intentional living

Ep 204: Things that Make My Life Easier

March 24, 2021

I'm allie

I'm here to shake things up and challenge the status quo of motherhood. Let's throw out the old rulebook and create a new narrative where moms are living their dream lives unapologetically.

hi, friend

Feel like you need a total revamp?

gimme

I get it, daily routines can be overwhelming. But you? You're seeking life ownership. Dive into this beloved guide and tap into easy self-reflection, without overtaxing your brain.

In today’s episode I’m telling you some of my favorite products that make my life easier. These are things that I think are super worth the purchase. None of this is sponsored, I’m just sharing what helps me because I love you and you’re worth it.  Let’s dive in!

 

 

 

In This Episode Allie Discusses:

  • Her favorite products

Mentioned in this Episode:

Instagram

Courses (Use the code PURPOSESHOW for 10% off!)

The Purpose Show Facebook Community

Unburdened

Dior Lip Glow

Spanx Undie-tectable thong

Drybar Double Shot Blowdryer Brush

Shark Self-Emptying Robotic Vacuum

ILife Robot Vacuum

EP 091: DELEGATION & AUTOMATION FOR MOMS

Good American Jeans

Dr. Heather Rhodes Instagram

 

 

Mom life. We’re surrounded by the message that it’s the tired life. The no-time-for-myself life. The hard life. We’re supposed to get through it. Survive. Cling on by the last little thread. And at the same time, Carpe Diem—enjoy every moment because it’s going to go by so fast. The typical mom culture that sends us all kinds of mixed, typically negative messages. We shouldn’t take care of ourselves; it’s selfish. The more ragged you run yourself, the bigger your badge of honor. But also, ditch your mom bod and work out. Don’t yell. Make more money. Show up. Be better, but not at the expense of time with your kids. I am putting a hard stop to all of this. While being a mom, running a business, and whatever else you might have going on is hard, it is a lot and there’s lots of giving of yourself, the idea that motherhood means living a joyless, nonstop-hustle-with-zero-balance kind of life, where you give and give and give and never take, needs to stop. 

I’m on a mission to help you stop counting down the minutes till bedtime (at least most days). Stop the mom guilt and shame game. Stop cleaning up after your kids’ childhood and start being present for it. I want to help you thrive in work, home and life. I believe in John 10:10 that we are called to living an abundant life and I know moms are not excluded from that promise. Join me in conversations about simplicity, some business and life hacks, spirituality and lots of other good stuff that leads to a life of less for the sake of enjoying more in your motherhood. I’m Allie Casazza and this is The Purpose Show.


Hey guys! Welcome to The Purpose Show podcast. 

I hope you’re having an amazing day. It’s actually nighttime for me. It’s 8:03 PM on a Sunday night, and this is my fourth podcast episode that I’m recording in a row. 

I went for a drive tonight to go pick up Bella, my daughter, from her grandmother’s house and I got the podcast bug. I got super inspired and overwhelmed with ideas and just started busting them out. I got home and the kids went upstairs to take showers and I thought I’d keep going. 

I’ve had this episode written out with my favorite things and it’s just been sitting there and I thought, “I know if they saw this in my Trello board they would really want me to record this one.” So I’m doing this one for you guys. Then I’ll probably wrap it up and go watch Netflix.

On the podcast I used to have something called Coffee & Questions. Do you guys remember that? I would literally make coffee and then sit here and answer your questions. 

It was silly because I was talking the whole time, so I would never actually drink the coffee. I didn’t even know why I called it that. I didn’t know what was happening and I just stopped doing it. 

But in an old Coffee & Questions episode I mentioned a few things that I was really loving at the time that were making my life easier. Things that I really, really loved and thought were super worth the purchase. And you guys loved it. People really found it helpful. 

It’s funny because everyone assumes that because I teach minimalism I don’t buy stuff. It’s not that. It’s just that I don’t want to waste money and have a bunch of crap in my house and in my way that I don’t need. 

But when I do purchase something, it’s pretty intentional. I will return something if it is not the right vibe, if it is not worth the space or the money. When I buy things, I do some research. I really make sure that these things are intentional. So, I’m kind of doing the homework for you guys. 

I’m about to list some things that have experienced some good wear and tear from me. Things that I have repurchased when they’ve run out because they were that good. Things I have been using on a regular basis for a while. Some of these things I’ve been using for a couple of years and here they are on this list. 

What are those things called? Consumer reports? Where people try stuff and then say if it sucks or not? This is Allie’s Consumer Report. 

I’m going to tell you what I love and what makes my life easier. These things are in all different categories of my life and there’s really no rhyme or reason to it, except I sat down to jot down a list and these are the things that popped into my head right away because they are that good.

