Hey everyone! Welcome to my first ever Notes from the Week, a casual series where I’ll be writing about recent experiences in my life. I’m hoping that this can be a more personal and laid-back series where I can share more of my thoughts and feelings about what’s been happening, as well as other informal or more unrelated posts. These will usually be shorter in length but (hopefully) regularly posted. For privacy reasons, any pictures with my kids in them will be edited. Part of me is sad that I’m not sharing such adorable faces with the world, but until evil is eradicated from civilization it’s better to be on the safer side of things. Without further ado, let’s get into the highlights of this week!

Mother’s Day

It was Mother’s Day on Sunday (happy belated Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful moms out there) so our family had our own small celebration. In the morning my husband gave me extra pancakes – he usually makes them for our family Sunday mornings anyway, but I always tell him it’s never enough…I need at least 10 pancakes to satisfy my hunger. Well, on that day he gave me 11! So sweet (and so full…11 is too many pancakes I now realize). He also made eggs, which I topped with sauerkraut and kimchi for those wonderful probiotics. Yes, it’s strange, but don’t knock it until you try it!

Hike in the Woods

While the older kids were at school, I took the baby for a hike through our local nature preserve. It was such a nice day – if not a little hotter than what I’d like – but honestly, can’t complain. What I can complain about were the bugs. I don’t know what it is but I’ve always been a mosquito magnet, a curse I’d like to avoid in my next life. That, and seasonal allergies. It just so happens that both were out in full swing on my hike, but I tried not to let that put a damper on my enjoyment of our beautiful surroundings.

School Play

My oldest was in her school play of Alice in Wonderland. She did wonderful! I was so proud. The kids all had roles and were in charge of decorations, props, and costumes. They even offered tea time treats and drinks to fit in with the theme of the play. It was a little hectic trying to help her with her costume and making sure she had everything prepared, but ultimately all of her hard work paid off.

Business Fair

My oldest also had her first child-run business fair, where every booth was created by kids under 14 years old. She prepared for weeks and learned what it takes to become an entrepreneur. Together with her business partner, they created a name for their business and decided to sell plants and terrariums. It was a cold and windy day, but they had fun and made some money – so all-in-all worth it.

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated a very special birthday in our home, and I made my first ice cream cake for it. It was surprisingly easy too! I chose to use pre-made mixes to save time and I’m so glad that I did. The mixes were relatively healthy too, without all of those nasty chemicals and artificial ingredients. The bottom layer was chocolate and the third layer was vanilla cake. While the cake cooled on a rack, I cleaned the same pans, covered it in plastic wrap, and formed the ice cream layers. I also went with a healthier ice cream that had simple ingredients and used two different flavors: cookie dough and “campfire chocolate peanut butter.” The frosting is just whipped cream made from heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla that I whipped up and covered after freezing the assembled cake. The blue decoration frosting is made with natural food dye rather than synthetic. Then I topped it with some white chocolate and mini chocolate chips. I’m happy with the way it turned out! We had a great party celebrating with family.

Summary / Question of the Week

It was a pretty busy this week with not much free time. So many events seemed to take place at once and it was honestly a bit stressful trying to plan everything out and prepare for them all. We’ve all had those super busy weeks, where you get to the end of the last event and can finally breathe normally again. Although it was fun, I’m looking forward to getting back into my daily routine. I’m the type of person who thrives on routines, and anything too out-of-the-ordinary adds stress to my life.

Question of the Week:

What was something stressful that you experienced this week? How did you relax afterward? If you weren’t able to de-stress, how would you like to?

I know that was more than one question, but I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Looking to read more? Check out my latest blog post on the top instruments I’d choose for music lessons.

Until next time! May your life’s melody lead you toward peace and love.

Photo by 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash