Ok so much to discuss. 1 - sushi go is our favourite board game this month. 2 - can you remind me how 4-shirted husband got his name? 3 - I don't apologise, instead everyone gets the "thank you for being patient with me" 4 - I am skipping out of BF too!
OKAY - 1: Sushi Go looks SO fun... and something sushi-related I saw on TikTok (lol) that looked fun - is a date-night Sushi battleship game! 2: He has four shirts and a lot of opinions (re: what I wear, lol), 3: Julia Norberg said the exact same thing! I am STEALING THAT, because when I searched "sorry" it was so much it actually made me feel semi-sad for myself, 4: SKIP SKIP AWAY, baby! xo
Thank you for taking the time to read, Usha!! You are the best! <3
“Thanks for your patience” is gold. I will also add “thanks for following up” as a nice go to for when someone reaches out after I’ve failed to respond to the text/email.
Both are especially gratifying when the person is snarky about my lack of response.
I also add “thanks for waiting” instead of “I’m sorry I’m late” when the situation truly doesn’t require my apologies.
(Bonus…these all also work beautifully on my kids!)
Oh my…and publish a series of unfinished and half-baked posts with no theme? I can’t even finish a cup of tea before it goes cold (and then reheated and forgotten at least twice), so the thought of a public-facing finished product is daunting.
I’m just happy that you enjoy my random comments and that I get to read your great posts!
The Jcrew piper knee-high boots are a GOD SEND. I thought they were a steal at $250 and now they're down to $175 ?! Are you kidding?! Buy these boots you won't regret it!
I, too, am a certified board game hater…much to the chagrin of my youngest, who wanted to play endless games of my most detested game - Monopoly - throughout his childhood. Of course now that he’s a teen I beg him to spend any time with me and I’m out of luck. The one card game I truly enjoyed was Spot It! Those collars with character are truly wonderful, and the leggings looks are chef’s kiss!
I love this post from top to bottom. You should tell people the truth though: you didn’t text back because you were too busy reading and cheering all the posts on Substack.
Monopoly takes so.damn.long to play. It makes my skin crawl. Hence my openness to a HP version which feels it could possibly be more tolerable? IDK!
I've never played Spot It! Going to check it out. And honestly, a good reminder that they're not going to want to play this with me forever, so I should shut up and enjoy it! lol
I'm so glad you liked the looks. The collars add such a fun little punch of personality!
LOL, it is the truth. The truth hurts. My Mom will not forgive me for it.
My family has often played the timed version of monopoly! Slightly more cutthroat lol but much shorter, only an hour. I know the Whoville-opoly is one hour, one min, and one second haha my poor dad would rarely win and we jokingly would buy a new monopoly each year for him for Christmas. Why did we torture him so? I will never know 😅 He prefers Mahjong now and that’s a super fun one, but not a board game of course.
Wait... there is a timed version!? That changes literally EVERYTHING. I'm dying about your dad, poor guy!! You guys are the REAL Monopoly experts! Have you guys tried Harry Potter Monopoly yet? Or is this a niche obsession of mine?
Right?! He was such a good sport about it (and being outnumbered - only man in the house - didn’t help). We haven’t tried Harry Potter yet, but I’d love that - a niche I’d get behind for sure!
It’s the cutest thing my parents do with their friends 💞
Okay I’m late catching up on your posts, but better late than never! I relearned the psychological sigh recently too and it’s a great tool!
Also, I’m that person who is always annoyed when I don’t get a reply! The way you describe it here makes me see it’s not intentional, and I’m trying to have more empathy in general that people don’t function at the same pace
OMG, this was possibly the best comment! THANK YOU for coming by and reading, Rin-On, but NEVER any pressure — I KNOW you have so much on your plate right now.
The shame I feel when I forget to reply and I know I disappointed someone is so BIG. I truly beat myself up over it! It’s taken my Mom 37 years, but she finally understands it is never intentional haha!
