For about four years I made it a daily habit to keep up with my TikTok scrolling for "viral research," to save the sounds I kept hearing over and over, find the videos that were doing well, and figure out how to put my own spin on them. If I jumped on a trend early it had a better chance of taking off. Chasing virality was the formula that was working for me, and reach was all I cared about back then, which I explain more in my recent post Is the Influencer Era Dead?. When I first started going viral I was posting twice a day on Tiktok, then it was once a day consistently, and I kept that up from 2020 until the middle of 2024. The first post that really took off was me sharing my story of being a young mom, and from there it was styling outfit transition videos, then the funny videos like me “acting like my Gen Z daughter”.

I gained so many followers from that stretch and for a while it felt like I'd cracked the ever elusive algorithm code. But the people who came in from those videos were there to be entertained. They’d comment “I followed you from the Gen Z video,” and I’d think well, that was one video, and most of what I post is nothing like it. They’d followed for the funny videos and were waiting for the next one, and if my next post didn’t also go viral, most of them were never going to see it anyway because of how the FYP was structured.

When a video did well I was happy that all the research, planning, filming, and editing felt worth it, and when one didn’t I’d get down on myself, like the hours I’d spent creating and editing were pointless because it didn’t get the views. I tied it back to the feeling when I would get an A on a research paper in college, that I did everything my professor was looking for and got rewarded with the grade. This was of course completely different but it felt like my performance was tied to views and creating for what I thought other people wanted to see and it left out the part of building a deeper connection with my audience. At that time, going viral was the thing that helped boost someones account and set them apart from other creators, got them ins with brand deals or shot up in fame that opened other doors, there were many how-to create viral video tutorials and many others were thinking there has to be some secret to this and if they could only crack the code. But I’m here to tell you, viral is a poor game plan. Sure, if you create something that was true to you and it resonates with many people, thats one thing but creating for the idea of going viral can be left in the past.

It took me awhile to get to this point, after years of trying to stay on the “viral train” it’s hard to get out of that mindset. The part that would keep popping up in my head was remembering why we started our blog in the first place. When I quit my job to pursue blogging full-time (more about that in this post) it was to have the time to work on it during the day and also to be there for Jadyn for after school pickup, and somewhere along the way and in those most recent four years I’d started to feel like a slave to the content and that this job was owning me. Anthony and I would have these conversations, this feels draining and pointless, if we’re only looking at it from the money side we could do something else to make money, it didn’t feel like I’m helping anyone. At the same time it’s also not that deep, it’s videos and photos. But I felt like it could feel more meaningful, especially with having to stay motivated to want to keep creating, I lost my why. I wrote about our move to Tennessee and the season that led up to it in these posts here so I won’t go through all of it, but that’s where the real change happened, when we stopped and asked ourselves how we wanted to live and how we could keep doing this at a pace we chose and why going viral is the last thing I want now…

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I don’t follow every trend, just the ones that feel like me and still feel classic, which is really why I love watching the runways. It’s less about copying a look and more about getting a visual for colors and textures, then figuring out what I’m inspired by and what I’m fine skipping. So after going through my favorite designers’ fall 2026 shows, here are the six trends I really love and how I’ll bring a little of each into what I already wear without spending a fortune. Everything listed below is under $300.

The thing I loved most about this season wasn’t a single piece, it was the styling. Prada sent models out who changed their look on the runway in real time, and one stylist said it made her want to go home and see what else she could do with what she already owns. Celine did it with rings and belts, Bottega and Tory Burch did it with a collar peeking out of a crewneck, Valentino did it with a sash. It’s a good reminder to get creative with the pieces I already own, and it got me thinking about the few additions that would make my closet feel new again, which is where this list comes in.

I’m drawn to cotton and natural fibers when I can find them, especially for the everyday basics. If it’s a base layer I’m going to wear three times a week, a tee or a sweater or a button-down, I want it to be cotton or wool or cashmere, because those are the pieces that hold up. If it’s a more structured, stylish top, something for an occasion, or outerwear (especially anything that needs to be waterproof!), I’m not too picky about the materials. But gone are the days of spending quite a bit on a top I think I’ll wear again and again, only to find out it’s an itchy 100% polyester.

I kept all of this in mind when selecting the pieces below, being as mindful about materials as possible:

I love the styling of a full-length trench. It just reads more luxe, it moves better, and it makes even a tee and jeans underneath look so chic. What I’ve been drawn to lately is that English countryside look, the kind of thing you’d wear to walk a garden in the Cotswolds (I’ve never been, but it’s on my list, it looks gorgeous!). Being out in my own garden and inspired by fall, I’m interested in pieces that are weatherproof but still versatile for everyday life, and it turns out the runways had the same idea this season. Ralph Lauren, Hermès and Stella McCartney all sent out riding boots and tailored jackets, Chloé did check blazers belted with what looked like horse tack, and Acne Studios and Paloma Wool went country in their own way too. Stella McCartney even had ponies at her show. Tweed and waxed cotton were everywhere with it, the heritage fabrics that only get better as they wear in, and a cropped tweed jacket over a white shirt is the fastest way to get the whole look in one piece. There were also beautiful funnel-neck coats, like this one I just got.

The styling I loved most was at The Row, where the trench was worn with gray tights and nude pumps. I usually think of a trench with boots or flats, so seeing it with a heel turned it into an evening look without changing the coat at all.

Here’s my favorite picks for english countryside:

• a full-length trench coat

• a relaxed trench in beige

• a wool-cashmere cocoon coat

• a tie-belt wool trench

• a twill safari jacket in khaki

• the corduroy barn jacket in camel

• an organic waxed cotton barn jacket in forest green

• a workwear jacket

• the casual waxed jacket

• a cropped tweed lady jacket

• Luxe woven tote in dark chocolate

I didn’t currently have anything cobalt in my closet. Then I watched the Chanel, Givenchy and Bottega Veneta shows back to back and it was the only color I remembered and how effortlessly it was styled multiple ways. Mugler put it right next to chartreuse just to prove a point (chartreuse is not my vibe, I'll leave that one on the runway, but I love the blue). The bigger idea on the runway was two bold colors worn together, which Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Prada and Tory Burch all did. Tory Burch and Bottega did it with just a collar or a cuff of blue under a crewneck, and that's the version I'm stealing. I love this way to style it:

It feels like a fun color to add while still keeping it true to my personal style. I love adding it with accessories if you don't want to go all in with a sweater, and the cinched waist of a belt is a really cool way to incorporate it. Here’s my favorite picks for cobalt:

• cashmere scarf

• a midi trench in blue

• a blue denim jacket

• an organic cotton boyfriend crew in sapphire

• a cashmere crew cardigan in blue

• a cashmere knit scarf in blue

• a cashmere and wool triangle scarf

• a pleated cummerbund belt

• a leather shopper bag in vibrant blue

• a blue shoulder bag

• a cinched blazer in cobalt

• a funnel neck buttoned jacket

Red is always so stunning for fall, and poppy red is the fresher version for this year. It was everywhere on the fall runways, in long red dresses at Valentino and Fendi, red leather at Ferragamo and Balenciaga, and bright red knits at Chanel, Alaïa, Prada and Celine. I love it with a trench most of all. I just got this red scarf and I already know I’ll wear it constantly, knotted at the neck with the trench or tied around the waist. Here’s my favorite poppy red picks:

• a collarless tailored blazer in poppy red

• an oversized cotton cable sweater

• an oversized V-neck sweater

• a red boatneck sweater

• the wild rag scarf in carmine

• an embroidered cotton cap

• a mini shoulder bag in red leather

• a half-zip cotton sweatshirt in red

• a stand-up collar jersey top

• a cinched blazer in red

• a scoop rib knit cardigan

• a funnel-neck jacket in negroni

• a long red trench

• a draped top

Plaid is the one print I’ve never gotten tired of, and this season it was everywhere, but what I loved is that no two designers did it the same way. Acne Studios made it feel like horse country, Celine and Dior made it feel like a private school uniform in the best way, Chloé went soft and bohemian with it, and Chanel turned the classic tweed jacket into something that almost looked like chainmail.

It’s also a little nostalgic for me. I recently went to a dinner for Boden and the whole theme was tartan, which took me right back to high school. I was on the cheer team at Glendora High in CA, and our team name was, no joke, the Tartans. The mascot was a Scottie dog in plaid, other schools loved to point out that we were named after a piece of fabric, but the cheer uniforms were always so cute and I spent four years decked out in plaid and grew to love it.

Here’s my favorite plaid/argyle picks that feel fresh for right now:

• a checked cotton twill shirt

• a plaid poplin overshirt

• a cropped cardigan in brown and navy argyle

• a cropped barn jacket

• the quilted jacket with the tartan collar

• a cashmere tartan scarf in oatmeal and red

• an alpaca argyle neckerchief

• a blouse in navy and lemon plaid

• a plaid zip top

• a check flannel trench coat

• a plaid hooded jacket

I’m all for oversized looks, but this season was more about tailoring. You can still wear an oversized shirt, but the waist is cinched so perfectly. The silhouette moved closer to the body. Ralph Lauren and Jacquemus did skirt suits, Jonathan Anderson restyled Dior’s Bar jacket, and the tailoring at Givenchy, Gucci and Saint Laurent was sharp and fitted rather than slouchy. The theme was define the waist. An easy way to do that is belting what you already own, tucking in your shirt, or sizing down on your next jacket, which is a great way to make something you already have feel fresh again. But if you want one new piece, make it something with a waist.

This blazer I wear so often. I’m 5’10” and wearing a size large, and I could have gone down to a medium for an even more tailored fit, but I love the cut of it. It’s not under $300, but I’ve worn it so many times I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth!

