I would classify these as family favorites for the 2-4 and 30 year old crowd.

Lucy June's favorite book is this one (she's original), and Jake's favorite is this one, and B. J. Novak's book had him practically hyperventilating. I'm pretty partial to this one, but the books that made this list are ones that ALL of us love.

This means that the kids like them genuinely, request them incessantly, recite them spontaneously, and they're not too long. I can't really handle long picture books. I really like reading out of chapter books with Jake, but there's something about the long (I'm looking at you Cars and Trucks) picture book that makes me tired. With these books you won't even have to sneak skip pages!

So now that I've set the bar adequately high: here are some of our favorite picture books. You've certainly heard of some of them, but I confess these were all new to me since having kids.

                                    

Little Owl Lost 
by Chris Haughton
The illustrations in this lean toward Microsoft Paint, and the colors are a little bit much, but I LOVE THIS BOOK. The kids get so into it. The fact that they care so much that this little owl finds its mother makes me feel pretty validated. And it's SHORT. We're talking like a sixty second commitment.

We Were Tired of Living in a House 
by Liesel Moak Skorpen
This is my favorite book on the list. These siblings take off into the wilderness and have these little adventures. It's pretty poetic ("So we packed our bag with sweaters and socks and scarves and scarlet leaves and gold and a frog who was a particular friend" - stuff like that.) In my mind it's childhood perfected.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie 
by Laura Joffe Numeroff
This one seems to make every favorite picture book list out there but for good good reason. The little kid pandering to every crazy whim of a mouse who nap-strikes. Every time I read this book I feel kind of triumphant. I'm like: "There is justice in the world because someday you will end your day in a puddle of exhaustion with cheerios in your hair too, little person!"

Frog and Toad 
by Arnold Lobel
Apparently the Frog and Toad books are kids readers that I should've been introduced to in second grade or something, but I missed them. They don't quite hold my heart like some of the books on this list, but I do really like the collection and so do my kiddos - even the not quite two year old. I like how ambiguously moral they are. I also like that it adjusts the kids to books that LOOK more like chapter books, but each story goes really quick.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt 
by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Again. Most people know it. But such a great one. I love the rhythm of the book that the kids can latch onto so quickly. The dad and the baby in the book are delightful. And the whole time I'm reading it, I'm thinking about the mom sipping tea in her quiet quiet house.

Leave me some recommendations! I'm always on the lookout for good kids books. I'm way pickier than I ever imagined I would be!

Linking up with Jenna!

Things I'm Loving this Summer

Hullo, July! I'd like you to note how relatively cool June was and its manageable number of mosquitos. Its watermelons however weren't that great, so you could totally one up her on that account.

Anyhoo, some things I've been loving this summer:

- 1 -

Grilling Pizza: We love pizza. A year ago I started using this recipe for crust from The Kitchn and haven't looked back. It's remarkably easy. Sometimes I'll put in a little semolina flour if I want a more crackery crust. We put out toppings and build our own pizzas on parchment paper and then toss them on the grill.

My brother in law even cracked an egg on his last week, and it was just about the most beautiful sunnyside up I'd ever seen.

- 2 -

Homemade Ice Cream: We have my mom's Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker on loan, and Costco has been keeping us in some decent quality cream. I've LOVED being able to try out all different flavors especially since our summer has been Blue Bell-less. And by all different flavors, I mostly just mean different ratios of malt and salt.

- 3 -

Hang Drying Laundry: I've gotten back in the habit of hang drying laundry. (I LOVE hang drying laundry. I even have a post in my draft folder all about how much I love hang drying laundry, but every time I try to publish it, I get nervous that it sounds all "Rah rah simple life! I'm doing it better than you!" - and since I am #nonconfrontational #forevah, in the draft folder it stays.)

Our dryer has been taking a looooong time to dry clothes, so out on the line they go, and I'm reminded of how much I love the activity. Admittedly, Houston is kinda soggy and even the sunny day turns on you in a matter of minutes, so while hanging the clothes out on the line may feel like a breezy pioneer poem, many a load has been frantically retrieved to the tune of thunder and in an onslaught of Braxton Hicks as I waddle dash outside to save the dry laundry.

