At home with …Daphne Oz &

Play-doh, watercolors, crayons, endless paper: “My kids love art projects.”

Stand mixer: “We are constantly baking. I figure it’s a contained mess, with a very delicious reward on the other side. Plus, we love to experiment with healthy alternatives to their favorite treats.”

Aromatherapy diffuser: “It works wonders on mama and children alike. I diffuse everything from citrus and eucalyptus scents first thing in the morning to vanilla or florals at night when we’re winding down. I love the Young Living “purification” scent as well when anyone is sick in the house – it’s incredibly warm and ginger-y.”

Portable speaker: “We love a good dance party. We’re really into the Bose SoundLink Revolve portable speaker model – it’s amazing surround sound and so light with a battery that lasts forever. We take it everywhere.”

“iPad!”

(See bottom of post of more info)

On Daphne: Alice and Olivia jacket

“I don’t always make time, but I love that an intense sweat first thing in the morning kicks my entire day off on a productive note and I end up getting so much more done. Even if I can only fit in a quick 20-minute run or yoga in my bedroom, it’s worth it. I don’t know why we feel like taking care of ourselves should always be the last priority; it makes us better able to take care of everyone around us.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

“I went to see my doctor because I wasn’t feeling great and found out I was just about eight weeks pregnant! I got to hear Philomena’s heartbeat that first day. It was magic and so unexpected.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“New babies always bring a period of readjustment (read: exhaustion) that takes some getting used to. Until they turn three months old, the demands are nonstop and the feedback is minimal. When they turn six months, they start to feel like real people – giggling, rumble-tumble, dumpling people. And then time starts flying! Before I know it, I’m looking back at pictures of my tiny babies wondering how they got so big so fast. And missing that delicious baby smell.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“I am a product junkie, but I have a lot less time to use anything now, so it’s just a matter of finding the cleanest formulas and most efficient and effective products out there. One of my recent finds is African Botanicals Buchu Enzyme Polish that I will do in the shower and leave on for a few minutes to let the enzymes go to town polishing my skin while I put conditioner in and brush my teeth all at once. I am obsessed with May Lindstrom’s line – the jasmine mist is heaven in a bottle, and the honey mud mask is moisturizing and purifying which is great for my dry, sensitive skin. I love Tata Harper moisturizer and eye cream. And I slather myself in all kinds of oils – some favorites are from Uma and Odacite.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“Skincare: Drink water! Half your bodyweight in ounces of H20 every day. Eat probiotics! I swig a gulp of kefir every morning. Be gentle! Let your skin self-regulate with cleansers that are not stripping – I love to cleanse with oils, and take all my make up off with coconut oil. Do an occasional snail secretion mask! I get a mask called L.A. PURE on Amazon that I am obsessed with for before shoots or when I am looking extra dry/tired/puffy/mom-so-hard.

Makeup: Apply your favorite face oil, then work Kjaer Weis foundation and blush into your skin. Two coats Chantecaille or Covergirl LashBlast mascara. Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Euphoric will change your life. A little dab of Tom Ford lipstick in Impassioned #80 for a plummy pout. I also love MAC Matte Lipstick in Kinda Sexy for a lighter pink color. For nighttime, add a cat eye flourish – I’m obsessed with the Givenchy eyeliners, they are soft and blend beautifully.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“Wash and let air dry 90%, then scrunch Jane Carter Solution Curl Defining Cream into mid-lengths to ends for super hydration and texture. My hair is bone straight naturally and this gives it a wonderful, slept-in feel with a bit of wave. I also love the HairStory line and am always playing around with different vanilla-scented oils in the lengths instead of perfume.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip

“I am most proud of how we play with our children – we have so much fun with them! And we work to make sure they know our family is a bedrock of love and security so they take that with them into the world. I would most like to improve how I handle all the willful stubbornness being thrown my direction these days from a sassy three-year-old and her copycat little brother without resorting to (futile) threats…”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“One of my husband’s friends and former professors Adam Grant wrote an amazing piece about how to help raise generous, compassionate children. It has to do with distinguishing bad behavior from good character to allow children to start to see themselves as the kind of people with strong morals and values we are trying to raise. It’s definitely worth a read, and has informed a lot of the way we talk to our kids.”

On Daphne: Alice and Olivia jacket

“For the longest time, I struggled with guilt over whether every minute I spent working meant I was missing essential moments with my kids, and whether every moment spent with them meant I was missing career opportunities. The reality is that this kind of additional stress and pressure only steals our joy from everything we do and hurts us. It certainly doesn’t change the fact that we are all dealing with only 24 hours in the day. What I’ve come to realize is that how I make my kids feel when I am with them is what counts the most. I try to make it clear how precious they are to me and really engage and play with them. And I want to make sure they are getting the best version of me because they feed off that. My motto has become: Happy kids have happy parents to show them how it’s done.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

Hardest part about being a mom: “Less personal spontaneity. No sleep…no privacy…”

Best part about being a mom: “Seeing the world through my children’s eyes (there’s so much wonder!) and getting to hear what wild things their imaginations cook up. Life becomes much more entertaining.”

