Friday Things #338
1. Poor little Isabelle came down with a bad case of croup this week. Ugh, I feel so awful for her. All of the kids have been over their colds and she seemingly came down with it out of nowhere on Wednesday morning. Joseph had it a couple of times when he was 2/3ish, but his seemed to just spike at night; she has an awful cough during the day, as well. Hereโs hoping sheโs back to her perky self soon!
2. Joseph is learning some words at school and I canโt even fathom how much heโs grown up. Seeing him play with his friends, run and laugh, just totally melts me. Itโs so crazy that this was four years ago!
3. Dominic is SO excited that he graduated to the next level of swim class this week! Heโs getting so big, and preschool dropoffs have been getting incrementally better! Weโre not at the no crying point yet but each time is an improvement, and it just makes me realize how small he still is and what a big leap this is for him. My buddy :)
4. Okay, so last week I asked about pesky little pinholes in the front my shirts and oh my goodness, EVERYONE GETS THEM! What in the world? Many of you wanted me to give an update if I figured it out, so here are my thoughtsโฆ A couple of people seemed to nail it โ yes, we have granite countertops and YES, when I looked, there is a seam right in the front of the sink, where I would lean to do dishes. I feel like this is the most likely culprit, but there is also a little snaggy notch on the underside of my seat belt that could also be to blame. So Iโm going to make sure I pull my shirt out from under the seatbelt, and my husband said he can put some clear tape on that granite seam (or I could wear an apron). Fingers crossed weโve solved the mystery! THANK YOU!
5. Last night, my husband went to see Jay Leno do standup and it was a wonderful date night! We werenโt sure what to expect and if he would be all that funny, but we really enjoyed it. You may remember that we saw Jerry Seinfeld back in February or March and I think we agreed that overall, Jerry Seinfeldโs show was overall funnier (my face actually HURT afterward because I laughed so hard for so long), but that Jay Leno had some really terrific stand-alone bits that hit home (mostly when he was talking about his family). A great night out!
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6. Currently craving my salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars.
7. I saw this earlier in the week on Instagram and I feel like itโs great for everyone to hear, no matter where you are in life :)
8. Really wanting to kick my daily Diet Coke habit, which I did during all of my pregnancies, but ugh, coffee. I did try Dunkin cold brew with just cream and it wasnโt BAD, but itโs not something I actually WANT to drink. I also am not a big tea person. How can I get a caffeine fix with also some carbonation? Is this possible??
9. We finished all of the available seasons of Line of Duty (OMG SO GOOD!!!), then moved on to ABC Murders. While we wait for The Crown to come back, along with Blacklist and Homeland, give me your current binge recommendations! We love British crime drama (Broadchurch, Happy Valley, The Fall, etc.) and things like Jack Ryan, Homeland, The Americans, Longmire, etc.
10. TGIF! I hope you enjoy a weekend full of happy moments.
Money Heist on Netflix. There are 3 seasons. My husband and I havenโt finished it yet but itโs so good!ย
As someone who finished their BS at 30, I totally appreciate # 7. I reposted that on FB. I felt that I was out of step with my peers for years โ they had houses and babies and I was looking for my first โrealโ job. For caffeinated drinks, I drink milk tea โ bubble tea without the โbubblesโ
In response to your binge list, try Designated Survivor. It pulls you in from the very first episode! There are 3 seasons. The first season has 21 episodes @ about 43 minutes each! Kiefer Sutherland does a fantastic job portraying the president! On a side note, I also love The Crown and canโt wait for the next season!
Happy binging!
If you want a bit of caffeine and fizz, try Yerbae, enhanced sparkling water. It is much healthier than sodas, the caffeine doesnโt make me jittery (which seems to happen to me with every other caffeinated drink), and there are some great flavor options.
This doesnโt have carbonation, but my husband likes the crystal lights with caffeine. You could maybe mix with sparkling water?
Have you tried any of the Australian crime dramas? We really like Miss Fisherโs Murder Mysteries and The Dr. Blake Mysteries. They are a fairly long running series with quite a number of episodes. Hope you enjoy!
Caffeine fix hack โ Crystal light powder or liquid, or Mio energy mixed into plain seltzer water!
Hope your sweet girl feels better soon :(
Love Unbelievable, Homeland, ย Mindhunter, Father Brown and most of the other series others have mentioned. ย Love British crime. ย A new one called Criminal just popped up today on Netflix Canada so will give that a go. ย Am now watching Black Mirror which isnโt crime but quirky and interesting. ย 800 Words is excellent and so is Wanted if itโs available where you live. ย I watched both when I lived in Oz. ย Miss 800 words, canโt get it here.
