Parenting
parenting · the day's top 6 · june 13th
storyflo · parenting
Jun 13, 2026 · 10 min listen
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parenting · the day's top 6 · june 13th
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Summer can feel chaotic for moms, with endless activities, checklists, and emotions. Taking a few quiet minutes each morning—just five or ten outside—can help you reset, clear the day’s to‑do list, and be present before diving into the hustle.
A simple way to make that quiet time meaningful is journaling. The article offers ten prompts designed for busy moms to reflect on the season and their own growth. They ask you to picture your “best version” of yourself this summer, note what you’re most and least excited about, and recall a vivid childhood summer memory.
Other prompts guide you to describe a perfect summer day from start to finish, finish the sentence “This summer, I will prioritize…,” and list favorite summer traditions and why they matter. You’re also encouraged to engage the five senses—identify a smell, taste, touch, sight, and sound that scream summer—and think about a new skill or hobby you’d like to try, even something as small as making your own salad dressing.
Finally, the prompts explore where you’d like to spend most of your summer time and what vacation or daytime activity stands out as a favorite, asking you to recap the details you loved most. The piece ends with a note that subscribing to the HealthyMom Club—roughly the cost of a coffee a month—unlocks over 70 kid lunch ideas, monthly family meal plans, and expert articles on self‑care.
The author shares a simple weekend plan: heading to Freddie’s community pool for a family swim. The kids are especially excited about trying out the diving board, a detail that captures the carefree joy of a summer outing.
Beyond the pool, there’s a moment of gratitude. The writer thanks Ali LaBelle for featuring them in her newsletter, noting how the heartfelt introduction moved them to tears. This acknowledgment highlights the impact of supportive community connections.
The post blends everyday leisure with a personal thank‑you, illustrating how small moments—like a splash in the water or a kind mention—can lift spirits and shape a pleasant weekend.
Overall, the piece invites readers to consider their own weekend activities while celebrating the warmth of friendship and the simple pleasures of community life.
If we were to ask a group of people to draw a Viking from memory, we’d be willing to bet that most of them would sketch a stocky, middle-aged man with blonde hair and a long beard to match. He’d likely be wearing some type of metal helmet — likely with horns — and be surrounded by dudes on a longboat, where they’re all singing fish songs while one keeps the beat with his fishing spear. OK, maybe not exactly that, but probably close. But contrary to what we see in a lot of pop culture, women were Vikings, too. Not only that, but they had some pretty great names. (If you’ve ever seen an episode of The Golden Girls, you’ve probably heard at least a few of these in Rose’s St. Olaf stories.) Before we get into those, let’s talk about Vikings. The first thing to keep in mind is that the term “Vikings” refers to the seafaring Norse people who lived in the southern parts of modern-day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Eventually, the term “Scandinavian” replaced “Norse,” which should give you a better idea of the part of the world we’re talking about. Although given their propensity for sea travel and exploration, Vikings ended up on all kinds of expeditions in and around Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, the Arctic, and even all the way to North America (specifically, parts of Canada that they named “Vinland”). So what do we know about Viking girl names? First of all, Vikings took baby-naming very seriously but did not have the benefit of online listicles for ideas and inspiration. Instead, they often gave children names associated with the qualities they wanted them to have (like strength, resilience, or grace), or animals or Norse gods who possessed these qualities. As in other cultures, it was not uncommon for certain Viking girl names to become popular in a royal family and be passed down through the generations. The Viking Age lasted from approximately 793–1066 A.C.E., and by the end of that era, Christianity was on the rise; Biblical names began replacing those of Norse deities and animals. But those aren’t our focus today. Here are dozens of popular Viking girl names, along with their meanings and origins. This is a beautiful ancient Scandinavian and Greenlandic name that means “eagle.” It’s perfect if you want a name with a strong meaning and soft sound, and one that won’t be difficult to pronounce for new people throughout your daughter’s lifetime. The most famous Astrid in recent history is probably the character from How to Train Your Dragon, but hey, she is kind of the best. Her name has Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish roots. It means “beautiful goddess” or “divine strength.” Here’s a name that all but screams “Viking” while also being completely pronounceable. Sigrid is a Norwegian name that means “beautiful victory.” If something about word names speaks to you, you have to consider Saga. In Norse mythology, Saga is the goddess of history, poetry, and storytelling, and the word itself means a long, detailed story, often following one family or group. This name means “wild,” “mad,” or “furious,” which maybe isn’t how you want your baby or toddler to feel, sure.
