Ah, the ubiquitous “favorite things” post that is essential for any online blog. It would be such a shame for me to not partake of this online ritual.

In no particular order, here are my favorite ten things that make my days a little brighter:

1. Sonic Lemon Cream Slush. I deeply miss living in a town with a Chic-Fil-A. Thankfully I discovered that the Lemon Cream Slush at Sonic tastes… 90% like the Frozen Lemonade at Chic-Fil-A. On certain days the ice is grainier so it doesn’t hit the spot all the time, but it’s close enough that I get one once a week.

 

 

2. The Gatorade Bottle in my Center Console Filled 1/3 with Water. 

Another favorite of mine is Blue Gatorade, and I usually have a bottle with me all the time. Last week Gracie was acting up on the way home from preschool. Without thinking, I grabbed an old bottle of gatorade from my center console and used it to whap her on the legs while I was driving. There was just enough gatorade in it to make it forceful enough to catch her attention without bruising her. An empty bottle would have just made her laugh at me. Unfortunately, when I went to take a picture of the bottle this afternoon, I discovered that Gracie had gotten to the water during carpool pickup and it’s now empty. Not sure if that was a defense tactic on her part, but I’ll need to refill it before we take another car ride.

3. Walmart Grocery Pick-Up

I’m not going to go into details here, as most of America has had this for over two years now… but we just got it a month ago. Game. Changer. This morning, I sat in my car and ate a McGriddle while a sales associate loaded groceries into my trunk. If that doesn’t scream ‘Merica then I don’t know what does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Jeeves, My Roomba-That’s-Not-A-Roomba

I’ve been begging my husband to let me get a Roomba for years. This off brand (DeeBot) was part of Prime Day and so I snagged it. I named it Jeeves because I love Stephen Fry. I’ve found myself emotionally attached to it, despite it looking like a giant circular roach that crawls around the floor. Bea likes to sneak into the dining room (where it’s docked), turn it on, and then follow it around the house, so it’s a good babysitter too. Given that Willis lives to manufacture hair, it’s made my job of keeping the floors clean a lot easier.

 

5. The Audio Feature of my Video Monitor

Mom says I’m going to give Gracie a Big Brother Complex, but I’m willing to pay for the therapy this causes.   I’m pretty relaxed regarding Gracie and her naptime given that she’s four and doesn’t always physically need a time of sleep in the afternoons… BUT we still have “naptime” and she’s required to stay in her bed for a few hours in the afternoon (usually playing with dolls and singing). If I happen to check the monitor and see that she’s out of her bed, I’ll hit the audio button and (in a very Oz, the Great and Powerful- esque voice) “GRACIE GET BACK IN BED RIGHT NOW”. In a single bound (truly, it’s hilarious), no matter where she is in the room, she’ll be in bed and throw the covers over her head. I don’t do it every day; just when the thought strikes me to check the monitor, so Gracie never knows when it’s going to happen. I think that’s where the future therapy comes in.

6. Bea’s New Shoes

Ok, so this is super sentimental/sappy, but I just love the shoes I bought Bea recently.  They’re covered in donuts and ice cream… the quintessential girly girl shoe. She’s obsessed with shoes right now and loves wearing them (she hands them to me and says this “shhh-sooo–shhh–sooo” garbled noise). My uncharacteristically sappy feelings over these shoes stems from my relief that she’s finally walking after 18 months and we didn’t have to get any therapy to help her.  Hearing her run around the house is a daily reminder of how blessed we are despite her scary arrival.

8. My Manchester United Hat

I thought about posting a hair product that I use all the time and I quickly realized that this hat is used more than anything under my sink. My brother brought this back from a trip to the United Kingdom about 10 years ago. Most mornings I roll out of bed and throw this hat on to take Gracie to preschool. It covers a multitude of cosmetic sins. I also feel special because most people around here don’t know what/who Man U is so I get to feel all posh… except I know nothing about the team outside of their rivalry with Liverpool so I’m always a little worried someone will ask me I think the season is going.

 

 

 

 

 

9. Parenting in the Pew by Robbie Castleman

This is number 2 in my top 3 books that have most influenced me in the past five years (the other two are Behold Your God by Myrna Alexander and Unveiling Grace by Lynn Wilder). Gracie graduated from nursery to big church/ children’s church this month and this book has been an excellent teaching tool for me in regards to approaching the teaching of worship to my children. My heart longs for my children to – as she puts it- not borrow my faith like they do the family car, but own it for themselves. I can’t make my children believe, but I can try to mirror a joyful attitude towards Sunday morning worship that I hope they will have one day.

Gracie’s first church service was yesterday, and several of her practical points really helped: we guided her through the bulletin on Saturday night, so she’d know what to expect, and Gracie loved being able to put her “gift to God” in the offering plate. It wasn’t perfect, by any means… during the first prayer (seriously, that was the LONGEST prayer we have EVER had at church) I looked down to see Gracie on the floor, flat on her back, with her legs spread to the sky, showing everyone in the balcony her My Little Pony underwear. She also managed to escape from children’s church, causing me to sprint out of the sanctuary and around the building in 3 inch heels…. but that’s a story for another day.

10. My Beloved Pressure Washer 

Moms, next time you need a self-care day, skip the spa and treat yo’self to a pressure washer. In this stage of life where I feel like I’m in this never-ending cycle of cleaning, it’s incredibly cathartic to spray the ever-loving crap off of bricks and other hard surfaces outside. The first afternoon I used this, I wheeled it all over the yard, cleaning the windows, siding, brick, patio furniture, and driveway. I got so carried away that I almost used it to shoot down a wasp nest on the roof (don’t do that). I also entertained the idea of bringing it inside and using it to clean the 1,000,000 tiles in our master bath… that’s when my husband came home and talked me down. So if you drive by our house and see me with hot pink Hunter rain boots, my Manchester United hat, and this pressure washer… STAY AWAY. It’s been a bad day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There you have it. Ten of my most favoritest things. I hope you enjoyed learning about them, and please don’t judge me for smacking my child with a gatorade bottle.