The highlight of my week was on Wednesday when Amalia woke up exhausted, and instead of trying to fight it and push her to go to camp, I decided to take the day off to spend it with her. I worked in the morning while she played with Legos then we ran errands, got ice cream and went swimming for a few hours. I’m so lucky to have flexibility in my work to be able to do this and really listen to my kids needs on days like that. In the past, I would have been so stressed about what I was not doing, but focusing on slowing down this summer has helped me accept that some days I just can’t get everything done.

That said, I’m kicking myself today since my to-do list is a mile long. But totally worth it!

I also listened to an incredible but anger-inducing podcast, The Retrievals, about a bunch of women who were getting IVF at Yale’s fertility clinic and had excruciating pain during their extractions. It turns out a nurse was stealing the fentanyl and replacing it with saline (you learn all of this in the first few minutes). The stories of the women, the nurse, and the aftermath is infuriating but important. Give it a listen if you can handle this type of content. Trigger warning: I would imagine that it could be extremely triggering for anyone who has gone through IVF or fertility treatments.