Some random unraveling and happy things this week:

Dash found a pal.
Little boys playing with little-bit-bigger boys makes me very happy.

Dash also found his sister’s stash of Secret Things Purposely Hidden From Little Brother. 
I let him at ’em because he was gentle and sweet and put them all back when he was done sniffing them out.

Nature Art.

Modern Dance with Curtain Prop.

“Hello? Do you sell baby gates? My mom is inquiring.”

Found…
...this scene in my bedroom two minutes past when we were supposed to leave for school.
Hard to get all panicky and “We’re going to be tardy” when you land on this.

Totally worth the 12 bobby pins.

Friday Phone Dump this week…

If you stop pushing this car for–God forbid–half a second, he will voice his disappointment.

Second grade is my favorite. 

I read an essay…
…in Real Simple last week–this home run feel-good piece by Jenny Rosenstrach about not being able to fix her daughters’ middle school drama and broken heart problems. She recalls her mother’s advice of sitting out the drama and letting her daughters figure it out on their own: “Mom did give me one tangible way to help,” she explained, “You just make sure that when those girls walk in that door every day…they never doubt that home is the most comforting place for them to be. That is what you can do.”

I’m so glad I read that piece because it led me to Jenny and her writing, and a few days later Sister sent me her books. So here I am in my kitchen tonight with her just released book, Dinner: the Playbook, and it’s full of inspiration, not intimidation. Homey stuff. Personality. A friend in the kitchen. Tonight, I made her braised adobo pork with polenta, and it was amazing.

After 15 years since seeing it…
…I dug up Anne of Green Gables on DVD and introduced it to my girls with curlers and milkshakes and couch forts because that’s how it’s done. They have yet to appreciate the Lady of Shalott and bosom friends and the standard Matthew Cuthbert sets for all mankind. But they will. I’ll make sure of it.

Also, L.M. Montgomery #nailedit with this: “There’s such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I’m such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn’t be half so interesting.”  GET OUT OF MY HEAD, ANNE SHIRLEY.  


Her spirit.
I use an aromatizer with a mess of essential oils for calm and serenity and clarity in our home. And then sometimes, I just turn the damn thing off and snuggle up next to this one instead.

Beach Night.
It was raining out in the gulf. There were storms north of us. But we found a sand bar and watched the sun cut through the clouds, and it was a glorious scene. I cannot define God, but I arrive closest to it in peace during pain, in watching children, in selfless acts of love and in nature when–like this moment–things are just too beautiful to make sense outside of some bigger explanation.

Two more days until September.
I never said I didn’t like a nice pair of tights–particularly aubergine. I will bust out a boot with a fall plaid like nobody’s business before it’s fashionably legal in Florida. My nails are already painted a deep merlot, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t scouted this year’s Christmas long johns already, and I will not pretend the debut of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte didn’t make my heart dance a jig the other day. But we can have both–ride the line between grateful present and grateful-for-fun-to-come. That said, the white pants will live on past Labor Day for me–if not simply to give Obama a break for his tan suit. There’s surely another summer bucket list item to cross off, another sparkler to light, another impromptu barbecue waiting for us to ignite its fun. We’ll have pool parties at night and follow them with hot chocolate and cinnamon sticks. Mint green AND mustard yellow. Popsicles AND football chili. Don’t make me pick.

Happy Labor Day Weekend, Friends!

********

This week, on eHow, I’m sharing:

What I Hope My Kids Say About Me
“I don’t want my children to ever feel pressure that my happiness is dependent on their choices or that my fulfillment hinges on their successes. “She supported us and cheered us on,” I hope they say, “but she also invested in her own continued pursuit of learning opportunities.”

Read more by clicking below.

…and…

How to Feel Positive in Our Efforts of Raising Our Kids
“When I feel myself wondering if maybe I’m doing it wrong, or when I feel like I’m not the best version of the parent I want to be, I remind myself of this: self-loathing parenting shame is the most unproductive place to be as a parent.”

Read more by clicking below.

Chugging along here on the last leg of our trip, down Florida’s tail, in a van that begs to be cleaned. While I sort through pictures and return to the real world, I’m excited to share with you a fun curation project I did–Be Bold. Be You.–with one of our favorite’s, the lovely Tea Collection (and a super generous discount code–wait for it!). I’ve been a Tea fan from the first little Tea dress Lainey wore when she was wee big, and we’ve since swooned over every new globally inspired collection they’ve introduced.

