Category: The Household Book

The Mom Weekly Volume 149: June 16, 2026 

You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

Notes

I hope you were able to celebrate Flag Day is a small way! I’m going to try to make it more an “event” in my life going forward. It makes me happy to do so.

Speaking of holidays, this Sunday is Father’s Day, so this is your reminder to reach out to Dad, send a card, etc.

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good

I purchased a scrubber tool kind of on a whim from Costo last month, and it sat in the back entryway for a long time until I was ready to tackle it and figure out how it works.

I finally did so a few weeks ago, and I was really pleasantly surprised with how well it cleaned off hard water stains from sinks. We have hard water here, and even though we have a water softener, the water leaves such a weird cast on the faucets and residue on the sinks. They don’t seem dirty, and they aren’t dirty when you clean them, but it takes so much scrubbing to get them relatively shiny. Even with that elbow grease, they never look “great” and it’s often an annoying prospect. 

It doesn’t help that I actively dislike two sink/cabinet combos that the previous owners put in during their gut remodel of parts of the house. In our bathroom, the sink is comically high off the ground, so much so that I can’t easily wash my face in it. So I get water all over myself and the side of the sink/floor when I do wash my face. 

The first floor powder room sink is unattractive and too big for the space, and also too high. I don’t think the previous owners were super tall people, but the sinks are just not great!

(In case you were wondering, no, they weren’t DIYers. They used a very “high end” local firm that does “fancy work.” But I’m not impressed, at all, and wouldn’t use them for a renovation.)

Anyway… I finally opened the scrubber tool (it’s this brand) and read about how to make it work. I actually had to also watch a YouTube video to see how to recharge the unit. And I tried it for a few minutes on the powder room sink. I used some water and Barkeeper/s Friend, and rinsed thoroughly afterwards.

Reader, it worked really well! 

Even though I didn’t have time right then to be super thorough, the work I did made real difference in both the faucet and the sink. 

A few days after that, I was giving baths to the dogs, and I realized, I should really clean this bathroom. (It’s not used very much). 

Related question why do bathrooms get so dusty in addition to dirty? It’s so annoying!

After the baths were over, I decided to get out the tool and clean this bathroom. Again, the tool did really great work, and the bathroom looked sooo much nicer than before. And so I cleaned another bathroom.

I took a few photos, intending to share with our family chat with the caption, “You may admire my handiwork.” When I looked at the photos, however, it didn’t look “perfect.” These are old bathrooms, and while the tile is kind of cool and old-fashioned looking, you could still see some water stains, and some discoloration of the bathtub that cleanser won’t get out.

I was discouraged for a moment, because I thought, “darn, I worked hard, and the scrubber tool worked well, and it looks nice and I want people to admire it!” And then the phrase “The perfect is the enemy of the good” came into my head. 

The bathrooms do look much, much better than when I started. But even if I had take before and after photos, I might have still been dissatisfied with the finished product. 

So. I sent the photos and instructed, “You may admire my handiwork.”

“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” I needed to be happy with a “good enough” (actually great) and sparkling bathrooms, even if they weren’t perfect.

“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Reflecting on this made me think that cultivating happiness and satisfaction with work we have completed, is extremely important. It’s important to ourselves and other.

The perfect is the ENEMY of the good. Perfectionism is actively a bad thing, not a neutral. This can be true in our work, in our relationships, and more.

Let’s take The Mom Weekly, for instance.  Some weeks I know that I “hit it out of the park” with a really funny or insightful Weekly. Sometimes it is pretty good, and sometimes, it is completed, because I intend to “ship it” every week. And all are fine. 

But being happy and being able to celebrate “good enough” or “great” or “completed” is good and helpful, and an important life skill.

You may admire my handiwork!

Interesting/Notable

To-Do List Before Driving Off in a Rental Car–Autoslash blog

I saved this article a long time ago, but it seems apropos with upcoming travel! 

