First Trimester Must Haves

Hello from the other end of my first (and second) trimester! This spring I went MIA because I was super sick, but sick for the best reason possible. I am expecting! My husband and I are over the moon excited but we’re also utterly unprepared for the reality check my first trimester had in store. I had very severe “morning” sickness, aversions, sensitivity to smell, and fatigue. Honestly fatigue is an understatement in comparison to what it felt like. Needless to say it was tough and my life became focused on basic survival. Eat, hydrate, work from bed, and sleep with a desperate shower thrown in there somewhere.

Now that I am on the other side of that (knocks on wood) I have a reflections on what made those first months a bit more bearable.

If this is your first time pregnancy (or know a newly pregnant person) the first thing you should invest in is a pregnancy pillow, and invest in it early. Sleep is such a precious thing throughout pregnancy, a precious but fleeting thing. Don’t think you need to have a full blown belly to start using one. I love my bbhugme body pillow and wish I had bought it even sooner. I spent countless hours in bed sick and this pillow gave me the extra comfort I needed to rest in different positions comfortable. And my husband has already called dibs on it postpartum!

My Oak Essentials Dew Oil, was a savior for my dry skin and growing belly. I had very severe aversions to smells and this was one of the few products in my bathroom that I could stand during the worst of my first trimester nausea. You can get 15% off all Oak Essentials and Jenni Kayne products with my affiliate code GINAS15 at jennikayne.com.

Because I was in bed and unwell for so long, my airpods became my best friend. I loved having them at my bedside to take calls, listen to music and audiobooks, and simply keep me company during my misery! I can’t tell you how incredibly boring it was for my to be physically unable to do anything so having reliable and comfortable headphones was essential.

On the topic of entertainment during the first trimester, I found the book Nurture by Erica Chidi to be a gentle and reassuring introduction in to pregnancy and partenthood. Chidi emphasizes trusting your intuition and body, and not falling into the trap of comparison. This is a great gift for new and experienced parents alike!

Another most loved item was a cozy robe to hg my body as it underwent so many rapid changes. I actually ended up getting one heavyweight robe for cooler days and a lightweight one for warmer ones. My favorite brand for robes has been Coyuchi and I highly recommend the waffle robe and solstice robe. And if you use my referral link, you can get $60 off purchases of $300 (and I’ll get a $60 credit too!).

Lastly, a foot massager was absolutely essential for me. Despite actually loosing weight in my first trimester (so no extra weight from baby adding pressure) and rarely being out of bed, I experienced some severe foot pain. The practice of daily reflexology became one of the few self care activities I had the energy for and if made such a difference. Before bed I would just roll my feet along the device and suddenly the stress began melt away and I could climb back into bed.

Oak Essentials Skincare Review

A little over a year ago I started using the Oak Essentials skincare routine, and I have to say I don’t think I’ll be looking for new products anytime soon. Oak Essentials recently released two new serums, which they sent me to try out. The day serum has vitamin C and is supposed to help with collagen production and balancing discoloration. The night serum has retinol and smooths texture and supports an even tone.

• Cleansing Balm - Of all the products the cleansing balm is the one I reach for the least. While I love an oil cleanser, I prefer washing my face in the shower and this balm isn’t the best for that.

• Balancing Mist - This is my favorite product of the entire line. The scent is divine and I truly feel the toning properties do balance out the pH of my skin.

• Daily Vitamin C Serum - This serum is a new top favorite product. It’s non-sticky and lightweight, it also feels lovely underneath my spf and make-up.

• Ritual Oil - I love love love this oil. I personally have preferred lightweight, vitamin rich face oils and this certainly is that.

• Moisture Rich Balm - Nice, but not may favorite. Personally I prefer using just the ritual oil unless I am suffering from severe dryness.

• Restorative Mask - A lovely moisture retaining mask that always feels like a luxury.

• Nightly Retinol Serum - I haven’t tried the retinol serum as I am expecting, but look forward to adding back to my routine once I pop this baby out!

• Dew Body Oil - I absolutely love this body oil, it’s been a go to for my stretch skin and growing bump since the start of my pregnancy. I even include it in my first trimester favorites!

Conscia Hair Care: First Impressions

I am back with another plastic-free, low packaging product introduction (and review to come!). What I am unboxing today is Conscia, a hair and scalp health product in the form of a shampoo and conditioner bar. Conscia reached out to me to try some of their products and after scouring their website I was excited to see what their product was like. Watch the video for more about them and the products they sent me!

Oak Essentials First Impressions

For the past few months I have been trying out some new skincare products from Jenni Kayne. Oak Essentials is a cruelty free, non-GMO, and organic product line. Watch the video below for my honest first impressions of the five foundational products, also known as “the routine.”

