Hi there,
Some news! As I shared last week, I’ve decided to leave Hungryroot. It was an amazing experience building the brand and working with the team and now I’m excited to reset before figuring out what I want to tackle next. I know how lucky I am to be able to take time in between things, especially with a second baby on the horizon, and am hoping to find a balance between doing enough and not doing too much.
More on all of the above in future editions—for now, here’s what I’m excited about:
Birthday celebrations: Lilly turned two yesterday, which is completely crazy. Instead of a party (we figure we have plenty of Moana-themed ones in our future), we took her to the North Fork for a night. We stayed at the Soundview in Greenport, which has a dreamy spot right on the water and a pool that was only a smidge too cold for swimming. We drove out to Orient Point, had afternoon tinned fishies at Little Creek Oyster Farm, and ended the day with pizza and ice cream sandwiches at 1943 Pizza Bar. It the perfect mini family vacation.
Party supplies 2.0.: Our amazing nanny, Jocelyn, is throwing a joint party for Lilly and her nanny share buddy Caleb next week. I ordered festive supplies from Coterie, a genius party supply company started by a former Birchbox colleague. They have themed sets that make it easy to purchase everything you need in one click but I loved building my own on their site—I picked out these graphic plates, these jazzy cups, and of course these mini pineapple toppers.
Educational/fun new toys: My parents gifted Lilly a set of PicassoTiles (similar to MagnaTiles) and she’s already obsessed. They’re magnetic and snap together into countless configurations, and are basically impossible to break. Now we just have to make sure they don’t get lost throughout the house.
Time off supplies: My first goal of time-off is to get organized, and for that I needed a new notebook. I got a pretty, weighty one from Moglea, which I’m going to use for “big thinks,” as well as a weekly planner so I can keep track of things without relying on my Google calendar. I also revisited the notebook I used during my v1 time off, and funnily enough, my goals for this in-between period are similar to then: slow down, do lots of yoga, organize life and home, read read read, and do things I don’t normally have time to, like solo movies and leisurely weekday lunches (coming for you, Via Carota).
Egg poaching: This summer I’m hoping to cook things that intimidate me—like poached eggs. My first attempt was an actual disaster but, luckily, IG came to my rescue with a zillion helpful DMs. The keys seem to be: using fresh eggs, cracking them into a bowl first, making sure water is at a true simmer, adding vinegar (though this was controversial), and creating a “whirlpool” before slipping the egg in. I gave it a go, also using this Alton Brown tutorial, and it worked! Next up: grilling.
Swimsuit odysseys: I’ve been on the hunt for a new suit that will work with my belly but doesn’t scream “maternity.” After extensive Instagram research, I ordered a couple from Bikyni, which has simple, streamlined shapes and great colors—I loved this topespecially—but they were a little too revealing for my newly large chest. I ended up falling for this suit from Summersalt, which is known for their fit and body inclusivity—it’s maternity but in a fun retro shape and cool ribbed material. And because their stuff is mix-and-match, I can buy regular bottoms after the baby. I also got tons of recommendations of other new, or new-to-me brands that I am excited to check out in the future, including Mikoh, a sporty surfer line (thanks Nan!) and Left on Friday, punchy separates made for jumping around (thank you, Meredith!).
CBD, demystified: Despite all the buzz around CBD, I had zero understanding of what it actually was, until I read this helpful NYT story. It’s a comprehensive look at the history of both CBD and THC and helps put it all into perspective, and makes me curious to learn more (and try CBD post-bebe!).
Smartypants women: Rob and I just saw ‘Booksmart‘ and I love, love, loved it. It was fresh and zippy, and funny without being mean, with a huge roster of impressive ladies, from director Olivia Wilde to the two leads, Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. I can’t recommend it enough.
Summer reads, part one of many: I didn’t really understand all the fuss about Sally Rooney until I listened to this The Cut podcast with her, then downloaded Normal People. I tore through it in two days, then promptly picked up Conversations with Friends to read next. She just sucks you in and before you know it, you’ve stayed up two hours past your bedtime and don’t want the book to end.
And, finally, an upstate dinner PSA: My friend Nandita just told me about It’s a Dinner, a monthly dinner party series started by Ana Hito, Goop’s food editor. She throws them on her family’s 200-acre farm in Goshen, New York, and they look stunning and delicious. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to be able to get to one this summer but if you check it, please report back!
Hugs,
Mollie