issue #47 - the acceptance one

July 05, 2020

“Mom. Don’t cry. This is our life now.”

I had a moment earlier this week, and this is what Rho said.

And he’s right.

Whether we like it or not, staying home is the new normal, and I can’t even predict what life will look like on the other side.

I have the great privilege to be in a safe home, with plenty of food and space, with the people I love the most. I’m one of the very lucky ones. So I’m going to try and savor every second of this moment, and offer every spare cent to helping others that aren’t so lucky.

If this is your first e-mail from me, welcome! In addition to writing the book How To Pack, I'm an entrepreneur and angel investor, an avid reader, and a mom of two boys (a 5 year old and a 10 month old).

Every Saturday, I share the 25 best reads from the Internet (culled from the daily shares on my Instagram), the books I've read that week, and things I'm generally loving at the moment. You can join the conversation on all these articles - and more! - in my Facebook group.

Looking for my packing list template? Here you go!

#1SmartPod, 2 Smart Things

#ThingsILove This Week

  • Girls’ Night In (one of my portfolio companies) launched Stay Home Take Care to help us during these times - and it’s been such a source of comfort and action for me.

  • My friends launched Giving Dignity, a program to donate tablets and get them to hospitalized patients to say goodbye to their loved ones. It’s an ambitious - and necessary - program, and one I hope you can support with a donation or a social media share. Every little bit helps.

  • Crisis Text Line has emerged as an important nonprofit in this time. It’s also an opportunity to volunteer as a crisis counselor from home - now and well into the future.

  • FoodtoEat’s primary business is to partner with immigrant, women, and minority-funded restaurants in NYC and book them catering jobs. They’ve quickly pivoted to connecting their restaurant partners to local food banks and shelters and helping feed the most vulnerable during this time. Please support their campaign, if you can. Every cent helps.

  • We start and end almost every day with Jam With Jamie’s live-streamed classes, and it’s truly the best. Every musician is so talented, and the 30 minutes dancing around with your kids really does transform your mood. If you can, please consider donating totheir fund to help support their musicians and Baby2Baby.

  • If you need something to occupy your kids for 10 minutes, Storyline Online and Save With Stories will have celebrities reading your kids stories and it is as enjoyable as you would expect. The latter is an initiative to support Save The Children, and a donation of any size would be appreciated.

I had linked to Everlane’s rare promotions last week. What I failed to realize at the time was that the company fired the customer service employees that were unionizing, and let go of their retail staff after assuring them that their jobs were safe. Actions like these do NOT reflect my values as a business owner and a consumer, and I’m deeply sorry for promoting Everlane as a business to support. I’ve been donating my affiliate income in the past month to funds supporting workers most impacted by COVID, and will be donating all of April and May’s fees to the GoFundMe that supports former Everlane employees.

With that said, here are some smaller companies to support (that are doing good by their employees):

  • Colugo blows me away with their thoughtfully designed, high quality baby essentials. I’m still wearing Rhaki in the carrier (though I’m wearing him on my back now) and the stroller bag/fanny pack is one of my favorite baby products ever. They generously gifted us their Complete stroller, which has the quality of a Bugaboo Cameleon/Uppababy at a fraction of the price. You can use code HITHA for $20 off a purchase of $125 (for new customers).

  • I’ve always been a Cuyana fan, but they have my loyalty for life in how they communicated business changes in the time of COVID. I have owned my tote and cape for 6+ years, own and have gifted numerous travel case sets, and I live in this dress all summer long. I have my eye on these silk pants and matching top as a post-COVID purchase.

  • Dagne Dover has been one of my favorite bag brands since they launched, and I’m really proud that they’ve helped lead the Brands For Better movement and are donating 10% of all proceeds to three important nonprofits (CDC Foundation, Feeding America, and Save The Children). They’re also offering 10% off all purchases with the code TOGETHER. It’s a good time to pick up some of their pouches, a tech case, and their new phone sling. Some of my hero Dagne bags are their backpack (my dad loves it too), the Wade baby bag, my Allyn tote and accordion wallet, and this laptop bag (which is also my mom’s favorite travel tote).

  • I rely on two things to look presentable during web calls - Zoom’s ’touch up’ feature and Live Tinted’s Huesticks. I color correct my undereye circles with Rise, and dab Found or Free (my favorite) on my lips and cheeks to add some color to my face. It’s the only makeup I can bother wearing right now, and it feels good to support a brand that lives by great values (inclusivity, cruelty-free and formulated with great ingredients, and truly make me happier).

  • While Huesticks are the only makeup I’m wearing, but I’m still devoted to my extensive beauty routine - which is mainly Wander Beauty. I start every morning and end every day with their gel cleanser, essence/toner, and hydrating ampule. I exfoliate twice a week and use the instant facial once a week. Do Not Disturb is my skin’s secret weapon, and I use the shampoo/body wash on myself and my kids. And the eye masks! They work like a charm and make me feel a little more glam in the leggings and sweatshirts (including their Off Duty one) that I live in now. With every purchase, they’re donating a travel set of their body/hair products to healthcare providers in need.

What I read this week

A quick note - I hope you reserve the books I recommend from your local library, or purchase them from your favorite independent bookstore or the audiobook fromLibro.fm.

  • Thorn - It’s really rare to self-publish a book, and then have the book acquired by a major publisher. That’s what happened with Thorn, a book I loved and raved about THREE years ago. It’s been formally published by HarperTeen, and it’s EVEN BETTER than the original. I’ve been waiting 3 years for a sequel, and I’m even more excited now.

  • The Heir Affair (ARC provided by the authors, out July 7) - I have re-read The Royal We too many times to count since it came out 5 years ago, and have been itching to find out what happens to Bex and Nick and Freddie and Lacey and Gaz (oh, Gaz) ever since. AND THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT. Reading The Heir Affair felt like an overdue reunion with dear friends, and I became a M&M munching, pacing creature that read the entire book in a single night. Long live Night Hitha, and long live the Fug Girls for such a spectacular story.

Current book reviews here, and here are all my random Amazon favorites.

Hitha’s Favorite Things

The Top 5

The Catch Up

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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