It's funny, how we can think back and divide the past year into super-distinct phases. There was the "spraying my vegetables with Clorox" phase. The banana bread phase. The puzzle phase. The Zoom learning-curve phase. Something involving fluffy coffee that I never quite got into. That moment when all parents made carefully color-coded wall calendars for their kids, only to abandon them within the week.
I made ramen.
Hi, Olivia here! Every year I curate a special gift guide for Ramshackle Glam and when Jordan and I were brainstorming this year's topic, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. (Here's last year's guide for the work at home mom.)
Know what's more fun than living through a pandemic? Also going through a divorce during said pandemic! And by fun, I mean, it's not fun at all and is emotionally draining to the core of your soul. Happy Holidays!
If you have a friend or sister in your life doing the parenting thing on her own, it's high time to pamper the hell out of her - from a safe distance, of course. Below are my picks for the perfect little gifts for the divorced mama in your life.
Give me all the sweaters and twinkle lights and in-bed dining trays and give them to me eight months ago
As I said in this post, I've personally really leaned in to the whole "never leaving the house again, ever" aspect of the past year. Because really: If you ask me to choose between Sugarfish in bed, as pictured above, and Sugarfish in a crowded restaurant filled with strangers wearing things like high heels and makeup...ummmmmm...
Bed.
The screaming Adam Driver is my favorite part.
Presenting: The latest in the Big Activity Book series! I'm obviously a little personally attached to this one, and have to say: After having written volumes about the utterly soul-crushing experience of going through a divorce, it was pretty fun - and cathartic - to explore the topic's more comical side. And trust me: There is one!
Click here to learn more about the book and to preorder. As always, it's so exciting to get to share these projects with you guys first, and I'm beyond grateful for all the support and encouragement you've given me over the years.
Because sometimes it's fun to dream big.
Hey, did you hear? California's in lockdown again. GOOD TIMES. So one thing's for sure: This year Thanksgiving will look very, very different for most of us. It's OK if you aren't feeling particularly celebratory, and decide to just skip it - those emotions are 1000% valid and understandable. Thanksgiving has always been sort of a crapshoot holiday for us - sometimes we were with Kendrick's family, sometimes we were with mine, sometimes were with friends (and if you're wondering whether looking at those posts I just linked to made me cry, the answer is: yes. obviously), and sometimes we crashed other people's celebrations. So it's not like there are any huge traditions that we'll be breaking. But still: I miss my parents. You might be missing yours, too.
TL;DR, I think we can all agree that it's not an especially jolly holiday season.
But! Hunkering down with some carbohydrates until this cursed year is over isn't the worst idea I've ever heard, and Thanksgiving Week seems like as good a time to get started as any.
Soma Pajamas | Sunday Somewhere glasses
Welp, here we are! Still.
As much as this year has been all the awful things (like literally all of them), I have to say: I've loved the total and utter absence of FOMO. Truly, all I ever wanted to do on a Saturday night was drink a bottle of wine while watching Bachelor in Paradise reruns, and now? That's all ANYONE does! It's enormously validating, and I dread the day when I once again feel like I really *should* put on a pair of pants (ew) and actually...leave the house to...do something (shudder).
It's really a shame that split pea soup is so very unattractive, because for real: When it's made right (like, ahem, #thisrecipe) there are very few things more delicious on a cold evening. I made this soup on a whim on Sunday night, adding potatoes to make it heartier and to stretch the recipe even further, and then ate it constantly for the next few days (including for breakfast). Even my kids, who would ordinarily shun a meal that appears, upon first glance, to be far too healthy and vegetable-inclusive for their tastes, can't get enough of it.
Related Read: Potato Soup for the Soul
Related Read: Thanksgiving Recipe Rundown
Do not be deceived by appearances; this child is searching for candy in his mom's hair.
I'm sorry, did I say "manipulate" children into taking an adorable holiday photo? I meant "convince."
...Cajole?
I've never been shy about trying out various cosmetic procedures and sharing the results here - you've seen me give everything from BBL lasers to microdermabrasion a shot. (Not to mention The Boobs.) I make a point of sharing about this topic - which many people would probably consider too personal to speak about publicly - for a very specific reason: I hate the fact that our culture tells women that they have to appear ageless, while simultaneously shaming them for not achieving said agelessness without help.
So. *Should* you undergo a cosmetic procedure? Of course not. But if you want to?
No shame.
Now that I have that off my chest: Let's talk PDO Threads.
