Your summer '19 goals and plans: "My main goal is to spend as much time as possible outside—hiking, tending to our garden, swimming, outdoor concerts, and reading on a blanket in a park. We don’t have any big plans except to chill out on all of our usual routines like bedtime, etc. This summer I want to practice being more spontaneous and letting my kids choose how we spend our days together." 

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "I consider it a break from all of the structure that school and activities bring, but if by 'break' you mean relaxing, that would be a helllll no." 

What are your biggest summer challenges? "My biggest struggle is not having a bigger block of time to take care of myself. Even if I’m having fun days outside with my kids, if I don’t take care of myself I start to feel sapped. So, I condensed a short routine that I do early in the morning—15 minutes of the #BBG workout that I literally do in my PJs most days and a few pages of long-hand writing. And then I eat really fresh healthy food all day."

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile? "My partner Seth and I rented a studio, a space for photo shoots and workshops and being creative with community. It’s located in San Anselmo, about 25 minutes north of S.F., and is called Convert." 

Your can find out more about Kendra and her business here and on her Instagram feed.

Your summer '19 goals and plans: "I have some expansion goals around work which will come to fruition this fall. One thing I am excited about is our new conference, @TheContinuumConference, that launches in November. It's powered by Mama Glow and will be in NYC! Outside of that, I am really aiming to just catch sunshine and write, rest, and spend time with my 16-year-old son when he isn’t at camp! Another big plan I have is to spend lots of time with friends. When it's cold, I never go see folks, so now’s my time for more parental playdates!"

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "Yes, I do consider summer a time to be outdoors and take getaways. I will do drives upstate, beach trips, and simple things that are local like popping into The Met Museum or taking a walk through Central Park. When the weather is so nice like this, I like to wake up and spend time on my roof and read a book."

What are your biggest summer challenges? "Now with a 16-year-old, I am not facing childcare challenges. But I am still hovering over him and concerned about his mobility around the city. I want to be sure he is safe and in places where he’s around age-appropriate activities. My son received a scholarship to a summer music program and just got back and I really think he needs the structure. He will head into sports camp next week. But when he is home, there is the guilt that he is busy doing nothing and I was never allowed to just lounge when I was a kid, so I don’t allow it! I am all about doing something active, educational, or arts-related, in addition to community service, if you aren’t at a sleep-away program."

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile?
"Since we last checked in, I launched a global doula immersion program at Mama Glow. We have doulas from around the world working to address the maternal health crisis in this country and beyond. I am so thrilled that the program expanded internationally and is in Paris, L.A., New York, and the Miami program launches this November!"

You can find out more about Latham and her business here and on her Instagram feed.

Your summer '19 goals and plans: "The big thing we did as a family was a trip with a few close friends to Truckee for a week. It was so beautiful, and we had so much fun. The kids played outside 90% of the time! We went to the beach, the parks, and explored as much as possible. It was exhausting, but so worth it! We aren’t real 'outdoorsy' people, but we want to become more comfortable going on trips like these and doing activities that will create some pretty awesome memories for us as a family. For the rest of the summer, we just plan to get outside more and visit places here locally in the Bay. There are a few exhibits I want to see, and places we have in mind we want to take the kids. Monterey Bay Aquarium being one of them. Both kids love watching fish swim around! Especially now that Wynter is finally walking, we can do more active things as a family. We plan to make regular trips to the park and the Oakland Zoo. We have yearly passes to the zoo, and it’s literally 10 minutes away from our house! There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be going!"

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "Both kids are still not in school, so no breaks or slowing down for this mama! But there’s just something about summer that feels more fun and exciting, and you just want to do more things!"

What are your biggest summer challenges? "Right now our biggest challenge is finding activities that both my kids can enjoy together. They’re both so different in what they like to do and their abilities. So, we’ll just try all the things we can think of and see!"

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile? "At the time of my Mother profile, I had two babies who weren’t walking. Now I have two very active toddlers (especially Nova!) who are definitely walking! The days of crawling and scooting are no longer! Wynter just started walking about 4 months ago and it’s been very exciting for all of us! But the biggest life update is that Wynter will be starting preschool next month! I’m so happy and proud of her, but nervous, too! Both kids are growing up so quickly, and I want to cherish this time while they’re little, creating special memories that they’ll keep close and carry with them as they get older. And summers are perfect for that."

You can find out more on Elena on her Instagram feed.

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "Now that my kids are getting a bit older, their days are really packed during the school year. And I have been busier, too. I find time during the year to have my own space and downtime, so for me, summer is about recharging with my family."   

What are your biggest summer challenges? "My biggest summer challenge is that once I have that summer feeling I don't want to go to work anymore! It's hard to live in a place like Boston where you wait so long for the weather to get nice, and not want to skip out of work on the perfect beach day. Don't tell my office!"   

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile? "Too many to count I think. All good! Life keeps moving and changing and flowing. I just got back from a Peru trip documenting the artisans that make Misha & Puff come to life, and I am really excited to tell all the stories."   

You can find out more about Anna and her business here and on her Instagram feed.

