5 On Friday: Busy Mom Must-Haves

So clearly y’all know I’m a blogger.

And y’all know I’m all about DIY’s unless this is the first blog post you’ve ever opened of mine.

And likewise y’all probably have discovered I’m an Interior Designer by now.

What I don’t talk a whole lot about, because I keep my family life pretty private is….my family life!

If you read the “About Me” blurb on here though, you know I have 5 kids and 3 dogs and then there is The MR and I’m a SAHM and……you’re wondering how many hours are in my days now, right?

So this week my good friend Emily, over at Le Cultivateur, and I were chatting over a virtual coffee. We do that regularly. We were talking about blogging and what we share and what we wanted to share and what we don’t share.

We both agreed we really don’t talk about the mom side of our lives in spite of the fact that it takes up 98% of our days.

That’s when we agreed we would share something fun with y’all this week for another edition of 5 On Friday!

This is all about the busy momma! It’s a few of our Must-Haves that get us through our days. Some things that we use either every day or nearly every day that we really couldn’t imagine “momming” without.

Drumroll please…

In no particular order:

Wanna tell me what busy momma doesn’t need her coffee, or tea? I know a lot of y’all are all about the fancy machines and pushing a button and having everything done for you but if you want a much less expensive way to make a wonderful cup of coffee or tea, there is nothing better (in my humble opinion) than the good old french press method!

I like that you can make just enough for a cup at a time.

I like that it doesn’t have to use up your child’s college tuition fund to buy originally.

I like that it looks pretty and doesn’t take up much space.

I like that it’s super easy to clean.

I like that I can have one that looks like copper because COPPER!

I’ve had this Idealhouse French Coffee Press for at least 6 months now (but various other french presses before) and I LOVE it. I couldn’t be happier with it and it is such a good price.

I am sitting here writing this blog at 3:30 in the morning and it is sitting right beside me as I write, helping me along. Why would anyone in their right mind be awake and blogging at 3:30 in the morning, you ask?

First let me assure you, I have never guaranteed anyone I am always in my right mind and second, it’s the only time that kids and dogs are sleeping and peace reigns momentarily in my very busy and noisy house. Have I mentioned I have several ridiculously early bird offspring who are awake every day before the early birds? I am expecting to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet at any time even now.

Whether you want to or not, you have to do dishes and clean the kitchen and countertops every day, am I right? Even if you use a dishwasher.

I’m also betting you have to wash off a table? Maybe more than one?

Perhaps a high chair?

Now maybe you use a cloth. Perhaps disposable ones.

Maybe you wash yours every day so they don’t get smelly.

Maybe you’re a sponge person like me.

Maybe you loath smelly things and immediately throw away the sponge or the cloth as soon as it starts to smell?

These Everest Microbial Defense sponges are game changers! They come in a pack of 4 which is a 1 year supply and cost less than $20. They are made of antibacterial microfiber mesh and terry cloth and come with a 90 day guarantee. They are germ free!

Personally I’m not able to budget for a Vitamix, much as I think they are awesome. However I use a blender often and several of my kids (and myself too) love smoothies.

If you use a blender at all you are well aware that not all blenders are created equal and you get what you pay for.

That said, you don’t have to break the bank to get a pretty good machine but you will go through a lot of them before you find the one that fits this category. Luckily I have done the footwork for you and my good momma hit the jackpot when she discovered this lovely specimen and got it for me.

This is the Oster Pro 1200 Plus and comes with the Smoothie cup which inverts over your blade attachment and is the perfect size for making a personal smoothie. It has a glass blender jar (the smoothie cup is plastic) and lots of different settings depending on what you are wanting to make, speed settings etc. I have been using this blender regularly for over a year now and am still completely satisfied with it.

It has a powerful, wide blade, which changes direction to draw the food into the blade which blends it more efficiently and smoothly. It can handle the frozen fruit and ice easily for smoothies and makes very smooth sauces.

It is worth every cent and is a very reasonable price in my opinion for how well it works.

I can whip up a smoothie or protein shake and have it all cleaned up again all within a couple minutes.

Now I could go on and easily share 2 more gadgets or cleaning items with you or things I use as a busy mom on the daily but I want to take this opportunity to change things up a little for my final 2 items on this 5 On Friday.

First a confession.

I’m not good at taking care of myself.

Are you?

I take care of the kids.

I take care of The Mr.

I take care of the dogs.

I take care of the house.

I take care of the yard.

I take care of friends and neighbors….

The list can go on and on and it’s not the I resent that, it’s who I am. It’s just that while doing all that caring I forget about me all the time until I have nothing left to give and I’m all empty and used up and then I realize I should have done something for me.

Just a little something.

I think as a mom and a wife that’s a common mistake we all make, am I right?

I’m working on it.

A little self care.

Just the littlest bit.

So for the last 2 items I’m going to share with you 2 things that I really love that make me feel refreshed. Things that don’t cost a lot or take a whole lot of time away from your family and your busy schedule (or mine) because I know how that is but can recharge your battery.

See those pretty little bags up there in that picture?

I’ll show you again.

They’re magical.

Okay not really.

But they’re so refreshing.

All you have to do is tuck those little kiddos into bed, pick up those toys and then run that bath water. Pour just a little of these bath salts into the water and slip into the bath.

They’re both amazing but the lavender is my favorite before bed.

Trust me, you’ll thank me.

Show of hands – who uses soap or lotion?

I’m really hoping you raised your hand for the soap at least!

Want the best soap and lotion ever?

I’ve already shared this company on my Favorite Things Friday  

What do I get out of sharing this product/company with you?

The satisfaction of knowing you will soon love it as much as I do.

On top of them being all natural and smelling amazing, they leave your skin feeling so soft and smooth and hydrated.

I’ve always had an issue with dry & sensitive skin, particularly in the winter and these products have helped so much. The lotion does not leave your skin greasy feeling at all. I use it under my makeup or alone every single day.

There are so many different scents available you are sure to find many you’d love to try. You won’t be disappointed.

I will leave you with that for now.

I’m sure we will be revisiting this topic in the near future so I can share more of my must-haves with you. I’d love to hear some of your must-haves as well in the comments below.

Let’s pop over to Emily’s blog now and see what her must-haves are….

Emily from Le Cultivateur

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