Organizing My Reading List + A Reading App

Ok, so I originally wanted to write a blog post about the books I’ve read lately, but honestly only two have stood out:

+ The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

+ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

But there have been two developments in my reading sphere which I feel compelled to share. 

So, first off is how I’ve reorganized my reading list, of books I want to read. 

I had just kept them in a document on my Evernote, but I recently started using Wunderlist and that’s where I’ve moved them all. And it has been amazing and so much more usable. 

So I have created a folder “Books to Read” and within that folder are lists of the types of books such as self-help, cycle/body, lifestyle, business, fiction and so on. 

Then once you click on the list, say fiction for example it takes you to the actual list of books. I have 14 books on my fiction list at the moment. 

I then took the time to add whether that book was available at my library and what the call number was, and if it wasn’t available at the library I included a shorted link to the book on Amazon. 

And then, what I’m most proud of, is I added the little summary of the book that came with it on Amazon or the library. 

So, now I can go into my list, click on a book and be reminded what it is about and whether it’s at my library or not. 

Revolutionary. 

Before I just had giant lists of books I would make and then I couldn’t remember looking back at them what any of the books were about so they were pretty useless. 

The next discovery I made was an app called Libby. I’ve downloaded it onto our iPad mini and can now access a ton of digital and audio books using my library card.

This is going to be amazing for travel because I love having books to read, but they are so bulky, heavy and just take up space in my luggage, especially on longer trips. 

We always bring the iPad anyways but now that I can read books, or listen to books on it, amazing.  

So, two books I’ve got cued up for this current trip:

+ A Darker Shade of Magic

+ Girl Through Glass

Oh, and I should also mention that you can tag books you want to read at some point and you can look back at that list in Libby. 

Super cool. 

What book tricks am I still missing out on?

How I Celebrate the Full Moon

I don’t always ‘celebrate’ the full moon, but I definitely acknowledge it, aka look up at it in awe and wonder. Seriously, the moon is this amazing, beautiful thing. 

I haven’t done a ton of research into the lunar cycle, but from what I have read and heard this is what I’ve got to share. 

New Moon — answer the phrase: “I want…"

+ similar to our menstrual phase

+ a time for new beginnings, optimism, and hope

Waxing Moon — ask yourself: “If I were free…” 

+ similar to our follicular phase

+ good for growth and learning

Full Moon — answer the phrase: “I release…"

+ similar to our ovulatory phase

+ the time for our peak energy, and feeling gratitude

Waning Moon — ask yourself: “I feel…"

+ similar to our luteal phase

+ time for you to let go, cleanse and break habits

I’ve also seen that if you journal for the new moon the full moon is the time to release and let go. And here is what I’ve compiled for a little journaling ritual for the full moon. 

1. meditate or sit quietly for 5-10 minutes

2. write a list of who you want to release (people, situations, habits)

3. ask yourself what you are looking for in life

4. where are you at emotionally, physically

5. what phase are you currently at in your menstrual cycle

6. do you have any goals or intentions at this point

7. burn or just tuck away and let go of that list you’ve written down

8. take a few minutes to clean your space to release that old energy and make way for fresh new energy

Simple, and not too fru-fru. And if you want something even simpler, just sit and think through these questions, acknowledge your thoughts and let them go.

It’s really all about what works for you.

The full moon will be this Sunday, probably when I’m hurtling through the sky somewhere on my way to Bristol. But I hope I can make time on the plane to sit and think through these questions for myself. 

What are you ready to let go of this full moon? 

Learn the Method Before Relying On a Device

I’ve been getting a lot of messages and questions from gals looking to quit their hormonal birth control and they want to know what I recommend when it comes to Daysy, Natural Cycles, Wink and things like that. 

And I’ll share my thoughts but I always start with highly recommending learning something like the sympto-thermal method (STM) before relying solely on a device or app.

I can’t begin to explain the benefits of understanding the method, your fertility and all of that before you pick up a device. 

You can go the old school way of using a paper chart as you learn and practice the sympto-thermal method, but I prefer doing my charting on the Kindara app. (I’m not sponsored, I just really love their app).

I love that it doesn’t give you predictions, and is basically a paper chart in an app. You have to input all of your data, draw your coverline, choose your peak day plus you can add custom data as well. 

A lot of people assume charting, FAM and STM are complicated and hard to learn. And therefore they want the security of a device so they don’t have to rely on just themselves. 

But I sincerely believe that anyone who wants to learn how to chart can do it successfully. 

The recommended timeline is three cycles to get the hang of it before relying on just the STM. I remember when I first started seeing what I had read and learned about play out in my own cycle and on my own chart. 

Not only was it just really cool, but it was super empowering. And yes you can get a similar sensation from using a device, but I don’t really quite think it’s the same as when you’ve learned the method and implemented it on your own. 

A lot of the devices and apps I’ve seen are based on temperature-only methods, which is fine, and there’s definitely a place for it, but I have so much more confidence in the STM because there is both temperature and fluid to cross check each other. 

Cervical fluid is this amazing indicator of fertility, and there is so much that I would miss out on if I wasn’t charting it. I can tell how hydrated I am that cycle by how much fluid I have. If my temperature is off because of travel, sleep, sickness, stress, you name it I have my fluid to cross-check my chart with to make sure I’m being safe. It's an added security that makes me more confident in the method rather than if I was just charting my temperature. 

So, yes, there have been some cool advances in technology, which is awesome and something I hope to see continue in the future. But I really do believe that you’re better off, in the long run, learning the sympto-thermal method before relying on a device. 

If you’re ready to learn STM and start charting, I’ve created just the course for you. 

Chart Your Cycle is for those new to FAM, and the STM. I teach you how to chart, about your different phases and the four FAM rules, which will give you the perfect foundation of knowledge to start charting. 

When did you start charting, and why do you recommend it?

Too Much Estrogen?

Today I just wanted to share some gathered information I had on having too much estrogen, what that means, how it presents and what you can do. 

Excess estrogen is normally caused by a higher production by your ovaries as well as your body not being able to process and get rid of estrogen properly. 

Symptoms:

+ gaining weight unexpectedly, trouble loosing it, find weight sitting around hips, bloating

+ tender swollen boobs as well as fibrocystic breasts

+ heavier periods

+ mood swings

+ low libido

+ headaches

+ hair loss

+ poor memory

+ trouble sleeping

+ feeling exhausted

+ a normal cycle that becomes irregular, as well as shorter cycles

+ cold hands and feet

If you want to get test your estrogen levels it’s suggested that you test midway through luteal phase because you can test your progesterone level as well. Your estrogen level should be no higher than 270 pg/mL or 1000 pmol/L. 

Your doctor may prescribe some sort of hormone therapy, but if you’re curious about what you can do at home it most focuses on what you can do and eat to help your body flush out estrogen better. 

