Introducing: Milky Time!

Welcome to Milky Time!

This project is authored by a former fashion founder and serial entrepreneur who has recently become a mom.

The idea was born in the delirious shell shock of new parenthood. In the milky haze of sleepless nights, when milk itself has become something of a lifestyle. As my thoughts began to return with the repair, rebuilding, and constant demands of the postpartum period, I ached for validation, guidance, and community. And anyone, I mean anyone, to discuss all of the stuff with. Whether soothing colic or what kind of sleep sack to get, or sharing some incredible discovery that has suddenly changed the game for my family (for that week at least). So, with naiveté and a pure heart, I’m going to attempt to create the kind of conversations that I was and am looking for.

I’m just under a year and a half into parenthood, and I have been aching for a new container to hold all of this becoming. Nothing about becoming a mother has been as advertised. I am also older than your average new mom (in my early 40s), and therefore always tired and in need of a little treat and/or things that make life easier.

I also have pretty good taste and just like gatherers of old, I would like to share all of my pretty shells and feathers and pebbles with you.

Milky Time is:

• A space to talk about becoming a parent and parenthood—for former/current professionals and stay-at-home parents alike. And especially for moms of a ~certain age~ (if you have been referred to as “geriatric” by your OBGYN, then you know what I mean)

• A place to share the stuff that I like, that adds value or ease or joy to my and my family’s routine

• A way to hopefully save you some time, some money, and some worry when addressing all of the things that parenting seems to require

• Ways to help you avoid buying things that you either don’t actually need or definitely don’t need to buy new

• I often can’t shut up about the latest recipe I discovered that my kid actually likes (because I’m really trying not to feed her highly processed foods) and I would especially like to share that with you

• I want to help you create an atmosphere that feels good to parent in

What Milky Time is not:

• I am not a parenting expert, and I’m not purporting to be one, but I understand how any content or recommendations in this arena can become more than just the words as written. Anything that I share here is based on my understanding in the moment that it is written, and you should always consult your intuition, elders, and practitioners before choosing what is right for you and what makes sense for your family

• I also promise that I’m not trying to be a mommy influencer! I just truly want a place to share what I’m excited about and what is useful to me. I’m tired of how much of my experience of motherhood has occurred in a vacuum, and I want to create a space that can hopefully support a vibrant community beyond what I have to say

• This is not a space for beige, greige, or oat milk–colored everything. I believe in color and prints and mismatching. I want to encourage parents to be weird and messy and create an environment that is wholly a reflection of themselves, their children, and the culture of their family

• I try to avoid petroleum-derived materials as much as possible (which continues to get harder as it just seems to be everywhere and in everything these days). This is an intention, not an absolute rule. You can count on an awareness and discussion of materials, and I will do the work of scouring for alternatives for us.

• Any things shared here have to be Milky Time worthy, which means functional (does what it says it will do), pleasing (while looking hot), and/or interesting (is made in a cool/thoughtful way, is ingeniously designed, or preserves culture and/or memory). Any advice or recommendations for actionable stuff, like recipes or activities, will either be coming from my own experience or the experience of someone I trust.

A note on sustainability:

I used to run a sustainable clothing brand and I know way, way too much about how the sausage gets made. I try to follow a path that feels responsible and vote with my dollars. At the same time, I am no longer willing to take the accountability for an entire industry’s bad behavior on my shoulders as a single consumer. I’m not perfect, and honestly I am tired of trying to be. I’m still boycotting Target, I try to only shop at Amazon as a last resort, and I avoid petroleum–based fibers and products as much as I can.

Here are some of the ways I am implementing sustainability into this project:

• Saving you from unnecessary purchases

• Only recommending things that have real value, longevity, and/or resale value

• Shopping secondhand wherever possible and sharing resources for secondhand options

• Being considerate of materials: going plastic free as much as possible, including/especially in fabrics; opting for organic whenever possible, and seeking out interesting alternatives to mass market and wasteful production practices

I plan to update this weekly. I may earn commission from the links that I share. If I do, that helps make this a sustainable use of my time. It also ensures that this content will remain free/not require a paid subscription.

Thanks for being here. I hope you’ll stick around and add your own perspective to this little community in the coming posts.