Years ago, when I started my first blog, I would share my favorite things from each month. Even though the world is a weird place right now, I thought it would be nice to bring this old tradition back!
July was a rough month.
Not only did it start the second wave of COV*D, mom and I started Whole30, and I decided to take a social media break. Talk about isolation. I really miss adding a little sweetener to my coffee, and avocado toast – what a millennial! – but other than that, July has been good to me. Here are my new favorite things that helped me through it.
Nut Pods
These coconut milk + almond milk creamers have been my savior. They are Whole30 compliant, and velvety smooth in my morning coffee. Since I live pretty close to the middle of nowhere, ordering them on Amazon has been a game changer. (Also, probably dangerous, ha!) I’ve been favoring the toasted marshmallow flavor + chocolate, but french vanilla is a great “safe” choice.
Stasher Bags
I have a vendetta against single-use plastics. I despise having them in my house, in any form – baggies, containers, etc. With all of the cooking we’ve been doing this month, there have been a lot of leftovers to store. This is where Stasher comes in. These silicone bags are totally reusable, and come in different sizes + colors. Not only that, but they are freezer + dishwasher safe, making me love them even more! We keep veggies, fruit, mixed nuts, and meat in ours. (Plus, they are great for travel!)
Honestly, who doesn’t love Pinterest?? Full disclosure, I didn’t include this site in my social media detox because I might not have survived. Pinterest made searching for Whole30 recipes a breeze, and actually pretty fun! After day 10, we got so bored with food and felt totally out of ideas, so the Pinterest search bar became a close personal friend. If you haven’t checked out my boards yet, they are full of travel, food, and quotes!
Travel Blogs
July has been the month of revamping my blog and niching down to what I want to focus on sharing with all of you. The two blogs that have inspired me to be a better blogger / travel writer are Never Ending Footsteps + The Blonde Abroad. Lauren + Kiki are incredible writers who share their experiences as travelers and their resources as entrepreneurs. I have also enjoyed their perspective on travel as this global pandemic is still at large. I’ve also been planning my own trips for 2021, and sharing past trips as a way to relive my own travels!
TheSkimm
I don’t have cable, so I don’t have an instant source for what’s going on in the world. Though at times I kind of prefer that, I am a citizen of the world and I need to be informed. I subscribed to theSkimm a while back, but have noticed myself reading it more religiously this past month. There is SO MUCH going on, and it’s important to be in the know, especially with the election later this year. I like theSkimm because it is informative, and pretty unbiased, and it comes once a day to my inbox. If you are interested in signing up, it’s super easy!
Overall
July was not an easy month. I felt irritable, sluggish, and trapped. Dozens of countries shut their boarders down to Americans, tons of issues I am passionate about are being pushed aside by the gov’t, and the health of the world is still largely uncertain. With all of the negative, it could be so easy to feel ready to give up, but I took to what I could do right now for myself – getting off of social media, rebuilding my business, taking the health of my body + mind more seriously. It hasn’t been easy, but I know it’s exactly what I need to do for myself.