30 Things Getting Scary Mommy Editors Through The School Year

Back-to-school season is seriously one of the most stressful times of year, and my skin always knows it before I do. The breakouts show up right on schedule, and the Triple Super Repair from Gear by Gash is what I reach for immediately. It's a targeted treatment packed with Centella Asiatica, niacinamide, and peptides that calms inflammation, reduces redness, and speeds up healing so a stress blemish that would normally stick around for a week is visibly better in a couple of days. — Katie Garrity, Senior Editor, News & Social

I carry so much tension in my hands, which I guess makes sense: I type all day long for work, I fold laundry, I clean, I make meals, I brush my kids’ hair, I white-knuckle through rush-hour traffic. My hands do a lot of heavy lifting, literally and figuratively. So, this hand massager has become one of my all-time favorite little self-care moments. It combines heat, vibration, compression, and red light, plus a finger-stretching mode that feels like someone is gently pulling the tension out one knuckle at a time. It’s cordless, so I slide my hand in at night when I’m watching my trashy TV shows after the kids have gone to bed. Pure bliss. — Julie Sprankles, Deputy Editor, Lifestyle & Entertainment

I am a journaling mom — and even when I'm not journaling, I love a good pen. A few years ago, I tried every gel pen on the market to find my favorite, and it's Pilot's G2. And now they have a new line of "Boost" pens in a rainbow of shades that reflect your mood. Want to feel optimistic? You can use their package of pink shades. I put them allll on my wish list. — Sarah Aswell, Deputy Editor, News & Social

Hi, my name is Kate and, at the age of 44, I bought myself my first pair of readers. For the past like six months, I've noticed that my eyesight has gotten worse, especially when it comes to instructions and other fine print. So I finally gave in and bought myself a pair of Peepers and OMG I'm so glad I did. I still wear my contacts for distance, but now I can see my books, my kids' toys instructions, everything so. much. better. I hopefully have a little bit before you can find several pairs strewn about my house, my purse, and my car, but these glasses are cute and fairly affordable, so I'm not complaining if and when it happens. — Kate Auletta, Editor in Chief

I spend so much time in the car driving my kids around, and I feel like my hands are ALWAYS dry. You will not catch me without a lotion. This brand, Explicit Essentials, is so on-brand for me! It basically says what I’m feeling: Fresh Outta Fucks (tropical), Bad Ass Bitch (raspberry), and Bitch Relax (lavender). They smell sooo good and feel great going on. I cannot wait to give this set to all my girlfriends for Christmas! — Julie Sprankles

Back-to-school season is my annual reminder that my jewelry has been through an entire summer of sunscreen, sweat, and pool water and desperately needs attention. The Lindsey Leigh Jewelry Cleaner Trio is the easiest way to get everything sparkling again before the new year starts. The trio covers all your bases with a cleaner for fine jewelry, one for fashion jewelry, and a polishing cloth that makes everything look brand new in about two minutes flat. It's the kind of low-effort, high-reward refresh that makes you feel like you have your life together heading into fall — and that is exactly the energy back to school requires. — Katie Garrity

Bogg Bags are already one of my mom life MVPs because they hold all the shit I lug from practice to pickup to wherever my kids need me next, and they wipe clean when someone (ahem, my 13-year-old) inevitably spills something on or in them. When they dropped their first NYC Collection, I had to grab it for fall. It just makes me feel swoony about this season, like Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail reading Joe Fox’s letter about sending her a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. Like, look how cute the charms are. A hot dog? A bodega? A Have A Nice Day bag?! Come on. — Julie Sprankles

This time of year is exactly when this robot vacuum earns its keep the most — between the backpacks hitting the floor, the snack crumbs, and the general chaos of getting everyone back into a routine, the floors in our house take a beating and the Dreame Matrix10 Pro handles all of it without me lifting a finger. The Matrix mapping technology means it actually learns your floor plan and cleans methodically rather than randomly bouncing around, the suction power is genuinely impressive on both carpet and hard floors, and I can set a schedule so it runs while we are at school and work and we come home to clean floors every single day. — Katie Garrity

Fall requires a perfect warmer layer that you can live in, and this year for me, it is this. It's an oversized, extremely soft button-down that drapes so well and goes with everything. I can wear it on its own or layer the heck out of it. — Sarah Aswell

