The Magpie Diary: July 5, 2026.

We’ve been in a midsummer parenting slog. I remember this feeling from summers past, but it’s typically descended in late July/early August, and I’ve attributed it to camp fatigue, the wearing-off of the early summer thrill, the suspension from real schedules, and stir craziness. It’s an early onset situation this year. Landon and I keep making eyes at one another as if to say, “what the hell is going on?!” and collapsing onto the couch once the children are in bed, our bodies telegraphing: “I do not have a single atom of energy left in this body.” We’ve had lots of stomping feet and slammed doors and that imminent-storm feeling, as if my children are little volcanoes waiting to erupt. We’ve had pushback and meltdowns. We’ve had nitpicking. We’ve had comments like, “well, I guess NOBODY CARES” [stomp, stomp, slam].

I think it’s the heat.

I think it’s the unpredictable herky-jerkiness of my daughter’s swim team schedule (meet tonight, practice tomorrow — wait, that’s canceled because of a rain storm, and actually, you can’t go to this meet because xyz; hmm can I find a sitter to take you to practice tomorrow because I have abc).

I think it’s the too-much-ness of day camp followed by swim most days of the week.

I think it’s (maybe) the excitement about and the unknown of this enormous international trip (my daughter read in the Rick Steves guide to London about pick-pocketing and she is fixated on it; we’ll be getting ready for bed and she’ll come in and ask, ‘what about this bag? would someone be able to get something out of it?’ Which is just a reminder of how preciously narrow her life is, how enormous a trip like this seems to them).

I think it’s feeling stretched-thin as a parent. (Did anyone else just complete a battery of heavy-load admin related to fall sports, uniforms, religious ed sign up, etc?! I spent almost an entire workday just getting the kids situated for everything they need this fall. A lot of these had deadlines in early July! And uniforms take TIME to ship. Oy!)

…I think it’s just parenting in summer.

Writing this out, I must remind myself that in motherhood, not everything will have an answer or a fix, or at least not one that is legible in the near-term. Not everything can be readily strung back to some source material. I know this. I’ve lived this; I have the muscle memory of it. I’ve written in the past about how dinners used to be a site of strain for me as a mother. It was full of cajoling (please for the love of God eat two bites…!), reminders (“bottoms in seats”), attempting conversation only to be stalled, redirecting conversation only to be interrupted. I recognized that all of it was learning for the kids; no one is born a great conversationalist or a polite dinner table guest. But Lordy didn’t the wheels turn slow? Now things are easier, and I respect and appreciate the investment of time we made it to be so. Sometimes there just aren’t short cuts or hacks or “try this game that completely changed our family dinners!” Sometimes it’s simply putting in the time. Committing to something because you know it will pay off and you value it so highly. Trying again and again. I was not always the picture of serenity in this, by the way. I was often frustrated and short-tempered! But here we are, and dinners are a more straight-forward part of our family fabric.

I’m not sure exactly how this correlates with our current summer slog, but it has a similar hazy shape. Like maybe there’s no singular route cause — maybe it’s a big ol’ cake mix of factors — and I need to stop diagnosing. Maybe it’s just a left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot thing. Trying to unclip from whatever I can and reach for the “lowest heart rate in the room” mantra.

Does this resonate with you? Do you ever find yourself in a mucky bit of parenting — a particular issue, a particular time of year — and realize that it’s mainly about persistence?

Onward —

Shopping Break.

+Found cult-favorite Leset Margo tees in white and black for 30% off! (Discount appears in cart). While you’re there, Rue De Verneuil canvas totes on sale (without the import duties you incur shipping directly from RDV) here and here.*

+Exactly what I want to wear right now: TWP button down and my new Agolde black denim shorts (available in a denim wash here) with these woven ballets.

+My cute striped athletic skirt is nearly sold through! (More sizes here!) Other athletic skirts I’m loving: this (has a similar vibe to my Varley — use code SHOOP20); this pique (use code SHOOP20); and this Spanx with the interesting sheer hem situation! Great colors too.

+I’m a fiend for the taffeta statement right now! Still loving the look of these Chan Luus.

+Not seen below but worth mentioning while on sale this weekend: 20% off at Mi Golondrina with code SUMMER20. I love this gingham ditty and absolutely LIVE in my Flores dress. It’s the perfect thing to throw on in the evening, when you don’t feel like wearing your day clothes but aren’t ready for jammies. Easy, breezy, non-constricting. And! My beloved huaraches are 25% off here this weekend. Surprisingly comfortable right out of the box and look so cute with EVERYTHING from shorts and a button-down to a little sundress.

+Coolest sneakers I’ve seen in a minute.

+Own and adore these statement gold earrings — and they’re 25% off. Slightly heavy, FYI, but the backing keeps them in place.

+Some of my most-worn sandals in the summer — also 30% off! I actually find these incredibly, startlingly comfortable. I wore them to a baseball game earlier this summer (and the schlep from Bethesda via metro all the way to the Nats stadium and back) and had no issues!

+Ordered this white athletic dress while $20 off!