I’ve been buckling down this week on a long list of tasks for work and life and the book! A busy week is just the kind I like though, it makes the weekends (especially summer weekends) feel all that much sweeter. I am crossing our fingers the forecast brings us a bit of sun so we can soak up these last summer days with some beaching and al fresco dining. Before we get there, I’m sharing a few links, recipes, and products to wrap up the week!
Toddler Things. I noticed lately that the most frequently asked questions readers send me now tend to be about toddler things – what Jane’s eating, wearing, and playing with! She is already a little trendsetter! A few of the things she (we) have been loving lately: a toy tool kit that she uses to “fix” things around the house, reusable sticker pads (like ColorForms from when I was a kid!), and a travel Magnadoodle for car rides (mess-free entertainment!).
We also tried out a Mac & Mia box – like StitchFix for kids – and it came with the cutest clothes for fall! She is obsessed with the baseball hat and little piggy purse that came in the style box, and I can’t wait to try it again next month. (Try it out – you can get $20 off your first box if you use this link!).
Fall Style. Jane isn’t the only one getting her closet ready for fall (though it’s way more enjoyable to shop for kids clothes than try on mom-jeans!). I think I finally reached the end of my rope with the humidity this week and started to browse online for some fall style inspiration. My current wishlist is full of things from Tuckernuck – striped dresses, peplum tees, cozy layered sweaters, chambray tunics, and all things tortoiseshell please! We are also planning a little “glamping” trip in a few weeks and I was coveting a cozy new striped pullover from LLBean (maybe a matching striped tote bag too?).
New Recipes. I shared a handful of new recipes on the blog this week – like this summery corn chowder and cod dish, an easy ricotta and pea pasta dish that was a big hit on Instagram, and sun-dried tomato chickpea crostini that I made for a picnic. I also talked a lot about dinners on the blog this week – with my black bean, chorizo and potato taco recipe, and a great meal-prep recipe for spicy peanut lime turkey meatballs that I made for a week of lunches. Don’t miss my giant round-up of 15 of my favorite cookbooks that I use for dinner inspiration when I’m meal planning too! (PS: I keep getting lots of questions about meal-planning whiteboard I got for the fridge, it is so helpful for staying organized throughout the week!)
I shared my go-to smoothie recipe over on Instagram stories too! I’ve been on a smoothie kick after trying out the Daily Harvest smoothies (get 3 free smoothies with this link!) a few weeks back. I prep them in mason jars, freeze them, and then blend them each morning before pouring them back into the mason jar and using a reusable straw lid to share them with Jane!
Reading List. Sharing my progress on my reading goal for the year here has kept me so accountable! I’m currently on book 22 – almost to my goal of 24 books this year! I am figuring when my own book comes out in a few weeks that I will be pretty busy, so I’m trying to get in as much as I can right now while I’m still in summer-mode. I finished Educated: A Memoir and it was amazing – the story was so unbelievable that it was hard to remember most times that it was a true story. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I just started the first few chapters of An American Marriage and I’m really enjoying how the story is told from both sides of the couple’s relationship.
Where is the beautiful tide pool in the picture above? Looks like the perfect place for a toddler!
It’s at Minot Beach in Scituate!