Hi, friends! Happy Friday!
It’s starting to feel a bit more like spring here in the PNW. There are more peeks of sunshine (but still with plenty of rain), the temperatures are slowly rising, and I think that flowers are beginning to bloom which is always fun — I love when all of the colors start to pop!
We’re going to take Sophie to Woodland Park Zoo tomorrow and I’m so excited! We have taken her to aquariums before, but this will be her first zoo trip and this local zoo is such a charming one. I can’t wait to show her all of the animals that we’ve seen depicted in books & movies in real life! She’s going to be so excited and it’s going to blow her mind! haha
I have also been trying to make a point to get both Sophie and myself outside lately. The weather has been a bit dicey, so it’s really challenging to find the right time to go out (frustratingly enough, the weather is usually best during her nap…). We’ve been talking stroller walks around the neighborhood and exploring the back yard whenever we can and it’s made such an improvement on our mental health!
Today I’m sharing five things that have piqued my interest or things that have been on my mind / going on in my life recently!
PRE-PREPARED CHICKEN HACK
I recently stumbled upon this pre-prepared chicken options while perusing Target’s refrigerated section and these could be so handy for a variety of dishes if you’re in a time crunch! I especially love the shredded chicken because I particularly hate the task of shredding chicken so discovering this product made me extremely happy. I also really enjoyed the fajita-seasoned grilled chicken and will definitely be buying that one again.
Just a few ideas for these two chicken options:
protein addition to any salad, an actual chicken salad, fajitas / tacos / burritos / quesadillas / enchiladas / nachos, buffalo chicken, added to a soup, BBQ sandwiches, toss with pasta, Greek stuffed pitas, Caesar wraps… the list goes on!
I have found that the expiration dates aren’t too far out which leads me to believe that the meat is fairly fresh and that they aren’t completely pumped with preservatives (I’m sure there are some, but they’re not going to last you three years, you know what I mean?). Of course, fresh is always going to be best, BUT if you’re pressed for time this is a MUCH better option than frozen (which I have found always end up with a rubbery texture…). These have been awesome to have on hand for us so I just had to share!
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Milkweed Seeds
I recently saw a TikTok about planting local milkweed varieties to help save Monarch butterflies. The TT video claimed that the seeds are free, and while you can technically get the seeds free of charge, the organization humbly asks for donations to keep their endeavors afloat. I just mailed in my donation with accompanying return envelope so I don’t have my proper seeds yet, but I couldn’t wait to share because planting season is quickly approaching!
I’m not an avid gardener [yet! 😉], so I’m not knowledgeable about all of the details on how to best care for these seeds, but I have found the varieties that do best in my region, whether they need special germination treatment, whether or not they can be planted in containers, how far apart to space the seeds, how much light / watering they need, and then if they are perennials, how to maintain the plant during the winter. It sounds like a lot of work, but not really. Once the seeds are planted you’re kind of on autopilot from there and the seed prep sounds fairly straightforward.
Some milkweed varieties can even support bees and hummingbirds! If you have the ability (and desire!) to contribute to this cause by planting some milkweed, I highly recommend utilizing this organization to get your seeds. If nothing else, please share the information with your friends that may have an interest!
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TUCKABLE TEES
Oh. My. God. Where have these been all of my life!? I’m honestly obsessed (a word I don’t use lightly) and need two in every color to wear on repeat. The fabric is thick and sturdy, yet soft and stretchy… they’ve basically been designed to have the effect of a bodysuit without the annoying bottom portion. I ordered the shirts in all three colors (white, grey, and black) in the long sleeve option and two white short sleeved tees for layering. *I want to note that the short sleeves are not tight on my upper arms. My arms aren’t the slimmest so this is typically a pain point for me with most short sleeved t-shirts which means that I often avoid them, but I do not have that issue with this design! So thrilled.
I hope that Abercrombie changes their mind about them being “limited edition” and decides to keep this style around because WOW. I am seriously sooo impressed with this option. Highly recommend if you can snag one before they’re gone!
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MERIT GREAT SKIN SERUM
I’m not a beauty / makeup guru, but I do enjoy trying the occasional new product and I have found that I really love the way this serum makes my skin feel. It’s a great primer before putting on your makeup and it was designed to be layered with moisturizer to really plump and hydrate your skin (which I can use as much as I can get now that I am in my 30’s and especially in the colder months).
I was skeptical about it, but it’s become one of my favorite new beauty products to date so I would definitely say that it’s worth giving a try!
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Baby cold remedies
Sophie just got over a cold and these are the things we used to make her comfortable and to try to beat her symptoms quickly.
For starters, we put a humidifier in her room. We have a generic humidifier from the pharmacy because we were desperate for one back in December 2022 and didn’t have time to research and buy / order a more deluxe one, but it gets the job done. If you don’t already have a cool mist humidifier, I highly recommend getting one and this is the one I would get if we were replacing the one we have.
This chest rub is awesome for opening up sinuses. It’s not quite on par with the medicinal Vick’s Vaporub, but it has the same effect and it’s safe for little ones! I used it especially when putting Sophie down for a nap / bedtime to help her breathe easier while reclined.
I also bundled Sophie up in like 3 layers of clothes during the day, gave her lots of steamy, warm baths, we had LOTS of snuggles, and I gave her a lot of Cutie clementines in the hopes that the Vitamin C would give her immune system a little boost. I also gently used her muslin burp cloths from when she was an infant to wipe her nose and used Vaseline on that area between her lip and nose to prevent chafing from all of the frequent nose wipes.
Being sick is the worst and, man, this cold was a doozy! I’m so glad that my husband and I didn’t get sick too because parenting when you’re under the weather is truly miserable.
I hope that you enjoy your weekend, friends!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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