Now that we’re back in the office a few days a week I’m back to needing to plan out lunches ahead of time. At home I settled into a habit of not thinking about it too much and then not putting a ton of thought into it until it was time to eat and then grabbing whatever felt easiest. A lot of bagels or bowls of cereal for lunch! Not exactly the best or healthiest approach.
When packing my lunch again that first week, simple was still key. Something I wouldn’t have to spend a bunch of time putting together and I could just grab and eat without any prep at work. A pasta salad that felt a little bit like an actual salad too was the way to go. So here’s what I did…
Bought a small container of zesty style pasta salad from the deli, put some spinach in the bottom of my bowl, then layered some pasta salad on top. Added some shredded carrots and diced roasted red peppers to sneak some more veggies into my meal. That’s it! Nothing complicated, just a nice little store bought lunch with a slight homemade feel thrown in.
After getting through the first week of June I’ll tell you what my number one most loved thing in May actually was – a school bus picking up and dropping my kid off half a block from our house each day. Man that makes a difference in my work day! But May is gone and along with it, the school year and the last of the mild weather we’ll see around here. June will be spent getting settled into yet another new routine with summer camp and weekly swim meets, while savoring what’s likely to be the last of the completely remote work weeks.
But let’s look back and not ahead just yet! Here we go, a list of favorites from the month of May…
My nail polish preferences usually run dark, even in summer. But this year I picked up a pastel on a whim and actually loved it so it spiraled from there. Essie’s Find Me An Oasis and Olive & June’s KMC have been my favorites when I want to lighten up a bit.
My spending preferences live below paying $38 for a very thin long sleeve tee but I kept coming back to how much I liked the look and style of Free People’s On My Mind and Betty long sleeves so I caved. I started with the On My Mind and wanted to think it wasn’t worth it, but it was so I added a Betty to my closet too. They just hit that perfect balance of loose fitting without tipping over the edge to sloppy and I know I’ll be living in them.
When summer hits I get the urge to go dainty when it comes to daily jewelry so I bought a pack of these stacking rings in silver and these in rose gold and for about $20, I’m all set!
Baggu made it on April’s list too for their Cloud tote but this time around it’s for their reusable bags. I had one I loved for years and decided to buy a couple more but was surprised at how stiff they felt. I didn’t like it at all and not even a round in the wash made a difference. A month and a half later though with plenty of use between the grocery store and trips back and forth from the library, they’re so much better – maybe they just need to get broken in? I’m not sure, but I’m glad I still like them. The patterns as so fun and pretty! I snagged this one purely for me and these two (1 / 2) from the Simpson’s line because my son thought they were cool.
Our glassware collection runs deep, so I was surprised when my husband decided we needed to add more. He picked these whiskey glasses out and I’ve found them just as useful for wine too. Since most of my wine drinking takes place in sweatpants while curled up in my corner of the couch, using an actual wine glass feels both too fancy and like it’s just an open invitation for too many spills.
I’ve always been a reader but the intensity has varied over the years. The pandemic brought that hobby back with force, not just because all of a sudden we had a lot more time on our hands and needed more ways to entertain ourselves at home. But also because getting caught up in a good book is a mental escape that I found was even better when used to cope with what can feel like some pretty mundane days. A bit like Groundhog Day if you will, wake up and every day looks and feels exactly the same.
Looking at the list of books I’ve read so far in 2021, mysteries have been about half of them. And I’d argue that if the mental escape of a good book for a few hours is sounding like just the thing you need too, I have a new to me author to share that I’ve enjoyed. Like enjoyed to the level of reading all the books she’s written in a matter of just a few weeks.
Kristen Lepionka is a writer based in Columbus, Ohio and that’s where her four book series about Roxane Weary, a private investigator with complicated family dynamics and personal relationships takes place too. Having lived in Columbus for almost 19 years now, some of the added fun for me was the stories involving places I’m familiar with and could picture – where I work is actually mentioned really briefly in one of the books! But all that aside, this series has a really likable main character probably because of rather than in spite of her personal struggles.
I’ll reference the books in order which I’d say is recommended but not necessary. I read the most recent book first when I picked it up off a display at the front of the library then started back at the beginning for the rest. There was only one character in the story that made a lot more sense once I went back and read the first book but nothing that prevented me from understanding the storyline!
