Month in Review: May 2026

May 2026 in Review

May was a busy, sweet, slightly chaotic month full of school events, music, candy, brownies, waterfalls, and the slow realization that Caleb is somehow old enough to be heading to middle school. It was one of those months that felt full in a good way, even with a few lingering annoyances finally working themselves out.

Month by the Numbers

Weight: ↓ 4.6 lbs	|	Migraines: 2
Runs / Walks: 0	|	Books: 2
Blog Posts: 13	|	OMMs: 4
Savings: ↑ $115	|	Debt: ↓ $407.91

OMM = One Minute Memoir

Less reading and saving than I hoped for, but strong progress on debt, weight loss, and migraines.

May, As It Happened

A lingering problem solved: May started with another doctor appointment for my stubborn belly button issue, which had been dragging on for far too long. Thankfully, it finally resolved early in the month. Not exactly the most glamorous monthly highlight, but at that point, I was very ready to stop thinking about it.

A bridal shower: I went to my cousin’s bridal shower and got to spend time with my mom and aunt. There was delicious food, good company, and the nice reminder that her wedding is already coming up this month.

Middle school becomes real: Caleb and I went to new student night at his new middle school, where he’ll be going next year for 6th grade. It went well, and he seemed excited, which helped. I, however, am still slightly in shock. Middle school feels like one of those parenting milestones that sneaks up and then suddenly stands in your kitchen wearing grown-up shoes.

Discount Tuesday at the movies: The kids and I went to see The Sheep Detectives on our custom Tuesday bargain night. They loved it. I’m a big Hugh Jackman fan, and I thought it was cute. We had popcorn, candy, bacon ranch fries, and smuggled-in pop, so honestly, the whole thing was a success before the movie even started.

Candy Bingo: We made out like bandits at our monthly Bingo night at the community center. It was candy themed, and all of us won multiple candy prizes. I also got a trivia question right by correctly guessing that Big League Chew came out in 1980, which meant Holden was thrilled that we won a package of it. I hadn’t had it in years, so that was a very specific little blast from the past.

A month of music: Caleb had two concerts this month. First was his spring concert for both band and chorus, followed by a celebratory trip to Byrne Dairy for ice cream with my parents. They were, once again, out of hot fudge, because apparently that is just part of the Byrne Dairy experience now. The next week was a special concert where Caleb was selected for an Honors Band that got to play with a guest conductor/composer who traveled here for the occasion. I was so proud watching him up there. Afterward, we hit the McDonald’s drive-through for celebratory fries, ice cream, and a frozen Coke.

KISS Breakfast: I went to Holden’s school for the yearly KISS Breakfast ("Kids Invite Someone Special"). We sat with his friend and his friend’s dad, and the kids had fun. I always like getting little windows into their school worlds, even when it is loud, crowded, and fueled by breakfast foods.

Memorial Day at Letchworth: We had Memorial Day off and went to Letchworth for a little hiking and waterfall viewing. It started out rainy, which was not exactly promising, but it turned into a beautiful day. A very Western New York kind of plot twist.

The brownie project continues: We made and ate more brownies, continuing our very serious family brownie taste testing project. I think we’ve finally run out of mixes to try, which feels like the end of an era. A very chocolatey, slightly sticky era.

What I Read

A slower reading month, but one of the books was an easy standout.

• The Privilege by A.R. Hollowell ★★★★★
• Drowning in Paper Flowers by E.L. Westbury ★★★☆☆

Favorite: The Privilege

Yearly Progress: 15 / 100

What I Watched

May turned into another very documentary-heavy month, with a mix of crime, justice system stories, scams, and one absolutely wild chimpanzee saga.

Movies

The Sheep Detectives ★★★☆☆
(Theater · 2026)
A cute family mystery about a group of sheep trying to solve a case in their community. I saw this in the theater with the kids on our bargain movie night. Cute movie! I liked it, and they loved it.

TV Shows

Full House
(Hulu · 1987 · rewatch · s:1 e:4)
The slowest rewatch in history continues.

