Simon turns TWELVE today!
We’re celebrating with pulled pork and homemade buns, cheesy mashed potatoes, broccoli-bacon salad, fruit, applesauce, and chocolate zucchini brownie “cake” (all his requests).
Simon is our most easy-going child who everyone gets along with… ironically, he’s also our most stubborn child (I’ll let you guess which trait he got from which parent 🤣 ).
Along with choice personality traits, he has my squinty eyes, my childhood build (shorter and stockier — not long and lean like Dave and our other kids), and my hair color.
At least he doesn’t have my 12-year-old “Triangle Hair”!
Although my “triangle hair” memories are not one of my favorite things, I’ve got lots of new, fun favorites to share with you today… keep reading!
Favorite Moment = Farmhouse Flours
It’s official… I’m opening a roadside stand selling a variety of baked goods made with my freshly milled whole grain flour –> Farmhouse Flours!
I’ve already been selling freshly milled flour from my front porch for a few months… and I’m excited to expand with breads, cookies, muffins, and more this spring!
There are many details I haven’t worked out yet, but my cute little farmstand is (almost) ready, I recently acquired the necessary domain names and social handles, and I created a simple logo to get started.
I’ll share more when I know more! 😉
Favorite Subscription = Amazon Prime
I’m not traditionally a “membership person”… but more and more lately, I’ve realized how beneficial memberships are in my life.
Not only do I often save money by becoming a member, but I also save time and MENTAL ENERGY with a few less things to think about.
Needless to say, Amazon Prime has been a very life-simplifying membership for me over the years (I think it’s been more than a decade now!)
Our membership just renewed for $139, and we’ve already saved over $180 in January/February alone on shipping costs, lower prices, and discount coupons.
The movies, live sports, music, and ebooks are nice since we canceled Netflix a couple of years ago and haven’t had cable in many years… but the overnight and next-day shipping are fantastic. I hate shopping in stores, so these fast shipping features have saved my butt more than once when I forgot to buy a birthday gift or something pops up last-minute.
Plus, returns are SO easy!
We opened an Amazon Prime Visa card several years ago (when we started our Costco membership, as we didn’t have a Visa card). Every dollar we spend earns up to 5% cash back — which we have set to automatically apply to our next Amazon order.
I know there is some debate on the convenience of Amazon versus supporting local, but at this season of my life, convenience wins!
RELATED READING: How to Shop at Costco Without a Membership
Past Favorite = Digital Thermometer
Over the past 14+ years, I’ve tried a handful of thermometers… but once I found this digital forehead thermometer, I was hooked.
The babies and toddlers only needed to be still for 1 second to get an accurate reading… and now my older kids can easily take their own temperatures.
It has a dedicated spot in our medicine cabinet and comes along with us whenever we travel.
RELATED READING: An Easy Way to Organize Medicine When Traveling
Favorite Hair Tool = Curling Wand
Now that my days of “triangle hair” and super short hair are behind me (at least for the time being), I’ve enjoyed experimenting with different hair tools, products, and styles again.
One of my favorites is a curling wand I originally purchased for Nora, but then liked so much that I bought another one.
Both of ours were purchased on Facebook Marketplace, but this is the exact one I use.
I first curl my hair in sections (leaving it in tighter ringlets for a few minutes), then I comb through the curls with a wide-tooth comb to create a “wavy” effect (see photos below).
Nora could likely give you a better tutorial on exactly what to do… but that’s the gist of it, and I like how my hair looks with this wave.
RELATED READING: My Favorite Little Girl Hair Styles
Favorite Book = Raising Gender Confident Kids
I first read Raising Gender Confident Kids over the summer, and I circled back to re-read it again more recently, as I apparently didn’t retain much the first time around!
Anyway, I’m a fan… AND you can get the book completely FREE right now through Summit Ministries (with free shipping)!
It’s a great book for parents, grandparents, teachers, and youth workers who regularly interact with middle and high school students.
GET THE BOOK: Raising Gender Confident Kids
Favorite Media = Watercolor Notecards
This isn’t my usual form of media — but I believe notecards are a type of media (paper), and I just love the cute hand-painted Scripture cards from Emily Lex Studio.
