Hello from the first week of school. I am not gonna lie, the transition to middle school has been bumpy. Nate and I sort of knew it would be? We are both very optimistic by nature, but we have been bracing for a hard few weeks. I have been thinking about school a lot, and how as a kid it can be one of few places where you are pushed and challenged in so many ways you might not get elsewhere. Maybe it’s the academics, or the peer relationships, or the unfamiliar smells in the cafeteria, or finding a friend at recess, or having a teacher you don’t love. There are a lot of things at school that we, as parents, cannot fix for them. And I think that’s a good thing.
Maybe part of our job is helping them walk into places that stretch them, and then making home a place where they can come back and exhale. Their bodies and minds are learning how to deal with anxiety and conflict and also how to add and multiply numbers.
We have a “no TV during the week” rule and when Johnny came home from school yesterday, Nate looked at him and said, “Do you want to play Civilization with me?” (this is a PlayStation 5 game.) Did it break the no TV rule? 100%. Was it absolutely the right call for a kid hot off the bus from one of the biggest transitions of his entire life to date? 100%.
I very much do not have a perfect answer here. We are currently in the thick of figuring it out. But if school has been a hard transition for one of your kids too, thinking of 2–3 small ways to make home feel easier has been really helpful for us. Like the small thing I can control when there’s so much I really can’t. Simple dinners they like. Less on the calendar. Sitting on the couch breaking all the rules playing your PS5. Nothing profound. Just a little less asked of them at home while they figure out how to do this big, new thing.
Thanks for coming to my TedTalk, hope you like this week’s PowerNap!
Our team as a whole cannot get enough of Quince! Jess and Kate have the same gorgeous quilt in green 👯♀️. It comes in 6 other colorways (how darling is the pink for a girl’s room!?). Funny enough, both Kate’s dad and Nate are wearing these pants and really like them. They look like nice slacks but with an athletic fit and comfort. Lastly, Hannah is giving this beautiful diamond necklace to her friend to mark a big life moment and you really can’t beat the price point for 14K gold and natural diamond.
We continue to go to Quince for kids’ clothing too. Their sweaters are all awesome — Allie wears this one and you know I love the sweater I wore all over California! I’ve talked a few times about their girls’ dresses: the crewneck and scoop neck are both 10/10. Main difference is the neck (obviously) and the pocket. The crew neck has a larger, square patch pocket on the outside which I really love, whereas the scoop neck has a classic dress pocket. There is a long sleeve version that Allie has worn every single day in the sweltering heat (not kidding; we wash it and she puts it right back on) and the scoop neck has a long sleeve option as well. The Power Nap is free each week, and sponsors like Quince help make that possible! Thanks for sponsoring this Power Nap, Quince!
The item that was Jess’ top product of 2024 is on sale! A baby monitor so good that she now has 3. You can link multiple cameras onto one monitor screen. There’s no Wi-Fi, it has really good range and over 18k reviews. It’s on sale for under $60 which is way cheaper than she purchased it for a couple years ago.
The cord clips that organize the tangle of cords on your nightstand or desk are SO satisfying and helpful. You get 9 in a pack for under $10!
Evidence that we watched The Parent Trap one too many times this summer. Scout deserves an Oscar.
With all of the “new-ness” of school, my advice is to keep dinner simple and familiar. Exhaustion footage of my kids here.
Here are the 6 meals I am making for week one of school. Like stated above, keep it familiar, simple, and comforting.
Here’s my Back to School Prayer for the Anxious Parent I wrote a few years ago. It continues to really help me year after year.
Dogs that can smell cancer? “[T]hey are able to detect the presence of multiple cancers in your breath - requiring nothing more than a face mask and ten minutes of your time - at an accuracy that no machine on Earth has managed, without the need for a blood draw, a scan, or a hospital visit. And the only thing they ask for in exchange for providing this vital service, is a generous supply of treats [and] belly rubs . . .” This reminds me of the woman who could smell Parkinson’s. Smell remains an underrated sense. via Weekly Dose of Optimism
“Few areas of modern life have changed more in the last 50 years than the amount of time fathers spend with their children. Boomer dads spent 2x as much time with their children as their fathers spent with them, but only half as much as their sons will spend with their own children.” via The Friday Update
For the last few years director Steven Soderbergh has been publishing his media diary. In other words, what he read or watched on each day of 2025. I enjoyed scrolling through to see the stuff a top-tier director decides to consume (since the secret to life is knowing what to ignore!). In particular, (a) I love his love of tennis! and (b) noticed how many old movies he watches (I suspect rewatches). Via OSV Field Notes.
Google has a plan to get rid of mosquitoes. Here it is: release 32 million mosquitoes into California and Florida per year for two years. Now wait a minute you say, I’m no mathematician, but that seems like MORE mosquitoes. “[I]t works because of one biological quirk: male mosquitoes don’t bite. Only females need a blood meal to make eggs, so releasing males adds zero bites to your summer. Debug [the name of Google’s plan] raises males carrying Wolbachia, a bacterium found naturally in loads of insects, and when one of those males mates with a wild female that lacks the same strain, her eggs never hatch. Repeat at scale and each generation comes out smaller than the last.” Science, baby, you gotta love it. (of course, I do hope someone is considering “what else changes if we remove all the mosquitoes?”) via Liberty
—Kate here! I am dying to know what people think of the mosquito plan. I mean I HATE them, but also will this be the beginning of the end of the world?!
Speaking of easy, comforting meals for the first week back, don’t sleep on this 4-ingredient creamy pesto protein pasta I shared last year.
All you need is a protein-forward pasta (I used Banza), 1 cup cottage cheese, 2/3 cup pesto, S&P, and optional to add some peas and parmesan!
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