I didn’t really go digging for these things. I didn’t walk through my house and really put a lot of thought into it. I figured if it doesn’t pop into my head right away then it’s not worth mentioning. So, here we go. 

Number one: Spanx underwear. How many times have I mentioned these? There’s an entire chapter in my book that basically is all about Spanx underwear. 

And let me be clear. It is the Spanx Undie-tectableThong. It’s amazing. I love thongs because my butt is supes juicy. 

(Also, my podcast editor is a man. Daniel, I see you and I’m just sorry for these conversations. I love you. You’re amazing. Just tune it all out. I’m so sorry.) 

If I wear regular underwear it leaves a line no matter what. My butt is its own planetoid. It’s doing its own thing and it’s so full. It fills out literally everything, even skirts and dresses. 

I pretty much am always wearing a thong, unless it’s not the vibe or it’s that time of the month and the last thing I’m going to be doing is wearing a thong. Other than that, I’m usually always wearing a thong.

Anyway, it’s the Spanx Undie-tectableThong. They have different ones, too. I have a couple pairs of the regular underwear for those times where I want to wear regular underwear. 

But I mostly get the thong one. It’s basically got this Spanx technology band on the top of it that hugs my tummy in the sweetest, gentlest, gentle-lover-way. I’m a fan. It’s amazing. 

I’ve had several C-sections so there’s an incision line on my lower abdomen. Now, I love my body. I support my body. I’m obsessed with my body. I think my body is amazing and hot and I’m all about it. 

But I very lovingly refer to this line as the “dent-and-fold” sometimes because that’s what it is and that’s what it does. It’s this little C-section line and it’s some skin that just kind of folds over. It’s just kind of there and I love it. 

And I’m just like, “Thank you for my babies, but also sometimes I need you to be a little bit squeezed so that I can just feel like my most bad-ass self.” 

Sometimes my little dent-and-fold goes with me and I’m just like, “Yep, there he is in my pictures and in my high-waisted jeans poking out a little bit.” And it’s all good. 

Other times I’m like, “I don’t really want you to come with me today.”

So anyway, the Spanx underwear hug me in and support me. Half of you are going to think this is such BS, and maybe it is, I don’t know. But I gotta be honest with you. 

I really feel like I wear the Spanx underwear more because they make me feel held and supported than because wearing them flattens my tummy area. Because they don’t completely. It’s just underwear. 

But they really hug you. It’s like a firm hug. I think that’s actually how they describe it on their website. It just feels really good. It feels really supported. I don’t feel like my little baby sag area is bouncing around, feeling weird, or uncomfortable.

That skin around a C-section scar is really weird. It hurts sometimes. It’s a weird numb feeling. Those of you who have had C-sections know exactly what I’m talking about. 

This underwear is very supportive. They’re very flattering. I feel like the Spanx underwear see me and they’re like, “I got you, girl.” 

That’s something that makes my life easier. They are worth every penny. I’ve gotten so many messages from moms who say, “Oh, I just can’t do it. They’re so expensive.” 

Get a couple pairs. Just do it. If you have the brain space to listen to this, think about it, look online and consider it. If you’re in a place where you’re not desolate and have absolutely nothing and don’t know where your next meal is coming from, then go get yourself this pair of underwear and stop treating yourself like you don’t matter. 

Buckle up and just do it. Support yourself, love yourself, and invest in yourself in this way. Invest in your cooch, your dent-and-fold, and your butt. Okay. That’s it. That’s my money mindset riff for the moment. 

The next thing that makes my life easier, that I love, and that’s been amazing is The Drybar DoubleShot Blowdryer brush

I have always had pretty thick hair. I used to have to get my hair thinned out every few weeks because it was so thick. That’s not as much my problem now, but I do have a lot of hair still. 

It’s just not as thick as it used to be. I also have extensions, so there’s just a lot of hair. It’s just a lot. 

I actually dread washing my hair. I hate it because I know what’s coming afterwards. I actually have to wash my hair tonight and I’d rather watch The Crown. But it’s going to happen and it’s going to be great. 

But I dread it because it literally takes so long for me to blow dry my hair (and you’re not supposed to go to sleep with your hair wet). Life is really hard sometimes, you guy. It really is. 

So my blow dryer broke and I happened to be out near either Sephora or Ulta. I can’t remember exactly. But I went in and asked, “Where are your blow dryers? I need a good blow dryer.” 

And the lady said, “Have you tried this?” and she showed me The Drybar DoubleShot Blowdryer brush. I like Drybar’s products, so I tried it. And it was an investment for sure. But she said that it would help cut down on my dry time (I had told her that I began to question life when I had to dry my hair) and so I got it. 

