Wooed by slow weekends
Refreshed and recharged to take on the holiday weekend!
Happy Monday! Today is going to be a great day and I’m so glad you’re here. 🥰
It was our first weekend home in six weeks, and wow... we all needed it. I think the kids needed the downtime just as much as I did. We slept in until 9 a.m. both mornings, took things slow, and it felt so refreshing after weeks of being on the go.
I finally had time to tackle my almost 2-year-old’s closet and dresser, which were still packed with clothes ranging from 18–24 months and beyond. She’s solidly in 3T now, so it was definitely time for a major clean-out and reorganization.
I also started purging our home office to get it ready for a fresh coat of paint, and I’m so excited about the color we chose! I’ll definitely share a before-and-after once it’s finished.
Other than lots of organizing and decluttering, we enjoyed the simple things like walks to the playground, getting out the bounce house, dropping off dinner for friends, hosting friends at our house, visiting the kids’ great-grandmother, and just being home.
After such a busy stretch of travel, weekends like this are exactly what my heart (and my house!) needed. 💛
Now I want to hear from all 1,440 of you: What's one thing you always tackle when you have a weekend at home? Let me know in the poll at the end!
According to last week’s poll, 47% of you said your biggest summer challenge is finding time for yourself. I completely understand and I feel the same way.
With both my husband and me juggling busy work schedules, we’ve learned that if we don’t intentionally make time for ourselves, it just doesn’t happen. One thing that’s really helped is giving each other a dedicated “me night” during the week. He takes Monday nights, I take Tuesday nights, and whenever we’re home on the weekends, we try to carve out a little solo time for each other, too.
I’ve also started waking up around 5:30 a.m. on Mondays (which is very early for me 😅) to get organized for the week ahead. It gives me a little quiet time before the chaos begins and helps me feel much more prepared.
It’s not perfect, but I’ve found that even small pockets of time can make a big difference.
Let’s get into it:
🍽️ What’s for Dinner
Pork Chop Brine - This is my annual reminder to you that your husbands can make the juiciest most delicious pork chops with this brine. Assign them this task and thank me later.
Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata - You know a meal is a hit when the kids are more excited about it than the grown ups. I brought this to a friend who just had a baby and it was an instant crowd pleaser across the board. The sauce soaks right into that angel hair pasta and I served with a simple salad with the best homemade-ish dressing (use code WOOED30 for a discount!).
Ground Turkey and Snap Pea Pasta - I am always trying to incorporate ground turkey recipes into our weekly rotation of meals because it’s such a good protein. This one looks so good for the whole fam.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps - In the summer, I’m just really into simple fresh meals and ingredients and I also love a recipe that can be enjoyed in multiple ways. With this recipe, I serve to my kids with a side of rice and my husband and I enjoy our lettuce vessels.
Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes - I’m currently obsessed with bursted cherry tomatoes and when I saw shrimp was on sale, I knew I wanted to make a summery pasta with corn and basil. Shrimp cooks so fast so it’s a great weeknight meal option. I didn’t follow a recipe but this is a very similar one.
❤️ What I’m Recommending
This newsletter contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them—at no extra cost to you (thanks for supporting the newsletter!).
This brand is having a huge sale right now and I just stocked up on pajamas and play clothes like this cutie racerback dress!
My cheat code to a perfect healthy, quick and delicious lunch are these tinned fish plus salad greens and avocado. They are SO GOOD and I now have a code to save you money! Use code ANNWOO for a discount :)
Have I mentioned enough that I got a color analysis done and I have been only looking for silver jewelry? Well one of my fave jewelry brands is having a huge sample sale right now that ends tonight and I got all my silver fix in.
The best everyday luxury is a nice body wash and this body wash is my absolute fave. The scent is incredible and I feel like I’m at the spa.
This is a new-to-me product I’ve been using for a few months now that I LOVE as part of my makeup routine! This face setting spray blurs and bonds your make up when your done and the mist feels so refreshing when you’re putting it on as well. Love love love it.
🤑 My Promo Codes To Save You Money
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💸 In This Economy? (Mom’s Version)
This Pregnant Cali Mom Says Her Work Life Balance is Terrible But Her Kids Will Have Everything
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: 31
Kids: 1 boy 3 yr old, pregnant with #2
Job: Psych Nurse Practitioner
Yearly salary and bonus: Multiple contract jobs totally 360-400k
First salary and how compensation has changed over your career: Bedside tele RN- $40/hr maybe 100k a year, continuing to increase yearly, went back to school for masters and now work in a specialty field
Spouse’s salary: 100k maybe
Side hustle: I have a private practice now- ranges $15-30k monthly
Household income: $400-500k
Current net worth: 300k currently building
Own or rent: Rent $2650
Childcare or daycare expense: $1400
Recent purchase you regret: Always regret buying clothes for myself
Splurge and don’t regret: New baby clothes knowing I have tubs already from last baby😂
Best “mom sanity” splurge: Nails. Monthly massages. Facials. Anything self care
Weekly spend on kid stuff: Probs ranges nothing to several hundred based on the activity
Weekly spend on groceries: $150-200, if Costco monthly can be much higher
Most spent on a kid’s birthday party: N/A, we do experiences so family trips
Purchases that your spouse doesn’t know about: He knows when he sees me gone but doesn’t know how much massages and facials cost
Saving for your kids college tuitions: Yes I’m saving $500/month in a 529
Something financial you wish your parents had taught you: Retirement - even contributing just 10 years earlier
Managing family budget: I use monarch
Money advice for other moms: Learn to budget
Work/life balance: Terrible I’m getting better
Most stressful thing as it relates to kids and money: Making sure I’m doing/saving enough so my kids have it all
Finish the sentence: “In this economy, I still somehow ___.” Eat out like it’s my job
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