Color of the Month: Navy Blue

September reminds me of going back to school, and both my high school and college colors happened to be blue and white. (We are, Penn State!) But navy blue also fits perfectly with Chilton and Yale since September is our collective cue to rewatch Gilmore Girls again.

O U T F I T I N S P O

I will be wearing this dark-denim dress from Old Navy all month long. It would pair so cute with boots or loafers!

Movie of the Month: You’ve Got Mail

It kicks-off in the fall and watches two bookstore rivals take each other on while also unknowingly falling for each other - over EMAIL! It’s so charming and nostalgic and perfect for September.

If you’re looking for more movie recs, check out my Back-to-School inspired movie list!

Book of the Month: The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham

Delicious scandals unraveling at a private boarding school - can’t wait to dive in and see if Elin Hilderbrand’s writing set in autumn is just as delectable as her summer beach reads!

What other academia-inspired reads are on your TBR this month?

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To me, September signals three key seasons: Football, Apple (pumpkin is October!), & Gilmore Girls.

Football Season

☐ Host friends to watch your fav teams play with some festive snacks!

My favorite team to watch is Penn State Football, so I’m excited to kick off the season by making a white queso to pair with blue corn tortilla chips! And NFL-wise, I’m a bit more loosey-goosey with my fandom, but I tend to root for the Eagles and let’s be honest…the Kansas City Chiefs for our gal Taylor.

Kansas City Chiefs perfect for a red-pepperoni and yellow-cheese board with crackers.

For the Philly Eagles, a guacamole and black bean dip spread.

My husband loves the Pittsburgh Steelers, which would inspire me to make a queso-sausage dip.

See what I mean?! Have FUN with it! If doesn’t have to be the colors, maybe it’s a city-specific recipe. The key here is cheesily leaning into a theme, whatever you want that to look like.

And, of course, make the Pillsbury football cookies for the kiddos.

Apple Season

While pumpkin gets a lot of love, and I think it’s well-deserved…in my mind, pumpkin is for October, but September is for apple. And apple flavored things are delicious! In particular, apple cider!

☐ Go apple picking at a farm near you

☐ Bake apple-cinnamon rolls with your fresh pickins! I’m following this recipe.

☐ Indulge in local Apple Cider donuts. My favorite fall treat!

Gilmore Girls Season

☐ Start your rewatch! Or if you’ve never watched before, now. is. the. time!

The coziest and best rewatch show there is!

I like to start from the beginning of this series right around September 1st, but I saw somewhere online that if you start on September 22nd and watch 4 episodes a week, it perfectly aligns the episodes up with the time of year you’re watching it! The challenge is…can I only watch 4 episodes a week?!

I also love doing this 1000 piece Gilmore Girls inspired puzzle each year! It is so dang addicting.

Labor Day Weekend (9/7)

The final hurrah and send off of summer!

• Have fun on a body of water! Rent a kayak for the river, splash and play in a lake, go for a boat ride, swim, etc!

• Grill your favorite foods - burgers and bbq chicken, corn on the cob, peaches. Make one last festive feast of summer foods before we enter the months dedicated to heartier veggies and cozy soups.

Grandparents Day (9/13)

I miss my grandparents so, so much. I remember stumbling upon this holiday as a kid and thrifting mugs at Goodwill for my Mugga (grandma) and Bumpa (grandpa) as gifts.

If you are lucky enough to still have your grandparents, give them a call. Send them a card. Even if it’s something small, it’s special.

If you have kiddos, let them craft a present to give to your parents/in-laws. One of the most unexpected joys of parents is watching how my girls create their own relationships and special bonds with people through out our family, especially their grandparents.

Autumn Equinox (9/22)

• Make your Autumn Bucket List! Write it down by hand and stick it somewhere you can see. If you have kids, let them participate with their own ideas. We did this with a summer bucket list and our 3-year-old would see the list as she ate her breakfast and talk about the ideas we should do!

• Kick off the season with an autumnal-flavored latte from your local coffee shop.

• Make your own homemade pumpkin spice syrup to use during the season, and make some extra for friends. I’m using ’s recipe from her post, Twenty Ideas for a Creatively Fulfilling Fall!

• Stock-up on all the Trader Joe’s goodies! Trader Joes is 30 minutes from me so I let myself go once a season to get all their delicious seasonal snacks and re-stock on my frozen food staples.

Cue the Confetti:

• Rest in Peace to dear Dolly. What a legend. In honor of her life and kindness and talent and power, you can donate to her Imagination Library here. My kids get these books and get so excited when they come in the mail!

• shared a wonderful roundup of 35 Books Coming in Fall 2026! So many great recs, so little time!

Friday Night Readers

📚35 Books Coming in Fall 2026 That You’ll Want on Your Radar

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11 days ago · 18 likes · 5 comments · Jules @ Friday Night Readers

It’s always around this time of year that I start getting that back-to-school feeling, despite being 31. It feels exciting, like a fresh start is around the corner. I think about the fun of refreshing my wardrobe, organizing and color-coding my school supplies. I think it’s all because I just genuinely enjoy learning, and it’s a comfort to know that I can always continue to learn. I can keep that academic-mindset and curiosity in my life.

To indulge in the back-to-school feeling, I’ve curated a list of movie night recommendations for you to enjoy these next few weeks!

10 Things I Hate About You

A good ol’ 90s teen rom come is essential! Somehow when I think about high school, I always think about this movie. Sister-sibling-dynamics, crushes, dances, sports, classroom-settings, Shakespeare-inspiration. Plus, Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles! And this unforgettable scene:

Mona Lisa Smile

This movie is criminally underrated and not talked about enough. First - the cast. Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin (!!!!!)

Julia Roberts plays Katherine, the new art professor history at Wellesley in the early 1950s, a very different time for women. Many of them in school only to get their ‘MRS’ degree. Katherine challenges the girls perspectives in a time when the views around a woman’s role in life was much more limited.

I adore this movie. I find it a comfort, and empowering. It’s kinda like the female version of Dead Poety’s Society…speaking of…

Dead Poet’s Society

An all-time classic. Similar to Mona Lisa Smile, where professor John Keating (Robin Williams) starts at university and becomes a mentor to the young men he teaches. Carpe diem, the wonders of poetry, what life is about! It is completely compelling, inspiring, and yes, a tad gut wrenching (which is a sign of good art, really).

Legally Blonde

I mean, obviously! I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: my favorite movie! Watch Elle Woods take on Harvard in girly-pink-fashion, where she consistently defies being underestimated all while meeting each moment with pure class and kindness.

I get why people write a dissertation on the power of Elle Woods.

PS: Did any of you watch Elle on Prime? I was amazed at how much at the actress looked and sounded like Reese Witherspoon. I loved it!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Who else remembers hearing It’s Time by Imagine Dragons on the trailer? I digress…

This movie is a tender coming-of-age as Charlie branches out to make new friends in his freshman year at high school. As he experiences the typical high school experiences of football games and dances and parties, he goes through the ebbs and flows of friendship, crushes, love not only from himself, but from watching others (aka: being a wallflower!) All while he’s also working through hard moments of his past. It’s a really touching story.

Mean Girls

Another all-time classic (but in a much different way than Dead Poet’s Society). I feel like I don’t need to explain what the movie’s about, it feels like it’s been watched universally at this point. It’s peak ‘00 high school vibes.

Outside of the hilarious quotes and scenes, I really do love how at the end of the day it’s telling us to stop being so damn mean to each other. Caty’s monologue at the Mathletes State Championship when she realizes her mean thoughts doesn’t change anything about or provide value for her life is an epiphany I still think about when I feel my own judgements surfacing - it always says more about me than the other person. That’s what should be explored.

Cue-the-Confetti: More Back to School Inspo

• NPR’s 6 ways grown-ups can recreate that fresh, buzzy feeling of a new school year

• The Everygirl’s 14 Ways I’m Channeling Back-to-School Vibes as an Adult

• ’s Non-Toxic Back to School Swaps List (Healthy packable lunch and snack options work for us grown ups too!)

The Weekly Nourish

Non-Toxic Back to School Swaps List ✅🎒

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23 days ago · 2 likes

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If you know me personally, or even adjacently really, you’d probably know that I am a planner to my core. I love a Google sheet. I love a Notes app list. But even more than snazzy technology tools, I love a physical notebook planner.

Erin Condren has been my go-to for a handful of years now, but the truth is…. I find myself not using it nearly as much as I’d like to. The reality is those planners worked great for me as a college student tracking exams, assignments, and club meetings. But as a mom, it just wasn’t sticking. I’d start the week of strong and then eventually life would life, and the beautifully designed layouts would be bare for the rest of the week.

And it was this summer when I looked at the ($50+ 🙃) planner sitting on my desk that I realized I could simply change my mind.

Enter: my commonplace notebook, inspired by ’s post all about her notebook disorder (Nina, I SEE YOU!)

The Seasonalist 🍎🎃🍁🦃🎄❄️💘☘️🐰🌼🌷🍓🎆🍉

Do You Have a Notebook Disorder? A Commonplace Notebook is the Perfect Summer Hobby

Welcome to the Seasonalist, a happy place to land, where you’ll find all things seasonal and seasonal-adjacent (books, movies, food, and fun) from Austin, Texas. If you’d like to subscribe, click below…

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3 months ago · 92 likes · 41 comments · Nina P.

This turned into browsing Pinterest and being inspired by all the creative ways you can approach a commonplace notebook. They are blank pages to simply do whatever the heck you want with. You can truly curate it to fit whatever fits your life and change it whenever you want. Notebook FREEDOM. Play with the layouts, colors, fonts, doodles.

Old me would have stopped here and thought: I’ll get too frustrated when it doesn’t turn out perfect. I’m not artistic enough.

Current me, who is actively working on challenge old-me-narratives now says: Screw it, nobody is even looking at this thing but me. It’s FOR ME. Let yourself be bad at it, and enjoy the process.

I’ve really enjoyed setting side just a small chunk of time on Sundays to create my weekly page, where I map out a page to cover 7 areas of ‘focus’ for the week.

Here’s what they are.

🧠 MIND:

While I am decently consistent with making an intention to exercise and move my body in some way, I want to have that same intention and dedication to exercising my mind. Keeping it sharp. The AI-of-it-all out in the world quite frankly scares me sometimes. And I’d like to think of this as a way to combat that fear, an act of protection and respect my self.

Ideas:

• Daily Sodoku puzzle (I have a NYT subscription and thoroughly enjoy their games, but a physical book purchase is in my future)

• Jigsaw puzzles

• Write 500-words daily

• Reading

• Strategy board games (Checkers, Scrabble)

• Free online-courses in things you’re curious about

🤸‍♀️ BODY:

Like I said before, I’ve been able to establish decent movement routines in my life. But it used to, sadly, really all center around just wanting to lose weight. There was a shadow of vanity behind it if I’m being honest. But lately, I am much more aware of how my body actually feels. That’s inspiring me to make intentions that address those feelings: strengthening my core after kids, working on my flexibility and mobility for tight hips and hamstrings, lifting weights for muscle mass and to protect my bone density.

I really enjoy letting my own intuition guide this process each week, rather than trying to follow someone else’s framework or lay out a routine with a monthly goal that might not stick as things pop up and as I go through my period cycle, where hormones completely change what type of movement I’m craving.

Ideas:

• Walking

• Stretching

• Strength/Lifting Weights

• Running

• 12/3/30

• Yoga

• Pilates

• Dancing classes

• Hiking

• Boxing classes

• Swimming

💕. JOY

I’m a self-recovering productivity guru. But then I got older and realized that life was about so much more than what you can get done and how many tasks you can fit into multitasking. Slower living is actually delightful. So rather than using my page to purely track to-do lists, I create an area that lists 3 acts of joy to embrace that week for no other purpose than to enjoy it.

Ideas:

• Crafting/artwork

• Watch a favorite movie

• Dinner with a friend

• Baking

• Walking trails

• Reading / Browsing a bookstore

🏠 HOME:

I think part of home-owning is knowing that there is a revolving list of house projects. Always. But rather than seeing it as daunting, it can actually be kind of fun. You get to actually design your home. How you want it to represent your family. How you want the spaces to feel. Breaking it down with one intention for the house that week helps me approach it without feeling overwhelmed.

Ideas:

• Hanging up wall art or pictures

• Decluttering a specific room/area

• Organizing drawer/closet with bins

• Hanging up curtains

• Shuffling around furniture in a space

• Getting houseplants

• Decorating shelves

• A ‘bigger’ cleaning task (Cleaning the fridge, wash windows, etc.)

✅ GOAL:

This is where we are writing down just one simple, micro-level goal for the week. Maybe it’s a small action that’s helping you chip away at that larger goal or resolution for the year. Maybe it’s just taking care of an errand or chore that’s been looming. (I might be speaking from personal experience of somebody who needs to finally go to the post office and ship a return…)

But the idea is that rather than making an (unrealistic) long list and feeling dejected half way through the week, it’s one thing that you can accomplish and feel good about.

