The Magpie Diary: May 10, 2026.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and mom figures out there! What are you doing (or not doing) to celebrate? The only thing I wanted this year was pancakes for breakfast and a hike with the whole family. Then it’s on to the usual parade of sports games, laundry, and negotiating with my kids to “take a shower now please” — which is exactly where I’m meant to be today. We have entered a dense “kids’ sports” season of life and I have a couple of random thoughts on this, all relating to motherhood, come to think of it —

+This season, Landon and I have often had to divide and conquer — me taking Emory to lacrosse or soccer; Landon taking Hill to baseball or tennis — because of conflicting timing. Last weekend, Hill ran into my arms after he came home from his baseball game speaking a mile a minute about his great at-bat (“Dada called it a total bomb”), and then he asked: “Why don’t you come to my baseball games?” I felt that familiar tissue paper heart feeling. There is, of course, a valid reason: Landon is assistant coach for his team; when we split up, he needs to be at the baseball practices and games. But this is hard to rationalize to a six year old, who just wants to be seen by his mother. By some miracle, the games worked out this Sunday such that I can attend his game as well as my daughter’s, and I can’t wait to show up for him. But I feel so conflicted about all of this. Have we overextended ourselves (and our children)? I so desperately want to be present for both of them, but we’ve woven ourselves into a little logistical knot. Maybe we can reduce to one sport per child per season. This doesn’t necessarily mean the schedules won’t conflict, of course, but the likelihood is less. But then there is the other half of me that sees them thriving in their sports, improving weekly, enjoying the social aspect. It’s wonderful they are able to spend spring afternoons outside, moving their little bodies, laughing with their friends. And there is something magical about all of the one-on-one car time I’ve had with my daughter this semester. Everything has tumbled out there, in the passenger seat. I hear about her friendships, her reading, her schoolwork. I listen to her little voice sing every single word (missing none) of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead.” She unscrews my water bottle cap for me while I’m driving while she unfolds her thoughts into my waiting lap.

Beyond that, I have loved watching them try new sports, and the schedules give all of us structure.

Still. Emory may be progressing to a point in soccer where she will have two practices a week, which seems to blot out the likelihood she (we) can handle a second sport. Do we want to pigeon-hole her at this point? Is it too intense / too much too fast? Is it good for her? Is it good for us as a family? Rhetorical questions — because I know many moms are passionate on all sides of this! And for good reasons! But I am very much in the undecided middle. Philosophically I like the idea of a wide-open childhood, with lots of time to be bored. I’m so grateful for the long summer days I spent blotting out my own boredom as a child — all those hours spent reading, biking, inventing maudlin Barbie doll plotlines with my sisters, creating forts and putting on re-enactments of Indiana Jones and “Fawlty Towers” (weird selection but true), writing and writing and writing. This past Tuesday (one of the few days with no after school commitments), my children spent the entire afternoon and early evening outdoors. They built a “nest” for animals passing through the yard made of sticks, fallen petals, leaves. They rode bikes up and down the cul de sac. They played lacrosse with their neighbors. They set up the goals in the cul de sac and kicked the soccer ball back and forth. We often give them a little screen time before dinner if they’ve finished homework, taken baths, etc, but they were so engrossed in their outdoor liberty they completely forgot about it.

So you can see I’m very much at sixes and sevens with myself. Maybe there is a middle way. One sport and elbow out the rest. We shall see.

+Another motherhood note related to sports season: I have found surprising joy in sitting on the sidelines with other mothers. On Thursday, I sat in the bleachers with a couple of moms, watching our daughters play soccer, and even though it was bizarrely cold for May (I lost in circulation in my fingers while sitting in those shadows!), when I left, I told them: “Thanks for the great company.” And I realized how deeply I meant that! We talked books (everyone is reading Strangers), jelly sandals (three of the four of us own this exact pair), and the familiar motherhood challenges of never-ending laundry and attempting to teach a child something they’re afraid of (for one, it was bike-riding; for another, swimming). A deeply good feeling, to receive one another, to compare notes on the minutaie of motherhood, to feel seen and connected. (And one of them had a set of those hand warmers in her purse — because of course moms do — and lent it to me to help with my circulation-less fingers.) An unexpected gift of this season: the friendships in the bleachers!

