Friday is here and with it the first full week back at school for all three boys is coming to a close. I’m so, so happy to report this week was a good one. Rhett marched into kindergarten like the confident little youngest brother he is, bouyed by feel of his big brothers at his side and the knowledge that his teacher was the same beloved teacher Ryder had before. We celebrated with after-school doughtnuts and lake swimming and eased back into the school year before the craziness of fall activities begins.

Our weekend ahead is relatively open but with super-hot temperatures raging right now, I’m sure we’ll spend most of our time in the pool or lake. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead and I’d love to see ya back here on Monday!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• This or That Day (Final Mom + Rhett Friday)

For the past few years, every Friday was a “Mom and Rhett” Friday, as the big kids headed off to school and Rhett’s preschool had off on Fridays. Our Fridays together were simple but wonderful in their simplicity. As Rhett’s first day of kindergarten approached, I realized our Fridays together were coming to a close. I found myself wanting to make our final “just the two of us” Friday feel a little extra special and figured he’d love a “This or That” day! When I mentioned the idea to Rhett last Thursday at bedtime, he absolutely lit up. He then started throwing out ideas for “this or that” choices and surprised me when his ideas were all simple but special things we’d do togehter on a typical Friday: A walk with Comet, board games, puzzles, baking something, building something, etc. I absolutely LOVED that this was where his head went because what better way to spend our final Friday together than to spend it doing all the things we’ve loved doing together for years? We filled our day with a scooter walk with Comet at a local park. We played Outfoxed for the 100th time. We curled up on the couch and flipped through a cookie cookbook until a recipe for edible cookie dough caught Rhett’s eye. We whipped up a batch, eating more than a few spoonfuls of dough when it was done. It was simple but it was special… just like all of our Mom and Rhetty Fridays.

• The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs

I think our boys have cracked the code on how to get sweet treats in their life on a regular basis: Just ask Mom if she wants to bake something together. I’ve always enjoyed baking and it’s something that all three boys seem to enjoy as well. From the mixing to the taste-testing to the finished product, baking is more than just making cookies or cakes together; it’s an activity, an experience and something we’ve loved doing together since the boys were young enough to stand by my side on their little kitchen helper cooking stand.

Fast foward to having three bigger kids in the mix and now they’re more proficient and more opinionated about what we make together. They love flipping through my collection of cookbooks for new recipes to try (Cookie Club is a recent addition we’re loving) and we’ve found a lot of favorite recipes this way! One cookbook they come back to time and time again is a cookbook I actually got for them: The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs. It’s easy to read and understand and packed with lots of kid-friendly recipes. We’ve made a ton of recipes from this cookbook and they all turn out so, so well! While the cookbook is a baking cookbook, it’s packed not only with sweet treats and desserts but rolls, pizza recipes and more savory baked goods as well. We’ve loved it!

• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / My rating: A-

If only I’d finished reading this book before sharing my summer book rankings, this book surely would’ve claimed a top spot. What a cozy, warm hug of a book! This is another one that I read before bed and also listened to the audiobook version during my walks with Comet/household chores and I’m honestly not sure which version I preferred! (Meryl Streep is the narrator of the audiobook and of course does a phenomenal job.) The book is just a lovely escape of a novel but with plenty of intrigue sprinkled in as the narrator, a woman in her late 50s, recounts the summer she spent with a famous actor to her three adult daughters. There is so much warmth and love in this novel but the undercurrent of youth, young love and this missteps and lessons we learn along the way made this novel one I deeply enjoyed. About halfway through the book, I found myself texting my mom who gravitates toward mysteries above all other novels to please give Tom Lake a try because it felt like so much more than a woman’s story about her past. The mother-daughter relationship dynamic, the peek into an actor’s life, the way the book kept circling back to the play Our Town, the movie star intrigue, and the trusting, deep love between the narrator and her husband all swirled together to make Tom Lake a novel I absolutely loved from start to finish.

Note: My college friends and I were split on this one! One of my girlfriends described this book as “great storytelling, just no major excitement” when we were texting about it. Tom Lake is definitely more of a character development novel so keep that in mind because I can see how this book is one some would love and some would find borning. I’m in the L-O-V-E camp for sure!

• Tubing On the Lake!

