luminous, moisturized skin to le ..read more

It’s summer and while I’m a good water drinker, sometimes I need to switch things up for a drink with lots of flavor just to get liquid in. I’ve been enjoying fresh herbs for a fun way to switch up my classic kinds of concoctions…and now I’m taking that into our Happy Hour libations, including this lavender cocktail with fresh strawberries. Lavender Cocktail The inspiration for a lavender cocktail with fresh strawberries actually stems from two jam recipes. The first was the strawberry thyme jam wedding favors we gave to our guests. The second is the strawberry lavender jam from a local Sacra ..read more

I’m in the market for Beautycounter replacements. Many people recommended Crunchi as an ideal replacement – a skin care and makeup line that’s just as clean, sustainable, and expansive in terms of products. I just got my first products last week, and I wanted to share my initial Crunchi review based on a bit of research and now trying some of the products. With the announcement of production and availability pause on all Beautycounter products in May, many of us have been calmly scrambling to find non toxic beauty brands that we love as much as our (truly beloved) Beautycounter. When Crunchi ..read more

One of my favorite summer pastime is having friends and family over for food and drinks. We aren’t back to my former entertaining ways just yet, but we’re starting to invite more friends over for dinner or happy hour out back. There’s something about entertaining, however, that gives me a boost, so I’ve been trying to find some easy outdoor table decor ideas to incorporate into our meals. Summer is full of so much great produce, that it can serve to brighten up a dinner table in no time. Even just making a summer produce salad or one of these summer mocktails livens up your spread! Herbs, sto ..read more

This isn’t scientific, but I think orzo might be the most fun pasta to eat. I’ll hav to ask my pasta-loving 4 year old who doesn’t understand when we say pasta isn’t for every meal. But with this orzo pesto salad, we’ll all be wanting pasta more often this summer. Orzo Pesto Salad I didn’t like pesto growing up. I don’t know what it was – maybe we just didn’t have it enough, but now my husband and I (and, yes, the pasta-loving kiddo) adore pesto. It’s why we have 4 basil plants in our raised cedar beds in the garden – so I can make and freeze it for fall and winter when the veggie options fee ..read more