As I’ve gotten a bit into “summer mode,” I’ve taken note of some of my “must haves” for summer. I’m sharing those with you today!
I picked up this pool bag from Walmart this spring, and I have zero regrets. I’ve used my Scout pool bag for at least five years, but picked up the one at Walmart to use when I just need to pack a few things. So far this pool season, it’s the only one I’ve used as the kids tend to bring what they need in their backpacks…or if you are Hayden, you just throw the towel over your shoulder, and that’s all you need.
I’ve had these sunglasses since last year, and they are the ones I tend to use the most.
This cover up is absolutely one of my favorite Amazon finds last season. I have it in light blue and navy.
I bought this pair of Turkish towels last year, and they are perfect. I bring them to the pool the most over any towel because they are long enough to cover the whole lounger, and they dry quickly.
Of course sandals are a summer staple. While I have many sandals, I love my rose gold sandals (and Hadley has them in white). I also picked up these “comfort slides” a couple of summers ago. I have them in pink and white and wear them often. They are perfect for the pool, hot baseball games, and yard work. Plus, they are comfy and cute.
(I did size up a full shoe size in both.)
While I will often wear a ball cap, I have a couple of hats that I love. I got the hat below from Nordstrom almost three years ago. It doesn’t appear to be in stock, but I’ve had this similar Amazon one saved for quite some time.
I did order this one last year as another option, and I like that it has a strap if needed. I keep it in my pool bag.
It’s also perfect for a day on the boat.
It’s no secret how much I love my Kindle. It’s always with me poolside.
I went to the pool on Monday and had so many of my summer staples with me.
What are some of your “summer staples?”
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Hadley and I had a lot of fun at her dance competition last weekend.
She was in four dances, two large musical theater and two small group (lyrical and jazz), and they were amazing performances. I love watching her dance.
I can’t wait to see all the dancers accomplish this season.
We stayed at the hotel connected to the convention center where she was dancing in Cincinnati, and the hotel was so nice and convenient. Our room had a really nice view!
I’m not trying to be dramatic, but letting go of my “guilt” for not cooking on Sunday and ordering Thai food instead may have been the single best decision I made all week. From our orders, we had dinner for two nights! Plus, my beef pad thai was delish.
No photo, but on Tuesday, I went out to dinner some neighbors to meet a new neighbor. It was nice catching up with them and meeting our new neighbor.
Hayden had lots of basketball this week. His team won their last regular season game, but lost in the first round of the tournament. The end of a season gets me every time. I know they always give it their all, and it’s a bummer to see heartbroken players.
We’re proud of him and his whole team. They were so fun to watch over these past couple of months.
Speaking of basketball, my MU Tigers have had such an amazing season. Listen, when you live where everyone “bleeds blue” with the CATS, it’s nice when your own team has a winning season! I stayed up late on Wednesday night to watch their comeback victory.
On Wednesday, it was over 75 degrees! The temps have been amazing. I decided to run an errand before picking up Hadley, and realized, while in Walgreens, that I was wearing my slippers!
Favorite Mom Meme:
My kids like to test my patience…haha
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
Well, now that it’s March, and I’ve talked a bit about basketball in this post, it made me think it’s about March Madness…
I usually do throwback photos of the kids but…this memory for 2012 is a fun one for Travis and me. We went to Atlanta to watch the CATS play in the sweet 16 game. Then, we spent the night in Knoxville the next night and enjoyed a dinner out.
I love the pic of us on the left. I had it framed in our room forever.
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts from the week! They include a little bit of everything.
What are your weekend plans? Well, our weekend is starting a bit early. We’ve been hearing about the potential for severe weather all week, and last night they decided to cancel school due to high winds, rain, and the potential for tornadoes…and it’s not an online learning day!
We also have another dance competition and track meet on tap.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Like last week, we had a pretty slow week with not much in the evenings. That’s all about to change starting next week, but it was good while it lasted.
Anyway, here are some favorites from the week.
I stumbled upon Chris Harrison’s new podcast: The Most Dramatic Podcast, and I’ve really enjoyed the first few episodes. I used to love the Bachelor and Bachelorette and watched it pretty faithfully through the years. I haven’t watched it in a few years even before Chris left. I follow him and his fiancée on Instagram, and they seem like such a fun couple.
