I feel that we checked many things off our to-do list around the house this month and still squeezed in a lot of fun! Soccer season was off to a rocky start with the weather last month, but it evened out in May so the girls had lots of play time. Then we are prepping for some updates around our home that are beginning next week. It’s certainly one way to kick off summer!
Books I’ve Read
- Cleopatra’s Dagger by Carole Lawrence- Elizabeth van den Broek is the only female reporter at the Herald in 1880. She is from a very well-to-do background, but wants to cover stories with more grit. Then she and her friend find a body wrapped like a mummy in Central Park. This begins her investigation of the murder, and those that follow! I think the historical ‘strong female lead’ was a nice touch, but Elizabeth’s life is so contrived and the mystery falls into place too perfectly. I like a little messiness to mysteries and guesswork. 3/5
Products I’ve Tried
- Red Chocolate– I was so excited to try some @redchocolette ! Their new RED Blonde chocolate is absolutely phenomenal! It’s caramelized white chocolate made using a unique patented process. Yum! 🍫 All chocolate by RED has no sugar added. But you’d never guess with the delicious flavor and creamy texture. I love that it has 30-40% fewer calories than other chocolates too! Use code LAURA10 for 10% off your entire order!
- Amazing Co Picnic– OMG. This experience was SO fun! 100% recommend! Matt and I did a picnic date around Naperville and loved trying so many new (to us) restaurants then enjoying the picnic on the Naperville Riverwalk. It was incredible and would make a really fun gift, too!
- Air Purifier– We have been so happy with this air purifier we got from Amazon. It’s been really helping with our allergy symptoms this season and we have more peace of mind knowing the air we are breathing in our home is cleaner. Here is why we chose it:
-child safety features like child lock and auto shut off if tipped
-4-stage filtration process that cleans 99.97% of airborne particles
-detects surrounding air quality instantly and has color indicator
-Can automatically adjust fan speed according to air quality under the auto mode
-5 fan speed settings
-FAST! Can clean air in a room of 1540sq. feet in 1 hour
-very quiet
-has sleep mode and timer options
If you are looking for cleaner air in your home, I love the FIWOTTTDA air purifier! Use my link for $35 off!
Recipes I’ve Made
Not too many new recipes this month since there was so much going on. And I need to repeat all of the delicious recipes I’ve made in the past, too! Here is what I did try:
- Birria Tacos– Matt made these in his smoker and then finished them in his griddle. They had some heat to them, but were so good!
- Banana Pepper and Cheddar Sourdough- I used this bread recipe which is our favorite. Then I added in about 1/3c of banana peppers and cheddar cheese when I stretched and folded the dough and made the recipe as usual. So delicious!
Currently
- Celebrating- We are celebrating Avie finishing preschool and heading to preK next year! She learned so much and had such a wonderful class of students and teachers. Truly blessed!
- Giving- I’m trying to give myself some extra time for ME. I know I’ve said it before, but I don’t take enough time for myself and then I become overwhelmed because I don’t feel like I get a break. It would be better if I could regularly schedule fun little things!
- Taking- Since Claire will be on swim team this summer, it seems I will be taking her to the pool almost every morning. I guess it’s a surefire way to ensure I am up and ready for the day. Haha!
- Trying- We got some samples of Flavor PB Co. Powdered Peanut Butter and can’t get enough! It’s lower calorie than typical PB and it comes in so many fun flavors! You can make a dip, mug cake, mix it in drinks or oatmeal and more. We love the churro, taffy apple, and cookies and cream flavor, but can’t wait to try more.
- Wearing- Last year I got some of the Birkenstocks made of EVA. They are super comfortable and I love wearing them around the house in lieu of slippers in the summer. Claire decided she wanted a pair so we got her some. Now Avie had to match us as well! So we’ve all been wearing our Birks lately!
- Family Update
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- Me- In spite of not giving myself too many goals, I still got a lot done! I ordered a new settee for our master bedroom, new rug, and took an antique chair we inherited to be reupholstered. Then I got a trunk from my grandparents that I shined up as a coffee table for our room. I can’t wait to see it all come together! I haven’t been running much since I still have achilles tendonitis from my half marathon last month. I really hope it clears up soon. Every night I ice it and try to stretch to help it heal.
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- Matt- Matt has been master of the yard work lately. Honestly he says he likes it, but I think part of it is having a couple of hours to himself.
- Claire- Claire did really well with soccer this season. She really got in there more and lost a lot of her timidness. I hope we can get her on a good team in the fall to continue to challenge and improve her skills. She starts swim team this week. I can’t wait to see her compete!
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- Avie- Avie is excited for summer, but I think she is going to be missing her friends at school. Her last soccer game is this Saturday so I may have to sign her up for more soccer or some additional camps because she is one social girl and I can’t keep up with her!
MAY GOALS
- Get Claire and Avie signed up for VBS– Done! And I’m volunteering as well so I went through training.
- Work with contractor- We have our tiles all picked, the fan for our sunroom ordered, new faucet for laundry room ordered, and just need to work on new granite or quartz countertop for laundry room.
June Goals
- Organize girls’ clothing- I need to reorganize the tubs of clothing Claire has grown out of, but Avie has not grown into yet in our storage room. It’s going to be a job!
- Go strawberry picking– We go annually and I make freezer jam. I’d love to go again!
- Clean and organize toy cabinet in garage– It’s that time of the year again. And the cabinet is a mess! I’d love to get this cleaned up a bit.
LINKING UP WITH ANNE & WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY
