How Are You Surviving September Mode?
Because my house smells like dead mouse.
On Tuesday, I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to get my kids to school and do all the things! We had sharpened pencils and labeled folders and I had even meal planned dinners for the week! (I would later learn that I forgot about Wednesday.)
This morning, I land in your inbox exhausted and slightly overwhelmed from the reality of returning to 5am wake-ups, and this year, two kids on staggered school schedules — the first bus arrives at 6:51am! (Poor middle schoolers!!) The second kid doesn’t leave till 8:15! And then the first kid is back at 2:30! We’ve also got the most bizarre rotating school schedules to get on top of (why is library every six days now instead of just on Thursdays, and will we ever return a book again!). Plus driving for afternoon activities, dealing with a mysterious dead mouse smell in my house, and then a weird basement leak, and somewhere in here, I’m also working full-time and making dinner? (But nobody decided what to make for Wednesday!)
And then because this is America, we have to navigate these first weeks of school while also absorbing the news of yet another horrific school shooting. We’ll wave our kids onto their too-early morning busses with that ever-present and slightly numb sense of dread that is parenting in a country that will take our reproductive rights but never our assault rifles.
Obviously, donate to Everytown if you aren’t already doing so. And! Remember that our best chance at passing meaningful gun reform has and always will be in state governments. This is why Burnt Toast raises money with The States Project every year, to flip more state legislatures blue and get elected officials in every state who care about protecting our kids and our rights.
This year, you all voted to raise money for Dem candidates in North Carolina, a state that eliminated background checks on gun sales last year, while also banning abortion and passing anti-voter laws. We’ll be fighting to end the Republican supermajority in the NC statehouse, as a first step towards damage control. This is the critical work that makes change happen. And we’re a little over halfway towards our goal of $40,000 — so join us if you can!
The TL/DR here: This week was a lot, and I’m glad it’s Friday and I’ve missed chatting with you. And I’d love to hear how your September is starting off, whether you’re navigating back to school chaos, or just hanging on with both hands to life in general? Let’s also be clear that September is also a month of exquisite weather and fresh starts—so feel free to share something that’s bringing you joy, too.
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Friday Links & Recs
If you were into yesterday’s episode with
, don’t forget you can get the full list of her (and my) fat feminist romance recs right here on the Burnt Toast Bookshop! (And take 10 percent of any of them if you also buy my book!)How to make dinner when schedules are nuts (really needed this Wednesday!!!)
On the diet culture in menopause workout advice.
“In the wake of my marriage, I realized I had only ever fucked like a mom.”
asks can we be pro-planner but anti-productivity culture and my heart says YES.Absolutely love how
is talking about her return to dating as a fat person:
Am trying really hard to resist fall impulse purchases before I do my fall shopping homework but I did order this cashmere hoodie when it was on super sale last weekend. (It’s not now, so don’t buy it! But maybe pin it for the next sale?? THE COLOR.)
And here is the thing that seems to have finally eradicated dead mouse smell from my living room. 🤞
My only child went to college. I get a constant barrage of ‘empty nest’ comments and ‘how are you Mom?’ questions with a heavy dose of worry in them. I miss my kid, but I am fine. Better than fine. So much time on my hands and it is glorious! No school bus, extracurriculars to schedule or teacher meet ups! Don’t miss that. Excited for what’s next. September!!!!
The house is a mess for sure. There is something sticky on the floors? But I am just rolling with it (not literally because sticky) because so many things need to be done and ON TIME. That is what I miss most about summer: the ability to just ease into things, be late, be however we want to be. The good news though is that I can now see my adult friends! We missed each other this summer because we were traveling and many of us had our kids full time. I have a tradition that I make a lunch date with a friend on the first day of school. This year we went to a too cool restaurant that we’d never be able to get into if we hadn’t gotten there at 10:30am. We ate the most glorious breakfast outside in perfect September weather, and stayed so long we got affogato too. Thanks for reminding me that the flip side of sticky floors is affogato.