Here’s my favorite picks for a cinched waist:

• a belted wool-blend wrap coat

• a fitted jacket with a defined waist

• a cinched jacket

• a fitted black top

• a fitted-waist cotton shirt in white

• a cinch-waist long sleeve top

• a peplum sweater tank

• a knit fitted-waist tee

• a fitted-waist interlock top

• a long waisted blazer in black

• a linen vest with an elastic waist

• a cinched-waist peplum sweater in black

The jewelry on the runways was one big piece instead of a stack. Chanel did chunky collars that looked like sculpture, Chloé put oversized charm pendants over turtlenecks, Nina Ricci brought back the choker in a Marie Antoinette way, and Saint Laurent sent out necklaces so big they were paired with earrings just as big. The idea is that one heavy piece carries the whole outfit, and for someone who loves a white shirt and jeans, that's something I was really drawn to. Here’s my favorite statement pieces:

• a layered freshwater pearl statement necklace

• a gold and brown pendant necklace

• a sculptural gold necklace (I just got this one and it looks so cool with a turtleneck or a tee, and the pendant comes off so I can wear it as a plain gold chain too, love it!)

• beaded statement earrings

• flower pendant earrings

• polished brass bow earrings

• embossed metal earrings

• a statement stone necklace

• a gem pendant necklace

• molten glass statement studs

• a gold-plated topaz statement ring

• a molten metal pendant necklace

My favorite shoes for fall

Not really a trend, more the ones that work with every outfit above and that you'll wear again and again:

• black leather ballet flats: love the square toe

• a glove flat in camel: these are sooo comfortable and zero “breaking in” period, which I worry about with new flats sometimes and getting blisters. Not these ones, I have them in caramel color.

• penny loafers in chocolate brown leather: I just got these in the chocolate brown and they feel very luxe.

• a pointed toe suede: love the shape of these and suede always adds beautiful texture to an outfit.

• leather boots: I love the flat heel on these and the rounded top.

• a heritage western boot: I’ve worn cowboy boots here so often mainly because a classic pointed toe looks so chic with jeans, and these are so durable in any weather.

• classic nude pump: perfect for that Row trench look.

The elevated basics underneath

Not a runway trend exactly, but every outfit above starts here, and this is where I hold the line on natural fibers. Chanel did a lot of tan and cream this season and Pantone's color of the year was a soft white, so a cream tee and a good pair of jeans are more on trend than ever and feel very fresh!

• a balloon-sleeved cotton blouse

• a merino wool tee

• white long sleeve tee

• a 100% cotton long sleeve white tee: I just got this and it fits SO cute.

• a 100% cotton oversized sweater

• Pima cotton tank: these are my favorite tanks, I have in white and black.

• soft white turtleneck

• elevated button-up

• low-slung baggy jeans

• high-rise wide-leg jeans

• classic dark high-rise jeans

A few I’m leaving on the runway

Not everything grabbed me, and that’s the point of following your own taste. The Art Deco moment was beautiful, all those beaded flapper dresses and drop waists at Chanel and Fendi, but drop waist isn’t flattering on me (especially after multiple babies). Animal print is having another big year, and I was there two years ago, wore it constantly, and just donated two leopard coats, so I’m sitting this round out. Chartreuse and bright yellow are not my vibe, however good they looked next to cobalt at Mugler. And sheer, which Prada and Khaite did so well, is one I’ll admire on other people but doesn’t feel as practical for me at the moment.

xx Brittany

We’re currently at the park, and the kids are smacking sticks together saying they’re playing music while I make these voice notes. I’ve been thinking about a few things lately and wanted to get them all out, so if this feels a little jumbled, it’s because I’m doing voice notes on my phone.

First of all, I’ve seen a couple of posts recently from what

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Since posting last week on Instagram about how old is too old to have a baby, I’ve gotten so many questions about how we conceived Clive. Many were about if we went through IVF (no, we didn’t). And other questions were about what helped me get pregnant naturally at 38? I filmed four videos documenting those months, the two week waits, the negative test, the morning I found out, but nowhere did I have it all listed out in one place for an easy reference. So that’s what I’m doing here… writing out everything I did during those six months, what I did differently the cycle we got pregnant, and what I’d do now if we were trying again.

Some of this came from my functional health doctor, some from my chiropractor and acupuncturist, and some I picked up from researching how to boost my health to not only conceive but have a strong pregnancy. I’m not a doctor, I’m sharing my own personal experience, and hopefully some of these tips could help you if you are in that trying to conceive period or are thinking about it in the future.

As I sit here writing this I have a chonky 4 month old boy on my lap (18 pounds!) and remember the feeling of finding out I was pregnant last Labor day weekend and waking up Anthony at 6am with the test strip saying, it worked!! Everything we had been doing (many daily prayers included) was for this little life, and now he’s here and the biggest joy! I’m the kind of person that likes information to make a decision, so that’s how I approached trying to conceive, I was also 38 so I wasn’t in the mindset of “if it happens it happens” and “wait and see”, no I’m going to not only support myself for optimal health but I wanted to optimize all of it, here’s everything I did:

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We love ice cream here (especially with simple ingredients), and it's my kids' favorite dessert, with this chocolate date syrup and sprinkles. When Jay was here our favorite ice cream was sold out at Sprouts (the organic Strauss one is so creamy), so I wanted something like that to make at home. No churn means you don't need an ice cream maker, just a mixer and a container, and I usually make it the day before so it has time to freeze up. This base is so easy to make and I love these little ice cream containers to store it in. Plus you can add whatever mix-ins to make it how you like.

We’ve made sprinkles and chocolate chips, strawberry using strawberry puree, and cookie dough and chocolate flakes was more recent. The fun part is doing it with the kids, Jay was shocked it was homemade with how creamy it was and how easy it was to put together with no churning. It's fun to be creative with it, plus you know all the ingredients. Everyone's favorite is the rocky road with homemade marshmallows.

For this recipe I've included our rocky road version, but if you went without the mix-ins it makes a delicious vanilla.

Tools & Supplies

• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer

• Large mixing bowl

• 9x5-inch loaf pan (I use these)

• Rubber spatula

• Measuring cups or kitchen scale

No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream

Prep Time: 15 min · Freeze Time: 4–5 hours (or overnight for firm) · Total Time: About 5 hours · Serves: About 8

Before You Start

• Have homemade marshmallows made ahead and cut into mini pieces.

• Roughly chop the walnuts before you begin.

• You’ll need a hand mixer or stand mixer and a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

• Plan your freeze: 4–5 hours for a soft scoop, or overnight for firm.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 g) heavy cream (I like that brand bc no added gums)

• 1 can (14 oz / 397 g) organic sweetened condensed milk

• 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

• 1½ cups (about 75 g) mini homemade marshmallows

• ¾ cup (90 g) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

• ¾ cup (240 g) chocolate date syrup, at room temperature

Instructions

1. Beat the heavy cream in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Fold gently, stopping as soon as it looks even so you keep the air in.

3. Fold in about three-quarters of the marshmallows and walnuts, plus half the date syrup. Leave the syrup streaky rather than fully blended.

4. Scrape into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Drizzle the rest of the date syrup on top and drag a knife through it a few times. Scatter the remaining marshmallows and walnuts over the surface.

5. Cover and freeze for 4–5 hours for a soft scoop, or overnight for firm. Store in the freezer.

xx Brittany

I recently took a weekend to complete the areas that were bothering me the most and it felt so good after! As a mom of three little ones working from home (and one in college, but she organized her room before she left thankfully), my house is not in pristine order daily. There are toys usually spilled out to be played with and they get cleaned up before we go to bed. I want my house to feel lived in and my kids to feel it’s a safe space to run around and be kids. But I don’t like clutter and keeping something because I’m not sure where else to put it, what I’ve found is that when there’s LESS in the house to begin with, I feel more at peace and the cleaning up goes faster.

UCLA studied families in their own homes for years, and the moms who called their houses cluttered had higher stress hormones, and it went up as they walked from room to room. So maybe they’re onto something and it isn't just in my head. A house with less in it to me is a calmer house.

Fall is when I like to do this because the holiday season gets pretty busy. This also gives me a good idea for Christmas presents for the kids because we clear out what isn’t useful and can be more mindful of what we get them (I don’t go crazy with Christmas presents for the kids like I used to in previous years, lessons learned but that’s for another post!). I used to get decision fatigue where I wouldn’t know where to start first and would get really stuck on the decluttering part (I would always find some reason to keep something). Here’s what I’ve found to help me get the job done quicker…

I start with whatever area is bothering me most, which is almost always the playroom. Recently it was our entryway too, so I worked on both, and I'll keep going through the other areas this month. Break it up into manageable tasks, like today I do my closet, tomorrow the bathroom drawers. Saying it will all get done in one day isn't practical and hasn't worked for me in the past. Then I follow the same order for every spot in the house: declutter, deep clean, then make it cozy.

Part 1: Declutter

I break up the house into rooms or categories. For the playroom the category was toys, I like putting everything in one pile so I can see it all at once. So for example, here’s the before:

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I'm very picky when it comes to sales, but that wasn't always the case. I used to talk myself into every one, calling it "saving money." Now I’m much more intentional about it, I keep a running list of things I need from brands I already love, and I wait. Labor Day is fun because so many brands have sales. Here's what made my list, and the one question I ask before anything goes in the cart: would I pay full price for this? Most of the home pieces featured are from Lulu and Georgia, they have 25% off sitewide and it’s really good because that doesn’t happen often:

The living room

We haven’t painted the living room yet or hung art on the walls but I love that we moved and all the pieces still work in this house too:

The Merrit sideboard is a little long for where I have it right now, but I love it so much I’m keeping it here for the time being. It might need to go in the entryway but I haven’t styled that area yet. It’s the collab with Sarah Sherman Samuel and I love her interior design, I bought it when we were in San Marino.

The Baird swivel chairs come in so many prints, but I still think they’re so cozy in the brown, and these wool light filtering curtains.

The wool throw in the color rust lives on our chair and we use for movie nights. This one is perfect in brown too. The Olema handwoven wool throw I’ve had since 2023 and it’s still in good shape.

