Friday Five #123

On sunscreen, sandals, Substack mom essays + more!

Photo by Aneta Voborilova on Unsplash

Hi Friends! Are you ok out there? Staying cool, I hope? It’s a casual 98 degrees as I write this, and I think I melted as I took my son to swim lessons this morning when I was walking in the parking lot. We are quite lucky to live close to beaches, and both my parents and my sister have pools, so we’re staying cool. But I hope everyone else is, too. Heat stroke is no joke — so be sure to take precautions, and drink even more water than you already do!

Last weekend, we went to Chicago and Lake Michigan to visit some family, and it was an absolute delight. This ocean gal was pleasantly surprised by the wonder and the beauty that is Lake Michigan, and I do say, we’ll be back again! The vibes of lake life are ones I can get behind during the summertime: laid-back, lots of laughter, and a go-with-the-flow attitude are where I’m at.

But, that’s enough about the Lake and the heat, let’s get into this week’s Friday Five:

1. YESTERYEAR, by Caro Claire Burke is one of the greatest books I have read in a long, long time. I brought it with me on the plane to Chicago (Friday), and finished it the day we returned to New York (Monday). And I have a four-year-old. And plenty of deadlines. But still, I was up till an ungodly hour getting to the end of the book. It’s that good. For those of you who don’t know, Yesteryear is a book about the life of Natalie Heller Mills, a tradwife raised in Idaho, who then decides to buy a farm with her husband’s inheritance, have nine children, and pretend to live off the land, even though they have no idea what they’re doing in regards to farming. Natalie is rooted in an evangelical upbringing and is, more often than not, her own worst enemy. It’s enthralling, it’s upsetting, it’s intriguing, and it’s a phenomenal capture of not only the “tradwife” movement, but what happens when women grow up in communities where there is no choice. No permission slip to live the way you want. No picture of what it means to have a different life than the one your mother and your grandmother chose. Now, I don’t want to tell you anything else about the book, because I want you to read it. But I’ll leave you with this — if you read the reviews, you’ll think you’ll hate her. But really, at the end of the book, she broke my heart. I felt bad for her. And that’s a testament to the writing of Burke, creating a character that’s layered. I’d encourage you to buy the book via Bookshop, as it supports independent bookshops everywhere!

2. This Tubby Todd Sunscreen Stick was a hit this trip! It fits in your bag, and it’s good for kids and adults alike, and it’s a mineral brand! We’re very particular with sunscreen in our household, as everyone has sensitive skin. I rounded up all my sunscreen favorites on ShopMy, which you can get here.

3. This essay by Courtney McGee about opting out of all the things that we’re somehow trained to think we should do as mothers is fantastic. The line about the nightly reset was one that I applied to my own life last night. My kitchen counters were, in fact, cluttered this morning. But you know what? My husband and I had a cup of tea, cuddled on the couch, and watched a brilliant episode of The West Wing (Jed Bartlett for America forever!) There are currently dirty dishes in the sink as I write this, but instead of clearing them when I’m finished, we’re going to have a movie picnic in our living room as we eat sushi for dinner. (10/10 would recommend!) I don’t know where we learned this idea that we’re supposed to do the more difficult thing in motherhood, but I appreciate the way Courtney illuminates how we can choose what to pour our energy into, and what we say no to, and not have a single shred of guilt about our decisions. (I, too, would opt for the snack bar!) Read it here.

4. DSW is having an epic sale - and I picked up two summer sandals that I’m lowkey obsessed with: these sandals from Vionic, and these flip flops from Aerosoles. (And yes, I’m in my, I need cute footwear that also won’t kill my feet era. I’m not mad about it.) Everything was on sale — so don’t miss out!

5. This piece by Hilary Simon, “Whose Work Wins,”is something I feel like I could’ve written myself. I feel like she was listening to my inner thoughts. It felt like she was sitting at my dining room table. (Spoiler alert, she was not!) But the thing is, as someone who is the default parent, as someone who has work that more often pays in potential than dollars, this resonated with me more than I can eloquently explain. She speaks to something I think about often: there needs to be more space, more conversations, more thought about the women who want to continue building their careers and who also like being hands-on with their children. We’re taught that they cannot coexist, that one is either a stay-at-home mother or a work-outside-the-home mother, when, really, I think more people fall into a grey area. More mothers who feel like they don’t want to pick a side — and who could use a little more support from where they stand in the middle. The moral of this little blurb? Be sure to check out have it all-ish .

That’s it for this week! Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

xo,
Megan

Is there good news you want to share? Art/music/television/essays that made your week a little bit better? A toy/recipie that the kids love? A writer that could use an extra dose of applause? Share them in the comments, I’d love to read all about them.

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