Feeling ready for fall. I know, I know. I can’t help it though—I’m ready for cooler weather pretty much as soon as the 4th of July rolls around. Like many people in the Bay Area, we don’t have central AC so the few hot days we do get are kind of brutal. We have window units in the bedrooms so it’s not the worst, but it definitely gets me dreaming of sweaters and boots when I’m sweating my ass off through most of July and August.

Eating so much rice! We got a pressure cooker, which I’ve always been kind of intimidated by, but as soon as I started messing with it I became obsessed and now pretty much cook everything in it. (As usual, I’m about a year and a half behind most trends.) I like just plain rice with a ton of kimchi on it when I’m not in the mood to cook, but another thing I’ve been making lately are these Greek chicken rice bowls, which I’ll definitely write up a recipe for and share here soon.

Reading Searching for Sunday (affiliate link) by Rachel Held Evans. What a beautiful book. I unfortunately only learned of her work right before she passed away, but reading her words makes it feel like she’s sitting right here next to me.

Watching all the Disney movies. After my master’s thesis I really didn’t watch any Disney stuff again until just recently, but then I discovered a new-to-me podcast which I am currently obsessed with (see “Listening to” below).

Listening to Inside the Disney Vault. Oh my goodness. This podcast is hilarious and so smart. The hosts watch every Disney animated movie in chronological order and then talk about each one. They make such great observations and know all kinds of trivia about each film, and they are all so funny as well. I have been laughing out loud to every episode so far (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and I’m currently listening to the Moana episode). If you’re a Disney fan (or maybe if you’re not a Disney fan), you should check it out.

Thinking about “living” life online…I’ve been taking an intentional break from Instagram and I suppose an unintentional one from this blog lately. For years I spent so much time thinking about traffic and algorithms and photo opportunities and what would do “well” in these online spaces, and over time I finally just got burned out. I’m so thankful for this blog and the Internet in general because it’s been amazing to earn an income from brand collaborations and even my cookbook projects, which wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for this online “home” of mine, but lately it’s all been feeling a bit inauthentic to me so I thought it’d be best to step back for a bit. I want to get back to writing what’s on my mind and sharing photos without obsessing over every little detail. I just finished writing another cookbook so I also hope to get back to sharing my recipes here more regularly, because that really has become a passion of mine over the years. Food and words—and less other stuff.

Looking forward to some trips we have planned—we decided not to travel back to the east coast for a while after the wedding we just went to earlier this month because that 5 hour flight with a toddler is a lot, but we have a road trip to Oregon for another family wedding coming up, and after that I’m actually going to New Orleans for a weekend with one of my college roommates in September. Then we’re taking Sophie to Minneapolis in October, where my mom will actually meet us for a few days. And then I’m looking forward to staying put for Thanksgiving and Christmas—can you believe I’m already thinking about the holidays? I literally started planning a Thanksgiving menu the other day. What can I say, I’m ready.

Feeling a bit more anxious than usual these days...I started drinking an afternoon cup of coffee for the first time in over a year and I think that could have something to do with it. Also just moving, unpacking, getting ready to do some traveling, and a few little personal things always throw my routine-loving self for an emotional loop. I'm proud of the work I've done when it comes to my anxiety--I know what triggers me and things I can do to get it under control (sounds simple but I wouldn't have been able to say the same thing a few years ago--thanks, therapy!).

Eating berries like they're going out of style.

Drinking Brew Dr. Kombucha--it might be my new favorite! I'm loving the jasmine/lavender/green tea one. So good on a hot afternoon.

Reading The Sun Also Rises and The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus (affiliate links). I never read anymore (seriously never, it's the worst), so Rob and I decided that we'd each read at least one book in August. I've read The Sun Also Rises more times than I can count but I love it so much. I picked up The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus at the library when I took Sophie the other day and I don't know if it's good or silly or stupid or anything yet--we'll see! Has anyone read it? It's not new and I've never even heard of it. Sometimes I just need to read something random.

Watching Modern Family--I've seen a lot of it but we're finally watching the later seasons. It makes me cry way more than it probably should.

Thinking about how fast Sophie is growing! She stands up and crawls so fast and is eating food like a champ and sometimes it's hard to believe that she's the same sleepy little baby we brought home almost nine months ago. Taking care of her and watching her grow is the coolest thing I've ever done.

Looking forward to my mom getting here on Friday! She'll be spending a few days with us and then she, Sophie, and I are flying to Virginia together and then Rob is going to meet us in Charlotte before we head up to Richmond for my 30th birthday. We hadn't planned to be back in Virginia until October but Rob surprised me with this trip and I'm so excited to see all my friends again so soon.

What are you up to currently? I want to know--especially if you have a book recommendation!

Feeling a little overwhelmed--in many ways I feel like I have this motherhood thing under control, but then sometimes I feel like everything else is falling apart a little bit. Our house is usually a mess, there's a never-ending basket of laundry that needs to be folded, and last week went by without so much as a blog post. I'm not sure how some of you seem to do it all! I'm trying to be patient with myself but it's easier said than done. Last night Rob sweetly reminded me that it's only been 3 months and we're only going to get better at this whole life-work-baby-dog juggling thing.

Eating everything in sight, mainly a huge vat of trail mix I randomly felt compelled to buy at Target the other day. We've also been very committed to our weekly Sunday In N Out dinner, which has become one of my favorite little family traditions.

Drinking so much water. I've been dehydrated my whole life I think, but since I started nursing Sophie I've been really good about drinking more than enough water. It's kind of crazy how easy it is to take care of yourself when you have to do it for someone else.

Watching Queer Eye and Downton Abbey. I bailed on Mrs. Maizel but might pick it up again soon. Luckily my TV consumption has gone down a bit as Sophie has gotten older and I'm not constantly nursing her anymore (although we do still spend a good chunk of our day on the couch together).

Thinking about Pure Barre choreography. I'm going to start teaching again in April and can't wait to get back on the mic! I've been able to take class 1-2 times a week lately and it's been so nice to be in the studio again.

Looking forward to a visit from my mom next month. She'll be here for a long weekend and I am so excited. She hasn't been here since December and it's really strange for me to be raising Sophie without her. We've definitely been utilizing FaceTime these past few months.

What's new with you these days? I'm doing my best to keep posting here regularly but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I do love hearing from you here and on Instagram, and if you've sent me an email recently I promise I'm not ignoring you! Thanks so much for bearing with me as I continue to navigate this transition--I have a feeling it's going to be a long one.

PS Have you ordered your copy of Quick + Easy Spiralizer Cookbook yet? It’s on sale right now (only $7.64)!