But what we are most excited about today is sharing the reader swimsuit entries we got! Everyone looks so beautiful and gave awesome recommendations, so get ready for those down below. Let’s jump in!

This week’s house tour is pure joy and beauty. The amazingly talented Dabito is in ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST with his New Orleans home. As expected, it’s full of color, pattern, art, whimsy, and more.

What’s even more unreal is that this is a new build. You have to see the photos and read this story of how this home came to be! From Emily: Two gifts that hit big with our kids.

For Christmas, both our kids got CrunchLabs kits, and they are so, so good. If you don’t know, Mark Rober (an engineer and now a massive YouTube star) created CrunchLabs based on his passion for curiosity within science. His YouTube is one of a few that we allow our kids to watch that they actually WANT to watch.

He’s so smart and likable and doesn’t talk down to kids. The Crunchlab kits are the perfect level of complicated, with a huge payoff. We don’t have to help at all, and yet the kids actually stick to it and have finished every single one.

They are usually something really interactive that feels like a toy at the end (this month was a propulsion device). This next one is a fantastic gift for a tween. For our Easter baskets, Brian (uh, I mean the Easter Bunny) bought Charlie a light-up Tetris game, which has proven to be very fun and still deemed cool by tweens (I think because it lights up and is giving neon light decor, maybe?).

We bought one from West and Arrow, but Amazon has a lot of options that seem very fun as well. I’m always delighted when my tweens “play” with a toy versus just wanting new tech (that we push back on – the battle is real). It would be such a great gift to stock up on for kids to give their friends for birthdays.

From Mallory: If you’ve ever been to Mendocino Farms, then you know just how delicious their curried couscous is…Austin and I love to meal prep lunches each week, but finding something to make that will get better and better while it sits in your fridge is certainly challenging. We were craving pearled couscous (specific, I know..), so I decided to shoot my shot and make the Mendo version at home. YOU GUYS, IT WAS SO EASY AND DELICIOUS.

There are a ton of versions of this recipe (the LA Times one adds brown sugar to the spices, so I added a pinch, and it did make it incredibly yum). The sweet, the spicy, the creamy, the acid – it’s all there, and it gets better as the week goes on. We made some chicken thighs to go with it for some protein, and it’s chef’s kiss.

We’re excited for this one to be in our meal prep rotation! From Arlyn: Over the last few weeks, we’ve spent an unspeakable amount of money on things that are, without a doubt, not flashy or sexy. Bathroom trash cans, plungers, cabinet door bumpers, and the like.

But some of the functional things we’re replacing after our move are exciting to me, even if they aren’t decorative. Case in point: Our new KitchenAid dish rack. As much as I imagine a world where I don’t have dishes drying on my counter, there is no scenario where we are hand-drying everything as it washes to put right away.

So, we need a dish rack, and this one is sturdy, just the right size, and has a slanted draining tray underneath so the counters don’t get soaked. I found mine on a deeper sale a few weeks back, but honestly, I would have paid more for it now after having it. Our 2026 Reader Swimsuit Recs!!

This is the Tamarindo top and Cardiff bottom from Carve Designs. I’ve had this suit for about 5 years now and wear it all the time! As someone with bigger boobs, I was specifically looking for a top with adjustable cross-back ties, which gives it a more secure feeling, even though it’s not a high support top.

I like that the bottoms have the subtle side bands – they’re soft and don’t dig in and cause a bump where the edge of the suit meets skin. Simple but special, if you will I like swimsuits with more coverage on the bottom, and so I love the sets from Hapari. The shorts come in 5 colors (all separate listings/links) that mix and match with all of the different styles and colors of tops.

I like that I can get a little extra coverage on the bottom without having to layer board shorts over bikini-style bottoms, which is what I did before I was introduced to Hapari. And of course, two pieces make it easy to go to the bathroom! I have purchased many (at least 6) of these sets and will continue to buy more!

At the time of this writing, they are having a big sale where all items are $10, but if you miss that, you can still usually get a good sale price. I’m wearing a medium in both the top and the bottom, true to size. I have been a J.Crew Lana Swimsuit evang