September Faves

Monthly favorites are my favorite! Here are a few things we’re loving lately…

1. Cups on the Go!

During our move, we were back and forth between the old and new houses so much that we almost always had to bring our afternoon snack (almost always smoothies) on the go. I didn’t want smoothie ending up all over the floor of my car, so I picked up a few reusable drink cups. (Target carries character cups, unbranded cups, and these awesome stainless steel ones).

They have been fabulous! We’re rarely on the go for snack anymore now that we’re moved, but the straw cups have continued to get a LOT of use. We also pair them with these reusable stainless steel straws (that are dishwasher safe!)

I’ll also mention that one really great surprise benefit is that Sophie is more willing to drink smoothies with spinach blended in if she can’t see the color. The opaque stainless cup has been PERFECT for that.

2. Mason Jar Straw Lids.

The kids have gotten the most use out of the straw cups, since I’ve been using mason jars for my smoothies. I don’t can at all (someday, maybe?), but we use jars for everything from homemade salad dressings to smoothies and soup leftovers.

With a straw lid, you can turn any jar into a drink cup! I’ve seen metal straw lids in the Target dollar spot in the past, but couldn’t find them when I went looking this time. Thankfully, I picked up these reusable straw lids. I actually prefer that they’re plastic (BPA-free) because I don’t have to worry about rusting. They come in wide-mouth or regular mouth sizes, so you can get just what you need.

3. Simple Shapes Oversized Map

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the Instagram story I did a few weeks ago about some of our playroom updates. We’ve done some stripes on the ceiling, and also just hung this beautiful oversized map of the United States I picked up from Etsy.

The shop is called Simple Shapes, and they have quite a few choices. The maps are a peel-and-stick vinyl. You can peel them off the wall and move them around, which is great if (like me) you have decor commitment issues. If the United States isn’t what you’re looking for, I was debating between that one and this one that’s got animals and landmarks from different countries around the world. They’re all gorgeous! I used the code they have posted SIMPLESHAPES10 for 10% off.  They have a huge variety of sizes, so if you don’t want something quite so big, they have really pretty smaller and medium-sized ones (so you could get the US and the world!)

4. Easy Lunchboxes

I know most of you have already made your lunchbox purchases for the year, but if you haven’t been happy with what you got, I highly recommend the Easy Lunchbox. I love the stainless steel lunch boxes out there, but they’re SO EXPENSIVE and some of them aren’t a great size for the foods we pack or Sophie can’t open them by herself. These have been our go-to for about four years and they’re still in good shape. Michael takes them to work and now both the kids use them, so I just got a second set.

I’ve been packing lunches and snacks at night as I clean up dinner, and it’s made my mornings a breeze. Milo and Sophie usually eat the same thing, so even though she’s eating at school and he’s eating at home, I pack him a lunch, too. It’s the BEST to be able to pull out a ready-made lunch for him as soon as we get home from preschool.

5. Love Warrior 

I’ve heard people divided into two categories when it comes to Momastery–either you’ve never heard of Glennon Doyle Melton or you LOVE her. I’m very much in camp LOVE HER. This newest book Love Warrior is truth telling and brutal, beautiful honesty about life, love, marriage, and self. I loved it so much. My notes of my story are different from hers, but the song is the same, and I just loved this book. So much.

What are you loving lately? 
I always love recommendations!