Anyway, the first couple of episodes were pretty serious talking about why he left the Bachelor franchise and what he’s been up to (and thinking, feeling, doing) during that time. Episode two, he brings his fiancée Lauren on, and she shares her thoughts and what they’ve been up to. Then, the third episode was mostly filled with fans calling in with questions which I really enjoyed too. It’s been a good new podcast to fill the time on my walks.
Santa put Scrabble Slam in Hayden’s stocking, and Hadley and I played it the other night. I love games that are quick and only need a couple of people. That way, we can try to play when we have a few moments. Travis joined us for a couple of rounds too. To start, you think of a four letter word and put those cards on the table. Then, you split the remaining cards amongst the other players. After everyone gets their cards, you say, “Ready, set, slam!” and start putting down cards to make other four letter words until you run out of cards. At one point, I told Hadley I felt sorry for her because she’d never beat me. Then, she beat both Travis and me the round that he played. haha
I got a new lunch idea this week, and I’m obsessed. With this meal prep, a little goes a long way, and I had enough for three lunches…and only a four day week! It’s Banza rice, romaine/arugula, chopped cucumbers, grilled chicken, edamame, and then some Asian dressing. I picked the Panera brand from Kroger. For lunch, I heated up the chicken, rice, and edamame and added it to my bowl of lettuce and cucumbers. Then, I drizzled it with the dressing. Easy, delish, and healthy.
How cute is this bag that my friend got me for my birthday? We share a love of the Golden Girls. I’m using it as pencil bag (with sticky notes, highlighter, etc) for my school bag.
I always have dry skin in January. Then, I always remember to do a better job moisturizing and feel better by February. Haha
Anyway, Amy shared this Jergens Weightless Wet Skin moisturizer a few weeks ago, and I found it at Target. You apply it before toweling off. I’ve been using it, and it’s helped my skin so much.
Favorite Kid Quote:
Remember the jar with slips of paper my kids gave me for my birthday? Everyone knows I’m not a big hugger. Of course, I hug my kids and Travis (and others!)…it’s just not my natural inclination to hug all the people. Anyway, at bed the other night, Hadley gave me a big hug and then whispered in my ear, “There are lots of these in the jar I made.” and I literally LOL’d. 😂
Favorite Mom Meme:
Why is this always the case? Lol
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
2013.
Besides Hadley’s Hello Kitty necklace and the little sticker on Hayden’s hand, I remember the kids coming home from the sitter and them thinking they were a princess and prince in their little crowns. Too cute.
Weekly Recap:
I’ve even been blogging on the weekends! I’ve enjoyed some of the Bloganuary topics along with my regular content.
What are your weekend plans? On Saturday, we’ll be cheering for Hayden at his first basketball scrimmage of the season, and then we’ll be cheering for the Chiefs on Saturday afternoon as well. Otherwise, I have a few errands and a bit more of the house to put back together post-Christmas. Sigh — I’m still working on getting things back to “normal.”
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so it’s the perfect time to take a moment to give thanks and be grateful.
Of course I’m grateful for a roof over my head, my healthy family, a rewarding job, Homer, starting my mornings with a warm cup of coffee, Amazon, grocery pick up and more. This is a natural time of the the year to count blessings and feel grateful. That being said, I know there are many who are going through so much more whether it’s a diagnosis, loss of a loved one, job loss and more.
I’m taking a moment to pause and think about all of the things, both big and small, for which I am grateful.
I am grateful for:
Travis.
Shew! I couldn’t do life without him. He’s the ying to my yang, the calm to my crazy, and just simply the best. We are a true team, and there’s no way I could juggle doing all the things while working full time and getting the kids where they need to be without him. Also, he’s just such a positive person who encourages and supports me. He’s there for all of us. Always.
(& of course, I’m thankful for my kids as well. They get our attention all of the time, so sometimes I need to remember to give a shout out to T-rav!) ❤️
My friends.
