Life

Here’s how it works.

One of my favorite parts of childhood was show and tell. I always had something to talk about and show off to my classmates — I had a lot of interests — and to this day, I think it’s a great way to get to know another person. So I was excited to discover an event in Chicago called Show and Tell for Grown Ups, where a small group of presenters have five minutes each to talk about their passion, with a few minutes after for the audience to ask questions.

When I wake up on a chilly, gray morning or come home on a cold, windy night, there’s nothing I want to do more than curl up, get cozy, and stay inside for as long as I can.One of the best ways to do this is with a thick, soft, plush blanket, and Costco has just what you need for when temperatures start dropping: a faux-fur blanket from a cult-classic brand.I first learned of this popular blanket through a TikTok video posted by The Costco Twins.

A few years ago, I booked my first trip to Iceland. I was excited to soak in the country’s legendary hot springs, hike under the midnight sun, and explore the black sand beaches and ice caves. I chose Hotel Ranga on Iceland’s South Coast as my base. The boutique, family-run hotel offered a range of unusual amenities, including a house astronomer, northern lights wake-up calls, and hot tubs fed by thermal hot springs that were open year-round. Another unexpected option?

I even got you some exclusive discounts!

I’ve had a Hatch alarm clock for a few years. I am a big fan of the clock — I love that at 9:30 every night, it starts emitting calming sounds and lights to let me know it’s almost time for bed. I love that it keeps me off my phone first thing in the morning. I love the white noise options that I can change up every night, if I want to. It’s helped me sleep a bit better, and I appreciate it for that.

Everyone has preferences when it comes to their bedding and sleep. I hate sleeping with the air conditioning on, and I will do whatever I can to avoid it — even in the dead heat of summer. I much prefer a steady, beating fan. I am also firmly, forever, deeply team top sheet. (You can pry my top sheet from my cold, dead hands.) I also hate percale and sateen — I hear over and over that they are the most cooling sheets that exist, but I really dislike the feeling of them on my skin.

Sleep better on a budget.

My New York City apartment is relatively small, and my bedroom is even smaller. And despite my best efforts to downsize and organize, I consistently remain amazed at how much space gets occupied by … stuff. Some of it is good to have around just in case, like boxes of bandages or cookbooks I only occasionally reference but can’t bear to part with, but a lot of it is things I’m planning on donating.

All of the yummy scents, without the flame.

Think outside the game-night box.

A few years ago, I noticed my downtime had devolved into hours of doomscrolling on the sofa. Like many other people, I was caught in a loop of passive consumption that left me feeling hollow. Constant screen time, I realized, was flattening my creative drive. Feeling stripped of all inspiration, I decided to spend a Saturday afternoon entirely offline. As I brainstormed ways to pass the time, I thought back to one of my favorite childhood pastimes: the art of collage.

Whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been playing for years — get clacking.

One thing about me? If it comes in leopard print, I’m going to buy it. It’s probably a reaction to my mom being so against animal print when I was a kid, but nonetheless, the Y2K trend has infiltrated every part of my home: Crocs, purses, coats, pillows, dresses, you name it. Some are even calling it the “new neutral,” and I’m totally on board with it.

It feels like everywhere I turn these days, I’m seeing people all over tap into nostalgia. Whether it’s building physical media libraries or re-creating a landline in the kitchen, people are finding ways to bring past trends back into their lives. And this phenomenon is not just relegated to how they live at home — at least not according to this new research.

It’s my comfy constant.

On the weekends or days when we’re both working from home, my husband and I often sit down in the afternoon and have a coffee. It’s a little daily ritual that I look forward to, but up until recently I didn’t have a name for it. Then one day, while waiting with my kids at a doctor’s appointment, I picked up a magazine to read and pass the time and discovered a small mention of something called “fika” in a local coffee shop ad.

I’m one of those people who has never met a stranger. But I am painfully aware that this isn’t a universal human trait — especially as I step into the role of caregiver for my aging father. When he was younger, he could talk the chrome off of a bumper, given the opportunity. That’s why the isolation he’s been experiencing more recently has become a noticeable and daunting issue for him.

Personally, it’s hard to imagine life without my various to-do lists. If I don’t write something down in some way or put it in my calendar, I’ll forget it was ever on my mind. I’ve gotten a lot better at remembering to write down tasks I want or need to do, but now sometimes I get overwhelmed because I have too many items on my list.

Right now, it feels like so many people are wanting a ’90s-style kitchen. I’ve seen videos of people putting old vintage TVs on their kitchen counters and looking for ways to hang up their cellphone like it’s a wall phone. If you too want a little mini television to put on your kitchen counter — or to even take with you outside this fall — Sam’s Club dropped just the thing.

And I’m obsessed with the color.

Dryer lint is a pain. You have to remember to take it out of the dryer each time you toss in a load, and it inevitably seems to drop little pieces everywhere. Cleaning your dryer lint trap can be a nightmare. Up until now, I’d always tossed dryer lint directly in the trash — but then I discovered the many uses of dryer lint. As it turns out, dryer lint uses go far beyond getting caught in a filter.

For years, I loved using packing cubes to organize my suitcase. The color-coordinated, stackable containers are touted by travel professionals and organizers alike. I thought I was packing efficiently and smartly, but then I learned about how my military son was packing his duffle bag for military academy. To pack his 40L duffle bag, my son uses Ziploc bags as an efficient and simple way to organize his things.

I must admit: I like going to the grocery store. If I could, I would spend an hour or more walking through every aisle and department, looking at everything available and grabbing whatever feels right in the moment. As lovely as this sounds (to me, at least), it’s not exactly practical. So, I rely on grocery lists to help me make the most of my time at the store.However, I’ve never really found a grocery list method that’s worked for me.