Documentaries & Docuseries

Should I Marry a Murderer? ★★★★★
(Netflix · 2026 · docuseries · 4 episodes)
A woman discovers her fiancé killed a cyclist years earlier and secretly helps police build a case against him. This story was completely absurd and incredibly compelling to watch. Caroline was both maddening and likable at the same time, which honestly made the series even more fascinating. It was a wild look at how love can distort judgment, and she was also an excellent storyteller.

The Alabama Solution ★★☆☆☆
(HBO Max · 2025 · documentary film)
Examines violence, corruption, and systemic failures inside Alabama’s prison system through footage and testimony from incarcerated people. This was interesting and eye-opening, though it never fully pulled me in emotionally. A lot of the story is told through cellphone footage recorded inside prisons, which disrupted the flow for me a bit. Still, an important and deeply sad watch.

The Crash ★★★★☆
(Netflix · 2026 · documentary film)
A true-crime documentary about Mackenzie Shirilla, the Ohio teenager convicted of intentionally crashing her car and killing two passengers. I knew very little about this case going into it, and the story is genuinely mind-boggling. The documentary is very well done, with interviews from many of the key people involved and multiple perspectives on the investigation. Compelling and fascinating to watch.

We Are Jeni ★★☆☆☆
(HBO Max/ID · 2026 · docuseries · 2 episodes)
Follows Dr. Jeni Haynes, who developed Dissociative Identity Disorder after severe childhood abuse and later helped convict her father. An incredibly sad and fascinating story, but I wanted the series to go much deeper into her personalities and mental health. The animated reenactments also felt oddly out of place and took me out of it at times. Jeni herself was remarkable, though, and her story is unforgettable.

Chimp Crazy ★★★★★
(HBO Max · 2024 · docuseries · 4 episodes)
Explores the controversial world of private chimpanzee ownership through the story of Tonia Haddix and her beloved chimp, Tonka, whose fate becomes the center of a legal battle involving animal rights groups and authorities. This series was absolutely bananas and I loved every second of it. I've had a lifelong fascination with monkeys and great apes, so this documentary hooked me immediately. The people featured are endlessly compelling and more than a little eccentric, taking their devotion to these animals far beyond what most people would consider normal. It was eye-opening about the exotic animal trade, heartbreaking at times, and surprisingly funny. Tonia was an absolute hoot. I liked her at times, questioned her judgment often, and never quite knew what she was going to do next. A wild and memorable watch.

Telemarketers ★★★☆☆
(HBO · 2023 · docuseries · 3 episodes)
Two former telemarketers set out to expose decades of fraud and corruption within the charity fundraising industry, documenting their investigation over more than twenty years. This covered a topic I had honestly never given much thought to before. It was eye-opening, funny, and full of memorable characters, especially Pat, who I found hilarious. His personality carried a lot of the series for me. While I learned a lot about telemarketing scams and the people behind them, the subject matter didn't always hold my attention, and the story spans so many years that it occasionally felt stretched out. Interesting and worthwhile overall, but not one that will stick with me for long.

Coming Up in June

Looking at my June calendar has honestly been giving me anxiety. It is one of those months where every time I think I have reached the end of the schedule, I discover something else on it. I’ve already had to take quite a bit of time off work just to make everything fit.

June includes:

• Doctor’s appointments for both Holden and me
• Another birthday party on Holden’s social calendar
• Chaperoning Caleb’s band trip to a local amusement park
• Seeing Suffs with my aunt, which I’ve never seen before
• My cousin’s wedding
• Taking a civil service exam
• Moving Up ceremonies at both boys’ schools
• A summer-themed evening event at Caleb’s school, which will likely be his very last event there. Bittersweet.
• Monthly Bingo night, with a pizza theme again because the kids love pizza night
• Seeing Joe Gatto at the local comedy club with my aunt. He used to be on Impractical Jokers, and I’ve always wanted to see him live. I’ve already seen Murr once and Sal twice, so I’m excited to cross another Joker off the list.
• Hopefully squeezing in a few runs somewhere along the way

On top of all that, June is shaping up to be a busy month at work, too, so I’ll be busy from just about every direction. It should be a fun month, but I’m already looking ahead to July and hoping for a slightly slower pace.

♥

See you next month.

