March + April 2019 Favorites (food, books, toddler, + more!)

I let time get away from me so today’s favorites post combines both the months of March and April! I always enjoy reading favorites posts on others’ blogs – it’s just fun to hear what other people have been loving! Let’s jump right in.

March + April 2019 Favorites:

Note: some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I’d receive a tiny commission if you use the link to make a purchase. Thanks, as always, for supporting my blog! 🙂

Food:

Bob’s Red Mill Muesli Cereal // I found this cereal in the health foods aisle of Hy-Vee and I really enjoyed it! I especially went through a big phase in March, where I had it for breakfast every day. It’s basically a dry oatmeal and dried fruit/seeds blend that you add milk to and heat it up! (You can also let it soak in yogurt overnight or other similar ways of preparing it.) It’s quite filling, and I always appreciate having a hot breakfast to start the day.

Chilled Lemon Raspberry Bars // I’ve brought these to family gatherings a couple times now, and people have really enjoyed them! I love these so much! There are chilled layers of lemon pudding mixed with Cool Whip, a cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture, and even raspberry jam on a graham cracker crust! They have a lemony and light cheesecake taste – perfect to bring to any spring or summer event! CLICK HERE for the recipe I got from my mom!

Sour Patch Kids // We didn’t have candy or sweets in the house for a long time but Sour Patch Kids have made their way into the cupboard recently. 🙂 Both Bjorn and I enjoy sour or fruity candy!

Annie’s White Cheddar Bunny Crackers // These have been another fun snack that even Sophie has enjoyed over the past couple months! They’re pricier than Goldfish, so I was pleased to find some coupons for these Annie’s Bunny Crackers. The coupon deal is over so I haven’t bought them again very recently, but they were a fun part of our month of March!

Home/Books/Media:

Threshold Food Storage Containers // I’ve looked for a long time on Target’s website and I can’t seem to find them to show you!! 🙁 But maybe they’re still in stock in store! I recently purchased several ceramic food storage containers from Target – the Threshold brand – and I love them so much! They’re gorgeous light-colored patterns and I am really liking not storing too much of our food in plastic.

Val Marie Prayer Journal // My friend JennaRae recommended this one after I asked her what prayer journal she was using!! It looked so good…and it is!! There are categories each month where you fill in who or what you will be praying for throughout the month, and then there’s a section at the end of the month to record answered prayers. I started this earlier in April and, let me tell you, I’ve already been able to record multiple answered prayers this month! It’s incredible how important it can be to watch for ways God is working throughout the month…plus, this helps me have a more structured way of praying. I bought just the 6-month prayer journal for $15 to start with, so I could see what I thought about it, but I think in 2020 I will go ahead and buy the year-long prayer journal! If you’re looking for a simple, elegant, and meaningful prayer journal, definitely check this one out!

Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday: Say Goodbye to Stressed, Tired, and Anxious, and Say Hello to Renewed Joy in Motherhood // “Want more joy in motherhood? Then you need an escape – not from motherhood but from the world’s definition of it.” Val Woerner is the woman who runs Val Marie Paper and sells the prayer journals I just talked about! This book of hers, “Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday,” just came out in April and it sounded so good, I snatched it up! And boy, am I glad I did. If you’re a mama, go buy this book now!!! Val is an incredibly honest, encouraging, “I’ve been there too” kind of a writer. She fills the pages with practical ways to find more joy in motherhood…and it’s all about leaning on Christ when the days feel long, or when you feel anxious or discouraged. I’ve been encouraged, uplifted, and convicted – and I actually find my mind coming back to Val’s points throughout my days with Sophie. Wow! I highly recommend this book to any mom who wants to find joy and true purpose and peace in the day-to-day moments of motherhood.

The Office // I’ve been rewatching “The Office” lately and cracking up at all of their funny antics! The seasons with Michael Scott are probably my favorites. And, of course, Jim and Pam’s love story is awesome. Do you watch “The Office,” too?

12 Minute Bedtime Yoga from Yoga with Adriene // Full disclosure – I haven’t done yoga much lately, but back in March, I was thrilled to discover Adriene had a new Bedtime Yoga routine on her YouTube channel! It’s short, but long enough to help you wind down.

