Do you guys have anything fun planned for the weekend ahead? We’ll be keeping our birthday celebrations for Ryder simple as he said he just wanted a family birthday party so we’re honoring his wishes and will be celebrating with a family slug party (yup, you read that right), presents and lots of love for our Ryder man!
As for Sunday, we’ll be celebrating Ryan and we’re excited to have my mother-in-law in town for all of the fun. I hope to have a moment to sneak away and recap the weekend for you guys to share more about our adventures on Monday (or at the very least Wednesday) but until then, keep on scrolling for this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style!
Things I’m Loving Friday
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Small Summer Goal: One Small House Project a Day
BEFORE (random closet where we store luggage and extra bedding/blankets):
AFTER: 
A little more than a week ago, a few of my friends and I were chatting about one of the chapters in M is for Mama, the book we’re diving into as part of our latest Bible study. One of the chapters encouraged us to list three of our strengths as a mother and three of our weaknesses. It then asked us to make a goal to do something to play to our strengths and something to challenge us in our weaknesses.
One of my weaknesses is the way I occasionally let clutter, kid toys and household messes from simply living overwhelm me as a mother. In one breath, this is something I’ve actually leaned into during motherhood — the fact that Ryan and I live in a home that’s perpetually 10-20 minutes away from being clean is something I’m mostly okay with on a day-to-day basis. Truly! But I struggle when I can feel mess (both the boys’ messes and my own) adding to my stress. I hate it when clutter and disorganization contribute to me feeling less patient and more on-edge as a mother.
One mini challenge I’ve set out for myself is to tackle one small, manageable cleaning project a day during the summer. (Yes, I very much realize this challenge is about to escalate in a MAJOR way as we prepare to move, but right now this is my focus.) In addition to the regular household upkeep (vacuuming, wiping counters, laundry, etc.), every day I’m selecting something small — a junk drawer, an over-flowing kitchen cabinet, clothes the boys have outgrown — to tackle and organize.
Can I just tell you how amazing it feels to really dive into cleaning out spaces that desperately need attention!? This may need to become a mini challenge I implement more often because I oddly enjoy it once I get into it and the way it makes me feel after the fact makes prioritizing these mini cleaning sprees majorly worth it.
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Affordable Shorts (Roomy in the Hips and Not Too Short!)
I have some awesome, affordable shorts to share with you guys today and this is coming from someone who admittedly doesn’t love shorts. I’m not sure if it’s my body type or what but shorts have always been a struggle for me because they rarely look flattering and often hug my body in the wrong places. I’m very different sizes on the top and on the bottom and this can make shorts challenging because they’re often way too short, too tight on my hips and too loose on my waist.
Within the past three weeks I’ve had some stellar summer shorts discoveries and wanted to share them with you, especially those of you who may have a similar body type to my own:
- Old Navy Higher High A-Line Shorts: A-line cuts are flattering on pear shapes so you know I was instantly intrigued by these shorts! I saw them in-store which allowed me to try on multiple sizes and oddly enough THREE sizes fit but I went with the biggest of the three (size 8) because they were the roomiest in the hips. The cut of these shorts is amazing if you have hips as they almost flare out at the bottoms and leave plenty of room for hips and quads. They were on super sale — and they’re still under $15! — and I bought the cut-offs in black and the light wash. LOVE them.
- The Gym People High Waisted Workout Shorts: These popped up as a recommended item for me on Amazon (probably because I order a LOT of my workout tops from Amazon) and the style immediately appealed to be because they looked like legit high-waisted shorts that still had some decent length to them. (As someone with a long torso, high waisted shorts almost always hit below my belly button and if I pull them up they ride up waaay too high.) I sized up in the shorts (I selected the white color in a large) and instantly loved the fit. The rise is high and easily hits above my belly button. The shorts are lightweight and roomy and flow over my hips and booty.
- Haowind High Waisted Workout Shorts: This fit of these shorts is similar to The Gym People shorts above but the waistband is ribbed and the price point is even cheaper ($11.99)! I ordered these in the denim blue color (in a large) and am eyeing the pink, too!
- Old Navy Extra High Waisted Lounge Shorts: These were part of a slam dunk Memorial Day Weekend sale order. I love comfy, breezy shorts and thought the high rise looked legitimately high and the hips looked nice and roomy. I actually ordered them in a size medium TALL because I thought that might give me more length and loveeed this tactic because they weren’t too crazy short!
- Old Navy 5-Inch Vintage Sweat Shorts: The fit of these shorts is similar to the above shorts but they have a longer inseam so I did not order them in the “tall” size. (I ordered a medium regular.) They are comfortable enough to sleep in and don’t look too sloppy or overly baggy, despite the longer length. Big fan!
(Note: I also still swear by my AGOLDE Parker Shorts for denim shorts but they are a splurge for sure! They’re worth it for me since I wear them all the time but I’m so glad to have some more denim shorts in my rotation at a better price point.)
File this under impulse purchases at Target that majorly paid off! I love hard chocolate coating on frozen treats so these frozen white and dark chocolate covered cherries majorly appealed to me and I couldn’t resist adding them to my cart. I ripped into the bag in the car and ate quite a few on the way home because they are so good! They’re sweet with a little bit of tangy tartness from the cherries and I loved the crisp crunch of the rich, creamy chocolate. These popable treats are a flavor and texture win! One important note: I MUCH prefer them when they’ve had a 15 minutes of thaw time (this is what the package advises) so definitely let them thaw a bit before digging in if you give them a try! It takes some of the iciness out of the cherries and makes them juicy and wonderful.
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Rivals by Katharine McGee
My rating: B
I clearly need to do more research before diving into new books because what happened to me with the first book in the American Royals series happened to me with Rivals, the third book in the American Royals series. The book ended in a way that sets it up for the next book… a book that’s not out yet. Gah!