I have such a great group of “mom” friends as I call them. Without the kids, I wouldn’t have met these wonderful ladies. That being said, this year, in particular, I’ve gotten to know some of the moms of middle school friends that the kids have made. What a blessing it is to expand my circle. I appreciate moms who treat my kids as their own, give them a ride if needed, and even text them “Happy Birthday.” I hope these friendships, both old and new, continue for years and years and years!
A rewarding job with a calendar that allows for me to be present with my kids on days off. I’m not exactly sure how to word this…I don’t mean that I’m working only for days off. 😆
I really enjoy my job, and it’s so fulfilling.
I just mean that it’s nice to have natural breaks throughout the year where I know that I will be home with my kids, that I’m able to pick them up after school most days, plan visits with out of town family and more. I’ve lived off a school calendar since 1985, and I just appreciate having the built in time through the year to be at home, recharge, spend time with family, and get things accomplished without having to stress about taking days off.
My health.
Now listen…I know I’m not 25 anymore…and well, I wish I had appreciated my health back then! That being said, this year has been good for me in regards to getting on track with workouts and tracking what I eat. I’ve seen results that I haven’t seen in years. I think it took a bit for my hormones to level out after my hysterectomy. And, to be honest, while I’ve regularly exercised through the years, I needed to buckle down more on nutrition. While I’m forever a work in progress, I appreciate that I’ve taken the time for myself to workout four to five days a week and eat with “progress, not perfection” in mind.
As I type this, I haven’t had a good couple of weeks. We’ve been extra busy which means I haven’t been getting my workouts in like I’ve been doing consistently for so long. Also, my eating has not even been 80/20…feels more like 60/40 the past month or so. And…I’ve tweaked my back again. Last week, when I pulled the Christmas decorations out of the attic, I felt a twinge…and now it’s a constant pain (literally and figuratively). Once or twice a year, this tends to happen to me. I’m hoping to take it easy, and then starting Friday, I’m focusing on a plan for decent nutrition and workout schedule to get me to 2023!
Quiet mornings.
I’ve taken advantage of getting up before the rest of the house for years. That being said, with constantly busy days and evenings, that quiet time in the morning has become even more necessary. I need to ease into the day with a little “me time” that includes a cup of coffee, my favorite blogs, and right now, the glow of the Christmas tree.
You! Y’all are the best! Thank you so much for stopping by, reading, and commenting on my posts. I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many of my readers and appreciate this community so much. Show Me and Sweet Tea is a fun hobby for me, and I appreciate the support so much!
Before I go, I just thought I’d share one of my favorite recipes again. We always make this Turkey Rice Soup the day after Thanksgiving. It’s a family favorite. I thought you might enjoy it too.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. See you back here next week.
Hello! How was your weekend? We had a great one filled with birthday fun, basketball, downtime, winter weather, and more. One of the best parts? Today still counts as the weekend!
Here’s what we were up to this weekend:
On Friday, I picked up the kids up from school and then headed home after a very busy day at school. As I shared in my Friday Favorites post, Friday was my birthday.
Hayden had his first middle school basketball games that night, but I had already made plans with friends before the schedule came out. Travis and the kids dropped me off at my friend’s house, and we had a drink before going to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Carson’s.
The salmon is my favorite!
After dinner, we made our way to the Lexington Opera House to see our girl Heather McMahan. Her show was so funny, and we had a great time.
On Saturday morning, I woke up to a card and cookie cake from Travis and the kids. With a hectic Friday night, we pushed some of the celebrating to Saturday.
We actually had a pretty low key day, and then Hayden had two basketball games.
After the games, we picked up dinner on the way home, and watched football the rest of the evening.
Sunday started with us keeping an eye out on the weather. It started to sleet around the time we left for church, but Hadley was scheduled to be the acolyte, so we headed that way. After church, it was just raining, so we went to another favorite restaurant, Josie’s, for lunch. I had the quiche and side salad. Both hit the spot!
Then, I braved the grocery store. I decided it was probably best to go ahead and shop myself rather than do Clicklist because items have been so limited and I was afraid with the weather, items would be even more limited. I was at the store about an hour and found 90% of what I needed.
After everyone helped me unpack, Travis and the kids took Homer for a bath.