Our round coffee table is sold out, but this one is the one I'd buy now. I love a round table with little ones. When they start walking I’m not worried about sharp corners, we had a square marble coffee table in our first house with Poppy and I was always nervous about her falling into it, so I’d keep her out of the living room. That’s not practical, I want our living room to be cozy and a place for the whole family. And the kids loveee this sheepskin ottoman, especially when we light the fireplace.

Our Chiltern rug is thick and cozy and the quality is great. Mine is the colorway with more pink in it and I wish I’d gone a bit darker like the copper color.

The Kemble woven basket holds our firewood and looks pretty next to the fireplace. It’s from the Heidi Callier collab and her rooms are always so warm and elevated at the same time.

The Deep Silence print is in Anthony’s office waiting to be hung. We’re behind on a few house projects but it will be up hopefully soon! Here’s what it looked like at our previous home:

The dining room

The Raphael sideboard is in our dining room and I love how light it is next to the other furniture. I still need to hang prints and style that area more. I’m borrowing Jay’s lamp from her room, I just ordered this one.

Our bedroom

The lamps, the nightstands, the full length mirror are all from the collaboration with DISC Interiors, who do beautiful work out in LA. We need to paint our room still, not loving the grey walls it has currently, but here’s how they were styled in our previous home:

My bedframe comes in so many prints.

I love this Lee tall dresser I use the inside shelves for folded sweaters and joggers for the fall and it makes it easy to see everything alongside having drawers.

The Vekki bedspread is on our bed now. I originally bought it for Jay’s room last year, but with her new room here the mattress was smaller so it was too big. See Jay’s room before and after here.

Avocado mattresses. Every mattress in our house is an Avocado because the materials are truly clean, organic latex, organic wool, and organic cotton with no foam, no chemical flame retardants, and no fiberglass. Up to 20% off mattresses and 15% off bedding and bath.

The kids’ rooms

The kids both have Lorena Canals washable cotton rugs in their room (see them in this post), these are some of my favorites, dog pillow, checkered rug, line rug.

This dresser and Anastasia mirror are in Poppy’s room. I painted it Incarnadine Red from Farrow & Ball most recently:

It’s adorable in the white too, how it was in her previous room:

In Jay’s room (see them all featured in this post): the Birchly chandelier, the Monroe velvet pillow on her bed, and the Duna organic towels in her bathroom. The bath sheet is huge and so cozy, and the hand towels can be personalized, which gives it that hotel touch.

My kids’ both have avocado toddler pillows and Elliott has the crib mattress and Poppy has the kid mattress. See how I styled Poppy’s room in this post.

Boden is 15% off new kids’ styles. I had to get this jacket and dress for Poppy (thinking would be perfect for Christmas), sooo cute!

I love Hanna Andersson, especially the matching print above. Their site is 40% off and code FUN20 takes another 20% off your order. These toy story PJs in 100% cotton are adorable! I love this dress and this for Poppy, this and this for Elliott, and this and this for Clive.

Elevated closet staples:

Madewell is up to 50% off sale, plus 25% off fall selects with code LONGWEEKEND.

I love this look: my jeans, shirt, belt, shoes. I’m 5’10 and wearing a size 27 Tall in the jeans, if you’re over 5’9 the tall length is perfect. The jeans have a tiny bit of stretch:

Left: Low slung baggy | Right: Low Rise Loose (both in the tall length)

Other items I’m loving from Madewell: woven bag, tank I own in barn red, loafers.

MATE the Label organic cotton basics that hold their shape after washing. Their Long Weekend Event is 20% off sitewide I love their biker shorts and leggings.

Other honorable mentions:

Helmi pendant, the Kalani pendant (we put this in the stairway of our Pasadena house), the Garda sconce, a dried strawflower wreath for fall, the Dori linen placemats, the Pearl stoneware, and wavy dinnerware I use nightly. the Darcia vase, and the Olivia candlesticks. The Villers compote bowls

The KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer is $100 off and Crate and Barrel is giving 20% back in reward dollars on top. I use it every day and it’s worth the money. With the holidays coming it’s nice to catch it on sale.

xx Brittany

I’ve been in this space since 2013, which means I’ve been through different waves of people saying it’s over, or that it’s not a long-term plan, and lately it’s being talked about more than it has in years. There was a Vulture piece called “The Influencer Recession,” about aspirational content losing its grip and creators turning to what the writer calls brand-safe rage bait just to get seen.

Jennings’ argument is that this is a supply problem. Too many people want to work in the attention economy, and attention runs on supply and demand, so the formula that worked ten years ago, post something aspirational enough consistently enough and an audience finds you, has stopped working. She points out that individual creators are now competing against clipping farms, companies paying people thousands of dollars to flood platforms with clips, which means an average post has almost no chance of reaching anybody new. On top of that, the aspirational stuff reads as tone deaf now, and luxury has gotten too common to signal anything, with one creator telling her that everyone has an Hermès these days. So people are reaching for rage bait instead, because anger still moves. She's right that it's happening, but I don't think it's a great strategy (more on this later).

NPR followed in August with an episode titled “The influencer era is dead. What’s next?” And talks about streaming as what comes next, and brands buying their way into the background of somebody’s live stream, then paying clippers pennies to spread those moments around. That’s the billboard model again, just cheaper. I’m no streamer, but when it comes to fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands, that’s not what I’m seeing. Brand budgets were at their wildest around 2020 and they’ve tightened since, but the deals didn’t disappear, they got selective. Brands are being much more careful about who they work with, and what they’re asking for isn’t eyeballs anymore.

I started my blog right after we got married in 2013, called Thrifts & Threads (my then IG handle too), thrift store finds mixed with whatever was already hanging in my closet. I loved fashion but we were also doing Dave Ramsey’s envelope system to pay off our credit card and student loan debt, so I didn’t have much extra to spend on my clothing budget, and finding cashmere or leather at a thrift shop and styling it was how I grew my blog. I was so excited when a brand reached out wanting to send me an item to feature in my email blast, because I could get the clothes I loved without increasing my clothing budget, and when another blogger told me I should be making a rate card and charging for those features and getting paid for my time, my mind was blown. This is was my first rate card:

My husband and I got really strategic and were so consistent, working on the blog on the weekends to make sure we had posts ready for the week while we were at our corporate jobs. Once I started making a little money at it, I also had a weekly section about how to start a blog and grow on Instagram, and my email list ended up being those who wanted outfit ideas plus other potential bloggers trying to build their own site.

I packed up my desk of my corporate marketing job at an insurance firm, in June of 2015, right as Jadyn got out of school for the summer. The blog had been outearning my salary for six months in a row and I wasn’t planning to leave if it hadn’t. I remember standing there thinking I really hope this keeps going, because it felt so freeing, no more late nights and weekends working on the blog, now I could be productive during the day with it! I also didn’t want it to be a failure and I didn’t want to waste the momentum my blog had going as my readership kept going up and that helped book even more blog post jobs. My CEO and CFO at the time were so supportive but I’m sure were a bit confused about what I was doing, because at the time I put in my notice I had 50k followers on IG and they were shocked it was making me money but also happy for me. I drove home that day thankful and completely determined to stay consistent and help people even more than I had been. Anthony left the following year after the business matched his salary six months as well.

Quitting meant I could pick Jadyn up from school and she no longer had to do the after school care, and it was the first time I ever felt like I had a flexible job to be there for her. She was eight and loved my blog because in her mind that’s why I was there every day at pickup.

We kept posting and focusing energy on hitting the Instagram algorithm to increase my followers, and every week I’d watch the numbers go up when I posted specific photos at certain times of day. I’d post ripped skinny jeans holding a coffee on a Thursday evening and it would do so well. I knew exactly what to post and when, and I’d hit some kind of flow.

I won Breakthrough Blogger of the Year at the 2015 Bloglovin’ awards and got my first agent for sponsored deals, and every deal we booked made us more excited that we’d made the right call going full-time.

My first designer fashion show was Chloé, fall 2016. And I only got invited because I’d bought one of their bags and worn it on repeat and kept using their #chloegirls hashtag, and someone in their PR office noticed and invited me. I’d never even been to Europe before; I had only recently traveled out of the country for the first time ever for our honeymoon. Anthony said well, we’re going, we have no clue what we’re doing but we’ll figure it out! They sent me an outfit and bag to wear to the show, and I sat in there certain I wasn’t supposed to be there, because my blog was called Thrifts and Threads and this was designer fashion. But I was so inspired, already thinking about getting home and writing up the trends I’d seen and the outfits I’d worn. That trip was where we figured out we loved traveling and loved not being tied to an office, and it made us want to work even harder to keep the whole thing going.

Nobody paid me for that bag. I bought it, I wore it constantly, I tagged it, and a person at Chloé happened to see it. That was the entire mechanism back then, and nobody was measuring anything. It was all happening organically, and I was very excited that I had saved up for that bag, believe me I was going to be posting it everyday!

The early deals were blog traffic and email inclusions, then Instagram got added on, so it was a blog post plus a grid post. When Snapchat and Stories showed up brands wanted the daily check-in, you walking through your day on video, and I was terrible at it. I’d been shooting outfit photos in sunglasses for years and suddenly I was supposed to talk to a camera without them, and I felt so awkward. I forced myself to get over it and learn it anyway, because you either evolve or die in this business. A deal by then was a feature plus a post plus stories, sometimes all three.

I only got on TikTok because of Jadyn. It was her favorite app and I didn’t understand it at all, so she’d sit and show me videos, and what I noticed was that I was barely seeing any fashion on there. That looked like an opportunity. I started in 2019 and was posting from the shows in Milan and Paris that March, right before COVID hit, and it opened doors to brands I wouldn’t have reached otherwise. Then the pandemic came, with everyone stuck at home the whole thing took off, and I gained millions of followers in a few months. At one point I was posting two TikToks a day, heavy on outfit transitions, and the editing ate hours because of all the clips, and that was on top of Instagram photos and the blog (which by then had become brittanyxavier.com). Everyone was trying to crack the code on going viral and brands were paying whoever managed it. Something had to give, so we stopped posting on the blog and put everything into video. We also grew my YouTube channel to over a million by focusing on strategy for that. Audiences followed whoever was most viral then, and brands paid for my reach.