Follow along as she tried to find out if a man convicted of killing his high school girlfriend’s parents is innocent and doesn’t deserve to be reaching the end of death row in The Last Place You Look (my favorite in the series). The girlfriend has been missing since the night of her parent’s murder fifteen years ago and Roxanne tries to find her to get answers about what really happened that night. What she finds instead is more missing and more dead teenage girls and more of a fight than she bargained for to find the truth.
She’s hired to follow around a super shady fiancee who ends up murdered and Roxane’s client is the prime suspect in What You Want to See. You’ll follow along as she uncovers the murdered woman’s true identity and the manipulative past that comes along with it.
In The Stories You Tell, Roxane’s brother is the last person to see a young aspiring DJ who is in a panic when she leaves his place and she investigates, worried about her brother who has been in trouble with the courts before being the primary focus of the investigation. As other events unfold, she discovers that the club the DJ worked at might have more going on behind closed doors than it seems.
Once You Go This Far is about Roxane investigating the accidental hiking death of a junior high school nurse because her daughter doesn’t believe it was an accident. Her investigation leads her across state and country lines and into the world of a very secretive and dangerous church group as she tries to determine how it all may connect to her clients’ mother.
April is over and honestly, I’m not upset about it. Maybe I can cite the anticipated change in seasons but it feels like it’s been years since I’ve made it to the other side of the month of April without feeling a little unsettled. This year the month included a lot of attempted self reflection, only one round of questioning what I’m doing professionally with my life with thoughts of going back to school, and one moment of near tears when I thought my husband wasn’t going to go for my road trip idea for this summer. But whew, after some convincing he did!
But I don’t want to complain because it came with some good too! Weather nice enough to sit outside and chat with friends all afternoon after only a group text message to keep in touch for months, a few days spent with family that came with meeting my brand new nephew for the first time, and we’re all still healthy which is a relief especially after being on the receiving end of one of those you need to come get your kid because he’s been exposed to someone who tested positive for covid calls from the school recently. So here we go, a recap of the more material things I loved most throughout the month of April.
When ordering a few more of their reusable bags, I found the cloud bag on sale and decided to give it a try. I thought it would be a great option for travel when we’re back to that again because it folds up into it’s own little pouch but that the lack of structure would bother me for day to day use. But nope, it’s the perfect size and without the structure to it you can just continue to cram stuff into it – on my son’s swim team practice days I’ve been able to fit all the typical stuff you’d throw in your purse plus his gear, a book to keep my occupied, and water bottles for both of us and it’s sturdy enough to handle it.
I never got into TikTok until just this past month or so and while I have personally created nothing, I have spent so many hours scrolling this app that I should truly be ashamed. Chrissy’s account is my favorite although Jenna Hushka, Rod, and Kristen have been favorites too.
The midi length dress is my new favorite – short enough to not have to worry about tripping over it, long enough to not require being careful about how you sit. It’s my go to option on those days that I want to feel like I’m still in my pajamas but can’t look like it because I have to show my face in virtual meetings. That dress is sadly pretty much out of stock but this one is a really great short sleeve option for late spring and through the summer!
I mean, I won’t leave the house for the sole purpose of getting Starbucks but I will absolutely stop on my home from running errands or go workout at my gym that conveniently shares a parking lot with Starbucks for this drink. Even better when you add vanilla sweet cream cold foam. The price point alone should deter me but it doesn’t – I only ever talk myself out of it when they’re out of oat milk or when the fear of forgetting all the words in my order gets to me. Because really – ICED BROWN SUGAR OAT MILK SHAKEN ESPRESSO WITH VANILLA SWEET CREAM COLD FOAM…that’s a 13 word drink order. (Why can’t the locations in a Kroger store just have in app ordering available too?!)
With working remotely for the past year (our campus is currently still closed) it’s been a lot of online meetings and I was craving a way to still show a little bit of personality in my style when all people were seeing was a headshot. As a glasses wearer I’ve loved having several options to choose from the past few years, but this teal pair was a step outside my usual style. For only $20 after a few lens customizations (the frame itself is only $6.95!) I thought they’d be worth it for a little bit of fun and I was right! I even find myself reaching for them way more often than I thought I would.