What are you enjoying or grappling with during whatever season of motherhood this note finds you in? Please share! The comments are a soft landing place.

*PS I can’t write this piece without letting you know that these pull-on soccer cleats are a great gift to moms all over the place, especially for kids under seven who cannot tie their own laces or who take a long time to do so. They need to learn, of course, but somehow it’s the worst possible time to have them attempt to do so while you’re racing to a game. (And if you have a boy between 6-10, he is going to freak out over these athletic shorts. My son lives in them. Landon also owns a few pairs (if you scroll down in sizing, you’ll see it runs all the way up to a men’s XL)! Cute father-son gift for Father’s Day.)

Motherhood Poetry.

In honor of Mother’s Day: my friend Meg runs a lovely podcast called Meg’s Reading Room and she invited me to read one of the pieces from Small Wonders as a part of a special Mother’s Day episode, alongside other talented mothers who are also poets. You can hear me read “The Runaway Bunny” around moment six. (You can also read them stand-alone below, too.)

I love the central visual of gentle daily transformation, and the attendant affirmation: I can meet whatever the day asks of me.

Swim + Other Summer Fun Prep.

Are you picking up any new suits for summer? I haven’t worn a bikini in a minute (years?) but I did order this Minnow one with the high-waisted bottoms. I like the coverage and I know this top style tends to be flattering on me. I’m also obsessing over these patterned Stylest suits — part of a collab with Lia Burke. Stylest suits have a fantastic, body-contouring fit, but they don’t make you feel like you’re wearing compression stockings or anything. I’m especially swooning over this silhouette with the buttons in the front. Use code JEN15 for 15% off sitewide!

A few other favorites for the season ahead:

THIS HHH — THE FIT IS SO GOOD!!! LOVE THIS PRINT

THIS ELEGANT NAUTICAL L’AGENCE

EVERYONE’S FAVORITE FLORA — THESE ROUTINELY SELL OUT ON THE FOLLOW SUIT SIGHT BUT FOUND NEARLY FULL SIZE RUNS IN SEVERAL GOOD COLORS HERE*

THIS CROCHET-TRIM J. CREW (DON’T SLEEP ON J. CREW SWIM! VERY GOOD – I GO UP A SIZE OR TWO IN IT THOUGH, FYI)

A FRIEND OF MINE INSISTS THIS COLOR HUNZA G IS INSANELY FLATTERING ON SUMMER SKIN

CUTE BRIDGERTON COLLAB WITH SUMMERSALT!

*BTW, if you’ve always loved this suit but not the cut-outs, check out this solid!

UPF 50 PACKABLE SUNHAT // FLORA SWIMSUIT (MORE HERE) // CHAPPYWRAP BEACH BLANKET (20% OFF WITH JEN20) // TERRYCLOTH COVER UP // PAPER PLATES (USE CODE JEN15) // SUMMER SCHEDULE NOTEPADS (USE CODE JEN10) // JELLY SANDALS // GIADA ONE PIECE

+Terry cover-ups are a must for the season ahead: love the options at Tuckernuck (this one just launched, Magpies have been snapping this style up for the past few weeks, and how great is this stripe?!), La Veste, and Weezie.

+Pool footwear (and beyond): per my note above, so many of my mom friends have ordered these, which I also own and adore. Great look for less option here.

+Don’t forget a great (UPF-50) packable sunhat and, if you are beach-bound, a great waterproof beach blanket (Chappywrap just launched these — use code JEN20 for a discount!). Magpies are loving these two items!

+Tuckernuck just released two epic summer dresses, both under $200: this crochet and this stripe!

+I’m obsessed with these fabulous paper plates! I ordered a few sets and will use sparingly to deliver baked goods, etc. Use code JEN15.

+New color Margo tees at Leset! Gasp, I love the chartreuse.

+A great way to keep summer weekdays organized. Use code JEN10. Lots of good teacher gift ideas here too!

+Punchy phone case in great colors. I ordered one for summer!

PHONE CASE // SANDALS // TERRY COVER UP // FISH PAPER PLATES (USE CODE JEN15) // STYLEST SWIMSUIT (USE CODE JEN15) // J. CREW CROCHET TRIM SWIMSUIT // SHELL PAPER PLATES (USE CODE JEN15) // WEEZIE TERRY POOL TOTE

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