10 Favorite Things: June & July 2020

And suddenly it’s mid-July.

How did that happen?

We’ve already eaten all the watermelon, gone through all the sunscreen, and the dogs even survived the 4th of July fireworks without barking nonstop.

Whatever 2020 has placed on your doorstep this year, you’ve made it halfway through. It’s practically pumpkin spice season, right? 😉

Like you, the last few months have been a ball of stress for me.

Back in May, a good friend introduced me to the idea of keeping a gratitude journal. This may or may not sound really woo-woo to you, but I can promise, it helps, a lot.

A few mornings a week, I make it a point to write down 5 things I’m feeling grateful for. The last few months, this simple act of writing down concrete things has helped lessen the weight of the world tremendously.

If you’re feeling weighed down by everything, I encourage you to give it a try.

That simple gratitude journal is what inspired me to start sharing these lists with you.

While my usual posts focus on practical solutions for everyday #momlife, these casual posts allow me to take a break from structure and share bits & pieces from my everyday life.

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10 Favorite Things: June & July 2020

1. Two Person Raspberry Crumbles

In May’s Favorite Things post I shared a photo of the two person mini deep dish cookies. This recipe is also from Pinch of Yum and is also so good (and so easy).

This is one of those recipes that’s so quick you may just make it every night after you put the kids to bed. Just saying.

I’ve made variations on this with blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries with peaches AKA all the summer fruit.

2. Nadiya’s Time to Eat on Netflix

LOVE this show. Do you know Nadiya? She won The Great British Baking Show a few years ago and she is just full of life.

Her show on Netflix is so bright, colorful, happy and full of delicious food. Watching it just makes you feel good. And Nadiya is a mama to 3 kids! Highly recommend this one.

3. Little Bento by Michele Olivier (Baby FoodE)

I have a self-professed cookbook problem. But in my own defense I can say with certainty I’ve read each and every cookbook on my shelf.

This book is great if you have a little one attending preschool, kindergarten or elementary school this year.

It’s filled with colorful Bento box lunches, with tons of recipes you can make in advance. Some of our favorite recipes so far include the pizza pinwheels, chocolate energy bites, and kale quesadillas.

4. Playdough Trays

I recently shared these playdough trays on Instagram and you guys loved them!

The clear plastic trays are from the Dollar Store and all the knick-knacks came from my activity closet. You can set up your own tray with whatever your child is interested in. Paw Patrol? Mermaids? Construction? Anything goes.

5. Feeding Toddlers & Summer Survival Guide

This summer I’ve released two new helpful guides in our store! Here’s a little bit of info on each guide.

Feeding Toddlers: I had so much fun designing the cover for this ebook and just packing it with all the information I could think of to make feeding a toddler less stressful and more enjoyable. If meal planning is not your thing and Pinterest is sort of a black hole for you, then you need this simplified guide in your life.

Summer Survival Guide: The title says it all. If you’re home with a toddler or preschooler this summer, this guide will teach you how to structure your days at home (especially with social distancing and closures in place). Filled with easy activities anyone can do at home, help with daily routines, and summer safety essentials, this guide will help you answer the question: what should I do everyday with my toddler this summer?

6. Themed Dinner Night

Are your kids obsessed with Dragons Love Tacos? If you don’t have this book (or the sequel) add it to your Amazon wishlist ASAP.

It’s a fun read for girls or boys – especially if they love tacos and/or dragons.

In the book, the dragons can only eat tacos with 3 things:

• Lettuce
• Cheese
• Tomatoes

So the girls and I set up a themed dinner night featuring all the ingredients from the book, plus black beans & shredded chicken for the taco filling.

If you’re in a dinnertime rut from eating dinner at home the last 3 months, give this idea a try!

7. Birthday Week!

My daughters are exactly 2 years, 6 days apart. So every summer, we celebrate Birthday Week.

This year, they turned 3 & 5. We decorated with a Sofia the First theme (purple everywhere), ate tea sandwiches & cake, and played pin the amulet on Sofia. It was the perfect day.

8. Nighttime Potty Training

A few weeks ago, I asked in my IG Stories what kind of blog post you guys would be interested in, and the overwhelming response was overnight potty training.

In this post, you’ll learn step-by-step how to nighttime potty train a toddler or preschooler, including the gear you’ll need, and troubleshooting tips.

9. Summer Schedule

Not afraid to admit I’m a Pinterest Mom at heart 🙂

I really love making the most of the seasons, and this is a fun way to change up your summer routine.

If you’re feeling like everyday is Groundhog’s Day lately, this is a doable way to change it up.

10. Soak it All In

And lastly, a simple reminder mom-to-mom: these precious summer days won’t last forever.

We may have the weight of the world on our shoulders at the moment, but our kids are kids. And childhood is magical. Don’t ever forget that.