And with that, the 72nd day of January comes to an end. Anyone else feel like the month of all months is *finally* finished?? It’s a beast of a thing, especially with it being dark and cold and all…all in favor of a sunshine-y vacation, say ay!
First and foremost, a moment of houskeeping: shoutout to the THRIVE rebrand. Was about damn time! After about five years, the THRIVE Podcast got a facelift…isn’t she lovely?! *heart eyes* for this fresh face, right in time for Season FIVE of THRIVE! There is so much goodness ahead this season – buckle up and hit subscribe (or “follow”) on your favorite podcast streaming platform. (Besides being on Apple Podcasts, we’re on Spotify here!) 🙂
ALSO ALSO…if you have a few seconds (literally, just a few!), would you hit the five stars here and write a sentence saying why you enjoy listening or what you lovelovelove most about the show? Even as simple as “I enjoy listening to THRIVE every week – one of my favorites!”
*Steps off soapbox*
Carrying on with some Cool Sh*t I Lovelovelove!
In my mom era especially, I am all about functional aesthetic. We badly needed baby storage in our family room since Jonah’s various tummy time toys, mats, shakers and more were taking over. I found this #1 bestselling basket on Amazon and figured I’d give it a go – it’s SO GOOD, FRIENDS. Note, you do have to assemble it when it arrives. But it’s easy enough, and then it’s just made so well; the hinge is great, and there’s even a subtle braided handle on the top for easy opening (which I didn’t realize when I ordered, so ’twas a lovely surprise!).
We use for toy storage but would also work well for blankets, shoes…literally anything that needs subtle storing. 😉
2.) New DIME cologne
Buckle up, babes – this scent is SEXY. If you need a Valentine’s Day gift for your guy (that will also benefit you hehe), this is it.
I put DIME’s newest cologne launch in J’s Christmas stocking without even knowing what it smelled like yet…holy moly. I audibly *gasped* upon smelling it on him. It’s one of those head-turning scents.
It’s sexy, it’s unique…it’s also a non-toxic/clean cologne, which is important because did you know fragrances can mess with guys’ hormones, too???
But it just smells freaking incredible.
Mimi was over and said to me, “What scent is on Jonah?? Is that yours? It’s INCREDIBLE…” Turns out, it was J’s cologne lingering on Jonah man’s head (another reason to switch to non-toxic fragrance since it can get on your littles, too!).
Also, he’s been using it since I gifted it to him and it looks barely used…so a spritz or two does the trick! (I just also always recommend reapplying throughout the day if you want since eau de toilette’s aren’t as potent as parfum…which I’m more than okay with when it’s a clean, non-toxic fragrance instead of a formula loaded with chemicals just to last a little longer!).
If you want 20% off (because duh), drop code THRIVE20 at checkout!
I couldn’t go three videos on TikTok without seeing an ad for the “Alix Earle light” – oh to be Gen Z and TikTok famous enough to have a light nicknamed after you. LOL. I had actually ordered one back in March-ish and just hadn’t given it a go until this month – ask my why, I don’t know. But if you need to really *up* your content game – or just look better than ever on FaceTime with the fam – this is it.
It clips onto the top of your phone or laptop and has multiple light color settings – cool toned, warm, as well as a mix – and it just gives.
I mean, I’ll let the before/after speak for itself here – taken 2.5 seconds apart, just without versus with the light! NOTHING ELSE!
4.) Crescent City
In honor of CC3 dropping *literally yesterday*, I finally got my act together to die into this next Sarah J. Maas world. ACOTAR just about wrecked me in all the best ways and turned me into a fantasy girlie, so here we are – I’m late to the party, but better late than never. 😉 I will say, this first one is a tad hard to get into at first because there is SO MUCH world building, but everyone and her mother from my besties to BookTok swears that it picks up and becomes so much easier once you’re ~in it~.
I have just so much respect for SJM as an author and writer – her imagination is out of this world, literally. So if you haven’t yet, start with ACOTAR. I’ve got the Throne of Glass book set next on my TBR, too!
5.) Abercrombie fleece jumpsuit
I just squealed for joy!!! This gem of a jumpsuit was sold out – I was going to include anyway because I’d be remiss not to, given how solid of a favorite it’s been this month. Then to my delight, I see there are some sizes in stock in both the grey AND black…AND IT’S ON SALE!!!!!
It’s wickedly comfortable AND cute – such an elevated look for wearing sweats all day. 😉
Praise the living God and #AddToCart.
6.) Portable charger
I’ve dubbed myself a portable charging queen – I’m always plugged in on the go and on the hunt for the best gems for the job. For Disney especially, I wanted one that wasn’t bulky or hanging from my phone so that I could be actively using it easily and conveniently while still charging…and this one did exactly that! I doubly liked that it tells you how much power IT has, so that you know when you have to recharge the charger – ha!
7.) Magnetic people
This was a *gamechanger* and mood saver in Disney! I bought a pack on my girlfriend Kallie’s recommendation, because she suggested using them in line queues or during any waits to keep kiddos entertained. Sure enough, it did the trick! Olivia loveloveloved, so much so that she wanted the entire pack back at home (I had only thrown 4 or 5 in my backpack). It’s fun to tell kids to make the people jump around them to find what might be magnetic, but then they also connect to each other obviously…good for screen-free imaginative play and motor skills!
8.) Simple Modern water bottle
Y’all KNOW I’m a total SM tumbler gal…now I’m also an SM water bottle gal! Even though I have approximately 32 Simple Modern cups already, I picked up a water bottle for Disney, too, so that I could bring it into the parks for quick (+ free) re-hydration. It keeps ice frozen just like my fave tumblers, but now with the leak-free flip top situation instead of a straw, so it was the perfect park accessory!
OK OK so you know how Swedish fish are addicting buuuuuut full of sugar and red food dye and have zero percent health benefit? Yup.
My brother, bless his heart, found me REAL Swedish fish, FROM FREAKING SWEDEN, that have no artificial additives, coloring or flavoring…they’re gluten-free, vegan, naturally flavored fish that actually taste BETTER than the OG candy here.
I screamed. Then I ate both whole bags.
10.) Baby Bjorn harmony carrier
By now you probably have gathered that I’m such a Baby Bjorn fan. We used this carrier constantly for newborn Jonah…I actually didn’t realize that it also works for outward facing wear. But we got the Harmony specifically for easy outward facing since it goes a bit beyond the age/weight limits of the first! Really, both are fabulous options that we use on repeat; they’re easy to get on/off, easy to put baby in securely and comfortably, and are clutch for traveling with baby.
HAVE YOU TRIED ANY OF MY MONTHLY FAVORITES YET?
And what have been YOUR Monthly Favorites? Would lovelovelove to know!
P.S. ICYMI and wanna get caught up on or last month’s favorites, just click here!
