Rhett is officially five years old today and considering the fact that he’s been talking about his birthday daily for the past four months, I think he’s going to wake up awfully excited this morning!
Yesterday Rhett and I created a mini list of things to do to celebrate his special day and making a Squashies cake is at the very top of his list! (If you haven’t tried Squashies before, they’re oddly delicious. Picture a pillowy-marshmallow-y gummy fruity candy.) How exactly we’ll be making a Squashies cake is currently unknown but I’m envisioning a birthday cake topped with icing fully covered in Squashies. We bought five packs of them, so I think we can make it happen!
In addition to celebrating Rhett today, we’re very much looking forward to a long Labor Day weekend. We’ll be spending most of it in Greenville, South Carolina with friends as all of our kids are participating in the children’s triathlon our big kids did in the area last year. We cannot wait for the fun and the boys are getting so excited for their big race!
I hope to have a recap to share here at some point next week but, until then, keep on scrolling for this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’ve been making matcha lattes for the past month or so… and actually enjoying them. Earlier this summer, I was at a friend’s house and she had a bag of Tejari Organic Vanilla + Matcha Protein Powder sitting on her counter. I picked it up and commented on the quality of the ingredients and the lack of any sweeteners beyond date powder, a rarity in most protein powders that often have monk fruit, stevia, etc. (The ingredients and the nutritional breakdown of this protein powder is seriously impressive — 20 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in a serving!) She offered to make me a matcha latte and I initially passed saying, “no thanks, matcha tastes like grass” but she said she’d just make me a small one to see what I thought. Turns out… I liked it. Don’t get me wrong, if you hate matcha, you’ll still surely hate this stuff but I was always kind of on the fence about matcha — like maaaybe it was something I could get behind. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by this vanilla matcha protein powder and find myself genuinely looking forward to a mid-morning matcha latte every day. I simply heat up whole milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk (both work great), add 4 tablespoons of the powder and then mix it together with my handheld electric frother until it’s nice and frothy. The other thing that’s crazy to me is the more I drink these matcha lattes, the more I want to drink them and enjoy them as part of my daily routine. Plus, as someone forever on the protein struggle bus, I love that this now feels like the easiest way to get 20+ grams of protein into my diet every morning.
I’m not shortsighted enough to think summer heat is behind us but every morning this week, temperatures have dipped close to 60 degrees. I took the cooler temperatures as a sign that fall is coming and broke out one of my favorite fall candles, ILLUME’s midnight pumpkin. I first fell in love with ILLUME candles after purchasing one at Whole Foods a couple of years ago (Woodfire — still one of my all-time favorite incredibly unique scents) and especially love their seasonal/holiday scents. They nail it every time and create cozy scents that fill our home with a subtle scent that is never overwhelming. I’m glad midnight pumpkin in all its fall glory is back in my life.
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To-Go After School Silicone Snack Boxes
Last school year, in an effort to reduce the number of packaged snacks our kids were eating, I began packing after school snack boxes for them to eat in the car on the drive home. I was heavily relying on “pantry snacks” and while I have no problem with our kids eating bars and things like this every day, we were flying through our pantry stash and I also felt like I was missing an opportunity to get some more nutrient-dense foods in their bellies when they’re hungry and ready to gobble down anything I put in front of them. At the risk of sounding dramatic, these silicone snack boxes have made the biggest difference. I always include a fruit and/or a veggie and while they’ll also sometimes include packaged snacks of some sort (a favorite bar, a packet of nut butter, etc.), a lot of the time I’ll throw in a homemade muffin, edamame, a sandwich, etc. I think of their snack boxes now almost as a mini lunch 2.0 and the no longer arrive home ravenous which is another win!
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The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
Genre: Mystery / My rating: B-
If you would’ve asked me what I thought I’d be rating this book about halfway through, I would’ve thought my rating would’ve been much higher. The book has so many intertwining characters from the past and present (I actually love this!) and plenty of intrigue (missing people, deaths that may or may not be accidental!) and I loved the way the author slowly unveils clues about who might be good or bad throughout the novel. But, and it’s a big but, at some point the book turns and starts to feel really predictable. And then the ending felt sloppy and incomplete which left me with a bad taste in my mouth about the book in its entirety. I liked it enough to finish it but not enough to give it glowing review.
From Amazon: Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.
Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.
Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.
But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling. And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge….
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Labor Day Weekend Sales
Sharing a roundup of Labor Day weekend sales for anyone doing a little sale shopping!
Up to 50% off Old Navy: I buy their zip-up hoodies for the boys every year / This half-zip pullover reminds me of Varley and would be so cute with jeans and sneakers or comfy sweats
40-60% off aerie: I have and love this striped pullover and this snap fleece + matching sweats (I sized up and ordered the cloud wash which has almost a light denim look to it that I love!!)
40%-70% off everything at J.Crew Factory + all denim is $59.95: I have this relaxed denim jacket and it’s perfectly oversized for layering / I’ve worn this lightweight tunic as a coverup but love it just as much with a white tank and jeans / I have this long-sleeve everyday tee and it’s a great staple / I ordered these leopard mules to add some interest to more simple fall + winter looks / These ’90s jeans are great for a not-too-baggy but still trendy jean / Fellow parents of slim kids, we looove these pants for the boys — bonus points for being comfy but not looking sloppy!
Up to 75% off sale at Beyond Yoga: My all-time favorite activewear dress is on sale for $43 (originally $118)! / Some colors of their Spacedye Leggings are less than $30 / I ordered this top + these leggings for a cute matching set!
50% off Lands’ End + Up to 75% off clearance: We’ve had great luck with their kids’ outerwear passing the hand-me-down test if your little ones need anything for fall/winter / Their packable totes are so handy for travel (I used the waterproof one like crazy this summer) because I always appreciate having an extra bag on hand when we travel
40-60% off GAP: I ordered this $9 ocean animals tee for Chase so fast!
20% off Supergoop! with code SUPER20: Our family’s favorite sunscreen! Great time to restock for fall sports, the end of summer or even next year. We love the PLAY Everyday SPF 50 lotion the most and the sunscreen spray for reapplying on the go.
20% off Oak Essentials: I loveee their dew body oil and luminous body lotion — especially paired together. So luxurious!
30% off Ann Taylor: This woven shoulder bag is gorgeous / This tie-waist top is so feminine and beautiful / Love these mesh ballet flats for fall + winter
25% off EBY: I’m tempted to replace all of my underwear briefs with their seamless briefs because they’re so fantastic. Zero panty lines but they’re slip proof and don’t slide around.
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