I’m in full wedding mode which feels really fun! I didn't think I ever really cared about having a wedding but now that’s its happening I’m so thrilled to celebrate with family/friends and get dressed up. No one dresses up anymore and LA is causal city central. My best friend/maid of honor and I went shopping this weekend which we admittedly usually hate doing. Although we both like clothes and nice things the actual process of shopping is not really something that excites either of us. But we were on a mission and it was a successful one. So fun to be girls and just spend all day together like we used to in our 20’s. Beyond grateful to be living in the same city as her all these years later.

Every year we spend a week in Laguna Beach. We’re leaving on Labor Day and it’s probably my favorite week of the year, I’m counting down the days... It used to be a week where Adrian and I would chill, take naps on the beach, play tennis, swim in the ocean together but with an almost 2.5 year old it looks a little different. But being right on the ocean relaxes me deeply, that or a mountainy forest. Those are my two favorite natural environments.

I’m wrapping up my astrology course for the year and it’s been so rewarding to be back in a school setting. I love learning and I’ve loved sharing astrology with my people especially the ones who may be a little reluctant to believe. It’s all quite literally written in the stars! If you’re looking to book a natal chart reading with me you can do so here.

I just finished reading Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs, I enjoyed it. A light fun summer read and a nice reprieve after finishing The Poisonwood Bible…iykyk. I still can’t stop thinking about East of Eden and how delicious John Steinbeck's writing is so I proceeded to pick up 5 of his books at the library, I think I'll take a couple for the beach house.

Tea Cloud is coming off our summer break. Tommy and I are back hosting our little monthly pop-up, this Saturday September, 5th from 1-4pm in Los Feliz. Obviously we will be serving tea, sweets and even a smoothie because we’ve all been melting over here. First ones to arrive get a little something special so mark your calendar. Message me for location details.

Don’t get me wrong I got interested in astrology at an early age via teen magazines with a monthly horoscope telling me I’d meet the love of my life next week. There is some fun & levity in pop astrology but as I continue my astrology studies I'm becoming more and more discerning.

For one, I've never really resonated with forecasting, what’s to come say in the month or year ahead when it comes to astrology. Maybe because I used to primarily look at my sun sign and I've learned my rising is much more resonate with what’s actually occurring in my life (Taurus Sun, Scorpio rising if you were curious…) My deep understanding and knowing that fate and freewill both exist simultaneously just doesn’t allow me to rock with it too deeply. Plus it sometimes just …

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It thunderstormed while I was there which was one of my only wishes, aside from getting my favorite bagel & donuts. The smell right before the rain and the change in pressure, it transports me back to feeling like a kid.

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However, I do think sickness is more than a 1+1=2 equation. It’s an imbalance physically/spiritually/mentally that’s why I fuck with both western AND eastern medicine because it all applies. Adrian and my daughter had been sick for a little over a week but I was showing zero symptoms that whole time, not thinking too much about it and remaining fairly neutral. Then as I was going to bed one night I consciously thought, ‘wow i’m surprised I feel fine, crazy I haven’t gotten sick’ followed by this immediate sense of doom. I woke up a few hours later with a scratchy throat…

Our bodies are like earth, they’re resilient and as much as you think you can control what’s going on, the bod (& Mother Earth) their innate intelligence reigns supreme, usually. People love to talk about…

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The trip latest 6 hours, I had a blindfold on the whole time and listened to a playlist while I laid on a couch. My dear friend held it down for me and brought me a cold tangerine when I asked and some tummy tea at the end when my stomach felt wild as fuck. I never stayed in one place too long. I went to places in my past and places i’ve never been and felt Adrian and my daughter swirling around me most of the time. I had a massive laughing fit that I know my friend enjoyed watching as well as two very good cries. Although I had headphones on, sometimes I could hear the outside world and sometimes I would think unpleasant thoughts but ultimately my state of…

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Especially in these early years (my daughter just turned 2) I know that this requires more of my time and energy and as she gets older my role will shift (as it already seems to, weekly). I’m sure people who have jobs and careers that are deeply passionate about feel the same way, they think about it 24/7 and it’s their whole life & world. But the thing with being a parent is you really cannot prepare for this job, and it’s constantly requiring you to excavate different parts of yourself and learn as you go.

Since it’s been 2 years since I gave birth, I’m feeling how much tension I’m still holding in my body from a very traumatic emergency c-section. A part of me is like ‘wow it’s been 2 years, shouldn't you feel better now?’ and the other part o…

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Sometimes I forget that I can just create for the sake of creating, without sharing and also admit that what I may once have felt a need to express no longer feels in alignment.