1. take care of your liver

     - drink less alcohol

2. eat more fiber

     - keep things moving

3. take a probiotic

     - keep your gut health in check

     - also avoid antibiotics for this reason

4. manage your stress levels

     - go outside

     - journal

     - meditate

     - whatever your techniques are

I don’t have a ton of experience with high levels of estrogen personally beyond having low progesterone and therefore more estrogen that progesterone, but I think it’s worth talking about. 

Think you might have an irregular cycle but not sure? Learning how to chart your cycle is a great way to not only learn about your cycle, but to gain a better understanding of what’s actually going on. And it might help you get answers faster. 

I’ve created a Chart Your Cycle course for those new to charting. If you’re curious and want to learn more, click here. 

Things I Do When I'm Stressed

We all get a little stressed and anxious at different points, and that’s normal and ok. I used to have pretty bad anxiety back when I was on the pill, and on top of that, I didn’t really know how to manage my stress or anxiety. 

Nowadays I thankfully have less stress in my life, but it still happens. And I’ve gotten a heck of a lot better at managing my stress. 

Today, I wanted to share my go-to strategies when I’m feeling stressed out or anxious. 

[Disclaimer: everyone's stress and anxiety are different. I’m lucky to have it pretty mild all in all, and what works for me might not work for you.]

In no particular order:

+ journal | this is my number one go-to thing that I do when I’m feeling out of sorts in any way. I will dig into my ‘normal’ journal when something just comes up and I need to get it out. But I’ve found that one way I can manage my stress, and work through things is with a daily practice of morning pages. This is where I sit down first thing each morning and write out three pages of just streaming conscious thoughts, basically whatever is in my mind. 

+ get out in nature | I grew up out in the woods, in nature surrounded by trees, the breeze and a whole lot of space. Regardless, I think removing yourself from the hustle and bustle of a city, and even if it’s just going to a park nearby, I find that nature soothes the soul. Take a book, your work, hang up a hammock or go on a walk. 

+ go on a walk/run | this is something that I’ve been trying to make a part of my daily routine. I would love to start running again in the mornings, but I try to take a break during the day and walk somewhere, whether it’s to run an errand like drop of library books or print something off from FedEx, I find that not only taking the break, but getting out and finding movement does a lot for me. 

+ brainstorm goals | when I’m feeling a bit lost in my direction, unmotivated or stressed about where I am I find that brainstorming what I want to achieve and coming up with a list of tangible steps forward never fails to make me feel more in control again. And I think having goals in general and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone are good things to keep you growing. 

+ meditate | you knew I was going to say this one didn’t you? But it’s so true, I even know that, and I’m not even that good at staying consistent with meditation. If meditation isn’t your thing I find that disconnecting and sitting quietly for ten minutes is nice as well. You can also try an app out there like Headspace or Calm. 

+ watch videos or read a book | this is a great way to get inspired, and if you’re having difficulties with something I guarantee someone else has been through it as well and either written a book, made a video on YouTube or wrote a blog post about it. I really enjoy videos and books that are about self-help and business related things. And there’s really something magical about watching someone talk about how they got more organized, inspired, cleaned up their house, got back on track and anything like that. 

+ learn a new skill/do something new | having a goal that is unrelated to work is such a good thing. Last year it was training for a marathon for me. This year I’ve been working hard to teach myself new skills related to creating better content, being more organized and taking on the business side of things, which isn’t my strong suit. I also really want to teach myself to play a song on the ukulele. Oh, I learning how to ride a longboard is a great challenge. 

+ check in on my sleep situation and nighttime routine | if you’re feeling out of sorts take some time to think through how you’ve been sleeping, how much sleep have you been getting and what do you do before bed to wind down? If you’re going straight from social media or staring at your laptop to jumping in bed and expecting yourself to fall asleep you’re not doing yourself any favors. Sleep is so important and people seem to think that getting less sleep is some sort of badge of honor. It’s not. 

+ step away | take a technology break, put down your phone, shut your laptop and just do something else. Whether this is a little self-care time, reading a book, running an errand. There are countless things you can do to just take a break from it all. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes. You have the time. 

+ have a get my life together day | this is usually Sundays for me, and I find that by having one day a week that I dedicate part of or all of to getting my life together just makes me feel better heading into the new week. So, I do things like clean my apartment, like deep clean, not the surface level cleaning you do to get you through the week. I pop in a load of laundry, finish up tasks from the week before, plan out the following week, and just basically all the things you put off during the week. Cleaning is also a coping mechanism of mine. 

+ listen to music | this is a great way to change the atmosphere. I like to pop on some tunes while I work, clean, get ready, and sometimes when I just need a break I’ll put on some loud, fun music and dance (*flail*) around like a weirdo. This is also a great thing to do while you’re out on that walk, run or in nature to de-stress. 

+ watch something light-hearted and funny | we all need a good laugh, and sometimes you need some help doing that. Whether it’s a quick segment of a talk show on YouTube or something stupid you found on Netflix, just escape for a bit and have a good chuckle. 

Now, the next two are my go-to’s if I’m feeling super anxious or on the verge of a panic attack:

+ get in the shower and sit down | something about water has always calmed me down. If I don’t feel well I’ll run a bath, but if I’m feeling like I’m going to have a panic attack (and I’m home) I will get in the shower and sit down and just work through it there. I don’t like being around other people in those moments and there really is something about the water from the shower coming down over you. 

+ practice a breathing technique of counting my breaths | if I’m not somewhere that I can get into the shower, or if it’s not to the level of sit in the shower I will count my breaths. Ten deep breaths, starting on the inhale (one), exhale (two) and so on. 

Like I said before we all have our different ways of handling stress that works for us. What are your go-to strategies? 

Things That Could Be Messing With Your Menstrual Cycle

Ok, so I’ve been really into making lists lately. 

And today I wanted to talk about the variety of things that could be messing with your cycle. 

But first, a fun fact. Did you know that only ovulation can be delayed, not your period? I remember back in the day hearing gals tell other gals, “As soon as you stop worrying about your period being late, it will show up.” Basically saying that by stressing over the fact your period had not shown up would somehow delay it from showing up. Oh, and I believed it. 

You can, however, delay ovulation by being stressed out (as well as other things), and that, in turn, will extend your cycle as a whole, making your period late. But as long as you’ve ovulated your cycle is pretty much set from there. 

So, starting with stress, here’s a list of a few things that can mess with your cycle:

+ stress — cortisol is no joke.

+ travel — even if you’re having fun, hurtling your body through different time zones and schedules can throw your cycle out of whack. I should know. 

+ sleep — goes along with the whole cortisol thing. 

+ diet — your hormone production is partially affected by what you eat. 

+ alcohol — having too many drinks can mess things up.

+ exercise — when I was deciding on training for a marathon or not one of my concerns was messing up my cycle with that. 

