Our week ended up being much better than anticipated. By Monday night, I felt a lot more like myself after battling the stomach bug on Sunday and our whole crew managed to stay healthy all week. Phew! I hope the same can be said for all of you out there!
Our weekend plans are pretty low key. We’ll be traveling for Thanksgiving next week so we are looking forward to a weekend close to home and may even venture out to get our Christmas tree! And now, before I unplug for the weekend, I wanted to share my usual Things I’m Loving Friday roundup of favorites with you guys. Let’s get to it!
Things I’m Loving Friday
This soup was a hit in our house for dinner this week! It’s made with chicken soup staples – carrots, onions, celery – but also incorporates some great immune-boosting ingredients including turmeric and garlic. I made a couple of small tweaks to this recipe including swapping the chicken breasts for chicken thighs and adding some shredded cabbage to the mix since we had some on its last leg in our fridge and both changes were great! I love the way the recipe called for pureeing two cups of the broth as I think this really helped thicken the broth and give the soup a richer feel without any cream or dairy.
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Rockin’ Holidays Pandora Station
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We’re already blasting holiday music in our house and, for what must be at least the 10th year in a row, my go-to Pandora station is the Rockin’ Holidays station. It’s upbeat, festive and plays the classics as well as new versions of old favorites.
I am all about educational toys and had to share this one with you guys just in case you have little ones who are learning their letters and phonics and beginning to express an interest in reading. Chase treats this toy almost like a puzzle and loves searching for the wooden block letters he needs to spell a specific word. It’s a great toy for independent play since the pictures make it obvious what word he’s building but he loves calling out to me when he’s completed a word and always seems so proud. Also, for my fellow Amazon Prime fanatics, this toy is currently 10% off on Amazon just in case you want to scoop it up for the holidays!
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American Royals by Katharine McGee
I liked this book quite a bit but I have a few very important things to say about American Royals before I wholeheartedly recommend it to you guys. First, when you read this book, know going into it that it is the first book in a series. I did NOT know this and at the end of the book I was annoyed because there are about a million loose ends. However, I clearly liked the book enough because I was extra annoyed the sequel wasn’t out yet because I wanted to read it immediately! Second, this book gave me serious Gossip Girl vibes but with a little more depth and creativity. If Gossip Girl and and teenage drama isn’t your thing, you might want to pass on this one but if you’re looking for a book that feels like an escape and is oddly addicting, pick it up immediately!
As you may have predicted, American Royals follows the royal family of America, as the author creates an alternate universe where a monarchy rules America and the royal family is packed with drama. From an all-to-perfect princess set to be queen with a secret that could threaten the crown to forbidden romances and betrayal, American Royals is an intriguing read that made me feel like I was curling up on the couch to watch a guilty-pleasure TV show on The CW at the end of the day.
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Holiday in the Wild
Attention fellow fans of cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, I have a recommendation for you! When I was down for the count on Sunday, I ended up watching my first holiday movie of the year on Netflix and it was the kind of sappy, sweet and mindlessly warm-and-fuzzy movie I was looking for when I felt so sick. It reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie in all its cheesy glory and if you’re a fan of holiday movies that are predictable and a little corny but still somehow make you smile and feel a little festive, check this one out.
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Around the Web
Food: Warming Lentil + Sweet Potato Soup / Pumpkin Gooey Bars / Easy Fall Sangria / Chocolate Peppermint Protein Bites
Fitness: 20 Minute HIIT Workouts / Low Impact Cardio Workout / Lower Body Strength + Plyo Workout
Weekend Sales: 20% off BOMBAS socks with code HOLIDAY20 (our entire family’s favorite and a great stocking stuffer!) / Buy one get one 50% off Bitty Brah hats + Free shipping with code BLACKFRIDAY19 (these are the awesome drawstring hats we love for the boys at the pool/beach)
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Friday Flashbacks
How to Keep a Toddler Entertained on a Long Road Trip (I’ve done my fair share of drives to and from Florida solo with the boys and this post contains some of my top road trip tips!)
Holiday Cheesepuff Casserole (A great breakfast to prep ahead so you don’t have to worry about cooking on Thanksgiving morning.)
10 At Home + Travel Friendly Workouts (Keep this post in mind if you’re traveling over the holidays but want to sneak in a quick sweat while you’re away.)
Question of the Day
What is something making you smile this week?
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I know you’re a fan of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, so I have to share that the thing that made me smile this week was the audiobook of Peter Sagal’s The Incomplete Book of Running. I didn’t know that he was a runner or that he finished the Boston marathon just a few minutes before the bombing, it was a fairly quick listen with so many good stories.
Thanks for the recommendation! I knew he was a big runner but didn’t realize he ran Boston the year of the year of the bombing. Do you think this would be a book someone who likes just casually running would enjoy? I like running but am not out there training for big distance races all the time so just curious what you think!
I just read American Royals recently as well and loved it! Definitely YA drama filled, but so fun and I actually really liked a few of the important points it made about being a woman in a powerful position and class ranks, etc. The ending scene of that book stuck with me for so long! Overall the book is pretty light, but the ending gave me chills and I was in tears…. just OH MY GOSH. The way she set up that perfect dramatic scene at the end was so amazing. I have been dying to talk to someone else who has read it to see if they felt the same about the ending?! lol
Thank you for sharing the site word game! I’m always on the look out for educational toys. Totally going on the Christmas List for my 3 year old.
I haven’t read that book yet, but thank you for the suggestion, I’m always looking for new books to read! Right now, I’m reading Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren! I’m a huge fan of books by Christina Lauren (they actually are two best friends who write under this name, which are their names, combined!) and definitely recommend them.
It reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie in all its cheesy glory — YES! Sometimes you just want cheesy glory 😉 and YA fiction that is an escape. Glad to hear you are feeling better! Our household is fighting a cold, so we will be watching a lot of Disney+ and hopefully I can sneak in that movie you recommended!
Kindle recommended American Royals, I think, because I read so many Beatriz Williams books. Agree! Did not know it was a series and stayed up well passed my bedtime only to be left with many questions. Fun read, though!
We must’ve been in the same boat!!
love that toy, ordering!! thanks so much for sharing!! have a great weekend!
Happy you’re feeling better!
Have you read the Crazy Rich Asian trilogy? I’ve yet to watch the movie but I’ve read all three books and couldn’t put them down. Loved that series so much I want to visit Singapore!
If you like American Royals, I HIGHLY recommend following it up with Red, White, & Royal Blue. Both were 2 of my absolute favorite books of 2019 and I loved staying in the royal mood! 🙂 They’re different, but I loved them both equally. Enjoy!
thanks for the recommendation!