Cooking what you want (even if your kids won't like it)
Most nights, I strive to serve my family a meal that all of us can enjoy together. Since one of us is a little kid, that can mean keeping the spice levels low, holding sauces on the side, and accepting a certain amount of grumbling about various ingredients merely existing on the table. But allow this counterpoint: I don’t always want a dinner that will please my whole family. Sometimes, I want a dinner that will please me. An adult. And so about once a week, I make Adult Dinner. Adult Dinner is, as the name implies, when I make a separate dinner for the grownups. Usually after my daughter’s gone to bed.
Ikea high chair
Does exactly what a high chair should do. It's fantastically easy to clean, which matters A LOT. And you can buy accessories on Etsy to make it more perfectly ergonomic if you find it necessary. This high chair also came with a life lesson for me: Despite being bombarded with messages to the contrary, new parents don't need to buy the fanciest, most expensive version of every product to do right by their kids. Good enough is actually great.
LA cool mom leopard pull-on pants
I just think everyone should have a pair of leopard pull-on pants. You will feel so put together at dropoff. I wear mine with my many graphic t's and a tangle of necklaces for WFH and errands, and with a nicer blouse for date-night or restaurant scouting. Note: These run true-ish to size, but if you're in between sizes, I recommend sizing down.
Put an audiobook on while you cook dinner
Putting on my headphones and listening to whatever book I'm into helps me keep making dinner for my family feeling like a want-to and not a have-to. An audiobook lives and dies by its narrator. If you're just getting into them, you can't go wrong with something narrated by Julia Whelan.
