The Best of the World Wide Web

I haven't been writing on the internet much lately but that doesn't mean 

I haven't been reading it. Here are a few links that I insist you check out....Do it now! 

This top comes in so many colors!!!

THE BEST OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB

KEEPING IT REAL // My friend Esther wrote a very honest, relatable post for Scary Mommy called Why I Don't Tell People About My Toddler and Newborn. (It went viral it was so good!) 

And my bestie, Candace, wrote a post called Who Am I Now? about feeling "a little stuck" as a freshly 40 mother transitioning into yet another new season of life.

ASMR // As someone who experiences ASMR and receives ridicule from my mean friends about it. (Julianna, Chuck, and Jeremy - you are all rude.) I'm excited and feel validated that it's making its way into mainstream pop culture. Cara Delevingne made this ASMR video with W Mag!!  

AMY SCHUMER// Fellow Amy Schumer fans, watch her hour long interview on Charlie Rose.

HILARE // The Dope Ass Mom released her 2nd video in her web series called "How to Potty Train Your Kids" and it's hilare, per anything she does. Watch it here.

DIY // Holy cow - my friend Kirsten made this DIY baby mobile and its awesome. I don't think it pertains exclusively to babies. I'd do this in black and white and hang it my house!!! 

RAD WEBSITE // I discovered lifestyle website, Lovechild, last night that I'm adding it to my blogroll.

SHOPPING // I bought this top  (as seen above) from Free People in two colors! (Black and Light Pink.)

NAMASTE// Diggin this French yoga/active wear line, Lole!

- FOLLOWING MEGAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE YOU SKINNIER, RICHER, & PRETTIER-

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Greetings from Minocqua!

Greetings from Minocqua, WI were I spent last weekend at our family's lake house.

Cue the house. 

Mace loved driving the boat this year which worked out as we needed a designated driver.

I have a very complex relationship to my blog these days but one thing that I'll always love and appreciate about it is the fact that I can look back to our trip to Mincoqua last summer and see how much lil Roman has changed in just a year.

RyRy and Ro Ro.

Hey Jer.

Classic Grandpa shot.

Dad and Nance.

Flying with kids blows no matter what but hauling all this shit solo is as emotionally tolling as it is physically.  Sometimes I cry and sometimes I feel like an empowered, bad ass bitch. Sometimes both, making fellow travelers super uncomfortable when a crying, smiling psycho boards the inter-terminal train.

- FOLLOWING MEGAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE YOU SKINNIER, RICHER, & PRETTIER-

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THE MAKING OF "DOPE ASS MOM TIPS"

While the majority of Mad Meg clients come to us via referral, Andrea Levoff and I go back to the early 2000's. We both had moved to Chicago after college, as did my cousin, Anne-Marie, who introduced us. I'm not sure if this classifies as nepotism, but if it does, I'm cool with it.

Andrea, who eventually got a Masters in Spiritual Psychology, became a mom, and dabbled as a stand-up comic, called me this winter and pitched me an idea for a hilarious web series she'd had after seeing a Tina Fey bit. I loved the concept and was excited to fully flush out the idea, build a brand around it, and utilize my storyboarding skills I'd learned in a screenwriting class I took way a few years prior.

For the next few months we worked together remotely and I flew to Chicago twice - once for meetings with potential production company partners and then again for the actual shoot day which I'll walk you through now.

DOPE ASS MOMS SHOOT DAY 
JUNE 24th 2016

4am - Board plane for Chicago.

FML.



9am- Arrive at Andrea's Lincoln Park home.

11am - Hang out with child stars Max and Anna. (Andrea's kids) 

2pm - Make Andrea's hair & makeup girl do my hair. Sorry not sorry.

6pm - Drink champagne!

Cheers to Guy Bauer Productions for making the web series better than Andrea and I could have ever imagined and being so cool and funny throughout the process. Love them! 

And now, without further ado, may I formally introduce, Andrea Levoff's web series called Dope Ass Mom Tips.

Episodes titled "How to Potty Train Your Kids" and "What to do When Your Kids Are Being Jerks" to follow soon. Sign up on Andrea's website to be emailed upon their release. And visit her speaking page to book her for one of her four keynote presentations!!

P.S. Have you entered my essential oils giveaway on instagram? Do it now!!

- FOLLOWING MEGAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE YOU SKINNIER, RICHER, & PRETTIER-

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ESSENTIAL OIL GIVEAWAY

Announcement - I've jumped on the essential oils bandwagon.  I've always wanted to since seeing this video but I guess I've been to cheap, poor, and confused on how to get started. Thankfully an old friend, Jill Hoel, hooked me up and she's gonna hook one of you up too!!!

