Friday Thoughts: Speedy Speed Style
Hey friends! It’s time to pop back in with a speed style Friday Thoughts post because I have so many crazy things to talk to you about. And also, these posts are my favorite. And also, you guys are AWESOME. Your comments on these posts are golden. I come back to them over and over when I need some ideas (and laughs).
Today I’m going through a bullet list of things that have been on my mind. It’s kind of a lot. But don’t be scared. AND DO NOT LEAVE ME HANGING. I need some help and advice and friendship and support and chocolate. So answer all my questions, dang it. 🙂 Especially #7. Thanks.
You can catch all past Friday Thoughts posts here.
1. Glasses Thoughts: I ordered my first-ever pair of glasses online at Zenni Optical (unsponsored, not affiliated with them in the least) after hearing how inexpensive it could be. I was scared (my prescription is pretty gnarly with a really high astigmatism). I had to measure my pupillary distance (gulp). I succeeded (awkward miracle). I have wanted a pair of clear-ish frames for a while and love them so much. I’ve never received so many compliments on glasses before. You can see them in these IGTV videos. Here’s the link to the frames I ordered.
2. How to Teach Kids to Read Thoughts: my days of teaching kids, at least my own kids, to read are past (and it makes me kind of sad). With all five of my kids, I used this old school, simple, no frills book to teach them to read – aff. link. They are all varying levels and strengths of readers, but I can solidly say that this book gave each of them a really strong foundation for basic principles. It’s not exciting and colorful (I often bribed them with M&Ms to get through the first lessons until the pictures start appearing with the stories), but I love this book and am grateful I had it to teach my kids (they each started using it at different ages based on their individual personalities and learning styles, but it was anywhere from 4-6 years old for each of them). Anybody else used this book?
3. Bum Bum Cream Thoughts: Yes, you heard me right. Bum Bum Cream. (Heads up, lots of bikini-clad women on the website – you can also find it here on Amazon– aff. link) This stuff is magical and wow, it has a cult following. I’m sure I’m the last person on earth to know about it. And despite the name, it’s not really for your bum bum. At least I don’t think so. Ha. I use it as my go-to hand cream (along with this Capri blue lotion – aff. link). I’ve never had lotion that smelled so good. Like, people have actually come up to sniff me when I’m wearing it…which has made me think swiftly about discontinuing use, personal space issue alert, but I can’t because I love it. It’s soft and smooth and not greasy and perfect.
4. Signature Recipe Thoughts: I’ve been known to wax poetic about the value of having a signature recipe and how empowering that can be. A recipe that people know you by. A recipe people request and talk about. A recipe that basically makes you feel like a rock star. Not only is it kind of fun, but it also becomes a back-pocket recipe. Something you don’t even have to think twice about when you make it because it turns out perfect every time, and it can become a really easy go-to recipe to take anytime you need a stellar ________ (fill in the blank) recipe for that certain event or potluck or whatever. Plus before you know it, people will be saying things like “I really hope she brings her famous horseradish carrot jello salad tonight!” except of course I really hope no one actually has a horseradish carrot jello salad as their signature recipe.
I LOVE asking people what their signature recipe is. So here goes. What’s your signature recipe?? I think I have different signature recipes depending on the occasion, but one of them is definitely these super soft chocolate chip cookies and I make this fluffier than fluffy bread all the time to take to new neighbors/church members and peeps who just need a little thinking-of-you-here’s-a-loaf-of-bread-don’t-feel-guilty-about-eating-the-whole-loaf kind of pick me up. I also say it’s perfectly ok for your signature recipe to change over time (or every day).
5. Movie Thoughts: recently my two younger kids (ages 7 and 10) and I stumbled on this Miniscule: Valley of the Lost Ants movie, and holy cow, it was entertaining. I didn’t read anything about it before we started watching so I was slightly alarmed/bemused when I realized there was no talking in the movie at all, but my kids did not even notice. It was creative and funny and highly captivating. Also, I just watched the Hundred Foot Journey movie and quite liked it! I mean, yes, because it’s about food, but I enjoyed the personalities and story line (even though there was just one part that I can’t mention because of spoilers that had me side-eyeing the believability). Have you watched either of these?
6. Sunscreen Thoughts: I’m actually gearing up to do an updated suncare/sunscreen post related to my skin cancer and some updated products I’m using and things I’m doing to protect my skin and my family’s skin. But. I had to tell you about this supergoop unseen sunscreen that has completely rocked my world. It.is.amazing. I’ve been using it every day on my face (finding the right facial sunscreen is SO hard especially with an spf 40). It has the most interesting, lovely matte texture that feels like a primer (and I love it). Honestly, it’s one of those products I’m totally scared will ever be discontinued because it’s become such a huge part of my skincare regime.
