the take home folder vol 112

A quote that resonated with me this week:

“One of my hopes is to age into a better mindset.

The general trend seems to become less open minded, less resilient, less capable of handling change with ease and flexibility as the years roll by.

I hope to grow in the opposite direction. How can my mindset be better today than it was yesterday?”

- James Clear

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 deep cleaning our laundry room/mudroom, chill family vibes to watch the Masters (maybe Todd’s favorite day of the year?), and getting out for an audiobook walk.

What I cook each week is largely determined by the weather, my capacity, our schedule, and what sounds good. But - when I made Taco Skillet a couple weeks ago -a meal all four of us love and is healthy/budget friendly/easy - I wondered why I’m not putting it on our menu every week. And so the baseball season (gentle) meal rhythm was born. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Every week:

-either Taco Skillet or Egg Roll in a Bowl

-sandwiches of some kind (anything from sliders to shredded BBQ chicken to traditional deli meat sandwiches to sloppy joes, etc.) Everyone in our family appreciates a good sandwich.

-leftovers - we typically have enough leftovers on hand to feed everyone dinner one night. I love the ease and resourcefulness of doing a weekly leftovers night.

And that still leaves us 2-3 nights a week to mix things up.

The rebel in me refuses to assign certain meals to certain days. But a starting point for planning each week will lighten my mental load a bit. Will continue through baseball season (or until we get sick of it). Could a gentle meal rhythm work for your family?

Maycember is upon us. If you’re a parent of a school-age kid, you know. May is the last full month of school for many and, let’s just say, it’s a hoppin’ month. Field trips, award ceremonies, concerts, plays, spring sports, graduations, etc. All while trying to prepare what we can for the shift that is summer break. It’s a lot.

1. Solidarity. I feel this looming and while the next 6-8 weeks will be fun and special, it’s also a heavy load to manage.

2. What can you do to make your life easier? Lydia Senn (one of the absolute best IG follows BTW - she regularly makes me lol and overall is a gem of a human) shared last week that she’s going to offer her kids cereal for breakfast to lighten her load a bit. Maybe plan more semi homemade meals (like rotisserie chicken + salad kit + bread)? Budget for a couple of extra meals out during the month? Block an hour every weekend to do food prep? Wash sheets every other week instead of every week? Is there a ball you can drop for now in order to juggle everything else?

3. Protect your free days. Just because you have a day or afternoon that’s open doesn’t mean something needs to be added. I have found that I’m always grateful for pockets of downtime in busy months - to catch up around the house, to rest, for family time. (Is this an introvert thing?)

4. Don’t forget yourself - when life gets busy the first thing caretakers often let go is the things that fill their own bucket. For me, if I’m not walking every day, my mental health crumbles. I know I feel so much better when I get to bed at a decent hour. Todd surprised me with a gift card to get a massage for Christmas - that may be the only “extra” I add to our May calendar. Make a plan to take care of yourself.

I recently completed a big declutter and deep clean of our kitchen. And I was reminded that most of the items in our kitchen - from our small appliances to our glassware to our silverware to our mixing bowls to our can opener - were wedding gifts 16.5 years ago.

Have we replaced a few things? Sure. But generally we try to use things until they wear out. It’s easier on the pocketbook and much gentler on Mother Earth.

Last week, someone asked my 8 year old what his favorite part of our spring break trip was. He thought long and hard before responding. Then, he answered with, “swimming and putting in the backyard of our Airbnb”. We did a lot of cool stuff in sunny California, but that topped the list.

There’s so much to see and do when traveling. And also - we try to have at least a half day or full day that is purely for hanging out. I recently saw Caro Chambers refer to this as a “plop day/vacation”.

Just some food for thought for your next trip - sometimes letting everyone slow down is just what the doctor ordered.

There’s just something about having freshly baked cookies on the counter that makes me feel like I have my life together, ha. I’ve been making these Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies for over a decade and they turn out perfect every time.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups oats

1 package of chocolate chunks

Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and oats in a separate bowl. Slowly mix into the butter mixture. Add chocolate chinks and stir.

Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Pull from the oven when they appear to be almost set. Let them cool on the baking sheet a couple of minutes and then transfer to cooling racks. Enjoy!

see you right back here next week,

p.s. Need anything from Amazon or Target this week? Letting my affiliate link 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

Koala Eco kitchen cleaner - works well and smells so fresh.

visiting indie bookstores - locals, Buffalo Books and Coffee is dreamy and I can’t wait to go back

Gola Sneakers - I reach for them all the time. They’re comfy and work so well with shorts/skorts/wide leg pants + jeans. Pic is when I walked all over Charleston, SC wearing them last spring. This yellow pair is the cutest.

Aloha bars - 10g fiber and 14g protein, they make a great snack. Our fave flavors are PB Cup, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Cherry, Oatmeal Choc Chip, and Cookie Dough. 30% off will automatically apply at checkout.

Artemis II - the collective joy and humanity the warm and brilliant crew has brought couldn’t be more refreshing

Dieux Instant Angel - I have tried a lot of moisturizers and this one stands out. One of the few non-drugstore products I’m giving a spot in my routine. Part of the Sephora sale - try code springsale