Articles

• Eve Rodsky
  Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution For When You Have Too Much To Do

• Angela Duckworth
  The Fierce Vulnerability of Angela Duckworth, Bestselling Author of 'Grit'

• Ryan Haddon
  Courage: The 6 Areas It Impacts Your Life

• Angella Nazarian
  Five Questions Every Woman Should Ask Herself

• Elissa Goodman
  Tips On How To Cleanse At Home With Elissa Goodman

• Danielle Beinstein
  The Paradox of Choice

Beauty & Skincare

Right now, my main concern is avoiding MASKNE…the acne one gets on the chin and lower jaw from the swampy humidity in a face mask. (My full beauty and skincare routine coming soon.)

• Ways to Keep Your Skin Healthy While Wearing a Mask

Books

I love reading books and articles about women’s varying life paths, tools and insights. These two books were key at the beginning of my self recreation journey.

• The Artists' Way
  (Bonus: The Artist’s Way — 10 Key Themes)

• Living an Examined Life
  (Bonus: Psychology Today)

Cooking

I don’t like cooking. It’s not my strong suit (the chopping and cleaning, ugh!). I’m really trying to embrace it during COVID and have managed to make a few things that my kids and husband were willing to eat. My daughter actually became the in house chef when COVID began. Here are some favorite recipes for any non-cook out there:

• Ella's Flats Filling Salad

• Vegan Pasta Alla Vodka

• Easy Pad Thai

• Vegan Tomato Basil Tart

• Grain-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Meditating

Meditating is so hard in the beginning. You don’t know if you’re doing it right and it’s impossible to have patience. They tell you to quiet your thoughts, but the thoughts keep coming. I had to learn to let the thoughts fly by and not judge myself.

My advice is to start with short meditations or you’ll get frustrated. Just don’t give up - the key is sticking with it even if it’s a quick one. I also try to vary them based on my mood.

Give these a shot and let me know what you think.

• Unplug Meditation

• Manifesting Meditation: Holding A Vision of a New Way of Living

• Anapana Meditation

• Kirtan Kriya

• Practice the Gratitude / The Art of Living

Parenting

I have two teens - my son is 16 and my daughter is almost 14. Having teenagers is a huge learning curve, but over the years I learned that you have to lean into it. These are some of my favorite articles for learning to manage that shit storm elegantly (and have a little fun while you’re at it).

• 10 things I Said I’d Never Do Before I Became a Parent That I Totally Do

• They’re Not Supposed To Be Here Right Now, But This Is What I Love About Having My Children Home

• 9 Truths About Living With A Teenage Daughter

• When School Is Online: How to Help Your Teen do Their Best Work

• When School Is Online: How to Help Your Teen do Their Best Work

• My Son’s Turning 17 and Here is How Our Talks are Changing

• I’m the Mom of 4 Daughters: Here’s What Our Girls Want Us to Know

• How To Quarantine Your Teen

• I Was a Screen–Time Expert. Then the Coronavirus Happened

• Teens and Sexual Consent: 8 Steadfast Rules They Need to Know

• Mapping the Mind of a Teen Multipotentialite

• Not Your Father's Playboy - Keeping Kids Safe with Technology

• Tweens Can Stave Off Loneliness with New Social Networks and Hobbies During the Pandemic

Working Out

I love walking on the treadmill, since it’s in my house and in this summer heat, I like to soak in the air conditioning. My husband gets pissy if I don’t turn the air off when I leave the gym. In the evenings, I like to walk the dog with my husband (because who wants to pick up fresh dog shit?).

For weight work, Melissa Wood has saved me during this pandemic. They are tough, but graceful workouts which I love because I like to keep my nervous system calm.

• Work Out with Melissa Wood