And I love it. I love it. It really does make your hair feel like you got a blow out. If you dry it all the way through it does. 

I don’t usually do that. I usually just get it to where it’s kind of damp. It actually is amazing. It does cut down on dry time. It does make your hair look amazing. It does make it shiny. It does. 

And it’s better for it because you’re not blasting it with a blow dryer. It’s just like what the hairstylists do when they do that double-handed thing that when I went to beauty college I could never get right. I was always fumbling and poking the person in the face with the circle brush. I should never have been in beauty school. I just need to stick to my own face and head. 

But this thing has been amazing. I love it. And it was totally worth it. Go get it for yourself or ask for it for your birthday or something because it is amazing. I actually love it. Washing my hair is less of a trauma now. 

Number three thing that makes my life easier: Good American jeans. 

I have been a loyal Madewell girl for a long time now, and I still love Madewell jeans. But I now go and look at Good American first. Their jeans have changed the game for me. 

I don’t know what Khloe Kardashian is doing, but it’s good and I hope she keeps doing it. These jeans hug my supes juicy butt like a dream. They are supportive. They are slimming. They are holdy-iny. They are everything. I love them. 

I wear the Goodlegs a lot, which is basically just skinny jeans. They also have this flare jean, the Goodflare. It’s got this slit up the side, like a subtle seventies vibe. So cute. I love their jeans. They are amazing and flattering.

And my god, you guys. Coupling a pair of Good American jeans with Spanx underwear. I’m basically ready for Sports Illustrated. 

I don’t think you wear jeans and have a dent-and-fold in that magazine, but you should. And if you did, I would be ready for that. Good American jeans are my new faves.

By the way, none of this is sponsored because that’s just not really my game. I’m just sharing what helps me. I hope you guys know that.

The next thing that has made my life easier is totes worth the money: my Robovac. It’s the Shark Self Emptying Robotic Vacuum. It’s actually on right now. I’m in my office downstairs and it’s going around the kitchen because my kids ate rice and now it looks like somebody got married in my house. 

I’m not sure if they got full because apparently zero got in their mouths. The Robovac is going around and being my maid for me. I love it. I’m here for it.

I know Robovacs are not a new idea. They’ve been around for years. But having one is really good. 

I have a larger two-story house and there’s wood floors throughout. I have the Shark Self Emptying, amazing Robovac downstairs and I also have a cheapo robovac for upstairs. 

This felt a little excessive. It was Brian’s idea. And I said, “Whoa, let’s hold off. Chill, big spender.” 

And he said, “No, listen. If we just get this one on Amazon it has a bunch of good reviews. It has a ledge sensor, so it won’t fall down the stairs. We could have it just run upstairs to help us out. You know the kids drop stuff and it would be nice to have it helping us out, making life simpler.” 

And so I was like, “Okay, you know what to say to get me to say yes, so I will say yes to this and let’s do it.” 

We got the ILife Robovac on Amazon. It’s white. It’s not even the newest model. It was like a hundred bucks and it has been great. We also have a kitty so it goes in there and gets the kitty litter. I feel like I just solved life’s problems by getting a robot vac for each floor. 

The Shark one is definitely pricier, but it is totally worth it. Just having that one alone is a huge game changer. But having the other one upstairs is like, “Oh man, I feel like I’m living life large. This is cool.”

It’s the little things like it cleaning up the kitty litter that got tracked from the cat’s paws, and going down the hallway, and having the rice swept up so I don’t have to do that when I’m done recording. 

I’m working right now and the Robovac is sweeping up the kitchen. That used to be a rhythm I had every time we ate. And now it’s not because I have the Robovac. It’s on a timer so it just turns on right around mealtimes a few times a day and just goes.

There’s an episode I think I did about automation and delegation. This is delegation. I delegated it to a robot and it’s great. 

I also want to say really quick. Don’t write this off and think, “That’s something that people like me can’t afford. That’s just not something that I’m going to do. It’s extra. It’s not necessary.” 

These little bits of time that you save in the day are saving you brain space. It’s saving you energy. 

Let’s look at how the one little Robovac downstairs saves me. And it could be a cheap one or it could be the newest, nicest, most expensive one. Doesn’t matter. 

Having a robo vac downstairs where I just have to push a button with my toe or having it on autopilot and it go and do something that I used to do three, four, five times a day as a rhythm, if that is the only thing it’s saving me, it’s worth it. 

But it saves me more than that. It goes under the table. It goes around the kitchen. It goes down the hallway. It goes by the front of the house. It goes over the rugs. 

