5 Favorites – unrelated to pregnancy or labor

Joining Heather this week for 5 Favorites!  Some of these are merely odes to things that everyone already knows about, but I’m recognizing because of their helpfulness to me right now. 

1.  Water shoes for summer shoes for kids

My kids do a ton of outdoor stuff in the summer, which is great.  For the past few years, I’ve been getting them Keen sandals, justifying the expense because they wear them every single day and they’re good for water adventures, hiking, etc.  This year, I took some advice from Katy and decided to try out water shoes.  The ones I got (Speedo brand) are really flexible, fit well, stay on, and have great treads for things like hiking and climbing playground equipment.  More importantly, all the kids really like them.  And they’re water shoes, of course, so they’re…good in water.  They dry very quickly.  PLUS!  They’re about half the cost of Keens, which makes a difference when you’re buying quite a few pairs.

2.  Sanuk Yoga Sling sandals for me

I like my shoes to have flexible soles.  But I also walk a lot on pavement, so I need something cushy or my feet start to hurt.  There are barefoot shoes that have a ton of flexibility, but if I wear them on a walk I can’t go far because of their lack of cushioning.  These sandals, however, are awesome.  It took a little getting used to the fabric between my first and second toe, because I’m not a flip-flop wearer usually, but once I got used to that, these have been my FAVORITES!  The bottoms are made of yoga mats, so they’re very flexible and very cushy and I can walk for a long time without wearing out my feet, even on pavement.  Also, they’re not ridiculously expensive.

3.  Caller ID

Can I get an AMEN?  I’m not sure why Natl Gun Rights feels the need to call me three or four times per day right now, but the ability to just ignore their phone calls – or press talk and then press off right away – is an absolute dream. 

4.  Play Dough

This stuff is saving my bacon right now, because any time Tess is bored, I can suggest she play with play dough, and she goes to town.  This works really well, since there are some things that happen in our day that don’t need to have a two-year-old “helping.”  ALSO, when I’m reading History to the kids (did I mention that I’m a mean mom whose kids are STILL doing school?), they all like to have play dough to play with while I read, and having their hands occupied helps them to pay attention to what I’m reading.

5.  Crock Pot

I’m sure I’m not introducing anyone to anything new with this one, but it is one of my favorite things.  This isn’t my exact model, but it’s similar.  And I love this thing.  I don’t make as many meals with it in the summer as I do in the winter, but right now it is making beef stock.  Well, actually, I have two crock pots, one that’s a smaller model.  And right now they’re both making beef stock.  This is fantastic, because the stock is supposed to cook for something like 2 days, and I don’t really relish the idea of having my stovetop on over night…for some reason.  Oh!  and we made the black beans from Smitten Kitchen’s cookbook as a side dish for the smoked ribs Michael made the other day.