I can’t believe I missed this and am just reading it now! Thank you so much for the sweet shoutout!! Sometimes, I read your newsletter and feel like we’re the same person, lol! I’m also a notoriously bad texter, and it’s something I’m trying to get better at. I love your non-shoppables - we’re big Uno players at our house, too (we have the Harry Potter version). Also your outfit with the blazer and loafers is SO good!!
Tracy, the more I read, the more we are alike! lol I am hands down the worst communicator, and I thought the ability to mark texts unread would be the answer. I blame the 500 places there are to communicate!!
You need those knee high boots !! Also, I’m not sure if you’re tried this, but I turned on read receipts for my text messages. That deters me from opening a message unless I have the ability to respond! Though, if you have a Mac book and have iMessage open sometimes it opens then for you without you realizing (or at least for me!).
Ofelia!! I got them!! And they’re so amazing I’m so happy!! OH WOW. I’ve feared the read receipts will make ppl realize how rude I am— but as an accountability measure!? That’s super smart!
Can’t wait to see you style them !! Yes, mostly as an accountability measure but also a way to train my brain it’s okay not to know something immediately. I guess somewhat of trying to fend off immediate gratification of some sort?
Loved everything about this post and also that I meant to write this comment when I first read it but then maybe there was something shiny or I saw a squirrel through the window, but I won’t tell you how many unanswered texts/emails I have.
At work I got into a habit of not responding to non-essential emails that required thought unless the person sent a follow up. It was amazing how much my lack of response didn’t matter.
But I feel bad about my spacey nature with the texts with friends and family. Maybe that should be my New Year’s resolution…
My renaissance golden retriever bff! 🤣 LOL— I like the non-response strategy. I always feel bad when it has to do with my family. Because I know it makes them sad, but I’m hoping one day they’ll realized it’s so so so unintentional! We can be accountability partners starting Jan. 1 🫠
I honestly can’t remember if I commented yesterday Hahahha and GIRL your comments section is on 🔥 to the point where I can’t even scroll through it all to fact check myself - congrats! Hahahha!
I love your outfits, and the formatting of these posts. Re: texting back, I try not to read things unless I can respond in the moment and that way I have a notification. If I look but can’t respond, I’m SCREWED!!! Which of course does happen. In fact.. I just remembered I owe my friend a text from Saturday 🙈
DEAD… I love a fact check, and YOU. Honestly, I need to adopt that - don't read unless I can reply energy!!! As I've learned from the comment section (and I love this) -- don't do what I do which is say, "I'm sorry I am the worst" instead say, "Thank you for being patient with me!" ... I cant wait to try it on my Mom & for her to say -- "What the hell is wrong with you?" 😅😅😅 Thank you so much for taking the time to read, I appreciate you xx!
Thank you!! Soup Sundays are the BEST... I love a crock pot set it and forget it! Plus we make these little flakey biscuits with each soup, so if the soup is no bueno at least the biscuits taste great 💖 -- he is so oppositional to blog-life and it's SO UNNECESSARY (!!!) Thank you so much for taking the time to read, you're the best!
I, too, love a shirt with a fun collar!! I also love your eyes (lol is that weird? From a fellow sunglasses-wearer in her photos, I hope not). And I love your Thanksgiving looks. As an elder millennial stirrup leggings will always hold a special sport in my heart!
Not weird LOL… I was starting to think people might be worried about what’s behind the sunglasses. Just tired eyes and runny mascara, tbh. You’re too kind—and you rock a festive collar like the best of them! I’m awaiting my pair (should be here soon!) and can’t wait to play around with some styling!'
Traci, I love you 😍🤣 I would still come to Friendsgiving if you burned the kitchen down and took months to respond back to me, just so you know.
LOVE the collars 😍 the first look is giving off Renaissance-ish vibes for sure. I'm love with it . The 4th pic I'm in love with and this is the first time I could peg you as a social studies teacher based on the #OOTD.
Ruffle collars look fantastic on you! Actually, all of your fits this week have been so good. If you were my teacher, you would’ve been an inspiration every single day at school.