Yes to all of it.

Tea’s layering possibilities make transitioning from one season to the next super easy–a short-sleeved dress quickly becomes a fall tunic when layered over leggings and a long sleeve tee.

And speaking of long sleeve tee, this striped tee (part of Enjoying the Small Things girl curated set) is perfect–promises to get more wear than anything in your child’s closet. I’ve been waiting for Tea to reintroduce another long sleeve black & white tee forever (Lainey and Nella wear their old ones with everything), and was so happy to see this one. Goes with jeans? Yes. Overalls? Yes. Floral skirts, printed jumpers, pastels, primaries, jewel tones. Yes, yes, yes. It’s snug, stretchy, classic and pairs with everything.

The curated sets let you kill two birds with one stone, or in Back to School talk: sharpen two pencils with one crank, pack two lunches in one box, sign two permission slips on one form–okay, I’ll stop. Translated: so many outfits with a one stop shop.

The best part?

Use code KELLEHAMPTON on your order and receive 20% off any of the Enjoying the Small Things curated sets (not valid with any other codes or promotions and expires on August 25th at 11:59PM PT).

And seriously, back to school?! We return in a week–this summer has flown by.

Thank you, Tea Collection for keeping us looking good and feeling comfy. Now if you could just sign all those permission slips and pack those lunches.

*This post is sponsored by Tea Collection. 

This post is sponsored by Blue Apron.

Here’s the thing about meals in our house—I really do like to cook. I like the ritual of cooking and the senses it involves—the sounds of knife to cutting board, water boiling, vegetables sizzling; the bright red of a ripe tomato, the crisp green of fresh snap peas; wafting scents of basil and rosemary, garlic and onion. I like when cooking involves the entire family—kids standing on chairs, reaching to help; Brett and I sipping a little wine, discussing our day while we stir. It’s how I want our kitchen to look at meal time, but too often I’m flinging together a hodge podge of ingredients to just make do because I failed to conquer Phase 1 and 2 of meal prep—deciding what to cook and having the ingredients on hand.

So when I discovered Blue Apron, I was all YES PLEASE. This has our family’s name all over it. We still get to chop and simmer and enjoy the kitchen rituals of meal prep, but Blue Apron does the thinking and the shopping for us. All the fresh ingredients for chef-designed recipes are sent to our home in a refrigerated box along with easy-to-follow photo instructions for preparation. All we have to do is make it and eat it.

My favorite thing about Blue Apron is that we receive the exact proportions of everything we need so that there’s no waste. And by everything, I mean EVERYthing—spices, condiments, a few tablespoons of this and that—it’s all there, perfectly measured, no trips to the grocery store. And all the amazing things that I never knew I wanted to make? Well, now I know.

Like shrimp summer rolls with spicy peanut sauce. I had something similar from a food truck in New York City in April and have been dreaming about them ever since. These arrived in our Blue Apron meal box last week and were fresh and delicious and far easier to make than I would have imagined.

Lainey loved helping me fill the rice paper and roll them up, and we were so stoked about the finished product, we ran a couple rolls over to the neighbors so they’d be all “These are amazing, you are such an amazing cook!” Why, thank you.

Last week’s oven fried chicken meal was another family favorite—Dash cleaned his plate completely. The vegetable side was delicious. Combining fresh corn and green beans and basil may seem simple enough, but when I’m reaching for the same ‘ol corn on the cob side dish, I need someone to climb in my head and tell me “combine this corn with green beans and basil” for me to do it.

So, how does Blue Apron work? You get exact proportions of everything you need for three chef-designed meals a week sent to your home for either 2, 4 or 6 people at $9.99 a meal. Meals arrive in a refrigerated box, so even if you aren’t home when it’s delivered, everything stays fresh. Blue Apron is available nationwide and ships free to 80% of the country. There’s no commitment—you can skip or cancel Blue Apron service at any time.

Blue Apron has extended a kind discount offer for readers—the first 250 readers will get two free meals on their first Blue Apron order.

Happy Eats. Happy Family.