The one potentially “dated” aspect of this was using the “penny test” to check the tire treads. Place a penny, Lincoln’s head side down, into the tire. If part of his head is covered, the tire is fine. Conversely, if you can see all of his head, the tires are not great. 

But pennies are no longer in circulation! I guess it’s worth keeping a penny in your wallet for this purpose, just like we keep a quarter in our cars for Aldi carts.

The Mom Weekly Volume 132: February 17, 2025

You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

Notes:

As I’ve said before, one reason I write The Mom Weekly is to tell myself things as well as you. And I thought of something I personally would like, leading into Lent starting tomorrow: a list of good ideas for Lenten meatless lunches and dinners.

I typically don’t eat meatless the entirety of Lent, but I know I will need ideas for Fridays, and maybe Wednesdays if I get ambitious. 

And so writing these ideas ahead of time should help me have a ready-to-go list. I hope it might help you too or inspire you to create your own.A

Also! Breaking news! I edited this post before it went out, because the Holy Father released his Letter for Lent 2026, and it’s well worth planning to read prayerfully and slowly this Lent. Here it is:

“Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion”

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Meatless Lunch/Dinner Ideas

Baked Salmon, rice, veggies.

Scrambled eggs, salad.

Frittata, baked potatoes, veggies.

Curry wraps with peanut sauce (I adapted this recipe in various ways, notably that I add the peanut sauce to the wraps, and I wrap it in tortillas, not the collard leaves .

Corn chowder made without ham or bacon.

Grilled cheese, veggies or salad.

Korean Tofu Bowls or Wraps with rice or tortillas.

Tortellini with some kind of sauce, Caesar salad.

Aklit Spiced Ethiopian Vegetable Stew , rice

Vegetable soup, bread (note to self: look for a good veggie soup recipe!)

Meatless meatballs (Aldi) in Rao’s sauce, on Turano rolls for meatball subs, sautéed zucchini and onions

Homemade pizza with fresh mozzarella and/or artichokes, salad. 

Peanut butter on toast, sliced apples.

Mexican bean soup (find a good recipe), cornbread.

Blueberry pancakes made with Kodiak mix and/or coconut flour (for more protein and fiber).

I am genuinely interested in any ideas or recipes that you have come across that are meatless for Fridays. Please let me know!

Interesting/Notable:

Debate: Should We Delete Catholic AI? New Polity podcast (Matthew Sanders, CEO of Longbeard, and Marc Barnes

Sometimes Spotify annoys me when it auto-plays whatever random podcast I’ve listened to in the past, but this one was a home run. 

I’m not even 30 minutes into this episode and I have so many thoughts! It’s fascinating, and such a respectful conversation (at least as far I have gotten).

An Action Item: Download the Prayer of St. Ephrem to your phone

When I looked at last year’s beginning of Lent post, after I already completed this one, I thought, that was good! (Including my first-ever GIF).

But that post featured an image of the Prayer of St. Ephrem, which is traditionally prayed during Lent. I’ll feature it again here, and consider adding it to your phone, possibly to your lock screen? So that you can remember to pray it every so often during Lent.

The Mom Weekly Volume 105: August 12, 2025

You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

The Mind is For Having Ideas, Not Holding Them

“The mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

This is a famous quote from productivity guru David Allen. He’s the person behind the Getting Things Done system.  

The theory behind getting those items out of our mind and into a list, or lists, or some kind of system, is this: If we clutter up our brain with all of our to-dos, there isn’t space for thinking, deep work, and things we really want to accomplish.

That’s why a regular “mind sweep” or “brain dump” is such a good idea. Here is a podcast episode (but with a transcript, so It’s easy to skim for the good content) of David Allen walking through a mind sweep and how to handle items on them.

I haven’t done a proper “mind sweep” in some time, so I plan to add this an an action item! But I do have a weekly habit of writing out what’s going on for the next week and a half or so. I do this one page per day, on light blue colored paper, that I keep on a fancy clipboard. I can add things to each day. Like many, I enjoy crossing off the items, and I even add things to the list so that I can cross them off. It truly helps me not to miss events and appointments, even ones that are on my calendar!

