How are we already at the end of April? This month was a busy one for us. The kids are busy, the grown-ups are busy, and we had birthdays and holidays to celebrate. Needless to say, I had plenty to choose from for my April 2026 things.
I hope my April 2026 things give you some tips, product recommendations, and insight into my little life.
April 2026 Things
Food
We are starting off my April 2026 things with my favorite topic: food!
Old Standby – Spaghetti and meatballs
Every family probably counts spaghetti and meatballs among their old standby dinner recipes. This is an easy, kid-friendly meal that will satisfy the whole family that makes a ton so it’s great to make weeks you need to rely on leftovers. You can make your meatballs from scratch or buy them in the freezer section, whichever works for you right now. Either way, pop the meatballs in the slow cooker with some marinara sauce (homemade or jarred) and let them cook all day. Then boil up some spaghetti at dinnertime and you’ve got a meal to feed your hangry children.
Favorite New Recipe – Chicken bacon ranch burgers
My son has been really into burgers lately. When my kids are excited about a specific food, I don’t fight it, I lean in. To avoid everyone getting sick of the current meal du jour, I look for ways to mix it up. This month, our most successful riff on the humble burger was a chicken bacon ranch variety. These were delicious! If you have a burger lover in your house, give these a try!
Biggest Food Fail – Time
April was a very busy month. Work was busy, life was busy and that made it very hard to have time to actually make dinner. Instead of getting down on myself about this fact, I just turned to my quick dinners that I know I can get on the table fast with ingredients I usually have on hand. Everyone was fed and happy.
Dessert – Peanut butter skillet brownie
If I’m honest, the star of the sweet stuff this month was not one, but two cakes from my favorite bakery, Signature Desserts. My mother-in-law’s birthday was at the beginning of the month and my daughter’s birthday party was this weekend, and we never miss an opportunity to celebrate with Signature Desserts. But because not all of you have Signature Desserts nearby and because I highlighted our favorite bakery a few months ago, I want to talk about a dessert I made instead. I had a hankering for something chocolate one day and whipped up these peanut butter skillet brownies. So rich, so yum. If you like the chocolate peanut butter combo, make these!
All-purpose Food – Hard boiled eggs
My family has recently become obsessed with hard boiled eggs. I mean, we have always liked them, but lately we are all about them. My husband eats them for breakfast, my son eats them all times of the day (they make a great school lunch item!), and I use them in all sorts of ways (deviled eggs, chopped up on a salad). If you’re looking for a great all-purpose protein to have on hand in your house, don’t forget to hard boil some eggs!
Books
I’ve still been really enjoying reading lately. I didn’t have quite the good luck in April as I had in March, but I still have a few books to talk about in my April 2026 things.
Best Physical Book – The Unhoneymooners
I’ve determined that I really like witty banter between the characters when I read romantic comedies. If you have similar taste in romantic comedies, I highly recommend The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Sworn enemies Olive and Ethan must take their siblings’ honeymoon after an unfortunate case of food poisoning sweeps through the wedding reception. You know what happens next. This is witty banter heaven and a fun, quick read that would be perfect by the beach this summer!
Not My Favorite – Things We Hide from the Light
Back in November 2025, I read the first book in this series by Lucy Score, Things We Never Got Over. When I came across the second book in the series, Things We Hide from the Light, at my local used bookstore, I snatched it up with high hopes. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the second book. It felt way too similar to the first book, and it was just simply too long. Not a bad book if you like romance, but not good either.
Best Audio Book – The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
You need to listen to this book! To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S., best-selling biographer Walter Isaacson digs into the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, which he dubs The Greatest Sentence Ever Written. This is a quick listen, but an important one because it’s a reminder of the roots of the U.S. experiment and why we need to get back to those radical ideas to save us from ourselves in 2026.
TV
I spent a lot of my “free” time in April catching up on Sara in Season, so I don’t have much to report about media-related April 2026 things. There is one thing I watched on TV, and it’s a bit of a bummer, so I apologize for the negativity.
All the Light We Cannot See
If you read my March 2026 Things, you’ll know that I absolutely loved the book All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It’s the best book I’ve read in recent memory. When I saw that Netflix had produced a miniseries based on the book, I wanted to watch it immediately. Unfortunately, the miniseries was a huge disappointment. Sure, it was beautiful to look at, but the story was changed so much from the book that it really took the heart out of it. This is a skip. Just don’t.
Clothing
Spring brings with it wild weather, so my clothing-related April 2026 things are all over the place. Just a warning.
Gauze shirt
Last year about this time, I fell in love with gauze clothing. I put it all away when it got cold, but now it’s time to bring it all back into my regular rotation. Because we are still in the in-between weather of Spring, my current go-to gauze clothing item is a white long sleeved button front shirt. It is the perfect extra layer when it’s mostly warm out, but you need some coverage in the mornings and evenings. A long sleeved gauze shirt is also great for kids’ sports to protect your arms from the sun as you roast watching kids swing away at beginner baseball.
Water-friendly sandals
Last month, I ordered a pair of water-friendly Reef Water Vista sandals for our trip to Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky. Unfortunately, they were delayed in transit, so they arrived while we were at the water park. I can’t vouch for them at an actual water park, but I have since worn them to the indoor pool and on rainy days just living my life. These sandals are amazing! They’re insanely comfortable, they have great support, and they don’t rub at all. I’ve been trying to convince the women I see in my daily life to buy them and now it’s your turn for peer pressure. If you ever walk in wet environments, you need these sandals!