I think Michael Jackons said that, when a song would come to him he’d HAVE to make it, usually pretty soon because he feared the idea would flow through someone else (I think he was worried God would give them to Prince, lol. I feel that). There are ideas I’ve imagined and acted on and there are many where the ship has sailed and gone to my Prince. For instance even to sit down and write this. I always tend to get my most poignant thoughts/ideas right as I’m about to fall asleep. I haven’t been keeping a pen by my bed (I don’t want my toddler drawing on the bed/walls) and I don’t keep my phone or my laptop by my bed. Here I find myself ma…

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Although she is ‘my’ daughter she isn’t mine. She’s an Aries, fearlessly independent and I know deep within my bones she will pave the way and make an authentic life for herself. My hyperawareness of this notion keeps me praying that she will want to continue to be involved in each other’s lives until I’m an old woman. In conjunction with her growing pains I’ve been feeling lots of emotions around the role of being a mother - severely felt through the means of art like seeing Hamnet…

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I’m extra excited for this months menu because I get to share (in my humble opinion) the perfect cinnamon roll with you. I’m pretty particular about my cinnamon rolls, I like them pillowy and with a lot of vanilla in the icing. There will be a savory option, a seasonal tart with some homemade puff pastry. And of course Tommy will be delivering our decadent gluten free option including chocolate and rose in honor of the season of love. Served with your choice of tea & coffee.

Saturday February, 7th 1-4pm in Los Feliz. Venmo @motomtom or 513-255-5791 with TEA CLOUD + email in caption for address.

Can’t wait to feed you! x

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I’ve been going to hot yoga the last few months and it’s quite fascinating to see all these women in very tight synthetic/polyester pants. To each their own but could not be me. I did a little crowd sourcing post on instagram to see where people are getting their cotton workout clothes. I came up against some comments like ‘some synthetic material is important for activewear to prevent chafing’ ‘bacteria grows in cotton’ blah blah blah blah. Okay nothing is perfect and without its downfalls I just prefer cotton ok?? Plus I’m not out here wearing my sweaty yoga clothes for the rest of the day. But if you see me in the coffee shop working in said sweaty yoga clothes…let me be. Here is a list of what I got and what I can personally recommend.

Ha…

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You spend about 35% of your life in your bed so I have zero qualms with throwing down on anything bed related. I’m also a Taurus. I used to have an incredible weighted comforter but life happened and we had to get rid of it amongst our many moves but I found one that is working just as well! It’s 100% cotton which is crucial for me. It’s 25 pounds, a little funky with the weight distribution in a duvet cover but you just have to adjust it before bed every night and that’s that.

We were long overdue on getting some new sheets. I’m very partial to linen sheets. They literally vibrate higher and have a healing frequency. Hospitals used to use linen sheets (and have sun decks for patients to expedite healing…really you can look all of this up.) Anyway, I decided to give Quince a try because they had a color I liked and I was open to t…

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omg I FINALLY found a brow gel that does not flake. I have been having this conundrum for over a decade. I have found ones that don’t flake but those usually have coloring which I’m not interested in making my brows darker per se, just fluffing them up a bit. I really like Refy and I like the applicator too.

Backgammon

I wanted to learn how to play chess this last year but instead I learned backgammon. My friend taught me how to play a few months ago and I’ve been hooked. I like the pace, how you can easily stop and chat, have a meal and drink some wine while you play, and it requires just enough strategy to keep me engaged. I got a cute and affordable travel board on amazon until I find a beautiful bespoke board…

Sunny’s Miso Caesar

I’ve loved Sunny’s tahini for years but their new salad dressings are actually my obsession, specfically the miso caesar. I’m typically a make your own dressing because it’s easy and you can really tweak it to your taste preferences however…this…

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Saturday January 17th, 12pm - 4pm (open house)

$11 for tea/espresso + pastry of choice, a la carte pastries available

venmo @motomtom or 513-255-5791 with TEA CLOUD + email in caption for location.

can’t wait to see and feed you!

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1. Motherload - Sarah Hoover

   I love a memoir. This was poignant especially since I was not even a year postpartum. She’s from Indiana like me so in some ways it was comforting to read.

2. Acid for Children - Flea

   Another memoir. Very fun to read, couldn’t not put it down. A really good story, he’s endearing to me.

3. James - Perceval Everett

   I also love historical fiction. Not my usual era of historical fiction but again a story I enjoyed reading.

4. The Third Perspective -Africa Brooke

   I…

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Mind you, I also haven’t made homemade ice cream since I’ve had my daughter (she’s almost 16 months) so this had multiple rounds of testing until I finally got it just how I wanted it and it was way worth all the effort.

