Friday Favorites – PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Hey guys, it’s time to catch up with Andrea and Erika to share some highlights from my week. Let’s go!!

One

One of my favorite moments this week was sitting on the porch, soaking up vitamin D (good for bones as we age), drinking coffee, and jotting down the date in the new 2026 diary my friend gave me for Christmas.

Two

The postman came while I was there, and I received a postcard from my cousin, who went to New Zealand five weeks ago. Haha, that’s a letter for you! Actually, I’ve already met him, but he was very kind to think of me while I was on holiday.

Three

When my boys were little, I would let them choose a box of sugary cereal for school holidays. Now that they are grown men and eating boy food, I keep the tradition to myself and buy a box of my favorite cereal, Rice Bubbles. I actually don’t even eat cereal unless I’m on vacation, wake up late (not saying how late), and can enjoy it just fine.

Four

I lit a cute candle I got from one of the preschoolers as a Christmas gift. It smelled good, and the small golden propeller on it spun as the flame burned. The temperatures were much cooler this week, which is why I used candles. I couldn’t even look at the flames of a fire on those hot summer days.

Five

The cooler temps made me crave soup, so I made chicken and vegetable ones. I always add Parmesan cheese to my cheese after I heat it. It’s something I learned as a child from my mother’s best friend. We all gathered in our respective homes, and while my mother chatted, I played with her daughter, who is now my oldest friend, and for lunch we had soup with Parmesan cheese.

I met him last year at his father’s memorial service. Somehow, we got onto the topic of soup, not sure how, and we both said at the same time, “With Parmesan cheese!” He was amazed that I remembered him. How could I forget the incredible taste sensation?

Six

I saw a big jar of pickles in Aldi and took a photo to post to the family group chat. We are a close-knit family torn apart by our love of pickles. About half didn’t like it, and the other half did. I was team pickle all the way. But I don’t buy this big jar, it’s too crazy.

Seven

Yum, a glass of Merlot and chocolate on a Wednesday night. We didn’t have any dark chocolate, so we opened another box of Christmas gifts from a preschooler. Working as an educator has great benefits, don’t you agree, hehe.

Eight

My favorite night of the week is when my oldest son and his partner come over for dinner. We started with some mini quiches and chopped prawns before tucking into some family favourites. I made South American food, which I don’t usually make because there are too many steps and I have to follow the recipe.

While we enjoyed our appetizers around the coffee table…

we watched YouTube clips of Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and oh wow! I think this is probably my favorite of all my favorites. I loved it, as a family, we witnessed a truly memorable and historic speech, and it gave us hope.

And just like that, my five week end of year holiday is coming to an end, bah! I start back next Tuesday after Australia Day. But shhh, let’s not talk about that and just get on with enjoying the weekend.

Happy Friday!