My mom arrived in town late Monday afternoon and having here here is always just the very best. The boys adore Mae, I love quality time with my mom and her help is beyond appreciated. Her visit gave me the chance to check some appointments off my personal to-do list (dentist, dermatologist and eyebrows) and also gave me the chance to do some fun things with the boys in the afternoon when we’d normally be home with their napping baby brother. And, on another positive note, my dad is arriving in town today!
We’ll all be celebrating one very special little dude on Sunday…
Rhett’s FIRST birthday is nearly here and I’m on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster about it at the moment. He’s been such a blessing to our family and I can’t wait to see him dive into his smash cake on Sunday.
I’m sure I’ll share more about our weekend shenanigans on the blog on Monday but until then please scroll down for this week’s roundup of Friday favs!
Things I’m Loving Friday
The only thing I really had on my radar for Rhett for his birthday now that he’ll be entering his toddler years (HOW!?) was a new water bottle. I fell in love with YETI water bottles for Chase and Ryder and knew this is the route I wanted to go for Rhett, too. While I first thought the price point was intense for a child’s water bottle, the YETI 12 ounce bottles are our favorite because they are easy for the boys to use themselves, don’t leak, keep liquids cold and are made of stainless steel. The only problem: They’re incredibly popular so if you go somewhere with a lot of kids, similar YETI water bottles seem to pop up all over the place. I somehow missed the memo that you can get your child’s name added to their YETI bottle if you order them through the YETI site and the tiny name stickers I added to the bottom of the boys’ water bottles weren’t cutting it. Thank goodness for Etsy!
When I saw the customized name decals featured in this shop, I immediately ordered three for our boys to add to their water bottles. I love the way they look on their bottles and am hoping this will put an end to any kind of water bottle confusion that may pop up at school or various other kid-related activities and events.
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Joggers (CRZ YOGA + SUMMERSALT)
It may have been 90 degrees every single day this week in Charlotte but I couldn’t resist slipping into joggers whenever I was home in the comfort of our air conditioning. Fall is on the horizon which means jogger season is almost upon us and since my daily uniform alternates between leggings and joggers, I can never resist giving a new pair of joggers a try when they get such rave reviews. Enter these CRZ YOGA joggers. They’re an Amazon find — only $30! — and have more than 8,000 positive reviews. I’ve seen bloggers recommend them for years but since I felt a liiittle mislead by claims of Amazon leggings coming close to lululemon Aligns, I never bought a pair until I complimented a friend on her joggers and she told me they were the same CRZ YOGA joggers. Consider me sold! I ordered a pair (size medium) and was happy to find that the fabric is a thin quick-dry fabric that looks less sweatpants/lounge-y and more put-together. The elastic around the waist and ankles is comfortable and I now own these joggers in two colors (black and heathered gray)… and I maaay have my eye on the mauve color well.
The next pair of joggers from SUMMERSALT is a pair I received through an Instagram collaboration and I cannot recommend them enough. The price point makes them a splurge but they’ve already become the pair of joggers I reach for above all others when I’m looking for a cozy pair of joggers that feel incredibly soft but don’t look sloppy. (I have them in a size medium.) They’re comfy enough to sleep in but cute enough to wear out of the house making them my new favorite pair of joggers. You can expect to see these joggers pop up on a gift guide or two this holiday season because they have an almost luxe feel to them making them very gift-worthy. Oh and another perk is that I accidentally put them in the dryer and they didn’t shrink. Gotta love joggers you don’t have to air-dry!
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@kristalavrusik‘s IG Feed + Style
A few months ago, my friend Merri sent me @kristalavrusik‘s Instagram page and she’s been a favorite in my feed ever since. Her style feels accessible and realistic and so many of the looks she creates center around closet staples so I feel like they’re easy to duplicate with things you may already have. She’s a fun follow (and a mom of FOUR boys) and in a world where IG fashion can often feel lofty and unrealistic, her looks are a breath of fresh air.
Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean is a registered dietitian and one of my all-time favorite food bloggers for a myriad of reasons. Her recipes are often incredibly easy, kid-friendly and nutrient-dense and her blog post about feeding her kids different food from what she and her husband eat at dinnertime on occasion helped me let go of stress I felt surrounding the fact that our boys often don’t eat exactly what we eat at dinnertime. (Seriously you have to check out this blog post if you’ve ever been stressed about your kid wanting different food than the crock pot curry you made for yourself!)
Well, Lindsay recently launched a new e-book to help eliminate some of the stress involved with packing lunches for little ones and send it my way. You guys, it is AWESOME. I actually enjoy packing lunches for the boys and haven’t found it particularly stressful until this year. Chase’s new school is completely nut free and I never realized just how many of his lunchtime staples involved nuts. (Please know this is not a complaint — I truly feel for the families with children who have severe allergies — it’s just an adjustment I’m learning to make!) Thankfully Lindsay’s e-book gives tons of lunch ideas (all with beautiful photos of the lunches in a bento box!) and offers easy swaps and alternatives for those who need nut-free lunches. If you need some lunchbox inspiration, I cannot recommend this resource enough.
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Friday Flashbacks
How I Shop for Our Kids’ Clothes (With fall on the horizon, this throwback post provides a glimpse into how I handle shopping for the boys as the seasons change.)
One Pot Chicken Cabbage Bowl (Forever one of my personal recipe favs! I feel like this is one of those recipes that falls under the radar on the blog but I’ll randomly get comments on it throughout the year from people who finally gave it a try and love it!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing making you smile today?
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I love Yeti and got my son a 12 oz kid’s bottle for his 2nd birthday. But how do you keep your kids from just turning them upside down when the spout is up and leaking water everywhere??? It’s driving me absolutely bananas to find soaking wet carpets and strollers because he thinks it’s hilarious to make water come out. We are working on reminding him to shut the spout when he’s not drinking, but he’s a crazy 2-year-old toddler, so we all know how well that is going 🙂
Oh no! I wish I could help but this really hasn’t been a thing for us (yet… haha Rhett is still new to his so there’s definitely still time 😆) they seem to get that when they’re done drinking the spout is supposed to be down but I’m sure that’s such a pain!!
Having time to myself. Such a luxury.
Hey Julie! What color did you get for the yeti decals? Was it metallic silver? Thanks!!
Yes!!
I also often feed myself kids something different (but similar) for dinner. If we’re having tacos, I’ll make them quesadillas. If we’re having stir fry (one kid hates soy sauce) I’ll make some chicken in a different sauce. If I try to serve them the same thing sometimes they don’t eat at all. If I want us all to eat the same thing I feel that would be too limiting to my and my husband’s palates. I love seeing this perspective from a dietitian, as I feel the general consensus these days is that you must all eat the same thing.
I can’t believe Rhett is almost one! I love watching all your boys grow up. So sweet!
Hi Julie! Do you find that Rhett is able to drink out of the Yeti? The website says 3+ but I was looking for a travel water bottle for my 1 year old. Thanks!
Yes!!