Five Friday Faves - 11.15
the experience gifts edit
As soon as it gets sustainably cold, I am ready to whip out some slippers and start making soup. With our unseasonably warm fall, that hit this week, and I finally had the first day where I was sitting at my desk and needed to go grab my slippers. I also then immediately made soup for lunch, and another one for dinner the next day.
I share my menus for the weeks in this newsletter, and would love to hear from you in the chat about what you start craving when fall hits or when the weather gets colder. For me it’s definitely soups, chili, and pasta.
The past few weeks have been incredibly hectic and I feel like I constantly have that “overcommitted” feeling. I was going to the PTO meeting the other week (turns out I had the date wrong and there was no meeting 🤦🏻♀️) but as I was leaving the house, my husband yelled after me “don’t sign up for anything.” Fair. It’s two weeks until Thanksgiving, three to a big trip we’re taking, and then basically Christmas and New Year. HOW?
I was scrambling to finish the Christmas lists for the kids in GiftHero (the best), and was a bit overwhelmed. I always feel slightly crushed by consumerism over the holidays, so I really appreciate gifts that are more experiential/practical for myself and the kids. So, this week’s favorites are some non-physical gifts to add to your Gift Lists or think about gifting others, inspired by some things I’ve loved and valued in years past. What are your favorite gifts that don’t lead to “physical” things? What experiences do you like to be gifted?
Zoo / Aquarium / Children’s Museum Membership - For the kids in your life - We love the Zoo, Aquarium, and our Local Children’s museum, and having a gifted membership makes it so easy to go whenever we need a quick activity with the kids. For the most part, buying a membership is worth it if you plan to go to our aquarium or zoo more than once in the year. I like to get the membership that allows for someone else in addition to our family, so a babysitter or grandparent could take them or come with.
Art Museum Membership - For the art history buff in your fam - The MFA in Boston is really cool and often has awesome exhibits. This is a great gift for a parent or a hard-to-buy-for sister who loves art. If you’re gifting it, see if you get guest passes with the membership so that you could go with when you’re visiting!
Future Gift Card- For yourself - I shared this last week, but I have been absolutely loving the Future App. This was a recommendation from Sarah Shapiro (author of Retail Diary and last week’s guest) and would be a great gift to ask for to get started. It’s not cheap, but I’ve REALLY found it worth it. I am working and facetiming with a real person trainer, and each week get new workouts to the app. I’ve even been waking up early (GASP) to workout during the week. You can try it out with this link for a discount!
LibroFM - For the reader in your life - If you’ve got a friend who loves to read, I love gifting LibroFM. If they like audiobooks, its a great option, and if they haven’t tried audio, you can suggest some of your favorites! LibroFM supports small bookstores with every purchase, so win-win!
Restaurant Gift Card - For that foodie - If you have a friend far away or who’s newly moved, I love the idea of finding a fun new restaurant in the area and gifting them a gift card to the restaurant. It’s also a fun one for friends nearby because you can then go with them (if they invite you of course). I’ve asked for these in the past to certain restaurants I’ve wanted to try, and when we went were able to text the gifter we were thinking of them. Places to look for recommendations are Eater and Resy and focus in on the areas. Also, ChatGPT or Claude has some good recommendations and you can use a prompt like “Hi ChatGPT1 Please help me find a fun new restaurant with over 4 star ratings in <INSERT LOCATION>. I like <INSERT FOOD> and prefer the restaurant isn’t too loud2. I also like to make a reservation, so please make sure they accept reservations, and would like the meal to cost within <PRICE> per person” - this put out some good recommendations in Boston when I tried it.
Substack Subscriptions - For anyone - I love that Substack allows you to Gift Subscriptions, and there are some great Substacks worth gifting! Of the ones I subscribe to here are some suggestions. If they like to Cook - What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, if they love smart news - hitha, if they love politics (especially in this time) - Emily in Your Phone, if they love fashion - Sarah Shapiro, if they are looking for a new job - next play, if they love personal finance and curious about how people manage their own finances - The Purse.
Coffee Shop / Favorite Place Gift Card - For your friends far away - My mother-in-law always gives us gift cards “from Santa” and I love gift cards to our favorite coffee shop/bakery! It’s something I will always use, think of her when I use, and feels like someone else is treating you, even though you’d probably go anyways. If you have friends who you know love a certain coffee shop, this would be a fun idea.
Heyday / GlowBar / Mini-Spa Gift Card - For you or a friend who needs pampering- We all do a lot of merry-making in the holiday season, and I love a gift card to a “mini spa” like Heyday or GlowBar for a quick freshen up/treat for yourself. The smaller mini-spas often more affordable price points for great services, they are expanding into way more cities, and who doesn’t love a good blow out!
What’s for Dinner
Sunday - Chaos Dinner at a Friend’s
Monday - Honey Chipotle Tacos - This recipe continues to be a knockout for our family and SO easy. I tend to double it so that we can have it for lunches throughout the week.
Tuesday - Sausage, Broccoli, and Chickpea Pasta - This was a hard pivot because I was supposed to grill chicken and my husband was late at work. I had all of the ingredients (subbed regular broccoli for broccoli rabe, and sweet sausage for the spicy) and made this while the kids played. My son LOVED it.
Wednesday - Brats (Soup for Lunch)
Thursday - Ham and Bean Soup - This needed a bit of something I couldn’t place, but we all liked it a lot, including the kids. They picked out all of the beans and ham and “mmmm yummy carrots” from theirs.
More A Day In Her Life:
ICYMI - I loved chatting with Lauren Schab Catts in this week’s episode. Lauren works in HR for the Government and also runs the incredibly fun Instagram account @thecattspjs! Lauren was such a delight to chat with and I loved hearing about how she makes her days work, prioritizes movement, and makes time for her side passion. She also shares her experience with infertility and I am so grateful to Lauren for being a guest and for her candor.
One Year Ago - A Day In Her Life with Jenn Cote! Jenn is an elementary school principal in Vermont and mom of one kiddo! I loved hearing how Jenn gets in the zone on her commute and loves to spend as much time as possible with her daughter before bed. This was such a fun episode!
I opened up the group chat for A Day In Her Life, and I would love if you would hop in there! This week I want to hear about what you’re cooking now that it’s cooler.
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Or whatever else you like
Love Future and so glad you are enjoying. Gifting experiences really is special.