Friday Things #573

1. Last Sunday, both of the boys had birthday parties, so I decided to take Isabelle out for a little girl time while they were at their parties. We had lunch, browsed at a bookstore, and stopped at Starbucks. She enjoyed it SO MUCH, and it was such a nice little time with her. (She picked out an InvestiGators book, which was new to us, and she LOVED it… we also picked up The One and Only Bob for Joseph since he really, really liked The One and Only Ivan, and we got Dominic Who Was Roberto Clemente?)
2. This was her, the day before, “getting shade” at Joseph’s soccer tournament… I love that when she grabs stuff to keep her busy at a sporting event, she always grabs books 🩷 (In this picture, she was reading the Mister Rogers poetry book… and still wearing her beloved purse 😄)

3. The weather is looking dismal here this weekend; are you making anything fun for the long holiday weekend? If you need some inspiration, check out my summer recipes archive – there are so many wonderful recipes perfect for this time of year!
4. I made an impulse purchase last week after seeing Facebook ads for this TYMO automatic rotating curling iron. I am AWFUL at curling my own hair; it never looks good, and while I was hoping this might work well based on the videos I saw, I was sort of expecting it to be a dud. I was SHOCKED when I gave it a test run and it created perfect curls. I am still in disbelief, but oh my gosh, I’m so glad I gave this a shot! I don’t curl my hair often, but it’ll be great to have when I want to!
5. Love this >> “The secret to winning is learning how to lose. That is, learning to bounce back from failure and disappointment-undeterred-and continuing to steadily march toward your potential. Your response to failure determines your capacity for success.”
6. A social studies teacher had the parents of her 6th-grade class bring in relics from their childhood for a “Museum of the Millennial,” and it was such a blast from the past; I love it!
7. This is fascinating >> Genetic Adaptations Allow All-Female Korean Divers to Cope with Extreme Conditions
8. The kids spring sports seasons are over and ahhhhh I think we ALL need a little breather!
9. On that note, this is a great little read >> The Importance of Open Calendar Space. Ever since the kids’ activities have gotten busier, when we have free time on our calendar, I really try to not fill it with SOMETHING ELSE so we all have some time at home to do odds and ends and just BE.
10. TGIF! These two are masters of relaxation 😍




Thanks for the the tip on the rotating curling iron. I have shoulder-length hair that’s determinedly straight and a regular curling iron barely curls the ends or curls quickly fall flat. I was skeptical but bought the tool and oh my! It works so well and stays curled! Amazing!
Love the story about the Haenyeo divers…amazing!
I always thought you had curly hair like Isabelle but then I had another look at your photo and maybe not. I hope that new curling iron will make life easier for you. I always thought I had wavy hair and spent many hours trying to straighten it until an Australian hairdresser showed me how to use product and scrunch it and magically I have curly hair. Sometimes I even get ringlets. So much nicer not to have to fuss so much with my hair.
We are having a cool and sometimes rainy (like today) spring in southern BC but I have managed to get most of my plants planted. It managed to get up to 29 C (84 F) yesterday so it felt like summer and we had a fun hot dog barbecue at the beach of one of the 2 lakes here for 2 of the guys who are turning 75!!!
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
I love the picture of Isabelle reading an actual book! Too many kids are given an IPad or phone for entertainment. There’s nothing like turning pages of a book versus reading from a screen.
“When Life Gives You Tangerines” on Netflix is an amazing show set on Jeju, with characters who are women divers.
The Anxious Generation is a great book and talks about not over scheduling kids. I loved it!!!
What a great post- I love that you and Isabelle had some special time together to do what you both love. The quote is wonderful for all ages. I commend you and your husband for taking advantage of the breaks in scheduled activities to just relax and enjoy each other and individual interests(books, puzzles, games, etc)
It will be a rainy weekend here so cooking inside- pulled pork or maybe ribs.
Happy Weekend to all!
Michelle,
If you haven’t read it already the book “The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See is a wonderful story about the women divers on the Korean island of Jeju.
The picture of Isabell reminds me so much of my daughter when she was little. She always had a stack of books to bring to her brother’s tennis matches.
Love reading about your family life every Friday!
Your children are just what I need. I secretly follow your blog because your children warm my heart. I miss life with the innocence of kids and their minds that teach what’s really important. Thank you for sharing💖
#7 – I can’t remember if you’ve mentioned the novel, “The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See, or not, but it’s about these very women. I’ve read nearly all of her books, and this one is by far my favorite by her. It took a bit to get into, but it’s really good.
https://lisasee.com/books/the-island-of-sea-women