Why I disappeared and the quick hits.
A tough puppy update and the sunny side of tough things.
“Where have you been?” asked literally no one. But I’m going to tell you anyways! The last few weeks zapped me creatively and emotionally. On a few separate occasions, I opened up this Substack draft, my fingers fluttering above the keyboard just waiting for inspiration to strike. But alas, it did not. I was tired, overwhelmed and burnt out. As I sit here now, no deep analysis is needed to understand why I was struggling and why now, in this moment, I feel at ease.
I’ll condense the story to keep it concise and get you up to speed. As you may have read in my previous post, we adopted a beautiful puppy that our eldest daughter named Rosie. The combination of a lack of complete vaccinations paired with an excess of energy meant that every waking moment not tending to my two children was being spent on our newest addition. I had extreme guilt about leaving her in her crate but also felt frustrated when I couldn’t look away for two seconds without her getting into something. After weeks of attempted training and spending all of my time in our living room/kitchen area with her, we finally graduated to puppy play dates and walks around our neighborhood. And yet, even with her increased exercise and activity, it still didn’t feel like enough for her and the guilt I had about putting her in her crate as needed was overwhelming.
It quickly became clear that as much as we adored Rosie, we were not the right family for her at this stage in our lives. My analysis of what happened is that we decided to get a dog in one of those magical parenting lulls when the kids are manageable and the weekends are wide open, with the only activity on the agenda is hanging out in the backyard. But as soon as things picked up, which they inevitably do, with birthdays and playdates taking over our weekends, we could no longer provide what sweet Rosie needed.
After many tears (mine), we decided it was in her (and our) best interest to rehome Rosie. And yes, we discussed sending her away for an intensive training, but that wasn’t going to fix our unfitting schedules. Luckily we quickly and easily found the absolute perfect fit for her through her foster mom. As of last weekend, Rosie is now exactly where she is meant to be, on a 2 acre property in the mountains with someone that can take her to work daily and focus their attention on her constantly. After a solid 24 hours of sobbing, I decided to reframe this experience. We were ultimately a foster family that loved her dearly while her forever family was getting ready to provide the best life for her.
Now that she is in the right home, my life is sorting itself back out and opening up a world of possibilities for me including time to write. So hello again, friend!
The Quick Hit List
We’ve been taking Gia to the public library and it might be the cutest and loveliest experience. I like the West Hollywood library kids area, with toys and books that feel clean, organized and not terrifying. Plus there’s the playground right outside the door. Our nanny also takes her once a week to our local library for story time as well.
For someone that has genuinely never enjoyed a mango, I cannot get enough of the champagne mangos from Costco. Holy smokes they are good. Like, stand over the kitchen sink like an animal to eat them good.
Y’all know I love my Armchair Expert but I felt like branching out and stumbled upon this podcast episode with designer Jesse Kamm. It’s a fantastic perspective on doing more with less and what actually matters, plus a look at a more balanced way of operating a business. I highly suggest you listen. It led me down a rabbit hole listening to a few others episodes of Time Sensitive that I really enjoyed. Adding it to the podcast arsenal.
Making my own coconut almond butter has become my new go-to. I buy organic almonds in bulk at Costco (Costco- if you’re interested in ‘sponsoring’ a nobody, I’m your gal), then toast a small sheet pan of them at 300 degrees for 10ish minutes. Let them cool down and throw them in the food processor with some desiccated coconut and let that puppy run until it’s smooth and creamy. If you’re feeling fun, pop a date or two in to up the delicious dessert factor.
We watched Mr and Mrs Smith when it first came out and while there were mixed opinions out there, we were very into it. Maya Erskine and Donald Glover were both great, the vibe was super vibe-y, and the plot/dialogue was far more nuanced than I was expecting. I wish I could watch it again for the first time.
What is Dukkah? I have no idea. But the Seed and Nut Dukkah has been the topping on every salad I’ve made in the last two months (see below example). Their Magic Spice from the Botanica x CAP Beauty collab is also fantastic on literally any roasted vegetable. Even Inez inhaled broccoli with a few sprinkles of the stuff.
That’s all for now!
xW