Welcome to the Friday 5! Every Friday I will highlight 5 things I am currently loving. This can be anything from habits that are currently serving me, clothes, apps, people I am currently loving, podcasts, food, mom hacks and everything in between!
What I am currently loving:
Lululemon Joggers
Y’all know I am a sucker for Lululemon’s leggings from my post here, but these joggers might actually be my favorite Lululemon item. They are amazing. Like wearing your pj’s but looking more put together. The material is just right, not too warm or too thin. They have pockets, don’t fade and I get compliments every single time I wear them. I have a few other pairs of joggers and the legs are too baggy or they stretch to the point that the legs become real baggy and you just end up looking like a slob and are the perfect travel day pant. These hold their shape all day and can actually survive several wears before needing to be washed. They are obviously an investment, but you get what you pay for, I’ve had these almost a year and wear them at least once a week and they still look brand new. I recently ordered these from Amazon and that they are great dupe. They have a high rise and a waistband like leggings, rather than the drawstring. I love having them as an extra pair in the closet. They would be a great way to decide if you like the look of joggers on your body. But if you know you love them and want a great pair, I highly suggest the Lululemon pair.
Oh Crap! Potty Training
I am about 2 weeks away from my 3rd round of potty training. So long diapers! This book was my go-to for both Lillian and Stella and it worked amazingly! I am very type A, obviously, and I live for a plan. I do not wing things. I cannot just go for something and see how it goes, especially something as stressful as potty training. I need a step by step guide and references for any issues. This book was the perfect fit for me. Now, the author is very opinionated and steps outside the bounds of potty training on occasion in this book, but it didn’t bother me. Some reviewers on Amazon cannot get past her opinions. Obviously, her no nonsense approach to writing this book isn’t for everyone. Personally, I love it. No excuses, let’s get this done. Nobody wants to be stressed about potty training for months on end. I recommend it to everyone I know, even my dentist. Who came RUNNING into my last appointment beaming with pride over how easy it was to get her 2 year old potty trained while she was on maternity leave with her second born. I am sure that Ruby will be my hardest to potty train as she does what she wants, when she wants. But this is the first round of potty training for me without a newborn, so I am hopeful we will get it done. Wish us luck. And if you are in this stage of life too, may the odds be ever in your favor.
Story Pirates Podcast
A few weeks ago, we got into the car, my phone connected to the Bluetooth and the most recent episode of the Living With Landyn podcast started playing. Lillian was immediately intrigued and wanted to know what I was listening to. I told her it was a Podcast, basically just stories you could listen to. She said, “do they make those for kids?” Lightbulb moment for me, obviously they have to make Podcasts for kids, right? Yep, they do. We searched around for a few minutes, tried out a few and landed on Story Pirates. Y’all, the girls LOVE them. It is a sketch comedy show, where they act out stories that are written and submitted by kids. The stories are crazy and ridiculous, but the girls just love them. We listen to this every morning and afternoon in the car and road trips. We listened to them for almost 2 hours straight on a road trip recently. And the magic is, the girls have to be quiet to listen and pay attention to the story. It is genius. I also love it, because it forces the girls to use their imaginations, to picture the story as it is being told. They have some favorite episodes that we’ve listened to way too many times, but they love it. If you have young kids, give it a try, I bet they will love it.
Cleaning Your Blender Hack
I make a smoothie almost every single day for breakfast, well, every other day if I am doing it right. But cleaning a blender is such a pain. Then I remembered a hack I learned from my sister in law, who makes the world’s best salsa in her blender. Just blend up hot soapy water. It’s literally that easy and the most genius thing ever. When I am done making my smoothie, I rinse the entire blender out to get anything that is stuck to the side (usually almond butter) and then fill it with warm water about a quarter of the way up and add dish soap. Then I just let it go on low for about a minute. It cleans every nook and cranny of the blender, it’s so easy. Then I just rinse the bubbles out and let it dry on my drying rack. Or I forget it on the blender and the soapy water stays there until my next smoothie, both works great!
Yeti Water Bottles
We all know that Yeti makes some of the best water bottles, but did you know they have a kid’s cup? I had no clue until I posted a story about wanting to get the girls’ new water bottles for Easter to get them thru the rest of the school year and summer camp. The ones they’d been using since last summer where starting to fall apart. Lillian’s teacher immediately messaged me and said to get them Yeti’s. And I feel like a PreK teacher certainly knows which water bottles are the best for kids. Especially ones that will keep their water cold on the hot summer days we are having. I got them each their favorite colors and had their names engraved on the cups. I wish the names were a little bigger. I probably would let someone locally add their names in vinyl next time, but the water bottles are amazing. They don’t leak (as long as they remember to close the spout) and are amazing quality. I throw all the pieces of them in the dishwasher and they have held up wonderfully. Back to school is right around the corner for us, and these will be the go to bottles for them all year. I may even order a second set!
I hope you found something helpful or inspiring in this week’s Friday Five! I’ll have 5 new favorites to share with you next week, have an awesome weekend!