In books and in shows, I adore the ones who get into the messiness of real life and After Life does just that. It stars Ricky Gervais as the main character as he navigates life after losing the love of his life to cancer. He handles it by being an absolute jerk but shows a softer, more human side just enough to make you not hate him. I found the show good for subtle laughs too from both his antics and the personalities of some of the other characters.
There was a fresh snow this morning and it’s even more beautiful when you have nothing you really have to do that day but sit back and enjoy the view. Winter is always a time of year that I tend to retreat anyway, happy to not make weekend plans in favor of staying home. Good thing too given the state of covid and not really remembering what real plans looked like anyway. Here’s a few things that have been keeping me occupied!
WATCHING:
It’s always more fun when my husband and I have a series we both can get into and True Detective has been the most recent show we’ve watched together. We’re finishing up season 3 tonight, the last one and personally my favorite of them all. Be ready to pay attention because to me it felt like between all the people and the details, it was sometimes hard to keep track of everyone and everything. But if you’re into crime shows and looking for something to pass a little bit of time some week (each season is 8 episodes), I’d recommend it if you have HBO.
MAKING:
One thing I do miss about working in person is the potlucks. I don’t know what they’re like for you, but our group designated buffalo chicken dip as a requirement and I miss it. These baked buffalo chicken egg rolls have been perfect for dinner instead when the craving hits!
FOLLOWING:
Sharon McMahon @sharonsaysso over on IG. Former high school government teacher, host of Government for Grownups, explainer of the constitution, and generally just makes me feel like an actual grown up sometimes from the education she provides about current events and how our democratic processes relate to them. All with a Minnesota accent occasionally. She’s a gem.
READING:
Every once in awhile I’ll find a good mystery/thriller that I just can’t get myself to put down until it’s done and Lisa Jewell’s Then She Was Gone was one of those books for me. It has some pretty disturbing details but it was absolutely a page turner. I was hooked enough that it only took me about a day and a half to get through it and I’ll be looking for more of her books to see if they’re equally as entertaining.
We’ve had so much fun with our homemade fall BINGO board that when planning some Halloween fun for our kiddos (and us) with some close friends, I jumped at the chance to create a Halloween version! In case this looked like fun for you and your family too I wanted to share. Sneak peek and file download are below – there’s 15 unique BINGO boards and then a 16th page to cut out the squares and call the images out. We bought cute little Halloween stamps for the kids to use to mark off their squares. We found ours at Target (sold out), but here’s some on Amazon too. Or don’t and let them use markers! No rules here.
A window into my head and my journal this morning. Sharing in case you need this practice too…
7:30am on Monday is too early to be losing your shit.
Close out the email and the calendar. Take a deep breath, reset.
Finish that glass of water, step away to make that first cup of coffee.
Grab the journal. Make a list of of things that are causing stress right now. What things can I not control? Deep breath, move on. What things can I control? Write out action steps for the week and get busy.
Think of the good and what things are bringing joy. Working in a freshly painted room and home and I’m in love with the color. (Better yet, I wasn’t the one to have to paint it). A school schedule that’s back to more certainty, at least as much as covid allows this year. A small self care tradition kept up, nails once again pretty from another at home manicure. A chance to make a good meal for people I love, appreciated even more since having company feels out of practice (again, thanks covid).
Let me set the scene. It’s winding down to the end of yet another work day, frustration has firmly set in with the lack of progress made on anything you set out to do today which is shocking given the amount of work that you know you spent time doing. It feels like it’s now or never, you sit down to finally focus – and then all of a sudden your attention is required elsewhere and you feel so overwhelmed and annoyed you could just. lose. your. shit.
That’s how I ended up in an argument with a 5 year old from the other side of a bathroom door. Not my finest moment.
You’ve been there too, right? If your kid wasn’t the tipping point, it could just as easily be a spouse/partner, a co-worker, a parent, a friend or roommate. Please tell me we’ve all had a similar breaking point we’ve experienced.
But I’ve found something that’s helping! It’s called the Rule of 3 and while I’m positive the concept is not new, I was introduced to it through a quick 23 minutes SkillShare class I took on productivity. While the class describes it as establishing 3 priorities for the week, 3 priorities for the day, and 3 wins for the week, I’ve been simplifying it. I’ve been focusing on just the 3 priorities for the week while mapping out what smaller tasks I need to accomplish and when to make sure those 3 priorities happen as planned.
