Recapping the City of Refuge Hygiene Kit Drive!

Hi Friends! I hope you are having the HAPPIEST day!

I want to share a few photos and say a big THANK YOU to all of you who were a part of The City of Refuge drive we did at the end of 2017. I know it's taken me a while to share about this, but I actually kept receiving items for the kits through January, so the final set was finally delivered this week. Hooray! This drive was really close to my heart, and I am so excited that you guys were so connected to this initiative as well. I am honestly STILL overwhelmed by how many of you gave, especially in the midst of the busiest and most expensive time of the year - you guys are rock stars!!

Behind the "Why":
I originally read about The City of Refuge drive in my church bulletin back in late November. My church, Bethel Atlanta, was collecting items to be compiled into hygiene kits for mothers who were coming out of crisis situations - either abuse or sex trafficking.

I knew immediately that I wanted to get involved and leverage my online friends (YOU!!!) because I've seen how powerful and wonderful and kind-hearted everyone is in this community is. My first thought was to collect enough items to fulfill 20 kits, but I immediately felt God nudging me out of that "comfort zone" and pushing me to to do something that felt impossible. Something that required faith, and not just my own ability. So I said, alright, let's try for 25!

The "What":
Each kit needed to contain the following: 2 in 1 shampoo + conditioner, deodorant, lotion, lip balm, tampons + pads, toothpaste and a toothbrush. I created a Target registry for these items because I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to give. Based on my estimations, each kit cost just under $25, so I knew going in that I was going to have to cover some portion of the $625 investment if I couldn't get enough items donated. Hence the leap of faith.

The Execution!
I shared about the initiative here on the blog and also on my Instagram, and I was so thrilled at how excited you all were to get involved and make a difference! After several weeks of many Target deliveries, I was flabbergasted to receive enough items to compile 35 kits - 10 more than my original goal! Seriously, you guys are heroes. I wish I could send you all DoTerra oils aplenty (aka some of my favorite things) as a thank you!!

My sis-in-law Lauren was kind enough to help me deliver the kits on Dec. 20 to The City of Refuge. Lauren, thank you for taking the trek with me! While we were unloading the boxes, I couldn't help but be completely amazed (and distracted!) by the incredible scale of the operation itself. City of Refuge is HUGE, and not only provides a roof for immediate needs to be met through safe housing and meals, but it also provides ongoing education and avenues for self-sufficiency. You can read more about everything City of Refuge does here.

A Story.
The night before I delivered all the kits, I was checking out at Target at around 9pm. The cashier started asking me questions about the items I was purchasing (it was multiples of more deodorant and toothpaste), and I shared with her about the drive and the mission of City of Refuge. She welled up with tears and asked me for the name and number of the shelter. Then she went on to share with me that her daughter had been caught up in sex trafficking and she has only recently gotten back in touch with her - and that her daughter is only 15 years old. She wept as she told me that her daughter was caught up in a really rough crowd, but she hoped that City of Refuge could provide her with the kind of resources that could help turn her life around. I was stunned. For as much as I hear about the ongoing efforts in Atlanta to address this issue of human trafficking, I just never had a touch point with someone who had been affected by it or who had a family member entangled in it. Her mama heart was broken for her little girl and I stood there in line with her, weeping for her daughter's safety. She held my hands at the end of our check out time and she looked me in the eyes and said, "God is good. I know he is good. What you people are doing is good."

The look in her eyes is burned into my memory.

I want to tell you, friends, what you did in assisting with these kits isn't some far-off distant charity work. It impacts the lives of daughters, mothers, sisters and all of their friends and families. It impacts people around you, even if you don't have an immediate touch point. Just know that what you are doing is so, so SO good, and I am proud to have partnered with you in this incredible endeavor. It was my first drive of this kind, but it certainly won't be the last!

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and gifts! Your investment, no matter how big or small, made an enormous impact! All my love to you, friends! xx

Meeting Christopher Gavigan, CPO of The Honest Company!

I've spent years wiping butts.

Some of you haven't had this experience. Good for you. But I am extremely familiar with the whole lower-quadrant body-sanitizing circumstance that I find myself in roughly 12 times a day. Two babies, yall. Two babies in diapers. I have a system, a method for how to get the job done with the least amount of, how do I put it - contamination - and my speed at diaper changing has accelerated vastly due to my recent years of training in the field. These days I can off rip a diaper, purify the state of affairs, and slap on a fresh one probably faster than you can blow your nose and throw it away.