At long last, the lake was high enough for us to get our boat out last weekend!!! Woop, woop! While we’ve absolutely made the most of a super-low lake this summer and still managed to swim and kayak, we’ve missed boating and jumping off our dock. When Ryan realized the recent thunderstorms we’ve had were enough to finally raise the lake level enough to get our boat out, our weekend plans were all but decided! We stopped by West Marine last Saturday morning and left with a giant tube, determined to get out on the water and whip the boys around! To say they had a blast would be a serious understatement and I don’t think I’ve smiled or laughed so hard this summer. We&...]]> Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:27:49 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jvZnv-Qw0wLaPeL2qpKFR1?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jkIwto50QN5kxxD8v6_czl?utm_source=follow.it

Summer may not technically be over yet, but with all three boys back in school it feels like our summer season has come to a close. I may be cutting summer a little short but I was feeling the itch to chat all about books on the blog today so that’s what we’re going to do!

I read a decent number of books this summer, though admittedly less than usual because I was often so darn tired by the time my usual bedtime reading rolled around since our summer was filled with travel, visitors and later-than-usual bedtimes for the boys. Hopefully the fall season will bring a little more reading back into my life, but I still managed to read a handful of books, many of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Below you will find everything I read this summer ranked in order from the books I enjoyed most to the ones I’d probably pass on if you’re looking for your next read. As always you’ll find a mix of genres below — everything from contemporary and historical fiction to mysteries and romance — and I hope something below pops out at you if you’re looking to fill up your library holds list! Happy reading, fellow bookworms!

Everything I Read This Summer: Ranked

• The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

Genre: Historical Fiction / My rating: A 

The best way I can describe The Calamity Club is to say it’s simultaneously very long and yet not long enough. I love, love, loved it. From start to finish, this book had me absolutley enamored and deeply rooting for both main characters. I spent the first half of the book not really knowing where it was going but also not caring because I adored Meg and Birdie so much. I ended up getting the audiobook version of The Calamity Club through my Libby app halfway through reading it and then went back and forth between the book and the audiobook, as I read before bed at night but listen to audiobooks while multitasking during the day.

For this book, I felt like the audiobook version took my enjoyment of the story to another level. The women reading as Meg and Birdie did such a phenomenal job adding dimension to the character’s voices in a way that had me reading in their voices in my mind when I would switch back to reading this book. This book is officially claiming my top spot for my favorite book of the year so far! It was captivating, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, unexpectedly funny at times and a truly memorable read.

• The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / My rating: A 

I enjoyed the heck out of this book! I was looking for something light and fun for the summer and The Academy nailed it. It was the kind of book that reads like a New England boarding school drama show you cannot help but binge on Netflix. I looked forward to reading it before bed every night and cannot wait to dive into the second book in this mini series once it’s released this fall.

From Amazon: It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump—was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

• The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Genre: Mystery/Romance/Magical Realism / My rating: A-

Having previously read and mostly enjoyed Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young, a few of you encouraged me to read The Unmaking of June Farrow by the same author. I’m glad you nudged me this way because it was such a creative book that read like so much more than your typical love story. It involved time travel in a way that felt fresh and intesresting and an underlying mystery was woven throughout the story that piqued my interest and kept me engaged and excited to flip thorough the pages.

From Amazon: In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there but June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

• Here’s to Us by Elin Hilderbrand

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance / My rating: B+

Something about summer has me craving easy, breezy books and Elin Hilderbrand...]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:13 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jkIwto50QN5kxxD8v6_czl?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jR4xCdUCmJrE25WNqBfx9-?utm_source=follow.it

I’m sitting here at my favorite local coffee shop after dropping the boys off at school. All of them…. at the same elementary school…. for the first time ever. And the tears are flowing. Not from them — oh no — but from me.

How did we get here? How is my last baby off to kindergarten? Everyone warned me it would go so, so fast and they were painfully, acutely right. Even though I knew it would go fast because I had the proof standing right in front of me — proof in the form of toddlers who were no longer babies and big kids who were no longer toddlers — these milestone moments have a way of knocking me off my feet and, truthfully, they hurt. They hurt in the way it hurts when a birthday rolls around and you realize you’ll never have access to the 4-year-old version of your kid again. They hurt in the way your heart squeezes when your child stops saying “lello” and replaces it with the correct but oh-so-grown-up pronunciation “yellow.”

