Issues I am Loving Friday #482

What per week! Man oh man am I prepared for the weekend. Our week was jam-packed and I really feel like I’m simply starting to return up for air. Our days have been stuffed with a two visits to the boys’ preschool for Meet the Trainer, annual well-check visits on the pediatrician, a go to to an ENT for nasal cauterization to assist with Chase’s recurrent nosebleeds, work journey for Ryan, celebrating Rhett’s third birthday (the spotlight of the week!), martial arts and some extra odds and ends that got here collectively to make the week really feel like a whirlwind.

We’re thrilled to have a protracted weekend at residence on the agenda and plan to fill our days with household enjoyable and time with associates on the lake. A few of our closest associates will likely be becoming a member of us for lake enjoyable on Sunday with their youngsters and we’re actually wanting ahead to a full home!

I hope you all have an exquisite weekend and luxuriate in this week’s roundup of Friday favorites!

Issues I’m Loving Friday

  • Celebrating Rhett’s Birthday + Rainbow Cake

rhett 3 years old

Celebrating Rhett’s birthday this yr was all types of enjoyable as a result of HE liked celebrating his birthday a lot! He’s been anticipating and speaking about his birthday for months (due, largely I’m positive to the truth that his is the final of our boys’ summer season birthdays) so he was thrilled when it was lastly his big day. (And excellent news! He’s now telling individuals he’s three and never seven. It lastly sunk in.) With our two youngest boys nonetheless out of faculty, we have been in a position to fill Rhett’s day with lot of his favourite issues. At three years previous, this appeared like a MyGym class, a visit to the “massive” pet retailer and a day play date at Discovery Place Children with a couple of of his associates.

What excited Rhett probably the most on this birthday? His rainbow cake!

natural rainbow cake

After I inform you we’ve been listening to about Rhett’s want for a rainbow cake on an almost-daily foundation since this previous spring, I imply it. I adopted this recipe (however used 1.5x the substances for six layers and used my very own buttercream recipe) and he liked it! I had a momentary panic when the pure meals dye I used for “blue” appeared something however blue (see the underside layer) but it surely fortunately circled. Additionally, the cake was HUGE. I’ve by no means made a 6-layer cake earlier than and it definitely was fairly the monstrosity. I believe I’m nonetheless doing dishes.

At any time when individuals ask for concepts for presents for our boys, tub bombs are a go-to reply from me. They’re one thing our boys by no means appear to develop out of loving and I not-so-secretly love that they dissolve and don’t improve the variety of toys we now have throughout our home. Tub bombs and tub toys normally get a thumbs up from me as a result of they’re usable and one way or the other at all times really feel particular to our boys. Our newest tub time gem: The Munchkin Color Lab bath toy set. It’s been a enjoyable various to tub bombs and such a slam dunk with our boys that it shortly grew to become a go-to reward for me to offer to toddlers. (Fact be advised, all three of our boys completely love the colourful tablets and the way in which they make their bathwater so vibrant however I believe the packaging makes it a toy geared towards youthful youngsters which is why it’s a present we’ve given to toddler associates.)

You may drop the tablets instantly in tub water for a colourful tub, add them inside the whale or fish toy so the colour comes out of the underside (Rhett LOVES this) or add them to the colour mixing toy which continues to be a spotlight for all three boys. It’s a gem of a toy and something that helps lengthen tub time enjoyable on the finish of the day is a win in my e book!

  • A Weekend at Jellystone Golden Valley

I meant to recap our mini trip to Jellystone Golden Valley on the weblog this week however my early morning wake-ups for work time have been bulldozed by early morning wake-ups from the boys so a quick spotlight in at this time’s submit should do. We love Jellystone Golden Valley a lot and opted to spend a few nights on the campground in a cabin to have a good time Rhett’s birthday as a household final weekend! It’s such an awesome spot for households as a result of there’s a lot to do from mini golf, gem mining and leaping pads to fishing, climbing, swimming and humanities and crafts actions.