7. Photo/Video Storage Thoughts: Ok, I’m almost done, but I just have a super big question for you. How do you store your personal/family digital photos and videos long term? On a cloud service? External hard drives? CDs? Haha, mostly kidding with that last one (ahem, says the one who has a bunch of cds stuffed with family pictures from the early 2000’s sitting in a closet somewhere). I’ve used external hard drives as a backup for our family photos/videos forever, but based on the fact that they can fail and/or a natural disaster could wipe them out, I think I need to explore a cloud service. However, the daunting task of uploading 17 years worth of digital pictures with subpar internet speeds has me holding back (as in, it would take years to upload them all). Am I missing another obvious solution? Help? Advice? Chocolate? Send it all.
That was a lot! Sorry for the brain dump! So much for “speed style” haha. If you made it to the end, just know I love your guts and am virtually sending you high fives and lots of cookies. Love your guts!
Oh wait, there’s more!
Friday Thoughts Update:
After the last Friday Thoughts post and your significant alarm at my game closet, a much-needed intervention took place. Behold the before and after. I’m actually happy (and completely and utterly shocked) to say that two months later, it still *mostly* looks like the new and improved version. Storing games on their sides is brilliant; thanks to the many readers who suggested that.
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Watch “guernsey literary and potato peel pie society” on Netflix, it’s fantastic, as is the book. I lost a year’s worth of photos on my phone (sadness) and have since gone to google photos automatic updates, they go instantly to the cloud and my husband also backs them up on a hard drive. I also got the Elta MD based on your recommendation and love it, might have to try your new favorite. PS These posts are super helpful so thanks everyone!
Loved that movie! AND the book. Such a great story. That is so, so sad about losing those photos. Kind of gives me a pit in my stomach and makes me realize I need to get something set up fast!
I just want to let you know that I love, love your glasses. I would be too afraid to order them online but I’m so glad you took the step forward. I think they make you look elegant and studious. I love the size and wanted some like that but the clerk and my husband both agreed that they were “too big” for my face. I just like the look of the big ones on everyone, even myself.
Thank you so much, Linda! I was super nervous to order glasses online, too. Zenni actually let me send back a pair that just wasn’t right and I was so grateful for that.
I have no advice, but the exact same question as #7!!! Please let us know what people are saying because I need help!!!
tons of super helpful tips in this comment thread for sure! I’ll compile a list.
Love these posts, love your recipes! I’m here to tell you that you’re answering a specific prayer right now. My son is about to finish first grade and has struggled with reading ALL year. My husband and I were just talking about realistic ways to teach him how to read this summer. I’m buying the book today. Thanks for the recommendation!
So happy to hear that, Nancy – also, read through the comments because there are a lot of other great tips about young kids and reading! Good luck!
Happy Friday to you, too! My signature dish has become your banana bars with browned butter icing! I never tire of making or eating them! The only thing I do differently is add sprinkles on top and that is what elevates them to Bedazzled Banana Bars! Lol.
I use the cloud to store my photos but really should do something else. And, last but not least, I love your guts, too!
Sprinkles on top of browned butter banana bars?? WHY HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT?? Such a great idea! Bedazzled bars. Haha.
WD.com
Look for my cloud
$150 -$200
One time cost that comes with cloud storage. You can even link your phone, laptop etc up to it. It connects to your router and everything g sinks to it via WiFi or cell data. Updates automatically unless you set it up differently. It’s awesome it uploaded pics and videos so easily and set up was so simple.
Super interesting, thanks for the info, Heidi! I’ll look into it!
I love these posts. In regards to teaching kids to read I have never heard of the book you used. My two oldest are readers. My third is 4 and we’re just starting to dabble and I have two more that I’ll get to teach to read. We use BOB books. My husband has also been reading chapter books to my kids for years, which I think helps in the long run.
I’ve never thought about having a signature recipe. When I think of you I think of cinnamon rolls. Very, very yummy cinnamon rolls!
Bob books are great! Glad to hear they’ve worked so well with your kids! We’ve gone through phases of reading to our kids out loud but I definitely need to up our game on that right now!
Yes times a million to 100 Easy Lessons! We follow it up with All About Reading level 2 and bam! my kiddos were solidly on the strong reader train.
Sweet!
We started using BackBlaze a few months ago for a backup. It is a great price and backs up my laptop constantly. You can also have it backup whatever is hooked into your computer (ie. a backup drive). It took FOREVER to do the first backup (like a month) but once it was done it just runs in the background and keeps a constant backup of everything on my laptop.
Oh nice! Thanks for the info!
These Friday thoughts totally rock my world as well! I wait for them to come in my email. First thing I have to say is an answer to #7. My husband works IT so he is the one who does all the work for storing our videos and pictures and documents too. But really I think you could handle it. We use Microsoft OneDrive. It is a subscription service that is $10/month and includes 1 terabyte of space for sharing on five computers and also Microsoft Office Suite ( so the licensing for 5 computers to have Word, Excel, etc. ). It is great for us. We also keep a copy on a large hard drive for redundancy (IT lingo for an extra copy or two). It would take a couple days probably to upload all of your data. But it is sooo nice to have it all there. And all of the pictures and videos on all our phones get uploaded automatically to OneDrive as we set it up to do so. Anyway. I know my husband would be happy to help you set it up, if you need any help. Shoot me an email if you need more information.
