Mom Must-Haves: Liz
From top left to right:
Lip Balm - I have lip balm in every jacket pocket, every purse, every zip pouch. My all-time favorite is the Swedish brand Lypsyl, which is sadly hard to find in the US. The closest I’ve found is Daydreams by Love + Sage and Badger Highland Mint. They all have a slight sheen, which I love, but are not tacky, which I can’t stand. And if I’m in the sun all day, I’ll use SPF 50 Clear Zinc Lip Balm.
Craft Club - I look forward to my craft club gatherings every month. Whoever is hosting plans the craft, and we all sit around, toiling away while catching up. If you like to make things, I encourage you to start one. Doesn’t need to be fancy or technical. I once hosted a simple beading one! And recently hosted a ski-themed embroidery one (which may have led to a new print for later this year!!) This may seem like an overstatement, but it is not–it’s been low key life changing.
Water Bottle - I force myself to chug water to stave off migraines, which I get from dehydration from time to time :( Keeping our cute Lewis Nalgene with me at all times is my reminder.
Handmade Ceramics - I collect ceramics from Maine-based artist Chloe May Brown. She almost exclusively works in blue and white, which I just can’t seem to get enough of! For Christmas, John gave me five custom bowls in each of our names, and I look for any and all ways to use one every day.
Paper Napkins - I love using printed paper napkins to brighten an everyday meal, and of course they’re especially useful for big group meals. My favorite places to stock up are Ikea and Home Goods. The ones from HAY are special-occasion worthy. Anytime I’m traveling outside the US, I look for them in grocery stores. Some real gems out there!
Black Licorice - I have always loved black licorice, which was kind of a weird flavor to like as a kid. There was a candy counter at our local farmers market growing up, and my mom would get me a bag of all black jelly beans as a treat after sports games. No one else in our family liked black licorice, so it felt like this special “I see you” nod from her. These days, I like the soft black licorice from Trader Joe’s or the salty black licorice from BonBon.
Zip Pouch Set - I don’t go anywhere without at least one of these! Recently, the large one accompanies me on all-day track meet events and holds everything I may need in one place–bandaids, cough drops, gum, granola bars, lip balm, SPF, tea bags, hand sanitizer, the list goes on. It’s basically my own personalized med kit, but saving me from non-injury stuff like sun exposure, public tea snobbery and snack attacks.
NY Liberty - I love cheering for a team! And I love supporting women’s sports. We’re NY Liberty season ticket holders, and it’s been such a joy to support them through their massive growth the past few years as women’s basketball continues to skyrocket. (Team salary caps went from 1.5M last year to 7M this year!) The Liberty won the WNBA championship in 2024, and being there with Louise the night they won was a core memory! We were hugging everyone around us as confetti fell from the ceiling. It was absolutely incredible.
Loeffler Randall Shoes - I first wore Loeffler Randall shoes for my rehearsal dinner TWENTY years ago!! I’ve been buying from the brand ever since, and I’m so lucky to now be friends with the owners. I live in their shoes (and bags, and pants!) and it makes me so happy to wear and support a brand I love run by people I adore.
Running - I’m running the NYC Marathon this year for the fifth time and the third time with Fred’s Team, the official charity of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I used to hate running even though I played sports through college that required a lot of it. And now I can say I really love it. It’s the simplest of sports and also not so simple at all. It can be very focused and intense, and other times it can be very daydreamy and inspiring. I hope I can keep it up for a long long time!
Airpods - Anytime I’m out + about, I’ve got these in. At the end of 2025, Spotify told me my listening age was 80 (!) probably thanks to this amazing Beach Boys Album and this Ultimate Yacht Rock playlist from my music encyclopedia friend Peter.
Favorite listens lately:
Music: Right Back to It by Waxahatchee, Human by Brandi Carlile, Dancing On My Own by Robyn - a good one for running!
Podcasts: Amy Poehler interviewing Steve Carell, Kerry Washington. Any of them!!
Rosy - Our sweet 6yr old black lab, Rosy, is the light of our lives. She makes every day better for each of us, no question.
Reading - Every night, James (9yrs) and I read together in my bed, separately. Reading was hard for him, so he used to dread reading on his own, but finding the right books for him and planning dedicated time has made this a routine we both look forward to and treasure! And I get in a lot of reading because of it! I just finished Strangers, and am now reading Lena Dunham’s memoir, Famesick. James is currently reading Bart Simpson: Out to Lunch :)
Substack - I’m hooked on this longer form content! I signed up for way too many newsletters at first and have had to reel myself back in. A few of my favs: Jessie Loves, Big Salad, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, Dinner: A Love Story, Making it Work, The Sweat Lookbook, Take That Step, Long Live. Any recs for me? I might have room for more :)