It is vacuuming for me. It’s keeping things clean. I also have a kid with a dust allergy, so it’s helping me there too. 

We need to value ourselves more. We’re worth saving a few minutes a day. And it’s more than that. I guarantee you. 

Next thing that makes my life easier is really small and stupid, but not. It is a bathroom counter organizer. 

Let me lay this scenario out in front of you. You declutter like a mother. You get all your stuff out of your bathroom. You feel amazing. 

You get all your drawers super organized and everything is where you want it to be. You’re amazing. You’re so on top of it. Your bathroom is like the bathroom of a goddess now. 

Except, in the hustle of the morning you leave out your makeup brushes, your makeup, your serums, your eye contact solution. You leave things out on the counter and you go about your day. 

Cut to hours and hours later. You’re exhausted from the busy day of being a person, being a mom, all the things. You come upstairs to get ready for bed and there’s still makeup brushes, makeup, contact solution out on the counter.  

You reuse the contact solution. You reuse the toothbrush. You use the serum again. You wash your face. You do the whole thing and you leave those things out on the counter.

Cut to waking up the next day and doing it all over again. You walk into your bathroom and it’s got crap all over the counters from the last two times, minimum, that you were in there. And this is the cycle because you’re not a sociopath who perfectly organizes and puts everything back the second you use it every time you’re in your bathroom. 

I’m like this, too. So, my assistant said, “You know they sell bathroom counter organizers, right?”

I was just like, “What? How do I not know that?” 

I went on Amazon and got one for $12. Go and search. This is what I did. Search “bathroom counter organizer.” That’s it. 

It’s a set of three little shelves on a stand that literally sits on top of the bathroom counter and I can set the things that I leave out on the organizer instead of leaving them strewn all over the counter. 

This is what I’m always trying to say, and this is one of the themes in Unburdened because it’s so important—It is better to create support for the habits you already have rather than go through the stress and energy of trying to change the habit itself. If the habit is not detrimental to you, then just keep the habit and create support for it. 

One of my habits is leaving stuff on the counters, especially in the bathroom. So I just created support for the habit. I put a bathroom counter organizer that looks pretty where I can set all my stuff instead of setting it all over the counter.

And remember, this is not just about organization. This is about that visual clutter thing that we’ve read studies about. We know about this and how it affects us. It increases our cortisol. And the last thing I need is one little extra cortisol spike when I’m starting and ending my day. 

It’s all these little, tiny things that add up to create more space, more peace, more visual white space, and less clutter. It’s the silliest, dumbest, smallest thing, but I am telling you guys, it has made my life easier. 

It was worth looking for that, ordering it, putting it together and having it there. I walk into my bathroom literally twice a day and I am just like, “Yes, I love being in here. This is great.” 

I have my little three tiered organizer with my moisturizer, my Jade roller, my toothbrush and toothpaste, and all my stuff on there. I don’t even have to open a drawer until it’s time to really do my makeup. That’s great. 

Then when I’m done with my makeup, I just open the drawer and slide all my makeup into the makeup drawer and everything else goes in the organizer. It’s two moves instead of 500. I actually clear the counter when I’m done getting ready in the morning. 

It’s a miracle. Even when I’m exhausted at night, it’s just so easy because the organizer is there. I don’t leave anything out. 

Humans always opt for the path of least resistance. We need to create support for our habits and make it easy on ourselves. And that’s what the bathroom counter organizer is for me. 

I feel like this is an ad. But it’s not.

The next thing that made my life easier and is worth the investment is my nighttime routine products. I actually have several other products that I use that I do like, but these two are the ones that are jumping out at me. 

They’re actually from Beautycounter. If you want a person to buy Beautycounter through and you don’t know someone. Or you don’t want to approach the one friend of a friend that you know sells Beautycounter because you’re afraid you’ll get mauled with questions and info, Dr. Heather Rhodes has actually been on the podcast multiple times and she is a Beautycounter resell person and she won’t maul you. 

She’s busy. She’s a doctor. She’s doing her thing. And you can support her by buying Beautycounter through her. 

I will put her link in the show notes for this episode. Go to alliecasazza.com/podcast and look for this episode or search for it if it’s not new. The link will be literally right there for you and you can get it through her, not be bothered and just get what you need and know that you’re also supporting another mom, which is awesome.

Beautycounter has this resurfacing peel. They actually don’t promote it as an acne fighter on their website. I believe it’s under anti-aging, which it is. But as somebody who has suffered with cystic acne, this should be marketed as an acne thing. 

This is the most effective topical I’ve ever used on my skin ever. And I have tried everything. It is absolutely my favorite thing. 

