Recently Enjoyed Things | June 13, 2025

Vitamin C ruined my day.

Yesterday, I picked up my kids from school for their last day, and felt surprisingly emotional. I’ve been pretty candid around here that the newborn, baby, and toddler years weren’t it for me. I lived through them, and thought my kids were cute obviously, but the big kid years are such an upgrade. Funny, with an actual personality, and when we play a game, I can try to win and sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, and games are so much more fun that way. Best of all, they’re still down for a good tight hug, or a snuggle before bed. ANYWAY, my point is that I don’t usually get sad about my kids growing up.

I got to school a little early for an award assembly in which my 8 year old received an award for perfect attendance. Jokes on them - both his parents work and we don’t have a back-up plan, so you can count on him having perfect attendance every year. But he’s really proud of the award and it was cool to see him surprised and delighted by receiving it. That was great, but then they played a slide show for the 5th graders who would be walking out the doors and never coming back, and even though I don’t even have one of those 5th students, I felt a little choked up.

First of all, as their pictures scrolled on the projector screen, they played Vitamin C. You know the one. And it’s fucking criminal it to play that song in an emotional setting. It did what’s its supposed to because I immediately felt this sad sense of how short this phase is.

I love our elementary school. We live in a small town and there’s only two classrooms for each grade. After a handful of years here, my kids have rotated around with everyone in their class and I know most of their parents, at least by face but most of them by name and I’m starting to really get to know their kids. I know that Lizzie is a big baby who cries all the time (not my observation, just the gossip I receive from the backseat of my car) and I know that CJ is annoying. I know that Julianne’s parents got divorced and I know that Brody told my kid that sometimes dads stop loving moms and move out and then you get a new dad. You guys, I know these kids. I know their parents. I know the new dad.

Vitamin C was played at my high school graduation and it’s probably triggering for me, but that was the first time I really realized a chapter of my life was closing. And so maybe it was the song, but I got hit with a preview of another chapter of my life closing - the part where I’m the mom and my kids are in elementary school and it was an excellent kick in the pants to be fucking grateful.

I get so tangled up in being busy at work or trying to keep up with the house, I forget to appreciate that I’m in a really freaking nice stage of life. And that song, GD it, delivered the emotions in the middle of a stinky, humid elementary gym. I felt grateful that I could self-soothe, remembering that I get to come back next fall. And the next and the next. My God, I’m so grateful it isn’t over for me or my kids yet. I know it is all a short chapter of my life, but for another year, I get to pretend that the future doesn’t exist.

If this song doesn’t hurt you, you’re probably not a millennial

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And hey, if you’re enjoying what I’m enjoying, I’d love it if you stuck around!

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Recently Enjoyed

Reading

I’m passionate about reading and sharing books that are readily available at your library and don’t feature a waitlist 47 people long. So these are rarely new, hot releases, but if you’re intrigued, there’s a good chance for instant gratification at your library.

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld // My son is obsessed with the Dog Man books and last week, we stopped into a local used bookstore to see if they had any that he hasn’t read yet. I took a quick gander in the fiction section and found Sisterland, which I’d never heard of, but since Sittenfeld has written one of my favorite books (American Wife - a real banger), I grabbed it.

Two sisters - identical twins - are anything but the same and while they both have heightened senses, one sister embraces it and the other abhors it. The basic plot is that Vi, the embracing sister garners national attention when she makes a big prediction on live television. Kate, the other sister with deep roots in the science community, is horrified by the attention. But of course with Sittenfeld it’s about so much more than that. It’s about family, and relationships, and how we create our own identity. I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it.

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Shopping

• Tower28 Mascara // I have really basic needs when it comes to mascara. I hate clumping and weird spidery lashes, which usually accompanies volumizing or lengthening formulas, so I accept that all I can ask for are plain old dark lashes. I’ve been really pleased with the Tower28 mini that I got earlier this year. Dries quickly, doesn’t flake, and those lashes are dark and alluring! I say!

• Old Navy Haul // This will come as a surprise to nobody, but last week I did a nice summer stock-up at Old Navy (and GAP - did you know you can combine their carts into one order? I didn’t, but love that feature!). Here’s what I ordered -

  • Longline Swim Top + Swim shorts. Hell yeah brother to full ass coverage this summer.

  • High-waisted running shorts in crayon blue. I fell for these based on color alone, and while I might run in them, let’s call them what they are: high-waisted lounging around shorts in crayon blue.

  • Linen blend straight pants. AND linen blend harem pants. Harem pants are tricky and it remains to be seen if they will look the way I think they will on my actual body.

  • Green striped shorts

  • Blue flip-flops - I told you guys I wanted these $11 stunners last week and since I’ve never been one to deny myself a single thing, they are headed my way.

• Has anyone ever tried a knock off fitness ring? I am not into the look of huge fitness watches, but I cannot abide by spending $400 + a subscription fee for the Oura ring. I’m tempted by this more economical alternative.

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Recent Saves

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Sending You on Your Way

(Interesting things I found on the internet this week)

• Make your life feel like a rom-com from

  Sabrina Molu
  . Here’s mine: on Friday afternoon, walk out of the office like you just quit. Like, throw the door open and let the sun blind you for a second, kind of like the end of Legally Blonde. What. A. Feeling.

• Oh I like this trend!

• Your attention is currency from

  Robin Collins

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Last Week - In case you missed it:

Propaganda that I’m not falling for + currently reading + how we’re having a 90’s summer.

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PS -

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• May Favorites.

• A day in the life.

• Everything I liked and recommended, all in one place.

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