Part of me thought today would be a day I’d feel relief. I’ve spent more than 11 years cramming the non-motherhood pieces of my life into small pockets of “me time;” brief windows of free time I’d grasp through nap times, preschool drop offs, gym childcare and occasional help. It felt intense, impossible at times, stressful for sure but, for the most part, absolutely overflowing with joy. It never felt possible for me to have a to-do list with everything checked off but it also didn’t matter because LOOK at what I got to pour my heart into everyday: A family I love in a way I will never be able to capture into words.

Ever since the boys were toddlers, Ryan and I have said the same lines back and forth with them before bed. “I love you bigger than a rocket ship!” “I love you bigger than the moon!” and so on. Over the summer I joked that Ryder rage baited me one night when he jokingly said, “I love you more than you love me.” Oh heck no, my child. I very matter-of-factly told him that was impossible. My love for him and his brothers and his dad is bigger than Ryder’s eight-year-old brain could ever imagine.

“Is it really bigger than a rocket ship?” he asked. “Much, much bigger,” I assured him. It’s a soul-squeezing kind of love that bubbles over on days like today. Days that remind me my children are growing up, exactly the way I hoped and prayed they would. But that doesn’t mean watching them confidently walk into their elementary school — my three no-longer-little-kids in a row — doesn’t serve as a gut-punch that ALL of this is finite. It’s all so beautiful and wonderful but my gosh why can’t it all just slow down?

I read this quote that I’ve been thinking about a lot: “The hardest part about parenting is raising the one thing you can’t live without to be able to live without you.” Ooph isn’t that the truth? Because that is the goal, right? To raise kind, confident, loving, hard-working, independent, thoughtful humans who can go out into the world on their own and make a positive impact. Ryan and I have repeatedly talked about how this phase of life we’re living right now is golden to us. We’re holding onto it hard while trying to get better at letting go, little by little. But man, it sure does wreck me sometimes.

For now, I’ll just sit here with wet eyes, feeling so grateful for motherhood and the way I’ve been given the gift of a love so big can make me ache so much.

The post Last of the Firsts appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

What a good weekend. From start to finish this weekend was filled with summer fun. We were determined to sneak in two final summer break adventures and both were quintessential summer fun involving swimming and sunshine: Kool Park Pool and the Quarry at Carrigan Farms! For my local friends, both of these spots are 100 percent worth a day trip from Charlotte!

Kool Park Pool

On Friday, the boys and I drove about an hour away to Hickory, North Carolina. I recently heard about a local community pool in the area that was open to the public for a small fee. What really piqued my interest was the fact that this pool had a number of diving boards which seem to be almost an anomaly these days. As a former diver, I LOVE diving boards and knew jumping from high heights would thrill the boys so we made a visit to Kool Park Pool happen.

The pool itself isn’t anything fancy by any means but that is part of its charm. Kool Park Pool has been open for 90+ years and took me right back to my days of lifeguarding at Birchwood Community Pool in Palatine, Illinois in the early 2000s. There was concrete everywhere, four diving boards, a not-too-fast-but-still-really-fun slide built into the side of the pool and lifeguards who were keeping everyone safe but not overcorrecting if that makes sense? Kids were allowed to jump and play and just be kids and I felt like for the afternoon the boys and I were transported back to a simple ’90s summer. It was one of my absolute favorite days I’ve had with them all year!

When we arrived at Kool Park Pool, the high dive — a 15-foot monstrosity — caught our eyes immediately and I had to laugh when 5-year-old Rhett of all the kids was the first to make a beeline for it!

He didn’t hesitate for one second and jumped right off, emerging from the water exclaiming, “It felt like jumping into outerspace!” We all followed suit and jumped off the high dive before trying out the low dive, a medium dive and a traditional 3-meter diving board (a typical “high dive” that was dwarfed by the 15 foot high dive).

Fun fact: The high dive at Kool Park Pool was once a metal tower dignitaries used to watch rocket launches at Cape Canaveral. Apparently in the 1960s the son of the man who originally opened the pool submitted a bid on metal items from Cape Canaveral not knowing what all it included. His bid won and when the metal items arrived, he discovered he had purchased a 15-foot tower and had it transformed into the diving tower.

The pool has a smal amount of food and treats for sale, bathrooms and showers but they were 100 percent fine with people bringing outside food into the pool which we appreciated since we packed a picnic lunch to enjoy during our afternoon visit.

Carrigan Farms Quarry

Our second adventure of the weekend took us to the Quarry at Carrigan Farms in Mooresville, North Carolina. Carrigan Farms is a fifth-generation family farm our family loves visiting at different times of the year for different reasons.