🙏 GRATITUDE:

I believe practicing gratitude regularly changes your life. Putting it down from pen to paper makes it resonate even stronger. I write down a list of 3-5 things I’m grateful for that week. When life give me lemons, remembering and looking at this list reminds me I already have lemonade.

✏️ WORD-OF-THE-WEEK:

I love my annual word-of-the-year tradition, where I let a word guide my choices and pave a path for how I want that year to look and feel. So why not practice that on a microlevel with a word-of-the week?

Ideas:

• Joy

• Deliberate

• Grateful

• Bright

• Confident

• Gentle

Cue-the-Confettis!

A new addition I’m adding to each newsletter sharing some of my favorite finds of the week!

LISTENING: To Love Somebody by Holly Humberstone is on repeat! I love this song so much - so fun and uplifting!

READING: wrote a wonderful post on The Art of Lost Conversation. I walked away with so many good nuggets of inspiration to become a better listener and better conversationalist with all the people in my life!

WEARING: I could not resist Halloween Burt’s Bees jammies for my daughters - I mean doggies in halloween costumes?! I wish they made an adult size!

feeling good with emilina

The Lost Art of a Good Conversation

I know a woman who wants to be my friend. She invites me for coffee almost weekly. If it’s not coffee, it’s dinner. Or to her house. Or to a barbecue. Ordinarily, I would willingly oblige. Hell, I would love a barbecue! But every time she asks, I politely decline. Not only am I extremely busy at the moment (new business, two kids), I also hate spending …

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a month ago · 67 likes · 19 comments · Emilina Lomas, MSc, R.Nutr.

Welcome to the August 2026 Celebration Guide - where I curate simple and intentional ways to celebrate throughout the month, to treat everyday life like the special occasion it truly is.

August, the golden hour of summer! When I think of August, I picture being a child and soaking in the final nights of summer with your best friends before school starts. I think of that hour when the sun is setting and the lightning bugs start to pop out - one by one and then bunches altogether. Join me in celebrating these final breaths of summer, won’t you?

Color of the Month: Hydrangea Blue

Movie of the Month: Dirty Dancing

Book of the Month: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. In honor of US Open later this month and because TJR announced she’s releasing a new book this year. Aren’t we all so lucky?!

Honorable Mentions to add to your TBR:

• The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson. One last designated-summer-read!

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry. A la ‘Book Lovers Day’ on August 9th and because this is my fav Em Hen book.

Start every morning listening to august by Taylor Swift and end every evening with End of August by Noah Kahan. Both dreamy, nostalgic soaked songs that feel like basking in the final glimmers of golden hour.

Revisit your Summer To Do list. Do not panic and try to cram-it-all-in. Pause and prioritize 3 final things you reallllly want to do before the season ends.

Pick peaches and then make cinnamon-sugar peaches for dessert. This recipe is 4 ingredients, takes less than 20 minutes and has 5-star reviews.

Drink an evening spritz. Pumpkin-spice season is slowly, but surely creeping up on us. But August is August, not pre-October! Enjoy these final weeks of sunshine-season with sunshine-flavors. Nothing says summertime like a lil spritz.

Host an end of summer bonfire. Send off the season with an evening bonfire with friends/family. Reminisce on your favorite summer moments and memories from this year.

Can you believe August is a month with no technical ‘holidays’? But we still find ways to celebrate! Even if that means leaning into some of those made-up, nonsensical ones. Here’s a quick-hit-list. Mix and match which ones feel the most fun to you, or heck - try all of ‘em out!

• August 3rd - National Watermelon Day

  • Make a simple two-ingredient watermelon sorbet. 4 cups of frozen watermelon chunks + 2 Tbspn of honey. Voila! Delish. (This would pair nicely with your Dirty Dancing watch!)

• August 9th - Book Lovers Day

  • Head to your independent book store and buy a new book! Channel your inner Kathleen Kelly here. Support local, and not Joe Fox-esque Barnes and Nobles or Targets for books. If you don’t know these character references, then also add watch You’ve Got Mail to your to-do list. A delightful movie.

• August 10th - National Smores Day

  • How cute does this s’mores trail mix look from Smart School House?!

• August 15th - Relaxation Day. It’s a holiday so we must partake, right? Set aside time to unplug from technology and do something genuinely relaxing. Resting in bed with a book, taking a bubble bath, getting a massage!

And fun, pop-culture-adjacent moments totally count too!

• August 23 - The start of the US Open Tennis Championships. Admittedly I’ve never watched much tennis before, but after watching Chris & Martina: The Final Set on Netflix, I’m officially intrigued. It’s what inspired my Book of the Month pick!

• College Football starts! I’m a massive Penn State fan. As an alum, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Penn State for not only paving my path, but decorating it with the beautiful flowers of friendships and mentors that changed my life. I love the energy of waking up on Saturday morning and putting College Game Day on in the background as we cook and graze on breakfast. Last season was ROUGH for us Nittany Lions. But we love a comeback, right?

More Magic-Making…

I’ve realized the magic behind the celebratory seasons and moments in our life can be used in the same way to make everyday life feel just as exciting and rich. Because reader, the truth is that everyday life is a special occasion. We get to wake up and hug people we love and laugh til our bellies hurt. We live in a world with puppies and pink skies and dance parties. I am grateful to grow older and continue to collect the experiences and memories that I can only hope make me a happy and interesting old lady one day.

More on my word of the year here…

8 Way To Treat Everyday Life Like a Special Occasion

Add Sprinkles.

A colorful dash of sweetness is a simple, but effective way to make your zhush up your meal! I made my daughter a ‘breakfast banana split’ the other day - and while it was still just yogurt and strawberries placed between a split-banana, the dash of sprinkles on top really sold it.

Get them on your ice cream, add a dash of them on top of your yogurt or pancakes or even your coffee.

Add Music.

Embrace main character energy - what songs would be playing in the background of the movie of your life? Adding music to set the mood for the small moments helps elevate them so much. Listening to something old-school and jazzy when I’m cooking a homemade meal, girlhood anthems when I’m showering or getting ready for work, Disney-dance-parties in the evening with my girls.

While I think some of all our tech these days has made us all out of touch, streaming audio is one I can stand behind. A world of music at our FINGERTIPS. Use it!

Embrace a fancy glass.

Drink your morning coffee in a mug that brings pure joy to your face. Smoothies, water, sweet tea, seltzers - these are the things that I drink regularly through out the week and when I add them to a fun, seasonal glass, a simple-everyday moment feels lifted.

I love putting something with bubbles in a wine glass. Or drinking my water in my colorful Owala. Here’s the thing - I try not to acquire too much unnecessary drink ware, but having a few (fun) reusable items is key. Don’t sleep on thrift or consignment shops for really fun glasses that you can’t get by simply adding to cart.

Use the expensive toiletries - you know the ones you say you’re “saving” for a special time.

Hair masks, face masks, body butter, eye patches, perfume. Friends, indulge in the luxury and stop saving them for some future special event. Today can be the special event for no other reason than you’re here - living, breathing, open to whatever the day brings you.

Invite People.

What makes a party is the people that are invited. The older I get, the deeper this life-lesson hits. Everything in life is about the people you share it with. They make it meaningful. So I intend to live with my life with wide, warm, hospitable arms. It doesn’t need to be a special occasion to get together. And it doesn’t even have to be a big deal. Reach out to a friend to come over for coffee and chatting in the morning. Set up a walking playdate at the park with your mom friends. Randomly call up someone while driving and see if they want to meet you for dinner, rather than just going home and ordering takeout alone.

Those tiny moments of reaching out build your village. I hear ‘it takes a village’ often in my phase of new-ish motherhood. But I know that to have a village, you must also be a villager. Show up for others and reach out.

Fold Favorites Into Your Routine.

Think about the things that you love - songs, colors, patterns, textures, movies, etc. When is the last time you intentionally encountered one of those in your daily moment? I recently listed out 31 of my favorite things, and it made me realize just how much I loved them and how much more I want to incorporate them into my life on a more regular basis.

Pause. Take inventory with yourself. What are some things that you love and how can you make those occurrences part of your routine?

Romanticize Your Menu

An essential part of a parties and gatherings and traditions is of course the food! The homemade birthday cakes with your kiddos or the grilled potlucks with your neighbors. Pizza-party-Fridays! Channel that same energy into your everyday meals for no-good-reason. Sprinkle fresh parsley on your dinner. Cut your fruit into fun shapes. Lean into home-made cooking with your hands. All small and simple changes that add a dash of “gourmet” to your meal.

Document the Small Stuff. Get Creative.

I have always been a sucker for wanting to document moments in my life. It’s why I initially loved things like Instagram. I think it’s why I had such a hard time seeing it morph into a heavy marketing channel. I just had to remind myself that I can still document those moments for me. They were never meant to be documented for a big crowd, but for my own self to look back on and maybe pass down.

Journal. Write about your experiences and how they made you feel living through them. I have both a personal one and one for each of my daughters that I write notes in.

Create scrapbooks or photo albums. I made scrapbooks for each year I was in college and now I use ChatBooks to get monthly mini-photobooks created of all our family moments and memories.

Start a commonplace notebook. This is a new hobby I’m starting and I’m so excited! It’s journal-related, but in a more fun and creative way! Creating lists of favorites or dreams or happenstances.

And in the spirit of celebration, my monthly celebration guide for August will be coming later this week!

I’ve been so inspired by all the great writing on here in the meantime, so it feels great to dive back into this lovely community. When most of our social media and online experiences feel like a doom-deathtrap-spirals these days, finding a space to share and explore thoughts really does feel wonderful.

I turn 31 this month. I’m a Leo and writer - a powerful and lethal combination for birthday reflection and celebration! I’ve been inspired by both ’s and ’s ‘Feeling’ lists, where they share their lists of things that make them burst with all-the-feelings so I’m taking my own turn, with my own 31 things that make me burst with feelings, that I have a deep love and appreciation for, and speak to who I am.

Slipping Through My Fingers by ABBA*

*Admittedly, I tend to listen to the Mamma Mia soundtrack version. God bless Meryl Streep.

This song beautifully explains the tender, loving ache of motherhood. Watching your kid grow and grieving who they used to be, while falling in love with the new version of themselves. Over and over again. Y’all, I’m only 3 years into this! I have a lifetime of experiencing this?! I’m so lucky.

When she sings the lines, “I’m glad whenever I can share her laughter, that funny little girl” ….tears. Immediate tears thinking of my own funny, little girls.

The bridge in You’re On Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift

For a long time, I clung to my independence like a badge of honor with a hidden fear behind it that I would always have to do-it-all alone. The fact that I now have a family of my own that I quite literally dreamed of having…well, that goes beyond words.

The bridge of You’re On Your Own, Kid resonates so deeply with each lyric landing in exactly how I had felt throughout my twenties on my path to get to this point.

In particular when she sings “I looked around in a blood-soaked gown, and I saw something they can’t take away” - I remember myself in my blood-soak (hospital) gown after delivering my babies. Undoubtedly the best moments of my life.

Fleetwood Mac Lore

I discovered Rumours when I was in high school and when I realized all the songs were them singing about their heartbreaks with each other? I devoured it even more. Not only because it was delicious drama, but because these are good songs. I am not surprised to see the Silver Spring performance catch such traction online now because I have always thought it was such a bummer it didn’t make the original album.

Stevie and Lindsey are fascinating to me, and I am forever thankful their musical worlds meshed.

To Hell & Back by Maren Morris

This was my first dance song with my husband. It’s a love song about loving someone because of and despite of someone’s past and where they came from. This song feels so deeply important to me because before meeting my now-husband, I felt like my life was a constant machine of perseverance and grit and grind. And then meeting him and falling in love with him felt like feeling safe. Breathing easy. And that’s what I hear when I listen to this song.

The chorus of Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

“I’ve been afraid of changing because I’ve built my life around you, but time makes you bolder. Children get older, and I’m getting older too.”

I mean, gosh - has there ever been more perfect lyrics?! It perfectly captures the sweet melancholy of growing up, leaving your roots, branching into your own, and then watching that cycle from the other side. These lines make me feel understood and remind me to be understanding of others all at once.

It was also the song I danced to with my dad at my wedding, and he texts me every time he hears it on the radio or out and about.

Joni Mitchell’s 2024 Grammy Performance of Both Sides Now

This song in itself is an all-time favorite of mine. I love how it explores how perspectives shift and grow and mold as we get older. Letting your mind wander and change is a powerful experience, and one you might miss out on witnessing if you don’t take the moment to take a beat and realize it.

Joni performing this at 80 years old was remarkable. I felt so moved watching every second.