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The Whole Reason I Came

On Family Fitness, Treat Expectations, and the Reason We Run

 

Every time I stop running for a while, my brain turns it into folklore. The return becomes some impossible mountain, the kind that requires courage, discipline, and probably better weather. Last year, after years away from running, I started again because Caleb and I wanted to actually prepare for the Turkey Trot, instead of doing what we usually did: showing up at the starting line each year and flailing our way through it.

Before long, Holden started joining us too. Some nights both boys came. Some nights one. Some nights neither. We were never exactly consistent, but we were moving together.

At first, it felt brutal. My legs felt wooden, my lungs filed complaints, and every step seemed personally offended. But we kept going long enough for it to become normal, or at least normal-adjacent.

Our last run of 2025 was the Turkey Trot itself. After that, we lost momentum. Then winter came. Life got busy. Darkness arrived at 4:30 like a personal insult.

By April 27 of this year, it had been five months since we’d run. The excuses had become familiar: too cold, too wet, too muddy, too late, too something. But that evening was warm enough, dry enough, and both boys were game. For once, there was nothing left to blame.

This time, the break was shorter than last year’s long absence, but the dread arrived right on schedule. I expected wooden legs and instant regret. Instead, it was not nearly as hard once I actually started moving. Our time was even better than our first run back last year, proof that the body remembers more than the mind admits.

That’s the trick with running, and maybe with most things worth doing. It looms until the random ordinary day when you finally lace up and go.

Of course, our grand comeback was a full circus.

We drove to our first choice track. Occupied. Drove to our second choice track. Also occupied. Apparently the whole city had coordinated against me. So we ended up at a trail instead.

Holden was thrilled. Holden loves trails. Caleb and I do not. We prefer flat surfaces and emotional stability.

But it was one of those warm spring evenings that feels like a reward for surviving winter. Fresh air. People out walking. Trees waking up again. The kind of day that makes you think maybe life is trying to be nice for once.

So we did it. A few spurts of jogging. A lot of walking. Some bargaining with ourselves.

Holden spent much of the run lagging behind, stepping off the trail into the wooded grass to collect sticks and branches. At one point he fell, bloodied a finger, and cried.

But alas…. even tears could not distract anyone from the established post-run agenda.

Last year, I accidentally created tiny post-run capitalists by taking the boys for treats after most runs. Mid-run, Caleb asked, “Are we getting treats?”

“No,” I said firmly. “We still have to eat dinner.”

“What?!” he said. “That’s the whole reason I came!”

I spent the rest of the run pretending my answer was final.

Afterward, I relented.

We left 7/11 with drinks and slushies, our tradition intact, even if it cost me $5.05. Holden, earlier devastated by his finger injury, was suddenly healed.

Honestly? Worth it.

Because maybe that was part of the point. 

Sometimes the point isn’t the run at all. Sometimes it’s the people beside you, the small traditions waiting at the end, and the promise of fluorescent beverages.

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Holden at the “Book” Fair (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir on Scholastic Nostalgia, Parental Oversight, and One Tiny Minecraft Book

Setting: April 2026

Scholastic Book Fairs were a major event when I was a kid. So were the paper order forms that came home from school, full of glossy covers and promises. My mom and I were both voracious readers, which meant she usually encouraged me to get as many books as I wanted. I’d come home with a stack and feel absolutely elated.

Naturally, I assumed my own kids would inherit this deep love of books.

They did not.

They like books well enough. They read when required. They enjoy the occasional series. But neither of them have ever looked at a Scholastic flyer the way I used to, like it was a sacred text.

Still, we’ve tried to preserve the tradition.

Their schools hold book fairs a couple times a year. The kids can usually shop during the school day, but it’s also open one evening so parents can come too. I’ve almost always chosen the evening option. Partly because I like going with them, and partly because I’m not especially interested in sending elementary-aged boys to school with cash and optimism.

Also, if I’m being honest, I prefer to supervise the spending.

My philosophy has always been simple: at a book fair, you buy books.

Not fuzzy pencils.
Not posters.
Not novelty erasers shaped like tacos.
Books.

This has meant years of them begging for those exact kinds of things and me saying no.