Flashback family pic at Carrigan Farms! 

In the spring, Carrigan Farms is a hot spot for strawberry picking. In the late summer/early fall, it’s a must-visit for apple picking in our area. In October, they offer pumpkin picking and hayrides to their pumpkin patch. Despite our many visits to Carrigan Farms...]]> Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:55:09 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hQVc5Kv38y1wpyW97guT9A?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jNI7SUu0b7Y23v5mJBMBbC?utm_source=follow.it

Our final full week of summer break is coming to a close today and I’m unsure how I feel about it. The work side of me is looking forward to a routine, more regular blogging (I’ve missed this space so much!) and more time to focus on parts of PBF I’ve neglected for months. But the more prominent side of me is wishing for more time. More schedule-free days. More afternoons at the pool, more sunshine and more chances to simply soak up time with the boys. Their ages have made this summer my favorite yet — a sentiment I hope I feel for every single summer to come — but right now the boys are in this beautiful stage of still being very much kids but also so clearly their own people without some of the hands-on neediness that comes along with toddlers and babies. (I loved those years so much, too, but this is a sweet spot I could truly live in forever.)

We filled our final full week of summer break with so much summer fun. It was a good one from start to finish and included a handful of sleepovers at our house with the boys’ friends, lots of fishing, play dates, pool time and KITTENS! (More on the cats below!) The one bummer is that Ryan was in India all week for work but he arrives home this evening and we’re so ready for him!! (Ryan flew to India the day we got back from Key West like such a freaking trooper.)

As for this weekend, we have a few things on the agenda but we’re also hoping for some chill time as we prep for back-to-school madness next week. Keep on scrolling if you’d like to catch up on a few things we’re loving around here this week!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Our Foster Kittens: Maple and Waffles!

Wanna know what happens when you show up at the pet store to buy crickets for your leopard gecko and find out a local animal shelter has a influx of cats and is in desperate need of fosters through the weekend? You end up leaving with two 3-month-old kittens. Meet Maple and Waffles, two of the sweetest kittens on the planet. We absolutely adore this brother-sister duo and they’ve been such a spunky, cuddly, fun addition to our household this week.

Long story short, we went to the pet store for crickets for our leopard gecko and found out that the animal shelter they partner with was in desperate need for more room for their cats, as they were getting an influx of rescues on Thursday. There is a cricket shortage in the area (yes, really), so we ended up leaving the pet store with zero crickets and two cats (yes, really).

We brought Maple and Waffles home on Monday with the understanding our home is not the right fit for a longterm home for the kittens for a myriad of reasons. Of course now we adore these little babies and would love, love, love to help them find a perfect home. We’ve had them in our house for five days now and they’ve been absolutely fantastic with the boys. They’re playful and hilarious together but also do so well when the boys hold them and pet them. They’re a blast and a half to watch together and have all of us laughing as they pounce, climb, jump and spook each other. I am MORE than happy to help fascilitate an adoption for these kittens because they are so wonderful and deserve to live in a loving forever home. We are hoping and praying they find a loving family to give them the best life… and if they could be adopted together, our hearts would soar because they’re such a sweet duo.

• Biscuit Donut Holes

When I was a kid, and even into my teenage years, my mom used to make homemade donut holes using canned biscuit dough for breakfast in the morning after I’d have friends sleepover. They’re one of those special core memory breakfasts I associate with childhood, the excitement of sleepovers with close friends and, now that I’m older, a mom who loved me so much that she wanted to sprinkle extra special experiences into everyday life. Fast forward to being a mother myself, I cannot resist making fun breakfasts for the boys and their friends when they have sleepovers at our house. Sometimes this looks like cinnamon rolls (the viral cinnamon rolls with heavy cream we love) or, if we’re feeling extra fun, my mom’s biscuit donut holes!

These donut holes are really easy to make. First you just need a can or two of biscuits. Cut the biscuits into quarters and then roll the pieces between your hands to form them into a circular donut hole shape. Then you’ll just fry them up in oil (vegetable or canola oil work well) in a skillet, turning them as they start to brown which happens FAST! From there, the fun really begins as you can then dip your donut holes into a variety of toppings. We love glaze (just powdered sugar mixed with a splash of milk), cinnamon-sugar, sprinkles and icing. Glaze and powdered sugar are always the most popular and tastiest, especially when you roll one in the glaze and then toss it in the powdered sugar. A double whammy of deliciousness!