As for a signature recipe, I think I would say most things baked. I love baking over plain cooking. But I don’t know that I can pick just one recipe. Among my sisters/-in-law it might be my microwave pumpkin pie oatmeal. But I would have to ask people to really know. Ha ha.
Jennifer! Thank you! Such great info. I appreciate it and I may take your husband up on some help or advice. I use mac computers, though, and I wonder if that would be a no go with a microsoft product like that. Hmmm. I’ll look into it. I actually LOVE that your signature recipe might involve a microwave AND oatmeal.
Oh my goodness! I knew we would be friends if we ever lived close by!!! Your game closet looks just like mine – both before and after!! When we built our house 5 years ago, the builder and his contractors all gave me funny looks when I had the “coat closet” in the blueprint turned into a game closet. “Are you SURE?!?” Yes, I’m sure!! We live in the South. We don’t have bulky coats. But we definitely have a lot of board games!!! (What else are ya gonna do when the temp is 110 degrees with 100% humidity for the last 10 days?!)
And all four of my kids learned to read with that same book – which I bought used for $5!!! My youngest – now age 8 – was rather miffed at using a falling-apart book, but soon changed her tune when she realized several of the later lessons had been lost and she could be done sooner! Hahaha!
Signature recipe?! Homemade biscuits, homemade apple pie, and meatloaf. I get asked for those a LOT. Secret to the meatloaf? Make it in the same pan my Mamaw used 40+ years ago. Turns out perfect. Hahaha! 😉
Oh yes, I would totally transition a coat closet into a game closet. For sure!! Good move, my friend, good move.
We use BackBlaze for digital storage. It does cost money, but it automatically backs up everything on your computer. After the initial upload, it keeps current whenever you change or add files, so you don’t have to think about it.
Also, once a year (ideally), I go through all of my photos and hand pick a selection to get printed and put in real-live photo albums. I try not to agonize over this, but just to pick a representative sampling of our year without having to print out all 800 photos that I took. My Mom has photo albums for each of us kids (because digital photos weren’t a thing then), and I still enjoy pulling mine out to look at them. I want to be able to give these to my kids when they’re older because they are so much more likely to look through them in a physical album than to dig up old files stored on my computer or in the cloud!
Others suggesting backblaze, too – good to know! Thank you! Also, when you do your photo albums are you printing individual pictures and sliding them into albums or doing a digital album (that you could get reprinted if it got lost)?
Printing individual photos and sliding them into an album. The real old-school way! Something about it seems more authentic to me than a digital album or even a printed photo book (like Shutterfly – though I do have several of those as well). Since all of my photos are backed up digitally, I don’t worry about losing the album. I just compile the pictures I want to print and order the prints in 4×6 size from Walmart.
Love this!
Oh Mel, what a delight to read your Friday posts and comments!!!!! My signature recipe is my Mom’s banana pudding. It is incredible and PERFECT for summer. I’ve tried lots of refrigerated banana puddings and nothing compares. My father-in-law always requests it for Father’s Day…and my 3 roommates from the college days always want it when they stay with me. My great-grandmother had the “best ever one that you bake in the oven” complete with a meringue…but sadly the recipe is not to be found. A bowl of that…a cup of coffee filled with half milk and sugar (!)…and conversation with her could not be beat. Until something like her hot version can be found, I’ll happily make my Mom’s cold version, continuing to please all!!
Ok, well, that banana pudding sounds divine. That is Brian’s favorite dessert ever but I just don’t make it for him as often as I should! I love the memories you have of chatting with your grandma over her famous banana pudding. That’s the best.
Just a question about #6! I have the EltaMD facial sunscreen that you recommended and I really like it. So…is the supergoop even better? Thanks!
Good question and I’ll definitely cover this in my sunscreen update post, but I still really love the EltaMD facial sunscreen (and other Elta MD sunscreens), but this supergoop unseen sunscreen has become my go-to daily facial sunscreen (I keep the Elta MD facial sunscreen on hand if I’m going to be swimming or outside for much longer)
I love, LOVE Google photos! Did you know that it can recognize faces and make folders for you of that person over you click the face and name them, plus the searching ability if endless! Type in pizza, for example, and it will find every photo of pizza in your life. One day of uploading your old photos will change your life forever and it’s FREE!
Whoa, that’s super cool!
Have you tried google photos? I started using it as my backup…I still do an external drive, but it is free for the size of video and photo I am ok with. It automatically downloads from my phone on WiFi, and tells me what is available to erase off my phone afterwards. I love it. Now I am not worried about a back up drive failing. Btw, you are so loved in our house that my 8 year old told me she wants to be just like you when she grows up!