In the late afternoon, the sleet picked back up, and we settled in at home for the evening. I had time to read for a bit, and even took a brief nap.
For dinner, I made Bev’s Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.It hit the spot on a cold and wintry evening.
Then, we watched the Chiefs playoff game against the Steelers. The first half was a bit too close for comfort, but we really enjoyed the second half! Hayden loves to watch every second of the game! With now school today, I let him stay up.
You know I love books, and of course I love the Chiefs. I saw this floating around Facebook. The local KC library sometimes puts books together, and this was perfect for yesterday’s game.
We don’t have big plans today. I need to do a few things around the house, and then I think I will watch a few episodes of The Golden Girls in honor of Betty White’s birthday today. Hadley also wants to watch Sing 2. We’ll take one more day of downtime, and I bet the kids will play some out in the snow.
Hello! I can’t believe how quickly this summer has gone! We got out on May 18th which is actually about a week early for us, so while the summer did feel a bit longer, it still flew by!
Before I get started with today’s post, the Blogiversary winner of the Target or Trader Joe’s gift card is Abbey (@aengles)! I’ve messaged you on Insta, so let me know which gift card you’d like! Thanks to everyone who commented on that post; as always, I appreciate the love!
Before we really get into back to school mode, I’m taking a look back at our Summer Fun List for 2021!
This was the list of ideas the kids gave me once school was out:
Sports Camps:
Hayden attended basketball, baseball, golf camps this summer and loved them all.
Hadley did swim team and loved it! I was proud of her for always giving her best. After not swimming last summer and moving up in age groups, she had to swim 50s which was a big adjustment.
MLB Baseball Game:
Hayden and Travis made it to a Cincinnati Reds game on Memorial Day with a group of friends!
Pool:
Both kids loved the pool. This was definitely a summer of independence and as long as one mom was there, we felt good about taking turns keeping an eye on their pool friend group and giving the kids some responsibility.
I enjoyed the pool too! I can already feel my tan fading #sigh
Baseball:
On repeat. There was no shortage of baseball this summer, and, in fact, Hayden is still playing. His team is comprised of a great group of boys. We’ve had fun watching them play together, and they’ve had a really great summer season.
Snow Cones:
The kids hit up the pool snow cone dates a few times this summer! There’s nothing better on a hot summer day than a snow cone!
Camp:
Hadley loved her camp session. She had fun with friends old and new. Camp kept her busy. She was so tired when she got home!
Summer Dance Classes:
Hadley took a pre-pointe class as well as a tricks and turns class. The sessions are just six weeks long, and Hadley likes to take the summer sessions because it’s a chance to take some classes she doesn’t take during the year.
Baking/Lemonade Pie:
Honestly, we didn’t bake much this summer, but Hadley made Lemonade Pie a couple times. It’s definitely a refreshing treat!
Vacation/Beach:
We loved our five days in Isle of Palms, SC. It’s definitely one of our favorite places to visit!
Water Balloons:
We were able to squeeze in a water balloon fight with the kids and a few of their friends last week.
They had a great time. Of course, it was boys vs. girls!
S’mores:
Believe it or not, we never got to making s’mores this summer. I have all the ingredients in the cabinet, but we just never got a fire pit going. We typically do that more in the cooler weather anyway. I’m sure we’ll make up for lost time this fall.
Go to the Lake:
Well, Hadley got to go to the lake! She had lots of fun tubing and cliff jumping with her friends. I love the lake as well and wish we could have made that happen this summer. It’s just hard to do with baseball most every weekend.
Other:
This summer, we also:
Tried the new milkshake place in town.
We went bowling for Trav’s birthday.
We had 4th of July fun and enjoyed the fireworks.
The kids went to the Cinci Zoo with friends.
We were able to see family, and the kids played with their cousins a few times.
The kids logged lots of miles on their bikes and tons of time playing with friends.
The kids and their friends hosted a lemonade stand or two!
