April Favorites

And just like that, it’s May.

What?!

I know I am a broken record, but where is time going?! I am on maternity leave, and I’m sure that me returning to work in a month from now is just making time fly by faster. I’m hyperaware of how each day flies by. Before I know it, another week is over. There is a serious countdown in my head right now, and not the good kind. I feel far less ready to go back to work this time around. With Kieran, I think I was really craving that balance, needing to be around adults only for a few hours of the day. But this time, it feels different. Maybe because I’ve been through this before and I don’t want to miss a second of my children’s lives? I now understand just how precious these days are. Maybe because I know it will be even harder to balance everything with two kids? Maybe I’m feeling insecure in my ability to balance mom life and work life and being successful at both? It’s probably a combo of all those things. Regardless, it’s insane to me how fast these past few months have gone, especially since sweet Finn joined us. Whew. I am trying my best to savor every second, but it’s hard when it feels like time is simply evaporating.

April was a whirlwind filled with highs and lows, but mostly, it was an amazing month. It started out with a bang, though. I came down with a bad case of mastitis early on in the month, and let me just tell you, it’s no joke. I thought I was dying. I felt like I had the flu on top of excruciating breast pain. Ugh. It was horrible. Tending to a newborn through that is not easy. Then, I had a not-so-great reaction to the antibiotics needed to treat it. It was a doozy of a couple weeks, but all is well again, and I am finally feeling like my usual self. Well, a tired version of my usual self, haha, but that is life with two young kids!

Next up was Easter. Kieran has been talking about Easter since January. As soon as Christmas was over, he would ask us “When is Easter? When is the Easter Bunny coming?” multiple times a day. Hah. To say the least, he was pumped when the day finally came. We did all the usual stuff: colored eggs, Easter baskets, egg hunts in the backyard, cute outfits for pictures (which promptly came off after said pictures were taken. Let’s be real here.), and delicious food. Normally, we see lots of family on Easter, but this year, it just happened to work out that everyone in our families had other things going on that day. So, it was just the four of us! And as much as we missed everyone, I have to say, it was nice to have a seriously low-key holiday for once. We just relaxed and enjoyed the day together. I did miss having a big brunch-style meal, though. Next year!

The rest of the month was filled with lots of visitors for Finn, leisurely walks outside, and unwinding in the evenings with baseball games on the TV and burgers on the grill. It has been lovely.

Despite how busy April was, I still managed to find some new things that I’m excited to tell you about. I have been obsessing over all of these things!

1. For a couple favorites posts in a row now, I’ve talked to you guys about my love for the Biossance line of products. OMG. My love for this brand just keeps growing. I absolutely love what the omega cream and glycolic facial have done for my skin, and now, I have two more products to rave about! The squalane + vitamin C facial oil is at the top of my list of new favorite things. This stuff smells amazing (like actual roses!) and makes my skin so soft and moisturized. I love skin oils, which is weird because I always had oily skin until the past few years when the aging process started depleting my natural skin moisture BIG TIME. Now, I would say I have normal-to-dry skin. This oil has been LOVELY these past few weeks. It just feels luxurious on my skin and makes me feel like I’m really treating myself. I apply it day and night.
2. The second Biossance product I must tell you about is the peptide eye cream. It has been a great addition to my regimen. I should probably buy stock in Biossance, huh? I am just in love with their stuff! This eye cream is nice and creamy and I love using it at night. The only downside? I find that it sometimes migrates to my eyes after I apply it and makes my eyes sting a bit. So, I only use this at nighttime. I have zero issues with using it at night. My eye area is moisturized and so, so soft when I wake up in the morning. I also find that my eye area isn’t as puffy first thing in the morning. LOVE.
3. Because I am so in love with the Biossance omega cream and it doesn’t have any SPF in it, I needed to find a sunscreen product I could apply on my face and neck every day. This Supergoop! unseen sunscreen has been such a pleasant surprise! I’ve wanted to try Supergoop! for years but could never justify the price. Now that I’m in my mid 30s, I have been making more of an investment in my skincare. You really do get what you pay for in most cases. To say this stuff is worth the price would be a huge understatement. Not only does it give me 40 SPF protection, but it acts as a primer under makeup. I don’t wear foundation, just concealer, but I DO love the finish that this gives my face. It’s powdery soft and smooth and absolutely lovely. The only problem? My skin feels so good I can’t keep my hands off of it. Hah.
4. The newest Health-Ade kombucha flavor blew my socks off: jalapeño-kiwi-cucumber. I was hesitant about it at first because while I love the flavor of peppers in general, I don’t necessary want my beverages to taste like peppers. This one definitely does but in the best way possible. It has the slightest heat, but the fruit flavors round everything out nicely. If you’re a kombucha fan, I highly recommend this flavor. It might be my new favorite.
5. Speaking of drinks, I have been LOVING Oatly! Oat Milk this past month. I love trying dairy alternatives (although, cow’s milk is still my fave), especially in smoothies and coffee drinks, and this one was a winner for me. I bought the low-fat regular flavor because that’s what my local store had in stock, but I am super curious about the chocolate (I’ve heard good things) and the barista varieties for coffee. I have a fun recipe for you guys featuring this oat milk – should be coming your way next week!
6. I am still loving the Nespresso half caffeinato pods. I think I’ve talked about these before, but they are still on my loves list! Because I’m nursing, I am mindful of my caffeine intake, and these are perfect for that. I still start the day with a large mug of regular coffee. I have always been a one-cup-of-coffee person, but lately, when the afternoon sluggishness hits, one of these brewed over ice has been doing just the trick. Kieran, after all, has endless natural energy. It takes a lot to keep up with just him, let alone tend to Finn!
7. This next favorite is a shout out to my sister, Catherine. She has been raving about Trader Joe’s milk and dark chocolate covered salted caramel popcorn (wow, quite a mouthful) for weeks. She claimed them to be the most addicting treat she’s had in ages. She brought me a bag earlier this week, and I have to say, she was 100% right. They are AMAZING. The bags are small (thank God) but they disappear in record time! I am not a milk chocolate person at all (the darker the better), and I could barely put the bag down before they were all gone. They are the perfect mix of sweet and salty. Ugh. So good.
8. Up4 Probiotics were a godsend this past month. I have always wanted to look into probiotics (I’ve never taken them), but I never had any issues so I never followed through. Well, once the antibiotics I took for the mastitis were in my system, everything fell apart. I was also very concerned about the baby getting thrush, so my doctor recommended I start a probiotic to help prevent it. The pharmacist recommended this brand and I have been loving it. I feel so great and have noticed much less stomach bloating (almost like I didn’t realize it was there in the first place until it was gone). They haven’t upset my stomach AT ALL, either, or disrupted my digestion. These have been an awesome addition to my daily regimen, and I plan on stocking up!

And that’s about it! This month was lower key, which is to be expected with a newborn. My favorites consisted of skincare, drinks, snacks, and probiotics. Exciting stuff, people. But hey, they really were the highlights!

If you need me, I’ll be here, soaking up these last few weeks of maternity leave, newborn snuggles, and big kid fun. Oh, and tons of guacamole and margaritas for Cinco de Mayo this weekend. Yesss.

Xoxo!