So many recommending google photos! I’ve been living under a rock apparently. And that is seriously the sweetest thing about your daughter – seriously, made my day!! (And made me think I need to be a much better human if there are kids out there thinking that)
I understand your fear with uploading your photos with subpar internet. Also, it just seems weird to me to trust that they will always exist somewhere invisible. But I would say, just get started with it at least for your photos going forward, and worry about your old photos later (or keep them on your hard drives for awhile). It is so nice when you go on vacation that when you come back, all of them are already in the cloud (if you use your phone/tablet). We use Google so everything from our phones/tablets automatically uploads. You can do that with your old photos too (automatic backup) but for us, it has taken months and I’m not positive but I think it’s still working on it. 🙂
Such good advice, Rachel – instead of stressing about all the back log of photos, I really do need to just get moving for photos going forward and I can figure out a solution for all the photos later.
Sunscreen. Over the last several years I have tossed a LOT of skin stuff and I currently don’t put anything on my skin that I couldn’t eat. Products absorb through the skin. I am following Wellness Mama’s eat your sunscreen protocol which means consuming things that allow your skin to do what it was meant to do. At least that is my take and what I prefer to do. The only supplement I take is her recommended BioAstin. I eat salmon, sardines and flax/chia/hemp seed regularly (Omega3) That said, I get a reasonable, but not excessive amount of sun. I typically wear a hat with all around brim but not a huge hat … kind of cowboy meets fedora. For me it is comfortable and provides mostly eye shade and some face shade. I don’t burn, I don’t really tan either. I’m comfortable and my skin looks and feels better than it has in a very long time. And yes, no “toxic” products means I don’t wear makeup. Do you know how much extra time that means? I’m sure many may be unwilling to go this route but I love it and I believe my skin and internals do also!
Zenni – LOVE Zenni. I bought my first pair 3 years ago. Bi-focals as I don’t like the gradient thing. My eye Dr. was amazed that the bi lense was so perfect in position. I get lost of compliments on the frame which I think is kind of quirky but I love. https://www.zennioptical.com/p/womens-fullrim-mixed-materials-round-eyeglass-frames-/7886?skuId=788618 I have 2 pairs of the same frame: 1 with bi-focal and 1 just distance. I also bought the clip on sunglass lens. I’ve purchased a prescription sunglass frame as well. I also tried one of the more spendy-trendy sites and did not have as much success.
So interesting about the eat your sunscreen method, Liz! Thanks for sharing! I am a definite hat-wearer outside, too, and I like the idea of really striving for a non-toxic view on skincare (or anything really!). Thanks for opening my eyes to a new way of thinking about this! Also, those glasses are really unique and super cute! I like them a lot. I also tried online glasses from another site that was much more expensive and trendier and they were a fail, but Zenni worked great so far. Although my prescription isn’t eligible for their sunglasses, which was kind of a bummer.
After posting, I realized … oh, I still do use a couple of things that I wouldn’t eat 🙂 … “natural products” but still they have some unpronounceables: deordorant, hair conditioner, shower soap. Wellness Mama has homemade versions but I haven’t gone down that road yet!
Oh and #7. I r an I.T. professional (34 years!) but have no easy answer to this. BUT some thoughts and what I do. I am ruthless about editing daily and removing duplicate photos, out of focus photos and just bad photos. I use both external hard drives and cloud backup. I use OneDrive because I have a Windows Computer. But my iPhone/iPad back up to iCloud. I would not hesitate to use Amazon Cloud or any other of the Cloud services. When I used External drives only, I kept duplicates and stored some out of my house. Now, with slow internet and 17 years of stuff… HIRE it done to the cloud if you have photos on external whatever or backup to external and hire offsite to a cloud service. As with all things in life you cannot prevent every disaster. I typically try to think about something that fits my schedule and what I WILL do regularly.
Love all your thoughts and want too order so many of these items now…already sent for the reading book and will go to sephora for the sunscreen supergoop… a year or more ago I bought the slack line you recommended and my grandkids (28 of them) have enjoyed it so much!! Im able to keep it up year round so it gets a lot of use. Thanks for all your great ideas and recipes! Love you too!!!
So happy that slack line has been a hit, Laura! Ours has been up year round, too, and I don’t see it coming down any time soon!
Great minds think alike!! My signature recipes are browned butter chocolate chip cookies (DIVINE!!) and artisan bread. Two recipes I will never get tired of making no matter how many times they’re requested!
Yessss!
A lot of my most famous recipes come from your sight but I would have to say I am asked to make my cheesecake cockaigne from the “Joy of Cooking” cookbook for every family event and every birthday. It is crazy good. I also have a spinach salad recipe that I have been asked to make for every relief society function and have given the recipe out more times than I can count.