Fifteen by Taylor Swift

This song just feels like youth. Not only because it’s about being Fifteen, but because it was part of an album that I listened to heavily throughout high school (Fearless). It holds such a special place in my heart, and this song is my favorite on the record.

*Do not get me started on the lyric “You’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team” because what do you mean she married the boy on the football team… who she only met because he came to her world-breaking tour?! Too cute.

Voicemails for Isabelle

Yes, this is a fairly recent development, but it’s become my fixation these past few weeks. Y’all…when I watched this movie and it ended, I immediately hit play again. I NEVER do things like that. This movie made me laugh out loud (multiple times) and weep alongside Jill as she grieves her sister and best friend. A beautiful, beautiful movie with superb acting and song choices.

“He saved me” quote from Titanic

I remember the first time I watched this movie and crying so hard at the end, only to realize “movies can do this?!” I love Titanic and get completely swept away in the story of Rose and Jack. How he takes her out of misersable-snooty-richy world and teaches her about having fun and enjoying life. And her reminisncing on it in her older age?! UGH. What a love story!

Rory’s Graduation Speech in Gilmore Girls

“I live in two worlds. One is a world of books. I’ve been a resident of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County, hunted the white whale aboard the Pequod, fought alongside Napoleon, sailed a raft with Huck and Jim, committed absurdities with Ignatius J. Reilly, rode a sad train with Anna Karenina and strolled down Swann’s Way. It’s a rewarding world, but my second one is by far superior. My second one is populated with characters slightly less eccentric, but supremely real, made of flesh and bone, full of love, who are my ultimate inspiration for everything. Richard and Emily Gilmore are kind, decent, unfailingly generous people. They are my twin pillars, without whom I could not stand. I am proud to be their grandchild. But my ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend, the dazzling woman from whom I received my name and my life’s blood, Lorelai Gilmore. My mother never gave me any idea that I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to do or be whomever I wanted to be. She filled our house with love and fun and books and music, unflagging in her efforts to give me role models from Jane Austen to Eudora Welty to Patti Smith. As she guided me through these incredible eighteen years, I don’t know if she ever realized that the person I most wanted to be was her. Thank you, Mom: you are my guidepost for everything.”

I mean, COME ON. And who doesn’t want to live in Stars Hollow and grow up to be Lorelai Gilmore?!

Ell Woods + Legally Blonde

When I say this is my favorite movie, it is not simply because it is a feel-good rom com. This movie has hidden depth! I love that Elle is girly and loves pink, but is also KIND and SMART! In a time when so many movies associated girly-femininity with ‘mean-girl-behavior’ and ditziness, this was such a breath of fresh air. Elle believes women (Brooke!). The fact that she nails her case because of her knowledge on haircare - thriving because of her femininity not in spite of it!

Long live Elle Woods!!!

When Harry Met Sally

The perfect, cozy rom-com of enemies to friends to lovers. It is peak Nora Ephon and Meg Ryan magic. Long live Sally and all her specificities. We love a woman who knows who she is and owns it.

The floating lantern scene in Tangled

Rapunzel’s wide-eyed wonder as she discovers the world she spent so long dreaming of and being locked away from? It’s a beautiful scene and one that younger-me felt drawn to as I dreamed of a life outside of my own four walls.

Mystic Pizza

This movie is peak and pure coziness and gives me a healthy dose of nostalgia for a time I never even lived in. Three women coming of age in Mystic, Connecticut and working in a local pizza shop. It’s so easy to see ourselves in all the leading ladies. Plus, I’m a sucker for anything based in New England.

Matilda + Miss Honey

I first watched this in my 3rd grade classroom at school and immediately saw myself in Matilda, a girl who loved books and felt misunderstood. And then Miss Honey comes along and loves her for who she is. As a kid, I felt like Matilda so now as an adult, I try to be like Miss Honey. Extending the kindness and love in my interactions with others because you never know who needs it.

Me Before You

I stumbled upon this movie by complete happenstance (not realizing it was also a novel), but boy am I glad I did. Lou was a quirky character I completely adored and I felt swept away watching her and Will’s love story develop. And while I won’t spoil the ending in case you find yourself wanting to watch it (you should), be prepared for all the deep feelings at the end.

“Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live.”

Newspaper Puzzles

They remind me of waking up at my Mugga’s house and walking out to her in the kitchen. She’d be sitting at the table with her coffee, sometimes burnt toast (she actually liked it burnt!), and working on her crossword. She’d let me help her with the Cryptoquip. Still to this day, I love doing to NYT word games on my phone because they bring back such fond childhood memories.

Stationery

Sometimes I let myself daydream about opening my own stationery store. I simply love looking through different notebooks and pens and pencils. It feels like the excitement of the first day of school to me. Small thrills, but a thrill for me none the less!

Vinyl Records

I love placing a record on - letting it slow you down and listening to an album as it was intended to be listened to. From start to finish, immersing yourself in a body of work that tells a collective story. It makes me feel present. It romanticizes your life.

Themed Parties

I love hosting a get-together in general, but I love when I can create a theme and really lean in. It combines all the things I love - leaning into my creativity through decor and food, gathering people together to celebrate, and organizing and planning details! I love this so much that sometimes I also daydream about working as an event planner.

You would not believe how much I enjoy planning a toddler birthday party, y’all…

Sunday Mornings

My favorite day and time of the week is absolutely Sunday mornings. Slow and leisurely, but at the same time sparks of energy for a fresh start to a new week.

Bright Peachy-Coral Pinks

I’ve come to realize I naturally gravitate towards these colors, and sparkling it through out my life in my clothes or nail color or even highlighter shades makes me happy. They remind me of the colors of a sunset or sunrise, and I’ve always felt called to the sun as a metaphor for how I want to live my life. A positive source of energy extending warmth to others.

Live Theater Shows

I grew up in quite the small town, and oftentimes that can feel centered around local sports. But our Library Theater was a hidden gem. I loved going to watch the all-county musicals and shows, and that appreciation for theater has extended into my adulthood. I love witnessing the talent and musicality and storytelling in such a present, raw environment.

I need to take advantage of the theaters around me!

Calligraphy

This is something I’ve slowly stumbled into this year, but I’ve always been gravitated towards calligraphy. I love how you can take an artsy spin on your writing and bringing it to life in fun, creative ways.

Floral Dresses

This is a staple in my closet. I feel comfortable and happy in flowy dresses and I love wearing the bright spring-summery colors. It just makes me feel more alive when I’m wearing something like this. It feels ‘quintessentially me.’

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

I read this as a freshman in high school and it was the first time I remember feeling vividly moved by a book, as it examines the story of a school shooting through all the points of views of the lives it touched. It quickly became my favorite novel for years, and while I now consider a few more at the top of my list, this book forever holds a place in my heart because it reminded me why I love to read.

PS: Thank you to my high school librarian who gave this to me, knowing how much I loved it, after a parent called the school and had it banned. She let me keep the copy off the shelf.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Dolly is such a hilarious and charming writer! This book navigates the friendships and parties and mistakes that encapsulated her twenties as she navigated her career, friendships, and love. I laughed out loud. I held a palm to my heart. Complete adoration for this book.

‘She’s A Bit Much’ by Lindsey Rush

Stumbled upon this on Instagram years ago and it’s the whispers in brain reminding that I am indeed not-too-much and I’m okay to speak up and take up space and enjoy myself!!

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

“I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I should have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Yes. Exactly. Exactly this. What a poignant and thoughtful reminder.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

This book took the world by storm this past year, and as it should. I’d consider it my favorite read within the past several years. 73-year-old Sybil is such a charming and hilarious character as we explore her stories through her own correspondence with people in her life. You witness her frustrations and past traumas and complex relationships in both earnest and humorous ways. It inspires me to write more letters to the people I love.

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

When I finished this book, I remember my mouth dropping and just staring at the final pages. It was a thrill to read how Kya overcame the obstacles constantly thrown at her, and it felt delightful to realize that I too as the reader completely underestimated her right til the very end.

Try it for yourself.

What are your favorite things? The things that make come alive with feelings? It’s fun to explore them, remember, discover certain patterns and themes. Take some time this week to think it through - jot it down in a notebook or maybe your notes app. Take a peak back it when you’re needing that little nudge of happiness in your life.

Feeling! Magazine

Twenty Seven Things That Make Me Feel!

Welcome to my digital birthday party! I am so glad you could make it! Take a slice of cake, please. I turned 27 years old yesterday! I got home last night from a special day in the city that Connor planned for me (it was precious) and started typing away. I wanted to celebrate with you…

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a year ago · 289 likes · 65 comments · Jenna O'Brien

AG Magazine

30 Things that Leave Me Screaming, Crying, Throwing Up

When you have an F in your Myers Briggs personality type, are an enneagram 2 and a full-fledged empath, you carry around a lot of feelings. When I stumbled upon Jenna O'Brien’s list of “Twenty-Seven Things That Make Me Feel,” I was intrigued as a fellow ‘feeler’. As I read through Jenna’s list, at least half of it felt like looking in a mirror. What do you mean that…

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a year ago · 34 likes · 8 comments · Larisa

When I noticed I was turning 31 and there were 31 days in the month, I felt a spark to do some sort of daily ‘challenge’ as my birthday celebration this year. So here we are - 31 Acts of Kindness.

When I was a freshman in college, a new friend in one of my nursing classes unexpectedly passed away when she had a seizure in her shower. Before her passing, her mother and her had chatted about going to Starbucks to try a pumpkin spice latte. This inspired her family to go to Starbucks after her funeral and buy 40 pumpkin spice lattes for stranger, which ended up spearing a global pay-it-forward campaign. It was so powerful to witness.

Kindness is a deeply important value to me. You never know what someone is going through, and how your simple act of kindness could mean the world to them. I think about Miss Honey in the movie/book Matilda. The world needs more Miss Honeys.

If you’d like, please join me in doing these acts of kindness this month. Write down what you do, how you feel after, and what you notice. Maybe leave a small note encouraging the next person to pay it forward, to keep the trail of kindness going.

1: Buy someone a coffee.

2: Leave a positive review for a local small business.

3: Leave $10 in a library book for a stranger to find.

4: Donate to Alcoholics Anonymous. They use this money to fund things like AA literature and supplies for incarcerated alcoholics, which could change their lives.

5: Make a friend or neighbor a batch of cookies and drop it off on their porch.

6: Compliment someone.

7: Leave your server an extra generous tip.

8: Buy/send someone flowers.

9: Leave an encouraging note on a dressing room mirror.

10: Drop off a basket of muffins for the nurses at your local hospital.

11: Share an online creative’s work (digital art, newsletter, etc).

12: Take a walk with the intention of picking up litter wherever you see it.

13: Buy items off a school teacher’s wish list/donate school supplies to a school.

14: Send someone some just-because snail mail! A card or a letter letting them know you love them and are grateful for them!

15: Donate animal food to an animal shelter.

16: Let someone go ahead of you at the grocery store checkout line.

17: Call a friend/family member to check in. Ask them how they are. Truly listen.

18: Donate clothing and toiletry items to local foster families in need. If you aren’t sure how, you can quite literally good ‘donate to foster families near me’ and be led to resources. If you’re in NC like me, you can look here.

19: Pass on a book you loved for someone else to enjoy (a friend or even just putting it in one of those ‘little libraries’ tucked in neighborhoods).

20: Run/walk in a 5K for a good cause.

21: Leave a kind note on someone’s windshield.

22: When you’re out running errands/groceries, check in with someone to see if they need anything while you’re out.

23: Volunteer for a local charity/nonprofit.

24: You know the coupons you get in the mail? I’m guilty of throwing them away or forgetting about them. Cut them out, head to the store, and place them near the associated products.

25: Pay for a strangers meal.

26: Bring cold drinks to a construction crew.

27: Make a homemade meal for someone.

28: Bring in sweet treats to work for your coworkers.

29: Make someone a playlist of songs that remind you of them/your times together and send it to them. A modern mixtape!

30: Donate/volunteer to your local girl scout troop.

31: Head to a local boutique, find something you love, and buy two. One for yourself (kindness to yourself is important too) and one for someone you love.

Feel free to mix and match these, go out of order, or add in ideas of your own! I’d love to hear the stories you have from taking these small acts.

Hot summer nights, mid-July. You and I were forever wild.

Hello there, July! I’ve always said this is my favorite month. As a kid, it meant my birthday and my favorite holiday (my small hometown did a big parade and fireworks for the 4th that I loved). And it was all smack-dab in the middle of summer. The entire month was wide-open and glorious. I’m 30 now. Far from the days of long summer breaks that doused the summer months in a hazy, rose-colored shade. And yet, here I am. Still loving July. Let’s celebrate, shall we?

Wear OPI’s Big Apple Red on your nails.

