Hello friends! Welcome to the fourth edition of The Catch-Up, a weekly column I hope you look forward to every Thursday. To read more about the series, pop on over to my first edition of The Catch-Up here, my second edition here, and my third edition here. There is already so much goodness in each week’s edition that I don’t want you to miss if this is your first time discovering The Catch-Up. I truly am so grateful to have you here. Thank you tons for reading and for catching up with me.
A few odds and ends I wanted to share. I’ve been living without my favorite moisturizer, the Extreme Cream, for a week but thankfully my package arrived yesterday so my skin is moisturized and nourished again. It has a glossy glaze and has magical skin firming powers. I swear this stuff is like Augustinus Bader’s skin moisturizer but for a fraction of the cost. I’ve been using it since my girlfriend turned me onto it last summer and am now addicted.
Margaux just launched Denim! No doubt playing off of the absolute craze for denim ballet flats that Chanel has created the past couple of years, the Margaux ones hit the mark for me and are so chic yet give off cool, every girl vibes. I’m quite obsessed with these.
Y’alls most favorite and most shopped for items from me the last week: another pair of shoes (!) - the perfect Loeffler Randal dune sandals (I’m so glad these came out in tan this year!). The Alice Walk cashmere crew sweater - you can thank me later for this one! These blue and white boardies from Minnow for little boys along with this coordinating french terry polo. These earbuds from Bose (p.s. Their mini bluetooth speaker is on sale from $119 down to $79. Bring it on every spring and summer trip and you’ll be sitting pretty). The Boobie Pillow from Look Linen Co… trust me, your sleep will never be the same (more on why I love it in this post). Last, but not least, this chocolate lattice print dress. I have it in two different prints because it’s such a hero in my closet. You’ll love it.
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what caught my eye
what caught my heart
I have a few friends who are really inspiring me right now. In truth, all of my friends inspire me on a daily basis whether that is through motherhood, through their marriages and relationships, through their friendships, and through their careers. It is hard (impossible?) to thrive in all areas of life. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the delicate balance between motherhood and career. If it is a balance you have in your life, would you agree that it is all the things - delicate, challenging, emotional, beautiful, important, stress-inducing, motivating? I have a quote I wrote down a while back in a notebook that I recently revisited and wanted to pass along because it struck such a chord with me that I’m still coming back to it over a year later.
“A lot of my life is about modeling. They listen to what you say, but they really do what you do. So, I realized, if I wanted to tell them to go for their dreams and to take risks and to not be afraid, well, am I modeling that? And that became very powerful to me.” - Lunya founder, Ashley Merrill, on The Skimm Podcast
Ashley’s reflections from her podcast interview are spot on for me. This exact train of thought has led me to take on some new challenges recently, challenges I’m excited to share with y’all soon (!!!). How can I encourage my boys to do something - be it chasing their dreams or something as “simple” as listening - if I don’t provide them with a strong model first? Ashley’s words don’t just have to apply to career and work either. It can apply to modeling yourself taking risks in putting yourself out there, trying new things, and volunteering and dedicating yourself to something new. It can also apply to modeling for them how to be a good person, friend, and family member. The list goes on: modeling listening, going to church, eating healthy + nourishing foods, staying active, not being on a phone or device, etc. They are sponges and to them, right now at least, I’m the coolest, smartest, most interesting, most creative, most important person in the world (+ dad!). I’d be remiss if I didn’t use that power now to the fullest to help my kiddos become the very best versions of themselves they can be.
Back to my original topic at hand - I have a few friends who are really inspiring me right now and modeling going for their dreams. Outside of all of the benefits for the actual do-er, the beauty in going for your dreams is that it does model for children and friends that they/we can do it too! One such friend is Chassity. At the end of last year, Chassity decided to write a book and she has put it out there into the world! I’m so inspired by her confidence, her creativity, her motivation, and her gumption! There is nothing like taking that first leap and saying “here I am! I’m trying this! I’m going to make some magic happen!” I can’t wait to read Chassity’s book and to see it come to life. My dad is a runner and has run the New York City marathon multiple times. He always says the best advice he received before he started training for his first marathon was “the minute you decide to run a marathon, tell everyone!” It makes you feel accountable and is much harder to go back on your original motivation if it’s out in the world. Three cheers to Chassity for doing this very thing!
Psst, if you need a little more motivation to take a leap yourself, Jess Graves, dishes it out in this post. An excerpt:
“If you want to do something, you should just start. You don’t need a business plan, a perfectly articulated brand identity, or even really any money. What you do need is a clear voice, a point of view, and the dedication to see things through, even when things get hard (and they will).
what caught my interest
Caro Chambers, the woman behind the most successful food Substack, is catching my interest at every single turn! I had the privilege of meeting her last year and she is INCREDIBLE. I love following her on Instagram and love subscribing to her Substack (worth every single penny). From announcing her 4th pregnancy to her brand new podcast episode on one of my favorite podcasts, Second Life, she is out there catching my attention. After listening to her podcast episode on Monday, I cooked from her cookbook that night (the cookbook is divided into lengths of time so there are meals you can cook in 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and so on. A GREAT buy in my opinion). I’m becoming a super fan.
Anywho, what really caught my interest was her Substack post on how to complete a clean kitchen reset. The post is free and breaks down every single pot, pan, tool, cutting board, etc. she’s replaced in her kitchen and why. The post is so informative, in-depth, and well researched. I can tell how much time went into it for Caro and her right hand woman, Molly, and I’m so impressed + grateful for all the recommendations, some of which were new-to-me brands etc. Read the post here.
what caught my kids
I share this every single spring and summer because I feel passionate about my love for it but the Weezie Towels kid’s coverup for pool and beach days is the absolute best. I can’t say it enough, it is a complete must for your pool bag… it is so cute, my boys love slipping into it, and it is just easy. It’s also a fantasticly effortless gift but feels thoughtful because it can be personalized. I’ve gifted it to one of my nieces, to my friends’ kids, and I get it for my boys every year if they have sized up. We are standing toes on the edge of the diving board ready to dive head first into spring here in Charleston so this is the time to refresh warm weather gear.
Not for my kids per se (although I will be using it for them constantly), but the new wet bags from Weezie towels have me so excited. I got one from Amazon last year that worked great for a few weeks but, by early summer, the zipper had broken etc since it was cheap. These ones are so cute and look to be much nicer quality. I am thrilled they added this product this year because I use a wet bag almost 7 days a week in the summer when we are home!
My boys also have these shirts - the terry clothing obsession is real with them so we have both the Weezie version and the Minnow styles. It’s also a nice time of year to do a beach towel refresh so all your beach towels are matching (and because the bundled sale price is pretty nice!).
Thank you for being here and reading along with me this week. If there is ever anything you want to see in The Catch-Up or on my Substack, please drop me a comment. Also, stay tuned for a big monthly post coming on Monday. I can’t wait for you to read! x
Jillian!! I'm just seeing mention of Caro and our clean kitchen reset here. We really did work so hard on it - and aren't Caroline's recipes the best?! Thank you, thank you for sharing! xx
Loved Catching up with you this week! I’m definitely adding lots of fun pool and beach accessories for Arthur to my shopping list thanks to you!