That cheesecake recipe sounds super intriguing! I love that it’s become your go-to. Also, I just might need that recipe for the spinach salad. Just sayin’
I’m guessing my signature dish would be my family’s banana bread (which is actually more like a cake). I get repeated demands from people to share the recipe when I bring it somewhere. And also apple pie. I made one with my husband on our first date and so it’s been my thinging ever since. 🙂
We have both a hard drive and we also store photos on Google. We used to use Flickr because it had a ton of free storage for full res photos, but they sadly changed that and so we switched.
I’ve also used that book to teach kids to read. I do my own version of it though. I abbreviate the first lessons to speed through them. But that book really helped my daughter between kinder and first grade go from struggling to a strong reader. However for my 5 year old right now, we are using another book called Learn to Read Acticty Book by Hannah Braun. It’s very similar to 100 lessons, but in color! My son is loving it!
And congrats on your closet still being organized, it looks great!
That’s so fun about the apple pie, Loni! Thanks for the recommendation on the other reading book! (And for the tips on how you do photo storage!)
Ahh where did my comment go???? Waaa I’ll retype it. I use that same book for reading and was super excited when I finished it with child #1 last week!
PHOTOS: http://www.forever.com My gal is Lori Funden and she will answer any questions!
Hands down. Nothin like it. Conversion services (avoid the uploading nightmare!!). Backed up multiple places. Automatic upgraded formats as technology changes. 100+ year guarantee. You own your photos. ****Read the policies of cloud services!! They usually reserve the right to delete your photos at any time, and often downgrade the pixel quality.****. Can’t recommend Forever enough! Happy customer here. They have massive sales often, and fantastic customer service! You can make photo books super fast from your stored photos, too.
Wow, Monica, thanks so much on the forever.com recommendation. I will definitely be checking it out. You are awesome. Thank you!
I literally just started using that reading book you suggested. My 5 year old finds it a little boring, but I’m afraid to skip lessons because I know it all builds on previous lessons. M&Ms sound like a great cure!
I’ve also been thinking about signature dishes and my husband actually rocks at this. We built our own pizza oven in the back yard a few years back and he loves throwing pizza parties and being generally awesome at wood-fired pizza. His chicken bacon Alfredo pizza is always a big hit, as well as chicken bacon ranch with a stuffed crust. Basically, it’s amazing.
Yes, that book does start out a bit…dry. But it gets better with the pictures. That pizza oven sounds so, so cool! We have a couple family friends here who have done the same thing and it’s literally the best pizza ever. Wow. So fun!
I also use that book for my kids! Just finished lesson 100 with child #1 last week and I was more excited than her!! For your photos, I highly recommend Forever. I don’t sell it but I am a happy customer and I can hook you up with my gal! It seriously, it isn’t unlike any other cloud service. Your photos are backed up in multiple places, they automatically upgrade the formats as technology changes, you OWN your photos (read the policy of cloud services, most reserve the right to delete them at ANY time), 100 year + guarantee. You can also send in a conversion box and they will do all the uploading for you. Seriously the best and they have massive sales often. I can’t recommend it enough! http://www.forever.com
Love your post!
My signature recipes are corn dip and brownies, but not eaten together! I shan’t dare show up at a gathering without these items, so while it can get boring, they are easy and it’s nice to be loved.
We are semi old school and drop our photos onto thumb drives that are stored in a fire-proof safe.
Haha, yeah, not sure those would be great together. But love them separate! Also, I don’t think old school is all bad here. We have a fireproof/waterproof box that I keep some photos in but not all of them.
This year I decided it was time to get on top of my photo mess. I have them stored on Google Photos (they will automatically upload from your phone, which makes it nice!). I have also started uploading all of them to Shutterfly. I like having hard copies of my pictures so my family can look at them, but photo albums were getting way too big and I don’t scrapbook (is that even a thing anymore???). I decided photo books were the way to go for me! I’ve always wanted to do a photobook for every year, but I’ve never made it a habit. This year I’ve finally found something that works for me! Almost every Sunday I sit down and devote time to creating photobooks. I work on the year we’re in (2019) so I’m keeping up and I work on past years at the same time, which means I’m also catching up. What I do is, for instance, in January I’ll create pages for January of that year and also January of 2-3 previous years (I’m doing 2016-2019). This has seriously helped me so so much! Instead of thinking about documenting thousands of pictures, I just think about doing the ones for that month in whatever year I’m working on that day. I’ve also found it really enjoyable to do! Anyway, I guess you weren’t really looking for ways to document, but maybe it will help someone that’s feeling overwhelmed about pictures like I was!
Thanks for your thoughts on this, Diane! It’s my year to get on top of my photo “mess” too. This comment thread is so helpful! You are amazing for spending time each week working on it. I love that! And those photo books are going to be so, so priceless.
The best method for digital photo storage depends on your objectives and usage patterns. If you primarily share your photos with others, then a cloud service makes a lot of sense. The downsides of cloud services include a potential lack of privacy, hacking, and mistakes they make. If you take and store a lot of photos, your ongoing storage costs can add up to something sizable. In addition, over time, online photo services have gone out of business or merged with other services, creating problems for users.
