Things We Loved: August

Hello Readers,

Mary and I are introducing a new series to share what’s been going on with us personally, as well as what we’ve been loving as moms, bloggers, and chaos coordinators. Things We Love will also link to our #FoundItOnAmazon Idea Lists.

(Note: We do not get a commission for these. We’re still babies in the influencer world…)

Mary Loves:

August was a busy month. H&K had their 1^st birthday and like all proud parents who kept their little ones alive and healthy for a full year, we threw them a party. Good thing we found this themed party supply box. This box of goodies contained all the safari-themed flatware, drinkware, and cutlery, napkins, straws, and tablecloths you would need for 24 guests. They also have other boxes specifically for decorations. It was easy, efficient and sent in a cute box. Done! Less stress for me.
Did I mention the girls’ party included water activities for the kids? Since we don’t have a pool (just a hose and dream), we needed some fun items to make this party a splash. Enter our investment in an inflatable pool. This 1-foot deep water container was perfect for kids, ages 3 and up, to beat the summer heat and humidity. Bonus: It’s portable, so we’ll be converting it into a ball pit for the fall and winter.
Aside from the pool, water balloons felt like a must, so we found these rapid-fill water balloons. Oh yes, I became the coolest mom around, delivering 100s of balloons in minutes. Of course, like anytime you display such sorcery, those balloons were gone in seconds. Good thing we purchased a 10-pack.
Also in August, A started to read. For this, we bought early reader books that used simple sentences, repeated words/phrases, and displayed exaggerated facial expressions and actions to help him understand what he’s reading. Right now, we’re into Let’s Go for a Drive! and Green Eggs and Ham.
As for me, the return of social outings meant an accessory upgrade. For shows, sports games, and festivals, I’ve relied on small bags to keep like my phone, keys and now a mask and documents handy. With updated bag policies only allowing clear bags, I’m glad I found this clear crossbody purse. It’s cute, fits the essentials, and mad easy to swing through security.

Patti Loves:

This month, A&Z turned 3 and started their full-time PreK3 year. Two days in, they got sent home with…lice. Biggest joy ever. I picked up an over-the-counter kit, and it didn’t do sh*t. So the next day, we called up Lice Happens, a professional lice treatment and extermination service. Our technician was amazing and the girls absolutely loved her. We also picked up this real, heavy-duty lice comb. Complete lifesaver and blows the crappy OTC comb out of the water.
Mary and I meet twice a month for a coffee date and to talk about blog stuff. This past week, we instead met at Barnes & Noble to research our latest Child(ish) Reads post. In addition to browsing the kids emotional regulation titles, I also picked up Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Picture Book for the girls. A very cute, illustrated, 90s-centric bedtime story about fighting the monsters in your closet. I will probably pick up the rest of the series as well.

For me, I finished Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead and started We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry.

Troy, me, and the girls spent the first week of August in Folly Beach for the girls’ birthday and last trip of the summer. Since we expected rain for a good part of the trip, I packed a couple gifts I’d been saving since Christmas. Yes, this goes back to not opening every gift at one time and saving them when you need a new distraction/toy rotation. For this trip, I brought Connect Four (that was from consignment) and these Eric Carle lacing cards.
Over the summer, after a lot of Instagram ads, I finally broke down and purchased this popular BTFBM dress on Amazon. And Mary totally agrees, it’s THE dress. I’m pretty sure this dress will look amazing on any body and comes in 30 colors. I might’ve just bought two more to dress up for fall…