So I meant to bring you a Sunday Scoop last week, but it ended up being a quiet week around the blog this week purposefully. I was just having a take-a-break-from-writing kind of moment. You know the feeling, right? That sometimes a break from something you love brings even more creativity when you get back to it. Like absence makes the heart grow fonder, no? Speaking of growing…I’ve spent this weekend going to greenhouses and making some plans for our garden and landscaping. How do you not get overwhelmed by the choices?? I look at all the flowers and want one of everything but my lack of physical space and moola put the breaks on that. But seriously, someone tell me how they tackled a landscaping project?! Halp me! So I’m obviously not the person to help inspire your garden project just yet (still at novice level over here) but if you’re in need of some life inspiration, read on:

Life Things

• A meditation nail salon? I’ve gotta check this out!
• The classist implications of having skin issues are so real. This is SUCH a good read.
• Why happiness is such a struggle.
• Does anyone else have an out of control email inbox? Here are some tips for cleaning it up.
• Procrastination is too easy sometimes. Here is how you get stuff done.
• The opposite of procrastination: How to grow creativity and productivity at the same time.
• The ability to say “No” is an admirable skill. Here’s how to hone those skills.
• I hate to get political, but I believe in the power of comprehensive sex education in schools so this is a major disappointment.
• This viewpoint of a cancer nurse that got cancer herself is spectacular. I would say this “you don’t know what it’s like in someone else’s shoe’s until you’ve worn them” perspective applies to MANY situations in life.
• Neuroscientists advise to visit the beach more often. Ok, booking plane tickets now!

Green Things & Health 

• Did earth day at all inspire you to reduce your waste? A good place to start is in your grocery shopping habits. Here are 11 ways to reduce waste while shopping at Whole Foods (but can apply to many other grocery stores too).
• What happens to your recyclables after you place them in the recycle bin. This is fascinating stuff! And also more people need to recycle!
• Let’s hope this plastic straw ban keeps spreading to more cities.
• I have considered going vegan (I’ve now watched 1 to many documentaries on the subject). Here’s a look at one person’s reason’s for why they made the switch.
• This new vegan meal planning App from Beyoncé has further intrigued my vegan curiosities. I will buy into anything that’s tied to Beyoncé. #fangirl
• Ever wonder how essential oils are made? This breaks it down.
• Many conventional sunscreens contain chemicals that are harming the ocean and killing the coral reefs. Here are a few reef safe recommendations.
• Speaking of reef safe sunscreens, Hawaii just passed a law that only reef safe sunscreens can be sold (that means they can’t contain oxybenzone and octinoxate). Woo Hawaii! Save those reefs from the 14,000 tons of sunscreen that harm the reefs each year.
• Period shaming really needs to stop for many reasons, but if you need another reason this article talks about how the environment can also suffer when it comes to period shaming.
• This says spearmint tea helps reduce acne. Worth a try maybe?
• YAS Marriot Hotels! They pledge to get rid of single use shampoo bottles replacing them with wall mount refillable units in 1,500 of their hotels by January 2019.
• Have you gotten on the oat milk trend? It’s said to have a reduced environmental impact than all other milks and have ecological benefits.
• Yikes! Another thing I hadn’t really considered the environmental impact of: Flowers.

On Infertility & Motherhood & Being a Woman

• Does anyone else read to far into omens sometimes? It’s hard not to when they feel good but when they feel bad it can make this so much worse.
• Have you heard the term schadenfreude (aka when one derives pleasure from learning about the misfortune of others)? Maybe you haven’t heard the term but I’m sure you’ve experienced this psychological phenomenon. Interesting read on it here.
• This article relates to body image but the concept can be applied to many situations: “What to do when your ‘now’ looks like someone’s ‘before'”

Pure Fun & Inspiration

• Spring 2018 home decor trends according to Etsy. I can definitely get behind #3- so fun!
• It’s Kentucky Derby weekend and quite frankly these hats are the best part.

Happy Sunday friends! And have a great week ahead!