Welcome to another blog post where I jabber on about something completely inconsequential while trying desperately to pretend Everything Is Okay.
(I clicked on an article this morning about how scientists have detected a continent-destroying “heartbeat” beneath Ethiopia because things really do feel increasingly apocalyptic and I like to know all the ways the universe is trying to purge itself of humanity. TL;DR: this new threat shouldn’t emerge for another million or so years.)
Drastic tone shift!
It’s summer! And super hot! I haven’t worn pants or styled my hair in days! Every time I step outside my skin turns into a puddle!
Here’s how I am surviving:
Iced Chai: Thanks to Trader Joe’s, I have traded in my morning cuppa Earl Grey for a tall glass of iced chai. I pour in about a quarter cup of the spiced chai black tea concentrate, add enough water to fill the glass half way, add ice, then fill the rest of the way with skim milk. I also add a little topper of half-and-half, as a treat.
Pool Time: I realize that we are super lucky to have our own pool, but I think I would be dragging myself and my child to any pool possible. It’s not like I enjoy wearing a swimming suit, or even being in the water. But it feels less gross to be a sweaty mess at the pool than anywhere else, and I like feeling like it’s acceptable to lie around in nearly no clothing, and I like the ability to pop into the water when I feel like I’m about to sublimate. We’ve pulled out the pool toys (and I got an electric air pump so no one has to hyperventilate whilst filling up a flamingo or anything; the air pump is magical), we’ve set up the outdoor furniture, we’ve been really making use of the pool and I am very grateful. By the way, these are my favorite pool floaties because your body remains partially submerged while you drift around in the currents made by a cannonballing child.
Pants Free Living: I am living in these jersey dresses from Boden, and occasionally this similar dress I got last summer from Amazon. They all feel like I’m wearing pajamas AND they have pockets. I am also a huge fan of these shorts and tank top from Quince. Okay, while I was searching for the link to the Boden dress, I came across this one and bought it immediately. (If you want 20% off your Boden order, you can use this link.)
Supportive Sandals: I ordered a third pair of these orthotic flip flops because I love them so much. I wear one pair inside the house to stave off plantar fasciitis and now I have a pair of black ones and a pair of navy ones to wear anytime I leave the house. They are so comfortable.
The Perfect Sunscreen: Now that we have sunshine I am even more diligent about slathering my face with sunscreen every time I pop outside. I am in love with this Neutrogena sunscreen serum and have been using it for a few years now. It’s hydrating, it’s super lightweight, it absorbs completely (rather than sitting on my skin like some sunscreen), and it has some component that gives my skin this lovely glowy sheen, which is so different from most sunscreens, which leave me with a chalky pallor. It’s also compatible with my super-sensitive prone-to-breakouts face and does not bother my skin in the least. It’s become one of my favorite skincare products and the instant I get close to running out I order a backup.
Wet Hair, Don’t Care: I am surviving summer with cold showers and without my hair dryer. Shampoo, leave-in conditioner (I’m currently using this one), throw the whole mane up in a claw clip. Does it look cute? Not really, no. Do I care? Not enough to endure hair drying.
Cool Sleeping: I persist in being a terrible sleeper; last night, I went to bed at ten, then proceeded to wake up at 12:20, 1:30, and 3:00 and then couldn’t get back to sleep until after 4:00. I feel like I am doing All The Things (except taking a sleep aid, I guess) and I am so constantly tired I want to cry. My husband has tried everything in his power to help me sleep better, and one of those things was buying this ridiculously expensive cooling comforter. It is worth every penny. Now, I am never too hot because of the comforter (only because of my internal wackjob thermometer). Every time I slip beneath the sheets (which are also stupid expensive; we’ve got a spendy cooling duvet cover too) I feel cool and comfortable no matter how hot it is outside.
Bug Shield: The worst thing about being outside is mosquitos, and our mosquito repellent device continues to do an amazing job of keeping the nasty critters away.
Indoor Fun: We’ve been enjoying the outdoors, but when it’s just too hot Carla and I have been retreating to the cool of the house to play board games. Since it’s just the two of us – or three when my husband is home – we stick with games that are fun with two players, like SkipBo or Clue or Exploding Kittens. I’ve heard good things about Monopoly Deal so I may have to add that to our collection.
What are your summer must-haves?
Team wet hair and muumuu here too.
Have you thought about HRT? My sleep is all better after 6 weeks on low-dose estrogen and progesterone and my internal thermostat is back to normal. It is a miracle.
At the orthodontist the other day, it seemed like 90% of the moms were embracing the wet hair look.
I tried to make myself an iced chai at home and it was lousy. I’ll check out TJ’s version. I’ve never seen the Neutrogena serum you’re using and I adore Neutrogena products so now I’m suspicious about why it isn’t on our shelves. Will investigate.
The Neutrogena is SO GOOD Ally.
Hm. As I sit here sipping my hot tea, it makes me think that maybe I should attempt to make iced tea with my herbal tea. I should switch things up, right?
