April and May kind of "became one,", so rather than try to parse out which recommendations belong in an April Monthly Medley and which recommendations belong in a May Monthly Medley, I've decided to combine the two months into one post.
Reading
I'm fairly certain I didn't read at all in April, and I know I didn't pick up a book in May until the very end of the month. I'm hoping to finish the one I just started, but it might be tight given that the library is already after me since I've had it for quite a few weeks...
Watching
Just like with reading, I hardly watched anything at all (other than episodes of Friends because they 1) have a calming, comforting effect and 2) they only last 22 minutes) in April and May - there just wasn't time. But at the very end of May, Tom and I watched both Jack Reacher movies and we all rewatched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One so we'd be ready to see Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning in theaters in June.
Now that I have a little more time, I'm going to binge everything in my DVD and then start sampling the many shows I've saved/bookmarked on our streaming services!
Listening To
Unlike reading and watching, I've listened to A LOT of new podcasts these last two months. They did a good job of distracting me from all the crazy and all of the emotional ups and downs.
First, Dancing With Shadows, about George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. As the parent of a ballet dancer, this was an incredibly interesting - and at times concerning and disheartening - deep dive into this man, his legacy, and the world he all but created.
Second, a Betrayal episode about Munchausen syndrome by proxy (otherwise known as factitious disorder imposed on another) led me to Nobody Should Believe Me. I've always been fascinated by this illness - ever since I watched The Sixth Sense decades ago - and listening to these families' journeys has been both eye opening and fascinating from an educational standpoint.
Third, season 61 of American Scandal about the history of television quiz show rigging. I'll never watch another quiz show without questioning its legitimacy after listening to this podcast...
Following
I don't think I starting following any new influencers, content creators, businesses, or organizations these last two months - if anything I'm unfollowing these days. My feed has gotten a little too crowded, so I could stand to spend some time "cleaning house" in June!
Trying/Using
The Dungeon (the Lads' locker room) has cement walls and is NOT temperature controlled, meaning if it's humid/cold/hot outside, it's humid/cold/hot inside. These two "features" together mean that hanging anything on the walls can be - to put it mildly - a challenge. Enter alien tape, which was missing from my life until this year and without which I don't know how I survived.
As a big fan of The Hunger Games series, Hallie asked for this updated book set for her birthday. It's so pretty...really disguises the fact that the series is about a dystopian society that kills off their children for sport and to maintain the power and wealth of a handful of elite.
I bought Will a pair of Goodr sunglasses last summer, and he really liked them. They recently met their demise, however (something about a backflip into a body of water while wearing them), so he asked for a new pair the next time a gift-giving occasion arose. I always "surprise" the kids a summer basket, which ended up being the perfect opportunity to give each of them a pair; Will picked Flamingos on a Booze Cruise, and I chose Sunbathing with Wizards for Hallie. They're affordable, sturdy, polarized, and are suddenly available a lot more places than they were available previously.
When I used to wear contacts, I could cut onions for hours. (Not that I ever did cut onions for hours, but I could have done so if needed.) Once I had my eyes fixed and I stopped wearing contacts, I couldn't cut onions at all - like it would take me 20 minutes to tackle half of an onion because I had to keep walking away to recover before moving on to the next cut. Enter onion googles, the greatest kitchen invention of all time. 10 out of 10, HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Wearing
So April and May include A LOT of special events, and as it turned out, I didn't have hardly anything to wear to spring special events. Throughout April I bought like 163 dresses from Amazon, Target, and Kohls; below are the ones I kept!
- Amazon #1 - chose the "floral beige multicolored" design, and love how well it flows and lays.
- Amazon #2 - chose the "green orange flower" design, and in addition to adoring the colors and floral pattern, I love that I can wear a regular bra and that it has pockets.
- Target - chose green for this one, but I like it enough that I might also buy it in the blue ikat.
- Kohls - loved all of the colors, but went with the blue. Sadly, this one shrunk in the wash - I can still wear it, but it doesn't fit as well as it did when I tried it on in the store.
I've been shopping for a strapless bra that stays up for probably decades, and I finally found one that I don't have to pull up from my waist every 10 minutes! I think it's a knockoff of the Shapermint bandeau, but it works and comes in a much lower price point.
My spring/summer dress shopping isn't quite done - we have a wedding to attend in July and none of these are quite right for the setting - but I'm close. 😃 (Also, stay tuned for pics of all of these in my upcoming "The Long and Short of It: Banquet Season" post!)
Eating/Drinking
I did actually manage to cook - beyond baking for the Lads - a couple of times in April and May.
First up was this Basic Quiche recipe from The Stay at Home Chef. I added bacon and gruyere cheese, and while the end result was delicious, I should note that the quiche took a good 20 minutes longer to fully cook than the recipe indicated.
Second was this Pasta e Fagioli Soup, which I made according to the recipe minus the bay leaves, which I never have on hand. The soup was delicious, but note that like most soups that contain pasta, it's best served at the exact moment the pasta is perfectly done. Because it's a crockpot recipe, I made it on a night when we all needed to eat at different times; as a result, those of us who ate later in the evening enjoyed more of a Pasta e Fagioli casserole than a soup.
Smiling About
- Fascinated by this place in South Korea where the sea parts and exposes a narrow swath of land for an hour twice a year.
- Bookmarking this list of the best feel-good movies so I can rewatch them this summer.
- Mom parkour - this is my jam.
- Class of 2025, 1st - 12th grade music recap.
