Favorite Things

I know that life isn't about things, but there are some things that truly make life a lot better. Here are some favorites that I've splurged and gotten myself in the past few months that make such a difference in my life:

• crock pot liners. it's a bag you put in your crock pot so that you don't have to wash the thing when you're done
• garbage bags with the loop handles. it's definitely worth the extra 3 or 4 dollars. 
• snack bags of Fruits & Nuts mix from Costco. they're healthy, filling, and yummy.
• pacifier clips. we now have 3 or 4, and i'm so glad.
• humidifier. i grossly underestimated what a difference these things can make. we sleep much better when this thing is on- even if we aren't sick.
• candles. just cheap ones that make the room smell yummy, and the little flames around the room make us feel more classy.
• cutting boards that don't stain. i was sick of having a stained cutting board, and one day i thought "what am i trying to prove by keeping this piece of junk? there's no harm in just getting a new cutting board." so i got new ones on amazon with our gift card money. so worth it. it's amazing how having an updated kitchen tool motivates me to cook more.
• real baby thermometer. we went through 3 cheap ones from Target and Babies R Us. total waste. they take forever to get a reading under the arm or in the mouth, tanner always struggles, and i could never get the same reading twice. but now we have the same kind our pediatrician uses- Thermoscan. it takes the babies temp via the ear. it's totally changed my life because i don't have to put off taking my child's temp. no fights or struggles, no wondering if it's accurate. 
• memory foam mattress pad. jeremy got us this because our cheap foam was bunching up on us all the time. even though it's just a pad that you lay on top of your normal mattress, it is sooo comfy. definitely worth it.
• clean towels. now that i do the laundry pretty much daily, we have more clean things. and that's nice. the higher water bill is worth it.
• neosporin. jeremy suggested i use it on my chronically dry, cracked hands. i've been caking it on before bed, and it's made a huge difference!
• a proper bag and tote. i switched things up with my purses and bags, and it makes such a difference to have a bag that can stand up and stay open on it's own! literally, this has changed my life. i can find things easily, i can get ready for the day faster because i don't have to keep adjusting the purse while i get all my stuff in it, i know exactly where my phone and chapstick is. wow.
• plenty of chapstick. jeremy and i can't function without chapstick. and we are always pining through the house for a stick. so now at the store, i don't hold back when it comes to chapstick. the more, the merrier.