For the Love of July
Monthly Recommendations: 2 summer books+so much to read on the internet+toy packaging
It’s been a big week around here, in case you missed the name update, Mindful Mom in the Mud is now called A Wonderful Mess. Hello to new readers, welcome! Every month there is a little round-up of things to check out. You can check out previous months here.
Wow, here we are at the end of July. It appears my posts will all begin with something like, “Oh my goodness time is going so quickly, I don’t know what is happening???” It might just be the extra hours of daylight but there are so many things to read, so it's best to jump right into it.
Two Summer Books (by people named Catherine)
There are a thousand summer book recommendations out there but let me share two I have loved in the last couple of weeks:
Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies* by Catherine Mack. This was a great read if you like Italy and fun murder mystery(is that a genre?).
Sandwich* by
. There are so many wonderful things to say about this book (and many have). More to come in a future newsletter.A little heads up—pregnancy loss and grief are a feature in the story.
I picked up Catherine Mack’s book upon the recommendation from
who writes . I have read several books based on her recommendation and have not been disappointed. Check out her newsletter for great book recommendations.Other stuff to read on the internet
There was a lot to read this month. And I didn’t even include my full list…
This one from
of is a must-read about How to let go of screen time guilt.- who writes does a beautiful job capturing dialectics and how they can help manage election season in How One Therapist is Coping with Election Anxiety
And in the line of the election, here is a helpful one in thinking about talking to kids about the election from Motherly: How to Talk to Kids About Politics: 6 Tips
Thinking about the past, present, and future you and how that can influence decision making in Are you “Night Guy” or “Morning Guy”? from
who writes .This piece from Time.com by
entitled, When Summer Camp Doesn’t Work For Your Kid. Summer camp stress is not just about the expense, and the limited availability but also the challenge of meeting kids’ individual needs.
Stuff to watch
I have been in the actual movie theater FOUR times this summer. Who am I? This is the most I have been to the movies in years. It’s been with kids watching kids’ movies, but I love movie theater popcorn so it’s all good. Inside Out 2 was my favorite for all the reasons many others have said and it is imperfect, too. I’ve loved reading about people’s thoughts about the film, check out some thoughts from
and below:
Stuff to listen to
This Rethinking Wellness podcast episode with
was a perfect discussion of a very hot and confusing topic—kids and social media.I had the privilege of joining
on her podcast, Mindfully Parenting Atypical Kids. Kate writes the . This was a fun conversation about chaos and the absence of being a calm mom, choosing to repair, dropping unhelpful expectations, and collaborating. I also revisited the story behind my first post on Substack—Flour Fiasco: I am Not a Calm Mom.
This month on A Wonderful Mess
In honor of Cleft-Craniofacial Awareness month, I shared some of my past experiences working as a psychologist on a Cleft-Craniofacial team in The Magic of Meeting People
Revisiting Ramona Quimby with my kids has provided some perspective on parenthood, learn more about Beverly Cleary as a Parenting Influencer
All parents are creative parents in Secret Passageways and Other Creative Acts of Parenthood
It’s a Mess and It’s Wonderful, too dives into a little more about the newsletter name change.
Coming up
Tickets are on sale for the Mental Health and Motherhood Virtual Conference in October and I have the privilege of being a panelist. And my deepest gratitude to
for her vision and drive to make this all happen. You can find more information and a link to the website here.And one last thing…
Having recently read
’s book, When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others* and ’s book Boymom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity*, these images caught my eye on some gifts for my daughter. Teaching boys about caregiving is important and play is a wonderful arena to do this. It’s not perfect but I was happy to see boys at least on the package.
I am so impressed and LOVE that you were able to get to the movies so often! I'm debating going to see Twisters and I think this is my sign to make it happen!
I love most of your recommendations, but the one about the daughter having “mild autism” gave me the icks. I am autistic and I have 2 autistic daughters. In the neurodivergent community, certain labels are not seen as helpful anymore. It’s more useful to say that a person has “low support needs in academics” for example. Especially since ND people tend to have “spiky” profiles of ability. And, as I’ve discovered with my own children, every day is different. Some days, my kids don’t need any help with emotional regulation. Other days, we’re all melting down! For followers that are interested in more ND-affirmative resources, I suggest looking into Neurowild and Kristy Forbes.