Connecting the Dots: May

Why I can't write, six books, and a skincare update

May 30, 2025

I can’t write because school is out for the summer.

I can’t write because my daughter is dropping her nap and doesn’t understand the concept of staying in her room during rest time.

I can’t write because I’ve had an embroidery starter kit for months that I’m itching to make progress on.

I can’t write because I want to scour estate sales for home decor.

I can’t write because I’m planning on doing one “school” day a week with my daughter over the summer and I’m having so much fun dreaming up themed activities for us.

I can’t write because my migraines have come back and the pain makes it hard to focus.

I can’t write because if it’s not a migraine, it’s a stomach ache. And if it’s not a stomach ache, it’s some sort of joint pain.

I can’t write because despite my best efforts, my house refuses to stay clean and piles upon piles are accumulating everywhere I look.

I can’t write because I have trips to plan and take.

I can’t write because we’re at the splash pad and the pool and running through sprinklers.

I can’t write because we’re having another movie night.

I can’t write because we’re riding scooters to the park.

I can’t write because there are too many books I want to read.

I can’t write because I look up and it’s noon and I look up again and it’s 8:00 and I’m ready to collapse into bed, exhausted.

I can’t write because I’ve been publishing on Substack every week for an entire school year and it feels like my writing needs a summer break, too.

I can’t write because the words refuse to flow.

I can’t write because I have over 30 drafts sitting in my drafts folder, none of them fully formed enough to share.

I can’t write because I’m in a dry spell but I’m learning to trust it’s just a spell, that the words will come back when they’re ready.

I can’t write now, but I know I will soon.

Reading Roundup

The Shell Game by Kim Adrian: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Format: Physical book
If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed how I’ve been experimenting with form more lately. For example, this letter to my house or this abecedarian or this captain’s log. I’ve been really drawn to the idea of writing essays that don’t read like essays, so when I discovered The Shell Game, a collection of hermit crab essays, I couldn’t get my hands on a copy fast enough. This has been great to pick up and read a piece or two at a time for inspiration or simply to appreciate other writer’s creativity.

Tom Lake by Anne Patchett: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Format: Audiobook (narrated by Meryl Streep)
I fully realize I am two years late to this book, but let me be the millionth person to say—Tom Lake lives up to the hype. This is the first book in quite some time that has left me in tears simply because it was so beautifully written and I was sad to finish. Listening to fiction on audio can be a little tricky for me, especially when timelines or POVs shift, so it did take me a little bit longer to get into the story than it would have if I read a physical copy of the book, but I loved the Meryl Streep narration of it all.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Physical book
Please don’t hate me if you’re a TOG evangelist, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I’ve heard the series gets better after this (I also know some people start with another book in the series), but I’m undecided if I will continue reading or not. I never thought I’d want more fantastical elements in a story, but it felt lacking and more like a dystopian world than a fantasy world.

We Are Experiencing A Slight Delay: (tips, tales, and travels) by Gary Janetti ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audiobook
I checked this out from Libby on a whim as I was waiting for my holds to come through. I wanted something lighthearted and funny and this book was exactly that. Gary narrates snippets of his travel experiences over the years with the perfect blend of humor and heart. This was such a quick read (listen) that made me LOL several times. Perfect for summer travels!

So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We’re Still So Obsessed With It) by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Audiobook
This was another on-a-whim-Libby-find. I didn’t know I had such a fascination for pop-culture behind the scenes books, but reading this made me realize I do. (See Cue The Sun and Not All Diamonds and Rosé.) If you want to talk a little walk down memory lane and learn some fun BTS facts about the movie that made Millennials, So Fetch is for you.

My Life in France by Julia Child ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Audiobook
I placed a hold on this before we went to Paris and it just now became available. I really wish I could have read this before our trip to add to the anticipation, but alas, that did not happen. This is not my favorite memoir I’ve ever read—it’s very long and filled with sooooo many details—but it was an interesting peek into an interesting woman’s life. I also admire her career, Julia didn’t start cooking until her late 30’s, published her first cookbook when she was almost 50, and started her tv show when she was 51. Despite this, she never felt like she was behind and always prioritized the quality of her work and what it meant to her more than commercial success.

Entertainment Honorable Mentions

The Four Seasons on Netflix

I was super excited to watch this limited series after hearing Tina Fey talk about it on Amy Poehler’s podcast. As the show creator, she said she only hired people who were fun to work with and highly valued having a good set experience. I love that for them, but I feel like that maybe came at the expense of a quality show. 😳 I might be in the minority opinion because I’ve heard lots of people rave about it, but I felt like this was fine, at best. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments, and also some really heartfelt moments, but it won’t be making any “best of” lists in my book1.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu

Season 2 of TSLOMW came out this month and it’s the perfect background show while you’re folding laundry or if you’re sick in bed and need something bingeable. I appreciate all the fourth wall breaking because so much of the ~dRaMa~ this season relates to the show itself, which is really interesting. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I also appreciate how much the cast opened up this season. I found myself crying more than once, and not just due to the infertility story line. Sure, do they act like teenagers trapped in adult bodies? Absolutely. But some of these women have had to deal with some real struggles and I enjoyed getting a more in depth look at their lives outside of MomTok.