One of many massive adjustments since our final go to was the addition of an enormous blow-up impediment course on the lake.

This factor was enormous and spectacular and our boys had a blast climbing throughout it, sliding down the slides and leaping off the excessive jumps into the cool lake water. Our go to coincided with 90+ diploma temperatures outdoors so we spent a number of time within the lake and on the water playground.

(Price noting: Just a few years in the past, Jellystone invited our household to the campground once they initially opened however we’ve fortunately paid to return a couple of occasions since. I meant each phrase once I mentioned we’d be again and can’t suggest it sufficient to households with kids within the space.)

My ranking: B

Sarah Jio was one among my favourite authors once I was in my early 20s. Her books are simple to learn and sometimes lighthearted sufficient to not really feel too intense or heavy. They’re cozy little novels and With Love from London matches proper into this description of her work. Whereas it wasn’t a very plausible story (if you happen to learn it, you’ll know precisely what I imply), it was charming sufficient to carry my curiosity and was an satisfying, breezy learn earlier than mattress. (Additionally, if you happen to learn it and spot the authors use of the phrase, “I favored him/her instantly” time and again, I did, too, and it grated on me a bit.)

The story bounces backwards and forwards from the current day lifetime of Valentina Baker to the lifetime of her mom, Eloise, as she went from a single lady residing in London to a married lady with a daughter in California. When Valentina was 11 years previous, Eloise vanished and along with her disappearance got here unanswered questions and an intense eager for a relationship with the mom she fiercely adored. Valentina may by no means perceive her mom’s abandonment as all of her childhood reminiscences with Eloise have been magical and stuffed with love. A long time later, upon Eloise’s passing, Valentina inherits the bookstore her mom nan along with her finest good friend in London. Upon her arrival, Val realizes this can be the way in which she is going to come to know her mom and at last get the solutions to the questions she’s held in her coronary heart about her disappearance for greater than twenty years.

Some time again I started sharing a high 10 listing on the finish of each month as a option to provide you with guys a glimpse again into a number of the weblog posts you could have missed or a few of my favourite finds you could have had in your radar that bought misplaced in running a blog and social media mayhem. See under for July’s high 10!

Weblog Posts

Your High 10 Favorites

  • Clear Mesh Pouches (Aka the pouches I used to organize our electronic junk drawer. I’m pleased to report this technique is working SO nicely and has simply held up!
  • Colorful Beaded Necklace (Isn’t this necklace simply so pleased? I adore it a lot.)
  • Have You Filled a Bucket Today? (I really like that this made the listing! It’s our absolute favourite e book for serving to the boys perceive kindness in a means that is smart.)
  • Meat Chopped Kitchen Tool (Please inform me you guys are discovering this as useful as I’m!)
  • eufy Handheld Vacuum Cleaner (A substitute for the Bissell handheld vacuum I beforehand had that our boys broke. I like this one much more and suppose it has higher suction. So useful for cleansing up automotive messes, cleansing crumbs out of drawers, and so forth.)
  • Target Ribbed Tank (The $8 tank I’ve been sporting continuous.)
  • Beach Riot Dupe Bikini (The swimsuit I’ve been sporting all summer season lengthy. Seems to be identical to the Seaside Riot model however with higher booty protection. Mother life pleasant!)
  • Twisted Tennis Dress (So flattering! I ordered it in black and blue. Cozy and sensible for working round with the boys on sizzling summer season days. I believe will probably be cute with a denim jacket or hoodie layered overtop this fall, too.)
  • Cats and Dogs Reversible Puzzle (A puzzle our boys attain for again and again. The items are reversible so it’s two puzzles in a single!)
  • Nighthawk Ride-On (The hit of Chase and Ryder’s birthdays this yr. They’re obsessed and fly round on them each single day.)

Query of the Day

What’s one factor making you smile at this time?