Behind the Scenes: Late Dinners, Messy Kitchens, Full Hearts


Real life isn’t always pretty. But it’s still everything.

It’s newsletter day for Petit Porcini, and as we head into vacation mode, I wanted to be honest with you.

Last week, I posted a few stories on Instagram here and there, but truthfully? I’ve been struggling to show up. I love things that are pretty, well-matched, and thoughtful but is that real life?

At home, it’s the same. What are we trying to achieve? The picture-perfect meal, a beautifully set table, an organized kitchen, calm kids, no mess…

But real life doesn’t look like that. We live in this house. We use this kitchen. There are messes. Dinner is sometimes uninspired. The table is cluttered. And you know what? That’s okay.

This past week, the kids had three baseball games. That meant dinner at 9pm. It wasn’t perfect, far from fancy. But we had that moment together and that’s what stays with me.

If you’re feeling the pressure of summer, of parenting, of trying to keep everything together, me too.

I usually love being organized. I believe in meal planning, routines, prep. But it’s also okay to let it go sometimes. To make life simpler. To release the guilt that sneaks in when things aren’t as “put together” as we hoped.

In the past newsletter, I’ve even been resharing older recipes from the blog. They’re not perfect or trendy but they’re comforting. They still work.

So here’s to the messy, imperfect, real-life moments. The tired dinners. The noisy kitchens. The teens who leave crumbs and the meals that come together at the last minute.

We don’t need “perfect.” We just need us, together.

I'll skip the next 2 newsletters and apply my own advice: relax and enjoy my vacations!

Let's keep in touch!

Follow along on Instagram, I might share some snippets of vacations!

Also, if you felt any of the above, I would love to hear from you.

Merci!

Mél

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If this resonates with you, you’ll love what’s coming: The Table Reset: my upcoming program for parents who want to raise curious eaters, the French way.

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