June Favorites
Happy Friday and first day of July, Friends! I have missed catching up with you and sharing my favorite things. It’s interesting how summer can be more relaxed is some ways, but busier in others. I definitely have my hands full with all three kids home and out of school. So, today I’m recapping what we’ve been up to in June. I love writing these posts to connect with you guys on a personal level. I hope you’ll take time to leave me a comment sharing some of your June highlights.
Samuel is 6!
It’s hard to believe my sweet boy is six years old! Samuel is our middle-child, and a special rainbow baby who came after a hard season of loss. He’s funny, loving, adventurous, and always goes a million miles an hour!
To celebrate his big day, we took Samuel and his friends to a trampoline and play park called Urban Air. He LOVED it. We ordered pizza and let the kids run and jump around for a few hours. His actual birthday was on a weekday, so that day he FaceTimed family members, opened presents, and we made an ice cream bar of fun toppings.
Summertime Meals
It’s officially summer, and I am craving refreshing salads, anything grilled, iced tea, and all the quintessential summertime staples. Here’s a few meals on our menu this month:
Grilled Italian Marinated Chicken Thighs
Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Healthy Peach Bellini Iced Tea
If you need more ideas, check out my 4th of July Recipe Roundup!
Splashing Summer Fun
I can’t be the only mom who puts a lot of pressure on keeping my kids entertained and creating a summer full of fun memories. It’s hard to know what to do day-to-day in this Texas heat. What I have found to provide a lot of fun is water activities. Here’s a few things we are loving that I think your kids will too:
- Slip N’ Slide: This was a gift Samuel requested for his b-day. It’s been really funny to see the kids warm up to it. It took a while to get past the fear of a nice, long, running start! This one has small, blow-up boards to help you glide, but the kids prefer to go without.
- Pool: Growing up I always loved playing in an inflatable pool. We don’t have a community pool in our area, so I felt like this was a must to keep cool.
- Water Table: We have had this since spring, and it’s been a hit with Owen (1). I love that he can splash around independently, and play with the toys while mama has a minute or two to drink an iced coffee or scroll Instagram. However, the spiders love it – eeek! And my pest control guy warned me to check for scorpions with all our water toys. How’s that for country life?
- Plastic Slides: Although these aren’t a water toy, my kids have turned them into one. They love to play with the hose and make a little water slide, or position them on the ends of the blow-up pool to slide right in. If you have a toddler, a slide like this will provide hours of fun. Also, the only reason we have two of them is because Amazon delivered one to the wrong address, and I thought it was lost. I requested a new one, but that’s when a neighbor also dropped the first one off at my house.
Outfit Inspo
Many of you know I am on both a weight-loss journey, and a journey to finding myself again. Fashion is something many of us let go of when we are overweight or just uncomfortable with our bodies. To inspire myself to dress and feel better, I started following a variety of fashion bloggers (plus sized and mid size):
If you want to see some of the outfits I’ve been wearing, follow me on LIKEtoKNOW.it.
On My Watch List
What shows have you been watching this summer? A few on my watch list are: The Summer I Turned Pretty (My sis raved about this one), Ted Lasso (I know it’s been out for a while, but I still haven’t seen it!), and obviously I binged the new Stranger Things season! Dying to see the last two episodes.
Easy Summer Snacks
Since having my weight loss surgery, I have to make sure that I am getting enough protein. My new favorite snack to have on hand is the PaleoValley Grass-fed Beef Sticks. They are so so good and satisfying, plus they are made with super clean ingredients.
A Sweet Surprise
Last week, our neighbors showed up at our doorstep with the sweetest, little kitten. They found her abandoned, and asked if we would be able to help. Of course I said yes! Abby, Samuel, Owen, and I all enjoyed her precious snuggles and sweet purring.
Although we weren’t able to keep her because of full plates and allergies in the family, we found her a loving home. A friend of ours was able to post in her neighborhood FaceBook group, and we met the perfect new cat mom, who couldn’t wait to adopt the kitten. It really does feel like country life around here.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know. xoxo
Sara