Favorite Things: July 2021
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I can’t believe that it is already the end of July! It feels like this summer is really flying by! This past month brought new experiences (Oliver enjoying the fireworks during the 4th of July), lots of family gatherings, a family reunion and camping weekend, some summer head colds, and a big sleep transition from two naps to one for our little man.
In this post, you’ll find a few of my favorite things that I have been enjoying the most over the past month or that my family has found to be super useful! It is my hope to share with you a few items every month and pass along some recommendations or joy to other families! Hope you find something helpful here!
My Favorite Things for July 2021
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Oliver’s “Blankie” Quilt
Ollie has been VERY attached to his “blankie” recently and always wants to bring it with him after his naps or when he wakes up in the morning. So I thought I would share this Clementine Kids quilt that we got him as an “heirloom” item when he was born - I hope he keeps and uses this small lightweight quilt for years to come! It’s muslin on both sides and is so soft. I’m linking this exact quilt that we got for him when he was born almost 2 years ago, but it doesn’t seem they are making this specific pattern anymore, so I have a bunch of their other patterns linked below!
Hatch Rest+
We’re working on a full transition to just one nap instead of two and our Hatch Rest+ has been a huge help with both naptimes and morning wake-up times! I have it programmed in the morning to turn green at a specific time, to help him understand that mom and dad will be coming after it turns green, but not before. Hopefully, over time and as he gets older, it will also help him know when he is allowed to “get out of bed” - but for now, I plan on keeping him in his crib as long as possible!
Old Navy Textured Twill Shorts
I grabbed these shorts on sale the other week and absolutely LOVE them! They are a nice medium weight that doesn’t feel too thin but doesn’t keep me too hot. I love how easily they slide on, but also stay on since they are a mix of elastic and drawstring. And the textured feel to the fabric adds an elevated touch that makes them easy to dress up. I loved them so much that I bought two more pairs in black and olive green.
Old Navy Smocked Dress w/ Pockets
I also got this dress on sale and really love how flattering it is for me! The smocked top is nice and high (which keeps it modest and not too revealing) and the fit and flare style doesn’t show off my mom bod belly too much, which is always a plus! The skirt has two layers, so it’s not see-through at all and I love the length of the skirt! Big bonus: it has pockets! IFYKYK.
That Bug Bite Thing
We’ve used this little gadget multiple times this past month, especially when we were camping! I’m always a bit skeptical about these kinds of things, but this really does work incredibly! You honestly just need to try it.
Sanuk Yoga Sling Sandals
These are my all-time favorite sandals and they have gotten a lot of use this past month. Since they are made out of yoga mats, they really save my back from a lot of pain when walking around the city in the evenings with my boys.
No-Spill Smoothie Cups
We love smoothies in our house in the summertime, but it’s important that I have a way for my toddler to drink his smoothies without spilling them all over the place. Regular tumblers and sippy cups won’t do because the smoothie is too thick to get through the drinking spouts. So these tumblers were the perfect solution! I love that they are designed for no-spill and the straw unscrews in the middle for super easy cleaning.
Cheese Plates by Hearth & Hand
I picked up a new set of small salad plates from Target before I had my girlfriends over for our charcuterie dinner the other week. I love this size plate for charcuterie nights because it allows you to sample a few things at a time without having such a giant plate in front of you, since that’s the purpose of the charcuterie board.
Black Cheese Knife Set - 4pc
I haven’t had actual cheese knives before and I loved the look of this black set!
Black Cheese Knife Set - 2pc
I also grabbed this little set of 2 cheese knives, so that really I have a set of 6 cheese knives now!
Pretend Driving Dashboard
Oliver really loves to pretend to “drive” lately, so I splurged on this toy one day at Target. It is super interactive and not too annoying for mom. It’s fun to watch him beep the horn, turn the key in the ignition, and drive with the steering wheel.
Summersalt Sidestroke Swimsuit
I’ve shared this swimsuit all summer long after my beach trip and still really love it! It’s super flattering and I often get compliments on it when we are at the beach or the splash pad. The ONLY downside to this swimsuit was the lack of padding for the chest area, so I grabbed some pads out of an old swimsuit and use them whenever I wear this suit. The swimsuit has enough compression that it holds the pads in place without any issues!
Baby Banz Earmuffs
These earmuffs came in clutch during the 4th of July when we watched fireworks. Oliver wasn’t. sure about wearing them, but once he realized how loud it was without them on, he was fine with wearing the earmuffs. I think it’s super important to protect his hearing, especially when we were watching really loud fireworks and we will likely upgrade to the next size up once he grows out of this pair!
MagSafe Compatible Phone Charger and Holder for the Car
I’ve done a LOT of research to find a quality phone charger for our car that was wireless. We don’t have Bluetooth in our current vehicle, so we still have to plug in our phones with an aux cable to connect our phones for the maps and music, which is why it was important for me to find a wireless car charger and holder. Our previous one just clipped onto the vent but seemed so heavy that it would often pull the phone down or slip a bit on the vents and I was afraid it was breaking the vents. So far this has been an incredible solution with a small footprint for the base that doesn’t take up too much room and has a strong hold on our magsafe phones, which means our phones don’t fall off easily even over the bumpiest rides!
Stokke Clikk High Chair
One of my most popular blog posts is where I share all about deep cleaning our high chair straps and recently updated the post to include a short video of how I remove the straps from our high chair. We really love this high chair - it’s super sleek, extremely easy to clean, and has an adjustable footrest, which was really important to me. (This was also back before I started seeing add-on foot rest options for the super cheap Ikea high chair.) Another huge bonus for this high chair is that it easily slides under our kitchen table so that Oliver can eat right at the table with us instead of using the tray.
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