April felt like one of the craziest months we have had in years.
The U.S. {specifically Los Angeles} is re-opening, we traveled to Cabo for my birthday, we purged, we launched a collection and we adjusted our our sails. Phew!
In many ways, April felt like a whirlwind but it also felt like a nice coast. Aside from a gigantic purge we did with our house, all of the other things we have going on in our lives seemed to fall easily into place which was really nice.
The Great Purge
Our moving date is next week, so we spent the entire month of April slowly, but surely, cleaning and purging and organizing. My goal for the new house is to “begin as we mean to go.” There is not a single rubber band, spoon or t-shirt that is coming to our new house that we do not 100% love, use and feel a need for. Our old house was very good at collecting clutter and this was something that was honestly cluttering up my mind. Grant and I are not known to be “hoarders” or people who have a lot of “stuff.” But in this house there just seemed to be so many closets and drawers full of junk! It felt so good to sell, donate and get rid of the things that do not serve us.
My Amazon Collection Dropped!
The Amazon Drop Collection we launched in April exceeded any expectations I had set. I am beyond thrilled with my partnership with Amazon and the reaction from all of you over the collection. I’m dying to do another one! Please leave a comment below on what types of pieces you would like to see me design. We’re in talks with Amazon about renewing our contract {fingers crossed big time!}. They have been one of our greatest clients to date.
My full manuscript is due in August so I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my book. I have to say that it’s been a bit draining, emotionally. You will see when the book releases, but there are a lot of deep, personal stories included that I’m having to revisit. I didn’t realize how emotionally taxing this process would be. But at the same time it is also quite therapeutic.
Yoga, Yoga, Yoga!
Oh man do I love my weekly yoga. Right now I’m taking a private 3 times per week with Joe at Urban 728. They stream classes for *free* so be sure to head over to their website here. As someone who has been “pro-therapy” for my entire life, this practice allows me to really focus on putting the mind, body and soul pieces together as one.
Post-Partum // Infertility
I have mentioned a time or two that I will not carry another baby. We froze embryos back in February 2020 as a back up option. Through the process I was advised by multiple doctors against getting pregnant again. It’s something that I *think* I want to write about eventually. Is that something you guys even want to read about? I’m still kind of coming to terms with it all. I think between the pandemic, Polly dying, June growing as a toddler and just “life” getting in the way… I haven’t had much time to truly process these new feelings. But I’m open to sitting down to write about it if that’s something you are interested in.
June
You guys, June is honestly THE BEST. We are so obsessed with her and somehow our love grows for her daily. She’s just so much fun to be around too! Grant and I keep saying how much we just love our little pack. June is desperate for playtime, action and activity. I’m currently looking into signing her up for soccer and she’ll start school in July {which is early for her age}. We are so excited!
That’s pretty much all for now. Are you guys liking these monthly check ins? I feel like it’s a nice time to really connect with you all and let you know what’s been going on in our lives.
On Wednesday, the brand responsible for 2020’s most talked-about fashion item — the Nap dress — made its bridal debut with a 21-piece collection. And yes, it includes Nap dresses. For the Bridal Collection, Hill House Home combined existing favorites, like the Athena Nap Dress, the Belle Bow, and the Jewel Jammie pajama set (most recently worn by Emma’s Anya Taylor-Joy) with never-before-seen items, including customizable ring pillows and party kits — which include the Jewel Jammies, a silk pillowcase, and the Noor Headband — for the bride and their bridesmaids. Essentially, the brand thought of everything a bride could need, starting from the second they get engaged up until the wedding night.
From the something blue — we’d suggest the Noor headband for that — to the way you ask all your bridesmaids to be your bridesmaids — the “Be My Bridesmaid?” silk kit is your best bet — the Bridal Collection was designed to be there for all of the “little moments that surround the big day,” according to a press release. But who says it belongs only in the little moments? The Dolly Robe, which is made from silk and includes delicate feather details, could just as easily be the dress. In fact, given the rise in minimonies since the pandemic, something more casual almost feels more appropriate for a trip down the aisle than a big, poofy dress. Plus, you can rewear it.
The fact that the entire collection tops off at $335 is simply the icing on top of your four-tier wedding cake. Check out the campaign, shot by photographer Emma Craft, and shop the just-launched Bridal Collection, ahead.