Having spent my entire 35 year career in the computer industry, I personally prefer external hard drives. I’ve been using them since the start of digital photography in the mid-1990’s and have found them to be reliable. Today you can buy a 4TB hard drive for about $100, which can store approximately 800,000 photos from today’s digital cameras.
The downsides of external hard drives is that they can fail, be damaged from a variety of factors, can simply be lost or misplaced, or can be stolen. User error can also result in a loss of data on the drives. In order to reduce the risk of data loss I always have two external hard drives of the same brand and capacity for my current storage needs. I buy a new set of drives every 3 to 4 years and transfer data from the old drives to the new. To my knowledge I have not lost any data over these past 20 years. I store the two drives in different places in my house, and I also keep the older hard drives (with their data) in case something goes wrong with the new ones (which hasn’t happened yet).
As you can imagine, external hard drives can take more of your time and expertise to manage properly, so they’re not a solution for everyone. Ultimately, it comes down to your objectives and priorities. How important are your photos (and other data) that you may want to keep for the long term? How important is the privacy of your data? How much time and money are you willing to spend to secure your data?
Loved, loved this comment, Mitch! Thanks for weighing in! Hard drives have been my primary backup solution but I’ve been feeling all this worry (maybe a little pressure, too??) to get everything on a cloud-based service in case the hard drives fail (even though that hasn’t ever happened) or something happens like a natural disaster or whatever. But my brain likes the idea of hard drive storage (and backing them up is faster than trying to get them all uploaded to a cloud service). Hmmm, you’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you!
OH PLEASE!!!!! will you do a post on the responses you got regarding storing pictures and such???? I will forget to check back for comments and I ask this of my friends all the time!! would love to hear your research results!!!!!
I’ll try to compile a list!
Mel, my Husband is going to be maaaaad at you.
Now I have to get that face sunscreen and the reading book (I have a reluctant 4yr old that I’d like to encourage a little more).
As for photo storage— I have Apple iCloud storage (since most of my photos are on my phone these days) but I also have an external hard drive. I’m actually considering copying from one hard drive to another and mailing it to my parents for dual storage. ♀️
If you come up with an awesome solution, let us know!
Haha, I just ran into someone at our school carnival tonight who said everytime she gets an amazon package she blames it on “mel” and he’s started to say “is this mel’s fault??” I was like “whoa! wait a second!” but it was pretty funny. 🙂 So tell your husband I’m sorry.
So honestly, my first thought when I saw the “2. How to Teach Kids to Read Thoughts” bullet was “she is teaching her kids how to read thoughts??!!!??” But then I realized I’m an idiot and you meant thoughts about how to teach kids to read and not about reading thoughts.
I digress. I’ve used the same book to teach my kids to read and love it. My sisters all used the same book and love it. My preschooler is reading at a 1st grade level and I attribute it entirely to this book.
Hahahahahaha. Oh gosh, Annette, you made me laugh out loud. Bad phrasing on my part for sure. But man, that was funny. I would be scared if they could read my thoughts. 🙂
Amazon Prime customers get free photo storage! We also pay for an online cloud service, and have several hard drives… we had a scare a few months ago where both our laptop and our desktop looked like they were going to give out, so we very quickly backed everything up. So glad we did.
Looking forward to your sun/skincare post! We tried the 100 lessons book with my second… it was a no-go. She wouldn’t even sit down with me if she thought I was trying to teach her how to read. Luckily she has thrived in K and 1st and now loves to read. My signature dish in the place we lived last was scotcheroos (those peanut butter chocolate butterscotch rice Krispies). I had a good friend with celiac, and had to find something she could eat at our gatherings.
Yes, scares like that definitely make me feel like I need a solution NOW. And I agree, that book is definitely not for everyone and there are tons of good little readers out there that haven’t used it. Love hearing what works for some and what works for others! Also, my husband would say your signature dish is one of his all time FAVORITES. 🙂
Oh Mel, you are a gem. I love your Friday thoughts posts! I’m definitely going to track down that sunscreen and give it a try. I’ve been thinking I really need to do better at protecting my skin, but I’ve struggled to find something that doesn’t make my already sensitive, super oily, but also extremely dry skin freak out any more than it does. And I have no idea what the best photo storage solution is, though I definitely need to find one. Would you mind sharing what you learn with us?
As for signature recipes, mine is your brownies from the cookie dough topped brownie recipe. You should hear my in-laws when I make them. All of my sisters-in-law (and several of their husbands) get super excited to see them. I’ve only made the cookie dough topping once (not that I’m opposed to cookie dough), but those brownies? Oh. My. Goodness. It was love at first bite. For a long time I used them as the base for my mint brownies, but nowadays I tend to make them plain because my husband hates mint (who could hate mint!?) or with just a simple chocolate buttercream and they are magical. Especially if they’ve had a chance to sit in the fridge overnight and become even more dense and fudgy.
