Friday, May 1, 2020

Friday Favorites - Summer Edition

We made it!  About Wednesday I wasn't sure if I was going to last until Friday-ha!  But It's Friday and May and MAY DAY!  We are here for it!  The kids always front load the week so we can have 'Fun Fridays'

First favorite would of course be May Day, but since we've been spending so much time outside, I thought I would share some of our favorite summer items

+ This spiral apple cutter - we use it non stop {like daily!}

+ We don't use this as much {lazy mom} but when we do, the kids day is MADE!  It's the most fun way to make homemade ice cream!

+ The only way to do water balloons!

+ Our favorite life jackets {under $50} & helmets.


+ We don't have these yet, but I'm super excited to have the kids try these goggles -- especially Jordyn!

+ Favorite floaties for kids and adults!

+ My father-in-law got this shuffleboard set and we've been playing it nonstop {he just painted the lines on his driveway}. We also love Jenga & have started a tradition where anyone that visits our house signs a block!  And croquet will always hold a special place in my heart! All perfect for entertaining because you can easily chat while playing.  Also, all can be played with one hand if need be ;)

Also, if anyone has a sprinkler recommendation that isn't junk, I would love it hear it.  Our trampoline died  from a windstorm this spring, so I would love to replace that with one of these!  However, Adam and I aren't agreeing yet.  One of us wants to bury it in the ground with drainage.  Do you guys have any experience with this?  The other just wants to get a swingset/monkey bars for the kids.  

Friday, March 13, 2020

Friday Favorites - Coronavirus Memes


I can't stop laughing at all of these memes, but it all honesty this is the first time I've actually been excited that a retirement wasn't around the corner for me.  My anxiety level for Coronavirus is about a 3, but my concern for the economy as a whole is about a 9.  People are acting out of craziness and not thinking about the huge impact this is going to have on our economy for years to come! :(

Also?  We legitimately need toilet paper!  Not to stock the storage room, but for the actual bathroom cabinets.  Of course they were out of stock when I was at the store last.  Grr!

24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
I can say this -- I'm one of 'them' ;)
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.
24 Coronavirus Memes To Laugh At While You Wash Your Hands.






Image result for coronavirus memes

Friday, February 28, 2020

A Few Favorites

A FEW FAVORITES

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Jordyn telling me to look at the 'Banana Moon' 
+ Taking the kids to the Ice Castles & swimming for hours Saturday morning
+ A long Ranger ride around the late after a productive Sunday cleaning the garage and cars
+ Waching Cullyn earn his green belt in Taekwondo

PODCASTS
+ YOUNG HOUSE LOVE has a podcast
+ The Lazy Genius
+ Best of Both Worlds

+ Her Money
+ The GIRL Next Door

READS
This article -- It hits home on the 'long' days/solo parenting nights.
And this one -- My kids are obviously older, but I feel like I focus 100% on my family and have nothing left to put into friendships these days.
For the girl mamas :)

Friday, February 7, 2020

Friday Favorites

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Ice Skating with the kids
+ Winning a two day Monopoly game with our friends
+ Having my nephew and great niece {boy do I feel old!} spend the night

BATHROOM FAVORITES
+ Shampoo/Conditioner dispensers - so convenient in kids bathrooms and guest bathrooms.
+ WaterPik
+ Towel Warmer - yes, I'm still raving about this!

AROUND THE INTERNET
Image may contain: 3 people, possible text that says 'Moms in 2019: Moms in 2020: Really wish the halftime show was family friendly. There are kids watching! तपस II CALIFORNIA နပြေး...'

Friday, January 24, 2020

A Few Favorites

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ SNOW...so much snow! And shoveling!  And falling while using the snowblower for the first time.
+ Cullyn lost his first tooth!
+ Feeding 150 homeless people for my friend Alicia's birthday.