Shop the Line and get 15% off with my code GINAS15:

• Cleansing Balm

• Balancing Mist

• Daily Vitamin C Serum

• Ritual Oil

• Moisture Rich Balm

• Restorative Mask

• Nightly Retinol Serum

• Dew Body Oil

Gratitude Pages no. 3

Another round of things I have jotted down in my gratitude journal lately.

This week’s gratitude journal glimpses:

• Incredible authors who pen stories you can get lost in. Lately I have been reading more and it feels incredible.

• The way the afternoon light streams into the house and gives me a second burst of inspiration near the end of the day.

• The changing season, I have been pulling out my sweaters and coziest clothing and it feels great to shop my own wardrobe.

Gratitude Pages no. 2

Another week of 2021 gone and all I can think about is how is September nearly over? Even the start of the year is a blur much less the spring and summer.

Another few glimpses from my “journal” this week:

• The courage to start fresh. Specifically, choosing to move to California four years ago, but also in so many other ways.

• A quiet home. I love the peace. I grew up in a big family so I was used to noise but I much prefer a bit of silence.

• Options. Sometimes decision-making can feel like a burden, particularly the big life decisions. But in actuality it’s a privilege to have options. To have autonomy to direct your life as you wish, what a gift to have options to do and to try.

Affirmations of the Week

It was recently suggested to me to try out affirmations. I have to be honest, the thought of saying affirmations out loud to myself made me uncomfortable (although I love reading others’ on Instagram like the one below). And for that reason alone I wanted to examine why, first by trying them out.

My personal affirmation of the week:

I am tender yet resilient. I am precisely where I ought to be and what a beautiful place it is.

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A post shared by Faith Broussard Cade (@fleurdelisspeaks)

Gratitude Pages no. 1

Back when I was in college, and severely homesick, I started keeping a little journal with bullet points of things that made me happy each day. When I got sad I’d pull it out and read back how beautiful the little life I was creating was. I think without this small practice my homesickness would have resulted in me dropping everything and heading home.

I was thinking about this recently, and about the many times I have added gratitude practices to my daily routine. They are a powerful way to change your thinking over time, require your brain to focus on the beauty in front of you and find a way to push though difficult situations. I don’t have any particular reason to get back to gratitude journaling aside from it make me feel good, and I really love the thought of future me looking back on them. I really wish I still had 17 & 18 year old Gina’s first gratitude journal. I’m sure it would be full of things like, “my friend Christine brought me a cookie from the cafeteria” and “I got an A on my English assignment.” Little memories that meant so much to me at that time.

All that to say here is are some snippets out of my “journal” for September 20th.

• My slow mornings. Taking the time to pace myself has helped set a calm tone to the day.

• Seeing a friend this weekend just to talk and hang with her new pup. Bliss.

• Affirming text messages from my sister, who intuitively knows just what to say when you need it most.

The Smallest Satisfaction

My morning rituals have shifted slightly this season. I still find myself moving from rooms to room opening the windows and letting the daylight in. But I save our patio doors for last because just beyond them is my little self made haven of a patio garden. 

I’ve pretty much always lived in cities (NYC, LA, and even DC for a stint), and the fact that there are parks and green spaces throughout plus my family of houseplants tided over my desire for my own green (or greener) space all these years. But in the midst of lockdowns last year a private sanctuary outside the walls of our apartment became a priority, so we moved.

At first out narrow patio was just a beige stuccoed trough hanging off the outside of our building. But over time with the addition of a couple chairs, some plants, and outdoor tiles it became an urban oasis. Each morning I open the curtains and from behind the glass spy on my plants, trying to identify and changes from the day before. Excited to find new growth or greet the little creatures scampering through the foliage. But before heading outside I put on water to boil and grind coffee beans, still lurking on the potted blooms scattered across the exterior wall, table, and floors. Eventually my morning pour over is ready and I can move on to my most exiting ritual of the day, watering.

Somehow watering my outdoor plants became a routine I love, despite being resistant to it at first. I have been used to weekly or less frequent watering schedules for my houseplants, and even those I held on loosely too. But the cottage style flowers in their terra-cotta planters are not patient enough to be watered on my schedule. If I skipped a day or two they would tell me in their depressed appearance, quickly dropping flowers. And the seeds I was patiently awaited to sprout would remain dormant. So I made it my duty to water them each morning before I treated myself to coffee. Its and intimate thing, watering in the still of the morning, getting to know how much each plant requires, how much sun they likely got the day prior based on how the soil looks and feels today. It’s meditative and slowing. And now I couldn’t imagine a better way prime myself before taking my morning coffee. Sitting quietly in front of bushes of grateful flowers and optimistic seedlings, satisfied that if nothing else happens today I cared for something outside myself but for myself.