- 4 -

A Zoo Membership: At the beginning of the summer we got a zoo membership. This is apparently something you "just do" if you're a mom in the city. I have no idea how to urban parent. All the parents I knew growing up just sent their kids to the creek and told them to watch out for fire ants. Things like theme parks and zoos were HUGE annual efforts. While I balked at getting a zoo membership, I love it. We can have a day there or a morning there or just drop by when we're in the neighborhood. We can plan a morning playdate there and see half a gorilla and call it good. We can picnic and get the kids completely zonked at the splash pad and head home in time for naps. And nobody makes any comments about how close your kids are together...because it's already a zoo.

- 5 -

Lentil Salad: A friend of mine tuned me into this lentil salad recipe recently, and it's changed my relationship to the blah lentil. I typically make it with more balsamic vinegar than ACV, maybe not quite so much mustard, and whichever of the spices I happen to have. New Roots calls it the best lentil salad ever, and I can't really attest to that, because it's the only lentil salad I've ever had, but it's delish. I've tried all kinds of add-ins, and haven't gone wrong yet.

Linking up with Jenna!

Five Favorites: Gift Ideas For Him

Since Father's Day is around the corner and tomorrow is Jacob's and my anniversary, I've been thinking husband pretty nonstop, so here are some gift ideas from my muchacho to yours.

- 1 -

Sphere Ice Molds

I remember talking to my friend Wendy about gifts for her man, and she said she went for anything whiskey related. In that vein, I'll draw your attention to these Voltolo Sphere Ice Molds. Jacob has two and loves them.

- 2 -

Timex Steel Watch 

Jacob’s had this watch for about a year now, and he really likes it. I know watches are very personal choices but this is a relatively inexpensive, knock around watch that fits a variety of occasions. a couple reviews I've read complain about the band breaking, but Jacob's is holding up really well despite constant use. 

Fun fact: despite being right-handed, Jacob wears his watch on his right wrist. I tease him endlessly about it.

- 3 -

Wall Mount Bottle Opener

We don’t have one of these, but Jacob wants one badly. He dreams of having one right above a trash can and he mentions it every time we move, which is regularly.

- 4 - 

Outfit His Poker Night

Jacob does Poker Night. He’s not really one to “hang out with the guys” but he morphs into Mr. Social Butterfly as soon as anyone says Poker Night. He has a Poker Felt that he rolls out on the occasion and this Poker Chip Set which he loves despite its mediocre Amazon.com rating.

- 5 -

Subscribe him to: The Family Handyman

Jacob loves his Family Handyman subscription. It has good tips about how to tackle things at home and great product reviews. This is straight from the husband-horse’s mouth because his gender normative wife has never peeked at it.

What are your go to gift ideas for the men in your life??

And head over to Hallie's for more favorites.

Five Favorites - Summertime

Welcome to #5faves at the RLog. I'm so so so excited to be hosting for Hallie of Moxie Wife today!

Today I'm favoriting summer. I grew up in Texas, and I speak the language of summer. I won't dump on the other seasons. I'm always ready for sweater weather, and I like a good snuggle in the holidays. But summer has my heart; sprinkle some lemon juice in my hair and point me to the river.

 Here are five of my summer favorites. (Forgive me for ignoring Mother's Day. I'm trying to play it cool.)

 - 1 -

Eco Sunscreen

I'll confess that I haven't run the gamut of "non-toxic" sunscreens. Primarily because this is the first one I tried, and I really like it. It goes on easily and doesn't leave much white residue like many barrier sunscreens, and it doesn't stain my clothing.

It's not Coppertone cheap, but the "Body" sunscreen isn't too too expensive, and our's last us awhile because when we hit the beach our toddler pretty much looks like this:

- 2 -
Wide Brim Sun Hat

I'm trying to embrace the part of me that will soon be turning thirty and needs to keep her very sun sensitive skin covered by more than just lotion. Enter totally awesome, floppy brimmed sun hats. This is definitely on my short list of summer purchases. 

- 3 -

Emu Oil

Little known, marginally interesting fact about my childhood: we raised emus. I don't really know why. It had something to do with an ag exemption and something to do with the fact that my mother liked to start businesses in her free time. So we hatched, raised, and slaughtered these Australian not-ostriches. They came out pretty cute:

Then they grew up big and ugly and smelly and they would get out and we'd find them miles from our house and somehow have to get them back in their pens. Suffice it to say, I don't miss them and I much prefer my parents' current venture involving pecan trees.

