Harry Times...All Jacked Up: 2026

Monday, May 18, 2026

Unexpected weekend at home: School carnival, park bench reading, garage storage, and more (j/k-- that's it)

We planed to go to Pekin this past weekend with Ben since he had to be on his campus for commencement. But then! He was unable to leave on Friday to come home (he owes me a fancy bday dinner, BTW) because things escalated quickly, so we decided to stay in town. LUCKY FOR MINNIE because that meant she could go to the fundraising carnival at her school. (Which we neglected to tell her about since we were going to be out of town. She came home on Friday and was like um all the kids in my class are going to a water park together. I said really, and she goes, yeah I wish I was invited. It's called Splash. And, because I am not a monster, I told her that Splash is her school carnival and everyone is invited and she could go, too! SHE HAD THE BEST TIME EVER

Luckily! She and Cooper (big bro of the freaking YEAR for taking one for the team and coming along) both got whistles.

In other news, I used the Ember mug that Ben's parents got me for my birthday, and it is the most magical invention. If you do not have one already, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? You tell it your desired coffee temp, and every single sip of your beverage is the perfect temperature. You see the steam coming off my cup? EVERY SINGLE SIP was steaming. Magic.

A brand new street by our house finally got sidewalks, so I can work on finding my perfect 20-minute jogging loop. Seriously, I want a 20 minute route that I can loop around as many times as I want to do whatever run I am looking to do (usually 30-40 minutes, but sometimes more), and this street is KEY.

Also! I am in love with this new blue Lulu color. Ben bought me a bunch of workout gear from Lulu for my birthday, and I hated it all because he just bought what Dorothy wears in my size, and the thought of running outside in teeny weeny shorts and bras was hilarious to me. But! I exchanged it for the gear I wanted, and now I love it! Also, bless his heart. (I am loving Swiftly tanks, Shake Ot Out shorts (my Lulu was out of Wunder Train running shorts, but I am definitely going to try those one when they're back in stock-- I almost went with Fast and Free shorts, but they are SO UGLY with the little reflectors and the awkward pocket I would look like a dumbass if I happened to wear them to the grocery store or to watch Minnie's tennis lesson) and Flow Y brays).

My brother got me a Made In baking dish, and it made THE BEST fudgy brownies (every piece was like a corner!) and was pretty enough to also serve them. LOVED IT. Can't wait to make more stuff!

I do about 99% of my reading on park benches these days, and I am not complaining.

PARK SZN!

Also bike season-- I hope you, too, are hearing the wicked witch theme in your head

(Only Minnie and Cooper have bikes on the bike rack-- Minnie because that's what she does right now and Cooper because he might need to BIKE TO WORK at the pool if he doesn't have a shift with either of his bros)

I solved my first problem for 48, you guys! I realized I was tired of tripping over everyone's shoes when I open the door from the laundry room to enter the garage. We have shelves on either side of the door-- a set for me and Ben and a set for the kids-- and the idea is that people will put their shoes on a shelf. But instead! They kick them off as they're walking inside, creating a treacherous pile of shoes at the bottom of the steps, and I keep tripping and almost breaking my neck.

So. I asked Ben to BUILD A SHOE FENCE. Which he did with logs, garden fencing that absolutely does not keep out the bunnies, and a couple of pool noodles because the fence is sharp, and we didn't want to cause MORE accidents. I LOVE IT SO MUCH mainly because it is so very janky. **chef's kiss**

Also he finally put all the sleds in the attic, so if we get a May blizzard, it's all Ben's fault.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

I am FOUR DOZEN: intentions and reflections

What a fun birthday!!

My last dog walk as a 47-year-old

I made myself the most ridiculous Snickers cheesecake and ate it for breakfast

Sunglasses from the children (to replace one that one of them borrowed and accidentally ran over)

Ben and I had lunch together and went shopping in the cutest little town

I had a fun afternoon collecting bday freebies and discounts

And we ended the night with a toast

Yay 48! I am looking at four dozen roses as I write this and thinking about some intentions for this year. I just read Big Time, and you absolutely should, too, because it made me feel optimistic about the amount of time I have to spend and excited about all the ways I could spend it.

Some things I want to do this year:

1. Say YES more often, especially when the thing sounds a little scary. (Look for me in a crowded Chicago elevator and on a dinner cruise with a bunch of teen/tween girls next month, for example)

2. Practice radical kindness-- like as a default frame. (Spoiler: this is not my current default frame in any area). How nice would it be to take care of myself from this frame? (Like in a Foucauldian sense of rhetoric that cares for the self, not, like, a lot of bubble baths). Seriously, though. Think about running and lifting weights and eating foods to fuel your body from a place of radical kindness to yourself-- how great is that frame? And then when you apply it to interactions with others? I mean.

3. Run by 7:30 most* mornings. I feel better when I exercise at the start of the day even at the expense of resting, so I want to spend this whole year prioritizing that feeling. What is "most" though? NOT SURE. I am also really into the don't-break-the-chain mentality and am afraid that if I have a few late mornings, I will abandon the whole project. One thing I have going for me is that I HATE to be hot, so early mornings are going to be my best bet this summer, and in the fall/winter, I will basically have no choice.

4. Notice when I catch myself complaining and figure out how to make the situation better. While time is plentiful, it is also precious, and I want to spend this year developing a problem solving framework as opposed to more of an bitch-and-moan framework. I really hate our current job situation with Ben in an entirely different state most of the week. As we seek solutions, I can't just write off these years or lose them to a litany of complaints. So, I am going to notice what bothers me and fix it, in a very Rosie the Riveter, yes-I-can sort of way,.

Highlights from 47:

Discovered these most amazing eye patches that have transformed my life for the better