Hey there, friends!
I feel like I barely came up for air in June. It was a really wild month — all good things, but it felt like too many details for my ADHD brain to handle. We got through it and we’re on the other side now and I feel like I can breathe again!
We enrolled Sophie in a few separate weeks of summer camp this year and I’m really excited for her! It’s our first time doing any kind of camps so we’ll be navigating it all for the first time. Because it’s our first year, I didn’t pack our summer full of them… they ended up being more like alternating weeks so we have time off in between for relaxing or other activities (visits with grandparents, play dates, etc).
Every camp / workshop we chose aligns with Sophie’s current interests — I can’t wait to see how she blossoms after each one and to see if any of the activities are things she’d like to continue to pursue during the school year as well. What summer camps do your kids enjoy? I feel like I should start gathering ideas for next year already since the really desirable camps fill up so damn fast!
Today’s Five Things are items that have piqued my interest or things that have been on my mind / going on in my life recently!
CHILDHOOD ARTWORK KEEPSAKE
I have been collecting much of Sophie’s preschool artwork over the past two years because I love to see all the items she’s created. I know I’ll love to look back on these pieces and see how the girls’ skills have improved and how their subject interests have evolved over time. That said, we can’t possibly keep EVERY SINGLE piece of paper from their entire school careers — we’d need a storage unit! However, there are companies now that offer services to create keepsake books with your children’s art; I think that’s so logical and a way more manageable way for us to cherish these pieces!
I’ve looked into a couple of these keepsake book companies that interested me and, apparently (and unfortunately), Artkive sounds like a scam. Well, maybe not an actual *scam*, but from the reviews I read they have questionable practices, such as having a TON of hidden fees beyond the initial cost of sending your art in to the company. And on top of that, they will hold your kids’ artwork hostage if you decide not to proceed (likely due to sticker shock once you get the final bill!).
When this information came to my attention I decided to use the other company I was considering instead. I really hope we like our experience with Scribble so that we can create books of all of the girls’ artwork over the coming years! I only just started working on this project so I don’t have the full scope of our experience yet, but I’ll be sure to share a review of how we made our keepsake book in a full post very soon.
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PROJECT CLOUD SNEAKERS
I’ve been on the hunt for some Adidas Gazelle Bold sneakers in the taupe/brown family, but have been coming up empty-handed. Either I can’t find a color combo that I like or my size is sold out.
I was so excited when I discovered this look-alike version! They are very comfortable to wear and have the same aesthetic as the Adidas pair. I really love the chunky platform sole and the cooler brown color (warm tones don’t work for my coloring). I’ve been reaching for them a lot when we leave the house and they’ve stood up to the test of playground play dates and chasing the girls around breweries while we “watch” World Cup matches.
I’ve been really pleased with the purchase and just wanted to share!
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FedEx Office Prints
We recently updated Sophie’s bedroom (including upgrading to a “big girl bed”!) and I wanted to hang a piece of artwork as part of the decor. The size art that supposedly works best for a Full Sized bed has 24” x 36” dimensions, which is basically a poster! It’s hard to find print shops that offer prints that large (the majority of photos that are printed are much smaller so that poster size isn’t available everywhere). I also took the opportunity to print a smaller piece of art that I have been wanting to hang up in Chloe’s bedroom.
The prints I wanted to use were digital artwork that I purchased on Etsy. I have had a positive experience printing photo albums with MPix for my mom’s Christmas present every year, so I checked the pricing there first… just one basic print was going to cost over $100! I’m not opposed to paying for quality, but these are art pieces that are just going in my daughters’ rooms that will likely get swapped out in a few years so I didn’t want to invest in them.
Thank goodness for FedEx Office! Because the prints I wanted fit within their poster size options (24” x 36” and 16” x 20”), I was able to print them both for just under $60 (including tax). I chose to pick them up from my local store and they were available the very next day! I had a great experience and highly recommend their services if you’re needing to print posters, banners, or artwork of any kind!
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FCK DINNER
As someone with ADHD I struggle a lot with meals — it’s all of the planning ahead to make sure I have the ingredients (+ shopping for them), prepping ingredients and cooking the meal, and then the cleanup afterward! I also stress over whether the meal is going to turn out well or not because what if after all of that money, time and effort we don’t have a meal to eat (because it didn’t turn out) and I have to scramble to figure something else out to feed our family all while staying on schedule (especially in the evenings for baths and bedtime)! It all feels so daunting and, obviously, meals need to happen multiple times a day EVERY. DAY.
As a result, our family too often opts for the convenience of ordering food in and I’d really like to change that, at least for one meal a day. I find that I struggle the most with dinnertime so I was thrilled when I stumbled onto the @fck.dinner account on Instagram (the algorithm serving me content I actually want, for once!).
The creator’s meal ideas are SUPER approachable and consist of my favorite combination of both fresh and pre-prepared items. So far my favorite has been this dumpling “casserole” — so incredibly easy, but flavorful! I will note that not all of the recipes are kiddo-friendly, but I find that I can often adjust them to suit the girls’ preferences.
I can’t wait to see what other dinner ideas Liza has for us because I couldn’t agree more with her mantra: fuck dinner.
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INTERNET BROWSER
I don’t like AI being forced down my throat and I REALLY don’t like monopolies. To me, it feels like these tech companies are using a “spray and pray” method trying to jam their AI tools into every industry to see what sticks / what’s profitable. Unfortunately, that means that the technology we use in our everyday lives is going to change forever. In fact, Google has fundamentally changed the way that their search works with a complete overhaul.
Due to my extreme disappointment in Google’s new AI chatbot “search” I’ve abandoned it altogether and started using an alternative search browser. If you feel frustrated about the way AI is being thrust upon us and are looking for an AI-free, fully functioning web browser option I highly recommend reading this TechCrunch article which highlights a few different search websites you can use instead!
I’ve personally decided to switch to DuckDuckGo for now (it’s actually amazing at blocking trackers), but I’m really glad that there are additional alternatives in case I end up needing to pivot away from that browser as well. I’m happy enough with DuckDuckGo, but it’s not quite up to what I’m used to with [original] Google.
*Bonus: if you would like to use a non-Google reverse image search, may I suggest TinEye as another option.
Looking to leave Google/G-Suite altogether? This creator is sharing some tips!
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How was your 4th of July? We spent a low-key day at home as a family — holiday coloring pages for both girls, a United States puzzle for Sophie, and lots of discussions about how having many different people as a part of our country makes us better and stronger. After we put Chloe to bed we toasted marshmallows on the back patio to make s’mores and then watched fireworks displays across the country on tv!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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