And I know I'm not alone.

We mamas learn how to get things done - efficiently, stupendously and while we are multi-tasking at least 6 other things. While balancing a coffee cup somewhere we probably shouldn't be.

So when Stevie and I had the chance to chat with Christopher Gavigan, CPO of The Honest Company, our favorite and most-used diaper brand, we took that opportunity. Because we had to tell him. About all our years of using his products in the middle of the night (after sleep-walk bumping into a few walls), on airplanes in foreign countries (while being scowled at in what can only be described as German/Italian/French backhanded glares), in the back seat of our SUV while road tripping (to avoid gas station bathroom filth contaminating our precious baby's undercarriage), and you know, the normal way - on the changing table in our kids' bedrooms.

We love these diapers, we told him. We love the diaper rash cream, we said. We love the healing balm, we use it on ourselves. He beamed with the pride of a thousand suns. He's definitely a sunny soul, you can tell.

But.

We told him something else.

We love the Seventh Generation wipes a little better than yours.

His face fell. "You what??"

I hated telling such a nice man the truth, but I secretly loved getting it off my chest. I felt like we had been cheating on our preferred brand for a while now, by buying another brand of wipes. But we do like them better! They're wetter, they come out of the package a little easier, and we told him - we just prefer them to yours.

Luckily, this Christopher Gavigan guy was kinder than you would believe (and also more intense than a football coach during the super bowl) about defending his wipes.

He literally ran across the room, (which drew some attention - everyone was like, what's happening?!), retrieved a fresh pack of wipes, and then gave us an on-the-spot demonstration on why his Honest Company wipes are the best on the market. Not only are they made of completely pure ingredients (you can see the list here), but they are about 25% larger than most other wipes, meaning they can fit in "man hands" (he wasn't being derogatory - he literally meant for them to fit into both a mom and a dad's hands). They are also surprisingly more wet than what meets the eye, but the water is absorbed within instead of sitting on top of the wipe like a raincoat. I didn't understand what he meant by that until he showed us - he pulled out a wipe and literally squeezed it - and I seriously couldn't believe what I was seeing. TONS of fluid came out of the wipe, more than you would ever think it could contain based on just feeling it, and he was I think he was most proud of this. These wipes are specially formulated to be useful in any scenario - not just the butt-wiping that I described above. You can use these to clean toys, wipe counter tops, clean up boo boos and cleanse any cheek you meet ;)

Such a nice guy. And it was really fun getting to meet him and chat a little bit about family life, business ideas (how is it that business school guys always seem to find a way to talk ideas, even at first meeting each other - what is that about??), and hear more about his heart behind The Honest Company. He didn't have to sell us, since we have been long-time users and have subscribed to both the Essentials Bundle and the Diapers & Wipes Bundle. I also love that I can pick up most of these products at Target these days, too.

Did he convince us on the wipes? I'm not going to lie. We are giving them another go.

Kind of like a date night :)

Why don't my flowers ever look this good? Summer garden goals, guys.

My bro + sis-in-law joined us!

I know this is like, the blurriest, most 1996-esque picture of my life, but what's a girl to do when she meets a rad CEO and it's dark outside and you have to take a selfie with terrible lighting? You take the selfie, with absolutely terrible, horrible, rubbish lighting. Also, could this guy and Stevie be brothers or what?? Just sayin. Although I think Stevie has enough brothers.

When we got home from the event, we changed Everett's diaper and showed him the little squeeze-y wipe trick. He got such a kick out of it that now he wants us to squeeze the wipes out every time. It's pretty hilarious.

If you haven't had the opportunity to try The Honest Company, I would truly recommend it. I just honestly believe in these eco-friendly, non-toxic products so much and I would love for as many people as possible to try them. I've linked to my family's most-used and loved products below.

Many, many thanks to the Bump Club & Beyond team and to The Honest Company for inviting us and putting on such a fun event :) Like seriously, we needed that date night out. xx

High Tea at the St. Regis Atlanta!

A goooood cup of tea and a few precious souls to giggle with.

That's all a girl really wants, right?

Well, that's all THIS girl wants. I love tea time so so SO much, and my mom was the sweetest and decided to treat me and my sister to a fancy afternoon out. She said it was our Valentine treat (3 weeks later, ha), but really I think she just wanted to play with us. We needed to have a little girl time together. AND -  she gave us these amazing essential oil diffusing bracelets! We are pretty oil-heavy in this family (I recently jumped on the Doterra train and I am just reeeeeal happy about it). I love all of this gal's jewelry - I am usually wearing either one of her necklaces or bracelets everyday!