Beach Reads 1: The Icarus Deception

I set a goal to read more this year. When I was a little girl I would prefer to spend time in front of the window on the living room carpet reading for hours. I only knew hours had passed because I would have to adjust myself back into the patch of sun leaking in through the window and moving along the carpet (talk about a low maintenance kid, you're welcome mom!).

Anyway, as adult matters have taken over so much of my everyday I don't read as nearly as much. Where I used to read several books a week, I now read only a handful a year. That's why I set this goal. I have challenged myself to read a book a month (which I am already lagging behind on).

Since I am not on the beach every month this isn't they won't really be "beach read" but hey, maybe next month!? I decided to start sharing them here to hold myself to my goal so please share and book suggestions in the comments!

On to my first book! In January I started The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly by Seth Godin. I must fess up and say I actually listened to this book instead of actually read it. Last year (again trying to get more books under my belt) I subscribed to Audible. I liked it but didn’t love it and missed hearing the words of an author in my own mind’s voice, so The Icarus Deception was the last book on my audiobook list. This may have been part of why I only liked this book a little and didn’t love it.

Godin start’s off strong discussing the Greek myth of Icarus, a man whose father made him wings constructed of feathers and wax. Icarus was told not to fly too close to the sun otherwise his wings would melt, which they did and he then fell into the ocean and drowned. Bummer. But there was another part of the story that Godin claims society has nearly erased from the tale. Icarus's father told him not to fly too low either as the water would also damage his wings. Godin opposes the lesson that society has distorted the story as a fable against aiming too high. He says this mentality supports aiming just high enough to be safe but achieve nothing spectacular, an antiquated mentality resulting from industrialization... Be one of the masses, follow the rules, and produce. That is the way of industrialized society.

We’ve built a world where it’s possible to fly higher than ever, and the tragedy is that we’ve been seduced into believing that we ought to fly ever lower instead. “

I love the discussion of the industrial eras influence on societal psychology. I liked hearing his rationale for why we are ready to move past this model of work. I even enjoyed Godin’s assertion that work should be treated as art, an ongoing creative pursuit of not perfection but expression and connection with others. But after this very strong and compelling start Godin’s encouragement and ideas became very “bumper sticker like” as one person on goodreads put it. He spent the rest of the book discussing what it means to be an "artist." You must ignore criticism if it stops you from working. You must put yourself out there for an audience. You must allow yourself to be vulnerable. You must be willing to just keep doing work to become better. All of this is true, but it isn’t particularly innovative or new news in my opinion. 

All in all I think this book is a good beach read and especially best for creatives or quasi-creatives who are hesitant to start something or in a bit of a rut and just need a reminder of their contribution to the world at large. I am personally eager to take this perspective of post-industrialization connection into my own projects. Next for February I have been reading Big Leap, another self improvement book more based in psychological principles. Fun fun fun!

Have you read the Icarus Deception? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Be Outraged and Resist

Trump has been in office for a week and the country is on fire. It started with limiting a woman's right to choose and an effort to start dismantling universal healthcare (see the reinstatement of the global gag rule), setting back climate change efforts and clamping down on science as a whole (see Keystone XL & Dakota Access pipelines and Federal science actions), and attacking immigrants on multiple fronts with a particular emphasis on Muslims (see the border wall and Muslim ban). I have been slow to accept our new reality. I tried to be cautiously optimistic the days before his inauguration, then I tried to avoid the news as my greatest fears were being realized, then I was just sad. Now I am really pissed off and ready to work. Trump and his hateful policies must go. So here is what I am doing and I encourage you to do to. And this isn't where I am stopping, if you have any suggestions of other actions we can take please leave them in the comments below so everyone who sees this post can take part too.

Let's be outraged. Let's resist. Let's take our country back.

Make Your Voice Heard

Call your representatives, write letters, sign petitions, demonstrate in the streets if you have to! Our representatives are supposed to represent us and so it is our responsibility to make our positions known and continuously apply pressure on them. Use Common Cause's representative locator to find out who your reps are. And if you need a little extra help on what to say, check out this article for some tips about how to talk to your representative when you do call.

Organize

When President Obama told us in his farewell speech to organize I had no idea where to start. Luckily I have some incredible friends who did. We have begun by sharing good information and finding ways to do the above (reach out to our representatives). One friend has offered up her apartment on a weekly basis as a hub to create call scripts, make calls, write letters and keep information sharing. There is also an incredible guide and directory of how and where to get involved called the Indivisible Guide. Start with this and you'll be good.

Share Good Information

This requires staying informed and not propagating "alternative facts." Misinformation/fake news is a dangerous thing as we have already seen with this administration. We need to armor ourselves with the truth and be cynical with the media we consume. Also, good information is power. Articles like  what to do if ICE agents come to your door should be widely shared so that everyone has the knowledge they need. 

Donate

A little can go a very long way if we all chip in. I am personally giving to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood and Justice Democrats(at minimum). I will be cutting out my work lunches, extra coffees, and any other frivolous spending to give all that I can. This is an investment in a country I want to live in and society we can be proud of after all!

