A thing I only recently learned how to do is keep my house mostly clean--most of the time. I have a little calendar on the fridge with one thing to do per day: on Monday I tidy up the office and dinner table that we never sit at, on Tuesday I deep clean the kitchen, Wednesdays are for cleaning the bathrooms, Thursday all the trash goes out and I restock diapers and toilet paper and soap, and on Friday I vacuum and sweep the whole house. On Saturdays I dust everything and on Sunday we change the sheets and catch up on laundry. I was never much good at keeping my house in order before I had a baby, so I'm not sure why I thought it'd come naturally once she arrived--I guess when imagining the majority of my time being spent at home, I hoped at least some of it would be focused on cleaning and organizing.

My mom, however, is so good at keeping the space around her clean and organized that sometimes I don't even realize she's doing it until it's done. Our house is never cleaner than when she comes to visit, and on top of cleaning the kitchen as soon as we're done cooking, she always manages to find a certain corner or closet that needs work and completely reorganize it in a way that makes more sense and usually sticks for at least a few months. So the last time she left California, our house was sparkly from the ceiling to the floor and I decided that dammit, I was going to keep it that way.

All of this is to say that last Tuesday I was wiping down the counters and running the dishwasher and I noticed that our salt was running low. As I refilled it, I had one of those moments where you wonder who else does this? I keep kosher salt on the counter in a ramekin because that's what my mom does, and I remember growing up and going to other people's houses and being in their kitchens and not always noticing the salt like that--in a ceramic dish, by the stove, easily accessible no matter what you're cooking.

Of course it's not really about salt, is it--it's about parenting, deciding what your family will and won't do and which traditions or habits to keep and which ones to leave behind. It’s about creating a family of your own. I love it.

My mom and brother and I always used to drink mate from Argentina every morning out of a traditional gourd, but over the years we stopped and now in my own house, Rob and I make a latte every morning pretty much no matter what. As I stood in my kitchen on that sunny day with the spring breeze coming in through the windows, I couldn't help but think of Sophie all grown up--maybe refilling her own ramekin of kosher salt--smelling freshly ground coffee wherever she may be and thinking of her mom in that California kitchen, turning on the espresso machine in the corner by the window.

Wishing you a happy Mother's Day weekend, wherever you may be. Feeling overwhelmingly grateful to be part of the club this year.

This post is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.

I've really enjoyed sharing my experience with pregnancy and motherhood so far, and I'm excited to have been given the opportunity to try out not one, but two different breast pumps recently! Today I wanted to tell you a little bit about the Motif Duo, which I've been using for the past week or so.

I'm looking for a few things from my breast pump: effective suction is #1, but after that I want it to be easy to put together, easy to clean, and it gets bonus points for having a battery option and/or is easy to move (I like to pump on the couch at night but at my desk during the day).

My original pump was the Freemie Freedom Double Electric Breast Pump and it really didn't work for me. At first I liked that it had cups that went inside your bra instead of containers that stuck out, but after actually starting to pump I realized that that wasn't a super important priority for me. Technically it's nice to be able to pump inside your shirt, especially if you're at an office, but the cups stick out and are not nearly as discreet as they say they are. Plus, that thing is LOUD.

Moving on--most of the time at home I use my Lansinoh SmartPump, which was also sent to me for review (I wrote about it a little bit here). I really love it, so when Aeroflow reached out to ask if I'd be willing to try the Motif Duo as well, I was excited. As soon as I opened the box, I was relieved to see a "Quick Start" guide with an easy-to-read illustration that showed you how to put the pump together (it took me forever to figure out how to put together my first pump). I plugged it in and gave it a go! Here's what I noticed:

• It's super easy to put together and take apart. They also sent me a nice tote that holds everything so you can take it with you. (This is exactly what I have.)
• You can charge the pump and the battery will last 2.5 hours--I think this is awesome. My Lansinoh pump has the option to add batteries but I never do (plus it's just a little big to be carrying around with me at home or in a bag).
• The pump's suction isn't super strong--I used both sides at first but then decided to see how it would be if I just did one at a time, and it was a bit more effective. 
  • Originally I felt like this could be seen as a drawback, but because the pump itself can be charged ahead of time and has pretty substantial battery life, I think this is the perfect pump to take with you on the go. 
  • I decided to test it out and pumped (one side at a time) in the car (I was buckled up and Rob was driving) on our way to a family BBQ about an hour from our house. Sophie was going to want a bottle while we were there and we were going to be gone long enough that I would have been feeling uncomfortable if I didn't pump or breastfeed, so it ended up working out perfectly! I put the milk I pumped on the road in the fridge when we got to my aunt's house and we were able to give it to her on the way home.

The pump is definitely on the lightweight side, but I think that was intentional (it was designed to be used on the go and it does that really well). The pump itself is only a pound and fits in your hand, so it's not going to take up a ton of room in your bag, and I really like that you can plug it in and charge it and not have to worry about batteries. It's also kind of pretty, which I don't think you can say about many breast pumps.

I hope this helps! I remember being totally overwhelmed when I was trying to pick out a pump at first, and I wish I had read a few more reviews before making a decision. If you have a pump you like, I'd love to hear about it! And thanks so much to Aeroflow for sponsoring this post--I love being able to share content like this with you guys.

I'll be honest--I'm not usually very picky about what I put on my face, whether it's moisturizer or makeup. But I'm turning 30 this year so I've started wondering if maybe my skin care/beauty routine could use a little update. I just hate buying new products! It feels like such a commitment to me especially when with a baby, I'm forgetting to wash my face at least twice a week (and generally not even wearing makeup anyway).

My friend Shawna sent me a three month Birchbox for my birthday last year and I'm still loving a few of the products (I didn't realize you could customize what kind of stuff they sent you, so I skipped fragrances and a few other things and instead chose to focus on skincare, makeup, and hair products), so I thought I'd do a little roundup of a few products I got from them and a few skincare things I'm loving lately.

• I've written about this toner before, but I'm still obsessed. It's so cheap but it feels amazing on my skin. I use it every night after I wash my face and before I moisturize. So good.
• I use the regular Pond's moisturizer most of the time, but I had a sample of this stuff and I think I'm going to get a full size--it gives you just enough of a tingle to feel like maybe you're having an anti-aging moment (JVN from Queer Eye, anyone?), but it's still super moisturizing and feels great on.
• One of my BirchBox favorites--I love liquid eyeliner so much and this stuff is great. I usually use a brush but this one is more like a felt-tip pen and it goes on super easily and dries right away. It also has a matte finish which I used to not care for but now I really like.
• I'm a sucker for cheap mascara. Usually I go for this one, but lately I've been using this. It feels super elastic on my lashes, if that makes sense--it makes them really voluminous and not at all flaky. It's a little harder to get off than my usual mascara but I think it wears better. (I'm still toying with the idea of getting eyelash extensions--anyone have them? I'd love to hear your thoughts!)
• I've always used the Mario Badescu rose spray, but a few months ago I got this one for our guest bathroom and I've been using it myself every day. I like the fresh scent so much--now I don't know which is my favorite!
• I saved the best for last: this highlighter is everything! I've been using a powder highlighter for years but I am all about this liquid one. It is gorgeous on and it smells amazing--definitely a BirchBox sample that I'm going to buy in the full size. I love it so much.

That's all for me right now! If you have a skin care regimen that you love, I want to hear about it! And tell me about your favorite makeup products! I always feel like I'm set but then when I find something new that's great I always wonder how I went so long without it! 

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