Five on Friday

Happy Friday!

How is everyone doing this Maycember? Squeezing in all the rain makeup games for your kids’ sports? Preparing for recitals? Trying to remember all of the themed school spirit days? Signing up and buying items for the end of year class parties? Preparing teacher gifts? Not to mention the official countdown to summer and all of the preparation that goes into filling out the forms, paying the balance for all the camps, purchasing items they’ll need, etc.!

It’s a wild month. Hang in there moms (and dads)! You’re doing great!

In Case You Missed It

• I shared one of our favorite easy weeknight meals — Korean Beef Bowls.
• I rounded up 30 reader recommended Summer Camp Care Packages Ideas for those of you planning for summer sleepaway camp.
• In this month’s Coffee with Christina, I went a little deep on motherhood and shared a house and health update.

Top 5 Reader Favorites

1. Acrylic Bird Feeder: I LOVE how much YOU ALL are loving this bird feeder!!! If you’ve installed yours but haven’t seen any activity yet, give it time! It takes a little bit for the birds to feel comfortable coming to visit. But once they do they will tell all their friends! We have red bird visits several times a day right outside our kitchen window and it makes me so happy. This is the bird seed we use.
2. Le Monster Lip Crayon (color: Mauve Matte): This is my go-to lipstick I’ve been using for awhile that I shared in my “What’s In My Purse” story on Instagram last week. The color is gorgeous and looks good on anyone. This hydrating crayon also has lip boosting peptides to moisturize lips and enhance natural volume. I add a layer of Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb (color FU$$Y) on top for a subtle shine.
3. Colorful Ribbed Plastic Glasses: Third week in a row as a top 5!! We have been using these pretty ribbed glasses from Target a lot lately for all our outdoor sipping this summer. I love the colorful rims (each family member has already called dibs on his/her color for dinners al fresco) and a 4-pack of glasses is only $10!
4. Outdoor Trellis Rug: I still cannot get over this rug from my round-up of Kohl’s Outdoor Patio finds! This rug is affordably priced (and on sale), and comes in lots of sizes and colors (including a vibrant and gorgeous pink)! If you’re refreshing your patio/porch space, I highly recommend checking it out!
5. Mini Pill Case: Another item from my purse, this mini case is the perfect travel size for storing my digestive enzymes, B12, a few hair elastics, etc.

1. Mother’s Day Weekend in Palm Beach

Last weekend I met up with my friends Shannon and Natasha in Palm Beach to celebrate Mother’s Day!

We stayed at The Breakers (my first time!) and it was absolutely lovely. We relaxed by the pool, floated in the ocean, got the most amazing massages, and ate delicious food — the perfect girls weekend away.

While I feel very lucky to have made many amazing friends over the years, there is something extra special about old friends, ya know? Shannon and I have been friends for decades and have experienced so much life together. She has known more versions of me than almost anyone else and we’ve watched each other grow in many ways. And Natasha goes all the way back to college!

Spending time with old friends remind me of parts of myself that I’ve forgotten, old jokes resurface, and memories come flooding back.

It was truly the most lovely weekend away.

And on Sunday I came home to some sweet surprises from the kids and Matt! It was such a wonderful Mother’s Day — a huge shout out to Matt for being in a million places at one time while I was away.

2. NUULY

I recently shared how much I’ve been loving Nuuly! If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a clothing rental subscription. Each month you select 6 pieces to rent from a huge inventory. I especially love Nuuly for renting high end or statement pieces for events/vacations/holidays that I love but don’t necessarily want to purchase. You can pause your subscription any time and there is also an option to purchase your rented items at a discount too. If you want to try out Nuuly, here’s my referral link for $30 off!

3. Wells Fargo Golf Tournament

Last week Matt and I had our favorite annual day date at the Wells Fargo golf tournament! It started off super rainy but cleared up shortly after we arrived. This date is always so fun. We love walking around the course following some of Matt’s favorite golfers.

4. Book Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Rating 4.5/5: This book was recommended by a ton of you when I asked for your favorite read of 2024 so far (with the caveat that it starts slow but to stick with it). While it is suuuuper long (20 hours), dark, and deeply depressing, the first person narration is well done and it is beautifully written. It does run out of steam in my opinion towards the end, but I was engaged the entire time.

Book Summary: Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

5. Cocoa Butter Sticks

I’m really bad at using hand lotion, mostly because I hate doing anything with greasy hands. Recently, my friend McKinsey got me hooked on cocoa butter sticks and I love that I can quickly moisturize the tops of my hands and it doesn’t interfere with whatever I’m doing. It’s also great to use on lips or dry patches of skin. It smells good and is super cheap (less than $3/stick).