Just to Claireify

healthy food, lifestyle, travel, & everyday moments.

Three Uncomfortable Truths About Life Without a Smartphone

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It’s been about two months since I traded in my smartphone for a modernized “dumb phone,” which I feel pretty much completes my transition to a lower-tech lifestyle for the moment. I won’t be getting rid of my laptop anytime soon—as I need it to navigate school work and communication for my older two—and I still have a Facebook profile, in order to post/browse our local Buy Nothing group and communicate with a few faraway friends and family members. But I’ve eliminated all other social media and screens–some simply by virtue of not having a phone with apps anymore (PixelFed and the social-y portion of Substack come to mind).

Overall, my life without a smartphone has been, well, great! I am not contemplating going back. However, there are a few effects of life without a smartphone that I didn’t anticipate.… Read More »

PSA: You Can Develop Allergies in Your 30s – My Experience with an SLS Allergy

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Today’s post is a bit different than usual, but I hope it will help someone in a similar situation.

Disclaimer: this is NOT medical advice and you should always consult a doctor (1) before drastically altering your personal care routines and (2) if you think that you have an allergy or sensitivity.

At the end of last summer, I suddenly developed what I thought was adult acne, albeit not quite the same as my occasional hormonal acne. It made sense: the weather was changing from hot and humid to cool and drier; I was cutting some nursing sessions for my newly 1-year-old; we had recently traveled to Colorado, which always seems to throw off my skin.… Read More »

A Rainy Day in the Garden

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The heavens opened up over the Twin Cities yesterday. It rained all afternoon and started up again overnight. I woke up at 5am to rain pounding on the roof, thunder crashing overhead, and… the sound of my baby crying because he had woken up, too. Sigh. 

I’m a cool, rainy weather person–one of my most popular blog posts is about how I hate hot weather. And there is nothing better than the smell of the earth/trees/grass after a heavy rain. Recently I found out this smell has a name: petrichor. I love learning new-to-me words and for some reason, that one seems like the perfect fit for its definition!… Read More »

A Brief Update + Thoughts on Busyness

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Hello, friends. No, I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. Nor am I pregnant, sick (well, I have a head cold at the moment but that isn’t the reason I haven’t been blogging), or shutting down the blog.

It’s just kind of been one thing after the other since the end of March. We had a packed spring break with playdates, doctor’s appointments and the general chaos of four kids at home for a week. Then K, C, and I started a new toddler-and-me class, Eric’s parents came to visit and suddenly it was Easter. Now we’re staring down the end of the school year–so many festivities!–and summer camps, more holidays and family birthdays, and getting our garden up and running.… Read More »

I Left Instagram–Here’s Why

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Please excuse the lack of post last Monday–norovirus was wrapping up its stay at our house and my head was in a thousand different places!

I’ve been thinking about this—and other offline-ing life changes—for a while. Finally pulled the trigger this week! So if you’re looking for @justtoclaireifyblog and wondering if I blocked you for some reason… nope! I just don’t exist on the ‘gram anymore.

I’ve written a lot about my tenuous relationship with social media on the blog before (see my social media and privacy tags for my musings through the years). At times, I’ve felt like there’s something wrong with me because I feel like I just can’t handle social media sometimes. Instagram is impactful in particular—although Facebook and Reddit aren’t blameless either.… Read More »

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