Stay Positive

If we stop believing in the power of the people and democracy there is not way we can win. So please take care of yourself and those directly in front of you first. Practice self care and go at your own pace. Do what you need to in order to feel like you (and not a hopeless shell of you), feel strong, and remain hopeful. We could be in for the long haul and everyone of us needs to be able to take some time for ourselves.

"if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

-desmond tutu

That is all I have, again please add ideas to this list. I want to know what actions you are taking and how you are taking care of yourself. Now is the time more than ever to spread love, count our blessings and support one another to ensure this time does not become our new normal! 

XO

2017 Travel Resolutions

I am a goal setter. That's why I love the process of looking back on the year and setting new years resolutions. Resolutions are firm determinations that I view as essential to living an intentional life. 2016 was the first year I made goals specifically geared toward travel and I found it really useful when preparing for my trips so I decided to do it again this year!

So here goes, 3 resolutions I am making to myself in my quest for even more enjoyable travel in the years ahead...

Self Care

I set big themes in addition to my specific resolutions to hone in on characteristics I want to develop in myself. Last year's theme was hustle, a few years before that it was compassion... this year it is self care. I want to make a habit of practicing self care everyday, including when I travel. Whether it is 10 minutes of meditation, or spending more time on my cleansing my face, I want to take better care of me (I talked a bit about this in my birthday post too). This theme may be a direct consequence of my year of hustle which allowed me to see a need for it in every aspect of my life. Practicing self care when traveling is something else I have noticed I skimp on. Sometimes I trade off packing light for bringing leaving behind some of my favorite products in exchange for multi-use ones. Or I rush through meals or sleep less to fit in more activities. Or even book inconvenient flights to squeeze in the most daylight hours at my destination. I want to make sure I don't sacrifice to much comfort when I travel so that when I return home I am not craving a post-vacation vacation!

Weekend Trips

This year I did a lot of local exploration (which is another new habit I've adopted!) and I plan on expanding this in the new year to short trips around the US! Last year I made the resolution to see more of this vast country, which I did. But I realized late in the game that I could see even more by taking advantage of long weekends and holidays. These types of 2-3 day visits to nearby cities may be just the thing to stave off the lull leading up to a vacation and the post-vacation blues!

Human Component

My final travel resolution has to do with connecting with people. I am an introvert, and while not rude I generally don't go out of my way to meet new people when I travel. But that is something I want to change. On a recent trip to California I had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of instagram friends, @brownkids (Roe and Erin), and it was truly a life expanding experience (and there aren't many times you get to say that about brunch!). This showed me that although museums and architecture are fine ways to spend your time there is nothing like a conversation amongst people with a variety of perspectives on life.

That pretty much wraps up my travel resolutions (so far)! I would love to know if you have any resolutions for 2017, or if you believe in resolutions at all. And either way, how do you try to travel deeper and improve your experiences overall? Please let me know!

I hope you have a safe and fabulous time ringing in the New Year. Heres to an incredible 2017!!!

On Introverts and Travel

The terms introvert and extrovert have been coming up in conversation here and there recently and it has had me thinking... I am an introvert but I love exploring new places. For a while it didn't make sense to me that the only two things I want to be doing at any moment are in complete contrast to each other: being at home and being in a new and foreign place.

As a typical introvert, I have no problem socializing with people but I enjoy smaller groups far more than large ones and prefer one-on-one interaction even more. I generally have 1-2 outside the routine social interactions a week because when I have more I am left feeling pretty drained and off balance. On top of being an introvert I am a homebody, two characteristics that are often mistaken as being mutually exclusive. I love being home and if I can invite people over instead of being in a loud bar the invitation is already in the (e)mail! All that said I still love to travel (hence the blog devoted to it!). 

After a little thought I see there are a few reasons introverts are actually the best travelers. Introverted people are often in their own head a lot. When traveling we naturally take time to absorb and reflect on our surroundings and experiences. I am a firm believer that travel is enhanced when you take time between the exploration and adventure to relax and take time with yourself to acknowledge what you have learned. I also think this allows me to appreciate the experience all the more.

On the flip side, traveling is a great way to get an introvert out of their out of their head and their shell. I find myself living more in the moment when I am in a new place. While at home I am a creature of routine, abroad I am forced to be spontaneous and flexible, adventurous and risky. I will adapt my plans on the fly and find ways to communicate in unfamiliar languages to total strangers. I try new foods and new things. And I ask myself "will I regret not doing this" when face with a new challenge. 

I suppose travel and exploration is joyful for me (and other like-minded introverts) because of the balance it brings. The challenges and reflective periods both serve as opportunities for growth and reflection. And after all, if nothing else introverts are explorers of the self.