But something began to happen…

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I walked into the ADU (where we set up her room so she has her own space for the summer) out of habit, said "Jay," and then it hit me, she's not here anymore, and I got emotional in there. All summer that was my little routine, poking my head in to see if she wanted matcha, or to come along for whatever I was doing that day, and the kids were always running in there to find her (usually waking her up much earlier than she was planning). Now it's quiet, and I got so sad standing in it, her bed was neat and she left her room all organized.

We just got back from dropping Jay off in Boca Raton for her sophomore year at Lynn University. This letter is the whole weekend, an hour into a 13-hour drive and she's on the wrong freeway, the dorm room rearrange, and the goodbye in a hotel lobby that got all of us teary eyed...

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We’d never been to 30A, (I hadn’t even heard of it until we moved to Franklin). People here kept asking if we’d been, and it’s the way many people here visit the beach without getting on a flight. It’s about a seven hour drive, and if you leave early enough in the morning you’re there by the afternoon, so it’s doable with kids. We left later than we wanted to and and stopped more times than originally planned, we ended up getting in by 10pm, but we eventually made it!

The area is named after Scenic Highway 30A and the communities are strung along it one after another, Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, and Seagrove, which is where we stayed. Each one has its own feel, some planned out and some older and more lived in. There’s a paved bike path running the whole length of it so people get around on bikes and golf carts, and the water is so clear and turquoise it almost looks like the Caribbean.

We were looking in Seagrove specifically. It's right in the middle of everything, Seaside a few minutes one way and Rosemary Beach a few minutes the other. It's one of the older parts of 30A too, it grew on its own instead of being planned out all at once, so it's live oaks and magnolias and beach cottages mixed in with the bigger houses. I loved the trees and nature along the houses, I kept forgetting the beach was so close.

Top | Pants | Headscarf | Earrings

The house we stayed at is called 10 Palms 30A and it has ten bedrooms! That sounded like way too much house when we were first looking at it and then we counted our six, plus everyone who wanted to come, and it ended up being perfect. There was enough space to have the kids nap in a quiet area while everyone was being loud in another part of the house. And traveling as a family of 6 now means we'd most likely need two hotel rooms, especially as the kids get bigger. So finding a house that felt like a hotel resort but we had our own private pool and space felt so nice! People usually book it for bigger groups too, company retreats, bachelorette parties, a few families going in together, etc.

My friend Jenna met us there with her husband Kevin and their two little girls who are five and one. Jenna and I met at cheer tryouts in high school in 2001 at Glendora High School in CA and we've been close friends ever since. She's in Colorado now and we would typically see each other when she'd visit CA, her family has a beach house in Newport Beach. But we hadn't seen each other since we moved to TN and had been trying to figure out if we would go out to her or she would fly to us, and they had been wanting to check out 30A too and had never been. So we thought this would be the perfect spot to go and for both of us to have a beach vacation. Our friend Jeff came from Miami, which would be a nine hour drive for him, so he flew. We originally met him in 2016 when he was shooting street style photos in New York, and he and Anthony connected at our first Coachella and have been friends ever since (10 years!) And Anthony's family drove down from Tennessee for the last half of the trip. None of us had been before so we weren't sure what to expect. It was also the last trip we did before Jadyn went back to college, so having all of us together was what I was really looking forward to.

We booked through 360 Blue and Natural Retreats. It felt like staying at a hotel but with the ability to make food and do laundry, that was key, I packed so much lighter knowing I could wash clothes there. There was concierge service the whole week, so if we needed anything I could just text them and they’d handle it, they were so great!

The beach access with the house was private. It was a three minute walk, you go down the path off 30A to a gate, and there's an attendant who walks you over to your set up, chairs and umbrellas already out for all of us, every morning. It's right next to the public beach and so much less crowded. The water was so clear, and my kids would not stop talking about how soft the sand was, it was really powdery and white!

(I’ve had this swimsuit for two years and it’s one of my favorites! It’s sold out in red but linked the black one)

It was Clive’s first time at the beach. The water was so warm I could let him splash in it for a bit, and he sat there chewing on his hand, happy, the water coming up over his feet.

Our days were spent with beach for the first part of the day, back to the house to swim in the pool once everyone was hot and hungry, then the walk back down for golden hour, which was SO pretty. At night we’d put a movie on out by the pool and the kids would swim while it played (we did ISR swim lessons earlier in the summer and this trip was even better knowing my kids could swim!). It reminded me of our Disney Cruise in a way, because we would go to the beach off the boat and come back later and swim while they played a movie on the deck, Anthony said the same thing too.

There was a coffee shop called Prema Organic around the corner and we walked over each morning and got their Balance Latte.

The house had a golf cart so we took it around and explored, and we ended up at Coastal Rancher for eggs and snacks, they had grass-fed beef, pastured eggs and raw milk too, which is not what I expected to find on a beach trip. And we got donuts delivered from Heirloom, which fries theirs in beef tallow.

We cooked together every night in the kitchen. With a large fridge we shopped for groceries when we got there and I brought supplies to bake and that made it convenient to eat as a large group, going out to eat would have been a bit tricky with more than 10 people. Anthony made his burgers, which are my favorite because I love how they’re seasoned:

Anthony’s Burgers

2 lb ground beef
1.5 tbsp salt
1.5 tbsp pepper
1.5 tbsp onion powder
1.5 tbsp garlic powder

Mix, roll into balls, smash down into patties.

Poppy turned five while we were there. The kids swam most of that day while I worked on her cake and made sourdough for dinner, and then we walked over to see golden hour at the beach and came back and she opened her presents.

On her actual birthday we did a 5 year old pancake which is a yearly tradition, and she wanted the chai tea from Prema around the corner, so we walked with me to get it that morning and she felt special, she told me she “felt like she was 5 now!” So cute!! Also how has it been 5 years since she was born??

Towards the end of the trip we took a pontoon boat out to Crab Island, set up by 360 Blue with Destin Party Pontoon (you can set up excursions through them too). It was one of our favorite moments of the trip! Clive, Poppy and Elliott had their life vests on for the ride over (I was dying with how squishy Clive looked in his!), and once we docked the kids took theirs off to swim out to the raft with us.

My linen button-up (size Large)

The water there is so shallow that people are standing around in it playing and swimming, and it’s so clear it felt like swimming in a pool, everyone hanging out on their boats and so many kids out there. Clive was on the raft with us for a while and then slept on the boat for his nap, and Anthony’s mom was there so she kept wanting to snuggle him while the rest of us swam. Poppy and Elliott were jumping off the rafts the whole time. There was a fresh fruit boat going around taking orders that we were able to have coconuts delivered too.

As for the house, there was so many different areas to explore… ping pong, shuffleboard, the views from the fourth floor deck, the kids never ran out of things to do. It felt relaxing because we didn’t have an itinerary.

My dress | Bag | Heels

We’d end up around the couch or the table talking too late and the kids would be off playing together in the house. We originally thought we’d go out and explore the downtown areas more but we were all content hanging at the house and being together.

White one piece | Earrings

On the way home we stopped at Salty Bottle, which is a popular spot Jadyn saw on Tiktok and wanted to try it, and it was so good, there’s something fun about trying out cute new coffee shops.

There’s so much of 30A we didn’t see, and we already know we’re going back, everyone was saying it in the car. Next time we’ll explore more of it!

xx Brittany

I usually would buy birthday cakes for the kids, but last year at Poppy's 4th birthday I made her this berry one and it turned out so great! The layers were easier to do than I thought. Now it's been fun to think of what kind of cake they want and how I can make it. I’m also able to use better ingredients this way too along with homemade frosting. I made this no-bake watermelon “cake” last year to display the fruit too, and it was a hit!

For Poppy’s mermaid cake I let her pick everything out ahead of time so we could pack it for our trip. She loved the mermaid figurine with the bubbles as well as this number 5 mermaid candle.

I asked her what kind she liked and she said vanilla with white frosting, so that was the plan. This one came out so spongy and moist, and she said it's her favorite cake! I only put a thin layer of frosting between the layers, but depending on how much frosting you want, you could make the layers thicker. We put the leftovers in the fridge, and eating it cold the next day was also so delicious. I didn’t get a good picture of the inside of the cake until the next day when the kids were already digging into the frosting on the top (they LOVED the frosting), the sprinkles also made it look so festive and these ones are dye-free:

Elliott and Poppy were talking together about what cake he should choose for his birthday in November, it was really sweet! Last year I made him this checkered flag cake for a race car theme, which came out so adorable and I highly recommend it.

The recipe below includes how to make the frosting as well as what to do if you want to make cupcakes instead of the cake. Here’s the supplies I used for Poppy’s mermaid theme: balloons, mermaid streamers, iridescent steamers, mermaid cupcake liners.

Tools & Supplies

• Three 8-inch round cake pans

• Round parchment paper (or cut it out)

• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer

• Large mixing bowl

• Medium mixing bowl

• Fine-mesh sieve or flour sifter

• Rubber spatula

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Cooling racks

• Serrated knife, for leveling the cake layers or cake leveler.

• Offset spatula, for frosting

• Cake stand or serving plate

For Cupcakes

• Cupcake pans

• Cupcake liners

• Cookie scoop or measuring cup, for portioning the batter

Vanilla Birthday Cake

Prep Time: 25 min Bake Time: 30–40 min Total Time: ~1 hr 30 min (plus cooling) Serves: 12–16

Before You Start

1. Bring the butter, eggs, Greek yogurt, and buttermilk to room temperature before you begin. This helps the batter mix evenly and gives the cake a softer, lighter texture.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper, or I used an olive oil spray and sprayed down the parchment paper rounds after placing them inside.

3. Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting. Even slightly warm cake can melt the buttercream.