July is for bright reds on your nails! Big Apple Red is a timeless classic for good reason. Flattering every time.

Read in your backyard.

Reading transports you into an entirely new world, while being outdoors grounds you in your own. Something about combining those experiences feels particularly lovely. Take advantage of it! Dive into luxurious nonfiction stories while spending time with Mother Earth.

I’m currently finishing up Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

Pick blueberries.

One of my favorite things to do each month and is see what’s in season at our local farms that offers “you-pick”. We are in blueberry season, friends! My kids love going out and picking fruit fresh, and I love seeing their little minds ooze in wonder at such simple things like this. Load up, bake blueberry muffins for friends and family, and freeze leftovers!

Host a Backyard BBQ Potluck.

I want to be the type of family, and person really, that is known for being welcoming. I love hosting gatherings and raising my kids with a sense of community. Knowing that at the end of the day, it’s people and how you treat them that matters most. Gather a group of friends or neighbors or both. Plan to grill your choice of meat (bbq chicken or burgers) and have each guest bring a side or dessert to share. Let the kids play and run in the backyard with bubbles and bouncing balls and whatever other toys.

Watch something full of summer nostalgia.

Rewatch some of your favorites that transport you back in time to the youthful seasons that made summer feel like the world was your oyster. My favorites are:

• Now & Then

• Aquamarine

• The Sandlot

• The Summer I Turned Pretty (Particularly Season 1)

4TH OF JULY

Watch Hamilton (Available on Disney+).

We are so lucky that we live in a time when we can stream such incredible Broadway shows anytime we want! (Although I do highly recommend taking the time to see this show in person too!). Enjoy the story of one of our founding fathers that is told in a range of fun melodies, from hip-hop and R&B inspired tongue-twisters to beautifully, classic-inspired ballads. It’s worth every ounce of its hype.

“I am not throwing away my shot!”

Wear red, white, and blue!

I’m a sucker for dressing seasonally. There are so many great combos for 4th of July! Red and navy gingham (I’m a particular sucker for this look), classic denim & white tees, flag-imprinted sweaters. Some of my outfit inspo!

Eat a hotdog and make a red, white, and blue themed dessert.

Something about the 4th of July makes me crave the simple classic cookout foods, and I love baking fun desserts for holidays. There’s always the option of the infamous flag cake or blueberry-and-strawberry infused goodies!

Use toilet paper/paper towel rolls to make this firework-inspired craft.

Read America-inspired Historical Fiction.

Someone in my book club recently recommended A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. I’m adding it to my library hold list as we speak so that I can read it alongside 4th of July!

Make sure you have your ducks in a row to VOTE!

When I find myself frustrated and confused at our current administration’s unethical and imprudent decisions, I find hope in the fact that each of us have the ability to vote for the type of country we want to live in. What values we want to uphold. May the 4th of July be a reminder of that.

And for me, personally, MY BIRTHDAY!

I will be turning 31 at the end of July. In honor of this, I am planning on completing 31 Acts of Kindness, one for each day of the month - which I’ll be sharing as its own dedicated post soon!

Monthly Playlist: Elle Wood’s 4th of July Party

Recent Reads…

My twenties were a steady diet of self-help books, wellness tips, goal-hacking-habit-stacking-productivity-101. I loved being classified as numbers and letters and fictional characters. An ENFJ, a Enneagram Type 1, a Leo, a Charlotte! You sell it, I was ready to buy it (both the idea and physical purchases to correlate with it). What was the ‘it’ being sold? I think it was the sense of feeling understood. By others, but also myself.

Step 1: Remove the Excess Noise

I think all these thoughts really started rising to the surface after I officially removed Instagram from my phone this year (apart from the 3 times I downloaded to share a photo and immediately deleted it). I also deleted my TikTok account because, my god do those little curated videos suck me into wanting so many things I’d never have even thought about if I didn’t see them on that app. The skincare, the home decor, the fitness studio, the lifestyles, the ideas. Want, want, want. (And also, ew to the new ownership).

I think about times at home when we have television on in the background and my daughters Tonies are playing and my youngest is hugging my legs while my oldest is loudly chattering over my husband and I’s attempted conversation. The overstimulation. That’s what too much online behavior does. Only a bit stealthier. With those things that create so much noise and distraction and influence now gone from my life, my own individual thoughts are coming up for air. “We can breathe! We’re here! Finally!”

In kismet timing, I stumbled upon ’s incredible post The year is 2063 and you were never interesting. It was time for me to wake up.

@lizleatrice

The year is 2063 and you were never interesting.

Growing up, you were gifted. Your parents would talk about your potential, the things you’d do. You had hobbies, interests. You collected Pokémon cards and adored animals; your singular life goal was to convince your parents to dig a backyard pool so you could put a dolphin in it. You were obsessed with miniature things and death, you concocted elaborat…

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3 months ago · 4516 likes · 145 comments · @lizleatrice

Step 2: Stay with the Silence & Let Yourself Wonder

Less noise meant more space to think, wonder, daydream. This is where the good stuff lies. When creativity and good ideas float into your life.

I looked around my home, and I felt myself craving character. I wanted to bring pops of color to break up our very-neutral palette. I’m craving artwork that has a story behind it - made from someone’s hands and not mass-produced at a factory. I want to let myself walk into a consignment shop and feel something call to me in the moment - not browse online for 2 hours and get sucked into the want, want, want feeling. I want to add the friction, to build patience, to feel truly rewarded from our space feeling like our family.

I felt this with my clothes too - gravitating towards color, wanting to play around more. Feel what felt good rather than chasing what looks ‘right’.

I found myself going down the strangest rabbit hole of color in general. My entire life I’ve said my favorite color was purple and I noticed it is nowhere to be seen in any of my personal belongings. ‘What does that mean?’, I would think to myself.

Is it nowhere to be seen because I was influenced into other things OR was it…not my favorite color anymore? Have I just said that since I was a kid? Am I, at 30 years old, allowed to change my mind? It was hilariously miniscule, but it unlocked a new component. It wasn’t just about removing the noise, but about re-examining myself.

We are all crafted by our past experiences - both good and bad. But that does not equate to being defined by them. I stumbled upon this Emily McDowell quote that sums it up perfectly.

Step 3: The Excavation

My life looks very different than it did even just five-years-ago. So of course I’m changing. But I realized how quiet I let myself become throughout all of it. I thought about my day-to-day life and who I interact with. Which of them truly know me? The bigger question: am I letting that happen - giving them the chance? No. I was staying quiet from my own choices, my own fears of people judging me or not liking me or whatever it may be.

Somebody recently told me how they saw me as reserved and that doesn’t surprise me. I think most people who first meet me see me this way. What kills me is that I know I didn’t used to be this way as a kid. As a kid, I felt larger than life. I would put on at-home performances and entered a Britney Spears lip-syncing contest and wanted to be a singer. I had a fire that I now see vividly within my firstborn. I remember certain moments in time when words dampened my fire. So, I feel the need to constantly protect it when I see it in my daughters. As if my words of encouragement and steady presence and applause are breaths of air stoking their flames. “Keep burning bright, baby girl”, I think to myself.

Who is to say that that my own fire within me can’t be rekindled? I’m uncovering the coals, fanning the flames.

In another instance of kismet timing, my daughter has become obsessed with The Lion King. In it, Mufasa’s message to his son is Remember Who You Are. I’m remembering.

The feelings I have are a dichotomy of exploring new spaces and coming home at the same time. As we all learn as we get older, the home feeling comes from within. It’s the people you surround yourself with, the acceptance of yourself, the permission slip to be authentic.

I was coming home and excitedly ripping off the shoes that didn’t fit, but I was squeezing myself into anyway.

One of my favorite songs on Taylor Swift’s evermore speaks to this. At the beginning, she sings “If the shoe fits, walk in it, til your high heel breaks” - trying to play a role or fit a mold until it felt too uncomfortable to continue on. She then ends the song with “If the shoe fits, walk in it everywhere you go.” Letting yourself be yourself and feeling at home because of it.

I’m finding the shoes that fit. Rewriting rules or throwing them out altogether. Throwing caution to wind and declaring to the world, but more importantly myself: Here. I. Am.

GET AAN ORANGEY-PINK PEDICURE.

I love treating myself to a fresh pedicure right at the kick-off of summer. I mean, between the sandals and the pool time and whatnot, I want my toes to look cute, okay? And summer is the time for bright, bombastic colors. OPI’s Cajun Shrimp is a perfect orangey-red and their Shrimp Cocktail a dreamy, peachy orange. I also love their bright prink Strawberry Margarita.

HOST A SUMMER SOIREE DINNER PARTY.

In my Slow Summer Manifesto, I shared that I want to host small dinner parties each month this summer. Even if that is just a couple friends coming over, I can up-the-ante and make it special with a cute little theme!

For June, I love the idea of a ‘New England themed’ dinner party. Lobster rolls, grilled corn on the cob, and Cape Cod chips! And how cute is this lobster-cake for dessert:

INDULGENT SUMMER READING

Beach read season, baby! I’m currently finishing up Yesteryear, but after that I’m fully diving into my summer reading list! My goal is to read 10 books this summer. Below is my list! If you haven’t read Elin Hilderbrand before, she is a summer MUST. She has a ton of books to dive into, but my favorites so far have been 28 Summers, Summer of ‘69, and The Five-Star Weekend.

• The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

• The Night We Met by Abby Jiminez

• Shark Heart by Emily Halbeck

• Kin by Tayari Jones

• It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan

• Sandwich by Catherine Newman (Re-reading because I am hosting book club this month for this book!)

• Whistler by Ann Patchett

• It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

• Emily Henry books - in order of release! (All re-reads)

TRY A NEW-TO-YOU ICE CREAM FLAVOR

Life feels more exciting when you lean into novelty. Head to your local mom-and-pop ice cream shop and try a new-to-you flavor. Go for their rare find or specialty. I still think abour our local shop’s Cookie Monster flavor that combined cookie dough and oreo together and I’m so sad they stopped making it when they got new owners. Best ice cream ever.

PRIDE MONTH

Happy Pride month! Celebrate by attending a local Pride event, donating or volunteering for advocacy-related causes, and supporting LGBT+ businesses. Love is love is love and if you feel differently, kindly see yourself out.

JUNETEENTH (6/19)

Let this day be a reminder to educate ourselves in our history. Amplify black voices. This holiday should not be about the commercialization of itself, but actually centering Black Americans. NPR has a great article on how to celebrate Juneteenth without misappropriating it here.

FATHER’S DAY (6/21)

Celebrate the father figures in your life! I’d share what I’m gifting my husband this year, but he reads this newsletter (which is so endearing to me. Hi, David!) But here are some ideas on how you can celebrate ideas:

• Make ‘man’ cakes - pancakes with slices of bacon inside

• If you have littles, have them hand craft a card with a classic Dad-pun. I actually bought a sketchbook and have my daughters do something on a page for Father’s Day each year so he has a lifelong memento book.

• Make him his favorite dinner

• I love a ‘themed’ gift that can be an item paired with an activity. Tickets to a favorite sporting event and correlating jersey. A gift certificate for a round of golf with a polo.

Also, if Father’s Day is a hard day for you for whatever reason it may be, give yourself grace. Talk to someone about it. Take care of yourself.

SUMMER SOLSTICE (6/21)

I loooove the solstices. Something about nature itself handing us this cue, to listen to. Lean in. Learn. It’s the longest day of the year! Do something that embraces the sun and the light.

• Watch the sunrise and/or the sunset and let it guide you spiritually. What are your intentions for this next season? How can you embrace the natural rhythms within your life?

• Like Sheryl Crow said, soak up the sun! Meals, reading a book on your porch, playing in the backyard, local walking trails, etc!

• Make Sun Tea - Simply get your favorite black tea, place it in a glass mason jar with water and leave it in the sun for a few hours. This brings me back to my childhood on my Mugga’s back porch.

My JuneBug Playlist here!

+ A Little Recommendation Roundup!

I continue to be so inspired by the voices on this platform. As we approach a new season, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts and ideas!

Jenna’s impeccably-designed and printable summer bucket list:

In Joy with Brittany Viklund

The BIG Summer Reading Guide!

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3 months ago · 464 likes · 91 comments · Brittany Viklund

The Seasonalist 🍎🎃🍁🦃🎄❄️💘☘️🐰🌼🌷🍓🎆🍉

The Joys of Nostalgia: How to Chase Fireflies and Old-School Fun This Summer

Welcome to the Seasonalist, a happy place to land, where you’ll find all things seasonal and seasonal-adjacent (books, movies, food, and fun) from Austin, Texas. If you’d like to subscribe, click below…

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3 months ago · 47 likes · 35 comments · Nina P.

