FROM: STELLA
TO: LAURA
- My son just turned 16-months old yesterday. Though it feels silly to still be looking forward to those monthly milestone moments, I swear, he actually does seem to grow and change right around the month mark. His movement and walking have really taken off and he is adding a lot of words to his vocabulary and loves making animal sounds (thanks to this book that makes sounds and this favorite board book).
2. I attended a benefits webinar this week through my employer and even though I felt like I knew a lot about my retirement offerings, I walked away knowing so much more! I’m using my new knowledge and this awesome post from the Millionaire Educator to further our tax planning for 2021.
3. I greatly enjoyed watching Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan on CBS.com and reading the follow-up news pieces. I love that they did an “old school deal” to reach a large live audience. It will be interesting to see how the monarchy continues to change. Can’t wait for another season of The Crown!
4. I finished listening to two money books this week. I very much enjoyed Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour, it’s described as a combination of Wolf of Wall Street and Sorry to Bother You and I agree, that is a very good way to explain it. I also listened to You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero, I was less impressed with this one. It’s more in the “self-help” category, but rather than feeling inspired and motivated at the end, I just felt annoyed with the author.
FROM: LAURA
TO: STELLA
1. Ernie has twin cousins who just celebrated their second birthday, and for it my (very handy) husband, Jacob, made them a Pikler triangle (using these plans, with a few modifications). We got to celebrate with them as we’re bubbled for the time being and it was a blast. All three kiddos are pretty obsessed with trucks, so my sister-in-law choosing that as a theme was a big hit (this banner, these plates, and these cake toppers!).
2. I finally watched the Framing Britney doc put out by the New York Times after having read this article by Tavi Gevinson in The Cut. Wow. There have been so many words already written reacting to the story, but I found it a fascinating watch given that I feel like I grew up alongside her career. Hit Me Baby One More Time was the first music I purchased with my own money (as a cassette!).
3. This article has made me think about my marriage very differently in the last week. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well my husband and I have done throughout the last year, being pretty much cooped up with just each other (in addition to our kiddo, dog, and two rabbits… but they all require 100% care, and give back in their cuteness but not really in the “helping around the house” department). The recognition of seeing your partner through someone else’s eyes or just in a different light is such an interesting way to approach the relationship in these covid times.
4. I’ve been very excited at some of the news coming out about Covid vaccinations and what it means for “fully vaccinated” people (and how to define it!). Two resources I’ve found invaluable over the last year are Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disesase epidemiologist and communication lead for the Covid Tracking Project, on Instagram and the Social Distance podcast from The Atlantic, hosted by James Hamblin and Katherine Wells (and, when we’re lucky, very special guest host, comedian Maeve Higgins) (especially last week’s episode).
5. I finished ‘Beloved‘ by Toni Morrison this week. It’s been on my to-read list for quite some time, but with added urgency each time I heard Traci of The Stacks Podcast mention her episode that covered it. Definitely recommend the book and the accompanying episode.