The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.The Hill House Home Bridal Collection is now available onHillHouseHome.com.Photographed by: Emma Craft.
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After getting voted out of office, banned from social media, and impeached twice, a Florida Man is attempting what can only be described as a rebrand. Former Twitter user Donald Trump is spending his days FaceTiming YouTubers; he’s giving meandering speeches at weddings; he’s spring breaking in Florida, so to speak. Now, he’s blogging. Awkward question but…is Trump making a bid to join Gen Z?
First, let’s back up to the new Trump website. With a layout that somewhat resembles a low-quality Tumblr site circa 2014, “From the Desk of Donald Trump” unfortunately answers the question none of us dared to ask: What would this man have tweeted if he was provided more than 280 characters? Many of his posts are about election fraud, “RINOs” like Mitt Romney, and “warmongers” like Liz Cheney. Occasionally, he takes a break to celebrate certain holidays — as he wrote on April 4, “Happy Easter to ALL, including the Radical Left CRAZIES who rigged our Presidential Election, and want to destroy our Country!” (Thoughtful!)
But this isn’t the only way Trump is attempting to connect with the youths. On Tuesday, notorious YouTuber Jake Paul shared a series of photos seemingly confirming a call with Trump. “In the past two weeks I… FaceTimed Donald Trump,” Paul wrote on Instagram, backing this up with a screenshot that does seem to depict Paul and Trump talking over FaceTime. In the same post, Paul also claimed he was “DM’d by Drake,” bragged that wrestler Kamaru Usman “became my fan,” and listed ten other achievements.
Paul might be one of the most famous faces of Gen Z, but he doesn’t speak for the generation that grew up facing the widespread violence, chaos, and hatred Trump wreaked. In 2020, Trump only received 36% of votes from Americans aged 24 and under, and according to a 2020 study, an even lower percentage said they approved of the job he’d done as President. According to the Pew Research Center, studies show that Gen Zers are overwhelmingly progressive, “less likely than older generations to see the United States as superior to other nations” and more likely to “see the country’s growing racial and ethnic diversity as a good thing.”
As America continues to face the after-effects of Trump’s violent, harmful rhetoric, it’s obvious that he might be trying to reach new audiences, but thank you, no thank you. Gen Z is all good, bestie!
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Natural Hair Styles: 12 Easy Ways to Get Relief from Too-Tight Braids
By Jacqueline Samaroo
There are quite a few upsides to wearing braids. They are super convenient, sleek, stylish, and can help to protect your natural hair when it needs it most. Too-tight braids, however, can turn this go-to natural hair style into a painful nightmare. They can also end up damaging your hair instead of protecting it.
Here are some ways you can deal with the pain of too-tight braids. These 12 tips will bring you much-needed relief, as well as protect your natural hair from damage and ensure you don’t go through that kind of unnecessary pain (ever!) again.
1. Gently loosen the braids.
Use the eraser end of a pencil, a pen without the point sticking out, or a comb. Just slip it under each braid and wiggle it a bit. You can also go back to the braider and ask for the braids to be loosened.
2. Use a leave-in conditioner.
Spray leave-in conditioner on your scalp and rub it in with your fingers to reduce the tension of the braids on your scalp.
3. Use a braid spray.
These products are specially designed to relieve common braid issues such as dryness, itching, and, you guessed it, tightness.
4. Use moist heat.
This will help to open your hair shafts and reduce some of the tension. It will also soften the braids and make them more elastic, lessening how much they pull on your scalp. Try any of these moist heat methods:
Wrap your head in a warm, damp towel.
Take a warm shower and allow the water to wet your head.
Use a hair steamer for about ten minutes at a time.
Spray your scalp with warm water.
5. Use cold water.
Fill a spray bottle with cold water and spray it directly onto your scalp. This can help to dull the pain for a while. Keep the bottle in the fridge and use as needed.
6. Massage your scalp with oils.
A gentle, daily scalp massage will help to loosen tight braids. You can magnify its effects with soothing oils. Tea tree oil, almond oil, chamomile oil, and lavender oil are all good choices.
7. Drink water.
This probably won’t help your too-tight braids in the short term but staying hydrated on the inside is always a good idea. It helps to keep your scalp (and the rest of your skin) supple and more flexible. This might even, in the long term, help your braided styles not be so uncomfortable.