It is also anti-aging. It’s an exfoliant. It is so good for your skin. You are getting that dead skin off. It helps to really finish your skin. 

It’s so clean, so good for your skin. I’m obsessed with it. It’s really, really good. 

Beautycounter products are so good. So clean. You can feel so good putting that on your skin.

So it’s the Beautycounter resurfacing peel. Amazing, amazing product. I have repurchased it probably 30 times by now. And that’s not something that I do a lot. 

I often won’t love a product enough to rebuy it. I’m trying different ones. Nope, not with this. This is my nightly routine and it’s amazing. 

The other one is Beautycounter’s Countertime Tetra Peptide Supreme cream. It is my nighttime moisturizer. It is like a soft, fluffy whipped cream cloud. It feels so good going on my skin, especially after I use the resurfacing peel. I have this dewy, glowy skin and I just know that cream is helping that happen. 

I’m really happy with my skin right now. I’m really learning to love my skin. While I do still struggle with breakouts occasionally and I’m having the scarring, I’m really learning to be grateful for my skin and to show my body love by loving my skin. 

I’ve been loving it by being very mindful of the products I put on it. And this moisturizer is just helping me do that. 

I rub it on my skin and speak affirmations of gratitude over my skin as I do that before I go to sleep. It wakes up so moisturized, dewy, and feels really supple and really, really good. That’s the Beautycounter Countertime Tetra Peptide Supreme Cream Moisturizer. 

Another little thing that I love is the Dior Lip Glow lip colors. I’m sure they’re not natural. And I do try, especially with foundation and stuff that my skin is actually soaking up, to really focus on wearing natural, vegan, really clean foundations. 

I do try with lip colors, but sometimes I’m just a person. Sometimes I’m just a girl with lips looking for little dewy something that will colorize them and make me feel special. And that’s what the Dior Lip Glow does for me. 

They have several colors. It’s really good stuff. There’s a coral one that I love. There’s a really pretty pink, bright poppy pink one that I love. There’s a nude pink one that I love. Those are the three that I have. 

I wear those all the time. I bring them with me. It is the best thing for right before I hop on a zoom meeting and I’m like, “Oh crap. I look like I did my makeup eight hours ago. Let me just throw this on.” 

It makes me feel put together. A little pop of color. It’s very moisturizing and dewy. It’s very natural looking, nothing crazy. I love it. 

And the last thing that makes my life easier, which I believe is free, is an app that’s called YAPP. Basically this little app is gentle reminders throughout your day. You open it up and you put in whatever reminders you want your phone to give you and it will randomly go off. 

I use this for things like affirmations. You don’t know when it’s going to go off. I think you can set it to where you do know, I’m not sure, but I don’t. It’s just random. 

I’ll put things like “take a deep breath’” and it’ll just randomly go off during the day. Or I’ll put an affirmation that I’m speaking out lately or that I’m working on like, “I am safe and supported.” It’ll light up my phone during the day randomly, I’ll see it and think, “Oh yes, such a good reminder.”

You can think this is crazy. That’s totally fine and completely understandable. But when I downloaded the app, I thought, “You know what, God? I want you to use this app. I really want you to use this app in my life. I’m just going to ask that You would let this little app light up with what I need to hear when I need to hear it and use it to talk to me.” And God does. 

I dumped in affirmations and little gentle reminders into this app. And they just go off randomly at the perfect times. It’s just a little happy thing; a little support. 

That’s what we all need, right? I just thought I would share that with you too. 

These have been things that make my life easier, better, lighter, happier and are worth the investment or worth the time to download or whatever it was. I hope this is helpful for you guys. I love you so much. 

Go to allliecasazza.com/podcast to get the show notes. I’ll link everything in here for you guys.

Know you are loved. You are supported, and I’m rooting for you. You’re doing a great job. And I hope that some of these things help make your life a little bit easier. Have an amazing day!


Thanks so much for hanging out with me! In case you didn’t know, there’s actually an exclusive community that’s been created solely for the purpose of continuing discussions around The Purpose Show episodes. It’s designed to get you to actually take action and make the positive changes that we talk about here. I want you to go and be a part of it. To do that, go to alliecasazza.com/facebookgroup

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you’d like to learn more about me, how I can help you, how you can implement all these things and more into your life to make it simpler, better, and more abundant, head to alliecasazza.com. There are free downloads, online courses, programs, and other resources to help you create the life you really want. 

I am always rooting for you, friend! See you next time! I’m Allie Casazza and this is The Purpose Show.

Hey mama! Just a quick note, this post may contain affiliate links.

 

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