It's been a busy season for everyone in my family. Over the past few months, my parents completely downsized from their large family home into a quaint 500-squarefoot apartment. They were ready to enact Marie Kondo in their own lives, and I am super glad they did, even though it was hard letting go of my family home. We spent a lot of time moving them out of their large space, helping them decide what to keep and what to pitch, and then the day I went into labor with Daxton they closed on their house. Needless to say, Christmas was 10 days later and then I was in was newbornland and my Dad has been swamped at work (not to mention Stevie, too) and oh, by the way, my sister and her husband are looking to move out of state and if one more major life change happens this year I might come unhinged. Deep breath.

So my mom decided it was high time for tea. Time for high tea, actually. (see what I did there??)

This place is just so gorgeous. Even the bathrooms were immaculate - literally everything was marble. MARBLE you guys.

Obligatory bathroom selfie. Because - all that marble! (Also, my mom is all ,"WHY do millennials take so many selfies??")

The Astor Court at the St. Regis has been rumored to have one of the best high tea services in Atlanta. After enjoying our time here I am completely hooked. This is the perfect way to spend a lovely afternoon - we sipped champagne and told stories. We got a lesson in tea from our waiter and picked our favorites (my sister and I chose the Mad Hatter tea, my mom chose the Jasmine). And one of my favorite things about the tea situation were the itty bitty fanciful sandwiches. Most places only serve 3ish sandwiches as part of tea service. Not the St. Regis! We had a good 7 types of tea sandwiches, and I just really appreciate a hearty balance to all the tart/scone/muffin/cookies that are always served with tea. Sometimes a girl just wants a savory bite. Every other bite :)

I just loveeeeed this experience with the women in my family. We were pretending like my older sister Kara was also with us (she lives in Florida), and we toasted in honor of my thoughtful mom.

I'm not going to lie. Sometimes I think about the fact that I have two boys, and no one to really enjoy high tea with once I get old and decrepit (just kidding, I plan to be awesome when I get old). It sounds silly, but every so often I have a feeling of sadness that I can't do tea parties or shopping dates with a daughter. If I only end up with sons (which I am totally wonderful with because who am I kidding, my boys are absolutely amazing and I am like the luckiest person in the world to get to raise them).. but if I never have a little girl, then I am going to have to cozy up to my daughters-in-law to get them to play with me. Is it weird that I think about this kind of thing? Like, I have a newborn. I should not be thinking about how he's going to get married and leave me one day.

But here I am, thinking about it.

So I'm going to live up my sister/mama time because I am so unbelievably blessed to call these beautiful women my kin. Holding them close and teasing and laughing and perhaps snorting because we laughed so hard in the fancy tea room at the Astor Court. These people, these are my people. I don't need to worry about what the future holds for my future tea companions quite yet :)

P.S. - I'm wearing this dress from Target and my sis is wearing an extraordinary one-of-a-kind dress that she bought for her wedding (though she ended up wearing something else), but here is something kinda sorta similar.

Happy Friday, friends! What are you up to this weekend? We are heading into Atlanta to have brunch + outdoor time with friends! Happy weekending to you! xox

Beltline Brunch & Play.

I admit, I've done a poor job getting into Atlanta and exploring. Since I've grown up here, I just don't make time to keep exploring. Stevie and I do such a great job exploring other cities, because it's an adventure! But when we are home, I tend to hibernate a bit more and just enjoy my immediate surroundings. Like my backyard and the golf cart paths :)  But every time I go into the city I am reminded how close it is and how we should just do it more. Because the food is better, you guys. It just is.

I've been feeling a little insulated at home. A little baby-fried. I love being home with my kiddos but we are so in it right now, up to our neck in bottles and swaddles and no sleep and OUR MEAL TRAIN ENDED. So basically there hasn't been anything to look forward to (have I mentioned how much I loved my meal train? I can't even talk about it anymore. Because I get too sad that it's over.) But all that being said, we were due to have some good old fashioned FUN. So last weekend we trekked into the city and met our friends the Hunts for brunch in Inman Park, right along the Beltline. Everything at Parish was soooo good (hence the "food is better in the city" comment) - if you go, get the Croque monsieur, the cranberry french toast and the corned beef hash. It was SO GOOD.