When I asked the kids what was the best thing you did this summer, they said:
Hayden:
golf camp
Hadley:
movie night at the pool
For me, the best part about summer has been my kids having so much time to play with friends and neighbors. We’ve definitely been busy, but the kids have had tons of fun with their friends. There have been lots of pick up basketball games, a countless number of miles biking around the neighborhood, and tons of fun at the pool. There will still be time to play, but now it will be after school. I’ll sure miss the sounds of laughter, the giggles and conversations, as well as the ball bouncing as the sun sets. Now, these kids will have a curfew 😉
How about this throwback from 2015? Tomorrow, these two will be starting middle school. Babies don’t keep. That’s for sure.
I’m changing up the tradition and doing a back to school brinner tonight rather than a back to school breakfast tomorrow morning.
I can’t believe I start my 20th year in education tomorrow. Time certainly is flying by!
Hello and Happy Friday! How was your week? We had a good one! We’ve had state standardized testing this week that both the kids and I have survived, Hayden has had two baseball games, and Hadley has had dance a couple of nights this week. The best part was that they had a couple of free afternoons to play outside with neighborhood kids. Life felt really “normal.” It was nice for them to run around and not be distracted by electronics or have to go to other activities.
I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites post.
I’m keeping it pretty simple with three faves from the week.
A favorite has been seeing the kids do what they love. Dance for Hadley and baseball for Hayden. While these activities are going on most weeks, it’s just been nice to see how Hadley’s confidence has developed with each competition, and Hayden has been having fun with baseball. They won an extra inning nail biter last night!
I tried out a new “recipe” after seeing Amy’s breakfast burrito post and then these “carb savvy” tortillas at Trader Joes. On Tuesday night, it was just me for dinner, so I sauteed some peppers and then added in eggs to scramble. I put that on the tortilla with some black beans, shredded cheese, salsa, and guac. It was an easy and delish dinner.
Another favorite was the book I finished. The Wife Upstairs was so good…and the Jane Eyre references made it even better #Englishteachernerd 😉
Also, Hayden loved the first Theodore Boone book by John Grisham, so I picked up books 2 and 3 at the library when I returned The Wife Upstairs. A favorite is definitely that the library is back open for business! It was nice to go in and pick up these books myself! (and another favorite will always be that Hayden loves to read!)
Also, speaking of books. Hayden said his class finished Where the Red Fern Grows. He said the whole class was crying at the end! I didn’t read that book until the 7th grade. I think I may read it again…even though I’m sure I will cry at the end too.
Other Faves:
Other faves from the week include:
the weather being pretty nice and the kids being able to play outside quite a bit with their friends.
Teacher Appreciation Week!
I sat in on 15 AP research presentations, and the seniors did such an amazing job. The future is bright, y’all!
Favorite Kid Quote:
Hayden told me to spell, “I Cup,” so he’s officially ready for middle school with his immaturity level 🤣 #ididntfallforit
Favorite Mom Meme:
Where is the lie?! 😆
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
This memory from 2015 popped up in my Facebook Memories. Sweet Hadley earned the game ball. She was on the same team as Hayden for three years, and it was always so fun to watch them play together.
Weekly Recap:
Somehow I did it again…I had a full week of posting!
Monday is our monthly Not Just a Mom link up. The topic is: concerts you’ve been to/want to go to.
With Mother’s Day this weekend, I know it can be a bittersweet day. I have so much for which to be thankful, but I know what it’s like to feel sad on Mother’s Day.
I hope you have a great weekend! We have a few things on the agenda, but I know one thing I’m not doing this weekend….cooking!…and maybe I can convince someone else to start the laundry?!
This week was a good one, but the weather sure has been soggy the past couple of days! After two later nights with ball games, it was nice to have no scheduled activities on Wednesday night. Then, baseball practice was canceled because of rain last night, but Hadley still had a couple of afternoon and evening activities.
Also, it’s Derby week, so Travis has been busy with work (and fun) while anxiously awaiting Saturday and the fastest two minutes in sports!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites post.
This week, I’m sharing some favorites from each day!
Sunday:
On Sunday, Hadley had a very early call time for her dance competition. Her team did awesome, and both dances earned gold stars!
The only good thing about at 7:00 arrival time for competition was that meant we were finished in time for brunch. We ate with some of Trav’s family at The Cafe, and the food was really good.
