August has been a roller coaster—and it’s not even over yet. We kicked things off with a seven-day cruise in the Southern Caribbean and rolled right into the first week of school. There have been plenty of highs and lows: some truly great moments on the cruise, some not-so-great ones, and lots of transitions in between. Through it all, I’ve been leaning hard on some of these little things to bring me joy and keep me grounded.

One of the biggest realizations we had this month is that our kids were spending way too much time on screens this summer. It wasn’t anyone’s fault—it’s just the reality of juggling work while also being home with them—but with James being neurodivergent, his relationship with dopamine is tricky. Too much screen time led to meltdowns and outbursts that just weren’t sustainable. So, we made a big change: the kids are now down to one hour a day. That’s still plenty, but it’s been a huge shift from where we were. It hasn’t been easy (lots of ups and downs!), but it feels like the right move for our family.

That also means the “vacation phones” I shared in my last Little Things blog are officially retired—for now at least. We’ll only bring them back on future trips if we really need them. In the meantime, here are the little things that are bringing me joy in August.

1. Carley Fortune Books

This month’s book highlight is all about Carley Fortune, because her stories have been bringing me so much joy lately.

I first picked up This Summer Will Be Different and loved it. Then I saw that one of her lake-set stories in Canada was being adapted for TV, and since I’m a sucker for a good book-to-screen adaptation, I grabbed One Golden Summer for vacation. I devoured it in less than a day. The male lead was everything I love in a book boyfriend—thoughtful, caring, swoon-worthy—and the whole setting made me want to hop on a plane to Canada immediately (which was already high on my travel list).

Her books are light, romantic, and the perfect kind of “potato chip read”—easy to fly through and a guaranteed happy ending. I’ll be working my way through all of them, and I highly recommend you do the same.

2. L’ange Curling Iron

I’ve been long overdue for an upgrade in the hair tool department. Honestly, I’m embarrassed to admit how old mine were—let’s just say they were well past their prime. My old curling/straightener combo would snag my hair instead of gliding through it, and it was more frustrating than helpful.

Before our cruise, I finally caved after being constantly trolled by ads for L’ANGE HAIR tools. I spotted one at Target, tossed it in my cart, and gave it a try. And oh my gosh—I’m obsessed. I wish I had done this years ago.

The design has this cooling feature on the outside of the barrel that really locks curls in place, and it works so fast. My hair is fine, and I can curl my whole head in under five minutes. If you’ve got thicker hair it may take longer, but it’s still quick.

If you’re in the market for a new curling iron or straightener, I can honestly vouch for this one. It’s been a game changer for me.

3. Oil Spray Bottle

I may be late to the party here, but I finally got one of those refillable oil spray bottles—and I’m obsessed. I’ve ruined more than one nonstick pan in the past using compressed aerosol sprays (didn’t realize you’re not supposed to do that), so I’d just been avoiding them altogether. But I really needed a way to get oil evenly on my cookware and have more control over portions. I don’t always want to dump a full tablespoon of oil in the pan—I just want a light spritz.

This bottle has been the perfect solution. I grabbed mine on Amazon, filled it with avocado oil, and it works great. We use it on the Blackstone, for all our cookware, and especially when I’m prepping roasted veggies. Broccoli in particular used to drive me nuts—trying to drizzle oil evenly is impossible—but with this, I just spritz and everything gets coated.

It’s one of those simple little tools that actually makes a huge difference in the kitchen. Highly recommend.

4. Sola Bread

I’m usually not a fan of low-carb products—they tend to be full of weird ingredients I’d rather avoid. But every once in a while, you find a middle-of-the-road option that strikes a balance: the ingredient list isn’t terrible, and the macros make it worth it. For me, Sola bread has been that find.

One of my current focuses is hitting at least 25 grams of fiber a day (ideally closer to 30), and this bread makes that goal so much easier. It’s nice to be able to have toast in the morning with eggs and know I’m also getting a boost of fiber to help me hit my daily target.

Technically, I should be eating gluten-free—we had planned to start a gut-healing protocol after vacation, but that hasn’t officially kicked off yet. Even so, I’ve been enjoying having bread every once in a while, and this has been a really good option. It’s not perfect, but it works for where I’m at right now. If you’re looking for something similar, Sola is worth checking out.

5. The Great LEGO Build

We’ve officially reached LEGO overload in our house. Between birthdays, holidays, random purchases, and generous grandparents, I’m pretty sure we have somewhere in the ballpark of 250–300 LEGO sets. In the beginning, we tried to keep them organized in bags by set, but over time—after the boys rebuilt them (and rebuilt them again)—everything has gotten completely jumbled together. If you walk into our playroom right now, it looks like a LEGO bomb went off. It’s chaos, and it’s driving me insane.

Even with all those LEGOs around, the kids still want to buy more. But I’ve drawn a hard line: no new LEGO sets until we deal with what we already have. Enter the Great LEGO Build Project. We told the boys they can “earn” money by rebuilding sets. Every time they complete one—digging through bins to find the missing pieces and getting it back to completion—they get paid: $1 for the smaller kits, up to $5 for the bigger, 700+ piece ones. Once they’re done, we’ll decide whether to keep it or take it to the LEGO resale store.

This past weekend, Griffin dove right in. With no school on Monday, he spent the entire day working on one of his big sets. It wasn’t easy (I had to help track down some rogue pieces), but the satisfaction on his face when he finished was priceless. He got $3 for that set, and honestly, it felt like the perfect exchange: less screen time, more focus, and actual progress in tackling the LEGO disaster.

The photo here is just one bin of Mario LEGOs—which, like everything else, has gotten totally mixed together. It’s only a small glimpse of the chaos, but also the start of us getting it under control.

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August has been a lot—between vacation, the screen time overhaul, back-to-school, and just the general chaos of family life, it’s felt like one big transition month. Some days have been harder than others, but these little things—books, tools, kitchen hacks, even the Great Lego Build—have been bright spots that make the everyday feel lighter.

I think that’s what this series is all about: finding small joys, even when everything feels a little messy and overwhelming. Here’s to finishing out August strong and heading into September with a little more breathing room.