Friday Favorites #36

Hello and happy Friday! It was a very cold week here in northern Michigan, but I think some “warmer” temperatures are coming! The boys have a half day of school today so not sure what the rest of the day will look like. I am considering taking them to the mall, we shall see if this mama is up for that challenge.

I low key love this time of year with its very little plans and quiet weekends at home. That is exactly what is on the agenda for this weekend.

Thank you for stopping by today! Keep on scrolling for this week’s list of favorites:)

Grandpa’s Visit

I posted all about our long weekend with grandpa on the blog earlier this week. You can read it here:) We absolutely love when grandparents visit and we’re able to spend so much quality time with them.

Iron Flame

I finished Fourth Wing last summer and waited very patiently to get my hands on Iron Flame. I loved the ACOTAR series, so it’s no shock I am hooked on this series too! It’s an action-packed fantasy read with captivating characters, sassy dragons, suspense, adventure, and steamy romance. This book is THICK but it’s definitely keeping my interest and I am already 300 pages in after a week. So good!

Family Game Nights

Winter is the time of year we tend to play board games a lot more as a family. Even though the sun sets early, I prefer not to have screens on every night, so board games are a great option. While our boys still love a good game of Candyland, they are getting to the ages where they can play games that are a little more fun for grown-ups, especially Lucas. Our favorites lately have been Shark Chomp Champ and Blokus.

Shark Chomp Champ is very fast paced and essentially the game “Spoons” we played growing up. You have to get a four of a kind and be sure not to miss out on grabbing a shark! I like this version because there are no “suits”, and the boys can easily make matches with the pictures.

Blokus is much slower paced and a game of strategy. The object is to get all your colored pieces on the board while strategically blocking your opponents. It can get pretty cutthroat haha! I absolutely love games so am excited for future family game nights this winter and beyond.

Christmas Wrapping Organizer

I consider myself a pretty organized person but was majorly lacking when it came to Christmas wrapping supplies. When putting my Christmas things away a few weeks ago, I decided to order this wrapping organizer to get that under control. I finally got around to opening it. What a difference! I really like the big clear pockets, and everything has a place now. I am excited to wrap now in 11 months haha!

Health-ish Sweet Treats from Costco

I have a sweet tooth and sometimes do not grab the healthiest of things at the store. However, the last few trips I have found two sweet tooth options that are not totally bad for you: Skinny Dipped Dark Choclate Cups and Rip Van WAFELS Dutch Caramel & Vanilla. Both only have 2 grams of sugar at 70 calories so a much better option than your typical cookie or granola bar. I could not find either on the Costco website but they are a way better deal at Costco than Amazon!

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Owen has asked me to read this classic book to him every night this week. It has actually inspired a whole other blog post I will be publishing soon. As a mother, this story has always tugged at my heartstrings, even more so now as my children are getting older. I look forward to these few minutes each night, singing the song to Owen, him laughing and saying, “I’m not your baby” or assuring me “I don’t ever want to leave”. Such tender moments I will hold on to forever.