Looking for the next great find? I’ve got you covered with a new skin care routine, how to make that pressure cooker feel like new again, all the things you should be streaming this month, and my new favorite pajama jeans! Let’s talk about this month’s happy list!
Happy Friday, friends! I’m so excited to share a brand new happy list with you.
September was such a fun month on the site with loads of new recipes, a new series on how moms can begin making passive income, and I redesigned our newsletter for you!
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Today I wanted to share what you might have missed this past month in one big giant happy list!!
I have been on the hunt for a great anti-aging moisturizer and have heard a lot about snail repair creams and how beneficial they can be to the skin. I added this Snail Repair Cream and this Vitamin C serum to my usual oil-cleansing and argan oil routine and I can’t rave enough about how much better my skin feels.
Keep in mind, most people don’t need two oils to have moisturized skin. I have very dry skin so I add a couple of drops of the serum to my argan oil, after cleansing. I then layer this wrinkle repair cream on top of that and my skin is feeling so much better. Most people could get away with just this moisturizer and serum after cleansing their face.
If you are a bit squeamish about the snails, just know that this has a tangerine smell and a little goes a long way towards improving the look and feel of your skin. It looks like your standard moisturizer, it just has a little snail slime in it. Hahaha!
I do plan to reorder these and loop this into my routines moving forward. I really notice a big difference in the condition of my skin.
I needed to order some new hand soaps and decided to add a few “fun” items in my cart to share with you in this little happy list.
Here are a few items I snagged and what I thought-
Grove Sink Caddy– This is so nice for organization around the sink area. The tray comes apart for easy cleaning and there are two clever spots for hanging your dishcloth and a place to put your sponge. I do wish that it had a wider spot for multiple scrub tools (like my bottle cleaners), but really like this overall.
Flour Sack Towels– I love flour sack towels because they don’t wrinkle and always look fresh. Truth be told, these were for food photos because they make a great backdrop. If you are trying to up your photo game on Instagram, they are pretty handy!
Eucalyptus Apron– I was looking for a more structured apron with pockets for doing my food photography. This apron fit the bill perfectly. I’m a mere 5’1″ so aprons can look a little ridiculous on me, especially if they aren’t tailored. This one fits beautifully though and I love the adjustability on it.
Cleaning Gloves– Is it just me or do no cleaning gloves actually fit? I decided to give these a spin and I am absolutely loving these. The trim helps to block water and the sizing is better, especially if you have wee lady hands.
Bubble-Up Dish Soap Dispenser– I go a little CRAZY when it comes to dish soap so I love this clever little soap dispenser that helps distribute just the amounts you need to get the job done. It also happens to fit beautifully in my new sink caddy.
Coconut Scrubber Sponges– These do a great job getting my pots clean and are very absorbent. Due to their color though, they can look pretty dingy quickly, especially when cleaning up big messes. They did do a great job with getting stuck-on food off.
European Dishcloth– My husband hated these and things they are germ-breeders so he won’t use them. I actually think these work as well as a paper towel and you can run them through your dishwasher or microwave to sterilize, but what do I know? They are highly absorbent, but can look a little off-putting because they harden when they dry.
Grove Awake Essential Oil– This smells AMAZING and has been my new favorite scent to start the day. It has such a pleasant citrus smell and a few drops seem to go a long way.
Grove Sleep Essential Oil– Didn’t do it for me. I prefer lavender over this one, but it was worth a try to share with you.
If you haven’t tried Grove before (or haven’t heard about it from a million bloggers), it is a subscription-based service that you can use to have green products delivered to your doorstep. Just like most services, you can cancel at any time and adjust your orders as you need to.
They used to be mostly cleaning products, but have expanded into a lot of other fun categories like your personal care items and more decorative items for your home. I have been with them for years and really love the convenience of it, particularly, trying out there own branded items. If you want to try it for the first time, this referral code should yield a 5-piece gift set for FREE to add to your cart.
Speaking of sleep, I need to share with you about these new ASMR SleepPhones that I got to try out. I have mentioned, in the past, that I have been watching ASMR shows on YouTube to try to unwind and help with better sleep. I haven’t found it as beneficial though because the screen has really been disrupting my sleep.
If you haven’t heard of ASMR before, this is a great introduction to what it is all about.
SleepPhones launched a new product that offers eight hours of ASMR content, with many of my favorites from YouTube. The nice thing is that this doesn’t involve a screen and you can rest comfortably on your pillow without the annoyance of earbuds or cords.
If you aren’t sure which ASMR sounds work for you, this has lots of different options for you to try until you find the ones that work best for you. Certain sounds are not pleasant to me and, thankfully, you can fast forward to the segments that fit your needs best.
