Meghan Kowalski - Blog

Kid Reads: June 12, 2025

6/12/2025

I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently.

The Secret of the Crystal Fairies
Thea Stilton

Our kiddo's school year is wrapping up and she is still adoring this series. She loves it so much that we grabbed this title from the local public library because she had to return her school library copy. As with most of the books in the series, the plot is WILD. These fantasy, special series versions are even crazier, but the kiddo loves following along and the lessons of friendship and perseverance are good ones. I must admit that the illustrations are always lovely.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

The Weekly Wrap: June 8, 2025

6/8/2025

I did something on Friday that I don't often do. I showered in the morning.

It was a work from home day, not my morning to take the kiddo to school, and I had an empty calendar. So, I took my time getting ready. I even used a shower steamer to make things feel extra special. This change was a nice way to wake up. Something about walking around in my fluffy robe afterwards felt so decadent for a work day.

I've always been a person who showers at night. I like washing away the day and going to bed feeling clean. Plus, I prefer having those few extra minutes to sleep in the morning. I also feel far calmer and relaxed after a shower. I think my PM routine helps me sleep a little bit better.

But, sometimes it's nice to change things up.

This is straight up bakery porn and I would like to eat everything. [The David Lebovitz Newsletter]
These cookies are art. [Colossal]
The case that privatization will lead us into a new dark age. [The Atlantic - gift link]
Born digital materials are tricky for archivists. [The Atlantic - gift link]
The airplane mechanic making people feel calmer. [CNN - may be paywalled]
Hear! Hear! [The Feminist Parent]

The day the meteor hit. [Up First]
A shockingly interesting look at redesigning a bus system. [City Cast DC]
This spot in Yellowstone is a trap. [Atlas Obscura]
Women will always find ways to get an abortion. [Embedded]

I am tickled. Give you one guess which line made me laugh. [@notbaddan]
I think Mountainhead is supposed to be a dark comedy. Problem is the entire premise feels all to real. This storyline could happen. That means it's less comedy and more sad horror story. This movie is entirely rich people behaving badly in an ostentatiously pretty house. Well acted and produced, but close to real life for my taste. [Max]

Might have found a new favorite vegetarian recipe. Spinach artichoke gnocchi skillet is a lot of cook one item in the pan, take it out, put it back in again - but the result is fantastic. Super flavorful with great texture. I accidentally used all our feta so I subbed parmesan. Definitely a different flavor profile in the end, but still yummy. I'll make sure to use feta next time. [Eating Well]
I made sweep the kitchen pasta salad for my lunch meal prep. I went full sweep the kitchen. I followed the recipe, but I also added cherry tomatoes I had to use up and made my own dressing since we had just a squeeze left of the bottled stuff. This was yummy and made the perfect thing to eat at work as the weather warmed up. [Budget Bytes]

Just Good Things: June 6, 2025

6/6/2025

Our kiddo got to go on a special library adventure with three of her friends after school yesterday. She picked the theme of unicorns and flowers and, boy, did her school librarian deliver. I'm so glad that our kiddo loves libraries as much as we do.

Here's what else made me smile this week:

Switched up my regular order from our Friday night restaurant
Slept in until 10:15AM
Made pasta salad for lunch
Engrossing door stopper books
A quiet morning on the reference desk giving me time to catch up
Got to do some book repair while volunteering
Kiddo randomly making new friends on the playground
Taking a slightly longer shower, just because I could
A friend sending pics of her cat on the group chat

What I've Been Reading: June 5, 2025

6/5/2025

Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the second book in the series and I'm about three chapters in. The first chapter was a full info dump to catch people up. I found it unnecessary since I rolled in straight from the first book, but if I had taken a break this would have been an invaluable reminder. It feels like Armentrout is setting up for a whole scale scene shift. I wonder if this entry in the series is going to be more about the world than the characters.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

Now on My TBR: June 2, 2025

6/2/2025

What I need is a full week on the beach where I can read uninterrupted. Also, there probably shouldn't be Wi-Fi so I can't be distracted.

