June Favorites

Every month I hope to highlight a few of my favorite things. However, keep in mind that one of my favorite things is to break the rules so I might not do this every month-- I might do it everyday or I might never do it again. Surprise!

Here are a few things that have sustained me through June. 

June, for me, is a lot of kids asking for snacks. We had four kids in as many years so much of the summer is spent in a closet the kids don’t know about and the rest is spent in a baby pool. So, what’s getting me through June? I don’t even have to think.
 
First, West Wing.
 
My husband and I agreeing on a show requires a great deal of compromise. West Wing has been perfect for us. It’s like the Situation Room and Gilmore Girls had a baby. We watch it after the kids are in bed and fantasize about civil servants who are mostly well behaved and we practice the way people should talk—quickly, cleverly, and always while walking. We memorize and rehearse bits of sharp dialogue and tell each other off in new and inventive ways. It’s been really bonding.
 
The characters are well written, sophisticated, and heart infused. They are people you want in your everyday life and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t prayed actual prayers for Jed Bartlet and his staff and written him in as a third party candidate. 
 
And, really, have we ever been more in need of palatable politics?#bartletforamerica
​ 
Second, Whip Sunless Tanning Lotion.
 
This may seem superficial. This is superficial. I am fine with the point deduction. When you live on the surface of the sun, it’s good to look the part and I once had a stranger tell me that I was so white I was blue. Whip goes on evenly, turns a believable hue of flesh color, and doesn’t smell like a factory. You will not grow wings smelling this creamy concoction of coconut and your shorted legs will thank you. 
 
Lastly, I am really loving My Sisters The Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell. I love a story about someone having a hard time connecting to their faith. Campbell writes honestly about her misgivings and talks about her favorite saints as easily as if they are simply her friends in heaven. A bit of a holy rascal herself, she connects her story to these women who seem untouchable in their sanctity, and because I can relate to her, I find myself relating to them. 
 
What is staying with me the most is how Campbell writes about feminity. Whenever gender issues come up, I typically tune out because as Campbell says people “either allow their insistence on the equality of men and women to obscure the differences between the sexes, or they allow their emphasis on the differences between the sexes to obscure the equality of men and women.” That made me stand up shout and a book hasn’t made me do that in a while.
 
Well, friends, it is Tuesday at 3:15 and the kids won’t be in bed until at least 9 which means there’s 6 more long hours until West Wing. Naturally, I’m sitting in the closet behind the coats enjoying a popsicle and reading chapter 6… and my legs look great.