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Cake

• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 sticks (1½ cups) salted butter, softened

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 3 whole eggs + 3 egg yolks, room temperature

• ¼ cup Greek yogurt, room temperature

• 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• 3 sticks (1½ cups) salted butter, softened

• 4½ cups powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• Milk, 1 teaspoon at a time as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes, until very pale, light, and fluffy.

4. Add the whole eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then mix in the Greek yogurt and vanilla until combined.

5. Turn the mixer to low. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in alternating additions: flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Mix only until the final streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Place the pans in the oven with at least 1 inch of space between them.

7. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, the edges begin to pull away from the pans, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few dry crumbs.

8. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Turn them out onto cooling racks, remove the parchment, and allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream

1. Add the softened butter to a stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed for a full 5 minutes, until very pale and fluffy. Don’t rush this step. Whipping the butter thoroughly is what helps keep the frosting light instead of greasy.

2. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar 1½ cups at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition.

3. Add the vanilla, then beat on medium-high speed for another 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

4. If needed, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the buttercream is soft and easy to spread.

Assembly

1. Once the cake layers are completely cool, use a serrated knife to level the tops if they have domed.

2. Put a little buttercream frosting in the middle of the cake stand to help the cake avoid slipping. Place the first cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand and spread a thin, even layer of buttercream over the top. Repeat with the second layer, then add the final cake layer.

3. Spread a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.

4. Cover the cake with the remaining buttercream and smooth the top and sides with an offset spatula.

5. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the finished cake and remove it about 1 hour before serving.

For Cupcakes

Use the same batter without making any changes. Line cupcake pans with liners and fill each about ⅔ full.

Bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few dry crumbs.

The full recipe makes approximately 30 cupcakes.

For a half batch, halve all of the ingredients and use 2 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks. This will make approximately 15 cupcakes.

While I was pregnant with Clive, I'd be out somewhere and people would ask me if this was my first, and when I'd tell them he was my fourth and that I'm 39, I'd get a surprised look. Then they'd ask the ages of my kids and get even more confused when I said my oldest is in college, because I couldn't possibly be "that" old. So it had me thinking… when is it too old to have a baby?

Is it external pressure about the age? Is it because I had Jadyn so young that I was always considered the young mom, and now I'll be considered an old mom?

I get asked this a lot too. People message me saying they’re worried they waited too long, or that they’re 37 and their doctor said something that scared them about being a geriatric pregnancy, or that they’re not old enough, 24 and everyone around them telling them to wait even though they’re married and feel ready.

If you’re new here, Jadyn is my oldest and I had her when I was 20. She turns 20 herself this January. I was a single mom until she was 3 when Anthony and I met, and by the time we got married and settled into life together she was 6. Then Anthony and I waited 8 more years to have a baby together. Poppy was born when I was 34, Elliott when I was 36, and Clive this past May at 39. There’s 19 years between my oldest and my youngest, and I’ve been on both ends of it, 20 with my first and 39 with my fourth.

So I'm getting out all my thoughts on it, what having a baby at 20 was like versus 39, where that geriatric label came from, and when I think it's too old.

(Also, my trying to conceive series has everything I did to help me get pregnant, and how I prepped for a healthy pregnancy and birth at 39)…

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Our packing piles have officially started in the living room. We leave for 30A soon (our first time going!), and it's about a six-hour drive with all four kids (well, Jadyn is an adult kid, but you know what I mean). With a road trip it's easy to overpack, there are no TSA restrictions to hold me back, so I had two choices: get systematic or bring too many things we won't use and waste space in the car. I got systematic, and now I have a good system down for staying organized. I like to pack early in the week so I know if I need to get any supplies, and have enough time to grab them if I do.

Clothing:

This time I'm packing the kids sudoku style, and it's such a great space-saving idea! Poppy and Elliott each get a 3 by 3 grid laid out on the bed: three tops across, three bottoms, and three layers. The rule is every top has to work with every bottom. If a shirt only matches one pair of shorts, it goes back in the drawer. The pieces are overall pretty neutral, so everything can be mixed and matched. That's 27 outfit combinations from just nine pieces!

Because it's a Florida beach trip I'm not doing heavy layers, but this method could easily work for any trip, even one where colder weather layers are needed. And instead of one of Poppy's layers, I opted for a sundress she can wear over her suit to go to the beach.

Each kid's grid goes into their own packing cube, and all three cubes fit inside one suitcase. (Jadyn packs her own bag, 19 years old and well past letting me plan her outfits.)

And because our rental house has a washer, I'm only packing enough PJs and swimsuits for half the trip and doing one load mid-week, three PJs and three swimsuits each. That means we're traveling with half the clothes we'd typically pack, because I'd normally do a full outfit per day per kid and always end up with items they never wore. Now that I'm packing for Clive too, I need to be really efficient with space, because I have his diapers and extra supplies to pack.

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Food:

Being prepared with food on the way is a huge help, I do this for planes and especially for road trips. On the way there it's nice to pack a lunch because it eliminates a stop and any wondering what's for lunch. Egg salad sandwiches, beef sticks, goji berries, chia pudding, cheese, and fresh fruit, all packed the night before, and we eat at a rest stop or a park where they can run around for fifteen minutes.

And for the meals we do eat out on the road, we use the Seed Oil Scout app to find restaurants near us that cook the way we eat at home. It's a map with little color-coded pins that show what each kitchen cooks with, butter and tallow versus seed oils, and you can filter for things like grass-fed beef. It's how we find the organic spots in towns we've never been to before, and I love using it to find good coffee shops too!

The drive:

Poppy and Elliott get one small backpack each of toys and books for their seat, and whatever fits is what comes. We typically don't do screen time at home unless it's Friday, when they get to watch a movie. But on the road they each get to watch two movies, and they'll nap and do activities in between. The week before the trip, we don't do any screen time at all, because I told them we're saving it for the drive, and now they're looking forward to it.

The backpacks and movies keep everyone happy on the drive. Keeping everyone healthy is the prep I care about most. Especially when traveling, vitamin C is a must for us. Summer asks more of our bodies than it looks like, long days in the sun, travel, new environments, and nobody is getting sick before Poppy's birthday beach trip if I can help it, so we've been on top of our doses. The front seat gets the console kit that I always have on hand in the car: snacks that don't melt, wipes, and a little zip pouch where our vitamin C lives. That's Pique's Daily Immune, the vitamin C plus elderberry we take daily, and it's become one of the few supplements I never leave home without. It comes as a little packet you drink, no water needed (but it tastes so good added to water too).

I used to take the pill version of vitamin C and thought that covered it. It's not just whether you take vitamin C, it's whether your body is able to use what you take. Regular vitamin C is water soluble, so a lot of what's in those pills passes through you before your body puts it to work. Pique's Daily Immune is liposomal vitamin C, meaning the vitamin C gets wrapped in a tiny layer of healthy fat, almost like it arrives in its own little delivery package. It's designed for superior absorption, so more of it gets delivered where your body needs it instead of washing out, supporting daily immune health and collagen production for brighter, more radiant-looking skin. And healthy skin isn't just about what you put on your face, it's about what your body has to work with every day. It's also made with real organic elderberry juice, no artificial sweeteners, no fillers, and the kids loveee the taste, so they each get their tiny bit and feel very included.

If you want to try it, my link is piquelife.com/brittanyvc, for 15% off, and every order has their 90-day money-back guarantee.

Arriving

Before packing our beach supplies, we checked what our rental provides, and they really thought of everything! Chairs, umbrellas, even a golf cart to drive around. So we’re not packing beach chairs or towels, those will all be there. We’re bringing an ice chest with our fish and meat from the farmers market, because we can count on the quality, so that just leaves the sides to buy from the store (I’m also bringing all the dry ingredients to bake Poppy’s cake and cupcakes there). Depending on what time we arrive, we’ll hit the local Whole Foods that night or first thing the next morning. I like to get the food set up for the week early, so we can grill while everyone swims and pack lunches to take down to the beach.

And when we pull in, there's an order to it: the ice chest comes in before anything else does, fish and meat straight to the fridge, then we deal with the rest of the car. After that we always unpack, it's the method I've followed on past Disney cruises to stay organized, and I'm doing the same here. Living out of the suitcase seems easier, but by the end of the week it's a mess and nobody can find anything, so each kid's cube gets organized into a drawer. It especially helps to unpack the toiletries and get settled that first day. I pick the laundry corner the same night, I bring a portable laundry bag that all the dirty clothes go in, so the mid-week load is grab and go instead of a scavenger hunt around the house. And the beach bag gets packed before bed for the next day and lives by the door, sunscreen, hats, water bottles filled, so mornings start on the sand instead of hunting for things, and the vacation begins! :)

I’ll share how it all goes! Thank you for being here.

xx Brittany

We started a pile in the corner of the living room for everything going with Jadyn, and it’s slowly growing as move-in day gets closer. Her doormat is already in there, the one from our Target run last week. When we get back from 30A we’ll repack the car and gather the rest of her things to drive her back to college. The kids have been having so much fun with Jay living in our ADU, and they always want to go out and visit her, so it will be sad when she leaves, because I know she’ll miss them showing up each morning, sometimes waking her up earlier than she planned. And she already mentions how big Clive will look the next time she sees him, of course we’ll be FaceTiming, but it’s never the same as cuddling a baby in person. It feels like summer has flown by (and it’s not over yet!), but it’s getting close.

Most of what’s in that pile isn’t decor. It’s the same swaps we’ve made here at home; her sheets, her detergent, her water, the light in her room. Here’s the thing about a dorm room. It’s a vinyl mattress a hundred other students have slept on, fluorescent tubes overhead until midnight, and everyone else’s dryer sheets and plug-ins drifting down the hallway. We can’t change any of that, and we’re not trying to. What we can change is what’s inside her four walls, the light she reads by, the water she drinks, what her sheets are made of, what her clothes get washed in. I always think that if you can make home the place where her body gets a break, it’s easier to handle everything she can’t control out there. Jadyn recently did an HTMA test and her top stressor was pesticides, which is tough because the college cafeteria isn’t organic, but water is one of the ways pesticides show up, so filtering her water was the first thing I wanted to get right this year. The sophomore dorms are a bit bigger, but she still won’t have a kitchen where she can cook her own meals, so she’ll do what she can and I’ll help where I can.

