May Scribbles

My summer playlist. Millennial parenting. Lemon ricotta pancakes.

All I can really say about May is that we survived.

(Although looking at our June schedule, it’s unclear if a celebration is actually in order. It’s hard to say the June calendar is strictly less busy. Sure, school lets out soon enough, but baseball and summer camps still litter those calendar squares. I mean, summer camps begin even earlier than the school day. Who thought that was a good idea?)

Anyway, I’m tapped out. Here are a few things that saved my life this month:

• Creating this playlist as my soundtrack to summer. It’s purely a nod to nostalgia (ahem all the tracks I tried to record off the radio in the late 90s/early 00s). I’m still adding to it—hit me up with your suggestions.

• The Chipotle app. Place an order for pick up. Place an order for delivery. Either way, Chipotle fed us this month. Make like Keith Lee and order a quesadilla with sour cream and chipotle honey vinaigrette on the side, mix them together, and dip to your heart’s content. SO. GOOD.

• We’ve been going through a rough parenting season and Dr. Becky’s Good Inside book has been everything. I keep it easily accessible in the living room and read through a few pages every day. It feels like therapy and a big exhale all in one.

• The kids have been using cups (similar to these) at home. Somehow they’ve been an absolute game changer over water bottles and regular ol’ cups. (I mean, boring, right?) Is it because they change color? Is it that the kids can (and do) absolutely load them up with ice, like proper Americans? Is it because I can portion out lemonade so we don’t go through 14 gallons a week? Probably all of the above.

• Front porch hangs. Something this Minnesotan does not take lightly.

• Baseball memories. Like Caden hitting a legit double¹ and later on scoring the game-winning run during a nail-biter of a baseball game last week. The memory of his excitement will stick with me for a long time. And like Nolan earning the game ball a couple of weeks ago, also for scoring a game-winning run, and for making an out at home plate. That ball is now his most prized possession.

Around the Internet

• Well, well, well, if it isn’t me and virtually every other parent my age I know. “Newer parents have always been preoccupied with parenting, and often find themselves talking only about their children, especially to other parents. But for this generation, it can feel like studying for a Ph.D. at some imaginary parenting university, with an endless stream of homework and classes.”

• I’m a big J. Ryan Stradel fan and I loved this piece lauding his novels. “The food becomes a character alongside them, and the menu is vast.”

• “We made potato prints, but my daughter painted hers over with garish neon-pink glitter and my son made a cartoon-y cat. The only print that made it to Instagram was mine, which featured minimalist arcs. I felt a little guilty for not showcasing my kids’ ugly art, but mostly I felt angry at myself for placing value on their art in the first place and treating it like a reflection of my motherhood. Instagram makes it easy to believe that beauty is part and parcel of the work of mothering. If you’re not trying to make it pretty, what’s the point?”

• The most accurate TikTok I’ve seen this week. We’ve got an apple going on day three over here, and I just know its time is coming.

• Do yourself a favor and watch John Mulaney’s new Netflix special and then read this piece. (I mean, a piece about John Mulaney AND Maggie Smith? It’s like it was written in a lab specifically for me.)

• “I once read a book that asserted God gives us enough time for what he has for us each day. I don’t disagree, in theory. But the author wasn’t a mother. And I can’t help but wonder: What if there actually isn’t enough time for a mom to get everything done each day?”

• Co-signing my friend Jillian’s Mission Statement.

Eating

An honest eating section for the month of May would look like McDonald’s, the aforementioned Chipotle, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and “just grab whatever you can to feed yourself.” About the only thing I can recommend are these lemon ricotta pancakes, which were loved by all.² The kids kept coming back to the table to swipe just one more, which means this recipe needs only one note: double it!

Fun Things

• MN friends (or MN lovers) already know all about the Sota clothing brand. I need to give a shout-out to this long-sleeved shirt: I have two different versions of their unisex long sleeve and am eyeing more. They’re soft, comfortable, and exactly the fit I want from every shirt I own.

• Tyson bought me a variety of Jeni’s ice creams for Mother’s Day and the HYPE IS REAL. Do not sleep on the Lemon & Blueberries Parfait. It’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.

• My mom gave these foam airplanes³ to the kids and they were outside at 7:30 the next morning to play with them. 10/10. They’re inexpensive enough that you can buy extras so the neighborhood kids can join the fun.

• Loving these Madewell boxy-crop tees. Dress them up. Dress them down. Don’t be scared of the crop—they’re an updated silhouette that hits just right.

1. As opposed to the way most doubles happen at his age, which is due to at least three fielding errors.

2. Literally as I was writing this, Caden came over and asked what I was doing. When I told him about the things I include in my newsletter he asked, “Did you include the lemon ricotta pancakes?” People, I made them three weeks ago. I can’t give a better endorsement than that.

3. Just a friendly heads up that any Amazon and Bookshop links are affiliate links, which means I make a tiny amount of money if you click through to make a purchase. :)