Toddler:

Eric Carle Animal Magnets // For a while, I knew I wanted to get Sophie some fridge magnets, but I wasn’t sure what to go with. Eventually, I want to get her some letter magnets, but a couple months ago, I decided to get her some animal magnets to start out with! I’m so, so glad I went with these darling Eric Carle animal magnets! The magnets are sturdy (they’re wooden) and stick well to the refrigerator, and the pictures themselves are so beautiful! They’re the typical Eric Carle style animals you see in his books: all of the characters like the hungry caterpillar, the brown bear, a sun, a butterfly, and many other farm and exotic animals! Sophie’s really into anything Eric Carle lately (more on that later!) so these have been the perfect way to incorporate more background knowledge throughout the day! 🙂

Musikgarten Class // I’ve been taking Sophie to a toddler music class about once a week this spring. We’ve phased out of it a little since we’ve been out of town for army a bit more the past couple weeks, but it has been so much fun! It’s an hour away, but it has been worth it. Sophie looooves music (and music/rhymes/dance is so important for little ones!). The class we’ve been going to is a Musikgarten class, so they have a music book and CD of special Musikgarten songs. Each week, we’ve done rhymes and chants, circle time, listening time (sitting on the “listening blanket” – too cute!), some singing and repetition practice, rhythm work with musical instruments, dancing with motions, dancing with scarves…the list goes on! Over the weeks, I became a big fan of the Musikgarten curriculum and approach! It’s a pretty widespread program, from my understanding, so I definitely recommend looking for a class near you!

Eric Carle’s Book of Many Things // Like I mentioned, Sophie has been loving all things Eric Carle lately! (And so have I!) She loved a cloth book version of “Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?” when she was an infant, and since then, we’ve graduated to books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” board book and more! (By the way, the “Hungry Caterpillar” board book is awesome, too – even though it’s a board book, it still has all of the holes where the caterpillar “eats” the food!) Anyway, the newest book in our collection is “Eric Carle’s Book of Many Things” and it has quickly become an all-time new favorite children’s book of mine! The book is full of Eric Carle’s illustrations of people, objects, and animals, all divided up into categories like food, opposites, clothes, and more! Sophie’s at the age where she loves pointing at every single object on a page and hearing what it’s called. This book is perfect for anyone age one and up! 🙂

Think Pink Hair Bows // I came across the shop Think Pink when they were having a sale on Jane.com. I’m loving these linen bows on skinny nylon headbands!! Sophie doesn’t have a ton of hair yet so I still like to do bows that are attached to some kind of headband. Lately, I’ve moved away from the thick nylon headbands just because I’ve been loving the look of linen and fabric bows so much! Sophie still keeps bows on her head, too, so I’m milking this for all it’s worth! 🙂 These bows are super affordable and so darling!

Re-Play No Spill Sippy Cups // Thank you to my friend JennaRae for recommending these! I’ve loved the Munchkin Miracle 360 cups for a long time….until Sophie started to throw them – hard – down from her high chair. That’s when those cups really leaked! So, I was on the lookout for something different for my busy toddler! These Re-Play brand sippy cups have been great! Even if Sophie throws them or accidentally knocks them down, we don’t have a mess to wipe up! They’re easy to clean, too.

Boatilus Rain Boots // Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of the brand until I started searching for rain boots for Sophie on my Kidizen app. (If you don’t know what Kidizen is, DEFINITELY check them out! It’s my favorite place to buy both new and used clothes for Sophie – it’s where I get about 95% of her clothing! Use this link to get $5 for free!) Anyway, I had some credits to spend on Kidizen and I was thinking rain boots may come in handy this spring. Little did I know HOW handy they would be! I truly didn’t consider rain boots to be a necessity, but now I have a completely changed mindset. Sophie pulls these on any time we go play in the yard, when we go to the park…virtually any outside activity. At this point, it’s harder for her to keep her little tennis shoes on as she runs around, but her Boatilus brand rain boots stay on perfectly! They’re really sturdy, waterproof, and darling. The bottoms are well-textured for running around. Sophie can literally run around outside and she stays very steady on her feet in these boots! I’m just so pleasantly surprised at how much use we’re getting out of these boots!

RELATED READING: What is Kidizen? (plus detailed tips on how to use the app)

Clothes/Beauty:

Vaseline // I’ve been using a tiny amount of Vaseline as a skin protectant for my lips these past couple months, and I’m loving it! It’s inexpensive and works well!

H&M Classic Fine-Knit Sweater // I found this sweater for $12.99 when Sophie and I were at a mall a couple months ago, and it’s still that same price online! I originally bought it in a very light pink, but I loved it so much I ordered another in black! It’s so, so comfortable. Just a basic crew neck, but still a flattering, feminine fit. Gotta love simple but classy designs like that! And it’s lightweight enough that I could slip it on for our cooler Minnesota spring days. 🙂

That’s it for now! I’ve already started a list for May. Thanks for reading along. I hope you enjoy reading these favorites posts as much as I like reading them and curating a list of my own! Now I want to hear: what have your favorites been lately?? Any fun new foods, clothing items, or baby things? I’d love to know what you’ve been loving!