OBSESSED with ’s Monthly 10 List. I’ll be starting this little tradition for myself this month!

keepsake

you need to be making monthly 10 lists

It is not groundbreaking to make little lists of things. People have been doing it for centuries. There are so many iconic variations on the form: pro and con lists, grocery lists, the classic ‘to do’. What makes a 10 list so special though, is that it isn’t something you…

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5 months ago · 2683 likes · 68 comments · Julianna Salguero

From The Mindful Mama Recently…

An Instagram influencer fakes a perfect, pre-industrial pioneer lifestyle, until she suddenly wakes up trapped in the actual 19th century. She is then forced to survive the brutal reality of the lifestyle she sells online.

Sure enough, I was devouring each delicious word from the novel’s devious little tradwide narrator.

I’m still reading it (so no spoiler’s please!), but early moments from the book moments Natalie’s husband (who spends his downtime on YouTube or online forums) explaining all these problems he’s been reading about to his wife. “Did you know they can just vaccinate your kid in public school and not tell you?” I rolled my eyes, thinking about how many people like Natalie’s husband I’ve heard similar anecdotes from. The kind that spread like wildfire online - that can be created from nonexistent or rare instances. They spread their flames over into lives of people who have never and will never experience these things. Yet somehow, they indulge in the anger and fear as if they have.

It got me thinking a lot about online culture in general. How we let it quickly cloud and color our own thinking. Even the release of Yesteryear itself is an example where I noticed this within myself. I excitedly dove into the novel and within the following days, I noticed many Substack opinions sharing how much they didn’t like the book. The issue isn’t that others shared their opinions on the book, but it was the way I could feel a shift within myself that I shouldn’t enjoy the book. But the thing was - I am enjoying it.

The little ‘should’ feeling was a red flag to me. Classic case of groupthink. Except the groupthink is on a much larger scale, and primarily full of complete strangers.

How often do I do this? I’ll watch a video YouTube video and as I am watching, I scroll to the comments - where I am processing the opinions of the content and the content itself hand in hand. Simultaneously. That undoubtedly is skewing how I would perceive the content on its own. I want to let myself taking something in and then form my own thoughts on it. Let it marinate. Take its time. I want to be fiercely protective of my individuality in that way. But the reality is that there is an element of community that motivates this online behavior to begin with.

When I watch live television like Dancing with the Stars or Survivor, I find myself scrolling through Reddit feeds during commercial breaks. Rather than watching these shows with friends over or even texting friends who are also watching it, I’m turning to these platforms seeking that conversation around a shared interest. I could very likely find that feeling in a much deeper and richer sense if I just took the time and initiative to reach out to people in my real life.

It feels like there has been such a shift where we place more of our time and thus more weight on the digital world full of millions of strangers instead of our real world with people we know and love and maybe disagree with, but still know and love and cherish.

I have a poignant memory from when the Barbie movie was released. While I was with my family, I talked about how “everybody online is loving it!” My brother quickly said “What are you talking about? People hate it.” That moment was a clear lesson that I’ve carried with me ever since: It was clear we had two very different onlines. Our algorithms were feeding us different information, creating louder echo chambers for us to bury our own heads into. I wonder what would have happened if we watched the movie together and talked about our opinions on it in real time instead of talking about other people’s online opinions about it.

I mean, even typing that out I can’t help but think… how weird is it that? That we could spend our time talking about other’s thoughts on stories or art instead of talking about our own thoughts on stories and art.

In moments when I find myself really struggling to understand people (particularly around politics), I realize that we are often being exposed to information told through different lenses. We are not all reacting to the same information presented in the same way. This helps me find grace when I am in desperate need. The key to this is we all need to use discernment. To think critically for ourselves. To find ways to communicate to others who have lived different experiences. To let yourself be curious on outside perspectives. To maybe admit you don’t know something and want to learn more.

Digital technology is a tool and like all tools, it can be used for worse or for better. While I think some elements of the digital world have good potential (the idea of keeping up with long lost friends, creative outlets like the very one I’m writing on), I’m realizing that the things I often turn to online are actually keeping me from the very things I seek. Presence, connection, contentment.

I’m instead changing where I put that effort and energy:

• Calling or texting friends - sharing pictures with them that I’d be motivated to share on a social story. Engaging in direct conversations instead, and asking them how they are. So many people don’t post anymore because it’s “cringey”. I still want my friends to know that I am always interested in what they’re up to.

• Book Clubs / Other hobby related clubs - Following your interests is how you come to really find your people. It’s a natural way to both form a bond, but also consider new perspectives. My neighborhood book club is mainly 60-year-old women, but I adore hearing from them each month on our different books. They’ve introduced me to books I’d never have considered before.

• Putting my phone away when I’m with someone. At dinners or just gathered around a couch. Letting there be moments of silence, noticing them, and using that to had fruitful conversations. That’s where you deepen those relationships.

• Putting my phone away in general. In waiting rooms or grocery store lines. Let yourself be a little bored waiting. Be surprised at what you observe or what thoughts you have or even what conversations you strike up with a stranger.

• Phone-free entertainment - I think this may be why I like movie theaters so much. Everybody is ‘forced’ to pay attention. Do the same at concerts or events - I promise you that people will probably just scroll past a story you post, and if you want to take a pic for the memory, let it be one and move on. Even with at-home entertainment, this is a good rule to have. I like to call it my single-screen-rule.

These are the small moments where we can reclaim our time, and in turn, our lives. To experience our own actions rather than living in clouds of reactions.

Starting small and starting now.

I’ve spent the past month daydreaming about my favorite few months ahead of us, and I’ve realized what I’m really craving this summer is slowness. Not in a boring or dull way. But in a way where I am channeling patience, where I am hyper-intentional about my time. I am defining what I value, and then spending by time accordingly.

All of this has been massively inspired by my recent read Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Don’t let the somewhat scientific-sounding title fool you. This book will open your eyes to how precious and short our lives are. That any sort of idea of a completed to do list or some end-state of completion is not only unrealistic, but unnecessary. The joy is in the doing, the being. Consider yourself signing up for an inspired outlook and a joyful state of mind if you crack open this book.

All of this to say: I am not necessarily mapping out my typical cut and dry bucket list of sorts for this summer. Instead, I’ve crafted what I call ‘My Slow Summer Manifesto’.

For each letter in the word slow (s-l-o-w), I’m creating a state of mind and being to embrace. Things that will keep me grounded and grateful. Paying attention to all the tiny, beautiful things. Sowing the seeds for a fruitful garden and a beautiful summer.

S: Savor

Savor: to have experience of, to taste or smell with pleasure, to delight in.

Seasonal Flavors & Home-Grown Foods

Summertime is for salt-and-pepper tomato sandwiches on crunchy sourdough bread. Fresh berries and juicy melons. Peaches. A glass of rose with Caesar salads. Grilled zucchini and corn on the cob. Backyard barbecues with friends and family. Zesty pasta salads. Sweet sun tea. Chunky ice cream in a waffle cone.

My goal is to eat as much as possible from our garden or from the farm that is in literal walking distance of our house. It would be such a waste to not take advantage of that. You can also look up a local CSA near you.

Benefits of CSA’s:

• High-quality, fresh produce

• Supporting local farmers

• Helping the environment

• Saves time and money by having food picked and delivered right to you

• Eating healthier and more variety of plants

Shared Company

I hope to host at least one gathering over a shared meal each month from May until August, each with a fun themed cuisine!

Italian coastal or sushi soirée or New England classics! There is so much room to get creative and to have fun with it.

‘Al Fresco’ Mindset

Phone-free meals and eating outdoors whenever possible. No further explanation required.

L: Leisure

Leisure: freedom provided by the cessation of activities.

Indulgent Reading

Nonfiction reading only. Consider this my personal ban on any sort of self-help type novels for the season. Take me to imaginary worlds with ridiculous romance or wild adventure or thrilling suspense.

I’m starting to curate my summer reading list, and I need recs! So far, I have my eye on The Night We Met by Abby Jiminez.

Stay unscheduled as possible & Embracing PTO.

Admittedly, this time a year has a way of being naturally overly booked because of a slew of birthdays in my family - on top of the sprinkle of holidays where we like to gather with family. But the point is to not fight this, but work beside it. I know when these things will happen so rather than trying to squeezing in what feels like too much on top of it, how can I work with it?

My answer is making an intentional effort to do two things:

1. Protect one weekend a month where we make zero plans and see where the wind takes us. Let us tell ourselves what we need or want in the moment.

2. Take at least one PTO day a month where I’m focused purely on having a slow and leisurely day.

O: Outdoors

Outdoors: in or into the open air

Time in fresh air is medicinal. I’ll die on that hill forever. It stills us, settles us. When my toddlers are experiencing a meltdown, I know taking them outside and letting the wind hit their face can calm them down. Kids really can be our greater teachers and reminders most times.

Being outdoors somehow reminds me just how grand and wild this world is, and it makes my life feel more expansive. Less pressure. It’s the crickets at dawn and the bird chirps in the morning and the cicada buzzes and the smell of fresh cut grass.

I’m embracing the outdoors this summer with these specific habits and rituals:

• Stepping outside for my first sips of morning coffee

• Daily walks outside + exploring one new park or walking path each month

• Weekly cozy at-home date nights spent under our stringed-lit gazebo - with chilled drinks and salty snacks and card games

• Watching sunsets + Star gazing

• ‘Al fresco’ mindset: phone-free meals and eating outdoors whenever possible.

• Going to community Music in the Park events

• Post-dinner backyard play with my children

W: Whims

Whimsical: lightly fanciful

Admittedly, the word ‘whimsical’ feels like a bit of a Substack trend these days…but I really do love the idea of childlike whims. As someone who often feels like I had to grow up too quickly in some ways, I am giving myself the permission to be unburdened and silly. Curious and taking delight in even the most tiny of details.

• Wearing sundresses in bright and fun colors

• Fresh farmer market flowers through out our house - not just in the center of our kitchen island

• Writing snail mail to loved ones

• Sporadic stops for ice cream

• Collecting tiny little treasures of our memories and keeping them within a memory box or mason jar

• Baking chocolate chip cookies on rainy days

• Art projects that use your hands

A Summer State of Mind

Join me in a slow summer. What are you savoring? What the small acts of leisure you can carve out time for? Embrace these simple treasures.

I hope you find ways to sprinkle these stories throughout your weekend while celebrating the motherly figures in your life. And if you’re a mama yourself, I say a big ol’ HECK YEAH to celebrating yourself too. For any friends who find this day to be particularly hard for whatever reason it may be, please know I am extending a big virtual hug. Take care of yourself.

5 Books

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Lara spends Spring 2020 (yes, the infamous one) with her three daughters, reminiscing and telling them the story of a youthful summer romance. The bonds between them deepen as the girls begin to understand their mother’s life before they were born.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Elsa Wolcott is a pillar of resilience and strength as she saves herself and her children from the hardships that came alongside traveling to California during The Dust Bowl. Kristin Hannah, as always, tells the story brilliantly - transporting you into a time you’ve never experienced, yet somehow making it feel deeply human and familiar.

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Vivian dies in a hit-and-run accident and is granted three ‘nudges’ to use in the afterlife. She spends the summer watching her three grown children while deciding how to use them.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Katy is grieving her mother, Carol, when she decides to embark on a trip to Italy - the trip that was originally planned for them to go on together. When she’s there, she runs into her mom, but not as she was when she passed. The 30-year-old version of her. Katy spends the time getting to know and understand her mom in an entirely new way. (Ahh, yes - magical realism!)

Sandwich by Catherine Newman (and then follow it up with the sequel Wreck)

Spend a weeklong Cape Cod summer with Rocky, who is in the ‘sandwich’ generation - between her grown kids and her aging parents. The book is equal parts funny and reflective.

4 Movies

(Two will bring the tissues, two will bring the giggles)

Step Mom

Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon - need I say more? Seriously, this movie just hits you directly in the heart. Stepmoms can get a bad reputation in movies, but this movie tells a beautiful and delicate story of two women seemingly at odds that find a way to come together during family hardship. It’s cozy and beautiful and endearing. Highly recommend!

Freaky Friday

I mean, is there a more iconic mother-daughter movie? This one is pure childhood nostalgia for me, and I was delighted with the sequel released last year. This is one of the rare movies that my husband and I both are down to watch as a comfort-watch.

Steel Magnolias

I recently watched this movie last month because it has such strong April-springy vibes and it happened to be the first time I watched as a mom. A new level of gut wrenching and a new depth of beauty.

Mamma Mia

This mama loves a musical! Mamma Mia is just complete, unabashed fun. The songs are both fun to dance and sing along to, but sentimental too. Slipping Through My Fingers? Amazing.

If you’re more into TV shows than movies, then this is the perfect time to rewatch your favorite episodes of Gilmore Girls. And if you somehow have never watched it, I am utterly jealous that you are able to experience watching it for the first time.