I have several sets and use them as tiny cards (thank you, thinking of you, etc.) throughout the year. I also used them to decorate a bulletin board at church, and have gotten so many compliments on it.
I use the Christmas cards at Christmas time and throughout the winter months, the kids’ cards for youth, and the hope/truth cards all year long.
The watercolor images are stunning, and the paper is thick and high-quality.
NOTE: These scripture cards do not come with envelopes (they are meant to be displayed as daily inspiration), so I purchased these 4.5″ x 4.5″ envelopes, which fit the cards perfectly.
I write a note on the back of the card and sometimes include a gift card, a piece of chocolate, a water bottle sticker, or another small gift inside the envelope. Or, I use it as the card for whatever gift I’m giving. Either way, the card ends up being a tiny gift in itself!
Favorite Game = Pickleball
I don’t play pickleball nearly as much as my kids do… but it’s pretty fun and so much easier than tennis!
If you have a long-enough driveway, you should definitely consider purchasing a pickleball kit for your home this spring/summer.
We purchased our pickleball set 5 years ago this summer, and it’s still holding up well.
The kids just set it up again over the weekend and have been playing all week (we don’t actually play by the rules — just hit it back and forth).
We originally played on our back patio (see picture below), but now we keep it in our driveway as we have a fire pit, eating area, and hot tub on our patio.
RELATED READING: How we organize outdoor toys/games.
Favorite Recipe = Country Spare Ribs
I loved this fall-off-the-bone tender meat the first time I tasted it as a kid… and Country Spare Ribs are still one of my favorite EASY recipes.
If you’re looking for a delicious comfort food that requires minimal hands-on time, give my recipe a try… it’s delicious!
TRY THE RECIPE: Country Style Spare Ribs.
Favorite Ah-Ah Moment = Washing Shoes
I regularly wash “washable” shoes like Sketchers… but I was always a bit leery of washing the kids’ more expensive shoes in case I ruined them.
I decided to give it a go a few months ago, and now I wonder why I waited so long. I’ve washed so many pairs of shoes over the last couple of months, and not one pair has been ruined, deformed, or in any worse shape after washing.
In fact, just this week, I washed one of my favorite pairs of older, VERY dirty shoes… only to have them come out looking like new (I wish I had taken a before picture. Sorry!)
I’ve had the best luck washing shoes with towels or the dog bed (I wouldn’t wash them with clothing, but that’s just me). I also remove the laces and put them in a mesh laundry bag — they get much cleaner this way.
If the sun is shining, I’ll set the wet shoes on the front porch to dry. Otherwise, I pop them in the dryer with no issues.
Seriously, don’t be like me and wait so long — wash your shoes today!
Favorite Archived Post:
Why I (almost) Never Say “We Can’t Afford That”.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve cringed whenever I hear someone say “we can’t afford that”, especially when it’s about something silly like going out to eat or buying a new pair of shoes.
In reality, we likely have the money to buy a pair of shoes or eat at a restaurant… we’re simply choosing not to spend it on those specific items because we’d prefer to spend it differently.
Yes, there are certainly things in this world that I literally don’t have enough money in my bank account to purchase… but those are not generally things I talk about on a daily basis with friends, neighbors, or my kids
“Sorry, we can’t purchase that yacht today… we can’t afford it until our next pay period”. 😂
I decided (many years ago) that I would try super hard to never say “we can’t afford that” (unless we’re talking about that yacht again).
Instead, I say things like:
- I don’t want to spend my money on that right now.
- That doesn’t feel like a good enough value for me.
- I’d rather spend my money on _________ instead.
- I think I might regret that purchase later.
- I’m saving up for something better.
- I’m choosing not to spend on that for now.
See… there are so many better, more positive, more empowering, and more truthful ways of phrasing this.
If you don’t want to make this subtle change for yourself, make it for your kids — it’s amazing how quickly they pick up on the different language.
Read the full post here: Why I Never Say “I Can’t Afford That”.
That’s all for this month. 😆
If you’re interested, you may scroll through all my Favorite Things posts HERE!
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