The first one is the same one we did last year. Dorm lighting is bright and cold and it stays on late, and all that blue-heavy light at 11pm works against the body’s natural wind down, so I got her an amber bulb for her freshman dorm, one that screws into any lamp and is 99.94% free of blue light. I got her roommates one for their lamps too so they could all sleep better. This year she has her own bedroom, so she can keep the overhead lights off completely and just use the lamp at night.

The rest of this one is for my Substack family. I’m sharing the full list zone by zone and why each thing matters, and what she’s bringing. There’s also the swap list and what we’re not sending, plus a plain-language cheat sheet for every certification on these labels and a printable checklist you can take to the store.

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I love this focaccia because it's about as simple as bread gets. No kneading, no shaping, no scoring. You mix it at night and it does the work while you sleep.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter you’ll need one for this recipe, so check out my instructions on how to start one from scratch. Feed it about 12 hours before you make the dough. I fed mine in the morning and it was bubbly and active by evening, and that’s when I mixed everything up.

The cast iron is what makes this work as a pizza. The oil in the bottom of the pan fries the underside of the dough while it bakes, so the bottom crust is crispy when you cut it and the edges go dark and crackly. The inside is sooo delicious. Jadyn is obsessed with this version of pizza, and she said I should add even more cheese next time. Note taken.

Par-bake the crust before you put anything on top. This means baking the dough by itself first until it's cooked through, then adding your toppings and finishing it. I learned that one the hard way. I figured I could bake it the way I bake focaccia on a sheet pan, where it crisps up evenly all over, but cast iron is heavy and slow to heat, so the dough sits in a cool pan while the oven is already hot. Add sauce and cheese sealing the top and the middle stays gummy no matter how long you leave it in. Cast iron is worth it, though. Nothing else gives you that fried, crackly bottom crust, and the par-bake is all it takes to get there.

Save the basil for the end if you want it green. Baked basil browns and shrivels, and fresh basil torn over the top tastes better too. I baked mine because my kids think raw basil is a tad spicy, and if it’s cooked a bit they eat it all, so do whatever works for your preference.

You can also top it however you want. Ground beef if you want more protein on it, or hazelnut spread and strawberries once it comes out for a sweet one. Here's how I make it:

No-Knead Sourdough Focaccia Pizza

Prep Time: 20 min (plus rising time) Bake Time: 28–30 min Total Time: About 15–20 hours Serves: 4–6

Before You Start

Make sure your sourdough starter is bubbly, active, and has doubled before mixing the dough.

I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet.

Plan to mix the dough the evening before and bake the pizza the following day.

Use cool water, not warm. It slows the rise down overnight so you wake up to dough that’s puffy instead of overproofed and flat.

Ingredients

50 g active sourdough starter (about ¼ cup)
375 g cool water (1½ cups + 1 tablespoon)
20 g honey (1 tablespoon)
500 g all-purpose flour (about 4 cups, spooned and leveled)
9 g fine sea salt (1½ teaspoons)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
¾ cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced

Instructions

In the evening after your starter is active and bubbly: In a large bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, cool water, and honey until well combined.

Add the flour and sea salt. Mix with a fork or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms, then finish mixing by hand until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very sticky.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise at room temperature overnight (about 70°F) for 12–18 hours, or until doubled in size and full of bubbles.

The next day: Pour the olive oil into a 12-inch cast iron skillet, coating the bottom and sides well.

Turn the dough into the skillet and gently flip it so both sides are coated with oil. Don’t stretch it yet. It will relax as it rests.

Cover and let the dough rise again for 1½–2 hours, until very puffy.

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Using lightly oiled fingertips, gently dimple the dough all the way to the bottom of the pan, pressing it evenly to the edges. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Bake the crust without toppings for 18 minutes, until the surface is set and lightly golden with no wet spots remaining.

Remove the skillet from the oven. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the crust and top with the shredded mozzarella.

Return the pizza to the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the edges are deep golden brown.

Let the pizza rest in the skillet for 5 minutes. Scatter the fresh basil over the top, then transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Slice with a pizza wheel and serve warm.

xx Brittany

Last week Jadyn and I went to an event together for Altar’d State. It’s so sweet because they’re faith based and started as a Christian book store. Then they started selling clothes, noticed the clothing was doing well, and expanded from there.

They don’t only carry faith based clothing, it’s other styles as well, but I loved this tee:

The event was first at their new store in the Green Hills mall then at Cheekwood, which is a gorgeous botanical garden that we go to often to walk around.

My jeans are from Abercrombie and I love the fit of these. They’re slightly baggy and high rise, I’m wearing the tall length. They’re one of my most comfortable pairs of jeans and I’ve been wearing them non stop postpartum (more on that in these posts here and here). My top is nice for hot weather as well as breastfeeding friendly, I’m not wearing many high neck tops at the moment to make it easy to nurse him on-the-go.

Antiquing

Last week Jadyn, Poppy, Clive and I went antique shopping while Elliott spent time with Anthony. We checked out the Franklin Antique Mall for the first time and it was so fun to walk around and look at all the items with so much history.

I found two of these chairs for $25 each and thought they would be great in the garden!

We usually love going to estate sales each weekend, and here are some of my best tips and how to find them in this post here. Antiquing feels like the more curated version of an estate sale. It’s already been sifted through and the better items are there, so you pay a bit more but you have better options in front of you.

In my garden

We’ve been harvesting mini sweet peppers, onions and tomatoes. The kids have especially been loving the sweet peppers and eating them as snacks. These Hunter boots have been my go-to for all things gardening and I just ordered this color for fall, especially because they’re on sale right now! These Mate 100% cotton leggings are so comfy and I wear them all the time. I also have them in black.

Fresh tomatoes are growing so nicely, I’ve been loving them with salt and pepper eating them fresh but they’ve been also so delicious for hamburger night.

Onions are also from our garden.

New arrivals

I haven’t been in a Target store in quite a while. I usually order delivery (more about our drive times and how we live here in this post). Clive was taking a nap and Jadyn said, should we get a matcha and go to Target? Anthony was going to stay back with him, so we hurried to get Poppy and Elliott ready and the four of us headed out. It was my first time leaving Clive at home while going out and it felt so weird!

We wanted a strolling Target run rather than one for necessities, which is when I’m most likely to get myself in trouble. I’ll pick something up, tell myself I need it, then put it back two aisles later. I’m pretty good about making sure what I buy will be useful and beautiful. I narrowed it down to these:

This doormat is for Jadyn’s door. I don’t have a butter dish and liked the look of this one. The berry bowls, I already have the white one and loved the cranberry. They’re so great for setting the table with berries or any fruit that needs airflow. I’ve been looking for a good roasting pan and this one is stainless steel. I was standing in the store looking up the reviews to see if it would last, and they were great, so I got it. That night I made chicken and potatoes in it. Such an easy weeknight dinner with plenty of leftovers for lunch.

The kids picked out these figurine toys and they’ve been playing with them all week. Poppy picked The Little Mermaid and Elliott picked Toy Story.

I’ve been investing in kitchen items that make weeknights more efficient to cook. This pan is so nice with all the functions it can do. I love the steaming option, I didn’t have anything that makes steaming easy. It can do all these things which is pretty cool: braise, sear, steam, strain, sauté, fry, boil, bake, roast and serve, and it’s oven-safe up to 450°F! The sage color is so pretty too.

Clive is getting so big. He’s 2.5 months, wearing 6-12 months and 17 pounds!

Love this little striped set for summer.

Sometimes when I get him from his nap he’s on his back, having rolled over from his tummy. None of my other kids ever rolled this early. I don’t think he knows his own strength yet!

This organic cotton mat is perfect for picnics or the beach. This photo is from Cheekwood recently at their summer night event.

We’re planning our beach trip to 30A, which is somewhere we’ve never been before and where a lot of people here vacation. It’s on the Florida panhandle, about a 6 hour drive from us. We’re really excited to check it out for the first time. My long time friend Jenna and her family will be going with us too and we’re celebrating Poppy’s 5th birthday there. More about what I’m packing in this post here.

xx Brittany

I get messages about this almost every week now. People tell me they would love to get out of the city, and then they ask how we decided, whether we regret it, what the hard parts really were. So I'm writing it all out here, everything I'd tell you if you sat down across from me and said we're thinking about doing this too.

If you're new here, a little of how we got to Tennessee. Anthony and I both grew up in Southern California, he's from Fullerton and I'm from Glendora, and we first met in Claremont after we both graduated college. We got married in 2013, moved in together, and spent our first years in apartments, most of them in Pasadena. We could walk to coffee, we ate out more nights than we cooked, and we never once thought about a yard because we didn't have one and figured we could always take Jadyn to the park when she wanted to play outside. We had started the blog but were both working full-time corporate jobs, so on our off time we would shoot outfits in downtown Pasadena and LA. Over the years building the blog then social media, it turned into a very fast-paced lifestyle, which meant events and shoots and enough travel that once Poppy came along we had a nanny to make any of it possible. It was a full life and a good one.

We bought our first house in 2020 in Pasadena and renovated it while we were living in it (more about that in this post here). A couple of years later we found another one in a quieter part of Pasadena that we thought was going to be our forever home, so we sold the first and moved into another apartment while construction started. Construction was taking longer than expected, so we moved into a rental house in San Marino that also had a tiny yard. Our "forever" home was still being renovated when we welcomed Elliott at that rental, and having two little ones now changed our priorities. I wanted to slow down and be with them more, and I was also learning to cook because I wanted them eating nourishing meals and not takeout all the time like we were used to.

