‘Editor’s Corner’ is a monthly-ish series highlighting what I’m loving, what I’ve been up to, what’s on my mind and more!
I hope everyone is having a great summer so far! We are soaking the season up as much as possible because it always flies by!
1. Let’s start off with the most exciting thing that happened this month. Yesterday (June 29), Etta turned 1! I’m still scratching my head on how this happened. All kids grow up fast, but birth to 1 goes by especially fast. I think primarily because they grow and change sooo much during this period. I’ll be posting a couple of blog posts soon – one for Etta’s birthday and one sharing photos she had taken by Aly!
RELATED READING: Etta is 1
2. Lake’s summer has been off to a fun start! This month she participated in the inaugural IRONKIDS Des Moines Fun Run. She ran the toddler trot through 80 feet of bubbles and received a medal. (Sidenote: I love how a portion of the registration fees went to Girls on the Run of Central Iowa). She has continued with gymnastics this summer and just started swim lessons. She’s already gotten in lots of park time (the girl loves to swing) and has had a blast playing with water toys in the backyard. (See #11 on here for a list of her favorite water toys).
3. We took a two day trip to Omaha and went to the Omaha Zoo and Omaha Children’s Museum this month. We all had a great time and I’ll be doing blog posts about both places. I think Lake had just as much fun swimming at the hotel pool as she did at the zoo and the museum. Sometimes I’m not sure if it gets any better for kids than hotel pools!
RELATED READING: Our Visit To The Omaha Zoo + Helpful Zoo Tips!
RELATED READING: Our Visit To The Omaha Children’s Museum
4. I hope all of the fathers and father figures had a great Father’s Day! Our family had a great one. We had brunch at Americana and then took a walk around Gray’s Lake. Lake and Etta made gifts for T at daycare. Lake also colored this card and I asked her the questions on this card. (This one cracked me up: Me: “What’s daddy really good at?” Lake: “Picking up the toys.”) I gifted T this jacket (it has great reviews for running) and this book which is so, so good.
5. I’ve been wearing this cardigan on repeat at work. I wear a cami underneath and love that it’s short-sleeved and “airy” enough for these 90 degree summer days we’ve been having. I have it in taupe, mauve and black.
6. Hy-Vee was kind enough to gift me their summer beauty box. I did an unboxing on my Instagram stories, which is saved in a story highlight labeled “Hy-Vee.” The box, which includes six products, has a retail value of more than $30 and costs $7.99. You can purchase it at your local Hy-Vee or online.
7. I enjoyed this article – “The Best Parenting Advice I’ve Ever Gotten.” The following advice from the piece made me sad but it serves as a really important reminder to stay in the present and make the most out of each and every day and each and every age:
“You are constantly losing them. Every parent’s deepest fear is losing their child. And the terrible, beautiful tragedy of parenthood is that, indeed, we are constantly losing our children. Day, by day, by day. Not literally, of course, but in the sense that they are constantly growing, changing, becoming someone different. On a daily, if not an hourly, basis. On the podcast, Professor Scott Galloway told me about the profound grief he felt looking at a picture of his 11-year-old, who was now a great 14-year-old. The 11-year-old, Galloway realized, was gone for good.”
8. Lake is currently really into this book. It’s such a fun and creative way to learn or recite the ABCs while also getting in some physical activity.
9. Loved coming across this post. We could use more companies like Chewy. Also, judging from the comments on the post from customers who shared similar experiences, this wasn’t a one-off occasion or PR stunt, which makes it all the more wholesome.
10. 8 Awesome Activities to Get Kids Outdoors – I definitely agree with #4. Some of our favorite water toys include: this pool, this waterpark play table, this splash pad, this folding water table and this toy set.
11. Speaking of water toys, I can’t vouch for its durability since I don’t own it, but this inflatable lounger looks really cool!
12. Josh, my friend and co-worker, was kind enough to invite us to his house so Lake could build a birdhouse. He created these neat birdhouse kits where the roof is a small license plate. For lunch, we did “Create Your Own Pizza” and cooked them in his Ooni Pizza Oven (which was included in my Father’s Day Gift Ideas). If you make a lot of pizza, I highly recommend checking it out (they have various models) – as the taste really is noticeably outstanding!
13. 99 Date Night Ideas For A Sweet Summer
14. I love a bright, statement nail every now and then, but I’m a neutral girl at heart. I recently bought this nail polish and it’s really lovely. It’s a sheer mauve. A ‘my nails but better’ shade.
15. The Top New Features in Apple’s iOS and iPadOS 16 – Pretty crazy that you can “Undo Send” to recall messages.
16. We had fun spectating and cheering on the runners in DAM to DSM. (The photo in this post was taken there). Afterwards we went to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market where I accomplished my only objective: buy homegrown tomatoes!
17. I appreciated this article since every once in awhile I’ll totally forget to set butter out to soften when I’m going to bake.
18. Such an impressive young lady!
19. And lastly, ONE GOOD QUOTE:
“The nature of life is change. And the nature of people is to resist change.”
I hope you had a terrific June! Thanks so much for reading!!
-Jolene
P.S. – ICYMI this month:
Father’s Day Gift Ideas
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*Click HERE to read past Editor’s Corner posts.
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