The difference between custard and ice cream is that custard uses egg yolks so it adds a richness that is unbeatable. To be honest, I guess I’ve only ever made ‘custard’ but I presume ice cream is a bit easier. You can buy a fairly priced ice cream machine or if you have a standing mixer like a Kitchenaid you can buy an ice cream attachment to possibly save at least a little bit of space.

Full recipe below :)

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I guess technically the end of April up until now, the flowers specifically the roses in LA are bussing. I haven’t really noticed the last few years because I finally moved to a beautiful neighborhood where the walks are full of sites and smells. My daughter loves them equally as much. It’s such a stark reminder how incredible nature is. I’ve also been gifted a bunch of flowers this season (birthday, mother’s day, etc.) But like the great Outkast said ‘Roses really smell like poo poo poo’ all good things must come to an end and that smell is personified for me. Also quick! If you can head to Huntington Gardens in Pasadena do so because the rose garden will make you sick it’s so stunning.

Sewing

I’ve been dabbling with crocheting which is great but trying to work with a pattern is a little too daunting at the moment and I need something I can begin and finish to feel satisfied (why I love cooking). BUT both my partner and I have had a handful of clothing items that need button…

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My god, talk about literal nectar from the GODS. I read somewhere once that, in recent years they found honey perfectly in tact in the Pyramids…I do not have a credible source for this but to me it makes sense. Feel sick, have a spoonful of honey, want a little sweet treat, have a spoonful of honey w/ some sea salt, want to do a facemask, throw some honey on your face…I feel like it really is magic. I have an orange blossom honey from my farmers market daily but I bought the whipped raw honey from Bjorn and it’s heavenly.

Doing your relationships’ birth chart

Okay as I’m studying astrology more seriously this year, my god this shit is also magic. Being referred to as ancient psychology I feel like we can really better understand ourselves and those we love and really become much more empathetic because of it. I recently did the ‘birth chart’ for me and my partners relationship which was uncanny in its accuracy (I mean, duh). I plugged in the day we met, general time and location a…

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I used to see this magazine (Cook’s Illustrated) in grocery stores and not think much of it. But it has become one of my favorite publications and better yet they have a free tv channel. We use a google plug-in extension on our projector and it comes with a bunch of free tv channels, this channel being one of them. There TV station is so nice to have on in the background as like a radio, plus I have gotten some really good meal inspiration, tips & tricks.

Sofie Royer’s Young-Girl Forever

I cannot stop listening to this album. Sofie only started making music a few years ago but her progression has been so fun to listen to. This album is very euro pop and my daughter and I are listening to it on repeat anytime we are in the car. A verrrrry feel good album.

Appliance sounds at night

There is something so soothing about the sound of the dishwasher/washing machine/dryer going right as I’m about to retire to bed. After having a nightmare of an experience with bedbugs in…

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As much as I’d love to go to the Korean spa weekly to get the full body scrub and come out feeling like a baby dolphin, the Osea salt scrub will have to do for now. Smells great, and leaves a silky oil on your skin so you feel hydrated once you get out of the shower. love love love.

Not finishing a book

So my goal this year is to finish 25 books, with some audio books sprinkled in there. Something my brother once told me really stuck with me, ‘there are only so many books you can read in your life so don’t waste your time on ones you really don’t want to read.’ I was nearly finished with a novel but something really irked me, and then as I read more I was getting progressively more irked. I had to throw in the towel and stop even though I was like ‘but but I need to finish 25!’ Happy to report I gave it up and read Sarah Hoover’s memoir that just came out and finished it in under a week, so we are still on track.

Genmaicha tea

It’s been my tea of choice as of late - the nutti…

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I love acupuncture but finding time to consistently go is not really an option right now. so I’ve opted for the acupressure sandals I got off amazon. I wear them when I wake up for about 15 minutes and again in the evening, with socks. I do believe this is a whole body experience.

Oil pulling

I went to the dentist for the first time in years and let me just say it was…humbling. I have always been good about flossing and brushing 2x daily but I have recommitted to oil pulling. I am also convinced this helped my TMJ issues I had for about a decade (coupled with meditation). I swig about a tablespoon of coconut oil for 10 minutes first thing in the morning after I scrape my tongue. Be sure to spit that shit out in the trash - do not swallow it. Do it while you’re wearing your acupressure sandals and cleaning up your home. It’s also a great natural whitener and serving as my daily meditation, for now.

Photo albums

I have always loved film. I love looking at my families photos a…

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