the take home folder vol 111

Greetings and Happy Easter/Happy Passover if you are celebrating. We are heading to my sister-in-law’s house this afternoon. Looking forward to family time - these are the days!

What is something I can do for our home?

What is something I can do for/with our family?

What is something I can do for myself?

Today for me it’s making a meal plan and grocery list for the week ahead, enjoying an egg hunt and Easter dinner with the fam, and setting out my workout clothes for the morning before I go to bed.

here’s this week’s take home folder, enjoy!

I experienced the biggest reading slump of my life in January and February of this year. I just wasn’t reading. I’ve finally come out the other side and am so glad.

I think my best reading life involves abandoning books that I’m not excited to pick up, toting a physical book with me when out and about, finding excellent audiobooks to listen to while I walk, and reading instead of scrolling before bed.

Another tip - a quick, twisty thriller is a good way to pull yourself out of a slump too. I enjoyed My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney.

One thing we always keep stocked in our pantry is applesauce. Run out of fresh fruit? We’ve got a jar of applesauce. Home from travel and piecing together dinner for hungry kids? Include the applesauce! Sick kid who doesn’t have a huge appetite? Applesauce.

Do you have a non-perishable food that you have found helpful to always have on hand?

We’re fresh into Q2 and it’s a lovely time to reflect on what areas of life have been going well so far this year and what could use some love.

What’s gone well for me in 2026 so far:

- I’ve been getting better sleep and going to bed a bit earlier. As a natural night owl, this is big! (Related: getting a new mattress has been a huge help. I didn’t realize how bad our old mattress was until we got this Helix. I yapped about it so much they gave me a discount code: BEGINATHOME)

- I’ve worked hard not to over schedule myself, especially on weekdays.

-Our family is in such a sweet spot. Absolutely loving the big kid stage and would pause time here if I could.

-We’ve made a small dent in the long list of home projects we’d like to do

What’s been a challenge in 2026 so far:

-The chaos of our country (esp as a person living in Minneapolis) has weighed heavily on me and been hard on my mental health. Hard to look away/carry on with life when so many in your direct community are hurting.

-Life feels really expensive - from groceries to travel to home repairs and everything in between, oof. Our dollars just don’t stretch as far as they used to.

- Todd and I haven’t gotten great alone time - between the kids going to bed later which has resulted in losing that precious post-kid-bedtime hangout time, being busy with the kids’ sports, etc. we’ve only gone on one date (a quick sushi lunch) in 2026. We have been decent about taking walks together at least once a week which is nice.

Areas of focus for Q2:

-Listen to my body in regards to nutrition, workouts, and rest. Speak kindly to myself. Consistency over perfection.

-Low-average spend. Knock on wood, but the next 3 months are relatively quiet months for us financially speaking. There is so much to enjoy in the spring that doesn’t involve spending money.

-Allow myself to be lighthearted. Not everything has to be serious, lean into joy and whimsy.

These Ridiculously Good Chicken Tacos were the best thing we ate last week. We grilled the chicken thighs and they turned out delicious. (I made the sauce and Todd and I liked it but will probably skip it next time and just do sour cream/salsa/guacamole for saucy toppings.) To serve, we chopped the chicken into bite size pieces and everyone assembled their own taco or burrito bowl. We had my son’s friends over for dinner and they gobbled it up. Can’t wait to make this again.

At my request, Todd has been working on taking some more photos of me with the kids. Ya know, proof of mom. One problem: my knee-jerk reaction is to be extremely self-critical of every photo he takes.

This week he sent me a couple of photos he took of me with the kids on Spring Break. And in the picture where we were hiking in the mountains - aka my favorite thing - all I could focus on was my body. I said some really unkind things to myself. I am 40 years old and still get caught up in how I “should” look or standards of beauty that often just don’t seem to match how my body is built. I never think negatively about anyone else’s body, so why am I hyper critical of my own?

I have spent the better part of 3 decades picking my body apart and comparing it to others and I’m tired.

The truth is…

this body carried my babies. this body gets lots of steps and strength trains and eats vegetables. this body comforts my children. this body runs all of our family’s errands and cleans our house and volunteers and goes on bike rides. this body carries me through life. and i’m grateful for that.

Am I working toward being the healthiest version of myself? You bet. It’s a journey and loving myself along the way might just be half the battle.

see you right back here next week,

p.s. Need anything from Amazon or Target this week? Allowing my affiliate link to open in your app before checking out (no matter what you buy) supports my work at no cost to you. Thanks for doing this, I notice and am grateful.

recent favorites

Calpak Luca - the perfect travel bag! Fits beautifully under the seat on an airplane. lots of compartments. Has a trolley sleeve. Wipeable material. We also are passionate about our carry on suitcases. We own two and would love to get the kids their own soon.

“Snickers” dates! for a little sweet treat.

Catch me at the pool this summer in this Strappy Back Mini Swim Dress! TTS.

The Women on Platform Two - I read this for my book club and the storyline and short chapters had me hooked. Content warning: domestic violence.

Lightweight lunchboxes - thought long and hard about buying them but ultimately am so I glad. They seal tightly, hold plenty of food, are dishwasher safe, and stack together when not in use. Budget friendly too. These will get lots of use for travel and summer. A Haley Wynn rec!

The Sandwich Spot in Palm Springs. I had the #19 with all the veggies on the Dutch Crunch bread and I’m still dreaming about it.