FRIDAY FAVORITES: FULLY LOADED

Hey everyone!!  Happy Friday!

Yes, I did. Hahaha.  Did you?!  I thought that was too funny (and true) not to share!

I'm back today with a bigger than normal Friday Favorites list and I'm linking up with Erika, Narci, and Andrea who are some of my favorite girls!

We don't have too much going on this weekend which is how we prefer it around here.  ;)  Tonight is Trunk or Treat at our church, so I'm meeting up with some of the girls (including the three above!) so we can attempt to turn a trunk into a pirate ship.  That should be interesting.  Haha.  And then Matthew had a game scheduled for 7:45 which would give us time to hit up all those trunks once the event started and still have time to get to the ballfield but now the game has been rescheduled for 6.  Which is also when Trunk or Treat starts.  I'll have to decorate and run and the boys will have to miss Trunk or Treat this year.  And they are not happy about that at all.  :(

Local peeps!  Here's the info if you'd like to come out tonight!  We'd love for you to come!

I'm hoping to make up for that by taking them to the movies on Saturday to see Goosebumps 2.  Has anyone seen that yet? 

Sunday we have church, then baseball practice and then a football game.  Weekends just go by way too fast.

Now.  Let's get started on this week's FAVORITES!

We were out of school on Monday because of parent-teacher conferences and thankfully, school is one area where I don't have to worry much (so far) about my kids.  They are kind, respectful, helpful, smart and get along with everyone.  (Yes, I'm bragging.  Give me my #proudmommoment.  But they really are all those things.)

Matthew is in 5th grade now and starting to tell me when he doesn't want me to post a picture to social media because his hair looks weird or because something (completely unembarrassing) is embarrassing to him.  So that's why I don't dive in too deep with the boys on here.

HOWEVER.  I will brag about their parent-teacher conferences and what I was told because I still have rights as their mama.  ;)

Matthew's teacher told me that he was really starting to step up his school work.  (We'd been a little worried about math earlier this year but he's completely turned it around and we are no longer worried in the slightest bit.)  He's making good grades, coming out his shell more and more (he's a shy one) and the best news she gave me??  She said that every teacher had to pick one boy and one girl out of their class to be part of the school-wide Kindness Crew, and that Matthew was the obvious choice for her class!

I was definitely more proud of this than any A+ he could have received.

The Kindness Crew meets during school hours to discuss different projects they might want to implement in the school to help spread kindness.  How cool is that?!  I am so excited for him.  He was thrilled to be chosen.  That kid has the sweetest soul.

After Matthew's conference, I headed straight to Mason's classroom for his conference.  Mason may be my wild child at home but at school he reigns it in.  He's never been one to get in trouble, he's always been bragged on for being one of the most helpful in the class, the first one to volunteer to clean something up or help someone out.  He's also a naturally smart kid which is good because he doesn't like to sit still long enough to read a book or do homework.  Thankfully, this year they don't have homework (THANK YOU, 3RD GRADE!) and that has worked out well.  ;)

(His only HW has been his Star Student poster.)

Mason's teacher also had nothing but awesome things to say about him.  It was a very quick and easy conference.  He said he wasn't concerned in the least about any of his school work and was performing well above average in all subjects.  And he was always so respectful and just a really good kid.  And then he said what almost made me tear up.

He told me that there is a little girl in the class with some special needs and that he purposely sat Mason directly beside her.  (They sit in groups of 4 with all their desks pushed up together.)  He said Mason is so good with her and so kind and doesn't treat her any differently than any other student.  They are buddies.  And he said he knew Mason would always be willing to help her and he knew he wouldn't have to worry about that seating arrangement at all.

And then yesterday, we found out that he was also chosen from his class to be part of the Kindness Crew.  My heart almost exploded.  I could not be a prouder mama.  Both of my kids were singled out in both of their classrooms as being the kindest boy in the room.  #lifemade

I pray daily that they keep it going.  Love those boys so much it hurts.

This week in the Etsy shop, I've been pumping out tons of these stainless steel cups!  FINALLY, they are back in stock in some of the most popular colors and it made me happy to relist them!

