- Redefined Mom - https://redefinedmom.com -

I LOVE These Things: Why This Week Has SUCKED It, Trader Joe’s, ThreadUp & Energy Bites {Week of 1/19}

I LOVE THESE THINGS

This week has sucked.

Period.

In fact, I’ve sat at my computer for the last 20 minutes trying to decide what to write because honestly, there was nothing about this week that I loved.

Nothing.

Why?

Here is my “why this week has SUCKED it” list:

So there. Thank GOD it’s Saturday and the end to this crap-tastic week.

But, I’m going to write about three things that have brought me some joy, accomplishment or happiness this week.

Trader Joes Coastal Zinfandel

1. Trader Joe’s Coastal Zinfandel.

As you can probably tell from the list above, mommy needed a little helper to get through this week.

#nuffsaid

Enter Trader Joe’s Coastal Zinfandel. For under $5, it’s amazing-sauce. It’s bottled out Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles, CA.  I’ve been fortunate enough to tour the winery many times and am amazed at how they put out great wine and affordable prices. So grab a bottle (or twelve) the next time you are at Trader Joe’s.

You’ll thank me later.

ThredUp Logo

2. ThredUp.

Last week I talked about why organizing a closet is so damn hard.

Can I just tell you that I speak from personal experience about why it is so damn hard!! And because of that experience, I had a large pile of department store brand clothes that needed to find a new home.

Enter ThredUp. (You can see my previous experience with ThredUp.) They will take your gently worn department store brand clothes and give you either CASH or CREDIT.

So I ordered a bag from ThredUp, filled it to the brim, dropped it off at FedEx (for FREE) and am waiting for the results.

I realize that I could have dropped the clothes off at Plato’s Closet or some other consignment store, but honestly I’ve heard so many great things about ThredUp’s consignment program, I gave it a shot.

And can I tell you how FREEING it was to make one stop at the FedEx store and get rid of clutter that has been in my closet. It was awesome.

No Bake Energy Bites

3. No Bake Energy Bites

I watched my son pack his lunch this week.

Sandwich. Chips. Radishes. Four Granola Bars. (WTH?)

When asked, he said it was because he needed one for lunch, one for snack and one for his girlfriend. (Again, WTH?)

I did the math quickly in my head and realized my son was eating about $1 in granola bars a day. In order to not go in debt over my son’s granola bar addiction, I decided it was time to make my own.

First, this is not my first time trying to make homemade granola bars/energy bites. I’ve tried two times before…both were EPIC failures. (Like I wondered why in the hell people made their own granola bars because it was a ton of work and they tasted bad.)

Second, I knew if I didn’t “bring it” this time around, my family would veto any homemade granola bar ever again.

So I did some research and found this recipe and this recipe and created a hybrid.

And you know what?? My family LOVED them. Like my kids were begging for them to put in their lunch, to eat as a snack, as a replacement for dinner.

So WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER. And my hybrid recipe will be on the blog soon.

And here are the posts that everyone else found interesting this week:

 

See past editions of I LOVE These Things.