Power Nap #143
The Low Bar with Kids / Screen Time Experiment UPDATE / What's Saving Hannah's Life!
ONLY MOVIES SCREEN TIME UPDATE — Hey friends! Since being in CA on our trip, we have shared one TV and one (too small) couch. The pro, however, is that we are getting in a ton of family movie time. Many of you may remember in an earlier Power Nap I shared how we made the rule the kids can only watch movies this summer. Well, so far it’s been wildly effective. They seem to be able to find other things to do easier, get bored more, and tend to turn the TV off after a movie is over in a way they just don’t do when Netflix automatically plays the next episode of a show. While on this trip, we have watched Lord of the Rings 1, 2, and 3 over the course of eight days. I (Kate) had never seen them, and Nate is currently rereading the books. Now, these movies are a bit scary (Gollum is a creature of nightmares) and gory, but on the whole it’s an awesome story. We also watched the new Sheep Detective movie (Loved! What a star studded cast!), and it also was a bit on the scary side for the kids. Basically we accidentally introduced the topic of murder and attempted murder for about 12 days. Oops. Ended with School of Rock, which, while it has some language, is such a great movie. When it comes to movies, Nate and I will push the boundaries for the sake of a deep storyline versus 90% of the crap on Netflix and Youtube. I’ll reshare our movie list we made last year again in case anyone needs some ideas.
The beautiful thing about QVC is that they are able to work with really big brands and get products at a solid discount. It’s basically become the exclusive place I purchase my favorite cleansing balm (I do original scent - smells like a spa)! They also have deals going for the Dyson V15 and the KitchenAid stand mixer in both 5-quart (in a ton of colors) and 7-quart. I have a 5-quart, but if/when I replace it I would want the 7-quart for the sole purpose of tripling cookie dough recipes (Do people replace their mixers? Do they ever die? I swear my grandmother’s is 60 years old). If you're already planning on buying one of these bigger-ticket items, it's worth checking QVC first because the savings can be significant. The Power Nap is free each week, and sponsors like QVC help make that possible! Thanks for sponsoring this Power Nap, QVC!
In Case You Missed It
I wrote a post about ice cream that really has nothing to do with ice cream and everything to do with adolescence and life being hard. Read it here.
This is why I work out. It’s the “Go Mom!!” for me.
Buggie’s Summer Salad is the prep-ahead BBQ chicken salad you need this summer. It’s great for the pool, beach, or for feeding a large crowd. The best part is that you can prep everything ahead of time and assemble in 3 minutes.
No pan lid? Do this instead.
Molly convinced me to try these towels after featuring them in her must-haves a few weeks ago, and now I understand the hype. They pack down so small, making it easy to throw a couple in my bag for any adventure where someone inevitably gets wet or cold.
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” — Mark Twain
What Nate Learned on Vacation
Our plan for the day was a day trip from Santa Cruz through Monterey down to Big Sur and back. I’d worked out the pull-offs at scenic spots, a hike down to a beach in a state park, and two restaurants with views as good as any in the country. We woke the kids at 6:30 to be on the road by 7.
One kid was sick. Nauseous and warm. And the day I’d planned meant four hours in the car on winding roads.
So we pivoted. I took the other three to a state park nearby. We found crabs in a tidal pool (mostly dead ones). There were rocks to climb. They got in the ocean.
Two hours in, we went looking for lunch and found a Taco Bell sharing a parking lot with a McDonald’s. Neither had outdoor seating. The weather was perfect, so we sat in a circle on the curb at the edge of the parking lot with soft tacos, a couple McDoubles, a McChicken, and one Baja Blast that we passed around like a whiskey bottle.
They’d never had Taco Bell. Allie took one bite and said, “Wow, this taco meat is INCREDIBLE.” I said, “I know, girl.” They talked about the Baja Blast the way people talk about a meal in Rome. We sat against the wall with the sun on our shoulders and laughed.
Here’s the part I keep turning over. I didn’t choose this. A kid got sick and the good day fell out of the wreckage of the day I’d planned.
