Bits and bobs from the last few weeks.

August: the vibe is hot and sweaty. It’s the dog days. We’re leaning into long boring afternoons, sleeping in our swimsuits and waiting for dusk to open the windows. At least where I live, school is still a month away and even though the message online is that summer is over, hoo boy, those 90º temps outside would like to heartily disagree. You can’t force things, you know? Home Goods really wants us to be buying halloween decor right now - and maybe you’re into that - but pumpkin spice everything at Starbucks doesn’t make it October. Everything in its time. August is very much a summer month and I’m going with the flow on this one. The season is short enough as it is.

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BEACH DAYS

I’m a rough 10 minute drive away from Lake Michigan and Saturdays are for lazing around on the beach. I keep a packed bag of sunscreen, towels, and a beat up pack of UNO cards in my trunk at all times. On Saturday morning, I fill a cooler with drinks, some Sammys and whatever half eaten bags of chips I have in the cupboard and off we go.

GOING FOR A DRIVE

I have this panicky feeling about summer - it always feels like it’s going too quickly and slipping through my fingers. One of my anxious tasks is this need to fill every free minute with fun. I can’t waste a single sunny second, ya know? After work, I’ve been haphazardly getting everyone in the car to go for a drive. Stop in random places to walk downtown or grab an ice cream cone. Stopping for a game of putt-putt and a beer on a patio afterwards. Stopping off at a beach and letting the kids swim for 20 minutes before heading home again. TBH I agree with the sentiment that the best way to manage anxious thoughts is with action. If I’m freaked out that summer is slipping away, then yes, actively doing somewhat basic, but special-to-summer things is helping me feel like I’m using my time well.

MY BIRTHDAY

I turned 37 at the end of July and my sister packed her kids up and headed to my house for the day. 37 is kind of a boring birthday, so I didn’t have huge plans. I went to work in the morning but took a half day to meet my sister at my place where we cheers-ed a Long Drink while it was still technically morning (say 11:50ish) and that feels decidedly birthday-like in behavior - ha! By 12:30 we were sitting on the beach gabbing away while our kids floated and dived and only came back to the beach blanket for money when the ice cream truck rolled on in.

I’ll preach this forever - if you’re currently in the toddler/baby years of motherhood - please rest assured that it gets easier. A lot of the gals I grew up with - my sisters and my friends - all had kids around the same time and we’re luxuriating now in the big kid years. Kids are still home and safely tucked in at night, but big enough to handle themselves. This age is a GIFT. There are still hard parts (the arguing is mind-numbing) but the really hard caretaker years are behind us. I haven’t wiped a butt since 2022!

NICE THINGS - QUICK HITS

Spending a long weekend in Chicago // Just my husband and me, being adults without responsibilities for three days. I paid for those late nights though. I don’t think I repaid that sleep debt until the following weekend when I could just knock out for 12 hours.
Recently Read // ISOLA // CALYPSO // THE GOOD EARTH
Dyed my kiddo’s hair blue // I promised him that he could have blue hair this summer because I know we have plenty of time for it to grow out and then just cut off the blue parts in a regular haircut before the school year starts. He thinks it’s so awesome and I’m indulging in my new cool mom reputation.
TV I got obsessed with // FOUR SEASONS - the Tiny Fey mini-series and then also the original 80’s movie (I think the mini-series did it better, tbh) // SEX AND THE CITY - Season 6, which I’d never watched (can you believe?!) // THE DECAMERON - wow wow wow. This came out last summer and I never saw it. A hilarious black comedy about the bubonic plague in 1300s Italy.

OTHER THINGS

+You’re a crazy person. I’ve seen this all over the internet this week and wow, what a great think piece. I’ve been waking up at 5am for more than a decade to write. Seriously. I don’t know what, if anything, will come of it, but writing excites me enough to get out of bed in the morning. That’s crazy for some, but we’re all crazy, right? You’ll never catch me getting up at 5am to train for a marathon or as the author writes, bake almond croissants, but those are passions for someone else - someone crazy - and we all have something that we’re willing to do, despite the inconveniences, because it brings us our own version of joy.

+Fell fully in love with this banana pudding flavored lip balm from glossier.

+Took advantage of summer sales and ordered next year’s set of flip-flops (these are my true daily drivers).

+My new-to-me summer scent. It’s an aperol spritz in a bottle.

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And onward to a new month!

Life Lately | August 3, 2025