Things I’m Loving Friday #591

Hey friends! Friday is here! How are you holding up? Did you have a good week? A crazy one? The mayhem that is May is certainly in full swing over here with various school events and activities popping up left and right. One particularly cute event? Muffins for Mom at Rhett’s preschool!

I think he nailed it with those answers. I certainly do love ice cream, sleepovers, hugs and “I love yous.”

Today I’m off to the big kids’ school for an end-of-year picnic with Chase and then the weekend begins! For all the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures out there, I hope your weekend is especially wonderful! Now let’s dive into this weeks roundup of favorites, shall we?

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Boxes of Birthday Cards + Thank You Cards

My mom was the queen of always having cards for various occasions on hand. If we ever needed a birthday card at the last minute for a birthday party or a “thinking of you” card to give to someone going through something challenging, my mom would whip out her stash and we would go “shopping” through her arsenal of cards. I’ve taken to doing the same thing because so often we forget we need a card until the last second. I recently ordered this box of birthday cards and have been so impressed. They’re all simple yet beautiful and higher quality than a lot of other bulk birthday cards I’ve seen out there. I also ordered this giant box of thank you cards from Amazon last year that I’m still loving and working my way through. Hooray for little shortcuts like these that seem to make life a little easier!

• ALOHA Chocolate Cherry Bar

I know I’ve raved about ALOHA bars for years but I love so much about these bars from their clean ingredient list to their protein and high fiber (10g!) content. They’re also a big hit in out house as every single member of our family eats one nearly every single day. Needless to say, we go through a LOT of these bars!!! Over the holiday season, I ordered a ridiculous number of boxes of white chocolate peppermint ALOHA bars (my absolute favorite flavor) and I’m happy to report we still have a few boxes remaining. I am aware, however, that my stash won’t last forever and there are a few other go-to flavors in my ALOHA arsenal as well. And now there’s a new (to me) one!! Chocolate cherry!!! Hot dang, this flavor blew me away! If you are someone who likes dark chocolate and a strong cherry flavor, add this one to your must-try list. It has major dessert vibes and quickly claimed a spot in my ALOHA top three: 1. White Chocolate Peppermint 2. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip 3. Chocolate Cherry. YUM. Also, for anyone hoping to try ALOHA bars, my link should get you 20% off, but I think the discount may only apply to first-time customers. Worth shot though!!

• Recent ALDI Finds

Fellow ALDI lovers, how good is the ALDI Finds section lately!? I swear every time I browsed that eclectic aisle, I walk away with something I never knew I needed. And these past few weeks I feel like the ALDI Finds have been especially good! I found a cute little drawstring/crossbody woven bag, a few Disney finds (ya know, just in case we do another Disney cruise or a trip to the Disney parks), Fourth of July/Memorial Day decor and some gardening supplies.

Also, can I just give my mom a shout out for this adorable little stocking stuffer? She gave me this embroidered quarter keeper for my ALDI quarter and it’s been one of those oddly helpful finds I keep in my purse so I’m never left digging around for a quarter. (For those who aren’t ALDI regulars, you use a quarter to unlock your shopping cart and you get your quarter back once you return your cart.)

• The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Genre: Romance / My Rating: B

There was a lot I liked about this book — a peek into the job of a rescue swimmer in the United States Coast Guard (probably my favorite part of the book), “The Gals” (a group of retirees who live in a cottage compound of sorts in Key West), and the easy-to-read, breezy nature of the book (exactly what I was looking for after reading Yesteryear — yeesh). The Love Haters wasn’t the best romance book I’ve read but it was a fun, lighthearted escape novel I enjoyed. It follows Katie, a woman on a very reluctant journey to self love, who finds herself on assignment for work to film a promo video for the Coast Guard. The tricky part? She doesn’t know how to swim and assured her boss she does because she needs this assignment to keep her job. Oh and the rescue swimmer she’ll be filming? Hutch is her coworker’s incredibly good looking older brother who has no idea she can’t swim.

• April 2026 Top 10

Sharing your top 10 blog posts + favorite finds from April!

Top 10 Blog Posts

• Our First Disney Cruise: Disney Fantasy 5 Night Cruise
• Cottage Cheese Baked Pasta
• Lasagna Recipe Using Cottage Cheese
• How to Make German Pancakes
• Day Trips from Charlotte
• Things to Do in Hilton Head with Kids
• Greek Yogurt Biscuits
• High Protein Breakfast Burrito
• Sarasota Easter Weekend
• Easy Orange Juice Chicken Marinade

Your Top 10 Favorites

• Glass Air Fryer
• Amazon White Tee
• Tower 28 Sunny Days Tinted Moisturizer (The perfect blurring tinted moisturizer with SPF 30. My favorite for no makeup days!)
• Timeless Vitamin C Serum
• Kickback Rocker Chair (The absolute best, most comfortable collapsible chair for spectating kid sports/activities)
• Personalized Heart Initial Bracelet (A delicate yet fun personalized bracelet I love! I have Ryan and the boys’ first initial on mine.)
• Amazon Strappy Sandals
• Evereve Balloon Jogger (I’ve been reaching for these lightweight and crazy comfy pants on repeat.
• Electronic Fidget Toy (A flashing-lights $9.99 fidget toy our boys love. Especially handy for travel entertainment.)
• Koala Eco Dish Soap (Non-toxic, smells like a dream and makes doing dishes feel like less of a chore.)

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What is one thing that made you smile this past week?