TGIF, friends – I’m looking forward to Matt having Monday off for Memorial Day so I have an extra day to squeeze some solid work time in! Feeling reeeeally frazzled over here this week, but I know I’m certainly not alone in that right now!
We are also looking forward to doing some grilling this weekend! Check out my Healthy Grilling Recipes for Summer post if you want some meal inspiration, like the recipe for the chimichurri grilled shrimp pictured below. Or in case you missed it, see my Easy Vegan Snack Ideas post from Wednesday for some make-ahead snack ideas for the week (tasty for vegans and non-vegans alike)!
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And now, here’s a random assortment of things I’m loving lately!
1) A Rainbow of Friends book (affiliate link)
If you have a toddler (it’s aimed for 3-5 year olds, but Riese likes it now at 2.5), I highly recommend this book – it’s so sweet and I love its message to celebrate and accept others regardless of differences.
2) Normal People TV show on Hulu.
I watched this last week at the recommendation of a friend and absolutely burned through it – it was SO good. Really raw and intense and incredibly real – I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend but just to warn you there are some very racy scenes so best to not watch with kids around. 🙂
It’s based on the original book of the same name (affiliate link), which I started reading this week and am also enjoying – interesting to know more of the inner thoughts of the characters!
3) This rope sling bag/one shoulder backpack (affiliate link)
My sister-in-law Jess gave me this bag for Christmas after I admired the one that she has, and I’m obsessed and now use it pretty much every single day. It’s perfect for when I’m out walking with Riese and want to bring our water, sunscreen, snacks, a diaper and some wipes, my wallet, cell phone, etc, but don’t want a full backpack or a purse/diaper bag.
It’s super comfortable and cute and it comes in a TON of colors/prints. I love it for our family hikes, too!
4) Salmon.
I’m really into salmon lately – such a fast and delicious dinner! We had a similar variation to my Sheet Pan Asian Salmon with Vegetables this week. Have you tried that recipe yet? It’s one of my all-time blog faves!
5) TikTok
Anyone else on TikTok? I just joined a couple weeks ago (my username is fannetasticfood if you want to be friends! I’ve only done two videos so far but planning to do more) and it’s HILARIOUS.
I’m especially obsessed with the funny videos of dogs and cats, and the really impressive super choreographed dances a lot of people are doing! It makes me laugh and anything that makes us laugh is helpful right now, right?… check it out if you want a little lighthearted escape. 🙂
6) Water Wow books (affiliate link)
Riese loves these books so much that I just bought a couple new ones!
They are really cool because you use the include refillable water pen thingy to brush water onto the pages, and it makes the image appear. When it dries, the image goes away, and you can do it all over again! Super cool and I love that they don’t create a big mess. 😉
6) This sunscreen. (affiliate link)
Finding a non-toxic sunscreen that isn’t so thick you can hardly squeeze it out of the tube is a challenge. It’s also hard to find options that go on clear and don’t leave you looking like you spread white icing all over your body. We’ve been loving that sunscreen since I discovered it last summer, and I just stocked up on a ton more a few weeks ago now that it’s getting hotter out.
It comes in a spray version (affiliate link) that I love, too – it doesn’t go on totally clear when you spray it so you have to rub it in, but it rubs in easily and I also like that the bottle lasts for ages compared to the normal spray sunscreens that are empty in basically one day. Their Mineral Sunscreen Stick (affiliate link) is also amazing for kids – perfect for trying to put sunscreen on the face of a wiggly toddler without getting it in their eyes/hair. 😉
7) Mexican food.
Yep, still 100% on the Mexican food train over here. This week, we had some leftover taco meat that we turned into delicious taco salads with greens, guacamole, cheese, brown rice, and some peppers:
We also had quesadillas one day for lunch stuffed with cheese, tomato, chicken, and finely chopped spinach. (With a side of leftover pickled veggies!)
And there you have it – some random things I’m loving lately!
A question for you before I go – how do you guys feel about the widget (called Slickstream) that I’m testing out that adds the little “filmstrip” of related similar posts to the top of posts when you scroll up? Is it useful or just more clutter? The widget also took over my normal blog search function – it’s responsible for the little floating search box you see on the bottom right of the screen, and you can favorite posts to save them for later, search more specifically than before, etc. Do you guys like it? Should I keep it around? Would love your feedback as my free trial is running out soon and I need to decide if I want to pay for it to keep it!
Have a nice weekend, my friends – I’ll leave you with some posts I’m loving from around the web this week:
- At-Home 30 Minute Power Yoga Workout – I’m hoping to try this free yoga class from my friend Gina during Riese’s naptime today if I can squeeze it in before an AnneTheRD client call! I love that it’s only 30 minutes… perfect length for at-home yoga!
- 10 Outside Activities to Do with Kids – Some great ideas here – thinking of buying that water obstacle course, how fun is that?!
- Spring Lamb Nachos – Yummm, love this unique take on nachos!
- Toddler Art Favorites – Going to check a bunch of these out – always helpful to have more ideas for entertainment, especially right now with zero childcare for going on 3 months!