I’m tempted by that Neutrogena serum. I have been searching for the perfect sunscreen option. How does it smell? The smell is what gets me. The Japanese have managed to figure out scentless sunscreen, but not us.
My hot tea, which I love wholeheartedly, was setting off hours-long hot flashes and I just had to make a change. The only reason I don’t use my regular tea to make iced tea is pure laziness.
I would say I’m fairly sensitive to smells, and I don’t think the Neutrogena serum has a scent AT ALL.
I just got some hiking shorts and my life will never be the same. They are super lightweight, have great ventilation, keep me covered to nearly my knees, have one billion pockets, and (in my opinion) look great. I’m not sure where I got the inspiration, but I suspect it has something to do with all of the Boy Scouts that I live with.
Any day that I can air dry my hair is a good day. I can’t explain why I hate the dryer so much, but I do.
We had one day this week that was so hot that Doggo didn’t go outside all day long. I figure that she’s a big girl and knows how long she can hold out between outdoor visits, but geez, we’d already had a streak of hot days so what was it about the few extra degrees that made it preferable to hold it instead of going outside for 30 seconds to take care of business?
We got a lot of mileage out of Exploding Kittens in our house back in the day. Good times! Now if only we’d had a cute little kitten to watch us play, or more likely to jump up on the table and interrupt the game.
Your hiking shorts sound wonderful!
Poor Doggo. I get it, though. Every extra degree makes me hate life a little more. I’m really glad my bathroom is indoors.
Lenny loves to eat playing cards, as we now know. He claims he’s not eating them, he’s just tasting them.
I can’t keep my old cat off the counters–which is annoying because she will drag stuff off. Cookies? (butter frosting to lick) Cheddar pretzels? (Yummy cheese taste) She can get into any package because she’s relentless. I LOVE those sandals. I have a pair, thanks to your recommendation, and they’re extremely comfortable. Sorry about the hot weather. We’re enjoying 70s right now. I could easily deal with those temps all summer but doubt we will.
I don’t know if there IS a way to keep cats off the counters. Maybe just when you’re in the room is all you can hope for? I am very jealous of your 70s temps! Sounds lovely!
I’m so in love with your cat. I’m sure he’s on your last nerve, but I wish I could catsit!
I love when you share links to things—you have such good taste. I’ve been wearing dresses this summer too. I got some on Amazon back in 2022 and still wear them. I love easy, washable dresses. Heading to shop your links now!
He is WAY too cute to get on my last nerve. I love him so much, Kari!
Thank you for the sweet compliment! I hope you find something fun to buy!
Oooh! You know I’m a Big Neutrogena Fan, but I’ve never seen that serum. Maybe it doesn’t exist in Canada? I don’t know but I do love their face sunscreens. They don’t seem greasy to me. I’m going to search out this serum, bet on it!
How I wish I could hang out by your pool. We have a huge property but for a variety of reasons no space for a pool, which is both a bummer and not a bummer, because I hear they are a lot of work to maintain. Mark worked in a pool liner servicing job last year and hoo boy. It was hard work, let’s just say that.
I’m guessing if you’re not taking sleep aids, there is a reason, but if for some reason there is no reason (sorry about the weird sentence with too many “reasons”) maybe it’s something to consider? Not every day but once in a while to break the cycle. I find Sleep Eze to be good in that it gets me to sleep deeply, but I’m not at all groggy when I wake up 7.5 hours later. Same with Advil Nighttime. I’m not recommending medication to solve your sleep needs, but I’m not NOT doing that either.
That said, maybe I need a cooling blanket. Or pajamas! I’ve heard bamboo pajamas are supposed to be great for that.
The serum is not greasy at all! I love it so much and hope you can find it!
The pool is a mixed blessing. It is SO fun, and feels SO worthwhile on days like this… but it is a ton of work and so costly to maintain. Plus, you need (“need”) all this extra stuff to make it comfortable and enjoyable. I love it, though!
Thank you for the sleep aids recommendations! I will look into Sleep Eze and Advil Nighttime! Sometimes I take a Benadryl, which knocks me out for about 4-5 hours. But other than that, I’ve just been nervous about taking one! My husband thinks it’s weird that my doctor hasn’t recommended one, but I guess they want to rule out sleep apnea first?
Bamboo pajamas! I need to look into those!
I LOVE that you bought a dress IN the course of writing this post. I don’t really know what my summer must-haves are, other than air conditioning. The ice maker, I guess, since the fridge one died again. I have a mineral powder sunscreen that I love but honestly it’s not really strong enough, and I’m always searching for one that doesn’t make me want to claw my face off.
I LOVE iced chai, but I live in STUPID CANADA so no Trader Joe’s. Great idea, though.
I have house sundresses and outside sundresses. I don’t wear pants from April on generally.
I bet your hair IS cute.
I am nothing if not a good, impulsive shopper, Allison!
Yessssss ice maker. I love ice so very much. And ice water. And ice in other beverages.