KITCHEN FAVORITES
This waffle stick maker.  Since we have breakfast for dinner almost every night Adam is out of town. :)
+ Our air fryer.  I know we're late to the game, but Adam got one for Christmas and I can't tell you how many batches of wings this things has made.  It's his favorite way now!
+ Again, we're slow adapters but Adam wanted one of these and a friend was selling hers {brand new, unopened for $50!} so we snagged it.  He made this recipe the other night -- so good!  *I would double the chicken next time

HOME PURCHASES -- for our bathroom
+ This removable wallpaper.
+ A new mirror.
+ This cute sign.

Friday, January 17, 2020

A Few Favorites

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Dining with Adam at Giada & Top of the World
+ Watching Le Reve
+ Seeing my sister, parents, and in-laws love on my kids & Lola so Adam and I could get away.

PURCHASES
This fuzzy blanket.  It's large and super soft!  I very luxurious blanket for under $25!
+ This suitcase for Jordyn
+ This towel warmer.  Yes, I'm still singing all the praises for the towel warmer! :)

GAMES
+ Mall Madness -- my mom sent us home with this game from my childhood and we are loving it!
+ Air hockey -- Cullyn got an air hockey table for Christmas and we are all having so much fun with it.  Some things do get better as kids age.
+ Skip-Bo -- old faithful at our house :)

Friday, January 10, 2020

A Few Favorites -- Kid Purchases & A Wishlist

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Spending the weekend at my parent's house.
+ Watching Cullyn take 1st place at his wrestling tournament
+ Researching our summer 2020 road trip

KIDS PURCHASES

+ This scratch off family movie poster.  It's brought our family so much bonding time!
+ These save, spend, share banks for teaching money management to kids.
+ This cell phone for Jordyn.  It calls and texts only.  No games, no apps, no contract!  It's $100 {I got it before Christmas for $70} and $20 each month for service.  It's perfect phone for kids that are starting to stay home alone or are at practices and need to communicate.

THINGS ON MY WISHLIST
+ This Marble tray
+ These Self Tanning Drops
+ A total splurge, but gorgeous Greenery!


Friday, January 3, 2020

A Few Favorites

Okay, it's been a looong time since I shared some of my favorite things...


MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Spending a few days with my bestie after the news of her sisters unexpected death.
+ All the Christmas memories -- Kiko & Lola, winning the Gingerbread House competition, our annual Steak, Lobster, & Crab Leg dinner, Jordyn getting a phone, Cullyn getting nerf guns, etc.
+ Watching the kids dance around with sparklers and horns while the guys busted confetti bombs on NYE. 

PURCHASES
+ This handcream!  It's simply the best during the cold winters.  It's whipped, so it really moisturizes. 

+ These door/window alarms.  We've had them for years, but they give us some peace {especially during the cold months} with a child that sleepwalks.  Well worth the $20!
+ This towel warmer.  Getting older has it's perks -- you no longer have to ask for necessities for Christmas.  This was a total splurge and now that I have one, I'm not sure how I lived through an Iowa winter without it!

READS
+ Daisy Jones and the Six
This article on being a mama at 35
+ Every single 2020 meme -- I am here for them! ;)

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The 2 stations I listen to on my Alexa

You guys know I love my Alexa.  Mostly the ability to have music playing at all times.  We're much more of a 'music house' {& office} than TV.  
I have two stations that I'm always listening to!  They're perfect for background music, cleaning music, and most of all singing music!  I hope you love them as much as I do!!


We got to go to a concert in Kansas City to listen to JJ Gray & Mofro {w/ Jonny Lang} this summer and it was so dang good!  I really wanted to head back to Red Rocks Amphitheater to listen to Amos Lee over Labor Day weekend, but it just didn't work out.  Some day I will get to listen to him live too! :) 

Thursday, September 5, 2019

10 Favorite PRIME Purchases

I started this series last year and made it a whopping three months before it ended.  Sigh.  Since I see 135 orders placed in 2019 alone on our Amazon account, you had better believe I have some favorite purchases to share with you!


1 | The best workout tank you will find!  The arm holes aren't too big, it isn't too tight, and it's under $20!

2 | We bought two of these Chore Charts and stuck them to the washing machine when you first walk inside.  It's perfect for us because they're at kid level and right when you walk in the door, so NO excuses for not doing your chores.  *The layout of our house is unique, so 'guests' are never on our that floor of the house {only on the 3rd} so it's tucked away, but it isn't {if that makes sense}.