Soft jeans
I’m usually a rigid jeans girl. They just tend to fit me better with maximum structure. I have a few long days of travel coming up, though, and I was in the market for something comfy that still looked like real clothes. Look, no judgment from me if you travel in your jammies, but that just isn’t my thing. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon these Kensie relaxed fit wide leg jeans which look like jeans from afar but actually feel like soft sweats on your body. I haven’t traveled in them yet, but I’ve worn them in my normal life, and I can recommend them if you want a pair of pants that look more dressed up than they feel.
Products
Ready for the random April 2026 things that don’t fit into any other category? I’ve got some good ones this month that I think everyone could use.
Meal planning pad
I am a list maker. It’s how I function in my life. I’ve always been this way, but my lists have become especially important as a mom. Because I’m so reliant on my lists, I have a pad for pretty much everything on my desk, in my kitchen, or in my car.
The pad I want to highlight this month is my new weekly meal planning pad. It is a pad of 52 sheets of paper (lasts a whole year!) that includes a spot for meal planning on the left side and a spot for a grocery list on the right side that tears off when you head to the store. It also has two magnets on the back so it can claim a high-visibility spot on the fridge. I’ve been using these types of pads for years now, but this new one is worth a specific shout out because it’s so simple. Most of these pads are decorated to the hilt, which limits the amount of usable space. This option has maximum writing space. It’s a winner!
Washable rug
A little bit ago, our dog had a bit of a nervous breakdown and suddenly refused to eat from her bowl. I finally figured out that she had slipped while eating her dinner one night because a kid had accidentally made a placemat from the table fall on her when she was not expecting it. She was scared to slip again while she ate, so she just stopped eating.
This obviously couldn’t continue, so I ordered a little rug to go under and in front of her bowl in the hope that her problem would be solved. I wanted a washable rug because she’s not exactly prim and proper while she eats, but I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a rug for the dog. I found the perfect solution in a 24” x 36” Better Homes & Gardens washable rug. She’s eating again and it makes that corner of my kitchen look a little nicer. We all win!
SPF
I am a firm believer in SPF. Unfortunately, my skin isn’t a fan of most of them, so I have to be very picky about what SPF I put on my face and body. One that never causes a problem and helps heal my irritated skin when I’ve tried something that does cause a problem is Vanicream Facial Moisturizer with SPF 30. It’s an all-mineral sunscreen that is fragrance-free and super gentle on even the most sensitive skin. Unlike many un-tinted mineral sunscreens, it doesn’t leave a white cast on my skin (although I realize that’s not a very high bar because my skin is so light) or leave me feeling greasy. It’s a good facial SPF if you’re looking for something super gentle.
Experiences
April was a busy month! So much to say, but I’ll just highlight the biggest April 2026 things so I don’t bore you to death.
Spring Break
We survived our first school Spring Break! It might have been the longest week plus of my life, but we made it through! After we got back from our weekend at Great Wolf Lodge, we packed in the fun for the rest of our at-home Spring break.
We visited a local farm for their Spring activities (injury #1: daughter fell and scraped the entire left side of her face). The weather was nice, so we played a lot of driveway hockey (injury #2: daughter walked into my husband’s backswing and got a black eye on the other side of her face; injury #3: son took nephew’s stick to the mouth and got a really impressive fat lap). The moms took the kids to the indoor pool. We celebrated Easter with a simple brunch at home and a dinner and egg hunt with extended family. Attendance was significantly reduced because several family members got taken down by a stomach bug (including my mother-in-law, who was celebrating her birthday). All-in-all, it was a good week.
Baseball
Baseball is back, baby! This year we have advanced from tee ball to beginner baseball, so we are learning all about balls and strikes and outs. I’m already ready to say that this year is a significant improvement over last year because the field to which we have been assigned has a playground for the girls and my sister-in-law’s house is within walking distance for potty emergencies.
Daughter’s birthday party
We celebrated my daughter’s birthday this past weekend with an Encanto-themed family party at home. It was a simple afternoon of cousins playing in the backyard and the basement, eating hamburgers and hot dogs, and enjoying our little 4-year-old. My parents were able to join us this year, which was a nice treat!
Kid stuff
If you don’t have kids at home, you can skip my kid-related April 2026 things. But if you do have kids, please continue on.
Play dresses
My daughter is a bit of a tomboy (her quintessentially boy brother has rubbed off on her), but she has recently gotten into wearing simple cotton dresses with shorts pretty regularly. We’ve tried a few brands, but the best quality for the price that I’ve found are from Walmart’s Wonder Nation brand. They are soft, affordable, come in the cutest prints, and wash really well. If your daughter is in need of play dresses, look no further.
Roller blades
My son wants to be on skates every waking moment of his life. If he’s not on the ice playing hockey, he wants to strap on his roller blades and play hockey. He recently outgrew his old set of roller blades, so he got a new pair, and his sister got his hand-me-downs. Now we have two skating around the driveway constantly. It’s fun to watch them, I’m just really glad for wrist guards and knee pads!
Golf clubs
My son never met a sport he didn’t like. Seriously, he’s been into everything he has tried. Hockey, baseball, soccer, golf, pickleball – you name it, he loves it. My brother-in-law recently acquired a set of kids golf clubs for him, so golf has been his pick for after school play the last few weeks. He takes his little bag of golf clubs out to the front yard with his bag of foam balls and swings away. He’s getting better and I’m getting my steps in chasing down the balls he flies all over the neighborhood.
Blog posts
If you missed any Sara in Season posts this month, you’re in luck – here are links to the most popular posts from this month for easy clicking!
What were your favorite April 2026 things? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!