Collection of ‘Things’ from April 2026

What I am reading

Strangers by Belle Burden

I mentioned despairing I wouldn’t find THE BOOK for this month, but luckily this one dropped in my lap one morning and I finished it that day.

It was so incredibly compelling, unhinged in a way where you are thinking in horror – no, this.. this could never happen.. – never mind her aristo background and socialite nonsense. A peek into the rarefied world for sure, but more of how this can just happen out of nowhere and blindside you.

I sat with it a bit more in the afternoon and realized I was rather angry at the whole book, not at her of course, but at the financial implications of what she had done (I AM NOT BLAMING HER. I AM NOT.).. it is a wakeup call and a real call to action to those of us in relationships, to take care.

I think this post sums it up quite beautifully: The $7 Million Lesson. I would suggest reading the book FIRST then reading this post, to gain a proper perspective of how unhinged her memoir was.

A NEW CHALLENGE

2025 Temperature Hoop

This beautiful embroidered piece of art that was created by Mortimer Makes who used it to basically track the weather (each colour represented the weather of the day) is going to be my next challenge. I need to find a suitably sturdy piece of scrap cloth or canvas-like cloth so that the circles stay taut and neat.. then I will 100% hang it on my wall as art.

What I have been watching

Elemental

This is such a good movie, especially for first-generation immigrant children to watch. I cannot imagine why it tanked, but it scores quite high (in the 70s) online and I watched it with my son, crying intermittently. He of course was happy and sad at many scenes, but the one that really made me cry was the ending.

I won’t spoil it of course, but it is before they board the boat, and I burst into hot cathartic tears. A wonderful watch. I also explained a few things to my son as we went through it, so he would understand the context.

SPOTLIGHT: On art

Tom Rae – New Zealand Photographer

I saw this on social media and immediately screenshotted it so I would remember to look it up later. Then I was blown away by the work that Tom Rae has done, brilliant photography that doesn’t look real at all. Very ethereal.

HOT TAKES

SUBWAY TAKES Video Podcast

Subway Takes with Kareem Rahma is my go-to video podcast when I am doing the dishes and so on. It is very interesting to hear all of these ideas and people get passionate and excited about them. I usually think right away 100% agree or disagree, but sometimes I disagree and then I agree in the end after I hear more about it.

They are short videos, to the point, and very entertaining at times. Some people are quite disturbing though, but … they’re mostly cool.

• New York Fitness Culture is a Scam
• Straight men have their own versions of drag
• We need to stop having elections and just randomly elect politicians
• Cool people from small towns are cooler than people from bigger cities

OOTD TENSION

In a good way that is…

I loved this substack post from Angie Uh called Just One Thing because it totally encapsulates how I think about dressing every single day. If my clothes match and everything goes together without something to add a little dissonance, I don’t love the look.

Indie Shop Love

Raplapla

Raplapla is a children’s toy store, yes, but it is so much more. It defines everything an indie store SHOULD be. Not corporate, with opinions, wonderful designs, ethically made and sewn with intention and love, all done in local Montréal.

Their latest missive in their newsletter really solidified that for me, and actually, all of their newsletters make me laugh and think, and want to support them even more. If you need a gift for ANY little in your life, this is the place I would go to, hands down. All of my friends with newly made littles have received gifts from their store and will, for years to come.

Astounding Math

Animation vs. Math by Alan Becker

I am more of a Money Math person than I am of MATH itself, but my son is obsessed with it, ever since he was a tiny baby in diapers. So when he told me excitedly I had to watch some math videos, I gave him the side eye and internally girded my loins to watch something that only he would find fascinating and geek out over, and I would be completely lost by.

But I am, if not anything else, a very supportive and encouraging mother.

Then I watched them and realized I was 100%, completely wrong.

These videos blew me away. The animation is stunning, the accuracy of the math is mindblowing.. whoever coded this animation (lead coder on his team), is CLEARLY in love with math and a damn good animator.

People said they should make it into mini videos as tutorials to teach math to people, not just children, and I second that wholeheartedly. Math would be a heck of a lot more fun if they did so.

Here are their two videos: Enjoy.

Summer Prep

Nanoglass foot scrub

This is what it looks like. I won’t link where to get it because the easy one would be to use Amazon but try to look for it in your local pharmacy instead. This is called a nano-glass food scrubber. Basically, it is literally glass, moulded to be like a scrubby texture, and it never wears down or smooths out. It stays sharp and very scrubby, and I have found it to be extremely effective versus the many stone and other foot scrub items I have used over the years. Requires no recharging, no battery, good in water or dry…

I am still of course, a huge fan of the Dr. Scholl’s Velvet Smooth Foot Scrub device that is also wet/dry but in a pinch, this one does beautifully and is light & easy to travel with.

Spotlight: Wearable Art

Embroidered Sneakers

Have any old, stained sneakers lying around? Too dirty for the bin? Upcycle or refresh them with embroidery and iron-on patches. Brilliant. Not sure why I didn’t cop on to this earlier but this is SO CLEVER. Gives them a whole new life and a cool unique spin.

Good design

Notabag

I always thought about a portable bag that could be a backpack instead, and this brand Notabag did it. I bought a few more to stash for when I travel, but it gives you a hands-free option when you are walking around outside and your child hands you his sweater and his hat and says – Can you please put this in your bag for me – but your purse is already full of things you typically bring anyway like bandaids and handcream, so you can stick it into this, sling it on your back as a light backpack and be much happier.

You can even make your child wear the backpack instead of you.

It is SO SMART.

Footloose and Fancy Free

Shangies sandals by Stilov

I discovered these Shangies sandals and I am a US 7 but I took the 38-39 because the 37-38 in person fit a little too perfectly to where my heel would likely hit the back of the shoe ridge and be uncomfortable. Sizing up half that size was much better.

The footbed is jute, and the straps are polyester as the cotton would stretch too much and ruin over time. I have been wearing them for almost a month now, and am obsessed. They are so comfortable, and I was told they would mould to my foot shape over time.

The footbed itself is also not flat, it is a bit elevated with a kind of foam (?) inside, that makes it quite comfy.

Whatever it is, they are light, easy to pack, travel with, walk with, and are almost as comfortable as my Birkenstocks which are bulkier.

They are great for the beach, outside, as indoor sandals, hotel sandals… I am enamoured and highly recommend them. I am even thinking of them as gifts for my friends, I know they would love them.

Want more?

Here are all the previous months’ posts…