If you were wondering, I love the sound of a brush, hair cutting, and cleaning sounds.
Basically, I just need someone take care of me.
Would you like to try out a pair of these? You can use coupon code MOMADVICE for $5 off anything in the store (excluding gift cards) with a minimum purchase of $39.
When I went on my last trip, I stocked up on a few good snacks for the road. Protein bars are usually something I suffer through because they are often rock hard or lack flavor. I decided to take a risk and pick up some One protein bars and, guys, THESE ARE DELICIOUS.
This is the first time I have loved the flavor and texture of a protein bar. It is also the first time that a protein bar felt like a legitimate treat and was something I looked forward to. If you struggle with the same thing, the maple glazed doughnut was delicious and this flavor wasn’t too shabby either. Did I mention the second one has sprinkles?
So. Dang. Good.
Don’t ask me why, but my husband and I have a routine of winding UP at night about world issues. Doesn’t that sound so relaxing? While I definitely feel it is important to stay informed, I know this is not a good way to end our day.
Instead, I discovered the National Geographic Short Film Showcase and we have started watching a couple of these digital shorts and going to bed with a smile on our face.
Can I share a few to end your day with, that will warm your cold Grinch heart?
United by Ping Pong
A Look at the Whimsical Life of a Traveling Showman
This is the Extraordinary True Story of the First Camera Phone
He Tastes Water Like Some People Taste Wine
Can Cell Phones Save Rainforests?
Iceland is Growing Forests for the First Time in 1,000 Years
My hands and fingers become quickly fatigued when holding a phone and lately I have been having thumb pain from using it as the ol’ kickstand when my fingers get tired. I stumbled upon this simple phone hand strap that you wrap around the back of your phone for comfortable support for your hands. Bonus, the finger holder also can double as a kickstand if you are watching shows.
I also was excited to use it this week, looping it through my bike handle, to clock in my 500th mile on my amazing stationary bike. If you are on the hunt for a spinning class on a budget, I highly recommend this option.
Sometimes thrift shopping leads to more inevitable purchasing and that was the case when I scored this pair of jeggings from my local shop. I had no that Old Navy carried such cute jeggings in their stores and I have been wearing these daily since I got them.
I loved them so much that I ordered three more pairs and can’t wait to add these to my regular rotation. They are slimming, have gentle compression, cover any muffin top issues, and no one would ever suspect how comfortable they are.
Have a different body type than me or don’t like a skinnier cut? No biggie! They actually have loads of different sizing options, including plus sizes, tall, and petite versions of these in loads of different washes and styles.
If I’m looking for jeggings that feel like sweatpants (with zero compression and just feel like pajamas), I am still reaching for these in my closet.
I love the thrill of the hunt with thrift shopping because it is such an inexpensive way to find new brands to love. This dress was my other favorite score that I can’t stop talking about. What a great shopping day that was!
If you use your pressure cooker a lot, I have discovered a new seal on this gadget really has cut down on my cooking time. I ended up ordering this three pack from Amazon. Since they are all different colors, they allow you to assign sweet and savory dishes to the seal so you don’t end up with overlapping flavors.
As exciting as this was (hahaha!), I had to share that this is the first time that I’ve ever received a written thank you note from an Amazon order. It was a simple note that thanked me for supporting their small business and ordering through them. Although I have become accustomed to this through my Etsy orders (crafters are THE BEST), it was such a fun little surprise this week to see that from a third party Amazon seller.
Our Netflix Obsessions Continue
Are you looking for your next great show? Here is what I’ve been loving this month on Netflix.
Bombshell Documentary– If you are looking for a REALLY incredible documentary, we absolutely loved Bombshell this month (thanks to An Oregon Cottage for this recommendation!) This documentary is about one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood who also happened to be incredibly smart. She is so smart, in fact, that she cracked the code on secret communication and is the reason why we enjoy our wifi communications today. She never profited from her invention, but we all are. This would be a fantastic documentary to share with your daughter! (Watch the trailer)
American Factory– Fun fact: I come from a family of factory workers (my mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma all worked for Miles (later, Bayer) when I was growing up. This is why I was excited to see this incredibly moving documentary on a Chinese billionaire who acquires a Midwest factory and brings their own factory workers over to train American workers. I absolutely loved this glimpse into their daily life, the relationships (both good and bad) that were brought between these workers, and the glimpse into the incredibly hard jobs that factory workers do every single day. ( Watch the trailer)
Hello, Privilege! It’s Me, Chelsea– Love her or hate her, I do think Chelsea Handler has been doing some interesting things with documentary films. This month’s special explores how white people can be better allies to others and what white privilege really is. Although this one didn’t have as much meat as I was hoping, I do think it brought up some interesting angles to privilege that I had not thought of as a privilege. (Watch the trailer)
The Mind Explained– We absolutely loved this first series that Vox did and spent an evening watching the entire new series on the human mind last weekend. Emma Stone narrates this series and it does a deep dive into mindfulness practices, where anxiety stems from, how our memory really works, and why we dream. As I am leaning into meditation and mindfulness practices, I found this to be really encouraging. The memory one, in particular, was really interesting, as they explore one woman’s memories of 9/11. (Watch the trailer)
Books, Books, & More Books
I went to the library and checked out an embarrassingly large stack of books. It was so large, in fact, that I almost didn’t make it to my car without dropping them and REALLY embarrassing myself.