3 Songs

The Mother by Brandi Carlisle

Favorite Line: “The first things that she took from me were selfishness and sleep.”

The Best Day by Taylor Swift

Favorite Line: “I love you for giving me your eyes, for staying back and watching me shine.”

Days Like This by Van Morrison

Favorite Line: “When you don’t need to worry, there’ll be days like this. When no one’s in a hurry, there’ll be days like this.”

^ My husband danced to this song with his mom at our wedding, and it made me realize what a sweet song this is.

2 Poems

PS: Jessica Jocelyn has wonderful poetry books detailing her motherhood, which includes breaking free from generational trauma. If Mother’s Day is a hard day for you, her poetry books may be filled with some helpful and healing words.

1 Mother’s Day Reflection

This Mother’s Day, I’m celebrating the feeling of contentment in my life. The past two Mother’s Days were part of the whirlwind of adjusting to shifting motherhood dynamics. This year, I can celebrate feeling settled.

My girls are now 1.5 and almost three. We’re no longer in the thick of bottles, midnight feedings, and first foods. Don’t get me wrong — we are by no means peacefully gliding through our days. There is still chaos and toddler defiance and moments that test me deeply. But it all feels… approachable now.

At the end of the day, I can laugh about most of it and put my head on my pillow with a grateful heart.

In a world constantly asking us to want more or rush toward the next thing, I’m reflecting on what it means to truly enjoy what is. To know deep in my bones that this life is more than enough for me.

In my motherhood, I aim to embody the qualities that meant the most to me when I was a child: the nurturing, the secret-keeping, the encouragement, the stability, the fun.

Happy Mother’s Day. Here’s to all that you do.

We didn’t know anything about the person we had just driven by - what circumstances he was born into or what led him there. What things he has or hasn’t tried. Maybe he did make ‘bad decisions’ and his circumstances were a result of his own actions, but I cannot wrap my mind around why people can justify that as humans being any less human. Any less deserving of respect.

I’ve been part of many conversations where people suggest to not hand out money because they might just go turn around and misuse it on something like drugs and…sure, they could. But that is their choice, and their choice and actions are a reflection on them - not the act of kindness itself. I feel myself rambling, struggling to put this eloquently…but it’s something I deeply believe in.

If you were to hand out $50 in an effort to help someone, that is your choice rooted in good intention. How they do or do not spend is does not change that about you. Your choice still reflects empathy, kindness, respect.

If I were to withhold an act of kindness out of fear or judgement or whatever it may be that it isn’t ‘used properly’, that is also your choice.

The point is your choice reflects your beliefs. Others’ choices don’t reflect yours.

And I believe that for the most part, people are good. There is nuance to everything. We never know what others are going through - people deserve the benefit of the doubt. People deserve chances. People deserve grace.

This is not to say that I believe in some fairytale dream where everyone is a great person. I am not naive. I know there are some people that are mean spirited or unethical. But I guess I’d like to give people the chance to show that to me rather than making a quick judgement.

I believe in discernment and boundaries, but that they can coexist with optimism and kindness. I believe in hope. I don’t think those are things to equate with being naive or childish. It’s funny that ‘childish’ can have some sort of connotation that you’re inexperienced or even unintelligent. But children themselves are great examples of seeing the good in people and in life. They aren’t born with hate in their heart.

When we watched the Superbowl halftime show this past year, my 2.5-year-old watched and simply said, “I like the music!” I thought of all the (adult) online-behavior that was in such an uproar. Rooted in such hate. It felt so wild to me. A performance of art spoken in someone’s one native tongue. I couldn’t, and still don’t, understand how something that did not hurt anyone can make anyone react so viscerally.

Since becoming a mom, I have become hyper-reflective knowing that I have a privilege and responsibility of raising humans. I have a hand in crafting their beliefs. I want them to believe in treating humans kindly, to treat others with respect, to be open-minded. I want to raise them to witness and participate in acts of generosity.

Back when I was a teenager and still growing, I might not have had the words or ability to form the words, but what was happening was a belief system being built. Somewhere along the way, other people’s actions and words had a hand in crafting that. I’m so very grateful for that. I like the idea of me leaving my own little crumbs of kindness that can lead others to being inspired to do the same.

At the end of the day, I cannot control what others do or what others choose. The only thing I really can control is my own choices. And I want to choose, over and over again, to be kind and generous.

May feels like tiny sparks of hope, a blissful-background hum of anticipation. We are fully in warmer weather and sunny days, but it’s just the beginning. There’s so much to enjoy and look forward to at the same time. Here are the songs that give me that feeling that I’ll be listening to this month!

• My Girl - The Temptations

• The Best Day - Taylor Swift

• DAISES - Justin Bieber

• Whim - Hayley Williams

• Backyard Boy - Claire Rosinkranz

• Birds of a Feather - Billie Eilish

• Light - Caamp

• Bright - Echosmith

• Man I Need - Olivia Dean

• Be Okay - Oh Honey

FARMER’S MARKETS 🥕

Ahhhh, it’s the sweet spot for good, fresh, locally grown produce these next few months! Challenge yourself to shop at a local farmer’s market and incorporate these fresh and gorgeous plants and homegrown items into your weekly meals!

PLANT YOUR GARDEN & ‘DECORATE’ YOUR BACKYARD 🍃

Speaking of homegrown food, plant your fruits or vegetables! I like to start my garden from plants rather than seed so that tends to line up with planting in May. This year we’re also painting a herb box for my daughters to declare it as their own “special garden”. I totally want to ge them their own special watering cans too to help me water.

Our garden will include: tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, peppers, marigolds, basil, mint, rosemary, oregano, strawberries and some sort of leafy green.

To add to the craftiness, I plan to collect rocks for us to paint to help decorate the garden and ‘label’ each area of the garden. In general, painting rocks is such a fun and simple craft to splash throughout your yard or maybe even sprinkle throughout your neighborhood to add a sweet surprise of color to someone’s day.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SZN ⚾️

One of my most fond memories from my young twenties was a group of friends all going to our local minor league baseball games for “two-buck Tuesday” and indulging on hot dogs and nachos and cheap beer. And while I’m at a different phase in my life now, I still think making this a family outing is equally as fun. Especially with their themed kid-nights. Consider us game.

PICNICS 🧺

Because I live in the south, my time to genuinely enjoy outdoor dining is now before the heat feels particularly intense in the summer months. I’ve always adored the idea of packing up a picnic basket with delicious cold-cut sammies, fresh fruit, crunchy-salted crackers, and bottles of sweet tea or lemonade. All spread out on a blanket for us to graze on as the kids run around the park.

KENTUCKY DERBY (May 2nd) 🐴

Bring Kentucky to you by hosting your own derby party - with mint juleps and Kentucky hot brown sliders of course!

We had one of these parties with friends a few years ago and it was ridiculously fun. We each put in $5 bets on a horse - mine won and then was disqualified weeks later. Quite the scandal (lol) #MedinaSpiritGate

NATIONAL TEACHER WEEK (Starting May 4th)

While I have always appreciated what teachers do for us and our society as a whole, it’s risen to a whole new level after having kids of my own, who are currently in daycare. I witness the work firsthand.

Gift the teachers in your lives something! It doesn’t have to just be your children’s teachers, but any friends you have that are teachers themselves.

Some ideas I’m considering:

• Bringing in donuts or bagels to the daycare center for breakfast for all the staff

• Gifting each teacher mini hand lotions or bath & body soaps with a note saying “Hands down, you’re the best!”

• Burt’s Bees chap sticks with a note saying “Thanks for bee-ing such a great teacher.” This could also be a good note to pair with a jar of local honey!

CINCO DE MAYO (May 5th) 🌮

• Make spicy margaritas and grilled nachos for dinner

• Watch Coco with your littles

MOTHER’S DAY (May 10th) 🌸

Such a meaningful day to me. Celebrate the mothers or motherly figures in your life with an experience-based gift. I once read somewhere that if they have kids under 11, they want alone time. And if they have kids over 11, they want quality time with the kids.

I can’t vouch for the older-than-11 part, but I can absolutely say some time in peaceful solitude for just a few hours sounds dreamy on Mother’s Day. I told my husband my requests for the day were: a massage, nachos, and time at a park with the kids.

It’s really that simple. Some other experience-based gifts:

• Tickets to a concert, favorite sporting event, or comedy show

• A fun class (painting, candle making, cooking)

• Manicure/Pedicure or Facial

• Class package to local yoga studio or Pilates center (if you know that’s what they enjoy)

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND (May 25th) 🇺🇸

The unofficial kickoff to summer. To me, this weekend calls for time outside, a backyard bbq, and a festive dessert. I don’t know what it is, but something about Memorial-Day, July 4th, and Labor Day screams Rice Krispie treats to me. Classic and nostalgic and easy to make with kiddos.

GNO FOR DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 (Released in theaters May 1st) 👠

I’m a firm believer that experiencing a new movie in theaters is a delicacy. I love that it’s a shared community all watching something, most likely for the first time, together. I love that there are no phones. There’s no online discourse. It’s just reactions to storytelling in the moment. And let’s be real, I love the popcorn. I also love rom-coms, especially 2000s ones. I’m all for the sequel. So (after rewatching the first The Devil Wears Prada), grab your girlfriends and plan a classic girls night out with dinner and a movie.

Outside of the special occasions, holidays, and seasonal festivities - we have our monthly rituals. The true things that truly nourish and nurture our souls. Before you find your plate full of crowded calendars and to-do-lists, take the time to schedule out these monthly rituals for yourself. Here are how I’m planning mine!

• WATCH (AT LEAST) ONE SUNRISE & ONE SUNSET.

• CONNECTION: Schedule a brunch date with a friend.

• NATURE DATE: Check out a local farm and pick fresh fruit.

• TRY ONE NEW THING: I might attempt to learn how to mildly hand sew in order to ‘fix’ some very cute dresses I have that have straps that are just a bit too big on me.

• ONE ACT OF KINDESS/GIVING BACK: Sending friends who recently moved into new houses a piece of happy mail and housewarming gift.

• ONE ACT OF REST: Letting myself take naps on the weekends.

I have a tattoo of the sun on my back. I’ve always seen the sun as a metaphor for how I want to live my life. The sun is powerful, a source of energy, and gives light and warmth to others.

When this time of year comes along, it is like my own personal awakening; some sort of potent vibrancy to tap into, handed from the universe to me. Sure, it sounds silly (to others probably) but it feels real (to me).

But here’s a moment of honesty. In general, the temperatures rising has given me a little boost of dopamine, but I just feel a bit…off. Like my day-to-day choices aren’t quite lining up to the ways I actually want to feel. I’m a bit more lethargic, scatter-brained, etc. than I’d like to be. I’m starting to feel the side effects of crap inputs = crap outputs.

Something that is always so funny to me - at times I will be looking through my Pinterest and seeing all the pictures that inspire me of backyard picnics and Sunday morning vinyl playing and fresh flowers in the kitchen. And I need to snap myself out of admiring a life through pictures on a phone and just start DOING THE DANG THINGS IN MY ACTUAL LIFE.

This is indeed one of those snap out of it moments.

I’m craving it in the form of a challenge. A very simple one. This is not 70-day hard or Iron-100 or insert-intense-manly-name-here to focus on mental discipline.

This is about the basics, a strong foundation, sowing the seeds. In my head, I’ve deemed it: Ten-Thirty, 10 simple daily habits for 30 days. I plan to start tomorrow. If you care to join me (I think it would be fun!), here’s my plan:

One Fruit & One Vegetable

I told y’all - we are going simple! Because starting simple is what creates sustainable. My biggest downfall lately has been not getting in enough fruits and vegetables in my diet. In my times of busy, it’s easy for me to turn to protein shakes and protein bars in an effort to feel full. The things that are packaged in pretty paper. But I can absolutely tell a difference when I am prioritizing foods rich in fiber, foods that are natural. Basically, foods that cannot be nestled under a brand and tied into a marketing campaign. You never see commercials for an apple, right?

Whole-30 Approved Snacks Only

Aaaaand that leads me to another daily habit - Whole-30 approved snacks! This is purely in an effort to eat less processed stuff. This is not rooted in restriction, but rather giving my body TLC through nutrient-dense foods. I think curating this through the snacks I grab throughout the day is what will be the most impactful for me, personally.

ThriveMarket, an online grocery-store that sells organic, high-quality products even as a ‘Whole-30’ filter. I’ll definitely be utilizing my membership there for some extra help!

Multivitamin

I go through such phases when it comes to taking vitamins and supplements. Sometimes I am great at it, other time I, well…suck at it. I’m in suck-at-it phase. Time to get back on track. While I had previously been taking Perelel Health Mom-Support packs, I recently switched to the Ritual Multivitamin.

