Company Memo: Silhouette Art, Self-Care Subscriptions, and a Parent Photo School

I love that Lorae is introducing us to Le Papier Studio, a company based in Richmond, VA, on this week’s Company Memo. Since seeing the silhouette necklace she had made earlier this year, I have kept coming back to this unique online shop. It has all the makings of the best birthday/Mother’s Day/anniversary/Christmas gift EVER and is as personalized as they come. Put it on your holiday list now, and share, share, share. Grateful that I get to see Lorae this weekend for a quick overnight in Richmond. Maybe we’ll run into Vana from Le Papier while we’re there!

 

Self-Care: Vitamin Subscriptions

I love this time of year: the weather, the sweaters, the chai’s, oh my! Honestly though, I am feeling like a sloth right now. Does anyone else have those times when people say you don’t seem like yourself, or you decline hanging with the gals because 9 pm feels past your bedtime? I struggle with low iron, so this week I started looking into a few new vitamins to put a little pep back in my step. I found some pretty interesting online subscription options aimed at eliminating the confusion, clutter and overwhelming expense of the vitamin aisle. Take Care Of directed me to complete a 3-minute survey, then curated a vitamin pack with some holistic additions I have never heard of before. You can adjust/add/eliminate as needed and pause your subscription at any time.  Ritual is also a subscription service for the more traditional approach to vitamins. Founder Kat Schneider did the footwork to find the 9 most common vitamin deficiencies in women and created a multi-vitamin that truly serves the need with no excess. Finally, enter Gwyneth. Of course. Goop, which began as a wellness newsletter, has evolved into a brand. Goop Wellness Vitamins features targeted daily vitamin packs that address issues that affect women (and some men, too). Goop really takes the cake with their branding; I totally want to try the pack Why am I so Effing Tired.

Commemorate: Le Papier Studio

Next week my hubs and I will be celebrating 14 years of marriage. I always struggle with what to get someone who asks for nothing and also needs very little. I finally found something that thoughtfully documents our journey together, and it’s no surprise that it’s from one of my favorite companies. Meet Le Papier Studio, a lifestyle brand curated by a woman balancing business and motherhood. Vana has made her mark capturing memories with her silhouette portraits, jewelry and home accessories. Last year after winning a gift card to her shop, I finally ordered custom silhouettes of my girls. I love looking down at the sweet upcurl of Reiss’ hair and Harper’s ponytail hanging on my neck. Vana and her team keep up a very inspiring Instagram feed, and a few weeks ago I fell in love with her Tree Stump Print for documenting years of history. I ordered mine with all the firsts: date, house, dog, move, and many more. I cannot wait to see how it looks on the picture wall I’m already planning for our dining room (yes, I had an ulterior motive in mind!).

Follow: Jessica Seinfeld

You need Jessica Seinfeld in your life. I first stumbled upon her while trying to sneak veggies into my toddlers’ mouths with her book Deceptively Delicious—the rest is history. Not only is she a best selling author, philanthropist (follow her at goodplusfdn), crazy cat/dachshund lady, and wickedly humorous person, but you need to follow her for her yummy food recipes. This week she posted baked ricotta herb dumplings that made me instantly head to the grocery for ingredients. Her recipes are always easy, tasty, interesting, and healthy, but the best is that they get you out of your weekly food rut. I hope you enjoy her as I do. Her Food Swings book is on my reading list.

Learn: Shultz Photo School

With holidays fast approaching, it is time we parents stepped up our photography game. Gone are the days when taking pictures with film meant that you didn’t know what you had until you got the negatives developed. Though the world of photography has gone digital and we have multiple cameras at our fingertips, many of us still don’t know how to take a great photo of our children. Professional photographer Kyle Shultz of Shultz Photo School wants to help parents take better pics. His free 7-part photo course is designed to provide bite-size tips that come to your inbox every day for a week. You’ll learn everything from the rule of thirds in photography, to filling the frame, to how to get the best vantage point of your children (hint: it’s not by standing over them and shooting down). Just because a photographer can’t follow your family around this Halloween/Thanksgiving/Hanukkah/Christmas doesn’t mean you can’t capture the best pictures of your family!

Take Time: The Power of Presence

We are heart-ful of sadness this week for Las Vegas. Tragedy always leads me to think about the fragility of the time we have with our children. I am so thankful for two girls who still want me around and ask for my presence often. I see the months flying by, knowing that our life is evolving and there is less and less time for those touch points. I found this beautiful article written with age-appropriate advice to keep those ties strong and I plan on initiating and acting on many of them. Some of the content is very similar to the curriculum and conversations I had while being a Girls On The Run coach last spring. That experience reminded me to say “yes” more often to my children. Just last week my 9-year-old went to bed sad. Math had pushed us to our limits (math can do that sometimes!) and she asked me to lie down next to her and just be there with her, and for once I did, and it was perfect! I love points 6 thru 9 in the article for families with multiple children in order to make sure no one gets lost in the shuffle and everyone gets heard.