You can find these cups HERE or my entire shop HERE.

All stainless steel cups come with a matching straw.

This sky on Monday night was UNBELIEVABLE.  Is that not a gorgeous ombre?!  You know it's a good-lookin' sunset when you jump on Instagram and see that 20 of your local friends have already posted about it.  ;)

YYEEEEESSSSSSS!  I finally decided to just bite the bullet and grab one of these babies!  I posted it to the FB Group when it was on Lightning Deal for $200 (as opposed to $379) and couldn't help myself.  I had to have it.

We had one a Roomba when they were first released however many years ago.  Ten? 12?  Back when they were only available in the Sky Mall magazine.  haha  It died several years ago and since the dogs would go nuts anytime it was on, we just ruled out getting another one.  But now that we are down to just one dog and she is old and has no energy for attacking the robot vacuum cleaner anymore, I think we're good to go.

When I pulled it out of the box, it was the quickest and easiest set up ever.  I haven't looked at all the things it can do, but to just get it cleaning, it was literally the push of a button.  I'll study the booklet today but I am GIDDY about this, y'all!  Also, it's still on sale for $90 off if you want to check it out!  Works with WiFi and Alexa!  Merry Christmas to me!

I ran out of my normal face wash the other day (both of them actually...this one and this one) and dug through my stash to see what else I could use.  I totally forgot about this Colleen Rothschild cleansing balm and now I think it may be my new favorite.  Until a NEW favorite comes along of course. ;)

For starters, this stuff is so much different than my normal cleansers.  There's no foam or bubbles.  It's this solid waxy substance that turns into an oil with the heat of your skin.  You massage it onto dry skin and it just melts away your makeup.  I wet my FAVORITE microfiber washcloths in hot water (I've told you about these a BILLION times now) and gently wipe away the balm.  It leaves my face hydrated without being oily and feels like something you'd find at a spa.  It is a little pricey but a little goes a long way.  And I only use it to wipe off makeup at night.  I have this one ordered to use in the mornings.  It's a tried and true favorite and works great with my Clarisonic.

My favorite new top is back on Jane right now!  I ordered this in plum, royal blue and olive and it was NOT a mistake!  I am so crazy happy with this purchase!

I wore the plum one last Saturday!

Yes, this is the best picture I have.  I'm not great at remembering to take outfit pics. I ordered a medium based on the size chart and I'd say its very TTS.  And seriously, you can't beat that price.

I got this HEAVENLY soft hoodie in from Jane this week and I WISH I could link it for you because it's fantastic!  The deal has ended for this one but if you're in the FB group, keep an eye out because I'll post it again as soon as its available!  It is perfection and you need one.

And because I'm all about being cozy in the winter (and because I'm ALWAYS cold), I grabbed this one yesterday in ivory.

You can find all of the Jane deals HERE including my favorite buttery soft leggings for just $8.99.  I have them in 4 colors now.  They feel so good when you slip them on after you shave your legs too.  #justsayin'

I haven't actually gotten this in yet but wanted to share it with y'all since it was on sale right now and it has been something that my FB group members have been snatching up since I posted it.

It's called Ultra Dash and from what I can tell you race around with the controller thing in your hand, tag the targets that are lit up and try to beat your record. My boys will go nuts for this and I ordered two because they were on sale from $24.99 to just $8.93.  Nobody has to share. ;)

This one is a very random Pinterest find but I felt obligated to share.  We've got pretty solid controls on our kids' devices but I thought this little chart was an easy reference.  My biggest fear isn't that my kids will find bad stuff on their devices...its that OTHER kids will show them things from THEIR devices.  So as a mom, I'm hoping all the other moms will be on the same page with this stuff.  It only takes one picture to destroy their innocence.

If you can't read the small lettering, you can find it here on Pinterest.

In case you missed it, I've been busy working on a new sister blog for this one that will be a place for all of the daily deals I find and post in my FB group!  I'm aiming for a Monday morning launch so stay tuned!  :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!  I'll be back next week with my October Book Review, including Elin Hilderbrand's newest release, Winter in Paradise!