Around that same time Jadyn started looking at colleges out of state, when we had always assumed she'd want to go to school in California, and something about seeing her want to explore another part of the country made Anthony and I start asking each other some real questions. If we could make an intentional decision about it, was Pasadena where we wanted the little ones to grow up? Or would we want to be somewhere we could have land? We had never had the chance to move before, we'd thought about New York when Jadyn was in middle school and couldn't do that to her mid-school-year, and now the main reason we hadn't moved was letting go on its own. Long story short, after contemplating it for quite a while, with our list of whys and praying about it continuously, we decided to move out of California before that house was finished. It was completed after we were already living in Tennessee and we sold it last fall. (I wrote the whole story of that here).

We've been here for almost a year and a half, and this is what I'd want you to know before you make a move like this:

Get specific about what kind of country you want. We wanted “country-ish”, because country means very different things to different people. We’re not in a truly small rural town, and we’re not trying to be fully self-sufficient the way I’ve seen other families do so beautifully. That’s not us right now and it might never be. What we wanted was land with a garden and (some) animals, while still being close enough to a city that we could get on a plane easily or go out to dinner or see a concert if we wanted to. Franklin Tennessee ended up being exactly that mix. Nashville is right there when we want it, the airport is easy, Green Hills with luxury stores is twenty minutes away, and then we come home and there’s nothing but our own yard and quiet.

We looked at other places first. I fell in love with Carmel CA and we thought about it for a while, but land there was expensive and there were enough restrictions on what you could do with it that we didn’t think it would work for us long term, and water was a real question mark. We looked at Dripping Springs in Texas and liked quite a bit about it, but the drought concerns were an issue, and if the whole point was growing food and maybe animals eventually, we didn’t want to be fighting for water to do it. That’s what pulled us toward Tennessee. Rain, real seasons, land you can plant in, and a city close enough that we never feel cut off from anything.

We found Franklin because of friends. I had been to Franklin once when I was younger, around thirteen I think, our family friend had moved there to work with Christian bands and we went to visit. I remember thinking how green it was, but it wasn't built up then the way it is now. Anthony had never been to Tennessee at all. Then our friends Stevie and Sazan Hendrix were planning to move from Texas to Tennessee, and we were visiting them in Texas when they said wait, you should come see Tennessee, we just bought a house there! So we flew out that fall, and I don't know how much of the decision got made in those first few hours downtown, all the red trees, everything so quaint and homey, but I remember walking around and thinking I could see us here. We came back a second time once we'd decided, this time to look at houses, and we spent part of that trip an hour outside Franklin looking at places with a lot more land. We drove away from those knowing it would be too remote for us. We also realized we needed to rent first to figure out which part of Franklin we wanted to be in, we still weren't sure how many acres we'd want.

Rent for a year before you buy. If I could only give you one piece of practical advice, this is the one. We rented a historic house built in the 1860s on thirty acres, and I fell in LOVE with that property. But it was in an HOA, which meant there were rules about how often you mow, what your fence posts had to look like in the front of the house, and you couldn't have any animals outside besides horses. That year taught us we didn't want to be in an HOA, especially once we knew chickens weren't allowed. It also taught us we didn't need thirty acres, a garden takes so much less than that, but we still wanted enough room for privacy and for the kids to have space to run. We would have gotten both of those wrong if we’d bought right away.

The quiet will be harder than you think. When we moved into our rental on land here, I would lie in bed those first nights straining to hear something, anything, and there was nothing, and it was so dark. In California I had stopped registering sirens and traffic years before, and I guess I didn’t know how loud my life had been until it was silent. The stars were amazing though, that part I loved right away.

You’ll miss your old routine. For weeks it didn’t feel like we had moved at all, it felt like a long trip somewhere new, the kind where you’re still figuring out which grocery store you like, and then the last box got unpacked and I stood in the kitchen thinking, now what? Back home we had our coffee shops and our routes and ten years of memories around every street, and here everything felt like starting over. I missed my old routine until I got into my new one.

Your kids will need to un-learn the city. This one caught me completely off guard. At our rental house in California I had always told Poppy she could never go outside by herself, cars came around that corner too fast, and she learned that rule so well that when we got here, all that grass and her toys sitting right outside the door, she wouldn't go out alone. She wanted one of us standing next to her. It took months of saying you're okay, we can see you from the window, before she believed anything had changed. Nobody tells you that you don't just move your kids out of the city, you have to un-teach them the city too, and watching Poppy and Elliott slowly figure out that they could run out there without us was really sweet to see.

Making friends takes longer than you'd like. We knew a few people when we moved but it all still felt unfamiliar. I remember thinking we have friends, we just moved away from them, and now we would need to be open to meeting new ones too. We kept showing up at the same places until we stopped being “the new family”. For us that was church and one little coffee shop we kept going back to. Our neighbors invited us to their Fourth of July party that first summer and I walked home from it feeling like we finally had people here, not just a house. We have our people now, and the funny thing is that once I stopped worrying about it, I realized how much I love a quiet night at home too. We have friends over and it's so fun, and we're just as happy when it's only us.

You will lose a version of yourself. I wasn’t prepared for that at all… (the full post continues below for my Substack family)

Read more

Back when I drank Starbucks I always got the brown sugar shaken espresso in the summertime, and even though I rarely drink Starbucks anymore, I found myself missing that one drink and wondering if I could make my own version at home that was better quality. We have such good coffee shops here, our favorites are Hank's, High Brow and Perenn. I love going for a seasonal drink, but this was the flavor I kept thinking about.

I first learned about unrefined sweeteners from Dr. Bill Schindler, who wrote Eat Like a Human and co-founded Modern Stone Age Kitchen, and his thinking is why I use muscovado now instead of regular brown sugar. Most brown sugar is refined white sugar with molasses stirred back in after the fact, but muscovado is unrefined, so it never had its molasses stripped out in the first place, which is why it swaps in so easily and gives that deeper caramel note and that natural molasses is where its minerals come from. When I was having a hard time finding an organic muscovado and asked Dr. Bill which brand to buy, he told me the integrity of the sugar matters more than the label, that he'd take muscovado over a refined organic sugar every time. These are the ones I use for either dark muscovado sugar or light muscovado sugar.

The Starbucks version you get out is built on a brown sugar syrup and a bottled sweet cream on top, and I wanted to keep that same warm, cinnamon flavor while making it from things I already keep in the kitchen. So I stir muscovado straight into the hot espresso instead of a syrup, along with real cinnamon and a little vanilla so everything dissolves all the way through. For the foam I whip heavy cream with raw honey, a touch of vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt. It’s so good! Here's the to-go lids I use for my mason jars.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Shaken Espresso with Salted Vanilla Cold Foam

Prep Time: 5 min Total Time: 5 min Serves: 1 (20–24 oz)

Before You Start

Fill your serving glass with fresh ice before assembling the drink.

Brew your espresso fresh so it’s hot enough to fully dissolve the muscovado sugar.

Ingredients

2 shots espresso
1 tablespoon muscovado sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup ice (for shaking)
¾ cup whole milk (or milk of choice)
Fresh ice

For the Salted Vanilla Cold Foam

¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup (or more to taste)
Pinch of fine sea salt
Ground cinnamon, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Brew the espresso. While it’s still hot, stir in the muscovado sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Fill a mason jar with the ice. Pour the espresso mixture over the ice and shake vigorously for 20–30 seconds, until chilled and frothy. Then add the milk.

In a separate measuring cup or frothing pitcher, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, honey or maple syrup, and sea salt. Froth with a handheld frother for 20–30 seconds, until thick, silky, and pourable.

Slowly pour the salted vanilla cold foam over the top of the drink.

Finish with a light dusting of cinnamon, and enjoy!

Check out my other summer drink recipes HERE and HERE.

I used to work at Nordstrom. Once in high school, then again for three years starting when I was pregnant with Jadyn, so I worked four or five Anniversary Sales from the other side of the register. Here’s what really cool about these items and why I would get excited for it: it isn’t leftover summer items. It’s brand-new fall product, marked down before the season, that goes up to full price on August 10th. The buyers would come in and talk about the fall items that were going to be on the sale and it was always a good time to buy that fall piece you were thinking about.

I was terrible with money back then, and being at the mall every shift didn’t help. I’d shop the sale before it even opened to the public and I almost always walked out with items I didn’t need, like new flats for Jadyn (I was obsessed with buying her flats for some reason).

It's easy to get caught up in all the good deals, and I tend to spend more money when I think that way. Instead, I'm focusing on items with better quality materials. I went through the sale and pulled out only what's made of natural materials: cotton, linen, wool, silk, leather, suede. I don't mind wearing polyester here and there, like for a special-occasion dress where the style is what I'm after. But for classic pieces I'll reach for again and again, I want natural. I've got 25 core pieces here, plus a few fun accessories at the end that I think are great deals!

Bedding:

If you buy one thing from this sale, buy sheets. Here’s the difference of percale vs. sateen: Both are 100% cotton. The only difference is the weave.

Percale is the classic over-under weave, the crisp, cool, matte one. Think of the sheets on a really good hotel bed, or a freshly pressed white shirt. It breathes beautifully, so it stays cool all night and never feels clingy. The tradeoff is that it wrinkles a little and feels crisp rather than buttery. If you sleep hot, percale is made for you.

Sateen is woven so more of the thread sits on the surface, which is what gives it that soft sheen and silky drape. It feels a touch warmer and cozier against your skin, the kind of sheet you sink into on a cold night. The tradeoff is that it holds a little more heat. If you run cold, go sateen.

Boll & Branch Framed Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set

The contrast trim is so chic!

Coyuchi Classic Organic Cotton Sateen Sheet Set (in color undyed white)

Coyuchi is amazing deal when it’s on sale. GOTS certified, woven in a Fair Trade certified factory.

Nordstrom 400 Thread Count Organic Cotton Fitted Sheet

We have two sets of sheets for our bed, so when I’m washing one I can put the other one on the bed, this is great for that second set.