I don’t think the lesson is that kids don’t need the nice thing. Give me the Italian countryside, I’ll take it. It’s that I can’t manufacture the parking lot. I can only leave enough room for it. And I’m always surprised at how low the bar is for a day they’ll remember: a soft taco, a dead crab, a Baja Blast passed around a circle of kids sitting on a curb.
What’s Saving My Life: Hannah
Hi hi! Here are ten things I’m loving this summer!
We took our toddler on a plane for the first time and I was pretty nervous about keeping her entertained for the whole flight. My two big wins were 1) these wireless bluetooth headphones from Amazon so she could listen to her music or watch an episode of Barney and 2) this Melii snack container with individually opening compartments. Bonus win — she loved opening/shutting each of the compartments so much that it doubled as a toy when she had cleaned out all the snacks inside. There is truly nothing toddlers love more than opening & shutting things over and over.
I have been using this Bentgo Chill lunchbox with a built-in ice pack to pack lunches for preschool summer camps. We had the standard Bentgo box this past school year and while it worked great, I love this one even more.
I loved wearing this fun, bright, double-lined swimsuit (that’s less than $50 on Amazon) at the beach last week. I also loved that I didn’t have to re-apply sunscreen as much since it doubled as a rash guard. It looks like it could be from Farm Rio or Boden and feels so high quality.
Naturium barrier bounce serum — this serum is a thinner milky consistency that leaves your skin so glowy. I like that it’s not sticky at all and doesn’t leave any kind of tint or residue. I love wearing it in the mornings after I wash my face before I put on any makeup.
Iced mint tea sweetened with honey, fresh mint, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. I’ve been making a huge batch at the beginning of the week and enjoying a glass around 3pm every day when I need a pick-me-up.
Plastic deli containers for sweets & meals to loved ones. I am in a season of life where I have a meal train for a new mom or I’m taking someone a homemade sweet treat/coffee at least once every two weeks, if not more. While we have glass tupperware containers with locking lids for our leftovers at home, these plastic deli containers have been a lifesaver for not worrying about getting my nice glass containers back. This video of Kate’s from several years ago does a great job of explaining when to use glass vs. plastic tupperware!
This Target Mini Tulip bucket bag is a great size for travel and has a fully detachable cross-body strap which I love. I recently went on a girls weekend with my mom to New England and tucked this purse in my Land’s End tote bag that I used as my carry-on. Then once we were at our destination and I wanted to walk around with a cute purse instead of a big tote bag, I just pulled it out and voila! Ready to hit the town.
Rewearing my clothes in new ways. My SIL taught me this trick — any time she wears an outfit she loves or a “new” outfit (aka a combo of something in her closet she’d never worn together before), she takes a mirror selfie and saves it in an album on her phone called OUTFITS. I’ve loved having this album to look at when I’m in a hurry to get dressed because it gives me a ‘lookbook’ of things I know I love and wear more clothes in my closet.
These toddler tennis shoes have a wide toe box, over one thousand 5 star reviews, and one thick velcro strap that my two year old can put on & take off by herself. Win win win.
Designing & printing my own stationery in Canva. Monogrammed stationery can be so expensive, and I wanted some fun one-sided notecards that felt personalized without breaking the bank. I designed and printed several versions all within Canva that were pretty affordable. As I already mentioned, I’m in a season where I’m taking a lot of meals to loved ones, and a short little hand-written note goes a long way. Kate has an amazing tip to keep stationery & a pen in your car so you never forget to write a note — genius!!
If I’m being honest though, the real hero that’s been saving us this summer is just a LOT of ice cream and popsicles by the pool.
The Baja blast pass-around 🥹
I actually cried reading the Taco Bell story. And I can guarantee the kids will remember this for a very long time. Kids don't know some of the most amazing things the world holds but they can learn about the simple things. Sharing a meal, outside in the California summer with foods they've never had. Great pivot and great lesson Nate.