Sunday Collection: chicken dinner ideas & my favorite sweater
plus pop culture guilty pleasures, book awards, and a big birthday
My toddler turned two! I have a two year old. I’ve been parenting for two years!
I still feel like a total novice.
Well, maybe not a total novice, but most of my parenting “successes” seem like happy accidents. Theo loves to read, he eats like a champ, he makes an excellent errand-running buddy, and he says “please” and “thank you.” None of this feels like my doing, except for maybe the reading thing. While parenting hasn’t been all easy all the time (I’ve blocked out several months of teething terror), I feel awfully lucky to have a Theo. We celebrated our boy with a trip to the bookstore/coffee shop for a cinnamon roll and picture book browsing, visiting family for a weekend of rainy fall fun, and lots and lots and lots of hugs.
In between sweet moments this weekend, my heart has been heavy over the horrific and ongoing events in the Middle East. As you take in the news, talk with your kids, or answer questions for your students, I have a few resources to offer. I’m nowhere near an expert on global politics, but I am gravely concerned about harmful misinformation and our society’s general lack of media literacy. Everyone is susceptible to fake news, as it’s getting trickier to identify and disseminates so fast. Check out Critical Media Literacy Guides, Media Literacy & Critical Thinking Online, and NewsLit to brush up on your deep reading skills.
Alright, I’m taking my English teacher hat off now. It’s time to share my collection of internet reads, favorite things, and bright moments from last week.
This Week’s Sunday Collection
Top Three
As a special treat, I collected 18 autumnal romance novels to share with paid subscribers. This mini collection includes outdoorsy settings, hunky football players, hot teachers (NO students), small towns, crumbling castles, and a sprinkle of titles from my personal To Be Read list. When you sign up as a paid subscriber, the list will land right in your inbox, or you can find it through the bold link above.
If you see me wearing this sweater every other day for the next six months, mind your business. It’s like wearing a blanket: super oversized, nice and thick, and surprisingly well made.
A profile on Jesmyn Ward by Imani Perry!!!
Food
Chicken breasts were on sale at Costco ($7 off!), so now I need to pull out some delicious chicken recipes. It’s been awhile since I did anything with chicken except for marinating and grilling it—or throwing chicken nuggets in the air fryer. Here’s my recipe list for the next month or so: