Happy weekend, friends! My parents came into town yesterday to celebrate Augustine’s birthday week and we’re so looking forward to spending the time together. Augustine is almost the big 7 and he has 7 meals planned for each night of his birthday week. He’s still finalizing his cake choice though, although this strawberry cake is the front runner. We’re all very excited to celebrate our favorite not-so-little guy!
Here’s a little update from our week:
WHAT WE ATE
I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.
MONDAY- Sesame and Scallion Asian-Inspired Meatballs with Broccoli- such an easy weeknight meal!
TUESDAY- Thai Crunch Salad with Shrimp- If you need a good vegan cookbook, this one is one of our go-to’s and we love this recipe especially. The flavor is so good with the tamari-roasted almonds in the salad, the fresh mint and basil, and the creamy, tangy, and slightly spicy almond butter dressing. We added shrimp to the salad instead of tofu and it was still amazing.
WEDNESDAY- The Best Rotisserie Chicken Salad – This salad was so delicious and Matthew said it definitely needs to be a repeat!
THURSDAY- Corn and Zucchini Chowder– this was just ok. My mother-In-law liked it but it was definitely missing something. I think maybe the bacon would have added more flavor but we chose to leave it out. Maybe one to try again though.
FRIDAY- Sourdough Pan Pizza- I’ve been making a Ken Forkish loaf that uses the sourdough discard for pizza dough and it’s so good!
SATURDAY- Grilled Chicken and this Corn and Halloumi Salad with Sourdough
SUNDAY- out for dinner with my parents. We’re excited to finally check out Percy downtown
I feel like I haven’t been as busy in the kitchen because baby Beatrice has discovered her mobility and doesn’t want to sit still. I even prepped the chowder for Thursday on Wednesday evening, a helpful trick from Corinna’s baby days, so I think we’re officially in that baby-on-the-move season! With my parents in town though, I’m hoping I can do a little baking with them. I still have a few things on my Summer Bake List including s’mores bars and a pie. I did bake this banana bread again though which was so delicious. I ran out of pecans, but if you have them make sure to include them!
WHAT I WORE
Our lighting has been changing and with a few rainy mornings, I’ve been wanting to wear more cozy things. I’m still not even thinking about bringing down my winter boxes *I shudder*, but a loose-knit with a pair of shorts is my go-to right now. I also love these loose linen pants that transition well for our hot afternoons. The pair is from Old Navy last year and I keep looking for a similar pair because they’ve held up so well and look really nice for the price. This tapered style could be a good option but I do love the wider length on mine.
SALES TO NOTE
GAP– 30% off or 40% off 4 items!
Old Navy– A Big Bake to School Sale
Ulta– 20% off a qualifying purchase with code 985945
GigiPip– Up to 70% off their site! Use my code too MARA15
ON MY MIND
This week is a fun birthday week and also a break week from our homeschool before starting our fall term. I’m really looking forward to starting but I’m also a little nervous because I still have a few things to prep, and I’m also hoping I can keep baby Beatrice busy during lessons. Matthew says I need to take some of the pressure off and just start slow (good idea), but I’m just excited about our schedule and want to get into our regular routine.
I’ve been buying a few things for the kids so I thought I’d share a few of my orders with you all. For one, I finally got mold-free bath toys. I threw the old ones away and I cringe to think what was inside those ominous little holes. I also got them some stainless steel cups with straws. I love the idea of using these for smoothies, and the included covered lids are a big plus for versatility since they could snacks, etc. Corinna is excited to start school too and even though she’s not in formal lessons yet, I have a few things planned for her. As a fun educational toy, I got her this stamp set which I think she’ll love to use to practice her letters/words. Did I tell you that girl is already reading? Another praise for Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. She’ll also be starting K Math with The Good and the Beautiful. I’m actually really excited to go through it again because it was so enjoyable with Augustine. I feel like it’s a great program to foster a love of math and learning. It really makes it fun for both teacher and child.
Augustine started his music lessons again. We’re in the second year of Let’s Play Music and we’ve been really happy with this program. He learns a lot of music theory too which I think will be helpful for him.
Baby Beatrice is 10 months old! She’s into the double digits which feels unbelievably bittersweet. After Augustine’s birthday, I’m sure I’ll start to think about planning something special for her first. It will be here way too soon!
My friend Meg sent me these beautiful pumpkins to decorate with for fall. She has the loveliest online shop, Cailini Coastal, and I love her whole fall collection.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
xox
