Don't Mind Our Mess: Friday Favorites

Hello Hello! I hope you have all had a good week! Dev had a work trip in Denver but came home last night and today we are headed to the beach-- woohoo! A majority of our week was spent by the pool, which is a perfect week if you ask me! Today I have a random hodgepodge of favorite things to share.

First up: BOB Books. So a little background just in case you don't already know, but I taught elementary school for 11 years, a majority of that time in kindergarten. I have my Master's Degree in Literacy Education. It's pretty safe to say I love teaching kids to read. There's something so magical about seeing that lightbulb go off when a child finally is able to blend those sounds together into words. About a month ago I noticed Lily Grace was starting to recognize sight words without us ever practicing them... and then she started trying to blend her sounds into words. I thought it might be time to give BOB books a try. She is doing very well with them!! BOB books are very simple decodable readers that help beginning readers practice with words they are able to sound out independently (typically CVC words). So far we are practicing with set 1. Although she is doing very well with them, I don't want to move on too quickly. It is important for her to build confidence and get to the point where it feels "easy" before moving on. I would hate to frustrate her and have her lose interest. So we are still on set 1 and are loving them! If you know a beginning reader I recommend these! We got ours at the library, but they are very popular so you can find them anywhere that sells books.

Speaking of reading, we were at the library one day this week and one of the librarians suggested the Wellie Wishers series from American Girl. We checked out a few books to read together and LG really likes them!

It brings back all the memories of how much I loved the American Girl books/dolls back in the day. I remember doing extra chores around the house to make money (and saving birthday money) so I could buy my first American Girl doll. I had Felicity and I loved her! Were you an American Girl fan? Did you have any of the dolls?

Next up: Tarte Finishing Powder

In the summer heat and humidity I notice that my skin gets a little too shiny/dewy for my taste. This Tarte finishing powder does a great job of absorbing the shininess and making my skin look smoother. It also helps my makeup last longer! I originally got this in one of my Ipsy bags and thought "oh I'll never use that". WRONG! I used up the sample and am now onto the bigger one. This is great for anyone who lives in a hot/humid environment.

I linked it through Amazon just so you can see it/read more about it but it is much cheaper at Sephora. I hate when Amazon jacks the prices of things up, just because they can. 😏

We made this Whole30 Brussel Sprouts Salad last weekend and it was so good we made it again this week. The apple cider vinaigrette was delicious and the perfect amount of flavor to add to the salad. I always love a good salad, but especially in summer!

And then last but not least, I got a new romper for the pool that I love. Great as a swimsuit cover up.

See my two little buddies? 💕

And Lily Grace and I got matching overalls, which she was very excited about. Unfortunately mine didn't fit so I'll have to return them, but how cute are hers?? I wish mine had fit! Usually Old Navy does a good job of including various body types, including tall sizes. Overalls are not fun for people with a long torso! If you do not have a long torso, the women's overalls are linked here and the girls size is linked here.

Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.