And as for your party goodbyes. Each one topped the last. But I’ve got to hand it to Gwyneth for the win. Also, please tell me you’ve listened to the SmartLess episode with Tig Notaro?! Her party trick for saying goodbye had me rolling on the floor laughing. Definitely worth a listen.
I loved the ruffle so much it was my lewk for our family holiday card photos!! Hoping to win best dress in the yearbook back to back years. Fingers crossed. I campaign hard 🤣
Ok so much to discuss. 1 - sushi go is our favourite board game this month. 2 - can you remind me how 4-shirted husband got his name? 3 - I don't apologise, instead everyone gets the "thank you for being patient with me" 4 - I am skipping out of BF too!
OKAY - 1: Sushi Go looks SO fun... and something sushi-related I saw on TikTok (lol) that looked fun - is a date-night Sushi battleship game! 2: He has four shirts and a lot of opinions (re: what I wear, lol), 3: Julia Norberg said the exact same thing! I am STEALING THAT, because when I searched "sorry" it was so much it actually made me feel semi-sad for myself, 4: SKIP SKIP AWAY, baby! xo
Thank you for taking the time to read, Usha!! You are the best! <3
Wait, this came in as I was leaving my comment and *I* needed to hear "thank you for being patient with me" as the alternative. THANK YOU.
AGREE… This is the reframe my work-in-progress brain needs: it’s okay to be a Golden Retriever with horrible texting habits but good intentions!
Love it! There is so much positive and calming energy around that statement, no?
UM, yes. You are an absolute treasure.
“Thanks for your patience” is gold. I will also add “thanks for following up” as a nice go to for when someone reaches out after I’ve failed to respond to the text/email.
Both are especially gratifying when the person is snarky about my lack of response.
I also add “thanks for waiting” instead of “I’m sorry I’m late” when the situation truly doesn’t require my apologies.
(Bonus…these all also work beautifully on my kids!)
Rabina- when are you starting YOUR Substack? Love these! I know you get it. Thank you so much!! Xx
Oh my…and publish a series of unfinished and half-baked posts with no theme? I can’t even finish a cup of tea before it goes cold (and then reheated and forgotten at least twice), so the thought of a public-facing finished product is daunting.
I’m just happy that you enjoy my random comments and that I get to read your great posts!
Cracking up… but then again, I do panic spiral every week, soooo…
Xo appreciate you!!
I was going to ask the four shirted question! 😂
🤣 four shirts yet 37282 opinions. 🙄
Haha glad to be of service!! 🤣
Okay I’m loving thank you for being patient with me!! That just altered something within me lol
Agree!!
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 so simple a statement, yet so profound ❤️❤️❤️
I’m trying to do less sorry, but it’s so deeply conditioned into me. I’m going to try thank you for being patient with me!
SAME. I need a 1:1 coaching session w Usha.
The Jcrew piper knee-high boots are a GOD SEND. I thought they were a steal at $250 and now they're down to $175 ?! Are you kidding?! Buy these boots you won't regret it!
Megan they’re literally on their way to me!!! I ordered them at that price - PHEW!! I’m so glad you vouch for them!!! I can’t wait to wear them!!
They arrived & they are glorious.
I’m so glad!!! Can’t wait to see how you style them!!
I, too, am a certified board game hater…much to the chagrin of my youngest, who wanted to play endless games of my most detested game - Monopoly - throughout his childhood. Of course now that he’s a teen I beg him to spend any time with me and I’m out of luck. The one card game I truly enjoyed was Spot It! Those collars with character are truly wonderful, and the leggings looks are chef’s kiss!
I love this post from top to bottom. You should tell people the truth though: you didn’t text back because you were too busy reading and cheering all the posts on Substack.
Monopoly takes so.damn.long to play. It makes my skin crawl. Hence my openness to a HP version which feels it could possibly be more tolerable? IDK!
I've never played Spot It! Going to check it out. And honestly, a good reminder that they're not going to want to play this with me forever, so I should shut up and enjoy it! lol
I'm so glad you liked the looks. The collars add such a fun little punch of personality!
