Hey! Long time no see! It's the July slump over here in blogland! Ok, not really a slump... more like summer travels and activities have kept us plenty busy! An 18+ hour drive to Wisconsin and back, preparing lesson plans for the upcoming school year, a birthday celebration, and just generally getting into the rhythm of caring for three children ages 4 and under have made the summer absolutely fly by.

Anyway, I realized the last time I did a Friday Favorites post was over a month ago, so it's high time I bring it back! Time to share some of the things I'm absolutely loving lately!

Friday Favorites

[one] block island organics sunscreen

So earlier this summer, I put out a question in my Instagram stories asking for recommendations for a good natural sunscreen that was also affordable, and other moms seemed as stumped as I was! We spend a lot of time at the beach and the park year round here in Florida, so we're constantly applying and reapplying sunscreen. I wanted something I could feel comfortable using on my kids (and myself!) all the time without worrying about what ingredients were going into my kids' skin.

The kind people at Block Island Organics reached out to me and sent me a bottle of their sunscreen, and I'm a believer! Their natural mineral sunscreen is made with only organic and natural ingredients, and uses only zinc, the safest and best UV filter. What made it stand out to me was the formula. Instead of being thick and greasy like other zinc sunscreens I've tried, this one went on so smoothly, and was so lightweight and easy to rub in. The bottle is 3.4 ounces, but a small amount of sunscreen goes a really long way! We've been using it for a few weeks on 4 of us, and still have plenty left!

I also love being able to support a small business. Block Island Organics is run by a husband and wife team, Kelly and Will, whose mission is to educate people on sun care, and produce an affordable, environmentally friendly, quality product. If you're intrigued, and also on the lookout for natural sunscreen, Kelly and Will are offering my readers 20% off today through August 3rd - use the code: emily

I'll definitely be using my code to check out the daily facial moisturizer with SPF 30!

[two] books, books, books

Oh summer vacation, you have spoiled me rotten with all the extra time to read. Being with family in Wisconsin meant plenty of helping hands to take the kids, so I buried myself in books! I finished 4 novels while on vacation, which is probably more than I read the rest of the year combined! Now I've caught the reading bug again, and keep trying to sneak away to read, but my kids keep finding me no matter where I hide.

I've been obsessed with the website Modern Mrs. Darcy for book recommendations, and have been listening to her podcast, What Should I Read Next? Inspired, I put some books on hold at the library, and they were available almost immediately. (Seriously, parents. Put your books on hold even if they're available right away. Trying to write down a card catalogue number, hunt down, and find a book, much less browse the shelves, is almost impossible with wiggly toddlers and babies. Let the kind librarians gather you books for you!) Here's what I picked out:

I've actually already read On Writing by Stephen King, but it was so good I'm going back for seconds. (The last time I read it was in high school). The other two are fiction recommendations from Modern Mrs. Darcy. I've been reading so much personal development lately...sometimes it's nice to switch it up!

[three] external hard drive

I take a lot of pictures. No, like a lot of pictures. So naturally, my computer was groaning under the weight of all of those photos, and begged me to clear some space. About a year ago I purchased this external hard drive, and I love the convenience of being able to simply plug in the USB and have access to all of my photos that I've since deleted from my computer. I recently had to export another round of photos to the hard drive, and was reminded how easy it was! We also used it to go back and watch videos of Pippa from when she turned 2 to see how she compared with Teddy at this age. So fun!

I also love that when hurricane season hit last year, all I had to do was throw this small device into my "important documents" bucket to ensure all my pictures were safe and sound when we had to evacuate.

[four] summer social

FlipperSplash is a company that connects influencers with brands, and they put on a fun event in St. Augustine yesterday for bloggers and brands local to northeast Florida. It was so fun to get a babysitter for the afternoon and head over to Damiana, a chic little tapas bar in downtown St. Augustine, to mingle with other creatives and business owners! Lewis tagged along in the LILLEbaby, and had the time of his life flirting with all the pretty ladies there.

I'm so excited about collaborating with some of the bloggers and brands I met there, and I love the idea of partnering with local businesses. Stay tuned!

[five] nursing friendly tank from Amazon

I recently realized that Amazon actually has some really cute clothes and swimsuits, and added this nursing-friendly tank top to my shopping cart. My husband pulled the trigger and ordered it without telling me, so I got a fun surprise on my doorstep a few days later! It's super comfy, surprisingly flattering, and the bright color is a nice change from my closet full of neutrals. Amazon Prime for the win!

[six] Jane.com

So I first learned about this website through my sister-in-law, Amber, and now I'm obsessed with it! Jane is an online boutique with daily deals on fashion, home decor, beauty, and kids items. I definitely find myself scrolling through the sales while nursing in the middle of the night, and here are some of my favorite finds this week:

how cute are these flour sack pillow covers?

this denim vest to help complete some of my very boring, very neutral outfits

these keep our kids so quiet in church and in the car

That's it for this Friday! What's got you smiling this week? Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Carolina Charm and Hello Happiness for Five on Friday, and Andrea from Momfessionals for Friday Favorites!

friday favorites #23