The Weekly, 09.14.20

Well, it’s been a minute. I didn’t put a Weekly up last week on Labor Day, because Chris and I were busy closing up our shore house, and returning to Brooklyn. I spent a lot of the day cleaning and getting things ready for my return to week on Tuesday, and boy, has it been a week.

Teachers returned to their buildings this week across the city, unless they were approved for a medical accommodation. So much of this week has been chaos, concern, and just overall split feelings of being frustrated by the lack of answers from the system, and needing to get going on preparing our school building without all of the information for students to arrive in just a few days. I feel like I just emotionally numbed myself to get through the week, and to be able to even get up and get out of bed with a smile on my face each day.

My friends reminded me last night that toxic positivity is really real right now. It’s okay to say I am not great, it’s okay for everything not to be “fine.” When we continue to say those things in an attempt to convince ourselves, we are really selling this idea that anyone who isn’t fine is abnormal. And ultimately, I’m not really fine, so I don’t know what I am trying to prove. My goal for this week is to say how I feel, and be okay that it makes me or others feel some discomfort. At the same time, I am ready to get done what needs to get done, and I hope this week is filled with checking off tasks on my to-do lists that are ever-growing.

In my back-to-school preparation, I decided the thing I needed to feel prepared was for my boobs to be supported again. I’ve barely worn a real bra since March, living in bralettes, but now that I am returning to working in-person, it felt right that I had some support for the gals. I often find wired bras so uncomfortable, ever since getting a breast reduction, because I feel like they sit on such a weird part of my boob that isn’t quite boob but isn’t my ribcage. I don’t know what’s happening, but I decided it was time to try a new brand of bras, and I’ve heard good things about Harper Wilde bras, so I decided to try. In comparison to ThirdLove, which I also looked at, the prices seem much more reasonable. So I ordered two of this bra, and I am hoping they are a success. I also saw FittyBritty post about this gorgeous yellow balconette bra, and that might be next on my list.

Did you buy anything great during last weekend’s Labor Day sales? I wasn’t blow away by a lot, but I did snag a few things from Madewell for Fall. I am always on the hunt for a great pair of jeans that have that stiff straight-leg, high-waist, vintage kind of look. I posted about this Levi’s style that I have found a lot of success with for my thick thighs and butt, but I am always looking for something as good or better. So I picked up these vintage-style jeans from Madewell, which had really great reviews, and say they are true to size. With light distressing, and a medium wash, I think they are going to be a great pair for Fall.

I also purchased this adorable linen dress that I saw Maddy Gutierrez style recently, and was so excited about its arrival. I bought a size down based on the reviews, and was so bummed when it came and was too small in the waist to zip. Spirit, crushed. I want to order in a size up, but I got it at 50% off, and am having a harder time justifying the harder price tag by paying full price, since that is the only way Madwell processes exchanges. I am going to wait for it to go on sale, and then grab it again in the next size up. It would be a great piece for transition weather.

As you might know, I’m having a moment with dresses right now. Now that I am getting up and getting dressed for working every morning (something I didn’t realized how much I missed so much was my morning routines), I am so glad I picked up a bunch of dresses that are the easiest outfit to throw on, please keep me cooler throughout the day in a building where I have to have our windows open all day. I just saw this pink babydoll dress, and loved it so much, I had to have it. Paired with a bootie or with sneakers, I just think this is the perfect dress for work. And while I was searching around on Free People, I picked up this top on sale, which I think will be great paired with denim shorts, or jeans. I love the cinched waist!

I’m going to keep that easy outfits theme going, and grabbed this adorable t-shirt dress from Z Supply yesterday. I was browsing the site to purchase face masks (which, of course, I grabbed this set of masks and this set now that I am wearing them every day and have the wash them), but when I saw this simple dress, it was a no-brainer. Perfect for the weekend, or work, their clothing is 100% cotton, and so soft.

In the spirit of trying to get my butt back in workout mode, I was so pumped when I got the email that Everlane was releasing more of their perform line. I first bought their leggings in the early Spring, and the material is like butter on your legs. Then they came out with a bike short, and I was all about that. I bough them in a gorgeous rust color, and have loved them. So now they released a line of sports bras in the same fabric, and I immediately grabbed one this week to try out. I am looking forward to its arrival on Wednesday (but who’s tracking?).

In the world of beauty, I went in on that Sephora sale from LDW. Not only did I pick up some sale items, but I also decided to try the new Rare Beauty line that Selena Gomez released at Sephora once I listened to the Gloss Angeles podcast review of the products. On their recommendation, I grabbed the Lip Souffle in Energize and the liquid blush in Joy, one of their dewy finish shades in a coral color. The lip is supposed to be a non-drying matte with serious long-lasting color, and if you don’t know my love for a liquid blush, then get on board, because they are the best. So pumped for these- the price was right, and the packaging is to die for. Before this week, I hadn’t really done a full face of makeup since we started working from home, and I had to clean the dust off of my brushes (literally– it was gross).

Now that we have finally returned to our apartment in Brooklyn, there were a few home decorating items on my to-do list. I really needed to get some sort of bookshelf in our bedroom for the crazy number of books that were piling up onto my nightstand. We had a bookshelf in the living room that didn’t quite fit the aesthetic, but matches our bedroom furniture, so we moved it in there. We bought this gorgeous book shelf for our living room, and I it totally lightened and opened up the room.

And in an effort to remove clutter from the ledge behind our couch, I decided it was time to buy some adult artwork. I love to paint, and we have this beautiful yellow painting I did in the living room, so I wanted something that wouldn’t overshadow, but a set that would bring some color into the room. I picked out this print and this one from Minted and had them framed in a dark wood. I plan to put one on either side, and can’t wait to show the finished room.

After some mid-week travel, we are finally back in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future, and while I am always sad to close out summer and the time with my family at the shore, it’s also great to be back and living in the city that I love so much. As we brave this continuing reality of the pandemic, many are choosing to see living in New York City as a negative- not enough space, too much forced interaction, rising prices, and dependence on public transit. But all of those things are what make living in New York City so special. You really have to want to live in this city- it’s not just somewhere you end up, and deal with. But if you make the decision that this is the city that you love, then you have to remember that what makes it so great is its diversity, its culture, and its odd sense of community and camaraderie, even among strangers. We live here because we are proud to be New Yorkers, and I don’t think that feeling has changed, but only gotten stronger during this pandemic, at least for me. You sacrifice a lot of things you may see others have to live here, and I am grateful for this opportunity to remember why I love my home and my life in Brooklyn so much- because this lifestyle isn’t possible anywhere else.

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