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

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! It’s bittersweet as summer is drawing to a close but we’re all looking forward to getting into our fall routine. These next few weeks will be special though since my parents are coming to visit and then we’ll be celebrating A’s birthday! We had a few 100-degree days this past week but it’s going to drop into the 80s which will be a sweet relief! Apparently, Hurricane Hilary might bring some rain our way but praying all my friends and family in CA stay safe since it’s mainly headed that way.  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- Grilled Chicken with Panzanella Salad- tried and true! Enjoying all the ripe tomatoes and fresh basil right now.

TUESDAY- Asian Pork Meatballs

WEDNESDAY- Green Chile Verde Soup- SO good and will definitely be in the meal rotation. It’s from this cookbook but this version online is basically the same. This would be such a good dish to make for a new mom too!

THURSDAY- Shrimp with Carrot Ginger Coconut Sauce– we love this recipe because it’s so delicious and I love it even more because it’s beyond easy to put together.

FRIDAY- Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Pesto- this was so so good! It’s from this cookbook which has quickly become a favorite of ours! I found the recipe online here. Note: I used my own homemade basil pesto but I bet her pistachio pesto is so good!

SATURDAY- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos- Another easy classic of ours! I realized how much I love a squeeze of lime on my tacos. I also added some pickled red onions which added such a nice contrast.

SUNDAY- Hot dogs and potato salad- Matthew gets back from a work trip today so we’re planning something really simple.

I made a brown sugar simple syrup that has been so yummy with my iced coffees! To make it. you want to bring 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water to a slow boil for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract. Transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Matthew made the best egg sandwiches earlier this week. The tip is to get really good English muffins (ours was from a local bakery but I want to try my hand at making them!) and add a fried egg, smashed avocado, and cheese. I would have added arugula if we had it and maybe an aioli but it was delicious as is!

WHAT I WORE

I got a haircut this week which was so needed! I decided to add some curtain bangs because I needed a little change without doing something drastic. My hair is up so much because of the baby so I feel like the curtain bangs add a little something to my face.

My friends and I were joking the other day about how we haven’t worn jeans for the past 3 months and it’s seriously true! I don’t know how some girls wear jeans during the summer, but I absolutely can not! I’m looking forward to wearing them again come fall though. My uniform these days has been a black top (perfect to hide baby food stains) and a pair of shorts. It’s just easy and I like that I don’t have to think about it too much. One day, maybe soon, I’ll get back to putting a little more thought into my outfits. For now, this works!

SALES TO NOTE

GAP– 60% off Last Chance Deals plus 30% off your purchase! Back to School/Life shopping starts now!

LOFT– 25% off full-price items and an additional 20% off orders of $125+. If you work in an office, they have such stylish business casual pieces.

Anthropologie– Up to 40% off Furniture and Decor

Shopbop– Upgrade your top shelf with 15% off Beauty. Use code BEAUTY15

ON MY MIND

Matthew has been on a work trip and leaves for another one this week. We all miss him so much when he’s gone, me especially. I’m so thankful for all his help when he’s home and we definitely feel a little lost without him here. Augustine said the sweetest thing the other night. He said, “My heart feels like it could break because I miss Daddy so much.” Isn’t that beyond precious?! I don’t even think he knows the term heartbreak but he just said it in such a sweet and genuine way.

My parents are coming to town next weekend which will be so wonderful! I’m already brainstorming meals to make and things to do. It will be our last week of summer vacation before starting school so we’ll be living it up!

Have a great week, friends!

xox

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! We celebrated a friend’s birthday yesterday and today we’re going to church and then a family bike ride before a celebratory end of school dinner and ice cream. We’ve been continuing with a loose school schedule through the summer but I want to make sure we take the time to celebrate some of A and C’s big achievements – Augustine finished Good and the Beautiful Level 1 Math and Corinna finished her Kindergarten Prep. I’m so proud of those two. We’re all looking forward to a little break from lessons before we start up again in September.

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- Corn Chowder with Chile, Lime, and Cotija– so delicious and felt perfect on the night of a surprise summer storm. We’ve been loving the leftovers all week.

TUESDAY- Beets and Greens Phyllo Pie- I’ve had this package of phyllo dough sitting in my freezer for the last several months so I was so happy to find this recipe in a favorite cookbook. The combination of beets with feta and brie cheese in a crispy phyllo crust was so yummy!

WEDNESDAY- Spicy Stir Fried Pork with Green Beans and Tomatoes – also from this cookbook, although if you have an NYT acct I saw it here. This dish came together incredibly fast which makes me think it will definitely be a repeat! Plus, the flavor was so good and reminded us of a delicious takeout meal.

THURSDAY- Gourmet Hot Dog Bar with Oven Roasted BBQ Potato Salad and Watermelon – we had friends over and this was a great, easy summer dinner! The potato salad is so good and different because the potatoes are roasted so they hold their crunch without being mushy.

FRIDAY- Meatloaf and leftover potato salad- another repeat of ours because the kids will eat it all up!

SATURDAY- an easy pantry pasta for the kids and then a late night date night sushi for me and Matthew

SUNDAY- Grilled Fish Sandwiches with tomato, avocado and tartar sauce

That granola bowl above has become my favorite mid-morning snack. Strauss yogurt + pecan granola + raspberries and nectarine + local honey and bee pollen

My neighbor made the most delicious almond flour chocolate chip cookies for us the other day and she used the Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate baking chips…wow so so good!

SALES TO NOTE

American Eagle– 30% off all Jeggings and Slim Jeans + 25% off all Jeans

Ann Taylor– 30% off your full-price purchase

ON MY MIND

I’m getting my hair cut this week and I’m so looking forward to it! My thoughts right now are that I’m going to get bangs again, but I’m also a little worried that maybe my post-partum hair growth might make them look odd. So we’ll see what happens there. I haven’t been in over a year so it will be nice to just sit in a chair for a few hours and read a book/listen to a podcast.

Last week we had a few days that felt like fall (including that random storm day). It made me realize I’m so not ready to say goodbye to summer. This upcoming week we’re supposed to have a few 100-degree days so I’m hoping to take the kids to the splash pad at the park (finally!)

This week is going to bring some change too. My mother-in-law who has been living with us this past year will be back after being gone for the past 6 weeks, and then Matthew will be heading out of town for work. We’re going to miss him so much since it will be the longest time he’s been gone for at least the past 3 years. I know the kids will be happy to have some grandma time, though, so that will provide a little distraction.

Our chickens are now all laying! I didn’t mention this little project of ours that kept us busy this spring, but we raised chicks. It was actually a lot more work than we expected but it was a light during the end of winter bleekness and something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. The eggs have been so cute and tiny but are starting to get a little bigger.

I’ve been keeping up with my elliptical workouts which has been so good for me. I’m using that time to watch bits of a show and even though it takes multiple workout sessions to get through an episode, it’s just the motivation I need! When Downton Abbey came out Matthew and I loved it so much but for whatever reason (maybe we weren’t able to stream it?) we stopped watching after Season 2. Over the years we’ve heard some of the big spoilers so I didn’t feel as big of a desire to start watching it again, even if we could have. Just recently, though, I noticed that all the seasons were available for free on Amazon Prime Video so I picked up again where we left off. I am so happy I did because, even with some of the spoilers spoiled, it’s still so enjoyable!

Have a great week!!

xox