I love a good alliteration, hence the title. Anywhoo, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged so I’m trying to get myself back into. Therefore, today’s post is a quick one. My need for quick accomplishment outweighed my desire to write a more intense post today. 

Without further ado, let’s jump into my five favorite things at the moment. 

(Note: Nothing below is sponsored. I’m not that cool yet.)

Caroline Williams Yoga on YouTube

I’ve found short guided meditations and yoga flows are really beneficial to me. Caroline adds Scripture and a spiritual Christian element to these meditations and practices that are so encouraging. Highly recommend!

Abide App

In an ideal world, this mama of an energetic early-rising toddler would have a hour-long quiet time to center myself in God’s Word each morning. If that’s your reality, awesome! You do you. I can’t swing it. But the Abide app offers a free short Scripture reading and devotional each morning that IT READS TO YOU. I’ve tried subscribing to daily devotionals that are emailed to me but something about having to actually put effort into it (by opening my email and reading it myself) seems daunting. At this point in my post you probably assume I’m really lazy, and you might not be wrong. Anyway, the point is that this app lets you pick your background picture and sound (waterfall, piano, etc.). And then they give you a short devotional with biblical context, prayer, and meditation prompt. It’s so cool! And it’s FREE! (There are premium options that you can pay for. But I’ve never tried them.) 

BusyToddler on Instagram 

I’m not a pinterest mom. I’m not creative in coming up with activities to entertain Jack during the looooong, dark, cold days we’ve had. So I finally tried a few of the dot sticker ideas she has on her site (she has a whole IG highlight section dedicated to dot stickers) and they kept my son entertained for quite a while. He LOVED matching the alphabet and it helped us talk about the different letters and sounds they make. She also has amazing ideas for sensory play bins and I’ve used those in the past, too!

Amazon Prime

I’ve already started my Christmas shopping (You can hate me. That’s okay.) And Prime makes it soo easy. Yes, you have to pay a yearly membership but it’s definitely worth it for free 1- to 2-day shipping. Ninety percent of my gifts are from there this year. It’s a great way to simplify my life and stay away from crowded stores and long lines. (Parenting has taken away all my patience for these things.) But the new added convenience of taking returns to Kohl’s for FREE is also huge!!

Boy Mom Podcast

I’ve followed blogger Monica Swanson on and off for a while. And she’s now written a book called Boy Mom and started a same-titled podcast. I haven’t read the book (it’s on my list!) but her podcast has such great content. My favorite episodes have been Raising (Emotionally) Healthy Boys, Let’s Talk About Moms And Sugar,  How to Pray for Your Sons, and Mom Guilt. Give it a listen! You won’t be disappointed. 

BONUS!

(Because “SIX Friday Favorites” just didn’t have the same ring, ya know?! So here’s an extra just for you.)

BLEACH-FREE Soap Scum Cleaning Hack

Cleaning tubs/showers = least favorite household chore. Emptying a clean load of dishes from the dishwasher is a close second, but I digress. Soap scum has never been much of an issue for me in other places we’ve lived. But in our “still-new-to-us” house, soap scum is the enemy. The only way I’ve been able to get it off is with some sort of bleach-enhanced bathroom cleaner and one of those dark green abrasive sponges. But I hate bleach. I really do. Unless my son brings home a stomach bug, then I love bleach. But in normal circumstances, I hate the stuff. So I’ve tried the baking soda meets vinegar solution many times before. And it just hasn’t ever worked for me. UNTIL. Until I had the thought to add a splash of dish soap to the concoction once it hit the tub. Wa-La! Best decision I ever made. Now I can effectively remove soap scum with a slightly more natural method than bleach. And our septic system doesn’t have to hate me anymore! (Note: According to a quick Google search, I’m not the first person to come up with this. But I didn’t know that ahead of time! I’ll continue to think I’m just this smart.) (Also note: I don’t think this will work for tile/grout.)

Hope you enjoyed this short and sweet post. Though I still rambled too much. Sorry. I like words. And I use a lot of them. My son would agree. 

What’s your favorite thing lately? Maybe it’s a cleaning hack. Or a TV show. Or podcast. Let me know! Drop a comment below. See you next time!