LOL, it is the truth. The truth hurts. My Mom will not forgive me for it.
My family has often played the timed version of monopoly! Slightly more cutthroat lol but much shorter, only an hour. I know the Whoville-opoly is one hour, one min, and one second haha my poor dad would rarely win and we jokingly would buy a new monopoly each year for him for Christmas. Why did we torture him so? I will never know 😅 He prefers Mahjong now and that’s a super fun one, but not a board game of course.
Wait... there is a timed version!? That changes literally EVERYTHING. I'm dying about your dad, poor guy!! You guys are the REAL Monopoly experts! Have you guys tried Harry Potter Monopoly yet? Or is this a niche obsession of mine?
I LOVE MAHJONG for him! 🤣🫶🏻
Right?! He was such a good sport about it (and being outnumbered - only man in the house - didn’t help). We haven’t tried Harry Potter yet, but I’d love that - a niche I’d get behind for sure!
It’s the cutest thing my parents do with their friends 💞
I’m obsessed. He must be protected at all costs. I will report back after we play! British accents only! Xx
Can’t wait to hear about it! Yes British accents only 😂 love it! You’re my kind of people!
You’ll like Spot It! Fun and very few directions lol
Multi-step directions are so triggering 🤣
AGREED
Okay I’m late catching up on your posts, but better late than never! I relearned the psychological sigh recently too and it’s a great tool!
Also, I’m that person who is always annoyed when I don’t get a reply! The way you describe it here makes me see it’s not intentional, and I’m trying to have more empathy in general that people don’t function at the same pace
OMG, this was possibly the best comment! THANK YOU for coming by and reading, Rin-On, but NEVER any pressure — I KNOW you have so much on your plate right now.
The shame I feel when I forget to reply and I know I disappointed someone is so BIG. I truly beat myself up over it! It’s taken my Mom 37 years, but she finally understands it is never intentional haha!
Of course I’ll stop by to read, though right now I’ll also have to do it at my pace. I always learn something from your posts!
I can’t believe I missed this and am just reading it now! Thank you so much for the sweet shoutout!! Sometimes, I read your newsletter and feel like we’re the same person, lol! I’m also a notoriously bad texter, and it’s something I’m trying to get better at. I love your non-shoppables - we’re big Uno players at our house, too (we have the Harry Potter version). Also your outfit with the blazer and loafers is SO good!!
Haha!! No worries!! I am working on improving my texting skills as well, haha. UNO is probably my GOAT when it comes to family games!!!
But it’s quite true— whatever you are wearing I am always obsessed with!
Tracy, the more I read, the more we are alike! lol I am hands down the worst communicator, and I thought the ability to mark texts unread would be the answer. I blame the 500 places there are to communicate!!
Wait, CORRECT. Any time someone tells me about a new app I die inside. I can’t handle the ones I have 🤣🫶🏻
Ok so happy to have connected, this was such a fun read. The sheer party dress and knee highs are also on my list 👀
I remember your Girls girl post I read (maybe over the summer?) why the hell didn’t I subscribe!? Love your work!! Xx
Honestly means so much that you even remember it! And right back at you—better late than never!❣️
100% xo reunited
playlists are my love language! instant save & looks gooooood 💿
Ahhh yay!!! I hope it meets your standards!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read xx
You need those knee high boots !! Also, I’m not sure if you’re tried this, but I turned on read receipts for my text messages. That deters me from opening a message unless I have the ability to respond! Though, if you have a Mac book and have iMessage open sometimes it opens then for you without you realizing (or at least for me!).
Ofelia!! I got them!! And they’re so amazing I’m so happy!! OH WOW. I’ve feared the read receipts will make ppl realize how rude I am— but as an accountability measure!? That’s super smart!
Can’t wait to see you style them !! Yes, mostly as an accountability measure but also a way to train my brain it’s okay not to know something immediately. I guess somewhat of trying to fend off immediate gratification of some sort?
That is even BETTER! Thank you so much for sharing, you’re the best!