After brunch, we took a few minutes to wander around the farmer’s market/street fair that was right outside.
I purchased this new front door mat, and I love it. Plus, the jockey silk is my favorite color!
I purchased the doormat at a cute booth that had a quick craft opportunity. The owner had plain blocks and a jockey silk stencil, and Hadley (and her cousins) each made one of these cute little decorations.
Monday:
On Monday, Hayden had a baseball game, and I was so excited for these leftovers. I’d made Shay’s Beef and Rice Skillet Supper on Sunday, and the leftovers were even better!
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, my favorite part of the day was watching Hayden play baseball even though the game didn’t end up until really late due to extra innings!
Also, another week and more Trader Joe’s flowers 😂 Peonies are my favorite, so I always snatch them up when I go to Trader Joe’s.
Wednesday:
Honestly, the highlight of Wednesday was having zero activities in the evening. I was in my pjs by 7:00!
Also, I picked up these personalized cups in preparation for a little get together to celebrate Hayden and Hadley in a couple of weeks.
their first day of kindergarten!
Thursday:
Thursday was such a soggy day, but I was able to meet some friends for drinks and dinner on the covered patio of a favorite restaurant while Hadley was at dance!
Other Faves:
Some other favorites from the week include UK Women’s Volleyball winning the National Championship! This has been quite the headline all week. Every fall, we usually go to one or two UK volleyball games because they are always so fun to watch! Of course, we couldn’t go last fall, but we had fun watching their televised match on Saturday night.
C/o UK Athletics
I will say, this exciting news has also been uplifting after hearing the the somber news of the unexpected passing of UK Men’s Basketball player Terrence Clarke. The Lexington community has definitely felt the highs and lows this week.
This is kind of a random favorite, but last Saturday night I forgot to bring my sound machine (and my melatonin!) to Louisville. #doublewhammy I knew I needed some quiet noise to fall asleep, so I downloaded this app, and it was a great substitution for my regular sound machine. What I liked about it was that you can combine noises and then save the noises to your “favorites.” So, I combined white noise with the ocean, and it was just perfect, and now I have it saved for future use if needed.
While picking up my peonies on a quick Trader Joe’s run, I also picked up these Everything but the Bagel potato chips. I’d never seen them before, and I really like them! The good news is that neither of my kids like them, so they won’t be hogging them! 😂
Favorite Mom Meme(s):
I love this meme. It’s so true!
I feel this meme deeply. Something usually has to give!
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
I love this pic from April 2013. To be honest, I took it after a very difficult week. The most difficult week of my life. I remember taking this photo and counting my blessings (times 2).
Another favorite from this week in 2013…Hadley without a care in the world looking at horses. It’s rare for her to be still, and here she is taking it all in!
What are you up to this weekend? Saturday is Derby Day, y’all, which is the biggest day of the year around here! Believe it or not, we don’t have any baseball games this weekend, but Hadley does have one final dance competition.
I hope you have a great weekend! I hope to have a post for Monday, but I will have to see how the weekend shakes out.
I’m keeping it pretty short and sweet today as I’m trying to get back in the groove after getting home from vacation. I’m a procrastinator when it comes to unpacking, and of course, we had no food in our house, so I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday trying to get those things accomplished. Now, my Monday “to do” list includes all the things I didn’t want to tackle before going to Florida like scheduling appointments, finishing up school stuff…the list goes on and on.
Anyway, I saw this post on Facebook and then Trista posted it on her Instagram page. I thought the questions would be fun to answer.
You Live on a Deserted Island with…
One book:
Where the Crawdads Sing – I don’t think a book has made me look stop, reflect, and think about life from the perspective of a character since To Kill a Mockingbird. I didn’t want it to end.
My runner up books would be: Bread and Wine, Tuesdays with Morrie, and TKAM.
One kind of food:
Pasta! #givemeallthecarbs
My runner up food would be: Mexican
One TV series:
Golden Girls #duh
My runner up series would be: Friends or Designing Women
Also…
I saw a friend share this on Facebook and thought it was so interesting.
I want to be Pastel Nights, but I have a feeling I’m more Mint Stone.