Hey! I hope you like that sunscreen. I agree, it’s really hard to find one that just works with each type of skin. I’ve tried so many, I can’t keep track, but I love this one. I’ll definitely compile a list of storage solutions! I’m so happy that innocent little brownie recipe has become THE recipe for you! I’m going to try to make them plain! Can’t wait!
Mushroom pate is my most requested dish to bring to anyone’s house…HA and if I don’t serve it at my house, I have some disappointed guests!!! But it’s so good and the leftovers, if there are any any, are equally amazing!! Thanks, Mel, love these Friday posts…and will watch for answers on #7, as I have the same problem…:(
Thanks, Judi! I have to be honest, I’ve never made or tried mushroom pate!
Amazon has a great cloud based service for your photos! Check it out 😉
Thanks for the sunscreen recommendation- going to try that brand asap.
I’ll do that!
My favorite meal lately has been your loaded baked potato soup and French bread rolls (if I’m feeling ambitious ). My husband can’t have milk and I’m a little scared to try it with almond milk, so I have a little bowl when I make it for others haha. I can make it gluten free really easy, and usually I just add 1/3 c bacon and a little extra cheese so I don’t have to worry about toppings. Everyone loves it.
Such a delicious combo!
The closest thing I have to a signature dish is probably your overnight crescent rolls. That is always my assignment for big family dinners. My kids call them scorpion rolls because sometimes mine start to unroll and so the point sticks out.
I’m the worst at taking and organizing pictures so I can’t help with that one!
I’m also wondering if you have trouble with small pieces in your games when you store them sideways. I really need to figure out a better system for storing our games. Or stop buying games. Or probably both of those things.
I have that reading book but haven’t used it with my kids yet. I’m hoping to figure out some way to get my kindergartner to do it with me this summer. He is super independent and thinks only teachers can help him learn.
Haha. I love that! Scorpion rolls! And yes, the storing on the side thing messes with the game organization a bit but the tradeoff of an organized closet has been worth it. I’ve started using some larger rubber bands for some of the games that get wonky stored on their sides (helps with the box not coming apart but not necessarily with the insides getting messed up). Good luck with that awesome kindergartener!
Thanks for spending so much time replying to me and everyone! I appreciate your advice on the game storage. We will see how soon I get brave enough to try it. 🙂
Yes! Yes! Yes! to teaching children to read in a 100 easy lessons! Sounds like a gimmic, but this is the real deal. All four of my own learned to read with this book too and I love that I got to be there to see that light turn on. This book is so cherished at our house and although we have no reason to read it more than one time each, it’s crumpled and loved pages will forever have a place on our bookshelf. PS. All my kids learned at different ages too and I had lots of teachers who wanted to know our secret. The secret is this book and I don’t know why it still feels like a secret.
Love that this book has been such a success for you, Carrie! I agree, I’ll keep my copy forever! (I have the older version with the yellow cover)
My signature dish is potato salad. I’m frequently asked to make cookies and it’s either sour cream sugar cookies or monster cookies.
Yum to all of those! A good potato salad cannot be beat.
I love The One Hundred Foot Journey! It is a great movie. My signature recipe is Banana Cream Pie. My husband backs up our photos on external hard drives.
Thanks, Kristen!
Known for my buttery dinner rolls and for my flan. I love your one-bowl brownie recipe that has saved me more than a few times!
I agree, that brownie recipe is a lifesaver! And I love that flan is one of your signature recipes!
What does it say about me that my signature recipes are actually all . . . your recipes? HA! I think my most-often requested recipes/items are your sugar cookies, coconut blueberry cake with lemon sauce, sweet & sour meatballs, and best chocolate cake.
I have no ideas for #7, but will be following as it feels like the eternal struggle to find, organize, and keep digital pics.
Ha! I don’t know what it says about you, but it sure makes me feel like a million bucks. Thank you!
Yay, I love these kind of brain dump posts!! It’s always so fun to hear what’s on someone else’s mind!
I’m currently using 100 Easy Lessons with my middle son:) I tried using it with both of my daughters, but lo & behold, they both have dyslexia & it made things more confusing for them with the dots & dashes & such. Oy!
As for signature recipes (it’s one of my favorite topics, too!) – my back pocket recipe for my family is the Pioneer Woman’s chickpea curry (I seriously make it almost weekly! Haha.); my signature dish for potlucks is Paula Deen’s frito corn salad; at Thanksgiving I’m known for my pumpkin gingerbread trifle:) ; and I once received a marriage proposal when I made a jalapeno popper dip from Simply Gourmet, so needless to say that one’s always a hit;) But mostly, I’m known for desserts & I switch it up often (your carrot cake was a HUGE hit last Easter). ❤
Anyway, Happy Friday! xo
Thanks for sharing that about your girls, Molly! Such a good reminder that kids are not created equal in so many ways and I never would have thought the dots and dashes could impact the learning! I’m going to have to get my hands on that chickpea curry recipe. Yum! Really what I want to know is if you accepted that marriage proposal. Haha.