• Glass Tumbler

While my unicorn mug has yet to exist, I am seeing some progress on the non-silicone/plastic tumbler front! There are more and more ceramic and glass options out there these days and while they do feel a little bit like a disaster/crash waiting to happen when I try to juggle too many things in my hands at once, I cannot deny I’m loving them! Since I am very much one of those people who like to have multiple different beverages going at all times, I am embracing my glass tumblers for my “special” beverages — aka my iced matcha lattes and...]]> Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:13:32 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jNI7SUu0b7Y23v5mJBMBbC?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gLwJDPiXYNiWeAz6S70lLV?utm_source=follow.it

We just got back from a week-long family vacation in Key West, Florida and it was equal parts HOT and wonderful! Our family of five visited Key West with my parents and filled our days with snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, swimming and lots of island exploration. (Key West is super walkable which we LOVED.) It was a fantastic way to round out our summer before school starts next week!

Key West Summer Vacation with Kids

My dad has been visiting Key West almost every single summer for decades with his scuba diving buddies so when Chase (who turned 11 on the trip!) got scuba certified last month, we knew we wanted to make a trip to Key west happen so Ryan, my dad, Chase and I could all dive together. My mom and dad’s prior trips to Key West helped us plan a family vacation we loved as they had a lot of knowledge about the island, where to stay, kid-friendly places to eat, family-friendly activities and more.

Is Key West Good for Families in the Summer?

Okay first let’s address the main concern with a visit to Key West in the summer: The heat! We’ve had a family vacation to Key West on our radar for years but didn’t pull the plug on planning a trip to Key West until this summer for one main reason: I wanted our three boys to be strong swimmers before we visited the island because I knew our trip would include a lot of swimming and, ideally, a decent amount of ocean swimming and snorkeling.

Was the heat unbareable? Not at all. Was the humidity 10/10? Definitely. Were we sweating at all hours of the day? Yep! But I think a think a few things helped: 1. The majority of the activies we planned revolved around water and the ocean. 2. We did a lot of our walking/island exploring in the morning or early evening versus during the heat of the day 3. When we were exploring, we weren’t shy about popping into shops for air conditioning relief (and often a sweet treat!) 4. We packed portable fans, water bottles filled with ice and cooling towels to help keep us cool. 5. We lucked out with a decent number of overcast days so we weren’t dealing with 100-degree super-sunny heat.

Visiting Key West in the summer comes along with a decent number of perks outside of the obvious (beautiful island, clear ocean waters, etc.). Prices for accommodations are less expensive than the winter months (peak tourism season) and restaurant reservations are easier to grab last-minute. We also commented on how the island felt vibrant and lively but not at all overcroweded which was a plus! We had two cruise ships come through Key West during our stay and while we noticed a slight influx of people on these days (particularly on Duval Street), it was never too busy to feel fun.

Also, as someone who is a bit of a baby about cold water, I LOVED the fact that the ocean was warm and there was no “oh my gosh this water is freezing” shock to my body when I’d jump in. Honestly, this was huge for me because I love swimming and the ocean but when I’m in cold water, it’s all I can think about. I would truly plan a trip to Key West in the heat of the summer for this very reason alone!

Top Kid-Friendly Things to Do in Key West (Summer Edition)

The top kid-friendly things to do in Key West will naturally vary depending on your kids’ interests but when we were researching the island we found a solid mix of family-friendly activities that would appeal to a wide range of interests. From snorkeling and beach time to visits to an aquarium, butterfly conservatory, parrot rescue and shipwreck museum, we found it really easy to fill a week-long family vacation in Key West with plenty of kid fun.

Key West Water Activities to Beat the Heat

If swimming in the ocean isn’t high on your list of fun things to do, I would hesitate to visit Key West in the summer. It’s very hot in the summer months and the ocean is where it’s at for fun in Key West when it’s 90+ degrees outside. Most of our time on the island centered around the ocean and swimming and we loooved it!