Then Holden's school had their spring book fair the same night as Lego Club, so we couldn’t make the evening session. For the first time, he went during school hours with some cash of his own and no commissioner looking over his shoulder.

He came home with a puppy poster. A bookmark. Invisible ink pens for himself, a friend, and Caleb.

And one tiny, measly Minecraft book.

Reader, I was rattled.

Then he casually mentioned he’d had a few dollars left over, so he gave them to a classmate who didn’t have any money and wanted to buy something.

I used to come home from the book fair with stacks of stories.

Holden came home with one tiny book, several questionable purchases, and evidence of character.

If I’m honest, he may have understood the assignment better than I did.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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Loving Lately (8)

A little roundup of the things I’ve been into lately: snacks, songs, small conveniences, cozy setups, routines, and random favorites currently making everyday life feel a little better.

Protein Cup Noodles

Fast, salty, comforting, and slightly more responsible than regular ramen. Exactly the kind of low-effort meal that quietly earns a permanent spot in the rotation.

Snyder’s Pretzel Twists

Different flavors, same outcome: opening the bag for “a few” and suddenly realizing I’ve accidentally committed to a full pretzel experience.

Walmart+

Free deliveries and free shipping have fully replaced Prime for me at this point. Less errand energy. Fewer fluorescent-light side quests. A beautiful system.

My hands-free Kindle setup

The gooseneck holder and remote page turner continue to feel like elite bookish technology. Reading in bed without sacrificing blanket warmth? Revolutionary.

McDonald’s oatmeal

Somehow underrated? Warm, filling, and one of the few fast food breakfasts that doesn’t immediately make me regret my life choices.

Bargain Tuesdays at Apple Cinemas

The boys and I have fully embraced Tuesday movie nights at the new Apple Cinemas in the mall. Yes, it means late bedtimes on school nights sometimes. We persist anyway.

The recliner seats are significantly better than the old theater setup, and the rewards discounts make me feel like I’m gaming the system every single time.

Country women on repeat

Tigirlily Gold, Alexandra Kay, Ella Langley, and Meghan Patrick have all been getting a lot of shuffle time lately. Apparently my current music mood is country, feelings, and dramatic car singing.

Rediscovering old music

I added a bunch of my old middle school and high school music back onto Amazon Music recently, and a Good Charlotte song came on shuffle in the car. I hadn’t heard it in probably twenty years and somehow still knew every single word immediately.

Incredible what the brain chooses to preserve.

My Etsy reading tracker

I have a few reading trackers at this point, but this tiny bookshelf one from Etsy is officially my favorite. The little number blocks, interchangeable mini accessories, tiny decor... absolutely unnecessary and deeply satisfying.

TV Time App

Because my brain apparently requires everything to be tracked at all times, I already keep a giant Google Sheets document for my movies, shows, documentaries, and watchlists. But sometimes I don’t feel like updating spreadsheets at 11 p.m.

Lately I’ve been using the TV Time app to quickly check off whatever I watched that night instead. It tracks your progress through shows, tells you when new episodes are coming, and gives that deeply satisfying little “marked as watched” feeling that fellow obsessive trackers will understand immediately.

✦ ♡ ✦

Just a few things I’ve been loving lately.

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The Place I Put My Worth

On confusing being chosen with being worthy

I have spent years becoming competent at the kinds of things that can be measured.

I show up to work. I meet deadlines. I track my debt in spreadsheets down to the dollar. I keep calendars straight. I sign permission slips. I answer emails. I make doctor’s appointments. I plan for the future like it’s a second job.

I spent a long time thinking competence would fix insecurity. That if I became responsible enough, productive enough, dependable enough, I would eventually feel solid underneath all of it.

But I’m realizing competence and self-worth are not the same thing.

For most of my life, I have based my worth on what men think of me.

Not in some dramatic way. More like a system I never questioned.

If I was wanted, I was okay.
If I was chosen, I felt secure.
If a relationship felt stable, I felt stable.

It started when I was a painfully shy, overweight teenager who was rarely noticed. I remember what it felt like to move through hallways invisible. So when attention finally came, it didn’t feel casual. It felt like oxygen. Like proof that I was visible. Proof that I mattered.

