For the Love of August

Monthly Recomendations+Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY

It’s time for the monthly roundup, you can find previous posts like this right here. Don’t forget about the back-to-school giveaway, enter before September 6th.

A schedule note: The newsletter will land again in your inbox on September 9th due to the Labor Day holiday in the US.

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When I was a kid I loved the first day of school. Full of excitement I would lay out my first day outfit days in advance and would get approximately three hours of sleep the night before. I have been feeling some of that back-to-school energy lately. There are some new things coming in the newsletter over the next few months and I’ve got my outfits layed out metaphorically (I am not even sure what that means). Basically I am excited to share new things soon.

So it’s the end of August

Since I sent out links earlier this week I reigned myself in for this round up. Don’t forget about the big back-to-school GIVEAWAY, a link is included at the end.

Some August things: we did “a farewell to summer tour” that included the new butterfly exhibit at the zoo, playrgound adventures (see my self portrait “mom on a park bench” below) and we installed a Little Free Library in our front yard. Let’s get on with it, some us probably have lunches to pack, homework to supervise and practices to drive kids to.

Stuff to Read

I have been reading a lot lately and because I love reading so much, it’s only natural that I also enjoy reading about reading. Please join me in my madness and check out this delightful book, Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed, about…reading. It’s a delightful and funny read for book lovers.

A little more on books

I finally put past book recommendations from this newsletter all in one place in “my shop” on Bookshop.org. Some day I may even organize them in specific sub-categories but for now most are there (but it is possible I have missed some). For those unfamiliar with Bookshop.org:

“Bookshop.org works to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. We believe local bookstores are essential community hubs that foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading, and we're committed to helping them thrive.

Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.”

I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org so if you purchase a book through the links in this newsletter, I will earn a tiny commission. Every little bit helps this newsletter grow. You can check out previous book recommendations by clicking on the button below.

And some other things to read

• The Unexamined Plight of Stay-at Home Parents from

  Rebecca Gale
  of
  It Doesn't Have to Be This Hard

• How do you store books and then pass them along? from

  Sarah Miller
  of
  Can we read?

• The Worst Thing Abour My Kids Growing Up is They Don’t Want to Go See Giant Colorful Pigeons With Me from

  Andrew Knott
  of
  Knott, A Newsletter

Stuff to Listen to

• I don’t know about you but I love a home renovation show so this

  The Culture Study Podcast
  episode about HGTV was a joy.

This month on A Wonderful Mess

• As we approach the end of summer I asked, What makes a summer good enough?

• The present moment is not always rainbows and unicorns in When the Present Moment…Sucks

• I had the pleasure of interviewing

  Sri Juneja
  about why books matters in “Stories are an imaginary playground”

• A love letter to the act of reading the Sunday newspaper in I wanted to hold the words

• Mom’s Back-to-School To Do List provides a laugh along with resources for your school year and the first giveaway for the newsletter.

ICYMI

• I had the great privilege of being interviewed about mindfulness and writing by

  Emily Mohn-Slate
  who writes
  Be Where You Are
  . You can check out that interview here:

"Keep the placeholder of the practice"

• And the first giveaway for this newsletter. Don’t forget to enter by Friday September 6th. All you have to do is fill out a form to enter to win a back-to-school bundle that includes the book It’s Elementary* by Elise Bryant, 2 Tickets to the Motherhood Mental Health Conference in October, an adult coloring book with colored pencils, and the opportunity to submit a reader question to be answered in a future newsletter.

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*I am an affiliate of bookshop.org, if you purchase through this link I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you)

As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your licensed mental health professional or other qualified health provider.