3 | Yes, I know 90% of the world already has some form of Alexa in their house {we had 5 already} but I had to get one for my work office and this was my first 3rd generation one.  They're so pretty! 

4 | I purchased these 3 story fire ladders for the kids' bedrooms.  It's never something people want to talk about, but we wanted to be prepared.  We had the local firefighters come to the house to talk to the kids {and a couple friends} about fire safety and practice escaping from their rooms {30 feet off the ground} if need be.

5 | My favorite leggings in the whole world!  I ditched my Lulu's for these!  They're soft, they hold up amazingly {trust me!}, they come in 7/8 {holla!}, AND they're only $25!! {that's 5 for the price of one from Lululemon!}  I think I've told 156458 people about these pants!

6 | I was a huge skeptic {I consider myself a pretty efficient packer!} about these Packing Cubes but after everyone kept talking about them, I decided to try them for myself and see if they were worth all the rage.  And?  I love them!  I find them especially helpful to 'sort' my luggage.  I packed the kids and I for South Carolina this summer in just one carry on bag with the help of these cubes.  They're great for dividing up each persons clothes, or my favorite, packing each day in one cute {i.e. I packed Jordyn's, Cullyn's, and my Monday clothes in one, Tuesday's clothes in another, etc.} SUPER helpful to just open one cube a day instead of digging through piles.

7 | For under $30 these side tables are great!  I have one in my office at work and another in our bedroom.  I covered the top this faux marble covering and couldn't love them more!

8 | These clear bottles are simple, but so helpful!  I use them for eye makeup remover, toner, nail polish remover, etc. I have them in a drawer in my bathroom and can just pull them out and push down quickly for what I need.  No more unscrewing a bunch of bottles before bed each night.  As I type this out, I realize how lazy I must sound, but I'm telling you guys...it's the little things! :)

9 | Speaking of simple things, this acrylic organizer is where it's at!  I was tired of jewelry and makeup all over my bathroom counter, so I ordered this.  It's simple, pretty, and functional.  If you're interested in getting your bathroom sink area back, you may want to try this!

10 | Since we're on a roll talking about bathroom favorites, I have to share my favorite hair product with you.  Friends, meet VIP.  Where are all of my fine haired friends?  This product is for you!  It's hard to explain, but imagine the volume you got from backcombing in the 80s. That's what this is like, except in aerosol form, and in the best possible way.  Spray gold!

Monday, September 2, 2019

3 Fall Favorites Linked

Here are a few of my favorites that we either have already or I have my eye on for this fall...

I'm ordering these pajamas for the kids this year.  It's hard to find matching pajamas that I like for both Jordyn & Cullyn.  One usually looks too girlie or too boyish, but these are perfect!  Bonus -- they're currently 40% off!


A few favorite Halloween books for kids... This one, this one, and a very favorite {almost 1/2 off right now}

And a pretty purchase to pair with a plum colored mum, just for me!

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Let's Look | The Coziest Spot in our House

Let's Look!
JANUARY: The Coziest Spot in our House
Adam's favorite space...

the theater room.  He spends a lot of time in this room! ;)
The kids' favorite space...

Our guest bedroom that's filled with their 'box fort'.  This is only half of it.  I had to take the other half down when my parents came to town last weekend -- you can imagine how they felt about that!  Of alllll the toys they have, cardboard boxes are the most used.  Sigh
My favorite... 




I thought it was going to be this corner when we moved it, but I never found the rocking leather chair I was dreaming of in my mind and therefore don't spend as much time in this corner as I'd imagined. :( 

My true favorite spot...inside this room

Current status {I'm working from home today}


Just so you know where we came from, before we moved Adam and I shared a bathroom the size of this Jacuzzi tub, so we're all very thankful for the new bathroom.  The four of us all get ready together in this bathroom most days.  #Grateful

*All iPhone photos because I'll be lucky to get this posted before midnight as it is.  Someday our lives will slow down and I will be able to post thoughtful, beautiful posts again! ;)

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