You can see my complete TBR list on Pinterest.

*Items featured here are Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Weekly Wrap: June 1, 2025

6/1/2025

Can I petition somewhere to make keyboard short cuts universal?

I was editing on several different platforms this week. Sometimes Ctrl+K let me add a hyperlink, sometimes it didn't. It's annoying to have to remember which platform uses which shortcuts.

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and Ctrl+F are universal so why can't everything else be?

A slightly queasy but interesting look at the airplane emesis bag. [The Autopian]
The Trump administration's attack on information. [The Atlantic - gift link]
What an 18 year-old should know how to do. [The Analog Family]

A conversation with a therapist telling men they need to do better. [The Daily]
The scams behind the scam texts. [Planet Money]
Why Google was great... until it wasn't. [The Indicator]
tl;dr - Pack less. [Life Kit]
Why the government started funding university research. [Planet Money]
College coaches are overpaid. [The Indicator]
Dolly Parton is a national treasure. [Atlas Obscura]

One More Shot is a movie that puts style over substance. The whole premise is that the movie was edited to look like it was filmed in a single tracking shot. As an action flick, this means the camera becomes a character unto itself. It's all very first-person shooter style. There are glimmers of greatness but this is decidedly a C-list flick. The acting, save for two people, is horrible. [Netflix]
For our weekday series watch, we started TURN: Washington's Spies. This is a period piece that explores the rise of the Culper spy ring during the American revolutionary war. It's quite well done - except for the sound mixing. Without subtitles, the dialogue would be impossible to follow. This show is also filled with a ton of "that guy!" characters you always see cropping up in small roles. [Philo]

For meatless Monday, I tried a new to us recipe - mushroom piccata pasta. I used a container of pre-sliced mixed mushrooms which made this a pretty quick dish to prep. I was unsure about the amount of liquid required, but it cooked down into a beautiful sauce. This also reheated fairly well the next day. [Eating Well]
I ate my leftover pasta with a side of Italian white bean salad. This was my lunch meal prep and I split it into two portions. It was tasty but not quite filling. The day I only brought the salad to work left me hungry and raiding my desk snacks. [Eating Well]
Shrimp with summer vegetables was really good, but I misjudged how many frozen shrimp were in our freezer. The ratio of veggies to shrimp was off. Also, I used Old Bay instead of Creole seasoning which gave this crab boil vibes. I'll make this again but will use much bigger shrimp. [WaPo - gift link]

Just Good Things: May 30, 2025

5/30/2025

Last night, I worked out even when I really didn't feel like it. I'm proud of myself for just pushing through.

Here's what else made me happy this week:

Super rich lavender lotion
Had our condo professionally cleaned
Chatting with a neighbor and petting her kitty
Enjoyed a catered lunch at work
Spent a lot of time outside when the weather was gorgeous
All of the comments on my friend Letter Loop this month
Tried a new bagel-based restaurant
Kiddo is getting really confident on her bike

Kid Reads: May 29, 2025

5/29/2025

I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently.

Gran on a Fan
Kevin Bolger (author), Ben Hodson (illustrator)

Kiddo has been loving the easy phonics based readers she grabbed from the library. This is a particular favorite. She giggles with glee at the antics. She's reading this one more than I am. At this point, she probably has it memorized, but the repetition is great for growing her confidence in reading.

Mei's Wild Ride

Kiddo has had a red panda stuffy since birth. I believe that's the only reason why she plucked this book from the library shelf. But, since then, she's been enthralled that there is a character that shares her name. The story is cute but the subtle ideas behind the plot are definitely over her head.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

The Weekly Wrap: May 25, 2025

5/25/2025

When our kiddo came home from the hospital, I went from being able to sleep through fire alarms to waking up at the sound of a feather falling.