• Snorkeling in Key West: Ryan booked our crew on a 1/2 day snorkling adventure through Fury and we loved it! We lucked out with the boat being only 1/2 full (note: I do think it would’ve felt too crowded if it was fully booked) and had a great time snorkeling in clear waters at a protected reef located less than 30 minutes from shore. We saw a TON of fish and healthy coral and every single person in our crew loved this activity. If we would’ve had more time, we would have looked into snorkeling at Dry Tortugas National Park as well.
• Key West Eco Tour: If we were to return to Key West, I’d highly consider booking an eco tour through Honest Eco. We stumbled upon Honest Eco boats at the marina on the last day of our visit and when I researched their experiences, they seem amazing and right up our alley. They include various eco tours led by biologists — kayaking, sunset sails, snorkeling adven...]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:19:07 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gLwJDPiXYNiWeAz6S70lLV?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jABTPDTNCzUzP4DRGWh0FW?utm_source=follow.it

  Well hot dang it’s been a while since I’ve shared a Recent Looks blog post on PBF! We’re talking months — my last one was back in January! — so I figured it was high time to roundup some outfit pics and share them here. Since we’re making up for lost time today, you’ll see a lot of pics from the spring and summer months below which hopefully will be okay with you guys since the spring looks might be of interest as we look ahead to the summer-to-fall transition (aka you’ll see some jackets, jeans, etc. and not just clothes meant for summer heat).

  As always nearly everything — actually every single thing — I’m sharing below checks my comfort requirement box and many of these outfits are mom-life approved. These Recent Looks roundups serve as a way to honor my throwback bathroom mirror outfit pics I used to snap at work and share on the blog more than a decade ago! Memoriessss!

  Note: You may also browse more frequently updated outfits with sizing info on the “My Outfits” tab of my ShopMy page!

  Recent Looks #14

  • Outfit #1

  

  Occasion: Coffee with friends + Solo coffee shop work time

  Outfit Details: Pants: Albion Fit (code PBFINGERS10 saves 10%) / Top: Target / Shoes: Steve Madden / Bag: Clare V.

  • Outfit #2

  

  Occasion: Dinner out with friends

  Outfit Details: Dress: Skatie / Sandals: TKEES / Purse: Amazon

  • Outfit #3

  

  Occasion: Trampoline park with the boys

  Outfit Details: Top: Splits 59 / Pants: Splits 59 / Bag: Amazon / Sneakers: Reebok

  • Outfit #4

  

  Occasion: End of school picnic

  Outfit Details: Tank: Aerie / Skirt: Target (but old) / Sandals: Beeks / Bag: Clare V. (sold out but this one is similar)

  • Outfit #5

  

  Occasion: Preschool Easter egg hunt

  Outfit Details: Cream Denim Jacket: aerie / Jeans: FRAME (PBFINGERS15 saves 15%) / Shoes: Birkenstock / Bag: Clare V. (sold out but this one is similar)

  • Outfit #6

  

  Occasion:  Sun, 02 Aug 2026 16:44:39 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jABTPDTNCzUzP4DRGWh0FW?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07ixva67xGpKL85wgT1fwCaj?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:58:51 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07ixva67xGpKL85wgT1fwCaj?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hyRL4OpjLzgEi0K6ZcnzXi?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:55:15 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hyRL4OpjLzgEi0K6ZcnzXi?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hyRL4OpjLzgBcqVr-N_hpY?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:07:46 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hyRL4OpjLzgBcqVr-N_hpY?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07giTDin2ZMAnLna3sLS5IiZ?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:29:07 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07giTDin2ZMAnLna3sLS5IiZ?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07iW3ZEvFAH818AZVkIU6lMJ?utm_source=follow.it

  Hey friends! How are ya!? How was your week? Ours was a good one. We arrived home from Jacksonville where we spent the Fourth of July with family (more on that below) and then Chase dove headfirst into scuba camp on Monday! He’s already passed his written exam and, should everything go well today with his practical test in the water, he’ll be scuba certified by the end of the day!

  Rhett and Ryder only had one camp all summer (the VBS camp they did 2 weeks ago) so I had the little guys with me all week. We made the most of our time together with lots of pool and lake time, a trip to an indoor play place, some friend playdates, backyard soccer and more.

  As for the weekend ahead, we have a few fun things on the agenda (Carowinds!!) but for now I want to chat a little bit about some things that made me smile this week, Things I’m Loving Friday style! Enjoy your weekend, my friends!!

  Things I’m Loving Friday

  • Fourth of July Weekend in Florida

  

  

  We weren’t sure if our plans to make it to Jacksonville Beach to see family for the Fourth of July weekend were going to happen when I was selected for jury duty. The night before I was set to report to the courthouse, I was told I was no longer needed so our plans were back on! We made our way to Florida on Wednesday night and spent a long weekend with some of our very favorite people on the planet!