Like seriously, I need more.

Then we walked the Beltline, found a playground and a water fountain (two musts when you're a parent with wiggly little people) and chowed down on King of Pops popsicles. I'll admit, the weather was still slightly chilly for popsicles, but we are beckoning spring onward, so it felt like our duty to have King of Pops. :)

I can't believe how BIG Everett has gotten. I remember holding him just like I'm holding Daxton these days, a little baby in my arms. I remember trekking into the city with him, along with my monster stroller and basically everything we own, just for a few hour stint in the city. I can't believe that time is over. I can't believe I am doing this again. I can't believe I made another baby and he's here and he's so big and beautiful. It's true when they say it - everything with kids goes by SO FAST. It feels so challenging when you're in the thick of it, but then you blink twice and maybe move once or twice and suddenly your baby is a toddler and you have another baby in your arms and its like - what happened? Are we really a family of four?! Wasn't I like, just living in NYC and going on auditions and doing whatever I wanted with my time? Oh the wonderful selfish years.

Those are gone.

But! That's why we trek into the city and play, because even though all my years going forward will be consumed with meeting everyone else's needs and making sure they're happy and healthy - this mama wanted a day in the city, and that's what she got :)

It was just a really, really good day.

P.S. - Recommendations for other family-friend restaurants and activities in the city are so welcome! I want to do more Atlanta things as the weather warms up - any suggestions?

P.P.S. - I'm running a giveaway for another few days over on my Instagram, gifting one special mama with some must-have postpartum products from Earth Mama Angel Baby - don't miss it!

P.P.P.S. - I'll be helping host an event at the Peachtree City Banana Republic this Thursday evening, 2/23 from 5:30-8pm and I would love it if you came out! There will be bites and drinks and pants (the promoted item of the evening :) I'll havemore details for you on my Instagram tomorrow :)

Toddler Date at the Zoo!

Last weekend we paid Zoo Atlanta a little visit with Everett's "friend" (we say girlfriend, but don't want to be too obviously pushy... who am I kidding??) The last time I took Everett to the zoo, he wasn't that into it, so I'm glad that this time around he was super excited and engaged. He absolutely loved the giraffes and elephants, and kept yelling "MORE ANIMALS!" after each animal exhibit. We did a lot of the "extra" zoo stuff, like feeding the giraffes and riding the train and spinning on the Merry Go Round. It's so much fun going places like the Zoo with kids, because it makes you feel alive again. It makes you remember how freaking cool it is that these animals live on the Earth, so enormous and beautiful and exotic.

A few (alright, more than a few) pictures below of our time at the zoo with friends and Everett's "friend" :)

Preparing to feed the giraffes. Finley wasn't so sure.

Amazing!!! So so cool!

This is my favorite thing ever. Look at my happy blonde boys :)

Kind of a lame/blurry photo, I know, but he was really into the gorillas.

He was also really into baby Hollen, sweet Finley's new little sis.

The Merry Go Round! I stayed on for approximately 3 minutes before leaping off due to nausea. I think I freaked out the Merry Go Round attendant.

Just so you know, about half the photos I ever take have Everett doing something like this. It's not always rainbow and sunshine and laughter. Sometimes it's attitude, discipline and coping mechanisms.

And then we rode the choo choo train!

I'm dying here. WE DID NOT MAKE THEM DO THIS. It just came natural.

We had such a great day at the zoo (even though it was like 150 degrees and I was having mild heat stroke), and it made me reeeeeelly excited about taking Everett to Disney World in the fall. He did so great with all the exhibits and I just know he will be absolutely dumbfounded at all the whimsical fantastic-ness of The Magic Kingdom.

We absolutely love Zoo Atlanta and we will have to make a return trip in the fall. Because of the heat on this particular day, we didn't get to see the lions or the elephants because they were hiding out in their dens. I don't blame them. If I had a lair, I would milk that. Especially in this insane Georgia heat/humidity.

How are you enjoying your summer with your family? Any fun family ideas you can offer? We want to keep trying fun activities as a family of three before we have another little person arrive this winter! xox

P.S. I am wearing this Tart Maternity dress and this Clement cuff (c/o Le Tote), and these Anthropologie earrings and sandals. Everett is wearing this top from and these shorts from Old Navy, and Stevie is wearing who knows what. I should probably shop for him a little more.