A year of good things

Recommendations from a human woman

Actually Good Things is a weekly shopping newsletter written by a real-life person who eats food and breathes oxygen.

This week, as the U.S. turns up for its 250th year, I’m looking back on one year of Actually Good Things. I haven’t missed a single week since my inaugural send-out on July 3, 2025.

I work hard on this—perhaps too hard, considering the very modest earnings it’s generated. (Don’t worry—I have a real job.) Sometimes, I love it, and sometimes, I feel like I’m giving myself homework for no reason.

Still, it gives me a chance to talk about products I’ve tested for which I may otherwise not get an assignment. Plus, it serves as somewhat of a résumé and a social media outlet at a time when other platforms just aren’t delivering the dopamine hit they once did.

So for now, I think I’ll keep it up.

Here are actually good things currently tickling my fancy.*

(“Tickling My Fancy” would have been a great commerce newsletter name.)

Vestaboard Note

This is one of my favorite things I’ve ever used—like ever. The Vestaboard is basically a modernized version of a vintage split-flap board that connects to WiFi, letting you easily change or schedule messages whenever you want.

Every time it changes, it makes that delightful ASMR split-flap board sound, and the kids come running to see what it says. (The little one can’t read but vibes off the excited energy.)

We got the Vestaboard Note (the smaller version of the original) and had it professionally mounted and hardwired in our entryway hall so it’s dead-center when you walk down the stairs.

You can set it to update with the weather, real-time sports scores, family reminders, you name it. We’ve been having it display what’s for dinner, jokes, vocab words, apologies, “BRB,” etc.

We also gave access to our 7-year-old, who can control it from his iPad. Last weekend, we played a “game” with our kids where we’d alternate between things like “Do 10 jumping jacks” and “Put 3 toys away”—within 15 minutes, they were tired and the living room was clean.

A dewy-dumpling-approved sunscreen

I cracked open Glow Recipe’s new Watermelon Dew Shield sunscreen this week.

If you want a plump, dewy dermis, this is your guy. It doesn’t pill under makeup and smells like a watermelon Jolly Rancher.

Some supplements

Ritual’s new stress-relief supplement comes in these clear capsules containing what looks like three eensy-weensy scoops of ice cream. Tried for a month; would buy again.

Rizz superfood gummies taste really good. (They might be better than Grüns, which may have updated its formula because it’s not as good as before?)

I’ve tested multiple chewable forms of creatine, and most taste like chemically machines. But Create gummies are actually pretty yummy. I got the variety pack—sour cherry, orange, and blue raz are my current faves. (The other brand I like is Momentous.)

Summer pants

Shorts can be a roller coaster full of wedgies and self-doubt. If you’re not a big shorts guy (and even if you are), these super-lightweight pull-on pants are excellent summertime bottoms.

I got the green beam color, a pale honeydew.

Side note: Barrel pants might low-key be the best fit for those who want to transcend skinny jeans without going full-on baggy. They’re surprisingly flattering and normal-looking.

Better than Birks

I was gonna include these in my recent dupes roundup as an alternative to Birkenstocks but realized they’re not actually cheaper than the waterproof Birks. After giving it some thought, though, I think I might prefer Freedom Moses slides.

They’re slightly more low-profile and more durable, IMO. Made of injected PCU (polycarbonate-urethane), these sandals are sturdy yet flexible. Birkenstocks are EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), which is light and cushiony but prone to tearing where the straps meet the footbeds. I’ve had my Moses slides for a few years, and they show almost no signs of wear.

For the record, I do think Birkenstock’s leather-strap, cork-bed Arizona slides are the all-time best in their category.

Possibly the best mattress

Not sure why, but I used to think firm mattresses were for old men.

As I grow more concerned with proper spinal alignment (not a young-person thing to say), I’ve begun to surmise that firmer might be better. It’s not just about firmness, though.

I co-sleep with a tall adult male, and I’m roughly two-thirds his size. We need something that doesn’t dip or shake violently when either of us changes positions or gets in and out of bed.

We got Saatva’s HD hybrid mattress about a week ago and haven’t looked back. It’s an absolute boss for motion isolation and edge support—something I never knew I needed before getting married.

One person can sit on the edge without causing the other person to shift in their direction. Every time I climb on, I’m delighted by how still it stays. I feel like I’m on the top, not sinking into it.

This thing is sturdy, folks—the delivery guys were struggling to get it up the stairs and into our bedroom (bless them).

Btw: After looking up the unexpectedly complex steps to drain and refill the Eight Sleep pod for the mattress swap, we decided to just carefully lift it off without draining. We laid it flat on the floor until the new one arrived, then put it on the Saatva and plugged it back in.

*Some products with affiliate links might earn me a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What I’ve written lately:

• Lifewire | The 10 Best Camera Phones of 2026

What I’m reading lately:

• Yellowface, a novel by R. F. Kuang

• New York Magazine | The Today Show Goes Dark

• The Guardian | Having Children Makes You Smarter? Incredible, But True

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