I’m sharing just a few of my favorite things from this winter and spring. Enjoy!
Nature Valley protein granola. I know that granola is about the most basic food ever to include in a favorites post, especially Nature Valley granola. But it’s become one of my staples for breakfast. I love to eat lightly sweetened yogurt with granola and peanut butter.
Ocean Spray yogurt-covered cranberries. Yogurt-covered cranberries are not a new discovery but something I cycle back to regularly for my own snacking. These days, I love pairing them with cashews and/or peanut butter-filled pretzels. As I don’t eat a lot of chocolate due to acid reflux, yogurt-covered cranberries are a great way to satisfy my urge for a little something sweet.
Gel pens. Like so many people, I’m a long-time fan of the Pilot gel pen and greatly prefer them over all other gel pens, especially for day-to-day writing. However, I’m blown away by some of the newer opinions. The TUL gel pens are awesome, and I’ve been really surprised that I like the 0.5 point of the RIANCY gel pens. Usually, I prefer 0.7, but the RIANCY 0.5 is so good.
Cargo pants. American Eagle’s low-rise baggy flare cargo pants are the best pants that I’ve bought in years. I’m completely burned out on skinny jeans, which I never wanted to wear anyway, and I’m done with the overabundance of high-waisted pants, which I can’t wear due to acid reflux. The cargo pants selection at American Eagle is so good right now. Don’t hesitate to stock up while you can.
Peanuts Valentine’s Day shirt. I wanted a few shirts to wear to my kids’ classes and activities near the holidays that aren’t too cutesy or over the top. The Peanuts Valentine’s Day shirt is the first one I bought, and I love it. There are also Peanuts Halloween and Peanuts Easter shirts available.
Tom and Mary socks. Socks are another super basic item to make the favorites list. But I’ve been replacing a number of clothing staples postpartum, including socks. Tom and Mary knee high socks are some of the best socks that I’ve purchased in ages. I’m also a big fan of the Hue knee-high socks. If you’re due to update your socks, I’d get a set of each of them.
EverFoams memory foam slippers. I’ve been wearing moccasin slippers almost exclusively for the past decade or so. I still love moccasin slippers, but I needed something with more support for standing on our tile kitchen and bathroom floors. The EverFoams memory foam slippers have been a huge upgrade for support and are so comfortable.
LOMON raincoat. I needed a lightweight waterproof jacket that’s nicer (and, ideally, longer) than a windbreaker. The LOMON raincoat fits the bill perfectly. It’s extremely well made and actually has a hood that cinches closed to keep out water and wind (which should be a given with any jacket hood, but sadly, it’s not). I love that it’s a slightly dresser style, and the color options are so good.
WoodWick candles. WoodWick candles aren’t a new discovery but an item I came back around to in 2024 when we needed to stock up on candles. I’ve never gotten over the crackle, and their fireside scent remains one of my all-time favorite candle scents. You can burn it for hours in the middle of the house without the scent overwhelming everything, which I love.
Dr. Jart+ premium beauty balm. One of my newest beauty favorites is the Dr. Jart+ premium beauty balm. After nearly two decades of battling pretty severe rosacea, the worst of it has faded significantly. I can finally wear a lighter foundation and still get the coverage I need, which is amazing beyond words. I also love the high SPF. It’s amazing for all-day coverage.
If you need more heavy-duty foundation, I recommend Fenty Beauty. I used Fenty exclusively for at least a couple of years before transitioning to Dr. Jart.
G2PLUS disposable eyelash brushes. I upgraded to ILIA mascara a few years ago. I love it. But the brush that comes with it is overkill. I have good lashes and just want a little extra color for daily wear, not tons of volume. Disposable mascara wands are perfect. Using disposable wands does mean that you go through more product. But it keeps each application cleaner.
MORGLES disposable eyeshadow applicators. I know that every makeup junkie is aghast that I’m using disposable makeup brushes on the rare occasions that I wear eyeshadow. But for my occasional use, they’re perfect. I don’t have any interest in investing in and maintaining high-end brushes.