+ weighing too much, or too little — you want a nice cocktail of hormones for everything to run smoothly in your body. Just like having too little fat/estrogen can mess things up, so can having too much. 

+ medicine — of all varieties can impact your cycle in many ways

+ smoking — worse PMS, less oxygen getting around your body, and messes with most hormones. 

+ sickness — goes back up to the cortisol thing.

+ breastfeeding — from what I hear your hormones can be a bit whacky as it as after giving birth to a baby, but did you know that breastfeeding suppresses your fertility? 

I think the most important take away today is that having a balanced cycle is somewhat of a delicate dance. You need to be taking care of your body. And it’s not that hard. Avoid the things you know are bad for you, sleep more, eat your fruits and veggies, and find your choice of stress-reducing activities to try out. 

Obviously, there are more than just this list. And there are real hormonal imbalances that could be really screwing with how you feel, so don’t just write everything off. If you know something doesn’t feel right go figure out what’s going on.

It might be a simple fix or change you can make, but it also might be something you need help with. 

I just made a video this week about why you should consider charting more than just your basal temperature and cervical fluid. You can go watch that here. 

And if you haven’t heard of or tried out charting for yourself, but are interested in learning more. I have a great course for those new to FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) and the sympto-thermal method more specifically. You can check that out and sign up here!

Have there been things that you’ve noticed impact your cycle? What were/are they and how have you fixed it?  

How I Celebrate the New Moon

I’ve always admired the moon, but it wasn’t until the past few years that I started ‘celebrating’ the different phases of the moon. And it’s really just an acknowledgement rather than like a seance in the woods. 

And I don’t do it every month, but there are just those times where you’re drawn to doing something to commemorate it.

First off, I want to share some of the phases of the moon. I normally focus on the new moon for some reason. And I always notice the full moon, as well as have it on my calendar. Waxing and waining, not so much, although I do find them interesting.

I also think there is a similarity between the lunar cycle and the menstrual cycle, just like there’s connections between the seasons and our cycles as well.

So, below I have listed out four phases of the moon, the question you should ask yourself during that phase, what menstrual phase it correlates with, and what the essence of that phase is about. 

New Moon - “I want…"

+ menstrual phase

+ new beginnings, optimism, hope

Waxing Moon - “If I were free…” 

+ follicular phase

+ growth, learning

Full Moon - “I release…"

+ ovulatory phase

+ peak energy, gratitude

Waning Moon - “I feel…"

+ luteal phase

+ let go, cleanse, break habits

You can celebrate a phase however you see fit. Like I said above the one I find myself most drawn towards is the new moon, but every now and then I like to focus on the full moon as well. 

But today is about what I do on the new moon. 

Some people like to have a little new moon ritual, but I like to keep it more basic than that. 

I always wait until it’s dark out, turn off the harsh overhead lights, usually light a candle or an intense and use a lamp or the twinkle lights to illuminate what I’m doing. 

Other elements I like to add are music and a cup of tea or a glass of red wine. 

I haven’t been the best at meditating lately, but I like to at least take a few minutes to just sit there silently, if not meditating. 

Once I’ve created the atmosphere and mindset for it, I’ll begin. 

And my chosen ‘main event’ is to write a letter to the Universe. It’s a way to manifest what you want, put what you want into words and send it out into the universe.

I’ve talked before about writing letters to the universe, including a script of how I do it. You can read that here. 

Basically, I start by listing a few things I’m grateful for at that moment before getting into what I’m asking for. I then wrap it up with a few more thanks before signing the letter.

And although I write my letters in either my journal or in my Evernote app on my computer, there’s a sense of putting what it is you want out there and just leaving it along after that.

This doesn’t mean acting upon opportunities that come your way, it just means I’ve put it out there so I don’t need to fret about it anymore. 

Do you celebrate the new moon? What will your ritual/routine be this weekend when it comes around again? 

Things to Stop Spending Money (or So Much Money) On

Money can be a stressful, awkward topic, or it can be a straightforward one. It all depends on your mindset around it. Avoiding your finances isn’t the answer. 

I love learning about personal finance. So, today I wanted to go through some things you should stop spending money on (or so much money on). 

It’s really just a blog post to get you thinking about where your money is going, and maybe where you can cut back. 

I’ve taken the liberty to split these up into “budget” categories. And there are so many other things you can spend or not spend money on. This is just a sample list to get those brain juices of yours flowing. 

Housing

+ a house/apartment you can’t afford (or barely can)

     - can you downsize, move to a different part of the city?

+ decor/furniture

     - pinterest makes you want to throw everything out and buy all new things

     - get creative and thoughtful about what you fill your space with

     - thrifted, second hand are great options

     - shop around and buy for longevity

+ leaving lights/electronics on

     - small but it adds up

+ keeping your air/heat too high

     - if it’s 90 degrees outside and you have your air cranked so high that you have to wear pants and a sweater inside you can probably turn it up a few degrees

+ one use/disposables 

     - this one doesn’t really have a category, but if you’re using paper towels, dryer sheets, plastic utensils or paper plates seriously consider using a reusable, more sustainable option (you’ll save a lot of money too)

Food

+ eating out

     - duh, we know this one adds up, but it’s such an easy way to cut back on how much you’re spending

+ getting coffee

     - $5 drinks every day adds up quickly, even though at the time it doesn’t seem like much

+ bottled water/soda/drinks in general

     - once again, adds up quickly, carry around your own reusable bottle

+ overbuying groceries/ letting them go to waste

     - this is just a lack of planning, don’t go shopping without a well thought out list made from what you actually plan to cook for meals that week. 

Personal

+ getting your nails and hair done

     - do your nails at home

     - go to a cheaper salon

     - stop dying your hair

+ clothes

     - buy second hand

     - adopt a capsule wardrobe

     - minimalism is a beautiful thing

+ gym/class membership

     - I’m not saying don’t work out, but why do you have a gym membership you don’t use? 

     - I love love love hot yoga, but I can’t afford that shit

+ makeup/hair products

     - I used to work with this girl who was always worrying about paying for her rent, groceries, you name it, but then would show up with toiletry bags full of expensive makeup from Sephora

+ not taking care of your teeth/health

     - eat healthy, brush and floss

     - yeah there things outside our power when it comes to our health, but there’s so much that is preventable by what we eat and do with our bodies

Entertainment

+ subscriptions you don’t use

     - you’d be amazed how many things we are subscribed too

     - is there a way you can go in on a netflix subscription with a friend or family member?