I feel like Ritual was an ad on every podcast I listened to for so long and I’ll be blunt. They got me! The minty aftertaste is what sold me and has switched me over. But I will say I think Perelel is an amazing brand for vitamins and supplements as well!

Journal or Meditate

I almost don’t even want to write about this because if you’ve read my Substack, I feel like I never shut up about this being a daily habit. It is my sanity. And it’s the one habit included in the challenge that I actually am consistent with. It’s important to me to keep at it. These are exercises in mindfulness that truly make all the difference in my life.

A Daily Walk Outdoors

Mmmm, just simply good for the soul! Walks always, always, always make me feel better. It’s good for your body. It’s good for your mind. Especially when it’s breathing in the fresh air and taking in all the beautiful sights that may have passed you by before.

I have even blocked off 30 minutes on my work calendar every day for lunch break walk, ensuring I don’t get too meeting heavy and let a busy workday morph into neglecting some self-care.

Declutter One Item

My biggest pet peeve in the world is clutter. It drives me nuts. The excess of it all. And I’m feeling that creep into my mind lately with some household items, personal purchases, and a lot of things for our kiddos.

Each day I’m committing to decluttering something - giving it away for free or donating it! I don’t care to try and make a profit or add it to a landfill. I am craving the mental and physical clarity it.

My golden rule? If I have not used it within the past year, it’s probably time to give it away.

No Spend (Except for essentials)

If I’m giving away items, I better sure not just be replacing it with other items I don’t need! So, hand-in-hand with decluttering is a no spend month, outside of actual essentials. Basically, food and toiletries like toothpaste, soap, etc.

2 Liters of Water

You don’t need me to tell you the importance of drinking water. I know you know. We all know! Let’s go on and just make sure we’re doin’ it! Our bodies are thirsty.

I’m trying to make it a little more fun by using fun cups/bottles we have (I love my big, tacky Gilmore Girls tumbler), and I do turn to LMNTs or Liquid IVs to add in some flavor. The sugar-free peach Liquid IVs are stocked up in the snack pantry in the office I work at, and I have become addicted. SO GOOD.

100% Phone-Free 9pm-6am

Last, but certainly not least - putting my phone away at 9pm and not checking it within the first hour of my day (which usually starts around 5am). The root of all those habits that don’t genuinely make me feel good? My phone. The way it sucks me into time-wasting scrolls. The way it tricks my brain into thinking I need-the-thing that, hey guess what - I actually don’t! The way it distracts me from the soul-nurturing stuff that is right in front of my face if I just let myself look up. Or as Mary Oliver says: Pay attention. Be astonished.

And there we have it! What do we think?

Let’s do these simple things to feel better; let’s feel lively.

Wishing you a happy Sunday and a lively-next-30-days!

I love the idea of an affirmation - a string of words to root you in something. To provide encouragement or positivity or peace. While I am (obviously) a word lover, the truth is I struggle to think of affirmations that I can easily remember and return to. That’s where song lyrics come in.

For me, the best part of music has always been the lyrics. Since they are paired alongside melodies, they easily find a nook within my mind. They are quite literally the background music to my memories, reminders of the choices I made. And sometimes, they inform the choices I make. The words I’m inspired to live by and ground myself in. Today I’m sharing them with you.

“Life’s candy, and the suns a ball of butter” - Don’t Rain On My Parade, Barbara Streisand

Starting a bit unexpected with a lyric from a Broadway musical that I truthfully heard for the first time as a high school teen watching Glee. It is an unabashed anthem to live in joy and ambition - a message a young me really needed to hear. When I find myself spiraling into negative thinking, I always turn to this little line to remind myself that lighten up. Take a look around. Live a little. My great grandma’s signature phrase was, “If you’re not having fun, it’s on your own fault.” Exactly.

“Time makes you bolder, children get older, and I’m getting older too.” - Landslide, Fleetwood Mac

Landslide is my favorite song of all time, ever. It was the song my dad and I danced to at my wedding. While the entire song is beautifully written, this lyric feels particularly poignant. Even more so as I get older.

I have a vivid memory of being a nursing student and having clinical rotations in a nursing home. I remember looking at the patients and thinking about how they were once giddy children and angsty teens and had their own stories of friendship, love, loss. We are all getting older and learning every day.

I’m in the midst of a generational tide change. I’m becoming the parent and realizing how I’m just figuring it out as I go. I think about when I was a kid and thinking of adults as having all the answers in a way.

This lyric reminds me to give grace to everyone I meet. To listen to their stories. To prioritize the time spent with them. They are savoring their time, just like me.

“You know that when the truth gets told that you can get what you want or you can just get old.” - Vienna, Billy Joel

Vienna basically holds all the bits and pieces of advice I want to pass onto my children. But this particular line is what gets me out of my own head when I start worrying too much about what people will think of me. The reality is no one is thinking about you that much. We all are, rightfully so, mainly focused on our own lives. And if somebody is spending their precious time judging you and your choices, I firmly believe that it’s their business. It says something more about them - their reaction likely says something about their lives, their beliefs.

So basically - live your truth, babes. Thankfully, Billy Joel found a way to put that much more poetically.

“Dancin’ in the mirror, kiss my scars cause I love what they made.” - COZY, Beyonce

This song is my confidence boost go-to. I love putting it on when I’m feeling insecure or just need a general lil energy. I have come a long way with my feelings towards my body. But it’s not a linear process. My body gave me the best gifts of my life when I was able to carry and birth my daughters. That experience was such a gift, that also changed made a complete stranger out of my body. It’s strange to, even still, feel unfamiliar with it at times. But this lyric keeps my perspective rooted in, not only gratitude, but a bad-ass-mentality. Because my body DID THAT. Hell yeah.

“Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky, and so I became the butt of the joke. I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked. Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke.” - Daylight, Taylor Swift

You know I had to have some Taylor on here. Daylight is a beautiful song about learning to let go of your past. These lines talk about making yourself the butt of the joke before anyone else can - beating them to the punch. People pleasing at your own expense. Basically… my lifelong struggle! And I know I’m not the only one. Thinking of the words ‘clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke’ reminds me to snap out of those people-pleasing-tendencies and to stay true to myself.

“I want a house with a crowded table and a place by the fire for everyone.” - Crowded Table, The Highwomen

I have a vivid memory of a friend in college who didn’t have a great family situation. He couldn’t go home for Christmas, so he spent his holiday in his dorm. It completely broke my heart. I desperately wanted to have him spend his holidays with my family. I don’t want anyone to feel alone.

That memory has fueled me to be incredibly inclusive, always. If my kids ever come home and say they have a friend who needs people or a place to stay or a warm meal, I want them to know the answer is of course, yes. I want them to grow up with that sense of community, empathy, and humanity.

I have a print of this lyric that I plan to one day frame and hang in our house as a constant reminder to live by.

“I made miracles in the shadow, but now that I’m out in the sun, I’ll never stop growing wherever I’m going. Hope I’m not the only one.” - The Tree, Maren Morris

A wonderfully liberating song about breaking yourself free from patterns, walking away, and removing yourself from a toxic environment. Rather than spending your energy trying to fix things you never even broke yourself, you can choose to redirect that energy towards facing the sun. Focusing on your own growth and healing.

This song means a great deal to me. It makes me feel empowered and validated, rather than confused and guilty. I hold onto as a reminder of the strength I know I have within me.

“Somethings lost, but somethings gained in living every day.” - Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell

Gosh, I wish I could write this entire song out here because there is so much wisdom scattered from start to finish. But I think this line here really captures the essence of the entire song - the journey of childlike wonder to nuanced understanding. As life goes on, yes, you have to lose a lot of things - your childhood innocence, friends, loves, family members. But with each thing you lose, you gain something too. It’s all interconnected somehow. That’s a beautiful thing to remember, and a very peaceful way to think.

Do you have any songs that you return to for a personal reminder or mantra? I’d love to hear them - I always love learning about people through the music they connect with.

Thank you for reading, friends!

I’m changing things up a little here. While I love a curated playlist, and there are many great ones shared on Substack, I love the idea of recommending an album that encompasses the sentiments of the season. Listening to it from start to finish, embracing different dimensions of a story, finding a new favorite song in the midst.

I think April is the perfect month for the soft guitars and sticky-melodies in Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us. (Go for the deluxe for the undeniable treat of That’s So True).

I also think there is just something springy about the youthful energy behind Taylor Swift’s Speak Now and the light, but buoyant Harry Styles’ Harry’s House.

GET A PASTEL MANICURE

Whether that’s a shade of lilac or lavender, or maybe you dive into a multi-pastel-palette. Adding color to your nails is one of my favorite ways to add a glimmer of fun in my day-to-day life.

PAIR A DENIM VEST WITH A MAXI SKIRT

I am massively here for this trend, and honestly, it feels a bit timeless to me. Like something I’ll continue returning to, despite it’s eventual fade from trendiness.

EMBRACE LAVENDER-FLAVOR

Similar to how pumpkin and peppermint add something special to autumn and Christmas, something about the taste of lavender in the Spring just feels goooood. And it pairs particularly well with lemon!

I just had a client bring us a lavender-lemon cake at work, and it was to-die-for. While I’m slightly intimidated by making a full-on lavender baked good, I think a lavender lemonade or lavender iced coffee is certainly up my alley!

WATCH STEEL MAGNOLIAS

A fabulously standout cast and all-time favorite movie! If you aren’t familiar, the movie follows a group of Southern women who experience the highs and lows of life together, all the while growing their bonds between one another in the process.

(*Note to self: have tissues available, especially since I’m realizing this will by first time watching since becoming a mother myself…).

WATCH MISS CONGENIALITY ON “THE PERFECT DATE”

EASTER (April 5th)

I wrote an entire little post on how to magic-make for Easter, which you can read below. But one fun idea I forgot to include? Make hot-crossed buns on Good Friday.

This is something my Mugga did (while watching Jesus Christ Superstar…HA, gosh I love her!). I’ve never done it myself, but I plan to attempt to this year in her honor.

It’s also the perfect reason to watch the Gilmore Girls episode A-Tisket, A-Tasket for my fellow Gilmore Girls lovers.

EARTH DAY (April 22nd)

• ’s Earth Day post from last year (Earth Day Every Day) is just too good not to share. I love her idea of picking an Earth Day resolution, similar to the idea of an annual new year resolution, but making it with the planet in mind.

• Listen to What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, on repeat

In Joy with Brittany Viklund

Earth Day Every Day 🌎

Happy Earth Day. While you’re out hugging trees today, may we all remember that this generous planet gives us everything we need. And now, more than ever, it desperately needs us to return the favor…

Read more

a year ago · 75 likes · 43 comments · Brittany Viklund

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK (April 19th-April 25th)

Libraries are incredible, magnificent places. Support your local library! Go there and browse books. Sign up for a card if you don’t already have one. Get lost in the books. Bring your kids along. Donate. Volunteer. Attend their events (I bet you’d be surprised at how many they have!). Do an act of kindness for your local librarian.

Outside of the special occasions, holidays, and seasonal festivities - we have our monthly rituals. The true things that truly nourish and nurture our souls. Before you find your plate full of crowded calendars and to-do-lists, take the time to schedule out these monthly rituals for yourself:

• CONNECTION. Reach out to one person in your life and schedule some quality time.

• NATURE DATE. Fresh air is medicinal. Plan one nature-based outing.

• TRY ONE NEW THING. Big or small! A new food, a new skill, a new class. You know the one you’ve been thinking about. Now’s the time to go for it.

• ONE ACT OF KINDESS/GIVING BACK. Buy a stranger coffee, volunteer your time, donate to a cause. Whatever your kind heart is called to.

• ONE DAY OF DO-NOTHING (TRUE REST). I totally get that this can be hard with responsibilities as an adult. Especially if you have littles you’re taking care of! But there are not hard and fast rules here. Maybe this is taking an afternoon off to lay in bed or it’s letting yourself get to bed early and not set an alarm for the following morning. It’s okay if this means tapping in someone for help. We all need rest as part of a healthy foundation. Prioritize it!

• WATCH ONE SUNRISE.

• WATCH ONE SUNSET.

Thank you for reading along! Cheers and happy celebrating!

As a mother, knowing that is within my hands to craft those magical moments - I mean… what an honor. What fun. It’s one of my favorite parts of the gig. The magic-making.

Easter is in a few weeks, so I thought I’d share the ways I’m magic-making in our own home.

A Holiday Home

First things first, decorate the house. You don’t have to go overboard - aka you don’t have to head to your local TJ Maxx and fill up the cart. Just a few themed pieces, that you can reuse every year, goes a long way! For us, we stick to a few areas where we swap the seasonal decor in-and-out of.

Keeping a simple structure is a way to add fun in the home, but not in an overly consumeristic or overwhelming way. Just 4 simple things to place out in the home. But it really does add that sense of special.

