Coming Home to an Empty Nest 🏠
Hello Friends!
Today we fly home from The Drop Off. Yes, my youngest, the one and only Mr. Picky, is now in college and Hubs and I are empty nesters. How do I feel? I'm processing. Sad wouldn't be the right word because I love my son so much and I am happy and excited for him to begin this new chapter in his life. I am going to miss being with him though. He has a heart of gold and is a positive presence in our home. I am not here to give anyone advice about how to transition into this new phase of life since I am just beginning. And I am cognizant that different people have different circumstances than I do. But my plan is acceptance and gratitude that I raised a fine young man who I hope will call home every now and then.
So what am I going to do? I started a list:
Hubs and I are taking a trip to a place we've never been, Paso Robles. It's driveable from LA and feels like an "adult" trip since it's wine country. Follow along on Instagram to see what we do.
Send Mr. Picky a care package. I'm going to make a big batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies so he can share with his floormates. Chocolate chip cookies are a great way to meet new people! I've also started a cart on Thrive Market with high quality snacks I will send. Mr. Picky is not really picky anymore BTW, and I am sending individual packs of olives, peanut butter, microwave popcorn, and salmon jerky.
Grocery prices are steep right now, so I am allowing my kids to share my Thrive Market account. Thrive Market is a godsend and saves me tons of money. You can add multiple credit cards to a single account if you want to share a membership and you can ship anywhere. BTW, if you're a student, teacher, veteran, first responder, nurse, or family in need - you qualify for a free one-year Thrive Market membership. If you haven't tried Thrive, now is the time. You can use my affiliate link for 40% off your first order, which I guarantee will cover the membership.
Get back to reading. I just started One Italian Summer.
Clean out the pantry, fridge, and freezer. Hubs and I can now keep the "kid" food out of the house.
Do a modified fast. I used to do Prolon 3 times a year and I did Kroma once last year. They're different, but I love them both. Prolon is a fasting mimicking program that promotes autophagy, assists in cellular clean-up and is used to promote longevity. It can jump start weight loss, if that's your goal. Kroma is easier, more flexible and more of a digestive and dietary reset. You can save 10% off Kroma with code: PAMELA10 (cannot be combined with other offers). Check out my Instagram highlights for Prolon tips and feel free to email me if you have questions about either.
Brush up on my Italian. I used to speak pretty well but I don't have the opportunity to practice speaking with my family in NY. I'm thinking of trying the Duolingo app.
See my friends more, especially in the early evenings and for weekend brunch. I need to be disciplined about working during "normal" business hours during the week, so I haven't had much time to see friends other than the typical Saturday nights. But now, why not play pickleball at 5:00 pm and have my friends over for Sunday brunch?
Speaking of having friends over, I served this fig crumb cake to my friends last weekend and we all loved it! Enjoy!
xx, Pamela