Mahjong has become one of my absolute favorite ways to spend a fall evening. It's seriously so fun, strategic, and the perfect excuse to gather a few friends around a table with snacks and drinks when the weather starts turning and nobody wants to be outside anymore. This Mahjong House set is stunning, with deep navy tiles and gold detailing that look beautiful displayed on a shelf even when you are not playing, and the quality is impressive enough that it feels like an heirloom rather than a game. If you have been curious about mahjong and looking for a reason to learn, this is the set that makes you want to figure it out immediately! — Katie Garrity

Ask me how many times my teens locked themselves out of the house before we got this Wyze Lock Bolt! It’s so simple and smart: fingerprint in, door opens, and it locks itself behind you. I can set up to 50 codes for family and friends, plus one-time guest codes that expire on their own (no more hiding a key under the planter for the dog sitter). I really appreciate that I can check or control it from anywhere over Wi-Fi, and that there’s still a backup key and a USB-C emergency port if the batteries die. As a mom of teens who are constantly coming and going, this just makes life a little easier, and I’m 100% here for that. — Julie Sprankles

The fall reset energy this planner brings is genuinely unmatched; there is something about cracking open a brand new Laurel Denise at the start of a new season that makes you feel like you actually have your life together, even when you absolutely do not. The layouts are thoughtful and beautiful without being overwhelming, the paper quality is thick enough that pens glide without bleeding, and the whole design makes sitting down to plan feel like something you want to do rather than something you keep avoiding. If you have been meaning to get more organized as we head into fall, this is the planner that will actually make it happen. — Katie Garrity

The state of my car after a summer of beach trips and road trips and drive-thru dinners and shuttling teens to the mall is between me and God. And while I would not have cared in my youth what that state was, midlife me needs to keep some semblance of order or it gives me anxiety. This little handheld helpfully vacuums up fossilized crackers and stray French fries, then flips to an air duster to blast crumbs out of the crevices I can’t reach. It weighs less than a pound and is compact enough to chill in my backseat organizer, so I just pull it out and do a quick pass when I need to make my passenger seats fit for adults again. — Julie Sprankles

Swapping out my bathroom for fall felt complete the second these went in my linen closet. The weight of the towels is that perfect balance of plush and absorbent without being so thick that they take forever to dry, and the quality is genuinely impressive for a brand that is not charging you a ridiculous amount for the privilege of a good towel. There is something about fresh, beautiful bath towels that makes the whole bathroom feel like a reset, and these deliver that feeling every single time you step out of the shower. The fall home refresh that costs less than you think and makes more of a difference than you expect! — Katie Garrity

Between my work Zooms and the kids’ school laptops and our Kindles and whatever everyone’s streaming, this time of year always wreaks havoc on our Wi-Fi. This NetGear system has seriously bolstered our coverage. In fact, we recently moved our oldest teen into a bedroom on the other side of the house that was a total dead zone. Thanks to the satellite, they now get the same coverage as the rest of us. The fact that setup is super easy (I did it myself!) and it works with any internet service provider is icing on the cake. — Julie Sprankles

These frames are honestly one of my favorite accessories I've bought in a long time. These Coach glasses have that perfect combination of classic and modern, with a sleek silhouette that works on basically every face shape and elevates any outfit without trying too hard. The universal fit design means they sit comfortably without sliding or pinching, and the build quality feels exactly like what you'd expect from Coach: solid, polished, and made to last. If you've been putting off investing in a great pair of frames, these are the ones worth doing it for. — Katie Garrity

Fall is my favorite hosting season! This set has two slim glass trays with three heat settings, so food stays warm while I enjoy everyone’s company. On regular weeknights, they’re just as helpful because we’re at that stage where everyone sort of comes to the dinner table at staggered times. One teen needs to decompress after school and before band, the other “isn’t hungry yet,” and I’m usually running around trying to get 12 other things done. These keep dinner warm without us having to rely on microwave roulette. — Julie Sprankles

This otoscope has paid for itself approximately 47 times over in avoided urgent care copays. The second my daughter starts pulling at her ear or saying her ear hurts, I can check what is actually going on in there rather than spending three hours in a waiting room to be told it is fine or to get a prescription I could have called in days earlier. The Deebo Care otoscope is designed specifically for parents with an easy-to-use design, a bright LED light, and a clear viewing window that actually lets you see what you are looking at, and the adorable pattern makes it feel a lot less clinical and a lot more approachable. Fall cold and ear infection season is coming, and this is the one thing every mom needs in her medicine cabinet before it does. — Katie Garrity

