• Griffin and Louise share a bunk bed, and at bedtime, once the lights are out and the room is dark, Griffin gets to enjoy a good 20-30min uninterrupted quiet time with his book thanks to his reading light. I can tell Louise is growing increasingly envious of this nightly ritual and has been begging me for her own reading light in the past few weeks, despite not being able to read full books yet. I’d been resisting (stalling, really) mainly because I imagined a struggle getting her to turn it off, so I finally told her that if she was big enough for a reading light, she was big enough to know when to turn it off and / or listen to us when we ask her to. She nodded in agreement. We got the light. You’d think she got an American Girl doll the way she loves this light. She has squirreled away a box of papers + pens next to her pillow (which makes me cringe) from which she writes and draws in the dim light. The other night, she wrote a letter to her grandfather. And the other morning, well after the other two kids had gotten up, I found her in her room, shades still down, with her light on, drawing. I wonder if apartment living and the inevitable sharing of things that comes with having siblings has made this little glowing alcove a real safe haven for her to create and find some personal space. And if so, I’m pretty amazed it’s all from one little light.

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• You might remember from our Valentine’s Day gift set, we love TenOverTen nail polish! Their colors are gorgeous and they were the first brand of nontoxic polish to come on my radar years back (something I hadn’t given much thought to before getting pregnant with India). I was so impressed to see a note from their founders that they were able to bring their retail cost down to the $12 they sell at Target for, and that they’ve done away with their outer plastic box. I think this is a great summer toe color. India got her first manicure at a party recently and now she can’t stop talking about painting her nails and toes. Her request is YELLOW though, so after a little searching I can across this set, which is water-based, nontoxic, and peelable. It feels like a perfect first step towards big girl manicures (and there’s a yellow!).

• I’ve long been admiring Christopher David Ryan’s work on More & Co’s instagram feed. I love his prints, and am amazed at how affordable they are. I’m buying this, and storing it until we move. I also love a series of these for a children’s room.

• I am new at buying end of the year gifts for teachers ! India has three, and they are all the sweetest. I’ve wracked my brain for what I can buy, but I’m definitely starting with these.