Mint is our ingredient of the season. Look out for a season of cool posts.
This post was originally published in 2014. We’re republishing it this week because everyone’s at the shore and in need of a good foot scrub. We love the extra heft that the sand brings to this one.
A few weeks ago we shared ideas for rosemary body scrubs, reminding you that exfoliating goes a long way towards making your stems smooth with every shave. Did you try it out? What did you think? Today’s scrub will also work on your legs, but we think it makes a refreshing foot scrub. The sand and salt give it a bit more scrubbing power where it’s needed, the coconut oil will soften and hydrate, and the mint will cool your hard-working soles.
Many Wednesdays this year we’re checking in to share how we’re reducing our environmental impact. Some of these ideas are big and require a bit of effort. Others are super small and simple, like this one. But we believe that they all make a difference.
Ready for today’s suggestion? This one may make you laugh.
We’re not sure about you, but to us it feels like something happened over the past few weeks. Is it mass vaccination?! Could be! Is it the arrival of sunshine and wildflowers? Is it delirium and dizziness from seasonal sinus pain? Or maybe it’s the realization that we’ll get to hug more family and friends this summer than during all of 2020? Whatever’s going on we’re into it! Cruisin’ into the 3-day weekend with a master plan behind the wheel of a big black van!
In the celebration of summer (23 days away!), here are a few posts to spark inspiration to get lost on a road trip, plan a family camping trip, and most importantly: just get out there!
Camping on BLM Land is a fantastic idea and exactly what I plan to do all weekend! BLM Land is much more prevalent in the western states, here’s a map.
This weekend marks the first van camping trip of the summer for me. Katie already snuck one (or maybe two?) in! Either way, I always double-check my van camping supply containers and cross-reference my kitchen box with this Van Camping Kitchen post by Katie.
April is National Poetry month. Admittedly, I don’t think of myself as needing a special month to wax poetic (wink wink) about the nature-inspired poetry books that we love. But apparently I AM the type of person that needs a national initiative because I hadn’t put together a post sharing this collection until now.
There’s a wide variety of subjects on our list of favorites. Insectlopedia that focus on insects to Old Elm Speaks that highlights trees. One of my absolute favorites is When Green Becomes Tomatoes. But I also get so excited when someone will read Joyful Noise with me. Every poem in that book is written for two readers making one poem. It’s just a pile of beautiful poetry.
In addition to sharing our resolutions this month, we’re also going to share some of the good habits that we’ve picked up over the years. We try many things, but these are the ones that stuck.
What is a podcast? It’s simply a digital file that you can download on the internet, usually part of a series, and once you subscribe to a podcast it will automatically download to your computer or device each time a new one is released. Think of a podcast as a radio show, but instead of catching it live, it is saved to your podcast app. You can use your phone’s podcast app or upgrade to an app like Stitcher, Breaker, or a number of others.
The following are my favorite podcasts spanning nearly nine years of listening. You’ll find a good mix of storytelling, comedy, science, true crime, and human psychology. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order and below that by category. Full disclosure: some of these have fallen off my listen list, but at one point in time I was keeping up with them weekly and really enjoyed them, so I’ve included them here for a full roundup.
Be sure to click on the podcast and read the description first so that you aren’t surprised by the content. I update this list a couple of times a year, so check back if you ever need a new suggestion.
I use the app Breaker. If a podcast is new to you, search by popularity and listen to the highest-rated first. Do you like it?
Because I listen to podcasts so often, I’m thinking of starting a new post series and linking to a few favorite episodes that fall into different categories. I’m wondering if people would be into that?
My focus for this goal is to increase our awareness of the role that the seasons play in our daily lives. I want to find ways to highlight for the seasonal shifts that occur in in the foods we eat, the activities we do, our celebrations, and even in how we feel.
Today I wanted to share the seasonal focus that we’ve added to our morning routine.
With the new year, we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays.” Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. We are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations.
Today’s post is actually a throwback from 2019, but hoooopdiehoo, this cup is still one of my favorites and standing strong in my beverage vessel rotation.
Did you catch Good Stuff : The Cup Part I? If not, check it out! Also, know that I’m totally joking when I pair them together. They both involve cups, we think they’re both good, but that’s as far as their connection goes.
The cup is really just a wide-mouth Mason jar. The brilliance comes in with its leather zarf (didn’t make that word up, I promise) made by Holdster USA and its sippy cup lid – the Cuppow. Sweet Katie actually bought me this set up about five years ago. She’s the best!