I love my full-size weighted blanket, but it is way too heavy to lug from room to room or take in the car with me. Enter: this Baloo weighted lap blanket. I use it at my desk, on the couch when I need every bit of calming help while helping kids with homework, I even took it on my latest road trip because I knew I’d have trouble sleeping in a hotel bed. I get the grounding benefits of the gentle weight in a size that’s small enough to toss in a tote during this super busy season. — Julie Sprankles

I have been obsessed with my OluKai beach sandals for a few years now, so why not try some of their other footwear for fall? I was not disappointed at all. All of their shoes somehow have the most comfortable footbeds, and I could walk on these all day without breaking them in. They're also light and very cute! — Sarah Aswell

Between school supplies, seasonal decor, and holiday gifts, I order a truly unhinged number of packages between now and December. I’m rarely home when they’re delivered, and very annoyingly (aka infuriatingly), we’ve been hit by porch pirates a few times lately. So, before the real holiday-shopping rush, I plopped this guy on our porch. Delivery drivers can just drop my packages in the top, where they stay until I open it with the key. Everything stays dry, too! I will say that I got the black version and I don’t know that drivers were reading the tone-on-tone “Packages” on the front, so we just got a friend to whip up a vinyl sticker that says “place packages here.” — Julie Sprankles

Is there something about fall that says, "Buy yourself a slightly witchy charm necklace?" I think there is! I love that this set has charms that are super easy to add and remove, so I can either pick out one or two to showcase or wear them all at once. This would also make a really good holiday gift. — Sarah Aswell

What can I say? I’m a Grüns girlie. Because while I can tell you every morsel of food everyone in my house eats on any given day, I sometimes can’t remember the last time a morsel of food crossed my lips. When I’m so busy that I literally forget to eat (I know, NOT GOOD, I’m working on it), I feel better at least knowing that these gummies give me 21 vitamins and minerals plus 6 grams of fiber. I like the regular flavor but always love the special flavors, like this month’s limited-edition Shrek collab. — Julie Sprankles

If my kids get a PlanetBox, so do I! I love that this salad kit has room for dressing as well as three separate places for dry toppings. No more soggy croutons for me this fall, and I swear this fun container makes it way less likely I eat out for lunch. — Sarah Aswell

I have been dragging ass since the school year started, and my under-eye bags tell the tale. I’ve noticed that just popping these on in the morning and leaving them on for 15 minutes makes a big difference. Thanks to brightening Vitamin C and hydrating hyaluronic acid, I actually look like I got a decent night’s sleep... even when I most definitely did not. Plus, they just feel good! — Julie Sprankles

Look, I'm in my mid-40s and, probably like you, I've been beaten over the head with ads for protein. I don't love shakes, but I do love water, especially flavored water, so I figured I'd give these a whirl. And they are delicious. You have to really shake them up into your water, but they taste great and fresh, come individually packaged, which is great for travel, and just generally make me feel like I'm doing something good for myself? — Kate Auletta

Fall for me means a return to hot tea. A few years ago, I got really into loose-leaf tea, and it made my mornings so much more fun. This year, I'm getting into fancy honeys, and I dare you to stop me! This one is life-changing. It's from New Zealand and has immunity-boosting properties. — Sarah Aswell

Everything I read says I need to get more protein, but like... damn, how?! I’ve been struggling to squeeze more in, so I was excited to find Whole MALK. I get 12 grams of plant protein plus vitamins and minerals in something I can just pour into my coffee or use when I make a smoothie. Minimal effort, and bonus points for a short and simple ingredient list. — Julie Sprankles

I live in Montana, where it can be too cold and icy to motivate yourself to walk outside in the winter months. This fall, I'm getting ahead of it by finally purchasing a mini treadmill to keep up my steps during the dark days. This one is so compact and has an incline option. It also has a handlebar that you can either raise or not, depending if you're trying to walk while working. — Sarah Aswell

I spend a wild amount of time and energy making sure my kids drink enough water for a woman who sometimes forgets to hydrate at all. With fall school season being so busy and unpredictable, I needed something that would make it really easy for all of us to get our water in. The Ninja HydraSense now sits on my counter, where, with the touch of a button, it filters out 80+ contaminants and helps me track how much I’m actually drinking (the latter of which is both helpful and humbling). I also love that the 120-gallon filter means I don’t have to swap it out every five minutes. — Julie Sprankles