I’ve been trying to get up at 5 AM and really squeeze in two solid hours of reading time and I’ve read some REALLY incredible books this month. The Dearly Beloved become one of my favorites this year. It is the kind of story that I think ANYONE would love.
Read my September Book Reviews HERE!!
Did you know that September is Pain Awareness Month? It means loads of companies are offering discounts to their customers. The Curable app is something I have been thinking about using, but the price tag always made me reconsider. This month they offered a 50% special and I decided $60 for the year would be a heck of a lot cheaper than even a single therapy session.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is what it is all about and the app teaches you ways to turn off those pain signals so that you can reduce your pain response. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it.
Should I tell you now that I have no affiliation with them before I begin?
Honestly, this has transformed my relationship with pain in ways I never imagined. It has brain training exercises (to stop the pain loop response), meditation, and interviews with leading experts on the mind body connection.
I don’t believe in woo-woo (or however you refer to things like that- hahaha!) so I was skeptical. Hearing a neurosurgeon explain pain and why my brain is doing certain things though is believable and grounded.
For the first time in a couple of years, I have slept pain free without the need to take anything or (honestly) drink a lot of wine to make it stop. It doesn’t take away my disease (ehlers-danlos syndrome) so I will still experience these things. It has transformed my relationship to pain though.
I’m putting it out in the world that I hope to write an e-book very soon about what has helped. This will definitely be on the list. (check out the app)
This new special from Netflix takes a deep dive into how Bill’s brain works and what consumes it. It is really balanced with stories from friends and family about what Bill was like growing up. Clever animation really brings these childhood stories to life. The first episode explores his efforts to develop a high-tech toilet for third world countries who have lost so many children due to sanitation issues. Bill Gates brings on the best and brightest to help him figure out how to save the lives of these children in some really incredible ways. Watch it just to hear about his reading routines alone- it’s quite astounding. Fun fact: my husband interned at Microsoft and got to go to a BBQ at Bill’s house. How cool is that? (watch the trailer here)
You can read more about this app on the blog this month, but I just have to give it a shout out today. Basically, this site can give you cash back rewards on your purchases, if you shop through their page or through the phone app itself. Every three months, they send you a Big Fat Check with all the cash back rewards you made. That’s it. No points to cash in, no weird hoops, no nonsense. Here is ten bucks to get you started and be sure to check out my article below to learn why I’m using this as a money-making tool for our family this year. (check out the app here)
Top Ten Most Visited Articles in September
- Easy Burlap Wreath Tutorial
- The Best Kindle Deals
- How to Make a Blanket Scarf
- 3-Ingredient Instant Pot Ribs
- Passive Income Ideas for Busy Moms
- Painting Pumpkins With Acrylic Paints
- How to Make Fluffy Slime
- DIY Minecraft Costume Ideas
- August 2019 Must-Reads
- How to Spray Paint Furniture
Top Ten Most Purchased Items in September
- Long Sleeve Leopard Tie Top
- True & Co Bras at Target
- Sealing Rings for Instant Pot
- You’re Doing it Wrong Dishwasher Card
- Support Your Local Library Shirt
- Ponte Jogger Pants
- Convertible Half to Full Linen Apron
- First Edition Baby Onesie
- Ribbed Funnel Neck Pullover
- Bed Shelfie
- The Two-Family House
- Castle of Water
- The Night Olivia Fell
- Call Your Daughter Home
- The Dream Daughter
- Moloka’i
- Annabel
- The Sound of Gravel
- The Night Tiger
- Daughter of Moloka’i
I hope you enjoyed this month’s round-up of September fun. I hope my month of happy brings a month of happy to you too! If this post doesn’t convince you my newsletter is fun, I’ve got nothing. Sign up over here to get this fun weekly in your inbox.
*this post may contain affiliate links- I only recommend what I love though. Check out past editions of It’s the 3 Little Things!