Welcome to the Back of the Flock, where we are slowed down by babies who arrive earlier than expected, by preschoolers who make us late because they can’t find their shoes, and by the frantic race that is getting kids signed up for a limited number of summer camp spots. (In this Year of our Lord 2024, how is there not a better way?)
If you’re new here, I send out one essay a month. That’s your meat and potatoes. And the other email you’ll get from me each month is this - Snacks for the Flock - which is exactly what it sounds like. Think of this as the popcorn you make once the kids are in bed or the small bags of Doritos you scarf down in the car on the way home from the grocery store.
Let’s get to the snacks!
Here’s what I’m loving lately:
📖 READ: I haven’t read much this month as I’ve been on a writing spree, trying to get my book proposal ready before a conference in April. When I’m doing a lot of writing, I can’t handle a lot of word input. So instead of reading, I’ve been watching old episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine at night. But I’ve been reading some great books with my kids. We just finished The Wild Robot which is achingly beautiful and true (and there’s a movie coming out this fall!). And my oldest and I read Dogs of the Deadlands which is about the semi-feral dogs of Chernobyl; think Jack London and Old Yeller + redemption and a few ugly cries along the way. We both loved it.
🎧 LISTEN: I first heard this album at an Ash Wednesday service. I loved it so much that I tracked down the sound guy after and asked him where I could find it. It’s an album of Gregorian chants set to piano music and nature sounds. So soothing! In a similar vein, I’ve been into bilateral music, which theoretically reduces stress by engaging both sides of the brain. Have you tried it? And, like the rest of the world, I’ve had this bop in my head nonstop for the last month.
📺 WATCH: I just binge-watched all of Loudermilk on Netflix. I love it because it’s human and real and vulnerable. I think the context of addiction is so compelling. I love the three main characters so much that I just want to hug them all. (Fair warning: there’s a couple episodes that have some gross sex stuff, and if cursing bothers you, this is not your show. )
🥘 EAT: I’m not going to lie to you; the book proposal has taken over my life, and we’ve eaten a lot of chicken strips and frozen pizza lately. But I rallied yesterday and made these Greek pork pitas that my family loves along with perennial favorite Smitten Kitchen’s favorite brownies (1 bowl, no mixer, 15 minutes, amazing dense brownies).
I want to know what you’ve been reading, listening to, watching, and eating lately!
🌐 Around God’s Green Internet:
This essay on grief and staying with ourselves by
has been sticking to my bones every since I read it. It’s beautiful and raw.This poem about the unseen work of motherhood by Ada Limón will get you right in the feels.
This post by
about the voices of women in church is a whole battle cry.Snacks for the Road:
If you’re making a baby and feeling tired, this might be why.
This reel about how babies feel about different sleeping arrangements had me howling!
Fun Fact! When my oldest was born, he was so eager for nursing that the hospital nurses called him a baby piranha. Good times! This video brought me RIGHT BACK lol!
Well, that concludes…
Be sure to head to the comments section and pass the snacks. I’d love to know what you’re watching, reading, eating, and listening to…what made you laugh this week, and the meme that nailed you. You bring the chips, I’ll bring the guac.
Okay, reading The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. A delightful cozy mystery with a neurodivergent protagonist. Also, reading Sara Hagerty’s new book, The Gift of Limitations. Eating: I tried the viral protein pancake microwave thing and I’m obsessed. It’s very filling and very fast and just what a mama needs.
Love the snacks! Quick clarification on who wrote the poem- Ada Limom, our poet laureate, not Joseph Fasano.