A Farmers Market Reset: A Tired Mom’s Reminder on Connection

Plus the menu for the week of July 14-18th (P.S. I narrated this one—curious if you prefer it!)

With my husband and two older boys in Florida for 10 days, it was just me and my youngest son back home in St. Louis. He wasn’t thrilled - to say the least. His brothers were off having fun, and he was stuck in summer school—something we’d agreed as a family would be helpful, but that didn’t make it any easier for a 9-year-old who already felt left behind.

I'll be honest—having one kid at home without the others, for this long, actually felt harder! It was more like: one child, all my energy, all his needs, all day. No sibling distractions. No tag-teaming. Just me trying to keep things moving while also trying to keep him off the PS5 for more than an hour. I did enjoy the absence of sibling arguments and not having to drive my 14-year old to 5 places in one day!

On the last morning before the return of his brothers, it popped into my mind to check out the Tower Grove Farmers Market. In a time-crunched world, instacart has become the norm of obtaining food. I don’t really even go to the grocery store (outside of Trader Joe’s) much more. I say all of this with much regret, but I also say it with honesty. To entice him, I thought I could tempt him with some kind of homemade, farmer’s market breakfast sweet treat. He resisted, but I guilted him into it by saying mom deserved to do some things she enjoyed, too. So, he sighed, and we went.

After a walk that he declared was “way too long,” from the car to the market we found ourselves in front of the hot beignets tent. The beignets were covered in powdered sugar, so we took a seat to minimize the mess. He enjoyed it, and before we took our next steps I ensured him that his face was clear of powder. He feels (and deserves) for the need to be put together to be out in public. It’s part of who he is, and it doesn’t turn off in most places. I am hoping a month in the woods for his upcoming camp might allow him to rest a bit in his need to simply be and care a little less about what others think.

We then made our way into the heart of the market.