The election is over. My pregnancy is out in the open. Two COVID vaccines are close to becoming a reality. On the other hand, cases are rising at an alarming rate, and the holidays are going to look a little different this year.

I’d say that my mental health is in a much better place than it was at this time last month. A lot of that has come from re-framing situations and doing things for my mental health which I’m better at when I’m pregnant because it’s also for the baby.

I’m also feeling much better physically which helps everything. I can’t believe how different my pregnancies have been so far. At this time with Amalia I was still so sick that I could barely function. And most days now I feel pretty great as long as I eat regularly and don’t push myself too hard.

On the work front, it’s my busy season with sponsorships and gift guides but I’m loving the brands I’m working with and feeling really lucky to have a job I love let alone a job at all.

When I had Amalia 3 years ago, I only took two weeks off of work because Anel had just started his business and we had no other choice. We’ve been talking a lot about my maternity leave over the last two weeks and we’re planning and saving so that I can take two months to really enjoy my time with baby boy and recover from delivery. I’m very much looking forward to that time and will be working hard every day until then to make it a reality.

For now, here are the books I’m reading, shows I’m watching, and products I’m loving this month. Enjoy!

My PJs / Amalia’s PJs

WHAT I’M READING AND WATCHING

Books – Friends & Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan: I finished this book and was underwhemled by it in the end. It was a nice light read but it fell a little flat to me and I was bored by the end. 

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam: A friend lent me this 2020 National Book Award finalist and I knew nothing about it. Holy. Cow. It’s the story of a Brooklyn-based family that rents a house in long island for a weeklong vacation. While there, they get a knock on the door from the owners of the house saying that there was a huge blackout in the city and something crazy is going on. Neither family knows if it can trust the other and one inexplicable thing after another happens to them while they’re holed up together.

It touches on family dynamics, race, and really make you think about how you would handle things if the world were seemingly ending. I loved this book and highly recommend it. It’s a little out there but a great read.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell: I was in the mood for a thriller and read about this on another blog so I started it this week and can’t put it down. It’s the story of a family where the youngest daughter goes missing. 10 years later, her mother starts a relationship with a man who might have ties to her disappearance. Good suspense!

Books for Amalia – Anel discovered The Questioneers collection of books for kiddos at a local bookshop and Amalia loves them. They are stories of children who are destined for big things and persevere to follow their dreams. The stories and illustrations are very sweet!

You can buy the collection here or pick and choose one or two. Her two favorites are Sofia Valdez, Future Prez and Ada Twist, Scientist. They would make a great holiday gift for any littles in your life.

TV Shows – The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix): Anel and I finished this entire mini-series in less than a week. At first I was skeptical because chess isn’t exactly a big interest of mine, but we were both hooked from the first episode and ended up staying up too late watching it multiple nights last week! We haven’t done that in a while but it was well worth it.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays the main character, Beth, a chess prodigy, is absolutely stunning and captivating. The storyline and characters never get old and the beautiful 50’s and 60’s sets and fashion choices are fun to look at as an added bonus.

The Undoing (HBO): My dad first recommended this one to me because he knows I love a good thriller. And love it I do! It comes out every Sunday on HBO and it’s so hard to wait for each new episode with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, an Upper East Side husband and wife who get themselves entangled in a vicious and high-profile murder case. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat! I have my theories about who did it… if you watch it too, do you?

5 THINGS I’M LOVING

1. Matching tartan headband & face masks: ‘Tis the season for tartan. And why not make it a 2020 lewk with a matching headband (60% off) and masks. I get compliments whenever I go to the grocery store on my festive accessorizing. It’s the little things these days.

2. Our Place Always Pan: Is the pan of Instagram worth the hype? They ended up sending me the blue one and I kind of wanted to hate it but ended up really loving it. It would have been even more clutch for when I had a tiny apartment kitchen in NYC. It’s $50 off right now with code SUPERSALE, making it a great gift for under $100.

3. Wicker stair basket: I feel like my lists always have at least one thing on them that I hated my mom for having and now have myself… this stair basket included. Now that I’m pregnant and extra lazy, I tend to pile things on the staircase instead of bringing them up right away which turned into our number one domestic argument du jour. To solve the problem, I got a basket to enable my laziness and make Anel feel better about the situation. Win/win!

4. Chest freezer: We have harvested tons of veggies from our garden and wanted to freeze as much as possible for winter. Anel and I spent an hour each for the last few weekends peeling and chopping potatoes, sweet potatoes,  and carrots to store but then realized that we didn’t have enough room in our freezer. We had been wanting a chest freezer in the basement anyway because our freezer never shuts properly so this was the perfect excuse to buy one. We use these reusable freezer bags for our chopped veggies because they hold a lot and prevent freezer burn.

5. Sea grass dog bed: Bootsie is turning 5 in a few weeks and we really wanted to get him a new bed for the kitchen because he loves to sit in there with me but never looks comfy. Anel and I spent a whole night searching for the perfect doggy bed that would be comfortable and match with our aesthetic since it’s in a central area of the house. He actually ended up finding this beautiful handmade sea grass bed with a cozy cushion and flexible sides. The large size is perfect for him to curl up in a ball and get cozy.

What is one thing you’re loving this month?

Photo by Julia Dags.