Five Favorites

It's the last week of school and we are still going full tilt.  Francie just graduated from 8th grade tonight and Fiver and Sally have two more days.  Then my house will shrink about 1000 square feet because it's all kids, all the time.

And I'm hungry because I've stayed up too late (does that happen to anyone else?).  So instead of eating cookies, I'm joining Hallie and reporting what's hot at the HomeFront Corp. right now.

ONE

Kidz Gear safe headphones are the best headphones ever.  I mean it.

My kids are complete weirdos when it comes to headphones, but I can't fault them because I am a complete weirdo when it comes to headphones.  Some things breed true.

My problem is that I have very small ears, especially on the inside.  Of all the dainty body parts, I got dainty inner ears.  Go figure.

I don't know that my kids inherited my diminutive ears, but they do like to play games on the iPad and listen to music.  But sometimes certain people, who shall remain nameless, cannot take the same song on repeat for 15 minutes.   Earworms are vicious.

Also no one can enjoy the same song or game at the same time.  It's a law of the universe, didn't you know that? So we need headphones.

The problem with many headphones is twofold:  First, the ubiquitous earbud type, which usually come new with whatever gadget we have but are excruciatingly painful for those of us with such tiny ears. Second, I am not crazy about the lack of volume control for earphones.

My kids are very sensitive to loud sound and many headphones do not stay on their heads. Annoying.

Enter the Kidz Gear headphones.  I bought several pairs of these as Christmas gifts for the kids but I really should have bought myself a pair.  I love them.

They have excellent sound quality, and they are very comfortable.  They have nice cushy earpieces that create a sort of seal when you put them on, and the band part for your head is super adjustable.  I can adjust them down to fit Mopsy but they are big enough to fit my head.  And I have a pretty big head.  Tiny ears on a big head.  Nice.

The best part is the volume adjuster right on the headphone wire.  It doesn't matter if they turn the volume all the way up on the device, the volume is locked in.  I regularly borrow these headphones from the kids when I am on the treadmill, and they come in so many cool colors that I might just get myself my own pair.

They make my dainty ears happy.

TWO

The barely controlled glutton in me is in love with these almonds.

I started out with rice cakes and almond butter when I was trying to find a healthy-ish snack that was not a piece of bread or anything of its carby ilk.    Then I found these and the search was shut down immediately.

The toasted coconut ones taste like summer, if that is even possible.

Excuse me, I just have to run to the kitchen for a sec.

THREE

This is our local dairy farm and store.  Their milk is delicious.  The times when I pour myself a glass of milk are rare, but sometimes I really like an ice cold glass.  I always thought the grocery store milk was fine, but this milk is so much better.  No hormones, no antibiotics, from a local family owned and operated farm.

It takes a little extra planning, but now I buy all our dairy products from them.  Did I mention that they make their own ice cream, too?  

Oh, twist my arm.

FOUR

This is the dress I wore to Francie's graduation.  

Look, I am having a major clothing crisis these days mostly because I've grown 5 humans in the last 7 years and I never managed to lose all the weight from about 3 babies ago.  And I am now mumblecoughmumble pounds overweight after Septimus.

I am working on it, sloooowly, but working just the same.  Still the problem remains that I have no flattering clothes.  Lots of maternity clothes (no!), lots of shapeless t-shirts, yoga pants, and one pair of jeans.  This is fine for my regular life of hermit, but even a hermit has to go to town eventually.

On a whim I stopped in to Old Navy, and I saw this little number on the sale rack.  It has tiny mirrors sewn all over the dress.  That sounds weird, but the effect isn't garish, just a nice sparkle factor.

I paired it with a coral 3/4 sleeve cardigan and cute wedge sandals.  It was cool, comfy, and it fit.  A miracle.

It won't be weird if I wear this every single day this summer, will it?   Good, that's what I thought.

FIVE

My favorite 5 month old recovering colic-aholic.

Come. on.

I mean really people, how can I be expected to not kiss this child all day long?

Rob and I still marvel over what an excellent baby he has become.  If you had told me, in those dark days of 4 hour screamfests, that he would eventually be a laid back little guy, smiling at everyone and being generally amiable . . .  well, let's just say I might have lost it a little on you.  I was a woman on the edge, my friends.

But whatever was working itself out or maturing or growing or whatever cures colic, it happened in the nick of time.

Now he's just hanging out with a popped collar and a little drool on the chin.