I have my photos on iCloud and downloaded to the computer. But I kind of want to go old school and print them all out and put in a photo album too. Oh and I also do chatbooks, my kids love to look at them.
I love that sunscreen recommendation!
And I love Zenni too. I’ve been meaning to order a new pair for myself and my son, this was a good reminder.
Thanks, Jennifer! Love hearing what people are doing with photos. I also sometimes want to just print them all out because I’m still so old school that way (as in, I still plan my week on a paper calendar and not on my phone)
Do you rubber band all those game and puzzle boxes? I would have pieces flying without some type of closure system.
Yes! It helps with the tops not coming off (but in the interest of full disclosure, storing them on their sides definitely messes up the insides a bit)
Photo storage–we are not great at that (we have CDs with photos on them and files on the computer, and probably an external hard drive too but I’m not 100% sure about that) but one thing I have done is go through and pick favorite photos for a time period of about 3-5 years that tell our family’s “story” and put them in a photo book with details about trips, special experiences, etc. So we have hard copies of the most important photos along with the stories about those photos. Picaboo is my favorite site for that but there are others that are good too. I think hard copies are the way to go if you really want them preserved long term, technology is changing SO FAST right now it is hard to keep up!
Signature recipe: my husband’s family always talks about my homemade bread. I use the basic recipe, minus milk and eggs, from the Tassajara Bread Book. Have you read that? I LOVE that cookbook, it has the best whole wheat bread recipe/method I have found (yields the most consistent results of any recipe I have tried) and also an amazingly light and moist honey whole wheat muffin recipe. I highly recommend it!
Reading–three of my kids (so far) have taught themselves and the other one has had dyslexia-type reading issues so teaching her was tricky. So I basically still don’t know how to do it. But I love the idea of reading lessons in a book….
Ok, I just love the photo book idea. That’s my 2nd struggle I didn’t get into in this post, but with all the photos stored online, computer, etc, my kids don’t see them. I want a way for them to have more photos to get their hands on. We do chatbooks and print out our family blog, but I like the idea of ongoing photo books. And I am most definitely looking into that book ASAP. CAN’T WAIT!
So, I totally thought you were teaching your kids to read thoughts! Which seemed like an awesome idea! With my oldest I used the old hooked on phonics app. It was perfect for him! Just like playing a game in the iPod touch (like I said, this was the old one… Before smart phones). He really only needed help with making sense of the how of reading and then we could do the rest with books. With my youngest now I haven’t found the best way. He knows all his letters and sounds from that alphabet app, but we haven’t figured out how to help him start reading. I mostly avoid letting kids play on my phone/Kindle/whatever, so they think it’s amazing when I do let them play and then they think learning is fun!
My signature recipe is a super moist chocolate cake. So yummy. And banana bread (the secret is using the whey from straining yogurt in place of the buttermilk). And for dinner, it’s probably my curry.
Haha, someone else said that too, Karina! Bad choice of wording on my pat! Love all of your signature recipes! And I’m going to try using the whey in my banana bread next time!
We put ours on digital picture frames, you can place them all over the house in different rooms with the pictures you would like everyone who comes over to see personal and precious ones for you or your family’s eyes only! You can get alot of pictures on them and they slowly rotate the pictures you will love them they are awesome. Just one thought from a viewer, hope it helps. Always a conversation piece.
Margot
Love this idea, Margot! I just told Brian to add it to my Mother’s Day wish list!
Just started using the “Teach your child to read…” book this week with my #4 child! I’ve known about it for a few years but since she’ll almost be 6 when she begins school, I thought I’d give it a try! She loves it, though, so no bribing required and she reminds me to do the lessons with her 🙂
As far as photo storage goes, I’m kind of a fanatic for making sure they’re double and triple backed up. I keep them on an external hard drive, but as far as cloud storage goes, after a lot of research, Google photos won due to their ability to store unlimited length videos. We do pay for 1 TB of storage, though. It has some great features also, and I know they’re not going to just close up shop leaving me looking for a new storage site, since it’s Google 🙂 there are some features I wish they had, but it keeps my photos and videos safe and organized, which is my #1 priority. It also backs up photos from all of our devices to a central account.
That’s awesome she’s so on board with it that she reminds you! Thanks for the insight into cloud storage and what you’ve found to work best for you. I’m learning so much!
We too have a lot of dedicated board game storage, and also store them sideways. I noticed you have El Dorado on your board game shelf, which my husband has been eyeing recently, so I told him Mel has it. His response? “Kitchen Café Mel? I knew we liked her!” haha.
Love hearing all your life tips and seemingly-tiny-but-actually-very-important(!) discoveries along the way!
Haha. That made me laugh! We don’t play El Dorado as often as others, but it is SUPER fun especially for more strategic game players.