Friday, July 6, 2018

Friday Favorites

Happy FRIDAY!!!  Except it kind of seems like a Tuesday, am I right?  A mid-week holiday coming off of vacation has thrown me completely off!

Erika, Narci and I are sharing our FAVORITES for the week and we'd love for you to link your Friday Favorites post with ours at the bottom of the post (don't forget to grab our graphic and link back to one or all of us!)



First up on my list of FAVORITES are #allthetoys 

 After being gone for a week I feel like all of our toys have a new life and the kids have been busy playing, playing, playing.  (All the moms said AMEN!)  And yes... Jack Bauer is all up in all of our business ALL THE TIME - but he's our FAVORITE so we'll forgive him. ;)



We've had a lot of messes (I mean - WHY are we building stuff on the stairs?!?!?!) but they've been playing sweetly and getting along nicely so I'm counting it a win.


Next up are our FAVORITE souvenirs... Christmas ornaments!


We like to collect ornaments when we travel and these three are especially sentimental because we made them at camp.  Our tree is a big mix of special memories and I can't wait to add these this year!


My other FAVORITE kind of souvenir is anything handmade pottery.... especially mugs. 


Another FAVORITE I wanted to mention are  these packing cubes.  They come in a set of 5 (2 large, 2 medium and 1 small) for around $20 and I use them to pack and keep everyone organized while on our trip.

Mason was green, Luke was grey and Griffin was pink and the large bag had all of their daily outfits for the week, another had pjs and underwear and another had bathing suits and socks, etc.  


Dave and I each had a color as well and then I have a 6th color that I've used for "family outfits" (i.e. I had our western stuff in one, blast from the past stuff in another, etc.).  And all of these sets...


... squish down into one of the large size bags for storage.   I've been using these for a couple of years and adding colors as we need them and they're so convenient.


Another FAVORITE has been this Green Goddess salad dressing from Trader Joe's.  I was skeptical because it sounded/looked kind of gross (honest!) but it is SO GOOD!!!


Evening water balloon fights have been a FAVORITE...




... and these tencel pj pants are a FAVORITE as well.  I'm a SUPER hot sleeper and these are lightweight and breathable and awesome! (and under $20)


This backpack has been a FAVORITE as well... I've had it since last Spring and have used it a TON.  We used it exclusively in Colorado to carry around the camera, water bottles, etc. and it held it all but wasn't too big. 


During the last quarter of school I used it as my "teacher bag" and used it to carry my laptop (it has a padded back), papers to grade, pens, etc.   I love this bag!


I've mentioned a few times that I'm NOT a shorts person.  I'm not really sure why I'm not - I just typically pick dresses or jeans instead and after a long time of not wearing shorts I tend to think they look weird on me :) hahaha

All that to say - I found  some shorts that I LOVE!  They're comfy, lightweight, not too short, come in tons of colors and I feel like they're easy to dress up or down.




Last, but not least is our new FAVORITE game - Ticket to Ride!


I can't even explain how much fun this game is!  Luke was introduced to the game by our counselor at camp and he woudln't stop talking about it!  Dave had played it with him there as well and attested to how much fun it was (I think I was doing crafts with the younger two) and so I ordered it on the car ride home.  Y'all - it's AMAZING!!!  We've played multiple rounds of it every day this week and it is a total blast!  There's definitely a LOT to think about it and the first time or two you play it feels a little bit "clunky" as you figure it out - but then everything clicks and it's the best game ever.  Mason is seven and even he loves to play it!  I can't recommend  Ticket to Ride enough!

I hope y'all had a wonderful holiday week and a relaxing weekend ahead.

PS - this post contained affiliate links... thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog!

39 comments :

  1. I love fjall raven! I used to be partowner of a children's boutique and we sold these. Love them as diaper bags:). ALso, I collect Christmas ornaments when I travel. I love pulling them out of the box and putting on the tree every year... it's almost like looking through a photo album at old memories! Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. So fun! I've really enjoyed my fjal raven and next time one of my kids needs a backpack thay will probably be the route I go! And yes about the ornaments! I love the conversations that we strike up as we decorate!

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  2. I'm obsessed with how organized your travel was!!

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    1. I feel like I partly-channeled you when I packed certain things by day - it was so convenient!!!

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  3. If I order that game, can Luke come over and show us how to play???

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    1. Girl, you know he will! He'll finish up any unmade Lego sets you may have lying around as well! ;)

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  4. There's a game called Forbidden Island your family might enjoy. Everyone wins or loses together. My brother says there's some you tube channel that shows how to play games - they find it helpful prior to playing a new one.

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    1. Ooooh! I didn't even think to check youtube! That's a great tip!

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  5. We love ticket to ride! I also buy an ornament each year from wherever we travel on vacation and we mark it with the year so we have a lot of great memories hanging on our tree each winter.

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    1. YES!!! Great minds think alike with the ornaments - and I love that my kids now know we're on the hunt for them when we're traveling or doing other fun things!

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  6. Oh that game looks like so much fun! Can’t wait to check it out!!

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  7. We love Ticket to Ride! We have two versions of it!

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  8. Happy Friday! I think you are the queen of good suggestions. I have saved so many of your book and kid item things!! Isn't TTR so fun?! Or ee affectionately call it Trains. :) Strategy needed, but not too mind-boggling!! Have a great weekend!

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  9. I’m a huge fan of packing cubes too! They’re so convenient- we use them all the time! Happy weekend!

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  10. Ok- I have a dumb question: do you pack your packing cubes in a suitcase or leave them out? We’re heading to CO in a week and I’m trying to think through fitting it all in our car. I thought loose cubes might work better than 5 suitcases, but maybe not??

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    1. We packed them into suitcases.... you can really fit a lot of them into a suitcase when you squeeze out all the air!

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  11. My kids are a little younger than yours and we LOVE ticket to ride jr. It is the same concept, but just a little easier and faster.

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  12. My kids are a little younger than yours and Ticket to Ride Jr. has been a huge hit. (My hubs and I like to play the regular version).

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  13. Why have I never bought packing cubes before?! Doing it right this second for our trip in 4 weeks. I can't believe I have to wait 4 more weeks!!! :( I feel like I'm waiting for Christmas morning. I need the beach. Now.
    That Inspired Chick

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  14. Love those packing cases; seems like it would make life much easier when going on trips!!

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  15. I absolutely love that handmade pottery mug! And oh the matching plaid shirts! Too cute.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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  16. What a great list of favorites! I love those shorts with the chambray. When we return from vacations my kids love just being home and playing with all their toys too. I love the idea of packing cubes and how each person has their own color.

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  17. I love picking up ornaments (and pottery!) from the places we visit as well. My problem is I tuck the ornaments away for safe keeping and then can't find them when it's time to decorate the tree! Ha!

    We love Ticket to Ride as well. You're right about the first time playing...totally confusing but then totally fun!

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  18. Joining the link up this week. Those packing cubes are great. We have a small family, there are 3 of us, but I'm sure it would come in handy.
    http://therantingsofadramaqueensmum.blogspot.com

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    1. YES! Everyone would get their own color and it's perfection! :)

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  19. What a fun mix of favorites! We LOVE Ticket to Ride too! We have friends that we play it with often so we call it having "train game night" ;-) You should try the European version sometime too. It's just as fun but with some more tricky rules added!

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  20. Ticket To Ride is a great game!!!

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  21. the lego all over the stairs...haha :) And JB with the kids...so cute :) I guess I missed my chance to link up....here is my link. https://thewainsateam.blogspot.com/2018/07/five-on-friday.html

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  22. We love Ticket to Ride too! Did you know they have a younger version of it too? GG might like that one!

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