+ cable

     - we don’t, and have never owned a TV, cable is expensive

+ alcohol/going out to bars

     - I don’t enjoy the bar scene anymore anyways, but working at a bar I was amazed with how much people would spend on going out every single weekend

+ going to the movies

     - is there a cheap movie night in your town, ours is Tuesday

     - rent a movie at home, or one you already own

+ concerts

     - I’m not a big concert goer, but this is another thing that’s an obvious cut for me

Transportation

+ buying a car you can’t afford

     - yes, most people need a car to get to and from work, but there are so many people that get rid of a car that they’ve already paid for to start paying for a new car loan to keep up with everyone around them

+ paying too much for travel/flights 

     - do your research, check out all your options between driving, flying, trains and buses

     - keep you eyes out for a good deal 

+ snacks/food while traveling 

     - I always try to pack some snacks and food when I travel (I’m always hungry), as well as a reusable water bottle

     - If you wait to buy food at the airport or at a gas station, it’s probably neither cheap or healthy 

There are so many ways you can cut back on your spending, many of which I didn’t list here. I think it’s just good to assess your finances and where your money is going regularly. And when you have the cash flow to splurge, go for it. But I’ve known so many people that are living beyond their means and that really stresses me out. 

How do you cut back on your spending? What are some things you’ve stopped spending money on? 

Taking a Personal/Mental Health Day

Sometimes we all need a little mental health day. This isn’t a sick day. Nah, I can keep working when I’m sick, which I do. 

But there are those days that you are mentally, physically and emotionally drained and just would be rubbish at work anyways so why not step back and take care of yourself for a day, or half day, or evening? 

+ Plan it out ahead of time:

- do you need to tell your boss

- what do you need to get done to step back

- put up an out of office on your email

- make a list of what you’re going to do with your time

+ What are you going to do?

- is it a productive, get shit done, sort of day?

- is it a sleep in, take care of yourself, sort of day? 

- or a combination of both?

Regardless there’s a few things to consider:

+ allow yourself to sleep in

     - but don’t over do it 

     - or wake up early

+ shower and get ready,

     - even if you’re wearing loungewear all day

+ don’t veg out all day

     - you can but you won’t feel refreshed

     - there’s time in the evening for this, or when you need a little break, but don’t lose your whole day doing this

+ eat nourishing meals (hell maybe even meal prep)

     - either make yourself something at home

     - get food, but not fast food (ok maybe one meal that not super healthy)

Some ideas of stuff to do:

+ go outside

     - go for a walk/hike

+ reconnect with someone 

     - write a letter, call someone, meet for coffee

+ make it about you (self-care)

     - put on a mask

     - take a bath

     - get a massage

     - do your nails

+ sundays are my GMLT (get my life together) day, but maybe you need a week day to do this — hit reset

     - laundry    

     - get groceries

     - clean my apartment

     - plan out my week

+ run errands you’ve been putting off

     - doesn’t seem exciting but you’ll feel good after

+ declutter an area of your house

     - go through your shoes, your bathroom drawers, fridge

+ journal 

     - it’s my free therapy, and I’m able to work through stuff

+ meditate

     - or sit quietly for 5-10 minutes

Your personal, mental health day can be anything you want it to be. It really is tempting to just veg out on Netflix all day (we’re all guilty of that), but I promise you’re going to head back to the real world feeling so much better if you’ve made time to do nourishing things for yourself. 

What are some of the things you do on a personal/mental health day, even if it’s on the weekend? And I should add that I know everyone can't take a day off work for themselves, but this doesn't mean you can skimp on these things. Make time for it in the evenings or on the weekends. 

My Process of Creating Content

You guys wanted to hear more about how I create content for FemmeHead, so today I'm going to try and go through all the step, start to finish!

I keep a page in my bullet jo for my “brain dump” and one of the sections is for content ideas, so when I get an idea I can just write it there, and when it’s time to make next month’s content I can go and look at what I’ve written down.

I usually start planning the following month’s content the second to last week of the month. For example, I sat down the morning of July 17th and brainstormed and came up with my content calendar for August. 

So, let’s start there, how do I brainstorm ideas if I haven’t written enough down over the past month. 

Well, first I’ve got to look at how many videos and blogs I’m going to have that particular month. I simply do that by looking at the number of Tuesdays and Thursdays for videos and Wednesdays and Fridays for blogs. 

So, for example, I need 10 blog and 9 video ideas for August. 

I’ll grab my notebook so I can brainstorm without worrying about being fancy or neat. I’ll write down any ideas I’ve come up with that past month. 

And then I’ll usually look at what’s coming up that next month

     - any trips I'm going on that I might be able to share some aspect of

     - a course session starting that I want to promote

     - anything else worth sharing, as well as seasonal things like my capsule wardrobe

I have an ongoing general content ideas page on Evernote that I’ll look at, as well as a list of content ideas from followers that I keep from when I ask for recommendations. 

Some months it will take over the course of a few days to come up with enough ideas, and other months it will take me 15 minutes to make my whole content calendar. 

Once I have enough ideas I will go through and decide which I want to make videos about and which ones I’d rather write a blog post about. 

Then I need to balance those out between the different weeks based on what they’re about. Basically, so I don’t have four cycle related things in a row and then 5 minimalism things after that. 

Once I have it all organized in the notebook I will then make my content calendar both on my laptop, in Evernote, and also in my bullet journal. 

Then in a perfect world, I would work at least one week ahead, if not more on my content so I’m never stressed if something comes up. 

Part of my content calendar in my bullet journal is a little checklist that I go through when I’m creating my content. “Notes”, “Create”, “Done” and “Social”. I’ll go through what each of those means for me. 

NOTES:

The first thing I do is write all the notes I need for either the blog post or video I’m going to be making. This is my time to research and collect my thoughts on what I want to talk about. I do this in Evernote. 

CREATE:

Next, I either need to write or film it. Normally writing is just editing and organizing the notes I already have because I often take notes by writing out my thoughts. I aim for at least 500 words for my blog posts. Filming obviously involves getting ready, setting up my camera/background, sitting down and talking about that topic. 

DONE:

After that, I need to edit, post/upload and schedule it. It takes longer to edit a video than a blog post, as well as post/upload it. I also need to find a photo for my blog post or create a thumbnail for my video. Once it’s scheduled I’ll move on to the next step. 

SOCIAL:

I’ve been trying to get better at being more consistent on Instagram, and have found a posting schedule for that works. I don’t always post about my blogs and videos on my Instagram, but go through and choose which ones I want to post about. But I have been trying to post to Instagram every day. And once that’s finished I’m done for that particular post/video and can move on to the next. 

Now, it’s worth mentioning that I like to batch together these steps. So I’ll do the notes for two to four things, write them or film them on a different day, and then edit them. I find that it’s more efficient to batch process content. 

I hope this gives you an insight into how I make my content for FemmeHead. What is your process for content creation?

Gut Health + Hormones

So, this is one of those things that I know is important, but haven’t really dug too deep into. And that's our gut flora, or gut microbiome.

I’ve noticed such a difference in my health and wellbeing from when I changed my diet and started paying more attention to what I was putting into and onto my body. 

