Weekly Ramble 5/11/24

The Trifecta begins tomorrow! Yep, when we got married the day before Mother’s Day and a couple weeks before my birthday, we didn’t think far enough ahead that all three celebrations would fall in such a short span of time someday in the future.

Here we are: Mother’s Day tomorrow, our anniversary on Tuesday, and my birthday two weeks later.

I am pleased to report that after years of feeling like I needed to be made much of, I’ve finally arrived at a larger sense of contentment. That sounds attention-seeking to say that I don’t need the attention, but I don’t.

As long as I get some time on my own and some good food, I’m good.

This year I did something that Bryan and I talked about doing last year. Giving gifts to our kids instead of the other way around.

In some cultures it’s tradition to give presents to others on your birthday and it’s also very Hobbit-like, so why not on Mother’s/Father’s Day? After all, I wouldn’t be a mom without my kids!

I didn’t buy big gifts, just small gift cards, and am including a personal note for each of them.

I wish I could say I’m going into the Trifecta with loads of energy, but I’ve spent much of the week on Death’s doorstep. It’s not quite the flu, but it feels pretty bad. I had such big plans for work this week, but I got sick Monday night and spent the rest of the week trying to sleep (unsuccessfully) and get better.

Today feels absolutely horrible. I’m thinking sinus infection.

That said, I’m hopeful of being more or less back to normal by Monday? In the meantime, here are five favorite things for the week:

Five Favorite Things This Week

The Marco Polo app

A couple friends urged me to use the Marco Polo app in the past, and so last fall when I started being more intentional with contacting friends, I started using it. It’s been so great to reconnect and develop new and old friendships this way!

It’s a video messaging app, like a Facetime voice mail. You can watch in live time or watch later when it’s more convenient. Seeing a real face and hearing a real voice makes it almost like you’re together. Since I don’t have many close local friends, this has been great!

My New Mandoline

I was influenced on Instagram to buy this Dash Safe Slice mandoline, but it was a good purchase! (That is an affiliate link, I get paid a little bit from Amazon at no extra cost to you, even if you buy something else after clicking through!)

I’ve used it almost every day in the last week. It’s easier to use and clean than a food processor and takes up less space. I’ve used it for slicing veg and it’s so quick! Perfect for salads, sandwiches, and pizza night.

Since I’m trying to get 800 grams of fruit and veg everyday it’s helping me reach my goal.

Be sure to check the prices on the different colors. I bought the cheapest color to save some coin.

Homemade Medicine Ball Tea

Since I got sick on Monday night I’ve been drinking homemade Jade Citrus Mint Tea on repeat. This copycat Starbucks recipe is actually better than what you get at the shop. I’ve found that when I do splurge, the flavor is very inconsistent.

This homemade version is so much better!

Pirateship.com

Do you ever ship packages? Typically I don’t want to because shipping costs are so outrageous. Personal packages are so much more fun, though.

Bryan had told me about Pirateship.com and how it was a more affordable option to going to the PO. I was a skeptic, but he was right!

I knew that my seven packages would each cost $20 but with PirateShip.com they cost $6-7 each. I saved $13-14/package. It took a little extra time to type out each address and print the labels but to save almost $100, it was worth it!

No affiliate link – I just appreciate when someone shares a good thing with me!

Easy Meals

Even though I wasn’t able to be super productive this week, we still ate. I leaned on easy meals like DIY Sandwich Bar, the simplest Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, and my kids’ fave “cheater lasagna” Ravioli Casserole — basically what I shared in this GCE email.

Everyone knows I feel sick as a dog, so they are extra appreciative not to have to cook.

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