Caring For Aging Loved Ones: The Emotions No One Prepares You For with Care.com's Jill McNamara

Hello my friends! How are we this Tuesday? Today, I'm catching you up on life lately and answering your questions. But first, a recap of my experience at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, including the vintage dress that got me excited to go and why showing up alone still gets me in my head. Next, an update on my embryo transfer plans and why even the most loving check-ins from people can stir up complicated feelings. Timmy pops in for an unplanned chat about money, work, and figuring out our next chapter. Plus, my current Housewives favorites, getting on the same page with your partner in parenting, which beauty treatments are worth the money and the ones I would skip, and of course, the contradiction I keep coming back to: wanting a quieter life, but worrying I'm not doing enough when I slow down. Thanks for being here and I love you.

Today I’m sitting down with Clara Sieg, co-founder and CEO of Loonen, to talk about how her fertility journey and becoming a mom led her to question something most of us barely think about: our water. Clara shares how she found a sense of control during IVF through small changes at home, from buying organic food to swapping plastic for glass. But water felt harder to figure out, and preparing formula bottles for her daughter sparked the idea for Loonen. We get into microplastics, why she chose glass for Loonen, and what it was like to go from investor to founder. I still have so much to learn about microplastics, toxins, and what living a little “cleaner” can look like, but this conversation made it all feel more doable and less overwhelming. Start small and build from there. Thank you so much Clara, I love Loonen!

We're back for a classic Date Night! I’ve been trying to slow down and take care of myself, but I’m also feeling that familiar pull to do more and figure out next projects. We talk about what actually feels restorative, how to know when you're ready to get back out there, and our dream of buying a lake house and documenting the renovation. There are, of course, many detours: whether audiobooks count as reading, why I'd never join Real Housewives, a costly flight-booking brain fart, and airing of grievances. Plus, we get into the difference between getting “the ick” and just “a little icky” and we realize it’s probably time to plan a date night that doesn’t involve microphones.

I thought having hernia surgery would mean a little forced rest.It’s been a lot more painful and limiting than I imagined, but I'm taking it day by day and figuring out how to slow down and let myself heal. This week, I'm catching you up on the last few weeks: why I’m giving my body more time before our next embryo transfer, my week with Sonny when Timmy was away, NY Fashion Week, some of the sweet and complicated parts of watching Sonny grow up, and how I’m really doing through all of it. It’s a casual check-in from home, where I’m feeling a little down, a little hopeful, and very ready to get moving again.

Hotline Date Night is BACK. I am recovering from hernia surgery, Timmy just celebrated his 45th birthday, and we are here by our new fancy bookcase to cuddle up, listen to all your problems, and try to give our best advice. The questions were so good! We get into finding love after starting over, how much your tone matters in a relationship, setting boundaries while living with your in-laws, navigating a child-free family wedding, becoming more vocal in the bedroom, and making space for a partner who has trouble expressing what they need. We may not be qualified, but we certainly have opinions. LOVE YOU.