So basically you’ve got a gut full of bacteria working hard to keep your body in order. The good bacteria in our gut are called probiotics, which we’ve all heard of.

Probiotics can help break down and recycle the hormones in our body, which is great because we don’t want too much of any hormone hanging around too long. 

And the big one that comes to mind here, and in the realm of our menstrual cycle, is estrogen. If our estrogen isn’t being properly discarded from our body it can wreak havoc on a lot of things. 

I’ve mentioned our endocrine system before, but I need to start talking about it more often because it’s pretty important. It makes over 50 hormones! To be honest I didn’t even know our bodies had that many. 

Some fascinating facts I learned when researching:

+ 95% of serotonin is made in your gut. 

+ 80% of our immune system operates from the gut. 

+ there are 80 million neurons located in your gut microbiome and it is known as the second brain! 

Symptoms of an imbalance in your gut:

+ bloating and gas

+ acne and skin issues

+ not pooping regular (diarrhea and constipation)

+ headaches and feeling foggy

+ feeling anxious or depressed

+ get sick often

+ hard to lose weight

+ deficient in vitamins and minerals

+ reoccurring yeast infections

So how can you make sure you’re helping instead of hindering your good ol’ gut bacteria? 

+ Consider a probiotic, and not just any old probiotic. Do your research, go to a local health shop and ask for a recommendation. 

+ Check out your diet! You want to avoid all the processed junk available for us to eat because it’s only going to negatively impact your gut flora. Make sure you’re getting enough fiber to keep things moving, get those good good fats in your diet, and don’t be shy when it comes to fermented foods. 

+ Avoid things like stress, antibiotics, antibacterial cleaners and like I said above, processed food. Get that cortisol under control with things like sleep, meditation, yoga, journaling, whatever works for you. 

+ Take some vitamin D. It’s actually a hormone, and important to your gut health. It’s pretty easy and common to be deficient. 

+ Ditch the pill, or at least think about it. You would be shocked to learn how much hormonal birth control impacts your body. It alters around 150 different bodily functions. It throws your microbiome off balance, and can make your PCOS worse. 

There’s so much more I want to dig into in regards to this topic, and I hope to continue to do so. 

I had a lot of digestive issues before I got my diet in order and quit the pill. Have you had gut issues? How did you figure that out, and what did you do? 

Balancing Your Cycle With Supplements

The best place to start in the realm of balancing your cycle, before you head into the world of supplements is to make sure you’re getting all the yummy nutrients you can from your diet. 

You can’t have a shit diet and then expect to fix all your problems by taking a few supplements. And this goes beyond cycle problems.

For me, this means cutting out as much processed junk and sugar as I can. I’ve noticed those are two big triggers for how I feel in general, but also how my cycle goes. 

Another trigger for a lot of people is dairy. People love their cheese, and can’t imagine giving it up, but it might be causing your cycle issues. I’ve heard from a lot of people who have done an elimination diet to find what their triggers are. The big one right now is Whole 30, or you can just keep a food journal, track what you eat and how you feel after. That's what I did when I originally went vegetarian. 

Going along with nutrition, drink mo’ water. I’m just as guilty of this one as the next person, but I see such a drastic change in my cycle depending on how hydrated I am that month. 

Now, the thing I want to say before I get into this is, you’re going to want to look into different supplements in the context of what you’re trying to heal. There aren't 'fix-all' magical pills out there. You're going to want to dig in first and figure out what it is that's actually wrong. Is it too much estrogen, not enough progesterone? 

I first want to start with Vitex because this is what I’ve taken to heal my progesterone deficiency. I was experiencing short luteal phases and a lot of premenstrual spotting. Vitex cleared that up for me. It’s also said to help with PMS and breast pain. 

Next on the list is magnesium. Before I tried Vitex I had some magnesium that I would rub on the bottoms of my feet. And I still have it. Magnesium is said to be great for a number of different hormonal issues such as PCOS, amenorrhea, PMS, migrants, fatigue and general period pain. 

Another one I hear come up quite a bit is zinc. I also tried this one but didn’t see a drastic difference before Vitex. Zinc is said to help with PCOS, acne, PMS, endometriosis and general period pain. 

Tumeric is next up on my list. I’m sharing this one because I’ve been looking into it for Michael’s joint pain, and it turns out that it’s also good for heavy periods and period pain. 

Both iodine and iron are supposed to help with PMS and period pain. And finally a good probiotic can help with an excess of estrogen, PMS, endometriosis, digestive issues and yeast infections. 

Now, there are so many other great supplements and natural treatments out there when it comes to cycle and hormonal issues. I definitely recommend looking into it if it is something you’re interested in. 

A great book that I love to reference is Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden. It’s one of those books I’m constantly reaching for to answer a question, and if you’re struggling with any imbalances I recommend adding it to your bookshelf. 

And I think if you suspect you have a hormonal imbalance and aren't already doing it you should definitely start charting your cycle. [And if you're interested, I have a great course for those new to FAM and the sympto-thermal method. You can check that out here!]

Have you had success with a natural remedy for a hormonal imbalance? Share it below. 

Talking to Your Partner About Your Cycle

Communication is crucial in a healthy relationship, and that includes talking about your menstrual cycle. 

Especially if FAM is your birth control method of choice. 

So, how does one bridge this topic of conversation? 

First off, I’d just like to say, in the case of most men I’ve met and talked to, they’re much more comfortable talking about menstrual cycle related things than we give them credit for. 

Yes, you might meet the odd, older man who guffaws at the mention of a menstrual cycle, but for the most part, people are chill with periods. And even older men are like yeah my wife has a period, my two daughters just started getting theirs, I'm not phased anymore. 

If you’re planning on using FAM as birth control you’re going to want to get nice and cozy with the idea of talking about the intricacies of your menstrual cycle, but a lot of what goes along with talking about charting has nothing to do with blood. 

People like information and facts so you’re going to want to have those ready in your back pocket when starting a conversation about using FAM. Is it effective? How does it even work? But that’s what so-and-so who’s Catholic uses and they have 10 kids. 

When I told Michael “Yeah, I chart and use the sympto-thermal method”, he responded with “Cool! How’s that work?” And he has gone on to become a very well informed partner. 

So, you’re going to want to explain to your partner how charting works and why it works as birth control. 

Then depending on what app or paper chart you use you might want to consider sharing that with them so they know where you are in your cycle. 

There’s going to be those conversations in the heat of the moment of, "I’m in my fertile phase so we can’t have sex today." And I’m not sure why, but some people think not being able to have sex or having to say ‘no’ is the worse thing possible, but I always ask myself, don’t they know about all the other fun, satisfying sexual activities they can explore? 

I’m going to let you in on something — you don’t always have to be available for sex. Gasp! This seems to be an argument in favor of hormonal birth control, “But, I can have sex whenever I want.” But this all depends on what your definition of “sex” is because like I said above there are so many things you can do in the realm of “sex” that doesn’t involve PIV sex. 