Rivals is the latest release from Katharine McGee and since I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books in the series, I was excited to dive into the third book when it came out a couple of weeks ago. (I assumed the series was a trilogy but that does not seem to be the case!) Rivals had the framework of the prior two novels — the American royal family, complicated relationships, revenge and drama — but it was admittedly my least favorite of the three. It’s still a fun escape novel and one I very much looked forward to reading. I do not want to share too much in my recap as it would likely give away too much about the first two novels but suffice to say if you liked the first two books in the series, it’s still worth a read.
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Friday Flashbacks
Teriyaki Salmon Bowls (I used leftover teriyaki salmon to make these for lunch twice this week!)
10 Outside Activities To Do With Kids (For anyone else living outside this summer!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing you’re loving this week?
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Is the M is for Mother book a Bible study book or more a chapter book? Are chapters long or easy to read portions? Not much free time right now.
Book sounds interesting. I am a mother of 5 and motherhood is realy kicking me in the butt right now.
It’s more of a book you read on its own!
Thank you for sharing the sizes you ordered. From the way you describe your body I feel we are similar and it’s so nice to have your sizes as a reference. With that said, what size do you wear in the AGOLDE? Thank you for all your recommendations and enjoy your weekend.
I’m reading Rivals right now too and there’s also a prequel called Inheritance that recently came out. It’s such a nice escape from the heavier things I tend to read!
Very helpful description of the shorts-I also often struggle because of the long torso issue when it comes to finding clothes that fit right! I have to be much more careful about what I choose.
Have a wonderful weekend with your family 😊
Major congratulations on selling your home! I’m looking forward to your home’s final reveal when it’s finished. 🤩
I always look forward to your posts and value your Friday Favorites suggestions.
Today is my birthday, and I’m feeling extra grateful and happy celebrating it with Ansley Rose. 🥰
Aw happy bday Kori!! Hope it’s amazing!
Thank you so much! It’s been wonderful. 🥰
Happy 4th Birthday to Ryder- I can’t wait to read your “SLUG family party” recap and see photos. I love that you are honoring Ryder’s wishes and celebrating as a family. So often as parents it is easy to do what we think our children would love rather than listen to what they really would love. I wish I had learned that earlier in my parenting journey like you have but I can say I did learn it along the way and it is something I will make sure to share with my daughter when she becomes a mom. Happy Father’s Day to Ryan, your dad and Greg as well.
OMG- your timing about doing a small organization project a day came at the right time Julie. I have been feeling overwhelmed with life…..and when I do I find that going through and “organizing” those areas of my house no one sees but us can really help clear my mind and let me focus on what really is the root of my struggles. It is a great way for me to clear my mind as I do these mindless to me tasks. We are at the early stages of preparing to do a big move – we live in IL and services for adults with disabilities are very lacking. Our son is now 18 and will need lifelong assistance and we know we will not live forever. We have decided on WI and although we are very excited, we are also a bit overwhelmed with planning it all. So your posts about preparing your house to sell, selling, etc are very relevant for that aspect of this move that we will be doing. I am also trying to remind myself (sometimes I have to dozens of times in a day) that we are doing the best we can with the knowledge we have. If we “miss” some things it isn’t because we are not doing our due diligence but rather because there is so much we just don’t know about our son’s future and we need to give ourselves grace. I am also focuses on embracing the new people we are meeting (via Facebook groups) or through agencies who are willing to answer the many (I mean many!) questions we have.
Oh yesss I am feeling the impending stress of the move. Ryan and I said after this weekend it is “go time “when it comes to packing up, organizing, and donating items we won’t need anymore. I cannot say I’m looking forward to it — haha!
I really hope your move is a smooth one and that Wisconsin is a wonderful fit for you and your family 💗
I love your mini organization projects! Would you ever consider doing a full post on how you clean? I work from home full time and I want to spend time outside of work with my husband and baby. By the end of the day, I don’t want to spend time cleaning, especially the boring stuff like dusting and wiping baseboards. Have you ever hired a cleaning service?
Oh gosh I feel like it would be the most random post ever because I definitely don’t have a system in place. I am not a type A person but I really do enjoy having little goals for myself when it comes to cleaning and find that this helps. And no, we do not have a cleaning service.
Emily, have you heard of the book, “How to Keep House While Drowning?” It may be a good fit for you.
I just have to say that I think it’s so wonderful that you understand Ryder and his needs so well. As an introvert, I didn’t accept or really understand the way I was until my thirties. I often felt that there was something “wrong” with me for only wanting a handful of close friends and preferring smaller, intimate gatherings. I read “Quiet” in my thirties and that helped me to accept and understand the way I was. Anyway, all to say he is lucky to have a family who sees him and can provide him with the environment he needs to thrive!
Thank you for this encouraging comment, Tara! Even as a very young toddler he seemed to thrive more with close family, his big brother or smaller groups of close friends. I remember also being confused about why I felt like I really needed a break/time by myself after extended time with people I really love and care about. Once I learned more about extroverted introverts, it help me understand myself more. I love groups and have so much fun in social situations but absolutely recharge alone and definitely need to be by myself to get that sort of reset. Different personalities and characteristics absolutely fascinate me and it’s been so cool to see my three kids have such a different personalities.
Love that you listed what sizes you ordered! Wanted to give you a rec myself- the Agolde Dee shorts in black. They are incredible , and have a tiny bit more length than the Short Parker ! I ordered a 28 which is TTS for me ( 5’9, 150 lbs with curvy bottom)
Totally agree on your rating for the third royals book, was so excited for it but compared w the first two wasn’t nearly as good