Home Is Where The Heart AND House Are

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^^Paddleboarding with Grammie!

My heart is at the beach. But boy does it feel great to be back at my house with all of our gear, clothes, routine. I think to mesh heart and home, the house needs to move to the beach! #retirementgoals.

Our Last Day At Bald Head

All three of the kids started to melt down a bit by our last day. Hence I don’t have any photos of our final dinner – a take out BBQ spread featuring pork, brisket, mac and cheese, baked beans, slaw, and cornbread. It was delish!

The only two photos I took of the last day included this happy group scene (minus Mazen’s pouty face…)

And Birch skinny dipping in the ocean!! (And now that I’m looking at this pic, that is a little too deep for sharks Thomas!)

Early Ferry Ride

Our crew left for the ferry at 7:30, getting up at 6am for final packing and breakfast. The good thing about the early ferry is the crowds and heat are both still low.

We set off on what is a 5.5 hour car trip with two adults. With two kids? It was more like 7 hours. We had to stop many times, we hit traffic, etc. etc. This PB&J on fluffy white bread was 100% delish.

True Crime Podcasts

Thomas and I listened to this podcast: Over My Dead Body. It was a GREAT listen (as good as Serial!) BUT I will say that the case is still ongoing, so there isn’t a happy completed ending. We listened to Dr. Death on the way down. It was good, but got a little boring halfway through. (And if you haven’t listened to Dirty John yet, do it NOW!

It’s Countertime!!

When we finally arrived home, it was worth the wait because COUNTERTIME is here! This is Beautycounter’s brand new anti-aging line, and it will be the company’s signature set. I couldn’t wait to open up the products and give them a good smell and feel. The line comes out on July 9, and I’ll be sharing more after I’ve used it a bit. Subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to hear.

Tropical Monoi For The Softest Skin

I also ordered the new Melting Body Balm that has my favorite smelling monoi flower. It smells heavenly – like a tropical drink + flower mixed together. My skin was SO dry after being at the beach for a week and I covered myself in the balm, which melts into an oil on your touch, head to toe after a refreshing shower.

Get A Free Gift Through July 4

If you’ve been considering trying any of the Beautycounter hero products – the Peel, Brightening Oil, sunscreens, charcoal mask, Dew Skin, etc. – there is a 4th of July promo going on this week with a free Countermatch set OR Countercontrol set with any purchase over $175. These are deluxe travel size and should last you 1-2 months, so it’s a great way to test out a line without committing to the whole collection.

New Ring Sling!

Look at what also came in the mail! B is getting so heavy to carry without any support, and my back is feeling it. While I love our Boba carrier, it’s not the most glamorous, so I bit the bullet and ordered this linen ring sling from Amazon for $39. While it’s not as supportive as a front carrier, I love that 1) It’s so quick to put on and 2) it’s dressy and doesn’t cut into my hips, so I can wear it at a party and still look and feel dressed up. Birchie obviously loves it too!

First Dinner Back

On post-vacation days, Thomas heads to the grocery store while I go on an unpacking frenzy, and we usually pick up a rotisserie chicken and make big salads for dinner. After a week of vacation food, our bodies were craving salad like crazy! In addition to chicken and greens, we had strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, goat cheese, candied pecans, and homemade dressing.

Cozy Morning

We were SO GLAD to be back in our Tempurpedic mattress with good AC and nice sheets. Our beach house did not have the best bed. We all slept so well – Birch and Mazen included. I also REALLY missed my electric toothbrush, which ran out of charge the day we arrived. It’s crazy what a difference that sonic buzz makes in getting teeth to feel clean!

Pancakes For Breakfast!

Treadmill Run + Chores

For our workouts, Thomas cut the grass, Mazen ran loops around the neighborhood with the neighbors, and I ran on the treadmill. Birch worked on his crawling!

I had almost the same salad for lunch as the night before. Plus pita chips!

To wrap up the weekend, we went to T’s parents’ house for Sunday dinner. Mazen starts a new art camp this week!