The phrase Life is Just a Chair of Bowlies first appeared in a 1992 gift book and print by illustrator Mary Engelbreit, and it has lingered on the author’s kitchen wall as a whimsical reminder that life can feel like a random assortment of small comforts. The line riffs on the classic Judy Garland lyric Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries, and the author ties it to a hectic Boston life filled with endless degrees and a lack of appetite for cooking, even after roasting cherry tomatoes in a sweltering kitchen.
Cherry season arrives, and the author’s favorite way to enjoy the fruit is in a simple three‑ingredient cherry sherbet. Unlike sorbet, sherbet incorporates a touch of dairy—in this case tangy plain yogurt—to create a creamy, frozen treat. The recipe calls for frozen pitted cherries, plain yogurt, and almond butter, and can be whipped up in ten minutes using a food processor, yielding four servings ready to eat immediately.
To make the sherbet, pulse the frozen cherries until finely chopped, then add the yogurt and almond butter and blend until smooth. If a cherry‑pitting tool isn’t on hand, a chopstick can be used to push the pit out into a bottle, making the process easy for anyone. The finished mixture can be served straight away or stored for a quick cool snack later.
Beyond the sherbet, the article suggests several other ways to incorporate cherries into meals: topping a rice cake with cottage cheese and cherries, stirring them into overnight oatmeal, blending them into smoothies, mixing chopped cherries into plain yogurt, or stuffing pitted cherries with feta cheese. It also notes that cherries are drupes—a type of stone fruit that includes peaches—and invites readers to consider what the expression Life is a Bowl of Cherries means in everyday life.
The first breakthrough came in 1821 when Emma Willard opened the Troy Female Seminary, the nation’s earliest school dedicated to higher learning for women. It offered a rigorous curriculum that mirrored men’s colleges and set a precedent for female academic ambition.
A half‑century later, the establishment of Vassar College in 1861 marked the debut of a women’s institution that granted full degrees, while Oberlin College had already broken ground in 1837 by admitting women alongside men, creating the first co‑educational environment in higher education.
The early 20th century saw women earn the first doctoral degrees, proving that scholarly achievement at the highest level was no longer gender‑restricted. This momentum was cemented by the 1972 passage of Title IX, a federal law that outlawed sex discrimination in any education program receiving federal funds, dramatically expanding women’s access to athletics, scholarships, and academic programs.
The cumulative effect of these milestones culminated in the 2010s, when women finally outnumbered men on college campuses nationwide, a historic reversal that underscored a century
Sarah shares her family’s journey to illustrate why inclusive parenting matters, especially during Pride Month. Her parents, both gay, married in 1970, later divorced, and now each have new spouses, creating a blended family that includes two sets of grandparents. Growing up with gay parents taught her the value of acceptance and the pain of hiding one’s true self, a reminder that many LGBTQ families still face.
She argues that how families talk about LGBTQ people shapes children’s understanding of normalcy and safety. Small gestures, like referring to a gay couple as married, can signal unconditional love, as illustrated by Anderson Cooper’s childhood memory. When parents acknowledge and celebrate diverse families, they send a powerful message that being gay is okay.
Research underscores the stakes: LGBTQ youth who experience family rejection are dramatically more likely to attempt suicide, use drugs, and suffer depression. Conversely, supportive families cut those risks in half or more, and using chosen names and pronouns reduces severe depression and suicidal thoughts. These numbers show that inclusive parenting isn’t optional—it directly impacts mental health outcomes.
Sarah invites overwhelmed parents to a free “peaceful parenting reset” starting Monday, promising a week of simple practices to restore connection with kids. She also asks readers to support her podcast and community work, which provides free resources, a supportive Facebook group, and regular newsletters. The call is clear: celebrate all families, speak affirmatively, and help create environments where every child feels loved for who they are.
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