A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read on Max (or is it HBO or HBO Max? I truly cannot keep up)

I haven’t been following this case/trial in real time until now. I had heard chatter online, but knew very little going into this five-part-docuseries, so I won’t say much here in case you’re in the same boat. This series reminded me of The Staircase in how it focused more on the trial rather than the crime, which are the types of true crime stories I can tolerate.

The Love Hotel on Bravo

I want nothing more than to like this show, but it’s just not clicking for me. I’m a big fan of all the women—Shannon, Giselle, Ashley, and Luann—and I love the premise, but I find myself forgetting to watch and getting distracted when I do. I think the format is just odd and it makes it hard to get attached to the dating contestants because there is so much turnover—new men cycle in and out every week with only a few staying. Maybe one night when I’m home alone I’ll binge watch all the episodes I’ve missed and grow to appreciate it more, but for now it’s pretty meh for me.

Gadgets and Gizmos Aplenty

Now that I’ve been using my French skincare products for a couple months, I feel like I can report on which ones are working for me and were worth the money. Of course, shopping at discounted pharmacies in Paris made these products so much cheaper than the American prices I’ll have to link to here, but I still think they’re worth the money. For context, I am 33, have combination skin, and am in the fun stage where I still have random break outs (and acne scars) and fine lines. Love that for me.

Caudalie Grape Water- If I’m honest, I still don’t completely understand what grape water does, but in my defense, neither does the Internet. If you Google, you’ll find a bunch of results that say “we don’t know what it does, but it’s great”, a sentiment I will echo here. I spray this on my face after cleansing and before applying serums to aid in absorption. I’ll also spritz some before starting my makeup and as the weather gets hotter and my makeup melts faster, I’ve heard it’s great for a midday refresh. I’ve never used grape water before now, but I don’t think I’ll ever not use it again.
Caudalie Instant Detox Mask- This mask is amazing. I use it twice a week (on the same nights I wash my hair) for 10-20 minutes and feel a noticeable difference in my skin. I truly feel like it gets all the gunk out. My only gripe, and this goes for the next product as well, is the fragrance. I am almost exclusively fragrance free so I don’t love the strong scent, but I still love this product.
Caudalie Reservatrol Lift- The woman in the Caudalie section of the store called this “botox in a bottle” which sounded right up my alley as someone who hasn’t committed to actual botox yet. I feel like it has eased the appearance of the fine lines on my forehead and I don’t know if it’s this serum or the combination of all the new things I’m using, but I feel like the redness of my acne scars has subsided. This comes with the same fragrance warning as above.
Vichy 24hr Deodorant- This is a tentative recommendation because we have yet to enter the hellacious heat of Texas summers, but I’m recommending this *for now*. I have been on a natural deodorant2 quest for years. I’ll find one that works for awhile and then for one reason or another, it either stops working for me or I realize something I don’t like about it. I grabbed this deodorant in Paris and so far, I’m a fan. No scent, no white marks on clothing, no dry time needed, no weird application steps. Just exactly what I’ve been wanting. I’ve worn this every day for over two months and can count on one hand the number of days I’ve needed to reapply not because of odor but because I’ve just been extra sweaty. I feel like this has great odor control and keeps me dry, which I’ve not found with any other natural deodorant.

In Case You Missed It

I kicked off MayCember with a poem about my desire for a quiet life.
In honor of Mother’s Day, I shared snippets of Mother’s Days past and the many forms this day has taken over the years.
As May is Foster Care Awareness month, I wrote some poems about the complicated feelings associated with foster parenting and shared some of my favorite resources to spread awareness for such a worthy cause.
Memorial Day weekend marked the four year anniversary of moving into our home. I wrote a letter to our house exploring how the house I initially hated has since become our beloved home.

That, my friends, just about sums up May. Like I wrote at the beginning, as much as I love writing here on Substack, I am craving a summer break. There was a time when I would not have afforded myself such a luxury, fearing it would mean I would never create again. But I’m learning to trust myself and what I need and not hold onto my creative projects so tightly. I don’t know what my writing schedule will look like over the summer. The only thing I know for sure is that I’m not holding myself to an every Friday publishing schedule.3 I’m excited to rest and recharge and I’m hopeful to show back up here weekly in the fall.

If you’ve enjoyed these weekly posts, would you share Craving Connection with a friend? What better time for them to get caught up than over the summer?

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And if you’re not already, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss anything these next few months while I keep a summer schedule!

I appreciate you being here and I hope that whatever your summer looks like, you find time for pockets of rest and rejuvenation.