My husband went in the opposite direction. This means I've become the parent who handles the vast majority of the overnight wakeups. Over the past few years, I have learned the following, objective truths about wake up times.

11PM or earlier - We're both still awake. Not a problem.
Midnight - I'm asleep but the husband is usually awake. Not my problem.
1AM - Annoying but I can generally get back to bed and wake up feeling rested.
2AM - What? Where am I? Ugh, this sucks - but at least I can still fall back asleep.
3AM - Rude. Why? Go back to sleep, small one. I might be able to get another two hours even if it takes me awhile to fall back asleep myself.
4:30AM - The worst possible time to be woken up. Too early to just stay up; too late to get any more meaningful rest. I just lie there - grumpy - waiting for the automatic coffee to turn on.
5AM - Whelp. I'm up now. Might as well scroll on my phone while my kid passes out for a few more hours.
6AM - Basically morning. Annoying but manageable.
6:30AM - You couldn't just wait 30 more minutes?
7AM - Wait? Did I just get a full night's sleep?

I'll probably still turn the lights off. [Real Simple]
A simple French dish worth reading about. [The David Lebovitz Newsletter]
Cute panda news. [National Zoo]
Images that will make you want more murals everywhere. [Smithsonian]
Why AI treats you like a stereotype. [The Atlantic - gift link]
The FDAs dangerous vaccine change. [Your Local Epidemiologist]

The real life story that should be a movie. [Very Special Episodes]
Much ado about a boat. [Noble Blood]
He took the superhero, not the super villain, route. [Short Wave]
More open talk about menstrual health please! [Culture Study]
Writing toward utopia. [Atlas Obscura]
The Trump administration is erasing science. [Science Vs]

We watched the first film last week so, clearly, we needed to stream Another Simple Favor. The husband read a review that said they made this movie so they could go on vacation. I agree. This is a movie you watch for the costumes, setting, and style choices. It's all very pretty to look at. The plot is a set piece that merely holds up design. Blake Lively is style awesome in her role. [Amazon Prime]
A Quiet Place: Day One is exceptional. For a thriller it has an emotional punch far above its weight. Lupita Nyong'o carries this story with grace and nuance. In some ways, you almost forget it's a monster movie. Brilliant casting and smart choices with how to carry out the plot and action. I think I like this better than the first film in the series. [Amazon Prime]
We binged the entirety of The Patient in three days. While we enjoyed the series, it's hard not to see Steve Carrell as Michael Scott. The beard helps but there are still moments of Scott in the performance. The story is slow moving but good. In many episodes, the show comes off almost like a stage play because of the limited scene changes and action. [Hulu]

I need to make more curry dishes. I tossed together roasted curry salmon with tomatoes and rice. It was so easy and so delicious. It's such a simple dish but had pop. I will be making this one again. [Real Simple]
In our quest to get the kiddo to eat new food, we're matching new flavors with items she already loves. Enter - spinach and mushroom quesadillas. Kiddo could eat her weight in tortillas and cheese. This recipe introduces vegetables. It was also rather tasty for us adults. I was skeptical about the sour cream, but it works. [Budget Bytes]
For my lunch meal prep, I made white bean salad with feta and lemon-garlic vinaigrette. It was yummy but I was too heavy handed with the shallots. They were assertive and over took the rest of the dish. I will make this again but probably half the amount of shallots. [Eating Well]

Just Good Things: May 23, 2025

5/23/2025

Today, my library is honoring two long-term employees with a retirement luncheon. While I'm sad to see them go, it's great to see their joy in what's next.

Here's what else made me happy this week:

Reviewing positive feedback from students about our work
A day with zero meetings
Was able to be productive around the house while the kiddo entertained herself
Tried a yummy new vegetarian recipe
Knocked three things off my needle list in one morning
Kiddo tackle hugging one of her friends
A long reflective chat with my colleagues about how the semester went
Found a free service to stream a show