the take home folder vol 118

I’m the weirdo who likes to leave our Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends relatively open. There’s just something about being home for the (unofficial) start and close of summer that makes me happy. Whatever the weekend brings you, I hope it’s a good one and that we can all take a moment to remember and honor those who died serving our country.

What is something I can do for our home?

What is something I can do for/with our family?

What is something I can do for myself?

Today for me it’s doing yard work (family effort!), making a treat with a sous chef or two, and reading on the front porch.

here’s this week’s take home folder, enjoy!

Has anyone else found themselves becoming increasingly Type B as they get older? I used to have all of my ducks in an almost perfect row. And I’ve just let go of that a little bit over time. Maybe it’s our stage of life. Maybe it’s just realizing what actually matters. Either way, I’m embracing it.

Exhibit A - planting flowers! An activity that brings me great joy every spring. And I’m not set on planting the same varieties every year - why not mix it up? Here’s this year’s lineup, based fully off of what caught my eye at the garden center. Long live whimsy.

When I went through all of the stuff I had in storage from my classroom (a FEAT that took months), there were a few things I just couldn’t bring myself to give away. One was a mini thirtyone tote that a family had embroidered my name on. In my classroom I used it at my teacher table to hold supplies. I had the thought to use it to corral my hair clips in my vanity drawer.

And it has made me smile so much. I open the drawer daily and find exactly what I need in one spot - and it also makes me think of the sweet student who gave it to me. So glad I found a use for it.

Is there anything meaningful that could be given fresh life or used for functionality in your home?

Todd and I had this for lunches last week and it hit the spot. Recipe is from Diane Morrisey on IG. Here is her original reel.

4 chicken breasts, shredded (I used rotisserie chicken)

1/3 c mayo and 1/3 c plain greek yogurt

1 heaping T dijon mustard

1 heaping T grainy mustard (I omitted)

1 T honey

zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 c chopped dill

1/4 c chopped parsley

1/3 c chopped banana peppers and a splash of the juice from the jar

s + p

Mix all ingredients together and adjust to taste. Serve with crackers or on a sandwich with arugula, chips, and cheese. YUM.

Only 9 more school days to go for my kiddos until sweet summertime. And while it’s not realistic to have our house perfectly deep cleaned and decluttered the moment the bell rings on June 5th, I have identified the 3 home tasks that I know will feel good to have handled ahead of summer break.

1. Our storage room. We are fortunate to have a large storage room but gosh if it isn’t almost always a dumping ground. I know 1-2 hours in there will make a huge difference in getting things purged/organized/clearing the floor.

2. My younger son’s clothes. His dresser drawers are too full and I have a bin of clothing in the storage room that needs to be gone through. Goal = streamline his wardrobe and sell/pass along everything that’s too small.

3. Papers - I have a large paper pile that I’ve been shuffling around. Ughhh. Going to sit down with it and shred/file/deal with/recycle so it doesn’t multiply over the summer.

Anything in your home currently bugging you? Could you choose a couple things to deal with now ahead of summer?

Recently, it feels like a “hot take” that our family loves and intentionally chooses public school for our kids.

I shared this on IG and got a lot of messages about it. Many from people who also love and staunchly support public schools. And some from people who explained their choice to either go private or homeschool their kids.

Here’s the thing - I didn’t say that homeschooling or private school is wrong or bad in any way. We have several friends who send their kids to private school or homeschool and it’s been great for them for a myriad of reasons. I’m glad they’ve found their fit.

What I was hoping was to open a dialogue about the fact that it has become normalized to drag public school through the mud, especially on social media.

Are public schools perfect? Oh gosh, not even close. There is so much work to be done. Teachers and school staff are horribly underpaid. We’re learning more about the effects of one-to-one devices and it isn’t pretty. (SO glad this has become a conversation lately - I’d love to see tech usage in elementary dialed way back.) Schools are losing essential funding. Every school I taught at could have used more reading and math specialists, counselors, qualified substitute teachers, and SpEd staff. It’s infuriating that the public school experience can vary from zip code to zip code and state to state.

And yet, one of the best decisions we ever made as a family was to send our boys to our neighborhood public elementary school. Our kids’ school is diverse racially, socioeconomically, culturally, and religiously which is important to us. The staff members at our school truly care. Families from our school community make up a huge part of our daily village. The opportunities for leadership, growth, and robust experiences our kids have been given are top notch. Maybe most importantly? Our boys love going to school every day. We will reassess if needed, but plan to continue with public schools through graduation.

Ultimately, the state of education is so much bigger than the choices of individual families. Is bashing public school helpful to anyone? Can’t we all pay some attention to what is happening in our local school district and…want the best for it? Can we stop shaming families who have no choice but public or intentionally choose public?Shouldn’t we all want public schools to thrive, whether or not our kids are walking through those doors every day?

Bottom line - I haven’t and will never yuck on anyone’s school choice nor do I want anyone to yuck on mine. There are pros and cons to all scenarios - that’s life. We can be all in on our family’s choices and still support others in doing what feels right to them.

see you right back here next week,

recent favorites

early dinners - we’ve been eating dinner in the 4:00/early 5:00 hour when our kids have baseball games and dare I say I love it? Yay for dinner having time to digest before bed.

pura - I have it on a schedule to run a couple hours in the a.m. and a couple hours in the evening (ours is set to ‘subtle’). They have every scent you can imagine but I am drawn to the clean scents like White Tea, Salt, and Linens & Surf. If you’re interested in trying while they’re on sale, code NICOLE stacks for an extra 20% off the Pura 4.

Eby bras are buy one get one free this weekend. I love the Relief Bra and the Support Bralette (pictured, the mesh back is SO nice) and wear them daily as a person with a larger chest. Follow the size chart on their website.

These cooling PJs are a dream. Sizes xs-3x. Go with your numerical size. Use code POPPY for 55% off site wide. I’ve been trying to set out my book and pajamas each morning so they’re awaiting me at bedtime.

The muscle tank I wear for summer walks and workouts and use as a layering piece is 40% off. Size up, it runs snug and short but I promise it’s worth a try. Super comfy, stays put, lovely fit.

Spotify audiobook listening hours - I debated getting a Spotify membership for years and finally went for it in 2025. Now it’s one of my favorite little things I do for myself. They offer 15 hours of audiobook listening included in your membership each month and it delights me to be able to listen to new releases without having to wait for the library holds list. So many thoughts after finishing Into the Blue, whew.

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