But first, let me tell you how I've been using my oils.

PEPPERMINT OIL

The Mad Meg team has been sniffing glue our peppermint oil at work to keep us alert. 

I've also noticed sniffing the peppermint oil also suppresses my appetite.

It's also helpful to sniff peppermint oil when your hungover AF and don't want to throw up in your car.

Pretty.

LAVENDER OIL

I've been putting lavender oil on Macy's pillow and the bottom of her feet at bed time. I told her it gives her "special powers" to sleep and now she asks for her "powers" everynight. Between the oil and the half bottle of NyQuil* I give her, bedtime has been easy peasy. 

*Oh relax, I'm kidding.

LEMON OIL

I've substituted my Crystal light for lemon oil and it's just as good and surely much better for me. You can also use lemon oil in your dishwasher which I'm excited to try. And, you can add a few drops to your facewash to brighten your complexion and slough off dead skin. I'm down for that as well.

Directions:

• Head over to my instagram to enter giveaway and leave a comment tagging two friends that also might want to enter.

• Like Jill Hoel's instagram who will mail the winner their introductory kit.

• That's it! Boom!

**Giveaway closes Thursday, August 11th at noon!

**Must have USA shipping address to win.

- FOLLOWING MEGAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE YOU SKINNIER, RICHER, & PRETTIER-

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MACY WITH THE GOOD HAIR

BEFORE

  DURING

AFTER

MACY WITH THE GOOD HAIR

- FOLLOWING MEGAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE YOU SKINNIER, RICHER, & PRETTIER-

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MY JULY FAVORITES

After months and months of you guys emailing me about starting a monthly favorites series*, I've finally gotten my act together to give my people what they want! 

Without further ado, here's what I've been loving in July!!!  

*I actually didn't receive any emails from you guys, but this was an easy and exciting way to introduce this post, and made me feel temporarily important.


MY FAVES

Just when you think you couldn't love Jennifer Aniston anymore, her Huffington Post article reminds us that we're complete and fully formed, just the way we are. A lack of partner or kiddo is not a reflection on one's happiness or a sign that their life trajectory is unfinished. Preach on Rachel Green!

Topshop Leopard Clog - Objectively the perfect summer. Plus the price is right at $48! They come in brown, blue, and pink two. Buy two pair - you deserve it.

OPI's Got Myself Into A Jam-balaya - I haven't bought polish in years because I do the whole shellac thing  but Candace turned me onto this hue and I need it!

The Roommate Book - My friend Becky Simpson's 2nd book is out and it's the absolute perfect 'lil thing to give to your favorite college student heading back to school next month! 

Ali Wong, Baby Cobra- If you like Amy Schumer, you'll love Ali Wong. She's changing the game of female stand-up comedy in the best way possible. Delivering her act while preggo and having a bit about a previous miscarriage are examples of this. But I don't want to politicalize her stand-up because what's first and foremost about this girl is she's fucking funny.

10% Happier Podcast with Dan Harris - I 100% believe that meditating can make me 10% happier and love Dan Harris' podcast that interviews folks like Mario Batali, Gretchen Rubin, and Ariana Huffington about their meditation habits. 

That's It Bars - I like the idea of Lara Bars but the taste? Bleh. I discovered That's It bars at a gas station of all places though and I'm in. The ingredients in the apple/mango bar are apple and mango. That's it! Ha! Order them in bulk for your kiddos on-the-go brekkie!

Hopdoddy Burger Bar - Now in Houston (in addition to Austin, Dallas, Denver, CA, etc.)  this place lives up to the hype! My first tips would be to dine during non-peak hours. The line is no joke and having to order at the counter is the one draw-back of the place. Two, and this is important, Uber there. They have an array of fun, creative drinks and you're eagerness to try them will leave you inebriated. 

-SHOP MY FAVES-

Jungalow Room Makeover w/ LaurInteriors

So here's the sitch. I had a room in my house that looked like this.

BEFORE

Coming soon to Architectural Digest.

Most people in my apartment complex use it as a dining room. But here's something neat about me - I eat 100% of my meals on my couch. 

I wanted to do something creative with the space and thought having a meditation room would encourage me to meditate more. I went to Home Depot, got a few paint samples, and wallah - I was completely overwhelmed.

Enter Lauren of LaurInteriors in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. 