I drink Kirkland coffee 1-2 cups per day with milk and one mini-Splenda tablet as I canโt drink it without sweetener. ย I make it with a French press/plunger. ย I rarely have coffee out as itโs usually disappointing, either too strong or tastes burnt. ย I also have 1 mini-can of Coke Zero a day in summer which I prefer to DC. ย I donโt drink either for the caffeine as I donโt feel any noticeable effect. ย Hard to say which is worse for you-sugar or sweetener-but as I have type 2 diabetes, Iโm sticking with the sweetener which Iโve been using since my teens although I wasnโt diabetic then.
You have to watch Unbelievable on Netflix. Just one season right now but, WOW. The detectives are incredible.
Hiโreally enjoy your Friday Things! Love the seeing the kids and the dogs!
We enjoy the same type of BBC series that you and your husband do. We are currently watching โBrokenwood Mysteriesโ We are really enjoying it! They solve a new murder mystery each session.
I have kicked my coffee habit by drinking Yoliโs Passion every morning. It doesnโt have many calories & is made with Stevia instead of sugar. They have several different flavors & my FAV is black raspberry. Unfortunately, it is not carbonated but it is definitely a healthier way to get you caffeine fix.
Try the sparkling Bai drinks. Caffeine and bubbles. The lime coconut one tastes like vacation.
if you get a soda stream you can carbonate tea. I like a carbonated chai about as well as a coke.
Try Bang drinks! They are carbonated, have caffeine and contain BCAAs. Reign is another good one. Both brands come in many flavors. You can find them at Giant Eagle/Market District, Walmart, GNC, etc. I hope you like them!
Omg Bang is just the best!! But alsoโฆ 300mg of caffeine in a can LOL
Try Kombucha as a substitute. ย I brew my own because itโs so easy, tastes better, and way less expensive than store bought.
So itโs probably an expensive option, but Nuun is an electrolyte replacement tab that my husband and I use for after workouts, etc. ย They have a caffeinated version. ย Itโs mildly fruit flavored, mildly carbonated and uses no artificial sweeteners. The caffeine cones from green tea, so itโs not the punch you get from coffee, but it might hit all of your checkboxes. ย They also have other kinds of tabs (vitamins, etc) that may also contain caffeine in case you didnโt want the electrolyte replacement as well. ย We get ours on Amazon, but the Nuun site is worth checking out.
As for the holes in your shirtsโฆI get them on my thinner tee shirts. ย I do not have granite counters, and maybe it is where I buckle my seat belt, but Iโm starting to think they just happen in the wash.
Delicious
Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries movie coming in February
Loch Ness
Doc Martin
Regarding the Diet Coke addition. Educate yourself about the ingredients in Diet Coke and the links between diet soda and numerous diseases in the human body. Just donโt drink it, for your sake and your familys! (and the readers of your blog)
I hope Isabelle gets to feeling better. My daughter started with a runny nose yesterday. I saw the recipe for the salted caramel chocolate chip cookie barsโฆ.those looked so good. If you like British Crime Drama check out Vera and Father Brown. I think they are both on Britt Box.ย
Iโve heard those holes are from leaning into the counter where the button is on your pants/shorts!
You just get the best pics of your kids w the dogsโฆ.or you and the doggies. So sweet! Sorry baby got sick, will pray for her. I am a coffee person so I dont know what non coffee people do lol, but I hear regular coke better for u w the sugar instead of the diet version.
If I want something caffeinated and carbonated itโs regular Coke or Dr. Pepper. ย Iโm one of those crazies who doesnโt allow artificial sweeteners in my home. ย
I used to drink 1-2 Cokes daily, but stopped several years ago. ย Now I have them with specific foods. ย I donโt like beer so I have one when others are having beer. ย The beverage I drink most often is water. ย
I generally drink pour over coffee and occasionally make cold brew using Mark Bittmanโs technique. ย I particularly like cold brew cold in the summer. ย I do drink iced tea, but almost never at home. ย Itโs my beverage of choice when eating away from home. ย
Dyers are hard on clothes. ย One of my neighbors dries only towels and sheets in the dryer and hangs all clothes to dry,
Bit of trivia about Jay Leno. ย He spent none of the money he earned as host of The Tonight Show and lived on what he made doing stand-up during that time. ย
If you donโt scare easily, Netflix series Mindhunters is fabulousโฆ.I couldnโt stop watching. ย And if you have Amazon Prime, I love Britbox. There are a lot of great shows
Shetland
Prime Suspect
Bancroft
Silent Witness
The Bletchley Circle, San Franciscoย
DCI Banks
So just a few for you to tryโฆLOL
s
I remember you said you were trying to get into coffee, I was in the same situation and I consider it a success now! You should try specialty coffee (if you havenโt already). The supermarket/chain store stuff is awful compared to real coffee made with care.