Power Nap #137
SCREEN TIME UPDATE / Nate's weird but great!! / protein caesar?!
SCREEN TIME UPDATE: Hello friends! HAPPY JUNE!!! We are full swing into summer and all the screen time struggles that go with it. If you saw my stories a few weeks ago I was one more question away from losing my ever-loving shit on my precious children. (There’s a tone that comes with a well-placed cuss word I need you to hear. Not “I was a little upset,” but rather full-on LOSING MY SHIT SMASH ALL THE SCREENS RAGE is what you need to picture). I thought it would be fun to record a little audio of what we tried, how it failed, and what we are doing now. We aren’t experts. This is me in the Moat of Low Status (aka sharing something I have in no way mastered). Enjoy.
CAN’T LISTEN? READ AUDIO TRANSCRIPT HERE.
Father’s Day is around the corner, and if your dad is anything like mine (aka the first call when something breaks) here are three gifts he’ll actually use — ON SALE!
I got my dad an electric screwdriver a few years ago as a gift and he has since gifted one to my siblings because he loves it so much. It easily recharges, has a built-in light, and is under $20! I have also gifted this to my father-in-law!
I recently realized how necessary a Shop-Vac is and this model is on sale! It can handle everything that a regular vacuum simply can’t, from sawdust to pollen on the back porch to car detailing. A few years back one of my kids dropped a snow globe that shattered into I kid you not 10,000 pieces complete with glittery gel substance and the shop vac sucked it out of the carpet like a champ.
Greenworks Pressure Washer: This is one of the most satisfying tools I didn’t know I needed until my parents gifted it to me a few years back. This model is even more powerful than mine and under $200!
Around here, we're big fans of gifts that earn their keep. Give him something practical he'll reach for long after Father's Day has passed. The Power Nap is free each week, and sponsors like Lowe’s help make that possible! Thanks for sponsoring this Power Nap, Lowe’s!
In Case You Missed It
Buggie’s Summer Salad is the prep-ahead salad of the summer.
A solid throw & go meal: here’s a cold dinner we had on a hot day eaten in a lawn chair. Containers we used here.
Here’s my review of Yesteryear. Are you confused? Same.
I got this skort and athletic shirt as a set last minute before golfing in PA and it was perfect! I love anything with a collar. Jess also got the skort and is wearing it over bathing suits for more coverage. We are obsessed!
Nate’s “Weird but Great”
Keeping with past Power Naps (and this one, and also this one), here is a running segment of “weird but great” people. Please send Nate submissions.
Marianne Wellington lives as a crane. “It can be tiring work,” she says. It’s a tough gig, but someone has to do it. via The Browser
Rahul Saggar is a self-described “calcuphile.” Yes, that means he collects calculators. Found by Hannah (NTK Team).
Richard Feynman is someone you should know. He was one of the most important physicists of the 20th century: he worked on the Manhattan Project as a young scientist, helped develop quantum electrodynamics, won the Nobel Prize, and later became famous for explaining physics in a way normal people could almost understand. But he also cracked safes at Los Alamos, played the bongos, drew, told stories, pulled pranks, and seemed allergic to taking himself too seriously. He said: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.” And “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” He’s a great reminder to “stay curious.”
Keeping track of everyone’s water bottles is a full-time job in the summer. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the feeling of our arms overflowing with water bottles plus a coffee and trying to get everyone in the car. This drink carrier is such a simple fix but has been so helpful for me. It has six slots for drinks (don’t need all six slots? Fold up one of the sides and you can fit 3 instead), can fit literally every size water bottle/coffee thermos I own–it’s true I tested it, and it folds up completely flat for storage. It’s not only helpful for leaving the house but also at the pool or playground everyone knows where to find their water…no more leaving a beloved water bottle underneath the slide! Shout-out to my friend Anna for this genius idea!
Things We Devoured
Jess here. I’ve been making this salad dressing once a week for a few months. It’s a healthier Caesar dressing and adds a ton of protein to a salad, but I keep making it because it just tastes incredible! Guys this blog post is 11 years old — and Brooke was really ahead of her time using Greek Yogurt and a crap ton of parmesan back in 2015 #proteingoals. I prep it at the start of the week and make fancy lunches all week. My sister brings me fresh lettuce from her garden every few days because she’s an angel and I’m a shameless freeloader. I add this dressing, crispy chicken thighs I also prep at the start of the week, shred a carrot and call it a fancy lunch. I also paired this dressing and salad with steak and homemade croutons for dinner last week and I told my husband this was my death-row meal. With a side of mac and cheese because, balance.
Thanks for reading!! Until next week,
Kate, Nate, Jess, Hannah and Molly
Yes to movies for screen time! I’ve noticed a huge difference in my kids behavior after a movie as opposed to shows, even short ones like Bluey. It’s the same concept of how we get sucked into an IG stories or reels doom scroll without even knowing it. New content constantly at our fingertips and the power to quickly move on to the next if we don’t love it. It quickly takes control of your life!
Love the screen time thoughts & the voice recording. I’m all about making sure the screen time is serving me instead of annoying me. So far we’re sticking to afternoon only unless we’re having a family movie night. But I’m not setting limits (same idea of wanting self-regulation) so we just turn it off when they’re ready to move on or I’m done with it, whichever comes first.