Loved everything about this post and also that I meant to write this comment when I first read it but then maybe there was something shiny or I saw a squirrel through the window, but I won’t tell you how many unanswered texts/emails I have.
At work I got into a habit of not responding to non-essential emails that required thought unless the person sent a follow up. It was amazing how much my lack of response didn’t matter.
But I feel bad about my spacey nature with the texts with friends and family. Maybe that should be my New Year’s resolution…
My renaissance golden retriever bff! 🤣 LOL— I like the non-response strategy. I always feel bad when it has to do with my family. Because I know it makes them sad, but I’m hoping one day they’ll realized it’s so so so unintentional! We can be accountability partners starting Jan. 1 🫠
I honestly can’t remember if I commented yesterday Hahahha and GIRL your comments section is on 🔥 to the point where I can’t even scroll through it all to fact check myself - congrats! Hahahha!
I love your outfits, and the formatting of these posts. Re: texting back, I try not to read things unless I can respond in the moment and that way I have a notification. If I look but can’t respond, I’m SCREWED!!! Which of course does happen. In fact.. I just remembered I owe my friend a text from Saturday 🙈
DEAD… I love a fact check, and YOU. Honestly, I need to adopt that - don't read unless I can reply energy!!! As I've learned from the comment section (and I love this) -- don't do what I do which is say, "I'm sorry I am the worst" instead say, "Thank you for being patient with me!" ... I cant wait to try it on my Mom & for her to say -- "What the hell is wrong with you?" 😅😅😅 Thank you so much for taking the time to read, I appreciate you xx!
So glad you’re back. Love “soup Sundays” loling at the unknown reason why 4 shirt husband wouldn’t wear his sticker.
Thank you!! Soup Sundays are the BEST... I love a crock pot set it and forget it! Plus we make these little flakey biscuits with each soup, so if the soup is no bueno at least the biscuits taste great 💖 -- he is so oppositional to blog-life and it's SO UNNECESSARY (!!!) Thank you so much for taking the time to read, you're the best!
I need more intel on the “flakey little biscuits” STAT
Haha! Here they are— https://www.immaculatebaking.com/product/organic-flaky-biscuits/
I, too, love a shirt with a fun collar!! I also love your eyes (lol is that weird? From a fellow sunglasses-wearer in her photos, I hope not). And I love your Thanksgiving looks. As an elder millennial stirrup leggings will always hold a special sport in my heart!
Not weird LOL… I was starting to think people might be worried about what’s behind the sunglasses. Just tired eyes and runny mascara, tbh. You’re too kind—and you rock a festive collar like the best of them! I’m awaiting my pair (should be here soon!) and can’t wait to play around with some styling!'
However-- team sunglasses for life.
I once had a friend ask me to accept their Facebook friend request- because it had been pending for a YEAR. 😂
THAT IS AMAZING!
Traci, I love you 😍🤣 I would still come to Friendsgiving if you burned the kitchen down and took months to respond back to me, just so you know.
LOVE the collars 😍 the first look is giving off Renaissance-ish vibes for sure. I'm love with it . The 4th pic I'm in love with and this is the first time I could peg you as a social studies teacher based on the #OOTD.
xoxo
Ana
Omg Ana! I’d host you in a heartbeat! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Really channeling da Vinci clearly, lol! And oh boy SS-teacher coded, baby! 🤣
Ruffle collars look fantastic on you! Actually, all of your fits this week have been so good. If you were my teacher, you would’ve been an inspiration every single day at school.
And as for your party goodbyes. Each one topped the last. But I’ve got to hand it to Gwyneth for the win. Also, please tell me you’ve listened to the SmartLess episode with Tig Notaro?! Her party trick for saying goodbye had me rolling on the floor laughing. Definitely worth a listen.
I loved the ruffle so much it was my lewk for our family holiday card photos!! Hoping to win best dress in the yearbook back to back years. Fingers crossed. I campaign hard 🤣
I haven’t listened, and clearly need to!!
You’ve got in the bag this year, Traci!! Please listen and report back, it’s a good one.