On Daphne: Alice and Olivia jacket

“There is no ‘right’ way to become a mother. We go into new motherhood with so many (unreasonable) expectations and so many (unfounded) opinions and so much (unsolicited) advice that it can be really hard to just be in the moment and feel it all happening. Let your experience be what it is. The more you enjoy the ride, the less you’ll feel like your version of motherhood is supposed to match anyone else’s.”

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“Our marriage is the foundation of our family and everything grows from it, so we see any opportunity to reconnect and reinvest as boosting everyone’s happiness. It can be so easy to forget that relationships are living and breathing, and they need nurturing like everything else you want to see thrive.

My best tip: don’t be afraid to be his wife and his girlfriend. We spend so much of our time being married and parenting together. But when we go out alone, it’s like we’re dating again. It’s important to remind each other of that beginning phase of our romance because it underpins the deeper and more complex relationship we have after having children together. We like that the fun and playfulness that brought us together can stay front and center.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

“Our wedding was my favorite day ever.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

Anthropologie bed

“With Philomena, I had to be induced, so I was hooked up to IVs and constantly monitored for my first 24 hours in labor. I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything except ice chips and apple juice because of the medication, and I couldn’t get into warm water or even have a heating pad. When they finally gave me the epidural, it took a series of attempts, each one leaving half of my body totally numb. It was terrifying. But it wasn’t disappointing – the only important thing is that at the end of all of that, our baby was healthy and happy.

I had a birth plan in mind so that I could set a goal for myself and experience labor on my terms. But I didn’t feel married to that narrative. We have so many ways we prove ourselves to ourselves through the course of pregnancy and birth and motherhood. I try not to put a ton of pressure on everything (or anything) going exactly according to plan.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“I had an un-medicated birth with Johnny and I would like to have that experience again, if only because I found my recovery so much easier the second time around. My body kind of already knew what it was doing, but I think the fact that I could help myself/react intuitively in a way I hadn’t been able to do the first time around gave me more ownership of the process. Birth is as much about bringing a baby into the world as it is about birthing a new version of yourself. Uncovering that next iteration of me in a very connected way gave me a lot of confidence.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“It’s always just my doctor, nurse and husband in the room.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

“No tearing is thanks to Evening Primrose Oil. My doctor said she could not believe what a difference it made. I didn’t do any prenatal perineal massage, just when I was in labor and actually giving birth. The lubricant traditionally used for delivery is just that: it makes everything slippery, but it’s not actually that moisturizing. I asked my doctor to use Evening Primrose Oil instead – it’s traditionally taken orally, so she just punctured a bunch of the capsules to get the oil. Definitely talk to your doctor before using, but I found it insanely effective.”

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

Anthropologie bed

“Physically and emotionally, I had a much easier time with my second baby. The first is a trip for your body – it’s basically impossible to sit comfortably for a month. I was a leaking, sleep-deprived, hormonal zombie. The second time around, you know what to expect, and you know not to take anything too seriously.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

“’Don’t touch me! Don’t talk to me! No words of encouragement!’ Haha, I am such a tyrant. My poor husband. Being in warm water was the only real relief for my un-medicated birth with Johnny. But I did take an aromatherapy diffuser and some favorite scents to the hospital, which gave the room a calm, happy vibe. Evening Primrose Oil (see above). I stupidly didn’t take any birthing classes, but I did watch hours and hours of home birth videos the week before I went into labor, so I called upon a lot of the breathing and squatting techniques I saw there.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“We forget we are animals, and the experience of giving birth brings you face to face with that reality in such an amazing way because so much of it is intuitive. Making this weird guttural, humming noise really helps. Squatting and swaying really helps. Forgetting anyone else is anywhere near you really helps. Reminding yourself you are capable of everything is essential.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

“John and I always joke that we have no idea what we did before kids that made us feel so busy, because having one felt like it kept us on our toes all the time. And then Johnny came along when Philomena was 20 months old and we had finally gotten the hang of things. Suddenly you go from having something of a routine and at least being able to bank on a particular nap-time to being forced to reckon with the fact that you have two totally unpredictable, independent humans living under your roof. But I will say that while the first few months with two were intense, our children are now best friends and keep each other constantly entertained. The reward is so real.”

On Daphne: Jonquil robe

“I get so much great inspiration and tons of product recommendations from my community of mommies online. But I also feel like the compulsion to share (and compare) forces mothers under a microscope in a way our mothers and grandmothers never had to be. Everything is open to commentary. As silly as it sounds, I try to stay in the moment by using real cameras and video cameras whenever I can. And when I catch myself slipping into ‘documentation’ mode, I put my phone away entirely.”

On Daphne: Alice and Olivia jacket

“My parents are adventurers, and they really believe that every opportunity to explore the world should be seized and enjoyed.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“We have so many family memories together. Some were truly insane, death-defying, or downright boring. But the vast majority were epic. They raised all their kids with a healthy sense of FOMO, and we are trying to make sure our kids engage life in the same way.”

On Daphne: Jonquil slip and robe

On Philomena: Tutu Du Monde dress

“We would love to have more children! But let’s enjoy three first.”

On Daphne: Alice and Olivia jacket