So…what about you? If you were on a deserted island, what would your choices be?
After starting a blog, I realized there are many people who may not read any blogs…ever…so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites.
The first two blogs are ones that I have been reading for years…and I’m not sure how I stumbled upon either one…but I love them both.
Mix and Match Mama is one of my favorite blogs to read. The author is Shay Shull, and her brother Sean was one of the Bachelors on ABC. She’s the mom to four kids, two of whom are adopted. Her posts on adoption have really opened my eyes to that aspect of parenting. She’s certainly an inspiration as she shares her stories about all of her kids! Also, she has several cookbooks. Her cookbook Simmers is something I use at least once a week! I always thought using the crockpot was only for pot roasts (which isn’t a fave food of mine), but she has SO MANY wonderful recipes. Some of the recipes I’ve probably made fifty times! The King Ranch Joe (chicken recipe w/ corn bread), Chicken Tortilla Soup, Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joes, and Beef Enchilada Tacos are all family favorites in my house.
The Kids in the Kitchen cookbook is fun. We don’t use it often, but I usually let the kids choose a recipe or two to try ….usually a dessert, and we will make that on a Sunday afternoon. The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Baked Pizza Pasta Casserole, and S’mores Pie have all been a hit! (**You can find both cookbooks on Amazon.)
Also, on Mondays, she always includes multiple recipes for “Meal Planning Monday.” I usually get my groceries on Sunday, so I usually get a few ideas for the next week which is awesome because when the next weekend rolls around, I already have at least one dinner idea!
Besides cooking, she shares about her family, what she wears (which has led to my love of Nordstrom), books she’s read (I get so many ideas from her!), and about the awesome vacations she and her family go on. (She also owns the Mix and Match Travel Agency.) She posts daily (M-F) which I love, and she’s one of the first blogs I read every day.
Another blog I’ve been reading forrrrevvver is BevCooks.com. Bev Weidner is hilarious! Like laugh out loud funny. She’s a Kansas City based blogger. She posts a couple of recipes throughout the week, and there isn’t one that I’ve made that I didn’t love. Then, on Friday, she always posts a “Friday Flotsam” with random pics and thoughts (and questions!) that always have me smiling.
She has also been on the Food Network show The Kitchen cooking various recipes and has an online Food Network show called Mom Wins with quick and easy tips and recipes your kids would love.
Speaking of kids, she’s the mom to boy/girl twins and started her blog before having the kids and struggling with infertility. I connected with her on that level but also the fact that she keeps it real…all of the time…the good, the bad, and the ugly of life.
Lastly, her Instagram stories are awesome. She’s just so funny and light hearted that it’s easy to connect with her. Recently, she’s started a “book club” where she reads books and shares about them with the viewers. I’ve gotten many recipe and book ideas from her along with a good chuckle or two!
Momfessionals is another blog I love reading. Andrea is the author and mom to three kids and full time middle school math teacher. I believe she started her blog years ago as a way to keep family members up to date with her growing family, but she shares so many other aspects of her life like educational toys and games, recipes, and teacher resources.
She is so artistic and will occasionally post some of her drawings as printables for kids to color. At Christmas time, she had a whole village with various houses and buildings…they were absolutely incredible and a fun way to give your kids something to do as well as let them be creative as well.
She spends so much time with her kids. I can tell that she’s a very hands on mom but sets clear boundaries for her kids while also letting each one of her kids be individuals, and she definitely embraces that. One of her recent posts was about her driving three hours round trip to pick up a bearded dragon for her son!
Other blogs that I love to read but don’t read as often are:
Living with Landyn, Kristy Wicks, Cotton Stem, and A Little Bit of Everything
I know everyone is super busy but these blogs have added to my life–whether it’s a recipe, a parenting hack, a book idea, or looking at life in a different way, and I hope my blog can be a source like that as well.
One last thing–I started an Instagram acct for this blog– @showmeandsweettea To be honest, it may all be too much to juggle–Facebook, Instagram, blog, (and school is about to start!) etc…but I figure it can be a public acct and a way to let you know when I’ve created a new post.
showmeandsweettea.com 