a few of my favorite things.

Since for some reason I've been humming 'these are a few of my favorite things' all day today, I figured I'd just post about some of my favorite household items I covet. Some are old favorites, some are new, but they all definitely rank up there with, "You haven't tried this? Oh you must!" Oh how I wish I could find myself one day at Oprah's My Favorite Things show. I'd love to try a few of her favorite things!


Volume Exact mascara by Cover Girl.

My sister & I are total mascara whores. I will try any mascara once. This is one of the only mascaras that I've been willing to buy multiple tubes of. I'm willing to pay upwards of $20 for a tube for great mascara. Luckily lately I've only been spending about $6.





A mascara NOT to try?
XXL extensions by Maybelline.
The 1st step is the white side which has the texture of Elmer's glue, which I'm not convinced that its not actually Elmer's glue. The 2nd step is a dull black crumbly mess. Hardly lash extensions. More like trash extensions. Gross.


Clif Kid Organic Z-Bars
Low fat snack bars, made with whole oats, no trans fats, no preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup. Best yet, my kids love them! Their favorite flavor so far has been chocolate brownie. I'll be damned, it really does taste like a great brownie!


Klean Kanteen
Reusable stainless steel water bottles that keep your drinks cold, crisp and with no plastic water bottles to throw away, Klean Kanteens are great for the environment! No plastic leeching here!! We have 7 of these in our house, 1 in the smallest 12 oz. size, 2 in the 16 oz. sizes, 3 in the 27 oz. size and a mongo big green 40 oz'er. We love the sport & sippy caps best. They come in stainless steel or a new variety of colors.

(ask me if you're interested in purchasing as my friend Rachel at Honey Chunks sells them and I'll see if I can get you a hook up!)



Skechers Bikers Straightaway tennis shoes.

I love these AMERICAN MADE (inside joke) shoes! I've had my gold pair for quite a few years now and sadly, they are beginning to show that they've seen better days. I love the simplicity of the slip on, the extreme comfort they provide and the fact that they look a little sporty. I hate the bulky look of regular tennis shoes and these have none of it. Cute & comfy? Oh yeah, these are shoes for me!



Lee Natural Fit Flap Pocket jeans & Lee Custom Fit Bootcut jeans

Lee jeans?! Lee jeans are such Mom jeans. So be it, perhaps, but these 2 new styles take the Mom right out of 'mom jeans'. Both have a "comfort fit waistband" that rocks my socks. No more 3 inch gap at the back of my pants - I'm so tired of having that!!!

I got mine at Kohl's on sale and loved the bootcut pair so much, I went back and bought 2 more. These have become my staple everyday jean this season. Lee jeans...ai ai ai, who knew they could be cool again?!






Bumble & Bumble Tonic lotion
Think detangler and smoother, but better. Great for color treated or dry hair. If you don't have either of those things, try Bumble & Bumble's Prep. That stuff rocks too. Spray on your damp hair, comb through and then blow dry. If your hair needs a little taming after blow drying or the day is humid and making your hair look gross, a few spritzes of this stuff will have your fingers gliding effortlessly through your hair again. A little pricey but one 8 oz. bottle lasts me about 6 months using it every day. Well worth the price!


Happy Sacks
I love these things! Use anywhere you'd use a ziploc, minus liquid based goodies as it closes with velcro instead of a plastic zip. Lined inside, these handy little Happy Sacks keep your snacks fresh. Jackson has to take a snack to school each day and Happy Sacks help us save 5 little sandwich baggies from clogging up a landfill somewhere. Easy to use, stay closed, easy to clean and they come in tons of cute fabric prints to boot!

(again, ask me if you're interested in purchasing as my friend Rachel at Honey Chunks sells them - even though I don't see them yet on her site, I know she does!)


Bed Head After-Party Smoothing Cream
AWESOME for use with a flat iron. SPECTACULAR for hair that needs a little extra shine. FANTASTIC for hair that needs a little smoothing after all that back combing.

Even though the bottle resembles something of sexual nature, and cracks me up every time I see one with the lid on (I always throw my lid away), this product ROCKS!!! A must have for anyone who gives a shit about what their hair looks like.... and if you're my friend, chances are good you probably give a shit about your hair - get this product!! Your hairstylist probably sells it too. If he/she doesn't, tell them they don't know what they are missing. Like the Bumble & Bumble Tonic, don't let the price scare you away - a little bit goes a really long way and each bottle lasts me at least 6 months or longer.


Downy Simple Pleasures Vanilla & Lavender fabric softener.

If you do laundry in the volume in which I do, you get to know your laundry aisle at Target. Downy Simple Pleasures is, hands down, THE best smelling fabric softener on the market today. There are others that are almost as good but this one is the best in my opinion. It also works great for helping dewrinkle clothes. Jeans look so much better after they've been washed in this stuff - even if they are then hung dry. No more line dried crispy crisp jeans. This stuff softens them right up! Did I say how great it smells?!

I couldn't find a picture of it online but a close runner up to Downy's Simple Pleasures is oddly, a store brand fabric softener. And, at that, not a popular store to some people. Walmart's store brand, Great Value, puts out an excellent fabric softener; Everyday Elegance Naturals in Mandarin Essence scent. It's a little more watered down than a big name but still smells great (unlike a lot of no-name softeners that smell downright horrible) and works well too.


Lastly, a big shout out to one of my all-time favorite products. Heinz ketchup. Those who know me know how I love my ketchup and apparently I've genetically passed this love onto my children. Our family goes through ketchup faster than we go through toilet paper, milk & bread combined.

Heinz, you really know your shit - thanks for making a great product. Keep up the good work and somebody bring me a plate of fried potatoes, wudya?!