The weather is sunny, the spring sports and our construction project are in full swing and we’re back to planning events and travels for the summer. It’s basically everything that I’ve been dreaming of for the past year, but when I got the end of last week, I was feeling burnt out and grumpy. It was like we went from being stuck at home to being over programmed in the blink of an eye.

One of the positives that came out of quarantine for me was that I learned that it’s possible to slow down and be at home with just our family and enjoy that time together. I had gotten so busy racing from work to practice to rehearsal to event that I never sat down and being forced to be still for the first time in a long time made me realized that I actually really needed that and so did the rest of my family. It makes me happier and more patient and more creative and I cherish that time with the kids where I’m really present with the kids.

So this weekend, we took the weekend off. The weather wasn’t great, we didn’t do anything super special, but just resisting the urge to over schedule and over plan and being at home and reading and baking and going for a hike on Mother’s Day was perfect. On Saturday, the big girls and I had dinner and brought frozen yogurt home and binge watched High School Musical: The Series while singing Olivia Rodrigo songs and it was heaven. I almost teared up because I started thinking about how quickly they were growing up, but then we started singing along to the show and they asked if they could eat some of the cookies we made that afternoon and the moment passed, yet it left me feeling so content with where were in that minute. -Eloise

Monday Missive: May 3

What We’re Reading and Watching

• I’m continuing on the trend of reading books with the word “Wife” in the title (last week it was the underwhelming The Next Wife), and read Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane all in one night. It got very dark and totally freaked me out and I couldn’t go to sleep until I finished it and figured out exactly what was going on. I thought it was more of a mystery/drama but it definitely took a dark turn that was stressful but engrossing. -E

• We watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix, an Oscar-winning documentary by Craig Foster about the year that he spent following the life of an octopus in the Great African Seaforest. Beautifully shot, it was engrossing for the whole family to learn from the ecosystem of the ocean and this intelligent and playful octopus in particular. It’s a great nature film with a very interesting narrative that was perfect for Mother’s Day. -E

• I’m in the middle of reading The Divines by Ellie Eaton, which I was drawn to because it’s a mystery set at an all-girls boarding school in England (three of my top interests!). I’m about half way through, and it’s a little bit slow moving and boring, but I am planning to stick with it because the description I read made it seem like things would get more intense. I do really love the descriptions of how these teen girls in the 1990’s dress and act, it’s so spot on. - D

• I’ve also been listening to the new Welcome to The OC Bitches podcast from Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts) and Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper), which is going through the entire series recapping each episode with special guest stars. The first two episodes had the creator, Josh Schwartz, and the second episode had the casting director. I love the “how was it made/cast” stories - especially tidbits like how Olivia Wilde was in the running for Marisa, but they brought her back later to play Alex. I’ve started rewatching some of the episodes too! - D

What We’re Buying

• I ordered a few things from Anthropologie this weekend because it was the Anthroperks sale this weekend (20% off for members) including these woven slides, this fun Tracy Reese top and a shorts/sweater set that I definitely may not be able to pull off, but reminded me of something that someone on a boat in a 60’s movie would wear and I had to try it. -E

• My big, boring, purchase of last week was a memory foam pillow - I was convinced it was going to change my life and sleep habits after trying a friend’s. Unfortunately, the one I ordered was way too firm for me, so I am going to return it and get the exact one my friend has, which I probably should have just done from the start! - D

What We’re Making

• Since it was a rainy weekend in Maryland, the kids and I decided to bake away the afternoon and I got to pick the treat in honor of Mother’s Day. Carrot Cake is my absolute favorite so we made these yummy and healthy-ish carrot cake bars that were so good. - E