Every month, Emily Freeman writes a post about things she’s learned lately. Pretty much anything is up for grabs: mindless celebrity connections, introspective musings, favorite new products, iPhone tricks.
This month Emily is hosting a “Things I Learned in June” linkup. I knew I had to play along when I pulled my maxi skirt out of my suitcase in Chicago and realized I couldn’t even wear it because I’d dried it wrong. Yes, that’s possible, and even though laundry tips about maxi skirts veer closer to “mindless celebrity connections” than “introspective musings,” I needed share it with you.
So here are 10 things I learned in June, in no particular order.
1. Be careful when drip drying maxis or you’ll make your own unwearable. After I hand washed my Stitch Fix maxi skirt, I clipped it on a skirt hanger and hung it in my shower. It turns out this is a big no-no: the weight of the draining water stretched out the skirt by a good six inches–but only on one side.
the skirt, before I ruined it and restored it
When I got dressed a week later in Chicago, I found out the skirt was unwearable: not only did it look ridiculous, but I couldn’t walk without stepping on the extra length I’d created on one side. Moral of the story: lay flat to dry. (Washing and drying it again restored it to wearable condition.)
2. When your husband, your regular babysitter, your other regular babysitter, and your back-up babysitters all leave town at the same time, it’s bad news. Especially when you’re an HSP.
3. The secret to non-tragic American Girl doll hair is to wet it before brushing. The Chicago store’s bathroom is adjacent to the doll hair salon, which we visited at least 3 times, so I picked up a few tips. (Also learned: a doll hair salon is a pretty surreal place.)
4. Always bring a sweater. (Apparently not all of us magically learn this by virtue of becoming an adult.) I accidentally left my cozy sweater behind when we left for Michigan, because it was sweltering at 7am in Louisville. Big mistake. Many thanks to Leanne who saved the week with an old hoodie. Now I need to remember to follow my own advice so I don’t freeze to death in the local coffee shops while it’s 95 degrees outside.
5. You can dictate punctuation on your iPhone. I had no idea. My kids are a little obsessed with Siri–and with texting their grandma–and my 8-year-old figured this out. This discovery makes it much easier to dictate texts at (ahem) stoplights.
6. Think very, very carefully before you (teasingly) offer your child a sip of your (decaf) cappucino. Because he may say yes. And then he may want his own. Every day.
7. “Hope is a function of struggle.” I’ve long believed this concept, but never heard it so eloquently expressed until I listened to this interview with Brené Brown.
Dusable Bridge, Chicago
8. Certain places bring back memories strong and certain as a scent or a song.
9. There is a male equivalent to Stitch Fix. We like it.
10. People love to laugh at your embarrassing moments. I can understand why:
24 comments
Ohhh!! You have another blog….
Off to explore… 🙂
Emily inspired me to do this every Friday over at my blog. I love putting the posts together.
They are fun to put together, aren’t they? I would imagine doing it weekly forces you to pay attention to what’s going on around you. Not a bad thing. 🙂
hello there~ thank you for making me smile this morning. and oh, how I love Stitch Fix. so glad to know there is a male version. YAY!
Fun read. Thanks for sharing.
LOVE this. Such fun. You make me laugh. 😉
Blessings,
Shan
http://www.The-How-to-Guru.com
lmao at the root beer thing – my son would SO do this to me! So glad I read this post because I then played along on my own blog and linked up and have spent a nice quiet morning reading all the things people have been learning this month. Not a bad way to spend a Friday morning!
Oh the maxi skirt. So glad you reminded me to lay it flat to dry. Great list!
Oh, Anne, that skirt story is too funny. I’ve had that happen with that type of material before. Live and learn 🙂
Always bring a sweater. Love that one. It’s became my mantra, too. Certain places are always cold, even in summer: our local cinema, the building where I work, my parents’ house. Lucky for me, I LOVE layers and cardigans. So it just becomes a matter of remembering.
Oh, the remembering! Why is it so hard???
So fun to see you joining in with Emily and her monthly lists. Thanks Anne!
Oh no! Not your pretty maxi dress! Glad you got it back into good condition. And I had to learn that “bring a sweater tip” the hard way too. I know I look crazy when it’s almost 90 degrees, but people crank up that air conditioner to the *max* when it’s this hot outside.
I’m glad you’re in the “things I learned” linkup. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear this Brene Brown interview.
Funny quote about the “beer.” Oh my can I identify! On more than one occasion, my daughter has asked for clear beer (aka water) and my son has asked why he can’t have a sip of my wine at dinner in a restaurant–loudly informing us, and those around us–that he drinks wine at home. Give your 4 year old a sip of wine one time and it continues to haunt us at the most inopportune time. 🙂 Now, I’m waiting for one of them to order their drinks “on the rocks.”
I’m sure you’ve entertained servers all over with that one. 🙂 I’m sure I would crack up if I heard a 4 year old proclaim they drank wine at home!
Love it! This was such a fun exercise for me to do too. Your root beer/beer story was too funny!
I love Stitch Fix, but my husband wasn’t excited about the male version…he said he enjoys dressing like a bum now that he works from home! lol
My parents, for whatever reason, started calling canned Cokes “beer” a few years back…so when we are out in public and my 8 year old nonchalantly asks if she can have a beer, I have to quickly do a little damage control and explain that!
LOL it’s not summer vacation in Michigan if you don’t have to cozy up in a sweatshirt and jeans at night! I thought everyone knew this – oh wait- maybe just us Michiganders.
I know it now, and I gotta say–I think that’s part of Michigan’s charm. 🙂
“Hope is a function of struggle.” – Brené Brown.
Oh that is good. And I keep hearing about Brene – so I think I’m off to learn more!
Chicago looks fun! I was there last summer! Fun!
Found your blog from Emily’s linkup (yes, I have a soft spot of Austen and yes, I couldn’t do anything other than click a link to a blog called ‘Modern Mrs. Darcy’)
That cappucino looks heavenly (and I’m cracking up at the thought of a little kiddo asking for one every day!)
Great list 🙂
That line should have read “a soft spot *for* Austen” – can I blame pregnancy brain?
Don’t worry–I can interpret Austen kindred spirit comments through typos that are a lot worse than that one! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Thanks for the link to the linkup! I just saw this yesterday and barely managed tonight to squeak mine in before the linkup closed, so my brain is a little bit fried, I don’t remember if there was something else I was going to comment on here… but I remembered I wanted to thank you!
Oh, yay–glad you made it in, and you’re very welcome!
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