Coffee is brewing and I'm looking forward to my second cup. I almost always make another small pot after the kids are off to school and it feels like an exhale.

Every April for the past several years I've written about our blooming palo verde trees. And now I have to share the very sad news the we lost the biggest tree. A tiny but mighty wind storm whipped up on the Friday evening before Easter, lasting all of 20 minutes. But it was enough to hit our tree just right and tear down its largest trunk. The tree broke too far down to save the remaining trunks. And so the following Monday I was mildly sick to watch the whole thing cut down and hauled away.

Now the left side of our yard looks like it never had a tree at all. No evidence of a tree that we watched grow for five years or that bloomed in time for our April birthdays. Or of the blossom-dappled shade where Maeve toddled in the breezy spring. Losing a tree is such a deep loss. Perhaps especially here in the desert where shade is so precious.

But! A friend offered the encouragement that we can plant another tree, and we definitely will, and she suggested having a tree planting party when we do. I love that idea and keep imagining it later this fall when the heat breaks. I'll choose another species of tree because although what we've had is a desert native, the trees have not held up in the wind. We actually lost the other tree during a storm three years ago. It's regrown but I don't want to risk losing it again when it's bigger (and more costly). (It cost $1,000 to have a large-ish tree cut down by the way. Talk about adding insult to injury. Oof.)

So that is the sad news to share. Let's move on to happier things!

April has been so, so full: two birthdays, both boys playing basketball and soccer (thankfully on the same teams!), lots of extra work commitments for Chris (always this time of year), and Easter.

To create space for myself I took a day off last Thursday. It was wonderful. My day consisted of reading while getting a pedicure, reading while eating a favorite salad at our beautiful library, and then reading while eating an ice cream cone. The Wedding People was a wonderful companion for the day. And then we had a rather frustrating evening with the kids and I felt like all my recharge evaporated! Can you relate?

Also, I am officially a Girl Scout Troop leader! This has been a longtime dream of mine if I ever had a daughter and I made it one of my 2025 goals. I'll be planning or organizing through the summer and we'll start having meetings after school gets going. It's an extra commitment but when I think about creating a space for Maeve and other girls to explore their curiosity, to have opportunities for leadership, and to see other girls and women doing cool things I feel nothing but energy.

banana-spinach muffins / amazing zucchini pizza (The Weekday Vegetarians) / blueberry-orange scones (Half the Sugar, All the Love)

Also, I am officially a Girl Scout Troop leader! This has been a longtime dream of mine if I ever had a daughter and I made it one of my 2025 goals. I'll be planning or organizing through the summer and we'll start having meetings after school gets going. It's an extra commitment but when I think about creating a space for Maeve and other girls to explore their curiosity, to have opportunities for leadership, and to see other girls and women doing cool things I feel nothing but energy.

And finally I have a few routines that are bringing me joy and efficiency (which is akin to joy for me):

+ Using Plan to Eat. After hearing about this app for years I am finally giving it a go–and I love it! I'm still tweaking the "staples" list and building our recipe library but it's already taking a lot of the mental lift out of meal planning and creating a shopping list. One thing I do that helps me is to plan in a recipe that I'll make to eat for lunch all week (like lentil taco soup or the wheat berry salad that I am obsessed with), and also a snack or two for the kids (these spinach-banana muffins have been a hit).

+ Friday rounds. My Fridays have been more open lately and it's really the space I need at the end of the week. I've been using it as a home admin and errands day and now look forward to it every week. After I drop the kids off at school I go fill up the car with gas (no matter how full the tank is; I prefer to fill up on a regular day rather than wait until we're almost empty). Then I go to a nearby car wash and either get the cheapest car wash and vacuum out the car or just use the free vacuums. This brings me more joy than it should. Then I go do the grocery shopping, with my Plan to Eat list, at Trader Joe's with a quick pop into Sprouts next door for a few things. Sometimes there's a Target pick up in there for a few items we buy there. Along the way I listen to new episodes of favorite podcasts or catch up with a friend on Voxer. It's so enjoyable and grounding to get all these things done to close the week and start the weekend.

+ Tuesday short runs. I found another pocket of time when I can fit in a workout and for the first time in years I'm running outside. When Chris gets home from Orange Theory I take off for a 25ish minute run, which is short enough that I don't have to psych myself up to go. I don't push myself and just run a loop around the neighborhood. Usually while listening to the latest Pantsuit Politics episode, which publishes Tuesdays. Chris will get the kids to school while I'm running so I also get to miss all those shenanigans.

And with that I'm going to wrap up!

I'd love to know what routines are bringing you joy lately. Please tell me if you also use Plan to Eat and if you have any tips or tricks!

I hope you found good things in April, friends!

April coffee date 2024 and other coffee dates