Parachute Organic Cotton Twill Quilt

A quilt is the layer that makes a bed look finished. I’ve had our Parachute quilt since our first house in 2020. I love the cinnamon color for making the bedroom cozy for fall, but I have the cream one.

Coyuchi Classic Organic Cotton Blanket

This is great for pulling out for a movie night or when guests come over.

Kitchen

If you've been thinking about making the switch from nonstick, this is the time to invest in cookware that will last.

Our Place 4-Piece Cookware Set

The Always Pan and Perfect Pot, plus the minis. Ceramic instead of the usual nonstick coating: Our Place says it’s made without PFAS, PTFE, PFOA, lead, or cadmium. If you’re currently using non-stick pans they most likely contain forever chemicals, so it’s best to switch to something like this or stainless steel.

Madein Stainless Stainless Clad Frying Pan Set

Madein pans are fully clad 5-ply stainless, five layers of steel and aluminum bonded together and running all the way up the sides, so the whole pan heats evenly instead of just the bottom. The aluminum in the core spreads the heat, the stainless makes it last, and the magnetic stainless exterior means it works on induction and every other cooktop. I love using stainless steel to cook with because there’s no coating to scratch or wear off, nothing leaches into your food, it doesn’t react with a tomato sauce or a splash of wine, and it takes the high heat that gives you a real sear. They also rarely go on sale.

LE CONNOISSEUR 6.6 Qt. Round French Oven

This is perfect if you wanted to get started on making sourdough bread, I also use this to make our stews, I use it many times weekly it’s worth the investment.

For Baby:

These are staple items that aren’t on sale very often so I think are worth it:

Stokke Flexi Bath:

I love ours, it’s what I used for Elliott and now with Clive. It folds up so you can take it on a trip too.

Nuna Rava Next Flame Retardant-Free Convertible Car Seat

$150 off, such a deal! We love Nuna in our house, no added flame retardants, which is pretty tough to find in a car seat.

Nuna PIPA Aire RX + PIPA Relx Base

Nuna TRVL LX Compact Stroller

Both of these are in my non-toxic baby registry guide!

WILDBIRD Aerial Linen Baby Carrier

100% linen for a baby carrier is a really good deal.

Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair with cushion and tray

We love ours, it supports correct sitting position as they grow and it’s rare to see it on sale.

For Kids:

This is also a good time to think about back-to-school items. I'm keeping fall in mind in general as I look at the kids' clothes:

Polo Ralph Lauren Kids’ Cable Stitch Cotton Cardigan

This one is so classy! Cardigans are on repeat for us in the fall.

Mini Boden Kids’ Scallop Trim Cardigan

I love the print of these ones.

Two-Piece Organic Cotton Rib Pajamas

Long sleeve PJs are something they’ll wear again and again.

Pan Polo long sleeve

I love layering a white long-sleeve like this under a cardigan. It's also great if they go to a school with uniforms.

Pan Polo short sleeve

Poppy likes short sleeve under cardigans because she tends to run hot, so this is something she’ll wear more.

What I’m loving for myself:

I tend to look for simple items I can use as classic basics:

Free People Torres Turtleneck Sweater

100% cotton and runs slightly large. I love it in the cream color.

Relaxed Fit Pima Cotton Crewneck T-Shirt

Pima is extra-long-staple cotton, which is a fancy way of saying the fibers are longer, so it's softer, stronger, and doesn't pill or go rough the way cheap cotton does. That's why it costs more, so it’s a good deal when it’s on sale.

Nordstrom Gingham Cotton Pajamas

These are so cute! I love they don’t look like typical PJs. I like the navy color combo.

Ella Rib Lettuce Trim Cotton Pointelle Tank

Such a cute trim detail on a classic tank.

Denim Popover Shirt

Love the style of this, also breastfeeding friendly with the opening.

Free People We The Free Palmer Cuffed Baggy Jeans

Free people always has good fits, their jeans are some of my favorites!

Merino Wool Sweater Jacket

Merino wool is something I’ll invest in because it’s warm and breathable. I love it in the cream color.

Natori Bliss Cotton French Cut Briefs

My favorite underwear, what I switched to when I was looking for cotton underwear. Pima cotton with a cotton-lined gusset, they’re so comfortable!

Handbags:

Lately I've been using two styles: either a smaller shoulder bag or a larger tote with all the kids' items in it:

The Date Night Suede Shoulder Bag

Real suede and perfect 90s style.

Suede Satchel

This is a great size for shoulder bag and I love the dark color of the suede.

The Shopper Tote

This is such a classic, I love the Madewell bags, the leather always feels so nice.

Accessories:

These are fun styles I love!

Pearl Cross Necklace (I got one for me and one for Jay)

Baguette Cross Necklace

Chunky Huggie Hoop Earrings

Kacie Ring Set

Gold Band Ring

Gisele Cat-Eye Polarized Sunglasses

The Suede Statement Belt

Pure Silk 6-Pack Skinny Scrunchies- These are perfect for ponytails, they protect my hair with real silk and don’t hurt when you pull it out.

What I’m skipping

• Barefoot Dreams and the CozyChic blankets. They’re 100% polyester microfiber and something I avoid when looking for blankets.

• Vegan leather.“Vegan leather” is plastic, usually polyurethane. It cracks, it peels, and it’s in a landfill in three years. A real leather bag on sale is the better buy in every way that matters. Some people do it for animal rights, I think that’s different if thats why you want to buy it, but don’t buy it thinking it’s better quality.

• Anything labeled “performance,” “moisture-wicking,” or “wrinkle-free.” Those are finishes. I have this type of material for our couch, but for clothes I try to avoid.

• Faux fur throws. Also plastic.

xx Brittany

Most mornings right now I’m outside with Clive before it gets hot, giving him a few minutes of gentle sun, his “sun snack”, what my midwife Shannon calls it, before it’s strong out. The other two are usually out there too in their pajamas, giving snacks to the chickens, Poppy in her rainboots even though it’s July, and I’ve got my coffee and no shoes on, and it’s become my favorite part of the day.

Clive is my fourth baby and the first one I’ve done this with from the beginning, and it makes me think about how scared of the sun I was when Poppy was born, how covered up I kept her, it feels so different now. I’m particular about summer more than any season, because the kids are outside all day and everything is touching their skin, the sun, the pool, the grass, the bug spray, so over a lot of reading and trial and error these are the items I trust and use, all in one place.

I have my Complete Non-Toxic Baby Registry Guide if you want the baby-specific things, but this one is for the whole family and just for summer.

For Sunscreen

If you change one thing this summer I’d make it this, because standard sunscreen has quite a bit of chemicals in it that I believe are more risky than sun exposure. We rarely use sunblock here, unless we’re going to be in the sun for awhile without shade, which rarely happens. My kids swim and play outside, they’re getting a little sun every day and I can’t remember the last time they got burned because they’ve built up what’s known as their “solar callus”. It’s the same idea as a callus on your hand, a little exposure over and over and your skin adapts, building up melanin and getting more tolerant so it can handle the sun instead of being shocked by it.

I’ve learned so much from Dr. Alexis Cowan, who has her PhD from Princeton and studies light and metabolism, and she’s the reason I started questioning what I previously believed about the sun… I used to be so scared of it! The research that convinced me is about outdoor workers, people who are out in the sun all day for a living turn out to be less prone to melanoma than people who work indoors, which is the opposite of what I’d always assumed. She explains that the real risk isn’t how much sun you get, it’s whether you burn. Skin that’s been covered up all year has nothing built up, so a full day of sun on vacation turns into a burn, and the burns are what do the damage. Those workers are getting more sun than those working indoors and burning less, because they’re adapted to it. A little sun daily is what builds that callus.

She also explains that being sun deficient carries real risk of its own, that when UVB hits your skin it isn't only vitamin D your body makes, it's a whole family of related compounds from that same starting material, plus a hormone cascade that includes the signal telling your skin to make melanin, which is what protects you. The same light that makes the vitamin D is the light that tells your skin how to handle it. And UVB is only around when the sun is high enough, here that's usually 10am to 4pm, so I make sure they're outside for a little in the afternoon too, not just first thing.

The part surprised me is that it starts with your eyes. When UVB reaches your eyes it sets off that hormonal cascade, and part of what that produces is the signal that tells your skin to make melanin. So if you’re outside in sunglasses, you’re blocking the message, your body never gets told to tan, and you burn instead. It doesn’t mean staring at the sun, it’s just letting light reach your eyes, even on cloudy days. She says the same about morning light, getting outside at sunrise, when it’s red and infrared and there’s no UV in it yet, is what preps your skin for the middle of the day. So I don’t wear sunglasses at the beginning of the day when I’m trying to tell my body to get ready for the sun. I still like the way sunglasses look for certain outfits, but by the pool or out in the garden I’ve gotten into the habit of going without. It’s a big part of why the kids are out there right after breakfast, they’ve eased into the day before the sun is ever strong.

So that's what we do. I don't hide my kids from the sun like I used to when Poppy was born, but I'm also not letting them get burned either, so if they've already been out for a a little and they want to stay out longer, that's when the sunscreen goes on, and after that I'll utilize shade. It's so nice not being as stressed about the sun! My vitamin D is in the optimal range now, and I'm not taking a supplement for it anymore.

When I do use sunscreen, I keep it simple, I look for zinc, and the fewer ingredients the better. Zinc works completely differently than the rest of what’s out there, it sits on top of your skin and reflects the light back, and non-nano means the particles are too big to pass through skin at all. The chemical ones do the opposite by design, they absorb the light, and they absorb into your bloodstream right along with it.

These are the ones I always avoid when I’m looking at sunscreen ingredients: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, avobenzone, oxybenzone and octinoxate. When they tested all six, every one was in people’s bloodstream after one day of wearing it, and two of them were still showing up three weeks after people stopped, so it isn’t passing through. Several of these are endocrine disruptors, which means your body reads them as hormones and responds to them. All this to say, I thought I was doing the right thing with the spray sunscreen I used to use, and it turns out I was doing my body and my hormones a disservice instead.

My favorite now is:

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