Five on Friday

Happy Friday and happy St. Patrick’s Day Weekend!

It’s been a week with some highs and lows. Our house was struck with a cold. I had Thomas home from school earlier this week. And then Matt went down right after. I’m hoping it’s run it’s cycle now and that the other half of us stay in the clear.

We are all still recovering from Daylight Saving Time around here too! The mornings have been super hard for all of us to get up, especially since softball for Caroline has really ramped up with three late evening practices a week (including tonight)! Her first game is Saturday and I am really excited to watch her play!

In other sports news, I competed in my first tennis match of the season yesterday — and WON!!! It was the most beautiful day to play and the match was really fun!

Alright, let’s get down to it.

In Case You Missed It

A few things I shared this week…

• Easter Basket Stuffers
• 5 Easter Recipes
• Swimwear for Girls (from a variety of retailers — and lots on sale!!)
• Homemade (Better For You) Taco Seasoning
• Starbucks Medicine Ball Miracle Brew (perfect for those of you with seasonal allergies)

This Week’s Top 5 Reader Favorites

1. Target Athletic Tank: This tank is lightweight and has a mesh back and very thin moisture-wicking fabric. I especially love it for cardio days when my shirt doubles as my sweat rag. Available in 3 colors and runs true to size (wearing XS). Honestly, this tank is even cuter in person — you gotta see the back!
2. Shoe Organizer Boxes: I shared these storage containers that I love for organizing my shoes in my closet. They are easy to assemble, stack together nicely, sturdy, and are transparent so you can see all your shoes. They are also puppy-proof if you have dog that loves shoes!
3. Water Football: The top seller so far for boys Easter baskets. Thomas has and loves this waterproof football. It’s perfect for the beach or pool. Lots of color options too.
4. Nano Tape Bubble Kit: The top seller so far for the girls Easter baskets. Caroline received this set for Christmas and spent hours having fun making these nano stress balls!
5. 16 Piece Dive Toy Set: A perfect Easter basket filler!

1. Community Group

Last week Laura hosted Community Group and it was such a fun night! Our homework was to listen to a podcast on manifestation for our group discussion while we made charm necklaces! Everyone picked out charms that meant something special to them and all of the necklaces turned out so cute. I’ve been wearing mine all week!

2. Sourdough Bread Journey

I have been messaging with many of you on Instagram about sourdough bread this week! Last year I had a food sensitivity test done and learned my body has a strong reaction to Gliadin, a component of gluten. As a result, my doctor recommended eliminating gluten from my diet so I’ve avoided it as much as possible ever since. I do still eat items with gluten from time to time and pay for it later, but I try to eat GF as much as possible.

Anyway, while sourdough bread is NOT gluten-free, it does have less gluten than other breads. Many of my readers with a gluten-sensitivity (not those with celiac) shared with me that they can eat homemade sourdough with no reaction, so I went down a rabbit hole and learned the method used to make sourdough breaks down some of the gluten (specifically the gliadin) in the flour so it’s easier to digest.

I’m going to scoop up a local loaf of homemade sourdough hopefully this weekend to test, but have already decided I’m going to start homemaking it for my family regardless after reading so many messages from y’all about how much of the bread found in stores is made with flour that contains high levels of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weedkiller, Roundup. Yikes.

We’ll see if I can actually pull this off though. Stay tuned!

3. Amazon Spring Dress

I’ve seen this pretty floral dress from Amazon floating around Instagram and bought it! There are a lot of great details about this dress — a beautiful neckline, fun puffy sleeves and it’s offered in 11 gorgeous prints! If you order soon, you can wear it for Easter! It runs slightly large, but I would only size down if you’re in between sizes. The listing also says it’s a maxi dress, but it’s more like a midi for taller girls and a great maxi length for shorter girls.

4. Chicken Tostadas

Our favorite dinner this week was chicken tostadas! It’s not the fastest dinner since I homemade the tostadas and chicken (you can totally use store-bought tostadas and a rotisserie chicken), but it was a big success — and a fun twist to Taco Tuesday.

To make the tostadas, I brushed olive oil over mini corn tortillas and baked them at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway. Then I smeared refried beans on top, added shredded chicken, a sprinkle of cheese, and popped them back into the oven to bake for a few minutes to warm it all up.

From there everyone got to add their own toppings (ALWAYS a hit in our house): tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, red onion, and cilantro.

5. Recent Product Refills

A few of my favorite things I’ve recently repurchased…

Lume Acidified Body Wash

I gifted this last year at my Favorite Things Party! This body wash works better than soap and is pH optimized to control odor – perfect for showers after a sweaty workout!

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

I love, love, love this mask and have been using it 1-2 times per week for several years now! This intensive skin resurfacer mask exfoliates with pumpkin enzyme that smells heavenly. It really makes a difference in the texture of my skin.

Isle of Paradise Self Tan Drops

A product I’ve been refilling since 2021! I use these tanning drops for my face every 3’ish days. I just add a generous dropper to my moisturizer and apply it all over my face and neck — it’s a gorgeous glow color!! I wear medium during the cooler months and dark during summer!