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:
Kids Plates and Bowls from Ikea
We do not have an Ikea locally, but when I saw these plates at my sister-in-law’s house, I knew I had to have them. Before getting these plates, we had a mismatch of all different kinds of kids plates. All with different shapes, sizes, compartments, some with suction cups on the bottom, etc. You name it, we had it. What made me crazy about these plates was storage. They couldn’t be stacked, at least not neatly, and were constantly falling out of the cabinets. So I ordered two sets of these from Ikea and threw all my other plates in the donation bin. I envy mothers who have fancy plates for their kids for every holiday or a birthday plate, but that’s just not me. I need a set that matches and stores well. Some suggest using paper plates for the kids, but I just cannot get over that waste. Sometimes between the 3 girls, they use a dozen plates a day! So these are my favorite. If you don’t have an Ikea nearby, check out these from Amazon. Sometimes the shipping from Ikea is more expensive than your items. Thankfully, my sister-in-law will deliver my Ikea order free of charge.
Spotify
I waited a long time to subscribe to Spotify. I just used free streaming radio apps for a long time and just didn’t understand why people would pay for Spotify. Well, I am a convert. The secret is in the playlists. I need music, it changes my mood instantly and seriously can help me concentrate. I cannot sit in a quite room and do anything productive. I feel like in order for me to really concentrate on something, I have to be actively ignoring something else. Right now, as I sit in my quiet and mostly dark house writing, I am listening to “Your Favorite Coffeehouse” playlist. It transports me to sitting in a coffeehouse, like I used to in college, working on my computer or reading for hours on end. I have go to playlists for every part of my day. Here are some of my favorites:
- Your Favorite Coffeehouse, by Spotify
- Mood Booster, by Spotify
- Cleaning kit, by Spotify
- Mellow Mornings, by Spotify
- 4-6pm, by Naptime Kitchen
- IT IS WELL, by Naptime Kitchen
- Wake Up Gently, by Spotify
- KIDS beach songs, by phila1sa
- Rach love’s country, by Rachel Hollis
- Ina’s Cooking Playlist: Women Who Rock, by Ina Garten
- Barefoot Contessa Beach Party, by Ina Garten
- Hip Hop Drive, by Spotify(explicit)
Kevin Aucoin Eyelash Curler
Think all eyelash curlers are created equal? Yeah, so did I. That was until we were out of town for a wedding and were killing time doing some shopping at the mall. My eyelash curler had broken the week before and I decided I would just grab a cheap one from Sephora since we were right there. Well, the wonderful salesgirl at Sephora hooked me up. She told me all about all the different kinds of eyelash curlers they offered and at several different price points. She said that she thought the Kevin Aucoin one was the best bang for the buck. And it most definitely is. I don’t know why or how it’s just so much better, but it just is. It’s around $20 and it just makes me so happy. If you are in the market, get one. You will love it. Promise.
Non-dairy Coffee Creamer
Up until about 2 years ago, I drank my coffee black with honey. I had learned to really enjoy it that way until I was doing nutrition with Tayler from Evolve Studios and she suggested one to try. I was hesitant at first, but was totally hooked once I gave it a try. I am not dairy free by any means, I love a good cheese board, but I try not to consume too much every day. I just feel better with less dairy. I feel like the non-dairy creamer market has really exploded over the past few years and they are now making some really yummy options. I am currently loving Milkadamia unsweetened vanilla. I have also tried Nutpods and Califia. I always just go for the unsweetened vanilla, because I don’t like my coffee too sweet. You know, after I put a tablespoon of honey in it. So, if you are looking to make a healthier choice to start your day, try one of these out. They can be a little more expensive than a basic milk based creamer, but Whole Foods usually has at least one brand on sale each week, and Whole Foods will refund your money if you bring it back because you don’t like it.
Doing All of the Laundry in One Day
Y’all. Up until about 6 months ago, laundry was the bane of my existence. I hated everything about it. I felt like it never stopped, not having things that Matt or the girls needed clean, when they needed it cleaned made me feel like a failure. Yes, laundry, the act of washing, drying and folding cotton garments made me feel like a failure of a mother and wife. That’s just BS. So after asking about 20 other mothers how they handled laundry and trying to figure out how everyone did it, I decided to start doing all the laundry in one day. Yep, all the laundry for a family of 5 done (mostly) in one day. I feel like I have truly hacked my way to, dare I say it, enjoying doing the laundry. I feel so passionate about this, I wrote an entire post about my routine.
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!
