Wooed by finding the wins
When life is life-ing, we prevail.
Happy Monday! Today is going to be a great day and I’m so glad you’re here. 🥰
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. It was my turn to host Supper Club and we hosted 5 other couples for a World Cup themed dinner. You can see my whole day getting ready here!
The host couple is always in charge of the main dish, so I decided to make paella. For our signature cocktail, Will made tinto de verano, a light and refreshing Spanish drink that quickly became a favorite. I loved it so much that I asked him to make it again for our daughter's 2nd birthday party in just a few weeks (I can't believe she's almost two!). It was such a fun evening spending time with friends and enjoying dishes inspired by different countries.
Is it just me, or does life feel especially chaotic lately?
Behind the scenes, we’ve been navigating some big life decisions while also dealing with one unexpected thing after another. We found black mold in our house that required part of it to be gutted, our HVAC went out and we had to temporarily move out to my in-laws (who are gracious enough to host our crazy bunch), and now our dog needs surgery to have a broken tooth extracted.
It just feels like life is life-ing right now, and the unexpected expenses seem to keep piling up. Anyone else feel like as soon as you get through one thing, another pops up? 😅
I’m reminding myself that seasons like this don’t last forever. As overwhelming as they can feel in the moment, we’ve gotten through hard weeks before, and we’ll get through this one too.
A few things that have been helping me:
• Focus on the next step, not the next 20. Looking at everything at once is overwhelming, but tackling one thing at a time makes it feel much more manageable.
• Control what you can. I can’t stop the unexpected from happening, but I can choose how I respond, adjust our budget where needed, and make a plan.
• Find the small wins. Whether it’s dinner around the table, a walk with the kids, or finally checking something off the to-do list, those little moments help shift my perspective.
• Give yourself some grace. It’s okay if everything isn’t perfectly organized or if you need to say no to a few things while you’re in survival mode.
At the end of the day, I’m incredibly grateful that these are problems we can work through together. The house can be repaired, the HVAC can be replaced, our dog will be taken care of, and these stressful weeks will eventually become another story we look back on. For now, I’m just taking it one day at a time. ❤️
Now I want to hear from all 1,575 of you: Does it feel like life has been throwing you extra curveballs lately? Thank goodness for my community! Let me know in the poll at the end.
According to last week’s poll, 50% of you said Instagram and TikTok are your go-to sources for dinner ideas and 22% said Google. Noted :)
Let’s get into it:
🍽️ What’s for Dinner
Zucchini Pasta - My kids love anytime I make pasta and this recipe always gets them to eat more zucchini than they think they are. So yummy.
Authentic Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe - This was the recipe I followed over the weekend for my supper club meal. I increased the servings for 12 people but it made SO much honestly could’ve fed 18.
Chimichurri Grilled Chicken with Couscous Salad - The best meals are the simplest meals and easy grilled chicken with a couscous salad that you can make ahead sounds perfect for a weeknight.
Chicken-Zucchini Meatballs With Feta - We are a big meatball family and the sound of this ingredient combo has me salivating. Can you tell I’m obsessed with zucchini right now? They’re in season and so good.
Ground Pork Stir Fry - Making this one tonight! Love an easy stir fry situation on a weeknight and serving with perfect rice from rice cooker.
❤️ What I’m Recommending
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On my Spain-inspired board, I had these amazing superseed everything crackers to go with the cheeses and tinned seafood and they were such a hit. There are lots of flavors to choose from.
I have to be honest, I have not been feeling my best the past couple of months and I’m not sure if it’s due to my hypothyroidism or what, but I really want to reset my gut health. I’ll be starting on this four-week gut reset and hopefully report back good news!
A kitchen gadget that I don’t give enough props to is this salad spinner. It’s a must have for every kitchen and makes washing fruits and greens a breeze.
I’ve been using this bio enzyme liquid dish soap for months now and I love it. The advanced bio-based formula breaks down and lifts stubborn food stains and stuck-on residue and is a workhorse I recommend.
Another delish item on my Spain-inspired board were my fave tinned-fish varieties, chimichurri rainbow trout and sardines with preserved lemon. Seriously so good to share or have for yourself for a quick and healthy lunch. Use code ANNWOO for a discount!
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💸 In This Economy? (Mom’s Version)
Australian Millionaire Mom Stressed About Childcare Costs
In This Economy? is a weekly series showcasing the costs of motherhood from real moms. Want to share your story anonymously? Submit here — no names, no judgment.
Age: Late 30s
Kids: 2 kids, 2 and 4
Job: Mining
Yearly salary and bonus: USD 175k plus up to 20% bonus
First salary and how compensation has changed over your career: 18k
Spouse’s salary: 215k
Household income: 390-440K depending on bonus
Current net worth: $1.25m
Own or rent: Own- $3800
Childcare or daycare expense: $4000
Recent purchase you regret: Adidas trainers $150
Splurge and don’t regret: Vestaboard $1.5k
Best “mom sanity” splurge: Massage once a month
Weekly spend on kid stuff: 100
Weekly spend on groceries: 180
Saving for your kids college tuitions: No
Managing family budget: We don’t budget at this stage of our lives, nothing to save for
Ways to save money on kid-related expenses: Shop season ahead in the sales.
Work/life balance: Terrible- we have high demanding jobs and no family support
Most stressful thing as it relates to kids and money: Childcare costs
Food for thought: We’ve worked hard to become financially stable yet still look for cheap meals out and save money on clothes. We do not spend a lot except for food (eating out) and entertainment
Thanks again for being here. If you love it, forward this to a mom friend—more voices make this better. And if you ever want to share, vent, or suggest something, just hit reply. I’m reading every email!
Woo you next week,
Ann