• The Mantle - We will drape some sort of seasonal garland across the mantle above our fireplace. It’s somewhat the focal point of the living room, so adding a little bit here really sets the tone. I’ve had good luck at finding affordable garlands at Michael’s. If you’re the craft type, garland is something you could totally DIY.

• Entry Table - We have a small table where we enter our house. We always have a basket for all our keys, a picture of our families on our wedding day, and then in the middle, a seasonal trinket. For Valentine’s Day, it’s a little red typewriter. For St. Patrick’s Day, a little pot of gold. And for Easter, it will be a little wooden bunny. (Once again, another crafting opportunity if you so please).

• The Kitchen Island - In the middle of our island, I placed a black round flat serving tray that houses a seasonal smelling candle and a vase for seasonal flowers. I recently bought peony-tulips from Trader Joe’s (I didn’t even know these were a thing???), and I love them. Peonies are my favorite flower.

Pssst…I stumbled upon this idea on Pinterest and think I might try to recreate this next:

A Bunny-Inspired Breakfast

I’m normally a savory over sweets gal for breakfast, but there’s something about a sweets breakfast on holidays that just feels right. I tend to always turn to pancakes that you can create and arrange in fun shapes.

This could very well be because I grew up with a dad who was a chef and would often work holidays (meaning I would be there hangin’ out because my mom was in charge of marketing and sales). Events often included a breakfast buffet that had a pancake station, where my dad could make pancakes into whatever shapes or characters people requested. He is also insanely artistic.

With that said, I am not insanely artistic, but these bunny-pancakes are perfect because it’s a few simple circles with a spritz of whipped cream and sweet-candy-bunny toes. You can totally do berries here too.

Cadbury Egg Blondies

Like I said, something about sweets for a holiday feels essential. Even as a teenager, I’d want to be part of making a dessert for holidays. But now as a mom, I feel like it’s time I really learn how to nail down some holiday staples. The things my family will look forward too annually. And these Cadbury egg blondies where the first time I did that. I use this to make M&M cookie bars too, which is my husband’s favorite cookie and in our yearly Christmas rotation.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups + 2 Tbs all-purpose flour

• 1 Tspn salt

• 1/2 Tspn Baking Soda

• 2 sticks butter (melted + cooled)

• 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 Tspn vanilla extract

• 1 cup Cadbury mini-eggs

• 1/4 cup mini ch. chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 dish with parchment paper

• In one bowl, mix together your flour, salt, and baking soda. (Dry-ingredient bowl)

• In a separate bowl, beat together your butter and brown sugar. (Wet-ingredient bowl)

• In your wet-ingredient bown, crack in one egg and then mix. Crack in the second egg, mix. The add in the vanilla extract, and mix.

• Add dry ingredient bowl to the wet ingredient bowl.

• Stir in the cadbury eggs and mini chocolate chips

• Pour mixture into the 9x13 and then sprinkle extra cadbury eggs on top

• Bake for 21-25 minutes and let it cool for at least one hour before cutting/serving.

Easter Basket Goodies

The fun annual tradition for the kids: Easter baskets!

First and foremost, when my daughters were born, I invested in Pottery Barn baskets with personalized liners, knowing I wanted these to be the baskets they have their entire lives. Truth be told, you could probably get a cheaper basket elsewhere or even thrift, but I think a personalized liner is the magic touch.

This year, our girls Easter baskets will include:

• Bubble Wands & Easter Egg Chalk - Fun toys to use outside, that will get used up throughout the summer!

• New Swimsuits + Summer Sandals - Some genuine essentials for the next few months ahead!

• One new toy each - For my oldest, I got her a Moana Barbie Doll to add to her princess-Barbie-collection. She’s obsessed and already has Anna, Elsa, Ariel, and Belle. For my youngest, I got her the Miss Rachel 1-2-3! Roll Vehicle. She is massively into Ms. Rachel and Fischer Price Little People, which this toy really resembles. As they got older, I really try to personalize these gifts to what our kids’ individual interests.

• Candy, of course! A few Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and Bunny KitKats

Gather Your People

The real key to holiday-magic is people. Who you celebrate with. I want my kids to grow up around a sense of community, love, family, friends, neighbors and big, wide-open arms. I also believe that in order to create a village, you have to be a villager. If you ever find yourself wishing there was some sort of holiday gathering to attend, this is your sign to throw one yourself.

I love hosting get togethers for people that I love, giving us a reason to all share company and making everyone feel included. In my phase of life, hosting an Easter egg hunt for our girls and the other littles in our lives is a ton of fun.

(Pre-kids, I definitely attended a “beer hunt” where there were hidden bottles of beers for us to put into an empty-sick-pack… hilarious).

I also think Hosting a Brunch is perfect for Easter! Make it a potluck with everyone bringing their own favorite brunch item.

I hope these ideas add a little sparkle to your pastel-paletted Easter. Wishing y’all a Hoppy Easter! (I had to do it).

I have a confession. Most of the time when I am writing a new post, I am showing up to write the single day/evening before I hit publish. I’ve committed to posting here every Sunday in 2026 and guess what? I’ve actually stuck to it! (*pats back) And surprisingly, there have been a lot of new faces peaking in to say hello lately! To that I say WELCOME AND THANK YOU! For real. It carries immense meaning to me, knowing my words are somehow some source of connection or joy or comfort or inspiration.

The truth is I’d love to say I have a stronger writing routine developed. To have a content calendar all planned out. That I have time for first and second drafts and edits, edits, edits. If I had a post fully planned out ahead of time, I’d probably be able to flush it out with better imagery and snippets and ideas.

But here’s my thing. I’ve found when it comes to any sort of creative expression, the more I place a structure or schedule around it, the less natural it feels. I truly believe that comes across in the work. So what works for me is letting my thoughts run their course throughout the week and whenever something sparks, I let myself write about it that weekend. It’s that simple.

I have unintentionally leaned into topics rooted around celebrating and seasonal festivities. These came naturally from my ‘word of the year’ being a driving source of inspiration, but I’ve realized it’s also part of being who I’ve always been. I remember being a kid and crafting name cards for the Thanksgiving table. I always have my nails painted in holiday-appropriate colors. I have freaking little clay bunny ears for Easter. I’ve always been festive. And it’s these topics that have allowed my space to blossom. It’s tale as old as time. Be yourself and things seem to fall into place.

When it comes to routines in general, I also am in the process of accepting my reality. Michelle Obama once said, “You can have it all, but not at the same time.” And by that she means there are seasons to life and at times you need to channel patience. If you try to do it all at once, you will always fall short because we are human. I think this has been a lifelong struggle for me. If I accomplish something, I immediately shift focus to where I fell short.

Sure, I did all the laundry today, but I didn’t hit my step goal. Sure I hit my step goal today, but I didn’t work on my writing. Sure, I worked on my writing today, but I’m behind on housework and took a lazy route for dinner. So on and so forth.

My life is busy. I have two very young daughters who count on me, and that’s an immeasurable blessing and also reeeeeally tiring. I have a new job that I greatly enjoy with a commute I’m definitely adjusting to. It’s not realistic for me to have a fully flushed out writing routine. But that’s okay with me. I write because I enjoy it. That can, and is, enough. Where do I want to focus? Can I just do that and show up well there? For me, that looks like:

• Being a present mom and wife

• Investing in my health

• Expressing creativity through hobbies

• Being kind + thoughtful person

All of this has me thinking about routines in general. I am a Type-A-Girly so the idea of a routine practically makes me salivate. But what if my routines were rooted in equal parts productive and whimsy? What if I made them less about pressure from outward expectations and just made them about what feels good and important to me, in this current stage of life, carried alongside the liberating resolution that I’m allowed to change my mind whenever I want.

7 Micro-Routines to Feel Well-Balanced + A Little Whimsy

1 First Hour of the Day: Morning Pages + 10-Minute Yoga Stretch

I started The Artist Way earlier this year and one component is writing 3 pages in your journal first thing, every morning. This has become a completely meditative process for me. It amazes me what can come out of these pages. I’ve always loved to journal, but as I was pushed to fill in 3 pages, I quickly felt my mind unraveling each day. Like an animal was uncaged. The permission to let myself express and ramble and think and wonder without judgement. Why was I ever holding back before? These are now a non-negotiable for me.

I wake up at 5am everyday, and usually start journaling with a cup of coffee in hand by 5:15 and usually finish by 5:45. And right after that, I have become obsessed with doing this 10-minute yoga stretch to start the day. I have tried to making morning stretching a habit for quite some time now and there’s something about this video in particular that just feels SO GOOD that I actually keep coming back to. A perfect hour to feel centered before the rest of the house wakes up and the day kicks off.

2 Work-Night Bedtime + Magnesium

Hand in hand with a 5am wake-up is a 9pm bedtime, which means starting to get ready for bed at 8:30pm on any ‘work nights’ (like ‘school nights’, but ya know…for work instead). I’ve recently switched to nighttime showers, at first purely to avoid blow drying my hair in the mornings because I loathe blow dryers…but now I’ve found a nightly shower to feel completely indulgent.

Rather than framing bedtime with a punishment-childhood-rule mindset, I romanticize it. It’s my time to make a little magnesium mocktail (Moon Juice Magnesiu-Om is where it’s at!), put on a matching-jammies-set, and cuddle up with a fictional book.

(PS: I’m starting The Correspondent tonight and I’ve heard incredible things. I’m so excited!)

3 Wash Bedding Every Monday

I remember my best friend introducing me to the excitement of declaring it “clean sheet night!”. The way she said it felt like it was a mini-celebration rather than the completion of a weekly chore. I adored that. I don’t know what it is, but now that I’ve declare Mondays to be clean sheet night (a day when I know I have full flexibility with laundry because I work-from-home and the girls are at daycare, therefore not requiring a mid-day nap). Add a little lavender room spray to the pillows for extra-dreamy sleep that night? The best.

4 Meal Plan + Grocery Shop + Loosely Meal Prep on Sundays

I love getting out a pen and paper and physically making a grocery list every Sunday morning. I write out 4 sections on the paper: produce, meat + dairy, pantry, and frozen. It makes shopping a breeze, knowing things are in order of how I’ll move through the store.

It helps to see what we have on stock and can use up and what meals can share ingredients across multiple meals. Most weeks, we try to double batch at least one meal for leftovers, knowing we lose steam to cook more ‘extravagant meals’ as the work week continues.

Know thyself is a huge component to this. If you know you won’t eat the fruits and vegetables if they aren’t pre-cut, buy them pre-cut. Buy the salad kids that come together in two minutes. Frozen raviolis with Rao’s sauce are a staple in this household, knowing my 2.5 year old talks about raviolis at least 5 days a week. Lean in to what you know works, rather than leaning into other lifestyles online that you don’t actually know. You know yourself - and that’s who you are setting up for success.

5 Friday Night Take-Out

Like I said earlier, as the work week goes on, we tend to get more and more tired before we find ourselves able to recharge on the weekends. So we embrace takeout or dinner out of some sort every Friday evening, relieving the pressure to cook and also providing something to look forward to each week. In a way, it helps us from over-ordering takeout on a whim, knowing we save that for Fridays especially.

6 Audiobooks on my Morning Commute

I mentioned that I’m getting used to a commute, and I also find myself having less to time to read (my nightly reading tends to be short-lived because I fall asleep within twenty minutes - ha). Enter audiobooks. Starting my day with a book on the way to work just feels cozy, and it’s a way to keep enjoying my hobbies when time feels stretched.

I highly recommend Libro.fm, a subscription-based platform that benefits local bookstores. Boo Audible.

7 Weekly ‘Lil Treat’

This has been a new recent idea of mine, but one I feel too excited about to not include. We can start together. When Harry Styles’ new album came out, there seemed to be a lot of press about his love for croissants. I know this seems random, but bare with me. I love croissants - they’re probably a top 5 food for me. But I never let myself eat them because of my own self-imposed rules. And honestly, that’s fair to a degree. Moderation genuinely is important. But if it’s something I love, where can I let myself live a little?

What if it was a lovely little Sunday ritual? Just letting myself have one moment of small, but complete indulgence. Whether that’s a croissant or maybe it’s a bubble bath or maybe a specialty latte. The key here is letting myself enjoy something I’d use to judge myself. Actively releasing a mindset rooted in guilt or shame.

Food is joyful to me. It’s a huge deal for me to be able to accept that and say that out loud, without fear of someone translating it into direct judgement of my body. One of my more painful memories as a kid was being mocked that my first word must have been ‘snack’. I don’t care to write in detail the shame-spirals that has sent me on for years. What I do care to write about is how I’m finally at a place where I can rewrite that narrative for myself. And that deserves it’s weekly moment.

I hope this has inspired you to add something special to your week. And as always, if you have any of your own special rituals, I’d love to hear them.