Things I’m Loving Friday #599

Hey friends! How’s it going? Did you have a good week? We had a good one over here complete with the usual summer shenanigans — pool days with friends, downtime at home, sweatin’ hot backyard soccer, puzzles, books, board games, building toys and me over here just trying my best to find little pockets of time to check in with all of you!

Our weekend plans have all of us feeling a little extra excited as we’re heading off to Key West tomorrow for scuba diving, snorkeling and fun in the sun with my parents. I’ll try to snap pics and share a recap of our time in Florida once we’re back but until then, you may find this week’s roundup of Friday favorites below!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Cordless Rechargable Rattan Light

How cute is this cordless rechargable rattan lamp!? It was an impulse buy at Walmart a couple of months ago and I’ve loved the addition of this little lamp to our kitchen counter. I’m not sure if it’s me getting older or what but I’ve become increasingly sensitive to harsh overhead light and really love the soft glow of a lamp. There is an on/off touch sensor on the top of the lamp and it can cycle through warm or cool lights — and it’s dimmable! I’ve been super impressed, especially for a lamp with a $19.99 pricepoint!

• Genius Square

Attention puzzle lovers and those with kids who love puzzles! I have a solid game recommendation for you! Genius Square was a Christmas gift for Chase last year that ended up being a slam dunk for our whole family. It’s easy to learn and can be played alone or against another person. It has tetris vibes as you’re working to fit all the pieces around little circular blockers. There are thousands of combinations so the game never feels repetitive and even Rhett at almost 6 can play!

• Busy Boxes/Travel Boxes for Kids: Items We’ve Included

I shared this on Instagram after I received a handful of DMs asking me to share what all I’ve included in the busy boxes I’ve made for the boys, my nieces and nephews, the boys’ friends, etc. I rounded up a collection of small items I’ve included in past busy boxes in one spot on Amazon here: Travel/Busy Boxes for Kids. All of these items fit into the clear hard pencil case from Target! Also, this list includes a variety of items across all ages (toddlers to big kids) so hopefully you’ll get some ideas if these boxes have been on your radar.

• JetLag (YouTube Show): Season 17 & Season 13

Oh my gosh what a FUN show!!! We are tip-toeing into a new era with our boys as they get a little older where we’re increasingly able to find shows to watch together as a family that Ryan and I genuinely enjoy. (Some past favorites: All the Sharks and Is It Cake?) We recently discovered the YouTube show JetLag and while it’s not a kid show (they bleep out some bad words here and there), it’s still a show we feel comfortable enough watching with our kids. (Rhett at almost 6 is the least engaged but the big kids are all in!)

In the two seasons of the show we’ve watched (season 17 and season 13), teams of two compete various challenges to try to train stations across Taiwan (season 17) or European countries (season 13). There are a lot of different hurdles that pop up along the way and silly things that happen that make it more than just a basic travel show. The first season we watched was Taiwan Rail Rush (season 17) and it honestly made all the travel headaches we had getting to the Azores more exciting for the boys because all of the sudden we felt like we were on our own JetLag adventure — riding on high speed trains in Portugal, navitaging our own headaches and buying local treats to try just like they do in the JetLag “Snack Zone.”

Note: We’ve only watched season 17 and season 13 so I cannot speak to the other seasons of the show but we really enjoyed those two. I’d recommend starting with season 17.

• Weekend Sales

20% off RUTI Core Collection: Sale includes my favorites pants in all the land — their On the Loose Work Pants! You’ve seen me wear these a billion times for good reason. The fit CANNOT BE BEAT. The fabric is perfect and the comfort level is 10/10. They also now make them in petite and long!! I wear a size 6.

$20 Off Certain DSW Shoes: I have these Nikes, these Fyre boots and these Nikes and love them all. (I sized up in both pairs of Nikes.) And the slip-on New Balance sneakers we’ve bought over and over again for the boys for YEARS are on clearance.

30% off aerie + free shipping (today only) with code EXTRAAA: If you have an aerie account (just an email login) everything is 30% off! I bought this set (top + pants) earlier this week and LOVE it. I only

20% off Living Proof with code PBFINGERS20: Woohoo! A Living Proof code!! This one works sitewide but as a little refresher, my two favorite Living Proof finds I’ve used for years include their dry shampoo (I have fine hair that looks oily after one day and it works magic — it also absorbs sweat and oil, actually cleans hair and adds volume to my roots which I immensely appreciate) + their triple bonx complex (I’ve applied this to my damp hair after washing for years to help strengthen my hair, repair damage and protect against heat)

20% off PROMIX Electrolytes: The electrolytes I’ve been loving lately are on sale right now! My favorite flavors are salted watermelon and lemon lime but I also love salted coconut for a tropical vibe. These electrolytes are made with pink Himalayan salt (versus regular table salt in many brands) which contains naturally occurring trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium — and it’s less processed!

50% off Show Me Your MuMu: Their summer warehouse sale is going on now and summer favs are 15% off! I love their colorful dresses so, so much.

• Friday Flashbacks

High Protein Breakfast Casserole (So good and so satisfying)

Chicken and Chickpea Salad (I adore this one, especially for an easy prep-ahead lunch)

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What is one thing you’re loving this week?