Friday 5+1 (5 Things I Love + 1 Thing I Don’t) – 8.11.17

School is just around the corner here, so life is going to get real very soon.  Early mornings, routines, the whole nine yards.  It’s been a great summer, and I’m going to miss having the kids at home.  I just keep reminding myself that we’ll all adjust to the schedules, structure and change.  Let’s get moving with this week’s Friday 5+1!  This post contains some affiliate links.

Mava Knee Brace

Years ago, when my boys were little, I dislocated my kneecap.  Yeah.  Ouch.  I can’t even say that I was doing something cool or adventurous.  I was moving a kitchen chair, and the seat of the chair hit my kneecap, and my kneecap went UP.  It hurt so badly, that I almost passed out. (Fun fact about me, while I feel like I have a fairly high pain tolerance, sudden, unexpected pain sometimes results in me passing out).  I ended up having knee surgery.  I’ve been good since then, but lately my knee has been giving me issues – aching, swelling, etc… I exercise regularly, and of course, painting requires a lot of physical activity, so I was looking for a knee brace of some sort to give me some extra support.  Enter Mava Knee Brace.  

One of my workout instructors told me about it, and it is fantastic.  Just the right amount of support and compression.  I wear it when I workout, and if my knee is giving me issues, I sometimes wear it to bed.  It feels like it’s giving my knee a hug, for lack of a better word.  My oldest son also dislocated his kneecap (in a bouncy house of all places – those things are dangerous, I swear) – and I gave him one to try (you get two in a package), and he loved it too.  You just feel supported and secure, if that makes sense.

Solar Eclipse Glasses

Surely you’ve heard the talk of the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21st.  I remember back in first grade when there was an eclipse – I’m pretty sure it must have been a total solar eclipse, because we had to look at it through one of those shoebox contraptions to see it.  Throw away your shoebox, and get yourself some solar eclipse glasses, so you can view it safely and in style.  Well, when I say in style, I guess these beat looking through a shoebox, right?

Notes from Mom for College Students

I have been reading posts and articles from the Grown and Flown Facebook page lately, since our oldest is headed off to college in just two weeks(!).  There are some great ideas and tips as you walk through the “going to college” process, although lately, I can’t even read some of the articles because they’re just too sad.  I know it’s going to be tough, but I try to keep things in perspective, and remind myself that he’s going to college, and that this is what we’ve been working toward all of these years.  There have been a slew of car accidents where young lives have been lost, and those parents will never be able to send their son/daughter to school, so I’m counting my blessings that I have the opportunity.  Anyway.  I saw this idea of writing a bunch of different notes for a college kid, to open when the occasion arises.  How cute is this?  

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt

I’m in the process of listening to Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and it’s one of those stories where I think the Audible version is just amazing.  It’s kind of a Steel Magnolias meets The Help meets Fried Green Tomatoes.  Great characters, fantastic narration and a story that you want to hear.

An Amazon description –

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.

In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah’s perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie’s all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Beth Hoffman’s sparkling debut is, as Kristin Hannah says, “packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart.” It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.

Podcasts

I guess I’m late to the podcast party, but I recently started listening to them and am loving them more than I expected!  They’re nice because they’re quick and don’t require a large time investment, and I’ve found some that are inspiring and fascinating along the way.  I love the TED Radio Hour podcasts, and Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday podcasts were just added.  It’s funny, I never really watched Oprah’s Sunday shows on TV, but really enjoy listening to them!  And the TED podcasts are just plain fascinating, and oftentimes mind blowing.  Highly recommend.

My +1 for the week – When my grocery store rearranges the place

Not too long ago our Kroger built a huge new store, and the setup was completely different from the old one.  It took some time, but I eventually figured out where everything was, and had a “route” that I took when I went to the store.  Well, that’s been blown to bits.  Kroger is rearranging everything, and I think it’s a ploy to keep me there longer and spend more money.  And it’s not like it’s being arranged in a way that makes better sense as far as I can tell.  Why, Kroger?  Why do you do this?

Have a great weekend!

Jenny