Hey friends! How are you doing? We’re doing well over here! We arrived home from the Azores late Sunday night (recap coming soon!) so it felt like the first half of our week was spent unpacking, adjusting to jetlag and finding our summertime groove. We don’t have many camps booked for the boys this year — just one week at the end of the month — so blogging might be a little sporadic as I navigate being home with the boys and blog/work stuff. I’m sure you’re probably used to that by now, though! Ha!
We’ll also be welcoming our fair share of visitors into our home this summer and we’re thrilled to be kicking off our summer guest visits with my parents and my sister and her family. We’ll have a house packed with 13 people for a week of summer fun and we’re ready for it!! My parents arrive today and my sister and her gang will be here on Sunday. My Aunt Laurie is also joining us on Monday for a short visit as well! Woop!
But for today I’m back in action with my weekly round of favorites. Keep on scrolling if you’d like to check them out!
Things I’m Loving
Goggle Case
The second we get to the pool, something switches in the boys and they’re in desperate need of their goggles so they can fly off into the water and swim their hearts out. I’ve been keeping their goggles in one of the waterproof wet bags I’ve had for years but for a while but if I forget to dry them out every once in a while, they can make the bag smell a little musty. Enter this new genius solution: The goggle case with draining holes and a handy little carabiner clip so you can hook them onto the handle of your pool bag and always be able to find them. It’s been a helpful little find for our family this summer — so much so that even Ryder commented on how it was so much nicer than rummaging through the abyss of Mom’s pool bag for his goggles. All three of our boys’ goggles can fit into one large case!
Oh and if you need decent kid goggles, we’ve LOVED these anti-fog Speedo kid goggles for a few years now. They’ve held up well and the adjustable strap on the back is a gamechanger if you’ve found yourself wanting to throw your kid’s goggles across the pool after trying to adjust those dang behind-the-ear straps.
Summer Responsibilities Tracker + Point System
Last year, we implemented a summer responsibility system that worked really well for our family. We liked it so much that we’re doing something very similar again this year. Earlier this week, we worked with the boys to brainstorm daily and weekly responsibilities. (Daily tasks look like washing dishes while weekly tasks might look more like picking a space in our home to organize.) Each day, if all of their tasks are complete, they earn one point. Once the boys have 42 points (2 weeks of points if they each get a point every day), they get to pick a fun activity from the list of activities we came up with together for us to do! It’s worked well because it’s collaborative and I think this also helps them all stay accountable. If they don’t complete their tasks for the day, they don’t get a point but if last summer is any indication, they don’t miss too many days. Here’s hoping it works well again this year!
Travel Curling Iron/Straightener
How have I never ordered one of these before!? This little tool is the perfect travel companion and was helpful for me during our most recent trip to Portugal and the Azores. It’s more compact than a traditional curling iron and can be used as a straightener, curling iron or wand for hair styling. It’s also dual voltage, making it usable outside of the US; I just toggled the switch to EU and plugged it into an adapter. It heated up quickly and worked well and was a great alternative to packing both a curling iron and a straightener every time I travel.
Everyday Dose Protein Coffee
This protein coffee majorly impressed me! I got it a while back to us...
