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:
Pottery Barn Duffle Bags
I ordered these bags several years ago and we just love them. Lilly and Stella’s bags were ordered before I was pregnant with Ruby, so they are at least 3 years old, if not closer to 5 and they still look brand new. They are very lightweight and are much roomer than they appear, I’ve packed for a full week for each of the girls in their bags. When we fly, we try our best to not check any bags, so we are carrying everything thru the airport as well as on and off of the plane. With three kids and a double stroller in tow. These are amazing because Matt can wear them as a crossbody, 2 at a time and then have the third on top of his rolling luggage. We’ve even successfully gotten all three of them in the basket of the stroller. It helps that our stroller is huge. Once the girls are old enough to pull their own luggage we will upgrade them to a rolling bag, which Pottery Barn sells as well.
Book Club
Perhaps I am behind on the book club phenomenon, but my group of girlfriends have just started one and I am loving it. First off, it forces me to finish a book in a certain amount of time. I am notorious for taking like 6 months to finish a book if it does not grab my attention right away. And, I love that I have to finish it because it makes me sit and read, which is something I am not great at doing. It is also relaxing and gives me some time to just check out and enjoy a few minutes of quiet every day. Second, the group text chain with my friends about the book cracks me up. Some bragging about how far along they are, some complaining that they hate the book (me) and just the overall conversation. It makes for something different for us to talk about. And lastly, we have a reason to just hang out. Life has gotten so hectic as we’ve all grown older, gotten married, bought homes, have demanding careers or young kids. So, this is a fun night on the calendar that we all look forward to.
32 Ounces of Water First Thing
I wrote about trying to finish 16 ounces of water before coffee months ago, and if I’m being honest, I was terrible at achieving it. But something just clicked in my head a few weeks ago and I decided I would finish 32 ounces every morning before I could have my coffee. Even if that meant I didn’t get my coffee till after the girls woke up. If you have followed me for any amount of time you know, I LOVE coffee. I love the flavor, the ritual of it and holding the warm mug in my hands. It’s probably my favorite part of everyday. However, I was waking up, making coffee, then drinking it as quickly as possible to continue on with my day. Then, I would always crave another cup after the hustle and bustle of the morning. But I really just cannot handle that much caffeine anymore. So, I tested it out for about a week and really paid attention to how the water woke me up in the mornings. And honestly, I was shocked. Water wakes me up and gets me moving almost as well as coffee. So, now I drink my water, sometimes eat breakfast and then have my coffee. And I am loving it. I don’t know why, but it has made a huge difference in the mornings. And helps with my daily water consumption. I feel like I start the day 32 ounces ahead of the game. This is my favorite water bottle that I am using every
Kitchen Knives
One of my dad’s favorite sayings is, “you gotta have the right gear.” My husband takes this to a whole other level. And honestly, I am right there with them. If you are going to do something, you should have the right tools. And if you are cooking or preparing food, you know the importance of a good knife. Before I was married or knew how to cook, I had one random knife from TJ Maxx that I used for everything. It was good enough, seeing as how I didn’t really use it, but now I know better. Matt already had this set of knives when we got married, so they’ve been used for 7 plus years now and are still in great condition. I do not sharpen them regularly and I hand wash them the majority of the time, other than that they are very low maintenance. If you are looking to build a good collection of knives for the kitchen, I would highly recommend these.
Cookie Jar
For the first few years we were married, I joked with my sister in law that all of my Christmas presents were really presents for Matt. She gave me our popcorn maker, so Matt wouldn’t have to eat microwave popcorn and she gave me this cookie jar. When I opened it, Matt’s face lit up and he said, “now, it always has to have fresh cookies in it.” Well, it doesn’t always have cookies in it, although I did make that happen for a while. But it is one of my favorite things on my kitchen counter and it is one of my go to hiding places in the kitchen. Whenever the girls come home from school with candy, after Halloween or Easter, all the excess candy goes in it. Then it is out of sight and the girls aren’t begging for candy every 5 minutes. It’s our go to treat jar for special occasions or when Matt packs the girls’ lunch for school and adds something fun. So, if you are looking for a simple and unique gift for someone, this is perfect. It’s truly one of my favorite things!
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!
