Things I’m Loving Friday #147

I made it! I wasn’t sure I was going to get the chance to share this week’s Things I’m Loving Friday blog post but it’s done and live on the blog! WOO!

After spending the past few days in Winnipeg, Canada, we had one heck of a crazy 12-hour travel day home yesterday and didn’t arrive home until 10 p.m. Travel with a one-year-old means absolutely NO work gets done, so I tried my best to get up early this morning and blogged in short spurts around Chase’s playtime today until this post was done. (I’m also hoping to catch up on your comments today and apologize for being a bit absent this week. I don’t have an international data plan on my phone and my cell coverage was limited to the brief time spent in our hotel room during our stay in Canada.)

Below you will find a brief roundup of a few things that are making me smile this week and, as always, I encourage you to participate in the Friday fun and share something you’re loving with me in the comments section of this post.

Happy weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Roolee Moto Leggings

These leggings are THE BEST. I feel like I should write that statement over and over (and over) again because I love them so much. A bunch of you asked me about them when I shared the above photo on Instagram during my travels this week and they’re from a Utah-based boutique (thank you Janae for opening my eyes to them) and I now own them in several colors.

I like the way the leggings have an almost denim-like look to them but they are way stretchier than jeans and 10,000 times more comfortable. They pull on so I wouldn’t wear them with a top that shows the waistband, but they are my go-to pants when I want something cute but still comfortable to wear for everything from active play dates and running errands to grabbing drinks with girlfriends and more. I think they fit true to size (I am wearing a medium) but if you’re on the fence between two sizes, I probably would go with the bigger size.

• Chicago O’Hare Airport’s Kids On The Fly Exhibit

I practically cried tears of joy when my mom and I stumbled upon this gem in the Chicago O’Hare airport yesterday during a three-hour layover. Chase doesn’t like to be held for extended periods of time anymore (tear…) and moving, exploring, climbing and crawling are his number one priority. Thank goodness for this exhibit because it provided us with a safe place for Chase to be able to work out some energy, play and observe big kids (his favorite) without disrupting other travelers.

If you happen to travel through Chicago with little ones, definitely keep an eye out for this exhibit! It’s located in Terminal 2, to the left of the security checkpoint. Bless the Chicago Children’s Museum for this wonderful interactive play area! You saved us!

• Armenian String Cheese

We call this stuff “fancy string cheese” in our house and it is so darn good. My mom and dad used to buy Armenian string cheese when we lived in Illinois when I was growing up and I always thought it was so special. When we all moved to Florida, we could no longer find it so imagine my surprise when we spotted it at our local Publix in North Carolina! Oh happy day!

The cheese is speckled with black nigella seeds and the strings are so incredibly long when you pull them apart from the thick, cheesy braid. It’s a fantastic snack that is both nostalgic and delicious. I’m happy to have it back in my life!

• Cereal Milk Macarons

During my visit to Winnipeg, we had lunch on the Lefley family farm and it was wonderful! (The Lefleys are one of the families who grow the oats used in General Mills’ cereals. General Mills brought a handful of bloggers out to Winnipeg to learn more about whole grains, the oats they use in their cereals and open up discussions surrounding changes the company is making and changes we’d like to see moving forward. I’ll share more soon!) Though lunch on the farm was fantastic, dessert appeared in the form of these cereal milk macarons and they were fan-tas-tic! The milk from Golden Grahams and Trix cereals were used to make the most delicious sweet cream centers and everyone absolutely raved about them. I’ve heard macarons are really challenging to make (anyone out there tried before?) but I am tempted to ask for the recipe and give them a shot. I need these babies back in my life ASAP.

• Inn at the Forks

During our stay in Winnipeg, we stayed at the Inn at the Forks and to say I was impressed with this hotel would be a severe understatement. During my last travels with Chase to NYC, I left rather unimpressed with the way our previous hotel accommodated a family traveling with a baby, so my expectations were very low going into this trip. I am happy to report that the Inn at the Forks could not have been more accommodating.

They not only had a pack ‘n’ play waiting for us in our room but even had a baby bath tub, tear-free shampoo, bath toys, a baby towel and blanket waiting for us as well. I was SO impressed and when we thanked the staff they just asked if there was anything else we needed to make our stay with a baby easier and more comfortable. Traveling with a little one can be extremely stressful so staying at such a friendly, accommodating and welcoming hotel made a huge difference to me. High five to the Inn at the Forks!

Question of the Day

• What is one thing you are loving this week?