Another cool thing about opening up the conversation about your cycle with your partner is that they unknowingly learn when your different phases are. And yes, while there’s much more that goes into charting then guessing when you’re fertile or not, you’d be surprised the number of times Michael has made a comment about “Yeah, it’s around the time you usually ovulate” or “Your period is going to start soon, right?"

Just having your partner in the know, makes things run so much smoother. There should be nothing taboo about talking about bodies, menstrual cycles, fertility and charting between two people having sex. You should be open and honest with each other, and if you don’t feel comfortable talking to them, well, you might want to reconsider some things. 

While we were in Bali Michael and I sat down and filmed a video about FAM and your partner, which you can go watch if you’re curious about more. 

But the biggest takeaway I want you to have from today is to be open in your conversations. You might be nervous with how they're going to react to talking about menstrual cycles since we always thought we had to hide our periods from boys in school because they would make fun of us. But like I said before, guys are pretty cool when it comes to talking about periods. 

How did you start this conversation with your partner? How have partners reacted to this conversation? What have you found guys want to know when it comes to cycles? 

Reoccurring UTI's and Yeast Infections

I had a request to talk about reoccurring yeast infections, and while they’re not the same thing I’m going to talk about reoccurring UTI’s as well today since that’s what I have experience with. 

I’m going to start by letting you know that I actually have never had a yeast infection, but boy do I have experience with UTI’s. 

I got a few UTI’s as a young kid. I just remember drinking a lot of cranberry juice, going to the doctor for antibiotics, and one procedure where they had to go in a take a look. 

Then when I became sexually active they came back with a vengeance. I started getting them pretty regularly, and there was a two year period where I almost always had a UTI. Either I was getting one, had one or on antibiotics to get rid of one. 

I tried every remedy under the sun and read through every forum I could find to try to prevent them. But the only thing that made them go away was antibiotics.

Antibiotics are known to make your hormonal birth control less effective. We have a family friend who got pregnant because of antibiotics canceling out her birth control. So, that’s no bueno. 

The solution I discovered (for me)…quitting hormonal birth control. 

Yup, that’s right. I have not had a single UTI since quitting the pill.

Here’s a video I made where I shared my thoughts on hormonal birth control and UTI’s.

Now, I wonder if hormonal birth control can lead to yeast infections in a similar way. 

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Hormonal birth control disrupts the natural balance of hormones in your body, and if I can share anything with you it is this: hormones control everything in your body, and you need to be careful messing with them. 

By disrupting our hormonal balance this can lead to yeast overgrowth. Overgrowth happens when Candida (a form of yeast) attaches to estrogen, which prevents our bodies from using it, driving the levels down. 

Basically, the type of birth control you’re on can work to create the necessary environment where yeast infections happen. 

Now, for some lists of do’s and don’ts! (But to be honest, I read through plenty of these when I had UTI’s and nothing really did it for me until I quit the Pill…but what’s the harm of sharing what’s out there?). 

Things that can lead to yeast infections:

+ not getting enough sleep

+ too much sugar

+ wearing pads/tampons for too long

+ tight or synthetic clothes

+ irritating products: bath, detergent, lube, etc.

+ stress

+ antibiotics

+ a weak immune system

+ high blood sugar

+ hormonal imbalance near period

+ being pregnant

Things you can do to prevent yeast infections:

+ wear cotton underwear

+ wear loose, breathable pants

+ change out of wet clothes (workout/swimsuits) ASAP

+ limit your sugar consumption

+ use natural soap and detergents

+ avoid regularly using panty liners (let your bits breathe)

+ avoid scented feminine products/soaps

+ get a probiotic 

+ eat a balanced diet - consider checking out candida diet

+ switch to birth control without estrogen

+ keep your lady parts clean and dry — don’t be rough or use complicated soaps, just focus a gentle hand and some water in the folds and creases to clean them off 

+ sleep more

I’m sure if you struggle with yeast infections or UTI’s you’ve read every forum and list out there on how to treat and prevent them. I wish there was a one-stop solution for everyone. 

Have you had any experience with yeast infections? What have you found to help? 

I Kind Of Want to Delete Facebook...

I’ve got a very unimportant dilemma I’ve been mulling over:

Part of me wants to delete my Facebook. 

I created my Facebook as a sophomore in high school circa 2006 because of a boy. Yup, a boy. 

And I was a very active Facebook user through high school and college. Posting pictures, commenting on other people pictures and posts, sharing funny quotes or thoughts. Oh, and let’s not forget about messenger. 

Nowadays I actually only really use my Facebook to message friends and be a part of an 'event’ every now and then for a friend’s party or something similar. 

But I just looked it up and you don’t have to have a Facebook account to use messenger...

It’s been years since I posted photos, Instagram has replaced that for me. And Instagram is honestly probably my current favorite social media platform. I’m a very visual person. 

I don’t use Twitter as much as Instagram, but it has replaced Facebook as the place to post thoughts that pass through your head, articles and that sort of stuff. 

I know Facebook has a purpose, especially when it comes to running your own business, because “everyone is on Facebook”. But to be honest besides business it just isn’t relevant to my life anymore. So much of our lives revolves around social media, especially when you run a brand/business online. I know I've made that choice, but I don’t really fully utilize if for FemmeHead. (I know, shame on me!)

Sure, I have a page for FemmeHead and I’ll share stuff there when I post something new, but nothing revolutionary is happening on there. 

So, those are my thoughts. I want to delete it, but haven’t because I feel like I’m 'supposed' to have one for work. What are your thoughts? Has anyone deleted their Facebook? 

Starting Your Own Etsy Shop

I had a request to share the “how to” when it comes to starting your own Etsy shop, and I’d absolutely love to share my experience with this in hopes of helping someone else take that leap to start their own.

[Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I wish it was…Etsy hit me up.]

First off Etsy makes it so easy for creators to open their own shop and sell their own products. If you’ve ever created a social media profile or anything simple like that you are beyond capable of starting your own Etsy shop. 

Obviously, you first need to figure out what you’re going to sell. 

I went into it knowing I wanted to sell some FemmeHead shirts and totes. 

I did some research trying to find the best platform to actually “sell” those things and I settled on Etsy. 

Years ago I had a little shop where I would sell wood bath trays and candle holders, so I was already familiar with it. 

So, you’ve got what you want to sell, next you need to decide on a price. 

This is totally up to you. There is always a number that comes to mind for me and that’s usually what I go with. 

You can look at what other people are selling similar things for, or just choose completely on your own. 

Is this something you’re going to make ahead of time (like, I make a batch of shirts and totes before putting them up) or is it something you’re going to make as people order it? 

Regardless you’re going to want a few examples for photos and such. 

Saying that you’re going to want to get your system down of how you’re going to create your products and you’re going to want to take some product photos for your shop. 