Now, if you’re a good goal setter and can easily hold yourself accountable while tuning out distractions then I’m sure you’re good to go. But for me, in a collaborative and service oriented work environment (I’m an academic advisor and lead for a team with myself and 7 other fantastic advisors), it’s been a really great approach to help me feel like I’m contributing in a more pro-active way rather than the reactive approach of only managing the things that are brought to me. Have I gotten everything on the list done every week? No, but I’m getting more done and mentally doing worlds better. And at the end of a work day, and especially the end of a long work week, that feels good.
Some other things that are helping…
– Focusing on a task associated with one of the top 3 priorities for the week first thing in the morning. It’s good to start the day off with a win!
– Using the Pomodoro technique – setting a 25 minute timer and work on the task at hand for that full time – no checking my phone allowed! The timer really does set a sense of urgency and even if something else that needs your attention pops up in the middle, it’s almost always something it’s fine to put on hold until that timer goes off.
– Don’t get overly ambitious. Keep it manageable. Know the cycle of busy seasons and plan accordingly. Our next one is coming up next week and I recognize that more of my time and energy will have to shift to the more day to day work that needs to happen. I’ll just scale back and focus on smaller but still impactful steps toward projects and goals each week.
– Find an app you like to help you track your to list each day. I’ve been using Todoist to enter my 3 priorities, the tasks associated with those with a due date assigned, and then I can toggle back and forth between only seeing the current day’s list (good to avoid feeling overwhelmed) and seeing my entire week at a glance.
And that’s it! Hopefully you’re feeling good enough by the end of the week to close out the work week on a positive note and feel good about enjoying your weekend!
At some point over the past year my 5 year old son made that jump that felt more like a leap out of the toddler sizes and solidly into the kids sizes and I have feelings about it. I’m the nostalgic type and clothes have always been one of the many physical objects I attach emotions to. How can my baby be big enough that I can no longer find all the cutesy little shirts and hoodies that have the adorable little prints all over them?!
These days I can’t find those in his size, I suppose because kindergarteners probably want to both act and look like the big kids they’re starting to be. (If you want to talk about feelings, just ask me how I felt last week when he started politely asked me leave the room so he could do his class google meet alone.)
A summer growth spurt and change of seasons meant another round of clearing out dresser drawers and saying good bye to some old favorites. While I’ve let many a Super Mario and Pokemon t-shirt take their place, it was fun to go through and wistfully browse all the things we’ve either owned and loved over the years (like that raglan style baseball tee I’ve bought in every size since 2T and the little dino backpack!) or that I would’ve bought if I still could!
It’s Friday! Never have I ever been sad to see it arrive but this week felt like even more of a crawl toward it. Cheers to you if you’re happy about it too!
This week’s tiny victory: I’m off work today for one last day of fun before our son starts kindergarten on Monday and my child who usually makes a move on the ipad before breakfast made it until something like 3pm before asking for some screen time. Who is this kid?!
This week I’m grateful for: A rock star team at work who always make me laugh and has made a tough few weeks survivable / getting to meet Jacob’s kindergarten teacher (in a masked up drive through school supply pick up) / that vacation day that happened today – so needed.
Things of note that I’ve enjoyed lately…
How pretty are these linen headboards?! Dominique shared them recently and I have them saved in case I ever decide to step up my home decor game.
Late night Etsy shopping and I want all the vintage style jewelry. Beauties like these 1 / 2 / 3 catch my attention and I’m currently obsessively tracking an order for one I bought like the third one but with Jacob’s birthstone.
My husband will watch just about any sport on tv which more often than not can be a little annoying (like world championship darts?!), but sometimes he comes across some entertaining stuff. A replay of the death diving world championship is one. Yes it’s a thing if you want to check it out too!
Ordered my second one of these dresses, in black this time, and yes I will be living in it.
Second coffee is always necessary in the early afternoon and with this contraption I’m taking some sweetened condensed milk and then brewing coffee into it. One of the things I miss about physically going into work is being close enough to plenty of places to walk and grab a latte so this feels like a nice little treat.
Life in the Ordinary 