I haven’t done one of these posts in a long time so it was fun to sit down and fill out the prompts!

what we’re eating

I always hate this question because what we eat doesn’t REALLY change … that said, here is what I’ve been obsessed with eating for lunch for the past few weeks:

Chicken salad sandwich with lots of pickle

OR a nectarine burrata salad

NOM. I feel like I’m the type of person who just eats the same thing for lunch (and dinner) every single day until I’m totally sick of it. I am the most uninspired mom ever when it comes to meal planning – it doesn’t help that my family just likes the same three things for dinner too. I feel like I’m sort of in a rut so if any of you have easy and healthy dinner options for a busy mom, PLEAAASE please please share with meeeee! 🙏

what i’m reminiscing about

This school year feels like a real full circle moment for me because D has the exact same 3rd grade teacher E had and A has the exact same kindergarten teacher E had (6 years ago… when I was pregnant with her!). It’s got me particularly reminiscing on the girls … E when she was in kindergarten and A when she was a newborn/baby. It just trips me out that in the blink of an eye, E is almost as tall as me and in middle school and THE NEWBORN IS IN KINDERGARTEN!?

what i’m loving

I got my hair done (highlights and cut) last week and I think I am officially over the ashy hair trend and TOTALLY loving the warm/beige-y tones now. This was the inspo pic that I showed my hairdresser:

I asked her to focus more on the brighter bottom half of the picture for inspiration (versus the darker, tinge of red on the top half) and this is what I came home with 😍😍😍

I definitely think warmer hues fit my skin tone better. LOVING IT!

I’ve also been loving this new brand of press on that I recently tried … they’re by Chillhouse and the reason why I love them is because they’re the perfect length. They’re long enough that they feel fun and fancy but not so crazy long that I can’t type or do mom life. I also really specifically love the design of this Type A set – it’s so clean and minimal – but they have tons of cool designs if you want to try.

what we’ve been up to

Honestly, we’ve just been getting back into the school routine. The big photo dump/life update post I recently did summed up a lot of what we’ve been up to.

what i’m dreading

I’m not particularly dreading anything at the moment. Praise the Lord for His grace!

what i’m working on

My podcast that I cohost, Pen & Page Gals, took an unannounced hiatus this summer (very similar to how this blog just went radio silent with no warning) but we’re working on creating some new content because we MISS YOU GUYS! Sneak peek – September’s book club pick is the third and final book of the Inheritance Games trilogy: The Final Gambit. Read along with ussssss!

what i’m excited about

Precepts Bible study at my church will be kicking back up next month and I am itching to get back into Bible study. Sadly ALL my friends who I would usually be taking this class with can’t take it this year so I’ll be flying solo but I’m a little excited about it too because it means I can let my nerdiness fly 😂 For example, I LOVE sitting front & center for lectures but my friends would typically sit towards the back and I’d always want to sit together with them. Now I can sit in front alone bwahahahaha.

what i’m watching/reading

I just finished reading People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd and it was SO FRIGGIN GOOD. I haven’t been documenting the books I’ve been reading this summer, mainly because I feel like they haven’t been worth sharing for the most part. I’ve read a lot of “just average” books, including a lot of “just average” thrillers but People Like Her was the best thriller I’ve read this year. It might even go into my top books of the year …. it’s about an Instagram INFLUENCER mom and someone who is obsessed with her/wants to hurt her. It tells the story from both her and her husband’s perspectives and wow. I just loved it.

And the best book I read overall this summer was We Were The Lucky Ones … it’s DEFINITELY going into my top reads of 2022. This one is somewhere between a memoir and historical fiction … not quite fiction because everything in it (places, people, significant events) are all true and happened exactly as written but a few details here and there were added to move the story along. It was so beautiful and riveting.

As for what I’m watching .. I’m actually watching nothing these days. Not because I don’t want to but because I just don’t have the time. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a Korean drama that has been top of my to-watch list all summer. I don’t know much about it other than that the main female lead is autistic …. and I’ve heard that it is really, really good. Even my in-laws were raving about it 😂

what i’m listening to

Were you guys as obsessed with Laguna Beach, the reality show, as I was back in 2004-ish? Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti (leads of season 1) started a new podcast called Back to the Beach, where every episode they do a little recap and behind the scenes discussion of the episode of the show. It has been so fun to hear some new details I never knew about or learn how the show was put together, etc.

I’ve also started listening to Your Own Backyard again – I’ve talked about this podcast before. It’s a true crime podcast covering the Kristin Smart case (disappearing Cal Poly college student in the 90s); I loved the original season of this show but they’ve started releasing new episodes because THE CRIMINAL CASE HAS GONE TO TRIAL. They do recaps of the trial and man … you REALLY NEED TO LISTEN!

what i’m wearing

This isn’t the usual fashion content that I’d share but guys. This Lululemon sports bra is a MUST HAVE. It is so stinkin comfortable, I’ve swapped out almost all my existing sports bras for this one and on days I’m already wearing one from an early morning workout, I don’t mind wearing it all day long. It’s THAT comfortable.

It has to specifically be the Like A Cloud Bra Longline Ribbed – I have a few of the other Like A Cloud ones and they are not the same.

what i’m doing this weekend

This weekend I’m getting on a plane and headed for a GIRLS TRIP in Scottsdale to celebrate my birthday a little early 🥰 EEEEEEP, I’m so excited! It’s gonna be books, spa, and food. Traveling with fellow introverts is the best 😂

what i’m looking forward to next month

Well, next month is my birthday month so you know … as obnoxious as it is, that means the whole month will be a CELEBRATION!! I’m looking forward to it 🙂 I already have one of my oldest and bestest friends treating me to DIN TAI FUNG 🤩 in September. I have been craving Din Tai Fung since probably 2020 if not earlier. The last time we went was in 2016 🙃🙃🙃 and I’ve been dying to go back ever since.

what else is new

As a reward for making this far in this post, I’ll let you in on a little secret 🤫

The kids aren’t the only ones going back to school this year 😉 I was recently offered (and accepted) a part-time position as the library specialist at my kids’ elementary school! I will be going to school with them and working with them (and all the other kids) in the library! Kind of my dream come true job to be honest.

That’s it! Thanks so much for reading and if you like my blog posts, don’t forget to enter your email and subscribe so you never miss a post!