8. Wear your hair down.
Avoid up-dos as they will add more tension to your already tight braids, causing you more pain. If you have long braids and want to keep them out of your face or off your shoulders, try putting your hair in a loose, low ponytail.
9. Take the braids out.
No hairstyle is worth the pain, discomfort, and risk of hair loss that too-tight braids can cause. If none of the above suggestions give you relief, taking your braids out may be your wisest course of action for the sake of your natural hair.
10. Take painkillers.
Painkillers might be the best option if the pain is intense and is interfering with your other activities, and you don’t intend to take the braids out.
11. Talk to your braider.
Let the braider know about the braids being too tight last time and ask for them to be looser this time around. Your braider is looking forward to your repeat business and will definitely try to accommodate you as best they can.
12. Find a new braider.
It may be time to get a new braider – especially if you have a repeat of too-tight braids after speaking with your old braider. Some braiders just naturally do tight braids or they are trying to avoid complaints from clients when the style does not last as long as they expected.
Do you have any other suggestions for dealing with too-tight braids? Please share!
Right now, all Americans 16 and over are eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine — something we’ve been looking forward to since the start of the pandemic last year. And now, it looks like the 12-15 age group will be eligible to get their jabs soon, too. But as millions line up to get vaccinated, healthcare workers and public officials are setting their sights on the roughly one-third of U.S. residents who say they’re not sure about the vaccine or don’t want to get it.
A UCLA survey that interviewed 75,000 people over 10 months found that 38% of respondents were worried about the side effects and 34% didn’t think the vaccine was safe. And among registered voters, one in four Americans said they do not plan to get any coronavirus vaccine.
It leaves many of us wondering: What can we do about it?
Findings from a Pew Research Center poll found that among respondents who said they were unlikely to get a vaccine, half agreed that they were willing to change their minds once there was more information or once other people were vaccinated first.
“No national ad campaign is ever going to be as effective…as people who look like you and come from your community saying: ‘This is important/ It’s the right thing for us,’” Kelly Moore, of the vaccine education group Immunization Action Coalition, told The Washington Post.
While no single message will be successful in convincing every vaccine-hesitant person, studies show that Moore’s claims are correct: A healthy dose of peer pressure is a successful way to get more people on board.
This positive peer pressure has already been leveraged by vaccine experts in the form of “I’m vaccinated” stickers and buttons, or encouraging people to post just-vaccinated pictures online to create a sense of solidarity. But a personal touch of hearing it from a friend or family member might be that much more effective for some.
Since vaccination rates began to plateau, medical experts have started to shift away from their previous goal of achieving rapid herd immunity to just getting as many people vaccinated as they can. Reports now say that herd immunity is farther off than we think — if even attainable with the waning vaccination rates.
However, others don’t see the vaccine reticence quite as dismally. Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, a professor of economics at MIT, believes that the apprehension is normal. In fact, based on his own research and other findings, he believes that it is less about a hard-set ideological divide as much as it is about typical uncertainty around adopting new things.
“The feedback loop from some people taking it to other people taking it is always a critical part of adoption of new, general technologies,” Banerjee told Business Insider. “There are people who will wait until others take it, before taking it.” With the release of new technology, there are early adopters and there are those who wait to see how it goes. Banerjee believes that vaccination efforts will take on a similar progression. But the good news is that people can be convinced — it just takes a community-wide willingness to push that effort forward.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared a guide for how to speak to family and friends about getting vaccinated. It suggests listening to their questions with empathy, asking open-ended questions, asking for permission before sharing vaccine information, helping them find their own reason to get vaccinated, and doing what you can to help them make and get to a vaccination appointment should they decide to get one. It also touches on debunking myths and concerns around highly unlikely occurrences, like blood clots, or other anti-vax talking points that have become more and more prevalent in the mainstream.
There is currently no published study specifically showing the overall effectiveness of peer pressure as a tactic to get others vaccinated, but statistics do show that this type of information-sharing can at least be an effective way to help others feel more comfortable with the vaccine. It’s up to the individual to actually make the appointment and show up, but a conversation, a post, or a story about your vaccine experience could mean we’re a step — or many steps — closer to returning to normalcy.
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