Hiking is definitely one of our favorite outdoor activities, and I happen to have two kids that are always up for a hike. We love our weekday hikes the best. The trails are relatively empty and we feel carefree to move along the trail at whatever pace feels good, even coming to a complete stop when we find spy a treasure worth investigating.
With the new year, we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays”. Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is pretty strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. We are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations. Read Katie’s previous post about the cup.
Today I’m here to tout my newest purchase, an Albatross Razor. For years, nah, a decade, I’ve used a simple 3-blade Venus razor. The amount of waste involved has always bothered me, like why does each razor head need to be individually wrapped in plastic inside of another box or piece of plastic? Strike one. The pain of chucking one of those plastic heads into the trash every two-three weeks without a way to recycle them, Strike two. The cost, about $5 per head, Strike three. Beyond that, I’m trying as hard as possible to purchase from companies with more integrity and while I won’t talk smack on Gillette, I wouldn’t say we’re aligned in our values.
Meanwhile, Albatross Designs is built around, “a desire to take back the metaphor of the albatross and return it to a symbol of good luck. If we give nature the respect it deserves, good fortune will follow.” The Schu family is already big fans of albatrosses and honestly, that’s why this particular razor company caught my eye early in my internet search to begin with. They ask customers to, “Please help us in our mission to “SHAVE” the World from Plastic.” and we’re so down with that.
There are many, many “zero-waste plastic” razor companies out there, but I’ll quickly note the reasons why Albatross stood out.
Integrity, mission, and motives behind the company – seriously, they cannot be beaten. Read all about Albatross here and you’ll want to support them.
Very minimal packaging! The razor is mailed in a cardboard envelope that contains a little burlap sack holding the razor and refills.
Simple design. Simple razor. Less waste. The butterfly razor design is pretty neat – you simply twist the bottom of the handle and the top splays open. Then you can easily take out the old blade and place the new one in.
This type of razor allows you to buy a year’s worth of blades at once without breaking the bank.
There’s no subscription hook or big starter pack filled with lotions and creams I’ll never use.
Albatross features a Take Back Program. You can send up to 40 used blades at a time back to the company. Albatross will then turn them into Take Back Ware! Pretty neat.
I will admit, I was a little worried I would cut myself to pieces with this razor. I’m not sure why, but they just seem more intimidating than the Venus razors. I appreciate the moisturizer on the Venus razor during the very first use, but by the second use they are enveloped in that gooey, lotiony, slime stuff, ick. Anyway, obviously not the case with Albatross. I use a bar of soap instead of shaving cream and then just glide away. It’s really no different than other razors. The ridged edge on the razor (not on the blade, but on the holder) provides a good guide for how much pressure to apply when shaving and I haven’t cut myself yet! It took me about a week to become brave enough to shave my armpits, I’m happy to report that it all worked out great!
I’m already loving the ease of use and not leaving a weird slime on my shower shelves. I also appreciate how easy it is to remove and store the blade, making this a safe razor to travel with. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve cut myself multiple times in my life just by reaching into my disorganized toiletry bag and somehow grabbing the blade of a razor. Yikes! Never again. Another plus? Now that I’m the proud lucky owner of a hot tub, I’ve already had a friend or two wishing they would have shaved before soaking – no problemo now. With this razor, I can easily swap the blade and let them shave. Bonus? Each blade comes in a tiny paper envelope, so I write my friend’s name on the envelope and slide their blade back in for the next sleepover, hot tub time. It’s the tiny perks my friends! Seriously, this razor is a simple pleasure, but it truly does delight me.
What about you? What razors are you using? Who do you purchase them from? Are you happy with your current setup? Let me know if you have any questions!
It’s been a few years since we’ve shared resolution posts, but look at us getting it together for 2021! You can see Sarah’s list here.
I’m a big fan of resolutions, BUT I’m also not one to attach any guilt to them… at first glance, I bet a lot of my goals don’t look like resolutions, BUT, it’s all in how you frame them. Wearing more makeup? That’s really devoting a few minutes to myself and my mental health before the day starts, and maybe I end up with a bit of mascara on. Who knows.
I think it helps to look back on the past year, and list your accomplishments. Anything counts! Went to the dentist for the first time in 5 years? Attended a yoga class a month? Created your first piece of embroidery? It all counts!
