My personal NYC 'well-being rolodex,' as a forever local.
A guide to self-care in NYC, from your friend who's tried every facial on the island of Manhattan.
Summer is so close I can feel it.
For me that means a serious slow down of the kid hustle and hopefully some long relaxed hours of reading time. I love to have a fresh stack of books ready at the beginning of each summer!
I recently sent a big box of books curated by my beloved Merritt Bookstore to Hermione’s ballet school as a thank you for an amazing year. A mini pop-up bookstore delivered right to them! If you have a group of people you would like to thank, you can reach out to Merritt Bookstore and they will happily curate and ship a box of books and a note from you anywhere! What a great gift idea!
Here are four books I am looking forward to reading this summer
… and the bonus one that I just finished and highly recommend.
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman / I love Catherine Newman’s writing so much and can certainly relate to being sandwiched between my children and my (very much) aging parents. Looking forward to this one alot.
“Women and Children First” by Alina Grabowsk / Told through the eyes of ten women in a struggling New England town after a young woman dies at a house party. This is a much anticipated novel I cannot wait to get my hands on.
“The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer / I love Shaffer’s “The Wishing Game” so much I am thrilled she has a new novel coming out. Described as being “Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case.” Sounds like the perfect summer read to me!
“Same As It Ever Was” by Claire Lombardo / I adored Lombardo’s “The Most Fun We Ever Had” and have been anxiously awaiting her next book which explores motherhood, marriage and the life choices we make both big and small.
BONUS: “The Wives” by Simone Gorrindo / An enthralling memoir by a woman who never imagined she would be a military wife and what her experience finding herself in that world was like. I could not put this one down!
This week’s most shopped
In my IG stories this week you guys loved these perfectly nude, of-the-moment-mesh, rhinestone ballet flats for under $100! These jelly ones are also so fun for summer.
These are the Mommy and Me jellies I got for Portia and I. One more I love are these classic almond toe rhinestone ballet flats. If you need more suggestions, I have a whole shopping page dedicated to ballet flats.
Better yet, my entire shoppable closet here.
How I do Self-Care in NYC, like a local.
Like you, as a mother I spend the majority of my time caring for others. Can you relate? Whether I’m physically with my children or not, I always have my “mental ticker' (thanks, Glennon Doyle) going about what needs to be done for them. It goes without saying, caring for the girls makes my heart so full. And, I’m only able to do it with such joy and energy because I’m aware of my mental and physical limits, and most importantly how to prioritize them in order to avoid crashing and burning.
For me, quality self care is not sustainable in the form of days and days away from my kids and family. As much as I would love to jet off to an island with some of my best girlfriends and re-energize, our shared life together is not set up for that. It would have major adverse reactions, so to speak, for each of us. Plus, any major mental lift it would offer, isn’t worth the added stress I would undoubtedly return to.
Instead, I’ve adopted micro-dosing well-being habits and routines. These small pockets of time carved out for just myself, over time, look like my weekly manicure and pedicure while the girls are at school. Another pocket might be the monthly dinner and drink dates with a girlfriend after I’ve helped Hermione with her homework. Or my daily non-negotiable exercise routine.
Below I’m sharing my personal ‘well-being rolodex’ of the neighborhood favorites that I’ve personally tested and curated. You will want to share and save these! I’m certain they will become your tried-and-true New York City favorites, too!