Interesting/Notable: 

How to de-addict Gen Z 

I had some reservations about some points of this article, but overall these young men are doing good work.

Action Item: Do a “Mind Sweep” Ahead of September

Set a time for 10-15 minutes (or more! Some people recommend a half hour or longer to help you capture a lot of items) and write down all the things you need to do—pay certain bills, check on your grocery list, make plans with friends, plan where you’ll be for Christmas or Thanksgiving, make your annual doctor or dentist appointments. You’ll be really glad that you did.

I have also done this walking through our house, writing down all the little things that I’d like to accomplish—cleaning off a surface, touching up paint on a wall or doorway, or organizing a closet. It’s great to have such a list, so when you are thinking of something to do, you can check the list and do one of the items. And, best of all, you get to cross off that item!

The Mom Weekly Volume 77: January 28, 2025

You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the website here. https://themomweekly.com/

Notes:

I had another newsletter ready to go this week, that I really want to share!

But I noticed very late that today is “Pride & Prejudice” Day! It’s the 212th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s beloved novel.

And since 2025 is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth (her birthday is December 16), there will doubtless be several newsletters this year that center on her.

Remember how much I love Jane Austen, and also how much I love you!

Mom

Happy Pride & Prejudice Day

Let’s take a little detour, shall we, to enjoy an especially wonderful exchange from Chapter 56 of Pride & Prejudice. This exchange is between the haughty Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennet. This is towards the end of Pride & Prejudice. I initially was going to have the entire exchange as text in this newsletter, but I realized that this scene 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice captures virtually every word.

So here it is!

Now, some fun and funny recent P&P related social media. I promise you that these are really worth watching for some comic relief.

What I mean when I say I like club remixes:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Milly Dashwood (@millydashwoodreadsromance)

Jake Phillips, the “Country Bumpkin” who records audiobooks for his YouTube channel of classics read in a Southern accent. Wonderful!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JAKE PHILLIPS (@theculturedbumpkin)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JAKE PHILLIPS (@theculturedbumpkin)

Finally, is a rendition of a portion of “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes. I have such a vivid memory of Ideagirl memorizing this for declamation back in grade school. Some of the rest of us can still recite at least “The highwayman came riding, riding, riding, the highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JAKE PHILLIPS (@theculturedbumpkin)

Interesting/Notable:

52 Places to Go in 2025 (NY Times Gift Article)

Note the first location!!! I really hope to make this happen in 2025.

An Action Item: Get Started on Your Taxes

Yes, it’s getting to be that time of year… I hope you each have a physical folder that you can refer to to complete your taxes. I prefer to print out the 1099s and similar forms that we get, but usually I can upload them directly to my tax software.

You don’t have to finish your taxes, but gathering your materials is a good first step. I will actually have another tax-related tip in February, so you may want to hold off on actually filing, even if you are ready. But if your taxes are relatively simple, go ahead and file, and you will have that off your plate.

The Mom Weekly Volume 76: January 21, 2025

You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

In Praise of the “Completed” List

I’m sure I am not the only one who has multiple running to-do lists. I have mine both in my head and written down, either on paper or in my treasured ToDoist app.

I am that person who adds things to her to do list after completing, so that I can cross them off. It’s that satisfying for me.

And yet, I often feel like I’m not really making progress, especially when it comes to things around the house. Part of that is the nature of keeping a household running smoothly. If you vacuum, it’s going to need it again very soon, and it’s not quite as satisfying as a one-and-done project. But as I go through the house, I typically see things that I keep “meaning” to do, from touching up paint, to organizing a room, and so on. Whenever I’m going around the house, I find myself saying, “I need to get to … (insert small project here).”