I should send you a photo for proof of how not-cute my hair is, but I can’t remember if you even know what I look like so it may be Quite Startling lol.
I have never had an iced chai, and typically don’t like warm beverages served cold…BUT I love chai and wish I could try this. As Allison has pointed out, we don’t have Trader Joes in Canada. Womp, womp.
We play Monopoly Deal every single day right now. It is a great game and I DON’T like games. I love that a round is over in less than 10 minutes.
Lenny is just beyond adorable, poking his cute little head up behind the counter. Gah. Carla must be head over heels.
Long-time lurker here to share with my Canadian counterparts that I fuel my serious chai latte obsession with Tazo concentrate (same brand used by St*arbucks) that I buy in embarrassing quantity bulk from Costco. I drink it hot in winter and over ice in summer!
Okay, the fact that Monopoly Deal has 10 minute rounds is a big selling point! I need to get it asap.
My kid and this kitten ADORE each other. It is so darling.
Try butterfly shorts. It started because I was looking for new shorts for Alex and I said “hey, look at these, aren’t they cute?” and now she only wears butterfly shorts and some of her friends’ moms said “hey, those are really cute, where did you get them?” and now all her friends wear butterfly shorts and then I said “why should Alex get all the cute shorts and now me, Elizabeth, and my friend Coco also wear butterfly shorts. So light and breezy and also very adorable. Get the ones with pockets on the inner layer.
I have ordered your sunscreen.
Also try a neck fan. So lovely in the summer and they make a real difference when you have to be outside. I got a two pack at Costco this year to supplement the two of them my husband got me for my birthday a few years ago.
BUTTERFLY SHORTS. Yes. I need some right away. Thank you!
I hope you love the sunscreen as much as I do!
Next time I go to Costco, I will look for neck fans!
The best thing ever is that you all enjoy your pool so much!
It’s so sad when there’s a big pool and it just sits there unused. Our old neighbor used to beg us to come use her pool because it made her so sad no one was in it.
Oh that would be sad! The previous owners told us they put in this pool about ten years ago and they used it for one summer. WHAT?!? And WHY?!?!
How fun to have a pool.
We had a 3-day heat wave with temps at or near 100 and killer humidity earlier this week, so it was delightful to wake up and see 68 as the current temperature on my phone. I put on long sleeves! We turned off the A/C and opened windows (probably just for today) and the cats are excited to be able to sit in the windowsills.
Oooooh a nice cooldown! I love when temps are right for opening the windows. All that fresh air is so intoxicating.
Okay, phew-I’m glad we got a Lenny shot in there!
Sounds like you’re embracing summer the right way. Except for the sleep, arg. I also had a very poor night’s sleep last night, and I’m reading Nicole’s comment above. Maybe I should try a sleep aid? It would be better than tossing, turning and worrying half the night.
For all the Canadians- there’s a good chai tea concentrate on Amazon (if you like to order from them, of course, not everyone does nowadays.) Of course I can’t remember the brand but it comes in a carton. They even have a sugar free one which is YUMMY. I think the brand might be Oregon Chai.
I’m sorry you’re having a bout of poor sleep, too, Jenny. It’s the worst!
Dang, that spiced chai concentrate looks like a winner. Will have to see if I can score some here. And yeah, it’s been super hot here too in Quebec. Thankfully, this year, we bough a small free standing mobile AC unit that is keeping the apartment cool enough for me.
Sleep is critical. I have 300+ thread count sheets and no, don’t use a comforter. I sleep under just the top sheet, which works for me. The OH has a lightweight comforter (a summer blanket they call it).
Oh, and I love the Neutrogena product range, they always have something perfect.
I bought that dress from Amazon from when you linked in a year or so ago. It’s a great addition to my summer wardrobe when I can never figure out what to wear.
Lenny!!! What a cutie! Of course he’s on the counter – he now owns the place!
I haven’t been sleeping well either. I just had a sleep study done, even though I was sure I didn’t have sleep apnea. But it turns out I do. At this point I will try anything to sleep better, so the C-PAP machine is on its way. I’ll have to write a post about it once I get going on it.
When I’m too hot at night, I have some Cyro-Max cold packs. They’re great for many uses.
I’m going to try your sunscreen!
Popping over to say hello and thanks for commenting! We are clearly kindred spirits despite your aversion to Disney, as I am also an editor and solidly Team Oxford Comma. My kids have enjoyed Monopoly Deal, so I think it’s worth a shot! Looking forward to following along!
My summer must haves are lots of dresses, cool showers, skirts, cold beverages, and no make up. I want to wear make up but it will just slide down my face as I profusely drip sweat.
My summer must-haves are sundresses and a bit of pool time and crockpot dinners and searching stores for the right dress for me (have the 4 girls’ dresses and a few options for me, but nothing that I love) to wear to our family portrait next month. I’m avoiding sugar right now and refusing to eat after dinner – trying to deal with the fallout of the meds I take that increase my appetite. Boo hiss. I miss ice cream.