Connected through an internet friend (thanks Katelyn) Lauren and I began working together remotely. I told Lauren a bit about what I was going for in terms of a zen room with lots of plants and she was like, "you mean like a jungalow?" and I was like, "I don't know. WTF is a jungalow?"

After a quick google search, I learned that a jungalow is  a super rad lifestyle blog and something the urban dictionary defines as a treehouse. My definition of a jungalow goes more like this - "a room with a shitload of plants." 

Either way, I loved Lauren's vision and it was full speed ahead.

inspiration board by LaurInteriors

Here’s something else about me. I’m not rich. It's as tragic as it sounds.

Prior to working with Lauren, I would have assumed I couldn't afford an interior designer, let alone their taste. But Lauren's tagline is, “Real people, in real spaces, on a real budget." And she proved it by sending me a final mock-up with links to everything I'd need to buy accordingly.

So without further ado!

AFTER

GAHHHH!

Pretending to read, as one does.

Two of my favorite parts of the room; the wall hanging that Lauren made and my record player.

Lauren also made this pom pom curtains!! What?! This chic is a machine!!

***I'd like to interrupt this blog post to tell you how I got the couch into my jungalow****

Another big player in this whole jungalow makeover was a company/app called Pick Up. I'd like you to think of them as Uber for when you have to move. 

So here's the deal. I found this couch at Fleastyle, wanted it, but had no way to get it home in my small car. 

Don't worry guys - Pick Up to the rescue! 

I simply downloaded their app and botta bing, botta boom - movers quickly arrived to follow me home. (Me in my car. Them in their pick-up truck with the couch). Genius, no? The whole thing only cost me $65 and the majority of Pick Up employees are ex-military or off duty fireman. Hubba Hubba!  (Currently Pick Up is only in Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Houston but expanding soon.)

This pic makes me sad as the blue plant has since been killed by it's owner and is no longer with us, may it rest in peace.

*Thanks so much to LaurInteriors for making all my jungalow dreams come true! 

I have to go mediate now. 

Photography // Rocio Carlon

-SHOP MY JUNGALOW-

LIFE LATELY

Hi! How is everybody? Hopefully dying for a scintillating update about my life because that's what you're about to get.  Let's get on with it, shall we?

PICS OF KIDS AND MY BOOK

Nothing makes me happier than candid pics of kiddos with my book. 

Especially the bottom left one - THAT'S MY NEPHEW!!! 

If you don't have my book, feel free to buy it here. And if you want to share a pic of your kiddo with their book, you'd make my day! Upload it to your instagram and tag me (@greetingsfromtx) or you can email me! Hov!

SOUL CYCLE

Houston - we have a SoulCyle!

Me (most left and super sweaty and gross) with fellow girl bosses from left to right; Roz Pactor, Esther Freedman, Marla Murphy, Meredith Staggers) 

For those of you who that are all "Soul what"? SoulCycle is the spin gym that started in NYC and was made famous by its celeb clients like Kelly Ripa and Lea Michele. Despite the hype that surrounds SoulCycle, I was nervous for them coming to Houston as it's a saturated marketplace as we already have Define, Revolution, Ryde, and Ride (not joking - there's two gyms named Ride - just spelled differently) that offer very similar classes. 

That said, SoulCylce was pretty great guys. They hands down have the best merch - I wanted to buy one of everything they had and their space is so bright and clean. For people not familiar with these type of spin classes - I love them because you get your cardio, but they also integrate aspects of yoga with candles, moments of guided meditation/silence so you get your mental benefits too. 

If you're in Houston, def try SoulCycle. Tell them Megan sent you. They'll be, "oh that blogger that was super late to the event she was hosting and then died throughout the entire class?" To which you'll answer, "Precisely." 

HAROLDS 

New Restaurant alert - or at least new restaurant to me. Harolds on 19th street is where its at folks. It had been on my radar being right across the street from Manready Mercantile and Emerson Rose so the location is ideal. The food is great too. Harold's generously hosted my blogger friends and I upstairs where they serve southern and creole food.

Downstairs, however, they have what they call Harold's tap room and Alli's Pizzeria where you can INFUSE YOUR OWN COCKTAILS, pizza, and other snacks. Definitely put this on your to try list in Houston - it warrants it. I was sorta sick the night of the dinner so didn't have much of an appetite, I can't wait to go back so I can really indulge.

And, that is what's been going on in life lately.
Keep it real kids! 

-Meg

- FOLLOWING MEGAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE YOU SKINNIER, RICHER, & PRETTIER-

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