Favorite Things Update: May 2017

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Here is your one stop source for all of the favorite things I have talked about in my email newsletter and my Facebook Group this month. It's easier for me - and hopefully for you - to group them all together here occasionally.

I never recommend products that we haven't actually tried and loved, so you can be sure that everything I've included here are things that my family are putting through some pretty rigorous every day use!

Here is a quick index so you can jump right to the section you want. Links to all the items are at the end of each section. 

Favorite Kitchen Things:

We've tried out lots of new things in the kitchen and around the house the past few months - here are the ones that we love and are using basically every day. 

  • An amazing little egg cooker that makes fabulously easy to peel hard, medium, and soft boiled eggs in just minutes. I tried this at a friend's house and fell in love.
  • A tap for our milk and juice bottles in the fridge - my kids can now get their own drinks without spilling!
  • An insulated drink bottle that really does keep drinks cold for 24 hours.
  • A magnetic fridge menu board. I have been letting my kids fill it in and they love it.
  • Straw lids to turn jars into drink bottles. We use these for smoothies.
  • LED refrigerator bulbs. Who know a bulb could make such a difference - it's like a brand new fridge, it's so bright!
  • I got a new sweeper vac and a steam mop, and OMG I had no idea my floors were so dirty until I saw how much these two items got up! I was already vacuuming every day, but even after using my other favorite vacuum I ran this new one over the floor and I was somewhat disgusted at how much it got! And the steam mop - just wow. It makes mopping so fast and easy.
  • Every time I share a picture of something in my little berry boxes, I get questions. They're super cheap - I got mine at the grocery store. It's a little colander insert inside a container with a lit. They keep berries, other fruits, and cut veggies fresh in the fridge for a very long time.  
  • My oldest daughter (9) loves to make tea for everyone. This honey dispenser has solve the messy honey problem - no more drips and sticky spills. 

Health and Wellness Favorites:

I mentioned in my newsletter that we are trying to get back to boosting up our immune systems, and just our overall health and well, after a winter and spring full of one bug after another. 

  • Vitamins and supplements for all the kids: multi vitamin, probiotic, vitamin D.
  • Protein smoothie mixes for me: protein powders, greens mix, green tea powder, and a blender bottle to mix it all up in.
  • For my autistic kiddo, we are working on calming and sleep with some magnesium supplements and melatonin.

Tech and Gadget Favorites:

We are gearing up for summer road trip season, and I'm trying to make sure I have all my gadgets updated and ready to go.

  • One important item for me while I'm driving is a good hands-free mount for my phone in the car. 
  • Our minivan has the video entertainment system, but it only came with two pairs of wireless headphones. With four kids, this doesn't work! I got these headphones that work universally with all wireless car entertainment systems. Bonus - they also have a jack to plug a headphone cable into, so we can use them both in the car and with our devices. 
  • Audio cables for those headphones
  • Some extra long headphone extension cables
  • A headphone splitter for sharing devices
  • A multiple port car charger - for charging four devices at once
  • Extra long (10 foot!) iphone/ipad charging cables

Sensory Kid Favorites:

For my autistic child, but also for a couple of my other kids with sensitive sensory systems, I am always looking for things that will help them get through their days.

  • My son uses headphones to block out sound, but he also likes to listen to music, so I got a great new pair of headphones that do both for him. We use a body sock and various swings for body calming.
  • Fun new food face plates have made meal time a little more fun and engaging for the really picky ones. 
  • Spot It is our new favorite game. It's great for my kid who has a little visual processing trouble, it helps to practice with training your eyes to look for things. Every other thing I've tried to work with him on this has been rejected, but this game he will bring to me and ask to play.
  • To say that these hairbrushes have saved my sanity is really not an exaggeration. My kids are really sensitive about their hair, and these brushes let me get the tangles out with no crying.

Art and Crafty Favorites:

A few art and crafty items that we are having fun with: 

  • I can't get enough of these erasable pens. I keep buying them!
  • My kids love to make little books, to write stories, fill with stickers, draw pictures. I got this swing arm stapler and it makes book making so much easier. 
  • We got these great Snapware boxes for my girls to store they Playmobil sets in. They have an insert with a divider, so they can organize some of their little parts and pieces. 
  • I'm using this clear organizer on my desk to organize all my favorite pens. It looks great and keeps everything handy, and it's easy to pick up and move around when we want to do some coloring or drawing.
  • A huge roll of white butcher paper has endless uses. We use this to cover our table and draw our seasonal "tablecloth". We also use it to make big maps or roads on the floor. It makes for really fun wrapping paper - wrap a present in white paper and then get out stamps, stickers, marker, etc. and let the kids make the gift totally personal and special. 

I think that about covers it! I'll keep you posted on the Facebook Group as I come across more to love - so make sure you're joined the group so you never miss an update. 

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