At some point, you’re going to want to actually create a shop on Etsy. If you’ve ever created your own Facebook, Instagram or any of that you’ll be able to do this step. 

I’m not going to walk you through this step because the site makes it really easy, and Google is your best friend for anything you’re unsure of. 

Basically, you just need to set up your bank account, shipping and a few things like that. And the site will tell you what you still need to do. 

So once you have that set up it’s time to list your products. 

If you haven’t taken those product photos, now is the time. Head to your Shop Manager tab and under that click on Listings. Once there on the top, right side there is a Add Listing button, click on that. 

Now, this is where you’ll put in what you’re selling. If you have multiples of the same product you can just use one listing, like I did when I had FemmeHead tote bags up for sale. 

As for my shirts, I made an individual listing for each because they are thrifted so I wanted everyone to be able to see that specific shirt and the details on that shirt so they could buy the right one for them.

First, you’ll be asked to add a photo, and you can add as many as you feel best show your product. While that uploads I like to scroll down and start filling out the other information. And it tells you what’s what, and why you need it. For example, I internally label each one of my shirts, and then put that in the SKU number section on the "add listing" form. Then when someone buys it I can see oh, they bought shirt number 34 and pull that exact shirt from my stock instead of accidentally mailing the wrong shirt. 

One thing I really like about Etsy is how easy they make it to ship your product once it’s sold. So be sure to fill out the shipping info at the bottom of each item listing. 

You can calculate costs, and save those as a preset option for future listings. Taking the time to do this will save you loads of time, so I recommend doing it. From there all you’ll need is the weight of the item and well as the packaged size. So, you’ll need to know what you’re shipping your products in. 

You can get as fancy or stay as simple as you want. I got a pack of pain manilla envelopes that I can send stuff in. And they’re pretty darn light so that saves on shipping costs. 

Depending on how many listings you want to put up I always save each one as a draft so I can post them all at once. 

Once you post them all, and people start buying your products you’ll get an email each time that happens, you can have conversations with your buyers if they have questions, and you can print shipping labels and mail all your goodies out. 

All in all it's pretty darn simple, and you should definitely do it if you've been playing around with the idea of it. 

Has anyone else started their own shop on Etsy, what's your experince been? 

Hormonal Birth Control Doesn't "Regulate" Your Cycle

There’s something I hear time and time again, and it's something along the lines of:

“I have to take hormonal birth control to have a regular period."

OR

“My doctor wants me to get back on the pill to regulate my cycle."

And I’m here to let you in on a secret that definitely shouldn’t even be a secret:

Hormonal birth control does not regulate your menstrual cycle. 

Think of it this way, instead of “regulating” your hormones it replaces them with synthetic hormones. 

That “period" you think you’re getting, on the dot, every 28 days is actually a withdrawal bleed, not your real menstrual period.

The withdrawal bleed was actually a marketing tool created back in the day to help society accept the pill as more “natural”. Because if you’re bleeding once a month, it has to be natural right? And there are hormonal options that make women just not have a period at all. 

The pill works by messing with our endocrine system, which controls everything hormonal in our bodies. I first started recognizing the important role of our endocrine system when I read the book “WomanCode” by Alisa Vitti. 

Regular cycles, with ovulation and periods (which you don’t have on the pill) have been shown to play an important role in heart, bone and breast health. Which isn’t surprising since the pill alters 150 different bodily functions. 

You can’t tell me that something that impacts that many things in our bodies isn’t messing something up.

The pill packs a punch of around four times the corresponding synthetic estrogen and progesterone that naturally occurs in our body. This is a level that is actually quite lower than the first hormonal birth controls marketed to women, but what on earth are we doing putting that much in our bodies? Even the “lower dose” hormonal birth control options are still much more than our bodies create normally. 

Here’s another one for you, hormonal contraceptives are ranked by the WHO as a class one carcinogen, putting it right up there with tobacco and asbestos, which most of us try pretty hard to avoid as it is. 

Yes, I know a lot of people out there in the world smoke, but they are well aware of the danger of what they are doing. I guarantee there are countless women out there right now taking hormonal birth control unaware of the potential negatives because it is seen as just another thing women do, like shaving our legs. 

There is so much good that comes from having a natural cycle, and understanding that cycle. 

Being on the pill masks health issues or hormonal imbalances, which in turn makes it harder for the practitioner to figure out what’s really going on. It’s like putting a bandaid over a festering wound and then saying “whelp, that’s fixed now I can just ignore it."

A few other great books that talk about the dark side of hormonal birth control that I love are “The Pill: Are You Sure It’s For You?” and “Sweetening the Pill”. 

And a book I love that talks about a benefit of knowing your cycle (completely unrelated to birth control or the physical side effects of hormonal birth control) is “The Optimized Woman” which goes over the four phases of our cycle and our strengths and weaknesses in each of those phases, and how to make the most out of each phase. 

My point here today is that hormonal birth control isn’t the “cure all” it’s touted to be. And I think knowing all the information makes for a more well informed group of people making decisions that really do impact their bodies and minds. 

Saving Money on a Trip

I just recently went on a weekend trip to Chicago, and have two trips on the docket for July. So, today I wanted to share with you how I go about saving some money while traveling (more locally). 

If you're looking for how to use credit cards to get airline miles, or how to get free accomodations this isn't the blog post for you. This is just me looking at the general areas of travel and things to consider when choosing what to do. 

+ Transportation — Flying is super convenient and there are plenty of great deals out there for flights. But if it’s close enough and there’s a group of you going driving is a great option. I spent around $30 to get to Chicago and back while a plane ride would have been probably over $300. I could have also taken a train but that would have been around $150. And my final option would have been the megabits which is a cool $40. My point here is research your options. 

+ Food — One great example of this is one night we were going to this really cool rooftop bar that had appetizers, but I knew it would be a bit more spendy. Some people weren’t hungry or had already gotten food so I grabbed a 6” sandwich from Subway on my way there, which was $4, filled me up and saved me a pretty penny. Another option is to split a meal with someone else there. And finally just look at the menu for cheap options. Even if it’s a more expensive place you can make a reasonable meal out of something there without spending too much. For example you could get an appetizer and a side instead of a main course meal.

Also if you’re staying at a hotel, take advantage of that free hotel breakfast even if it’s not the best meal you’ve ever eaten. And don’t forget to pack your own snacks. This is always something I do whether I’m flying or driving. You’re going to want snacks and it’ll save you money to bring your own instead having to buy them in the airport or at a gas station. Not to mention you’ll probably pack a lot healthier options then what will be available. 

And finally in this category, depending on where you’re staying, go buy groceries and cook instead of eating out every meal. This is just one of my favorite things to do in general when we travel but making your own food is going to save you money too. Obviously you can’t really cook in a hotel room (unless it has a kitchen), but if you’re staying at an Airbnb or with someone else, cook that food.

