Friday Favorites {#1}

I’m so excited to link up with A Little Bit of Everything, Grace and Love, and Momfessionals for my first ever Friday Favorites.

Four Day Work Week

My first favorite of the week is the fact that coming off of a three day weekend meant having a four day week of school. While my school year is off to a great start, I will take breaks as they come! It’s still nice to ease into this first month of school.

One Bars

We live near a Trader Joe’s and one of my favorite things to buy there are the ONE bars. I’m sure you can get them many places, but I just grab a few on my every other week trip to TJ. I also like the chocolate chip and glazed donut flavors. Surprisingly, I have the will power to usually just eat half of these bars. I think because they are rich in flavor, I just eat half one day, leave it in my lunch bag and eat half on the other day. It’s the perfect sweet to eat half of …even on my low carb days.

Packing Cubes

I’ve been using these packing cubes for at least two years, and they are certainly a favorite of mine. I was talking about them with friends the other day, so I thought I’d share them. While they are intended to help you fit more into your suitcase and I do believe that’s true, I just love them from an organizational standpoint. I’m a chronic over-packer, so these don’t help me pack less (haha!), but at least what I pack is organized. I’ve used them where each family member has a certain color for their clothes…or I’ve used them where everyone’s swim stuff goes in one, everyone’s dress clothes go in another, etc.

On our recent trip home from Florida, we were over by five pounds (this shocks no one who travels with me as I always fret if my luggage will be over in weight)…40 pounds adds up quickly. Anyway, just as Travis was about to pay the $50 (WTF?!) baggage fee, I whipped open the suitcase, pulled out one of the cubes, stuffed it in my carry on, and we made the second weight check. I looked at my family waiting for them to applaud me and confirm I’m a genius for making us use these when we travel…but let’s just say I’m still waiting for those accolades.

Fabulous Friends

Another favorite is a night out with these ladies. To say I’ve hit the jackpot of friends would be an understatement. Most of these ladies I’ve met through Hadley’s Girl Scout troop, but we all have kids that go to my kids’ school. They are certainly a blessing in my life…and going out to dinner on a Thursday night (we were missing a few ladies!) to celebrate Cassie and Estee’s birthdays was definitely something I needed.

The Flay List

One of my favorite shows to watch lately has been The Flay List on The Food Network. Bobby Flay has always been a fave of mine…and while he seems to have a tough exterior, it’s fun to see a softer side while he interacts with his daughter Sophie. The first few episodes had them sharing their favorite taco, fried chicken, and burger places in NYC. They seem to have a sweet relationship, and it’s fun to see her get him to relax and laugh a bit.

Side note: Flay is in the horse business as well, and we’ve seen him at the horse sales through the years…Hayden (who loves the show Beat Bobby Flay), spotted him when we were visiting Travis at a sale last fall and watched his every move. Hayden was star struck!

Friday Nights at the Pool

Friday nights at the pool have been a favorite. Sometimes we just go for a couple of hours, grab dinner and a drink while the kids swim, and cling to the carefree summer nights. (Real talk: the kids had to wake me from my Friday afternoon nap to convince me to go last Friday night…but so glad we did…it’s fun seeing friends, chatting, and letting the kids burn some energy)

Cross Country

Another fave is seeing the kids’ cross country team swag come in. They were so excited to see the shirts for their team, and the first race is tomorrow! We’re all excited to get the season rolling (or running?!) 😉

Homer’s Scarf

Homer, of course , is still a fave…although, I would love it if he’d quit knocking over small children with his enthusiasm. I definitely treat him like the third child I never had …complete with a new autumn scarf. September 1st = fall (y’all) in our house. I’ve ordered a few scarves from Golden Doodle Co on Instagram (thanks to a recommendation from my friend Natalie). The scarves are so cute and great quality…plus, he’s just too cute while wearing his pumpkin scarf!

Kindle Paperwhite

My Kindle Paperwhite is definitely a favorite of mine…so much so that I’m wondering what I did before I had one (besides read hardback books) 😉 Fun fact: I buy myself an end of the school year gift…basically because I survived that year…haha. So, I purchased mine from Amazon in May. I usually just check out books from the library (for free!), but have purchased a few on Amazon. Don’t get it twisted…I still prefer the feel of holding an actual book, but the Kindle is so convenient. It’s always in my purse, so I can read it while waiting on Hadley to finish dance class or if I have a few minutes before school starts, etc. I actually tend to read two books at once: one on my Kindle and one hardback book that usually just stays on my nightstand to read at bedtime. I never thought I’d do that, but it’s been a part of my reading routine for quite some time…and I tend to have two different kinds of books I’m reading to not confuse plot, characters, etc.

When I bought mine in May, it was on sale for $90 and definitely an awesome deal, and I bought the cover to ensure it would be safe when I kept it in my purse.

Hadley

Occasionally I find (52) Hadley selfies on my phone. They are always unexpected to find and always crack me up. She gives me a run for my money (on the daily), but I love her caring, outgoing, and silly spirit.

Another favorite has been seeing Hadley transition from only taking a hip hop class to also taking the combo tap/jazz/ballet class. I feel like this is next level 😂as she’s at dance for TWO hours on Wednesday nights. She comes home with the biggest smile on her face while plié-ing, prancing, arabesque-ing all over the house. I’m not saying she’s headed to Juilliard, but her grace, strength, and the five seconds she stands still to hold a pose amaze me. ❤️

Also- not to leave Hayden out but he’s been busting it on the soccer field…but Travis wins best dad award taking him to his practices while I take Hadley to dance…He’s on a team with lots of his baseball buddies, and the first game is tomorrow (followed immediately by the cross country race). #sweatyBoostatus 😂

Blogging

Blogging has become an absolute favorite of mine. I sooo appreciate all that take the time to read my posts. It’s been easy to think of content so far as I guess I’ve read many blogs for awhile…and I know what posts are of interest to me while also coming up with a few of my own ideas. I love sharing about my family, what we are eating, what I’m reading and other topics as well. It’s true that you find time to do things that are important to you, and blogging, so far, has become a part of my routine…and not stressful at all. Again, that’s so much for following along, and I hope there’s a little something for everyone!

Friday Meme

Lastly, this meme is a favorite that made me laugh out loud. Even though it’s been a great week, always TGIF!

I hope you have a great weekend, and thanks for reading my first ever Friday Favorites. Feel free to check out the other bloggers who linked up as well.

Have a great weekend,

Jen

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