5 Things We Love Right Now

Flower Planters

I don’t have a green thumb, and I don’t really enjoy yard work, gardening, or anything along those lines. What I do like is pretty plants and flowers and having a yard that looks nice. Enter Family Tree Nursery. For the past few years, I’ve gotten the loveliest pots filled with beautiful flowers for the front of our house from Family Tree Nursery. The arrangements are spectacular, and I receive many compliments. And although I don’t love working in the yard, I do manage to keep them alive all season. FamilyTreeNursery.com

Library App

Mid-Continent PublicLibrary recently launched its “Grow a Reader” app designed to help caregivers engage in constructive, enriching, and fun literacy activities with their children. Free to download, the app focuses on developing children's pre-reading skills so they can become strong readers and lifelong learners. The app is a great way to have some engaging and age-appropriate content at your fingertips for little ones. Through a variety of videos, books and daily literacy tips, the app supports early literacy skills. Check it out and download it today! MyMCPL.org

Nail Polish Strips

Let me say off the bat that I don't sell Color Street nail polish strips. Now you know this is unsolicited and something I just really love right now! I was invited to an online party and decided to give them a try. Well, I am hooked. I love a nice manicured nail, but both dip angel manicures just wreck my nails (and I’m not good about making appointments to get them done regularly). The Color Street strips are easy to apply, and I get a full week of nicely painted nails. I take them off after a week to give my nails a few days’ break before applying the next set. So many fun colors and designs to choose from! ColorStreet.com

Book

Local author and artist Danna York has recently released a new, interactive book you’ll enjoy reading with your kids. And the best part is that children get to help illustrate the book, putting their own stamp on it and giving them some ownership to the process! By the Lighthouse is a simple and sweet beach tale of a lighthouse and a day on the beach. Kids will enjoy becoming a part of the book through coloring and illustrating pages, a simple, yet effective, way to involve kids with literacy! Amazon.com

Puzzles

My younger and I enjoy completing puzzles together. But although I enjoy them, I don’t like ones that are really difficult. The newBuffalo Gold line of puzzles available at Walmart fits the bill of being fun but not too hard. They are high quality in every aspect—sturdy boxes with resealable plastic bags and solid pieces. Plus, included in the box is a poster of the image, which is much easier to follow than a box cover. We typically stick to the 500 piece puzzles, but I’m going to challenge myself with 1,000 pieces. Good idea or bad? Only time will tell! Walmart.com