+ Alcohol — I didn’t drink on my most recent trip, but the rest of the girls all brought their own alcohol or bought it from the store to drink in our hotel room so they didn’t have to spend as much when we went out. Obviously not drinking is cheapest in this category, but also limiting the amount you drink, or ordering cheaper drinks is another option too. I normally don’t order more than one drink at dinner when we go out, unless it’s happy hour. 

+ Accommodations — Once again, shop around. Look at the differences between hotels, hostels and Airbnb. Are you traveling alone or in a group, because groups have pretty great buying power. Or can you stay with a friend you know who lives there? We usually always go with an Airbnb when we travel internationally because of price and it’s usually more fun so you can feel like you’re “in it” in a new city. We shared rooms in Chicago, and four girls in a room is obviously a lot cheaper than just one or two people per room. 

Speaking of where we stayed, you’ll also want to consider location. While further out places are probably cheaper you need to do some research and calculate how much you would be spending on transportation to get to where you want to be in that city. Because if you have to spend a bunch on the subway or Uber, it might actually be cheaper to spend a bit more and be closer to the center of action. We could walk to dinner and the bars each night instead of having to get three Ubers for our group. 

+ Entertainment — It’s definitely OK to pay for some activities especially if it’s significant to where you’re traveling, but don’t blow the bank on a ton of activities, when there are plenty of fun free things to do. I loved our tour of the Palais de Papas in Avignon, France, but I also love going on hikes or just exploring the streets of a new place. 

There’s obviously many other ways to save some money. But these are some of the big areas you can look at. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. 

Spring Additions to My Diet

I recently wrote a blog post about how my diet changes with the seasons, just with what’s available and what I feel like when it’s cold vs. hot outside. 

We’ve finally just slipped into summer officially, even though it’s felt like summer most of the spring here in Iowa anyway. 

Today I wanted to share some of the things that I added into my days these past few months. I know it will change more over the summer, but I always think it’s interesting to look at and share. 

So the first one, and the biggest change is probably fruit. I am a huge fruit fan, but it seems the only thing available in the winter is apples, which are fine. They’re good with peanut butter and on their own, but too much of anything gets old. 

Lately I’ve been really craving and enjoying mangoes and watermelon, as well as different berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries). 

Fruit makes for a great addition to meals and is a great snack on their own. 

Now that the weather is nicer we’ve been going over to one of our friend's houses, as well as Michael’s parents to grill out and sit on the porch to enjoy the nice weather. 

Our favorite go-to thing to grill is definitely the vegan beer brats from Tofurkey. I mean I like veggie patties too, but I ate so many of those over the winter that it’s been good to have something different to eat. 

And it’s nice to still “participate” in things like grilling or a BBQ even though people don’t think plant-based people can. 

One of my favorite summer dishes, even though it’s really just a side dish is this chip dip that I make. It has everything from avocados, onions, black beans, corn, hot peppers, tomatoes and any other veggies you want to add. I season it up, and then have to keep myself from eating the whole bowl I’ve just made. 

It’s also a fan favorite for any type of potluck or "bring your own dish" sort of event. 

Finally, I love trying new recipes, and I’ve been really loving all of the recipes I’ve tried from Ellen Fisher’s eBook “Epic Vegan Food”. She’s one of those healthy vegans (aka doesn’t eat vegan processed junk food), so you know anything from her is really good for you. 

Not to mention her family is the cutest. 

I’ve been loving her Pad Thai recipe. I’ve only made it twice so far, but the sauce makes it so much better than other versions I’ve tried. The Pad Thai noodles seem to soak up all the juice and moisture so if you don’t have enough in your dish then it gets too dry. 

Other recipes from her book that I’ve enjoyed are her Creamy Kraut Salad and her Lentil Curry. 

And we can’t forget about her vegan nacho cheese recipe, which I’ve made and ate way too much of. She shares the recipe for this in a video of hers. 

I know that’s not a huge change or a ton of new recipes, but my diet doesn’t change too too much. I just slowly crave more and more fresh foods as the weather gets warmer. 

What have been some of your favorite recipes this season? 

Benefits of a Capsule Wardrobe

I’ve been really into the benefits of things recently. And one of my favorite topics is minimalism and one branch of that for me is my capsule wardrobe. While you 100% don’t need to have a capsule to be a “minimalist” it is something that I have found beneficial for nearly two years now (to be honest I can’t actually recall how long it’s been). 

One obvious benefit for me has been less laundry. I go through phases of wearing strikingly similar outfits for months at a time. You know the t-shirt and jeans sort of thing. And I will rewear the same pair or two of jeans all week long, and sometimes the same two or three shirts. 

And I’m going to let you in on a secret: I only do my laundry once a week. And I know that’s probably pretty common for most people but even at the end of the week I have to combine loads with Michael because often times I don’t have enough for a full load of laundry. 

For me it’s not the collecting of dirty clothes and putting them through the washer. It’s the folding and hanging back of of said clean clothes that isn’t my favorite part. And with a capsule wardrobe this process has been cut down so much from where it used to be. Not to mention you could go weeks without doing laundry because of everything you owned. So when it did come time to do laundry it was a downright nightmare! 

Next on my list of benefits: easier decisions each morning. I like to savor that good morning brain juice for important decisions to be made, not on mundane things like what should I wear today. I can literally open up my closet, grab an outfit in 10 seconds, put it on and feel great about how I look that day. Because I don’t have a bajillion pieces of clothing to sift through each morning I can save my brain power for work. 

And the next one kind of goes along with that, but basically you like everything you have to choose from, which in turn helps define your personal style. I don’t keep things that don’t fit me, I don’t like how they look or that I feel don’t reflect my style. While I don’t think I could describe what my personal style is to you, I guarantee you can see it via what I wear. I don’t hold onto old pieces that I’m not into anymore. 

Moving right along: you only have season appropriate clothes to choose from. This means I have my capsule full of sweaters in the winter and flowy dresses in the spring and summer. I don’t have to wade through everything I own to find something that works for the weather that day. I know that from the selection I have set out in my closet there is going to be a simple, quick option for me. 

And finally I think my favorite perk is having a capsule has made me a more conscious consumer, I don’t get swept up into fads that pass quicker than you can blink and in the end I’m saving a boatload of money. I used to go to the thrift store to just see what they had. And because everything was just a couple bucks I didn’t feel guilty buying whatever it was. But I ended up with so many things I never wore for one reason or another, and I just had way more than I could actually wear. 

I now think through everything I buy, and it makes the process so much more enjoyable but also when I finally do make the purchase I am so much more excited about it, and that excitement lasts. And although now I’m more willing to invest a bit more into something in the long run I’m saving money because those things last longer and I’m not just buying cheap crap willy nilly.

Why do you like having a capsule wardrobe?