OUAI treatment mask for fine and medium hair. I’ve been washing my hair every other day since middle school. Sometimes, I need a little boost to make it through to that second day, and I refuse to use dry shampoo. The Ouai hair mask has been exactly what I wanted. I used it every time I washed my hair for a couple of weeks to get my hair in a better place. Now, I use it once a week, typically on a weekend day when I have more time.
Kenra platinum blow-dry spray. I’m super picky about hair products and don’t like using more than a couple of products on a regular basis. It’s a huge deal that I love the Kenra platinum blow-dry spray. My hair takes forever to dry, even when it’s not very long. Kenra platinum helps reduce dry time and adds such a nice finish to even a very basic blow dry without giving it a weird/crunchy texture.
PROCure Rosacare. I’ve tried so many rosacea products over the past two decades. Most of them don’t do anything for me. PROCure Rosacare has the best finish and smell (almost no smell) of anything that I’ve tried, including other green tints from huge beauty brands, and has helped my rosacea fade significantly. I definitely still have rosacea, but the worst of it has faded so much.
Fossil Raquel three-hand date rose gold-tone stainless steel watch. I still love my Daniel Wellington watch that I shared in this favorites post, and it’s still going strong. I wanted something dressier that didn’t cost a fortune, mostly because I’m running around with little kids all the time. It’s also been a couple of decades since I had a watch with Roman numerals. The Fossil Raquel watch fit the bill perfectly. I haven’t worn a metal watch band in ages and never one nearly this chunky. So I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but the watch has been great. It’s so comfortable, and I love the aesthetic.
Swim bags. I’ve been using the same swim bag, which I shared in this favorites post, ever since I swam with Tommy for parent-tot lessons. It’s a great bag that’s held up extremely well (and it’s still available!). But with three kids swimming now, I need a lot more storage space. I got Tommy a WANDF swim bag and a SHYLERO beach bag for Olivia and Genevieve. The bags have been exactly what we needed for swim lessons and worked out so well for our Dells trip this summer, too. My trunk/car top space is tight with everything that we need to travel with little kids. We were able to put the swim bags on the floor of the second row of seats, which helped so much.
HYER KITCHEN Microfiber towels. I do more dishes than ever these days. I still have two of the microfiber kitchen drying mats, which I love and use constantly, but I often need more drying space. The microfiber dish towel set has been great. Even on heavy cooking days or weekends when everyone is home and I have lots of towels going through the wash, I always have some available, and they’re holding up great.
IKEA bookshelves. I didn’t own a single vintage book when we moved into our house eight years ago. Jake has also acquired a lot more books over the past eight years, and we were both in need of more book storage space. We got the HEMNES bookcases (the set of three that I’m linking here) for our master bedroom. The aesthetic is amazing, and we now have more storage than we need, which is always ideal.
Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator. I put up with a French door refrigerator with the bottom drawer freezer pit situation that I hated for over seven years because I have a hard time getting rid of things that work. The refrigerator finally needed a costly repair that we couldn’t even make because the parts had been discontinued. We got the Whirlpool 24.6 cu ft side-by-side refrigerator and haven’t looked back. It’s actually shallower than our previous fridge but holds so much more. And the freezer situation is night and day different. I don’t love everything about it, but it’s been such a big upgrade.
I don’t usually include kid favorites in my favorites posts. But there a few items that have been so good this winter and spring that I wanted to give them a quick shout out here.
Toniebox player. I bought a Toniebox for the kids for Christmas, and it’s been the biggest hit. There is no other gift that Genevieve and Olivia have used every single week, and the girls will play Tonies with Tommy, and all enjoy it. The girls have learned so many songs through their Tonies and love singing and dancing along to them.
ArtCreativity toy buses. On a similar note, Olivia and Genevieve are obsessed with Wheels on the Bus. We have several Wheels on the Bus books, and they ask people to sing it with them constantly. I got them each a toy bus for Easter, and they love them. Olivia really struggles with independent play. The bus is one of the few toys that she’ll find and actually play with for more than a few minutes.
Tea set. A family member got my kids the Leapfrog rainbow tea for two set for Christmas. Olivia and Genevieve play with it constantly, and now that Annie is so mobile, she loves it, too.
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