Mom's Night In!

These picks are just what the doctor ordered for a cozy mom’s night in.

By Zlata Faerman

Call me a stereotyper, but moms are always the most overwhelmed during this time. We’re figuring out who to host for Thanksgiving and what to serve, what presents to get the kids, and let’s not forget about staying on top of the kids' schoolwork and extracurriculars!

The most stressful time deserves an evening (or two or three) of doing whatever it is mom wants to do. Personally, I’d be happy binging Netflix shows and devouring LiveKuna’s KunaPops. Here are my top picks for how to spend a memorable and/or uneventful mom’s night in.

I absolutely love to get creative with charcuterie and sharing boards. It’s almost a therapeutic expression of art that I get to eat afterward. My favorite things to include: all of the cheeses, salami, and dark chocolate by Kuli Kuli Foods (trust me on this) piled on a Stryve Biltong Slab (trust me on this, too!). (kulikulifoods.com and stryve.com)

If you haven’t yet heard of Hands Down (@handsdowncookies on Instagram), then you’re missing out! This one-woman show by Alyson Levine makes gourmet, readyto-bake, pre-portioned cookie dough, delivered straight to your door. Prepared fresh with the highest quality ingredients and frozen for peak flavor, Hands Down cookie dough balls are packed by the dozen in vacuum-sealed packages, ready for baking whenever you are. Making these is an actual event in my house and is truly an exceptional cookie experience.

A mom’s night in can be pretty awesome if you’re inviting other moms to stay in with you. It’s even better when you don’t have to cook for all of them. Enter: Potluck (potluck.us). With this app, you have the ability to determine who is bringing what. While Potluck helps put the ease on in-person gatherings, you can also utilize it for virtual gatherings.

When I watch TV at night and online shop at the same time, I have no fewer than 30 tabs open, so I like to call this experience “window shopping.” Clothes, shoes, and bags are fun, but my current obsession is Ryan Porter (shopryanporter.com), where I shop custom jewelry for friends, fam, and myself—duh.

Jiggy Puzzles are a great way to wind down after a busy day (week? month? year?). They were created by ex-theSkimm employee Kaylin Marcotte, who used puzzles as her nightly meditation from her demanding work but found many uninspiring. So, Marcotte set out to create a new kind of puzzle—an elevated, modern take on the classic jigsaw—and is supporting female emerging artists from around the world at the same time (jiggypuzzles.com). A percentage of each sale goes to the artist. Ear seeds are adhesive seeds that you stick to certain points of your ear.

Yinova’s ear seed kits (yinovacenter.com) include crystal and gold, which not only look pretty, but also enhance health and wellness as they stimulate pressure points. They’re a form of auricular acupuncture, which considers the ear a microcosm of the rest of the body. Meaning, you’re able to treat every part of your body through small pressure points in the ear. The ear seeds are said to be effective for treating many chronic conditions. It’s worth a try, right?

Mom-Culture Picks

Editor Jeannine Cintron shares what she’s obsessed with this month.

WHAT WE’RE STREAMING: WORKIN’ MOMS »

You don’t have to be a working mom—frankly, being a mom is leaps and bounds harder than any actual paid position I’ve ever had—to fall in love with Netflix’s sidesplitting series about a group of mom friends and their adventures into parenting while clinging desperately to their careers. So if you’re looking for a fun weekend binge, put this one in your queue ASAP.

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO: CRIME WEEKLY »

What is it about murder that grabs us and keeps us listening long after the kids have gone to bed? Why are the tales of others’ extreme misfortune the key to relaxation at the end of a long day? Don’t ask me! All I know is, I’m far from alone with my crime show obsession, and Crime Weekly with Stephanie Harlowe and Derrick Lavasseur is my favorite by far. The podcast takes listeners down a long and winding path, exploring every available nook and cranny of each case it covers in fascinating detail. As a former homicide detective, Lavasseur offers an investigatory perspective that many other crime podcasts can’t, which is what makes this one stand out amongst the many, many others.

WHO WE’RE READING: TAYLOR JENKINS REID »

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of the most unique books I’ve read in a long time. Fans of the movie Almost Famous will likely tear through the book in a very short time. After finishing it, I quickly ordered The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I also devoured, loving its Hollywood-glitz-and-glamwith-a-twist vibe. I just started her latest Malibu Rising, which was touted as a “beach read,” after its June 2021 release date. But I’m sure it will be just as good if I’m curled up in a blanket by the fireplace.

WHO WE’RE LISTENING TO: OLIVIA RODRIGO »

Sure, she’s probably young enough to be your kid, but her catchy pop tunes have all the justified angst of Alanis Morissette circa 1996. You’ll find yourself angry with your ex all over again—even if you broke up before Olivia Rodrigo was born.