friday favorites #2
We made it to Friday! It's been quite the packed week in our household - we went out for my birthday dinner on Tuesday, had an event at church on Wednesday night, and I'm currently typing this up from the airport on Thursday evening. So much work goes into a weekend trip when you're a parent, even when the kids are staying at home with Dad. I wanted to help Justin out a bit by laying out their outfits for the weekend, planning meals, and making sure all the laundry was folded, not to mention putting in the extra work that goes into planning for a substitute teacher! But I made it, and I'm incredibly spoiled rotten to have a husband who is willing to pull single parent duty for 3 days while I invest in myself at a conference for my health and wellness business. Let's consider this my birthday gift - a weekend of adult conversation and personal development.
But enough about adulting - on to the good stuff! Here's what's making my week awesome:
Blue Bloods
After Justin and I put the kids to bed, we finish tidying up the house, then we pull out our laptops to correct papers, finish planning for school, do some blog work, or work with my health and wellness business. When we're ready to wind down for the night (or sometimes while we're working) we like to watch one or two episodes of a Netflix series, but we felt like we were in a rut for awhile. We've watched 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and Parks & Rec about 17 times each, so it was time for something new we could both agree on.
On a recommendation from Justin's sister, we decided to give Blue Bloods a try. We were not disappointed! I feel like I'm part of the Reagan family Sunday night dinners by now. (This is right up my alley, as I love a good crime show. If there were a channel dedicated to SVU marathons all day every day, I would probably never leave the house.)
Essential Oils
So I'm quite late to the party on this one, but I've been interested in trying essential oils for awhile now, as I've heard such rave reviews about them from multiple sources. In addition, because we have 2 young kids and a dog, I'm paranoid that our house will smell bad and I won't realize it! I know candles aren't the best option - especially the cheap ones I buy - so I was looking for a clean way to make our house smell fresh. I put a few essential oils on my Christmas list that I had read were safe to diffuse during pregnancy. Well, ask and you shall receive! My mom got me a starter pack of oils and this adorable diffuser, and my mother-in-law rounded out my new collection of oils!
So far we've been diffusing different combinations of thieves, peppermint, lemon, and orange. I love the clean smell, and how invigorating the citrus scents are! We're even thinking of ordering another diffuser for our bedroom. I'm sticking to just diffusing the oils for now, since I'm pregnant, but once I'm done nursing, I'm excited to dive in a little more and figure out other ways to use them!
FitBit
At the beginning of the school year, Justin and I decided to invest in early Christmas presents. We each bought a FitBit when they were on sale at Target (you better believe I also stacked a Cartwheel deal and my Redcard, baby). Now, I actually really dislike the idea of wearing a watch, as I prefer not to worry about what time it is. However, this year I supervise lunch (outside) and recess, and would prefer not to carry my iPhone around with me to know what time we have to go inside. I decided to go with the Alta because it's small and sleek, and it came in my favorite color - teal!
The biggest benefit to me personally has been the ability to track my daily walks - how far and how quickly I'm going. Walking has been my primary form of exercise during this pregnancy, so I'm loving the ability to see improvement and consistency. It also forces me to do extra chores at the end of the day to get my 10,000 steps.
Ebates
Am I the last one to actually make use of this site? I've known about it for years, but always forgot to go through Ebates before making a purchase online. However, for some reason I was really intentional about it when I was doing my Christmas shopping online this year, and earned a nice little check in the mail for clicking one extra button each time I purchased a gift. Not too shabby! Here's my link - easy way to get $10 back if you're planning on shopping online anytime soon. (Amazon, anyone?)
The Library
I recently posted on Instagram that Teddy has been impossible at the library. Who can blame him? He's a busy one-year-old who loves to play, run, and yell. However, it's not ideal when I'm leisurely browsing the shelves, waiting for the perfect book to jump out at me.
Aside from realizing I'm going to have to put my books on hold from now on if I want to borrow books for myself, the library has been a godsend since moving to Florida 18 months ago. The kids love library story time (when we can get out of the house on time), and there's even a cute little playroom for them to get their wiggles out before picking out their books! Pippa has been obsessed with Mo Willems books, like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, as well as the Llama Llama series by Anna Dewdney.
I would love for you to share - what can you currently not live without?
Linking up with Carolina Charm and Hello Happiness for Five on Friday!