Your summer '19 goals and plans: "We usually vacation after our busy retail season in the winter and fall, but this summer we decided to keep it simple and do things locally. We took a drive up to Santa Barbara and just laid out by the pool. We also enjoyed exploring the zoo and the Natural History Museum in Santa Barbara (they have the best natural history museum in my opinion). We also plan to take little staycations in our Los Angeles area, as there are tons of places yet to be explored. We did a tour of all the local parks in the area and some were just amazing, like the Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel Valley. It's a hidden gem."

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "Summer for us is more of a way to have more fun. We plan for Milo to be in a summer day camp during the week and on the weekends we try to keep it free to go on quick roadtrips or just explore our city. Planning around summer day camp has been a bit of a challenge, but we make it work. We plan to go to as many beaches as possible this summer on the weekend!

What are your biggest summer challenges? "Scheduling for us has been tough owning a business. Our team likes to go on vacation, as well, so we have to alter our schedule and accommodate as much as possible so that everyone gets to have some fun in the summertime. And camp has been a challenge, since it's such a short time during the day and I have to stop my work to go pickup Milo at 2 p.m. Trying to go back to work after pickup is a struggle when all you want to do is just hang out." 

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile? "Yes, despite the complications of my pregnancy and health, we are exploring the option of possibly having our second child together. We are taking extreme care of my health and hoping it all works out for the best!"

You can find out more about Caroline and her shop here and on her Instagram feed.

Your summer '19 goals and plans: "Goals are to make myself feel like it’s truly summer, which means squeezing in as many beach days as I can with the family!! I just want to enjoy this time—my kids are both at such special ages and it’s flying by too quickly!"

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "Our office gets Summer Fridays, which is an incredible perk, especially when my babysitter is around! I love to spend special bonding time with each of my kids—taking Poppy for an outing, or bringing Kai to see friends—as well as take some much needed time to myself. My favorite things to do to decompress after the work week are to have lunch on my own, a mani pedi, and a good swim." 

What are your biggest summer challenges? "So far this summer, it’s been getting used to having two kids, along with having a toddler who is old enough to appreciate camp and activities (a.k.a. I can’t get away with just play dates all summer)! Her art camp drop-off time is a little trickier than her school drop-off was—it’s too late for my husband to drop her off, and the earliest I can drop her off barely gives me enough time to get myself to the office for my first meeting of the day. So, in order to stay on track in the mornings, I have to keep things moving by playing games like 'racing' her to the car...as chaotic as it is, I’m loving the quality time we get to spend together!" 

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile? (Ahem, baby!) "You got it! We have a 6-month-old baby boy, Kai! He is a full-on little dude now!" 

You can find out more about Joyce on her Instagram feed.

Your summer '19 goals and plans: "My goal this summer is to break some of the revolting habits I developed this spring. Last Saturday I ate a bag of Jalapeño Cheetos and drank a bottle of Champagne for dinner. Like, the whole bottle and the whole bag. It's a pretty accurate portrait of my M.O. these days. I've been on the road a lot for work. Last year, when I was still nursing Lucia and sleeping 2 hours a night, all I wanted was to be in a hotel room by myself. This year I'm eating Peach Rings and Sour Watermelons from the gas station and Starbucks Sausage, Egg, and Cheeses for breakfast 5 days a week and yearning for just a little more normalcy and routine, and a lot more time with my kids. I thought my Starbucks days were over when I turned 22, but I have been recently re-indoctrinated as it is the only coffee shop that opens before 7 a.m., and before 7 a.m. is the only time I've found to get any focused computer work before the rest of the world wakes up and starts bombarding me with needs. Are you rolling your eyes and thinking, 'Shit, that woman needs to sit her ass down and do some gratitude mediations?' Cuz if you are, I agree with you! Goals for summer 2019: learn how to eat vegetables again, put my body in water at least once, maybe start and finish reading a novel."

Do you view the summer as a break for yourself at all? "Summer this year is just like the other seasons, but sweatier and with more to feel bad about when I see other people doing 'summer break' stuff. And then I go down a rabbit hole of imagining how different life might look if Alex and I had chosen a more well-worn career path."

What are your biggest summer challenges? "The mosquitos in our backyard are vicious and render the outside spaces around our house entirely unusable from June to September. So, like, actually what's the point of summer if you don't have a summer break?"

Any big life updates that we should know about since your Mother profile? "Our team at East Fork, our production capacity, and sales velocity has doubled since then. The operational and human complexity and stress of owning and operating a manufacturing business has doubled along with it. I started taking an SSRI and in four days became a much more emotionally resilient human (thank you, modern medicine!). We're fostering a kitten! My kids started sleeping through the night, kind of, and so have I. They love holding hands. For as unbalanced, chaotic, and unsustainable as life feels right now, deep down I'm wildly happy and excited and proud of the work we're doing, in love with my beautiful babies, and still really into my husband, despite us still sleeping in separate rooms with a kid's feet in our faces."

You can find out more about Connie and her business here and on her Instagram feed.