Sundays with Ann Marie - March 30, 2025
A recap of our spring break in London, some mom thoughts, and the facial that will whip you into shape
Happy Sunday! Or wait, do you have the Sunday scaries? Is there anything harder than a Monday after spring break? If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we visited our daughter last week who is living in London. With only Jimmy left at home with us—knowing that next year he’ll probably want to do a senior spring break with his friends—this felt like the year to him on an adventure across the pond. So we did it! And it was the best to have just our oldest and our youngest together for like the first time ever! Since getting back, our middle guys have asked us if it was awkward just being with the two of them. They’re dying to know what Grace and Jimmy talked about. It’s hilarious to me that they can’t imagine that relationships can be had without them in the mix! Ha!
I love London, but it was seeing Grace doing so well that made the trip what it was. It still seems unbelievable to me that she figured out how to get herself to Europe and find a job, an apartment, a group of friends, and a darling boyfriend! She did all of this with very little help from us.
It must seem crazy to some that we let her move so far away. But ever since Grace was a little girl, she has always been so determined to do things her way. I think on some level I always knew that her path wouldn’t be a traditional one. I’m sure that if we had put some restrictions on her life post college or insisted that she move back to Chicago, her spirit would have been crushed—that beautiful, unwavering spirit that looks at the world and thinks anything is possible. It’s one of the the things I love most about her—her ability to dream so big.
Letting your children go and find their lives is probably one of the hardest things about being a parent. All you can do is hope and pray that you’ve shared enough with them that they can make good decisions and find what they’re looking for.
I recently came across this quote from Mother Teresa that really spoke to me as a mom.
“You will teach [your children] to fly, but they will not fly your flight. You will teach them to dream, but they will not dream your dreams. You will teach them to live, but they will not live your life. Nevertheless, in every flight, in every life, in every dream, your teachings and love will always remain.”
Oh boy…that’s a lot for a post-spring-break recap. But I left London with a very full heart knowing that my girl is out there happily doing her thing.
Let’s all go and have a great week!
xo,
P.S. Before I let you go:
Here’s what I’m making for dinner this week. Easing into cooking again with some of Jimmy’s favorites.
In case you’re interested in our spring break in London, this post tells you where we stayed, where we ate, and what we did.
Last week’s Friday Favorites share the real MVPs of our time in London.
I felt like such a mess after a 15-hour travel day home that I reached out to Erase Medispa in Lake Forest to put me back together. I just needed a good dermaplaning to scrape off all of the airport gunk that was showing on my face. I felt like a new person after their aesthetician Angela gave me the most amazing dermaplaning facial. If you have never treated yourself to such an experience, I answer all of your questions about it here.
Have you been to Paris recently? Do you have any tips…especially a hotel that you enjoyed? I’m actually heading there in a few weeks and would love any and all advice you may have.