  We filled our days with hours and hours of beach time (we majorly lucked out with AWESOME waves for boogie boarding and surfing), pool time, backyard cookouts at my sister’s house, Mae’s annual summer t-shirt crafting, World Cup watching (we’re all so into it!!!) and plenty of cousin fun!

  

  

  It was such a good long weekend and while it was sad to say goodbye, we’re looking forward to a trip to Key West with my parents at the end of the month for some fishing and scuba diving (hence Chase’s certification journey)!

  • Favorite Tinted SPF For My Face

  In the summer months my desire to put on makeup plummets. A face full of makeup of a sweatin’-hot day? No thanks! Thank goodness for tinted SPF because it’s the only thing I wear on my face most days. I have three tinted SPFs I find myself reaching for over all others and figured I’d highlight them here today with a little more detail! These three tinted SPFs are all summertime skincare staples for me. I apply tinted SPF to my face every single morning and re-apply again in the afternoon/before any pool or beach time.

  

  Iris&Romeo Weekend Skin SPF 50: I discovered Iris&Romeo Weekend Skin SPF after falling in love with this clean beauty brand’s mascara. (Shout out to this serum-infused peptide mascara for anyone who loves long, fully, fluffy lashes!) It’s SPF and skincare in one and combines mineral SPF 50, brightening vitamin C and niacinamide to help even out skin tone and smooth texture. It makes my skin look refreshed, luminous and well-rested while still very natural. It’s the kind of product I use that makes me feel like I’m applying something very beneficial to my face which is a win in my book! Also, this is a random but this is also my favorite sweaty activity SPF/skin tint for the gym option! I put SPF on in the morning no matter what, but this one feels the best on my skin when I know I’m going to sweat. (I use shade universal.) Note: Code PBFINGERS20 saves 20% site wide!

  Tower 28 SunnyDays Skin Tint SPF 30: I discovered Tower 28 Sunny Days Skin Tint during a girls’ trip when I tried out my friend’s skin tint! I ordered it on the spot a year and a half ago and have been loyal to it ever since! (I use the shade 20 Mulholland.) It’s the option I use when I want something the blurs well on my skin and while it’s incredibly light, it offers just enough coverage to make my skin look less blotchy and, well, old.

  Supergoop! Glowscreen Soft Radiance Drops SPF 40: This is my favorite for under makeup or when I want a solid base SPF that almost works like a primer. Also, if I’m going to the beach or pool, this is the one I’m reaching for as it feels a little thicker and more like a traditional SPF in a “this is definitely going to help prevent sun damage” kind of way. It’s also absolutely gorgeous on the skin and truly seems to brighten up my overall complexion. I use the sunrise shade year-round and switch to golden hour as my skin gets more bronzed in the summer months. Note: If you order this SPF or anything Supergoop!’s website my code PBFINGERS1o will save you 10%!

  • 20% off Planetbox Lunchboxes

  

  Attention anyone on the lookout for high-quality bento-style lunchboxes going into the school year! Last year I...]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:00:26 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07iW3ZEvFAH818AZVkIU6lMJ?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07g6Kw-_2uVO-7ZbZUArG_AE?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:18:53 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07g6Kw-_2uVO-7ZbZUArG_AE?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hwyH4wxSYTPgjPzN308STm?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:14:51 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07hwyH4wxSYTPgjPzN308STm?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gysNoEy48EvyB4_QSvAyxX?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:57:08 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gysNoEy48EvyB4_QSvAyxX?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jUu2VbCZSGG9RPCjlhk9FW?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:47:41 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07jUu2VbCZSGG9RPCjlhk9FW?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gd9i7wXLfOV4gSnOpXlRK5?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:26:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gd9i7wXLfOV4gSnOpXlRK5?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gOjKlhkt7YxVLPkkT0UC0-?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:50:51 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gOjKlhkt7YxVLPkkT0UC0-?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07ie8K4RxKeWVd7xFeAiD5ZD?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:27:11 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07ie8K4RxKeWVd7xFeAiD5ZD?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07ie8K4RxKeWVZqd8920Ww5m?utm_source=follow.it ]]> Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:16:53 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07ie8K4RxKeWVZqd8920Ww5m?utm_source=follow.it