The Magpie Edit: Edition 45.

Above: Mr. Magpie hanging up Old Glory for the Fourth. He’s wearing those Faherty shorts I mentioned — love the color and length — with this button-down.

01. WATERMELON COCKTAILS — Mr. Magpie whipped up a few batches of these fabulous gin-based watermelon cocktails this holiday week. I took a screenshot of the recipe below. The recipe is from New York’s famed Please Don’t Tell cocktail bar. We serve them in these cooler glasses (which are also our water/drinking glasses, and we love them — nice, thin lip but a pleasant weight) with copper straws. I specifically like this set of straws because half of them are bent and half are straight, which means we can always remember whose cocktail is whose. They also come in two different heights for different types of glasses. Very handy!

02. Has everyone watched “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret?” I absolutely loved it. I had forgotten how much I learned about puberty from this book as a girl. I had for some reason blotted out the book so much that I told Mr. Magpie beforehand, “I can’t remember if it was this book or another Blume, but one of them introduced me to the concept of getting a period for the first time in my life”! Then, as I watched, I was astounded by how much of it I remembered almost verbatim. The images, the experiences, its markers of femininity and female friendship were all as familiar to me as my own life experiences. I remember longing for the intimacy of the characters in the book, and clinging to the sophisticated vision of bras and bust sizes without connecting them to sexuality or my own body in any meaningful way. Why aren’t there more movies about this phase of a girl’s life? I cried multiple times while watching, not because it was pointedly sad, but because it drew me right back to the tender yet intense tween days that perhaps we never quite “get over.” I thought Rachel McAdams was phenomenal in this movie. She is often endearing, charming, but I found her particularly relatable here.

03. The real MVP of summer: this large pump bottle of Supergoop sunscreen. The pump makes it so easy to apply, and I love the formula — lightweight, easy to blend, but really stays put. Bravo Supergoop for making the perfect daily sunscreen!

04. I still use my Paravel Cabana tote for pool days. It’s not waterproof (though it does have a wipeable liner on the inside), but I love the roomy size and the clever pockets for all of my must-haves.

05. HILL HOUSE NAP DRESS — I wore this on the Fourth. These dresses continue to defy trendiness for me. I mean, they are everywhere and were widely worn at the Fourth of July party at our country club (I lost count of how many I saw), but I continue to reach for them, despite their seeming ubiquitousness. They are so easy to wear, very lightweight in the D.C. heat, flattering, and well-priced IMO.

06. AFOREMENTIONED COPPER STRAWS

07. OK, these reusable water balloons arrived and are SUCH a great summer buy. First, they are better for the environment and keep your lawn clear of all of the plastic debris typically associated with water balloons. I have many memories of Mr. Magpie picking through the grass trying to get it all up after short-lived balloon fights of summers past. Second, the children can refill them themselves! Usually, we need to stand at the sink filling a bunch. With these, children can immerse in water and the balloons “self-seal” with a magnetic closure. It’s hard to describe but they really work. Third, because they’re reusable, the length of play time is significantly longer than with a standard bin of water balloons, which last all of five minutes. Very pleased with this purchase, which kept my children busy for a good hour on the Fourth. In the snap of my daughter above, she’s wearing a J. Crew swimsuit that’s sold out, but I did want to note that TONS of their children’s suits are marked way down plus an extra 50% off, so you can get some of their suits for well under $20.

08. Ordering this striped, ribbed Doen mini. It’s so not my usual style but I keep imagining it paired with leather slides or dad sandals, or maybe ballet flats in the fall. Cute cute!

09. My other favorite purchase this week, well-documented these past few days: these Ancient Greek sandals. Cannot wait until they arrive.

10. Random, but my son loves boxer-briefs and these ones from Primary look TOO CUTE on him. Currently on sale!

11. He is also obsessed with his red crocs. Easily his favorite shoe. I never thought I’d be a crocs mom, but here we are, and they are very practical (wash clean, slip-on) and — dare I say — kind of adorable on him?

12. My Summersalt Ruffle Back Flip arrived and I totally get the hype. This suit is saucy (LOVE the back and the low-vee) but holds everything in place and is super-flattering. It has a decent amount of compression but does not feel constricting / does not cut into your skin in any way. Take your true size in this (I took a 2). I also got their sidestroke suit and think that one runs a little smaller — it was a bit of a struggle to pull on over my hips in a size 2! I wanted to mention that Magpies with larger busts than I (I wear an A) had divergent thoughts on the Ruffle Backflip suit. Some said they felt it was too showy in the bust area and would recommend for smaller bust sizes. Others said that they love it and feel “held in place.” So take that for what you will! Re: sidestroke. I love the interesting back and found the angle of the lines/seams of the suit flattering and elongating. However, I feel like the fabric is a tiny bit thin or something? I didn’t notice this at all on the Ruffle Backflip, perhaps because it’s solid black or just a different silhouette, but on the Sidestroke, I found myself adjusting the suit for awhile so that the top layer laid properly on top of the liner layer. If you’re going with one suit, I would hands down recommend the Backflip. It’s currently on sale for $66 and I know I will be reaching for this constantly. Can’t go wrong with a basic black suit!