Somewhere along the way, my brain started linking attention with worth. Being wanted meant being valuable.

I never fully updated that belief system. Instead, I built competence around it.

I became the person who tracks everything. The person who anticipates problems before they happen. The person who makes plans, sets goals, pays things down, rebuilds, adjusts.

I can manage logistics.
I can navigate court paperwork.
I can budget for a future house I don’t own yet.
I can rebuild a blog from scratch and hit publish again after years of silence.

But underneath all of that competence, the old pattern was still there. I was still looking to other people to define my value.

I let being chosen determine whether I felt like enough.

I let relationship stability determine whether I felt steady.

A shift in tone could undo my entire day. An unanswered message could spiral into doubt. A little distance could feel much bigger than it actually was.

I could be confident at work by 10 am and questioning myself by 3... all because of something small, something relational, something that shouldn’t have carried that much weight.

And when that stability shifts, or disappears, I feel it in my bones. Not just as disappointment. As destabilization.

That’s the part I’m finally seeing.

I don’t actually lack value. What I lack is an internal sense of worth that exists independently from romantic validation. I’ve just never fully learned how to feel it without someone else reflecting it back to me.

I'm realizing now that sometimes we don’t outgrow our insecurities. We just build very functional lives around them.

We get degrees. We raise children. We hold jobs. We become dependable. But part of us is still waiting to be chosen before we decide we are worthy.

At 37, I am learning — for the first time — to separate those things.

To let relationships be something I desire, not something I require to feel solid.

To believe I am valuable even on the days no one is pursuing me. Even when I am in-between. Even when I am rebuilding.

I don’t have this mastered. I’m not writing this from the finish line. I’m writing it from the middle.

But for the first time, I can see the pattern.

And I don’t want my worth living in someone else’s hands anymore. I want it in mine.

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Just the Bacon (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir on Upgrades, Easter Baskets, and Unexpected Favorites

Setting: Easter 2026

The kids love Texas Roadhouse. Caleb especially. And if you’ve ever been there, you know they are very good at trying to sell you something extra. Do you want your lemonade flavored? Do you want cheese and bacon? Do you want to upgrade your side?

I usually wave it all off.

But Caleb has started ordering for himself, which means he now gets to hear the full pitch.

One day, he ordered fries, and when they asked if he wanted cheese and bacon, he paused like he was actually considering something important. Then he said, very seriously, “Just the bacon.”

It came out exactly how you’d expect. Bacon bits, refusing to stick to anything, sliding right off the fries.

He didn’t care.

He leaned over his plate, carefully piling the bacon onto each bite, catching whatever fell, and eating the scraps like that had been the plan all along.

Which is how I ended up thinking, months later, like a perfectly reasonable adult: you know what belongs in an Easter basket? Bacon bits.

So I bought him a bag and tucked it in with the candy.

Out of everything that day, all the candy, all the snacks, even the egg hunt, that was his favorite part. He tore into it almost immediately, then paused, looking at the bag.

“Great Value,” he read.
“…is this from Walmart?”

I hesitated. The Easter Bunny does not, to my knowledge, shop at Walmart.

“Oh,” I said. “I think so?”

That seemed good enough for him.

He opened it.
And that was it.

He spent the rest of the day guarding it, finishing the entire bag before the day was over, eating it straight out of his hands and not sharing.

Holden was not happy.

That night, I got back on Walmart and ordered more. This time, I upgraded to the larger bags. One for each of them, just to avoid a repeat situation.

When the package showed up the next day, they screamed and ran outside to get it, tearing into the box before they even made it back inside. Then they sat there eating bacon bits like it was candy. At one point, Holden went and got a spoon so he could scoop it out faster. Later, they added some to their pasta at dinner, and I eventually had to cut them off.

By the next day, the bacon bits had fully entered the family snack rotation.

First, they ate them straight from the bag.

Then they added them to their dinner.

Then Caleb asked if he could bring some to the movies, not instead of candy, but along with it.

And by the next school morning, both boys were packing up their book bags with Ziplocs full of bacon bits for snack like this was a completely normal household development.

Some kids want candy.
Mine want bacon.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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