We are in the thick of summer and if you’re like me, there are good and not so good things about that. I used to think that summer was my favorite season, but with age, I’ve come to realize that I only loved summer for the breaks and my birthday.  

The truth is, I really don’t care for summer. I feel super self-conscious about my body when I have to wear less to stay cool. I really don’t enjoy sweating which is kind of impossible when you’re waiting for a train in New York. My skin loses its shit and starts producing hella oil and acne. It’s just not pleasant. There are sooo many things that I need to just get me through these months. The first of which is vodka – I’m turning 30 in 2 days 🙈! 

 

If it wasn’t obvious, my main concern in the summer is my skin. As I stated before, my skin gets highly oily in the summer. If I could extract this shit I could fill up a mason jar easy peasy. Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit, but I do have higher oil production. My solution??? Just slather more oil on my face. I’m so serious. I once read somewhere that when you’re skin produces more oil it’s because it needs it (duh), but if you’re proactive by adding oil to your face before your body naturally produces it, it encourage the sebaceous glands to slow down on the production of oil.  

I’ve tried this method with different oils, and my absolute fave is Tatcha’s Camellia Cleansing Oil. It’s so freaking light, the viscosity of it is a hair thicker than water. It’s great. The scent is practically non-existent and best of all, it works! Before I put my makeup on in the morning, I wash my face with this cleansing oil and the oil production is significantly lower than what it would have been without the oil. At $48, it’s not super cheap, but a little goes a long way. One bottle would definitely get me through the entire summer.

 

 

Every summer, I have these grand plans where I plan to read 50 million books, but that usually doesn’t happen. I mean, life happens, and I’d be lucky to finish 2 or 3 books. I’ve come to really appreciate short stories and one of my favorite collections is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s absolutely the perfect plane read. The stories are primarily about Indians and Indian-Americans who are stuck in limbo between their roots and the “new world.” Even if this is not something that you can directly relate to, we all have been at a crossroad where we’ve had to either do something in a traditional or new, bolder way.

Jo is a personal trainer and he’s constantly watching fitness stuff. The fitness bug can be contagious, which is precisely how I stumbled upon Sarah’s Day blog and Youtube channel. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Sarah’s Day. She’s a holistic fitness and nutrition guru. Sarah’s Day promotes clean eating and HIIT, but in a down to earth way.  

 

I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 17, but there have been very few days that I have walked out of the house without earrings. It’s just part of my dress. I’m pretty minimalist about my jewelry. I pretty much wear the same pieces like everyday. Machete has helped to break me out of this shell. Their pieces are super simple, yet beautiful and made well. 

The last few months have been hilarious in the Jupiter household. A few months ago, we just knew that no matter what we dressed Camille in for her nap, she was going to be naked afterwards. I don’t know if the feeling of a wet diaper was just super yucky to her, but she would strip down and then hop out of the crib. It was weird. Yes, there were many unpleasant accidents, but it was a huge sign for us that Camille was ready to start potty training. So one of our major summer goals is to help this kid to become potty-trained.   

 

As with most things, this has presented challenges. Some days she wants to go on her potty chair, other days she doesn’t. There’s not much consistency – every day it’s something different. We’ve created a playlist of potty training videos on Youtube to get her amped to use her potty chair. We’ve also introduced a few potty training books to her library. One of our favorites is Potty by Leslie Patricelli . Number one, it’s a board book which is perfect for Cami’s cute little destructive hands. It also, is super straight to the point. She gets it. She thinks it’s funny. It puts her in the pottying mood. Wins all around! 

I think that it’s pretty standard that parents want their kids to have a better life than they did growing up. The same is true with us. My parents didn’t execute the best disciplining methods with us and it inevitably impacted my relationship with them. With Camille, Jo and I are pretty aligned with our vision of how we want to implement a non-punitive discipline method. We also are pretty aligned with the values that we want to instill in Camille. Ultimately, we want to teach her empathy, kindness, patience, and autonomy, among other values. I’m so grateful to have stumbled upon this Positive Discipline book by Jane Neisen. It’s so aligned with how we want to bring Camille up. It’s by all means not perfect, but it’s a good blueprint to base our parenting on.  

Since I’ve been home for the summer, it’s a great time for Jo and I to align ourselves with how we intend to discipline Cami.

 

Words of Affirmation is not my love language, like at all, but Shine is kinda like my personal cheerleader. It’s empowering women who encourage me to be my best self. There are meditations, articles, “pep-talks” and other awesome features. To be perfectly honest, I did the free trial and forgot to cancel, but it’s been the best accidental purchase that I’ve made in a while. So sign-up for the free trial, and CHOOSE to continue the subscription. 

Where do I begin? Where do I begin?? What can’t this stuff do? If you are unfamiliar with bentonite clay, let me enlighten you. Bentonite clay can be used for a host of things, from skincare to detoxing your body from the inside. Not all bentonite clay can be consumed, but Tierra Buena Pure Clay Bentonite Clay  is a food grade clay. If you live in a place with lots of potential pollution, like say, Any City, USA, then you could possibly benefit from some internal detoxification; of course I’m not a doctor or anything. This stuff also does wonders for my skin. You can find a host of recipes and uses for bentonite clay online.

Camille is becoming a regular little artist. We’ve already framed a few of her pieces and gifted them to the grandparents. My dad bought her a super cute art studio set last Christmas and the Melissa & Doug Tabletop Paper Roll Dispenser  is the perfect addition to it. It’s 75 freakin feet of paper and thankfully there is a child safe tear strip. The wooden dispenser is super sturdy and can withstand her crazy Cami antics. 

I’m not really into magic, but this right here! This is magical. I have no earthly clue how this stuff works, but it legit makes me look five + years younger when I use it. At $92 it’s pretty pricey, but well worth the money. It instantly smoothes and tightens my skin in a way that is super hydrating.  Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask  

Popsicles = classic summer treat. You already know. This is pretty straight forward, but Tovolo makes the coolest Ice Pop Molds (pun intended). I absolutely love the dinosaur molds. I regularly make smoothies and I’ll save some to add to Cami’s popsicle molds. It’s fun to eat, it’s messy, and I can usually sneak a few more fruits and veggies into Cami’s day. 

Do you need previous round-up posts? I got you! Click here!