Over the last week, I’ve accomplished three small projects that happen to be related. And I realized, not for the first time, how celebrating our small accomplishments helps to make you happier and more productive.

Here’s the story: Months ago, I purchased a top-down/bottom-up shade (like this one)  to go in Dad’s library. He wanted the ability to see the sky but also giving him some privacy. We kept saying to each other, “We have to put that shade up.”

Finally, we set upon a time earlier last week. (That’s another tip—scheduling a time to do a specific project greatly increases the chances you will get to it!). And while Dad went through some things and books in his office, I took off the old shade, and installed the new one, without too much drama. Because I don’t do it very often, I read the instructions really carefully and spent extra time. It felt great to accomplish it!

I saved the shade in order to install it in the garage, where there was a window without a shade. I put the shade on top of the dryer in the laundry room, and made a mental note to get to it “soon.” 

The Plot Thickens

A couple of mornings later, I was opening the floral shade in the laundry room. You may remember it had a weird cord to raise and lower the shade. And … it broke. I was so annoyed! 

I got out the ladder to take a look at it, and see if I could fix it. It was the oddest contraption, and took awhile to disassemble. And, for good or ill, it could not be fixed, which kind of made me glad.

I was heading out, and so stopped at Menard’s and get a new shade. They had one just like I wanted.

When I got home, I started to work on installing it. Feeling confident from my installation of the library shade, I promptly installed the brackets upside down. So annoying! 

When I discovered my mistake, I also realized that the screws that came with the shade were those evil screws that immediately “strip” when you start to install them (even though I was using a manual screwdriver, not an electric drill). So getting them off was quite the ordeal, and I was cursing whoever creates those awful screws!!!

Fortunately, I was able to find “just” enough high-quality screws in our tool box , and installed the brackets correctly, put up the shade, and consigned the awful fasteners to the trash.

And then, I told myself, I am not going to wait another minute to install that shade in the garage, because I don’t want to forget how to do it! I was able to install that shade correctly, and in much less time as the first two, because I had the memory of how to do it.

The “Things I’ve Completed” Photo Album

After this was all completed, I took photos to memorialize all my great work (see several of the photos in this week’s graphic). And then I realized how happy it made me to do that. 

So, that’s the plan in coming weeks. I will take a before/ after photo of different projects that I want to do, and then celebrate them.

To aggregate these, there is a new album in my Photos called “Things I’ve Completed.” I’m going to come up with a better name for it, but I don’t like the typical expression “Ta-Da List” l. If you have any better suggestions for what to call it, I want to know! And let me know good things that you have accomplished.

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Interesting/Notable: 

Fighting the Devil with a Spatula—Meredith Hinds

I’m not sure how I came across this article. But it’s related to what I wrote this week, a great reminder that the “small steps” are a great way to complete things. And that thanking yourself for taking them is a good (and spiritual) practice! Here’s an excerpt:

So, what small step could I take regarding small steps? Well, in my fancy new 2025 planner, the first resolution I wrote down was, “I will honor small steps.”

Then I realized how much I sounded like a yoga instructor. Honor? By doing what? I scratched that out and wrote, “I will thank myself for taking small steps.”

This is a trip. You should try it.

“Thank you for throwing away three eggshells.”

“Thank you for picking up the paper scrap off the floor.”

“Thank you for making the bed.”

I didn’t realize how little positive internal feedback I had going around upstairs until I really started making a point of it.

An Action Item: Drink A Big Glass of Water First Thing in the Morning

Everyone knows how much I enjoy drinking water, but the cold weather recently has made drinking water less appealing for me. This is probably because I love my water with ice, and it just isn’t as much fun to drink when it’s below zero outside! But staying hydrated, especially in colder, drier weather, with dry heat, is even more important this time of year.

I was having some digestive and other symptoms recently, and I thought it could be from not drinking enough water. So I’ve made a point the last week or so to drink an eight-ounce glass of water (or two) first thing in the morning. It has really helped, and I encourage you to do the same.