Friday Five: The Guilt of Joy + Easy New Recipe

PLUS: my slick bun formula

Welcome to Friday Five, where I share five things that are on my mind in the hopes of helping you connect to your Mom Flow. I missed you, but I’m back this week even if things are just mildly insane.

P.S: don’t forget to listen to this like a podcast using the article voiceover feature at the top of this post.

🌟 Lessons in business (and beyond)

I had the opportunity to attend a women’s business conference called WNORTH last week. I rarely make the time for professional development - I' mean I learn new programs or methods, but tapping out for three days to go IRL, fully immersing myself in inspiring presentations from high-level thought leaders, and of course, actually connecting with peers. I definitely learned that it’s something I need to be prioritizing. I wrote down a few key messages that really resonated with me, and I want to share them with you here in case they spark something for you, too!

👉🏽 Looking inwards vs. what you can’t control (so true, as evidenced by how transformative my reset earlier this year was and how it completely shifted many things in my life)

👉🏽 Instead of focusing on making ppl understand you, work on understanding others

👉🏽 If something triggers you in a negative way, become curious about intention and ask clarifying questions (something I’m always working on is not assuming negative intent)

👉🏽 Focus on relationships at all levels (I’m a big believer, and it’s happened to me several times in life, that you never know where someone will end up)

👉🏽 Anytime you feel ‘leashed’, do something that stretches you

🏠 Days away from our big move

Am I stressed? YES. Am I mildly anxious? YES. Am I excited. YES. I exhausted. YES. Am I proud AF? YES. Rollercoaster ride of buying and selling continues and being the one who is handling all the admin of things in our household has taken a toll for sure. BUT, it’s short term and it will (universe willing!) pay off. I’ve been adulting haaaaaard. From final things like insurance, booking movers, utilities, cable, internet, cleaners, operational things like organizers, furniture deliveries, selling things, ordering… I could go on, when we get on the plane to Portugal, I’m having a big glass of something strong and taking an 8-hour nap. But moms… I think we are doing it… move is in t-minus TWO WEEKS! We obviously have movers (huge thank you to Salmon’s Transfer for partnering with me - code ERIN100 saves you $100 off your move!), and having never moved with a kid in tow, we’re going to try and ease this transition for her. She’s a sensitive, homebody Cancer girlie, so she’s going to stay at the grandparents for a few days while we move and set up her room. We are also hoping to surprise her with a bouncy castle in the backyard when she comes ‘home’ - she’s been petitioning for a trampoline buuuut no.

💜 Letting yourself feel joy

I don’t know if it’s because life has felt very serious and super packed full (with plenty of demands from every angle, and what feels like a lot of peoples emotions being thrown at me), but I’ve rarely given myself the opportunity to actually stop and take a reflect on the wins or the moments of joy along the way. Buying and selling is rattling, and I almost feel guilty feeling light or happy, because I feel like there has to be something challenging on the horizon if things are going well? I think it’s just a high stress time and all normal. I went to meet our home organizer at the house this week (cannot tell you how happy it makes me to have this help!), and afterwards took myself to lunch because I just wanted to celebrate myself for a moment. Celebrating with a plate of pasta? Say less. It felt great. I just soaked in what a freaking milestone it is to buy our dream place. NO GUILT.

🍽 New weeknight recipe

We are cooking at home SO much more lately and I made something new this week - so good and I feel like a crowdpleaser for kiddos or a group. Plus, amazingly easy.

Mexican Green Chicken Rollups

1/2 large onion
1 jalapeno, insides removed (it’s a soft heat, but omit if serving to kids)

Season with salt. Sauté in olive oil until soft.

3 chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs (or use rotisserie for the best timesaver)

Boil in salted water until cooked (you could also bake!)
Shred with two forks once cooked

1 jar salsa verde (I used Herdez)
1/2 cup sour cream

Add chicken, salsa and sour cream to same pan as onions and jalapeno. Cook for 10 minutes on low. Mixture may seem loose, but that’s a good thing.

5-6 regular sized tortillas (we love Indialife)

Roll up mixture into tortillas and place into a casserole dish. Any extra sauce should drizzled on top.

2 cups grated cheese of choice (we used Tex Mex)

This measurement is a guess but I like it cheeeeesy!
Bake at 400 degrees until golden.
I would add corn next time!
Serve with cilantro, hot sauce, salsa, avocado as you like!

😍 A few things you might like

My hair has been in a slick bun since Lola was born, and my fave formula to keep my very very frizzy hair slicked is this lotion and this wax stick.

No such thing as TMI here: since I had Lola, my armpits are smelllly and I’ve tried so many things, but when I heard about the gycolic acid trick and tried it, things changed. I used some glycolic pads I had under my arms and wow, so buying this super affordable glycolic.

That’s it for this week. If you like this content, please tap the heart or leave a comment. Maybe even consider forwarding it to a friend who would love this content. Brianne, Ashley and Kristi, thanks for your comments on my last post. Grateful!

xx, Erin

*this post may contain affiliate links that allows me to receive a small commission from your purchases. Thanks for your support!