But what does emu oil have to do with summer?!? I will tell you. Emu oil is far and away the best sunburn remedy I've ever tried. It would make lobster sunburns all but disappear over night. Don't believe me for all my northern european authority in the area of white white white skin? Try it for yourself.

- 4 -

Salt Water Sandals 

My little brother bought these for me for my birthday and I've only wanted them for forever - or since last summer - because they're comfy and durable and adorable and because the Patton children are my fashion gurus.

- 5 -

A 1920 

Last week Jacob and I had a little celebrating to do, so we found ourselves splurging on some cocktails at Simone on Sunset. I picked the first one on the menu because I get nervous when people are waiting on me - it was called the 1920 and what a lucky strike it was. Ever since Jacob and I spent our newlywed summer drinking mojitos almost exclusively, herby fizzy alcohol just sings summertime. I did my best to replicate it for you and this is what I came up with. 

I can't wait to read about what you're crushing on this week. Thanks again to Hallie for sharing the fun!

An InLinkz Link-up

Five Favorites: Jake Jake Jakeboy

Joining Hallie and memorializing the words of my offspring today.

- 1 -

Jake: Can I play with a chopper?
Me: You mean like a knife? You're too young to play with knives.
Jake: A chopper's not a knife. I think it's just a machete. 

- 2 -

At the splashpad:
Jake: Can you turn the water off?

- 3 -

After hearing the baby cry:
Jake: Lucy Juney is awake! (starts running to her) I want to nibble on her! I want to nibble nibble nibble on her!

- 4 -

Me: Remember that you can't jump and be crazy on the furniture when we have guests.

Jake (looking at me strangely):
Me: Say "OK, mama"
Jake: OK, mama.

Ten minutes later:
Jake (gleefully climbing on the furniture): No being crazy on the furniture when I have gas! 

- 5 -

After I left the littles alone in Jake's room and an obviously wounded Lucy June starts crying:

Me: What's going on in there?

Jake: We were just playing a game and she was the tree and I was the woodpecker.

Such is my life starring these two.

Such is my life.

See Hallie for more favorites!!

The Husband's Favorite Kitchen Items

So today I'm copycatting myself and posting Jacob's favorite of our kitchen items to Hallie's Link Up.

When we first started dating, Jacob and I couldn't be in the kitchen together without arguing. All of the kids in Jacob's family grew up experimenting in the kitchen. He was very comfortable at the stove; he'd toss in new ingredients and skip others and had that obnoxious disdain for recipes that Recipe Followers like myself have trouble appreciating. At one point we had a rule that only one of us was allowed in the kitchen at any given time. Either he was cooking or I was cooking. Neither of us were very proud of this development, but it probably saved our relationship.

The root of the problem: Jacob was a better cook than I was. He experimented in the kitchen and the food he made was delicious. I knew how to make my mother's chili and my mother's chicken and dumplings and that's about where my prowess ceased. Part of me loved that Jacob was a good cook, but the other part of me found it infuriating, especially when his culinary knowhow would skulk about my shoulder while I was trying my hand at the stove. I remember when he made me a dish that I didn't like. It was some type of pasta, and he'd thrown in a spice that didn't do the dish any favors. I ate his failed pasta with such relish because it proved that Jacob Augustine Rhodes wasn't flawless in the kitchen and maybe we could get married after all.

Five years of marriage later and we've matured into a nice and traditional "Wife does 90%" of the cooking, I frequently ask him to taste test, and kitchen fights are a thing of the past.

Cutting this long story not quite so long, here are Jacob's five favorite kitchen items, or at least the five kitchen items he responded with when I quizzed him this morning.

- 1 -

A Universal Lid

Jacob wanted this lid so much he bought it for me for Christmas and opened it for me two weeks early. It finds its way onto the stove whenever he's in the kitchen. It's admittedly very handy.

- 2 -

Vitamix

We are blender people. The blender we got when we first married was a classy looking thing that smelled a little like burning rubber whenever we used it. We knew we wanted a nice blender, and we soon found ourselves on the frontlines of the great Blendtec vs. Vitamix debate. We picked the Vitamix because we preferred the control panel - Blendtec's is digital - and the tamper is sort of indispensable with the kind of smoothies we tend to make. We've had ours for about a year and a half, and we use it multiple times a day.

They're pretty cost prohibitive, but they have great warranties and you can buy Certified Refurbished Vitamixes that are less expensive.

- 3 -

Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender

I'm actually surprised that I forgot this when I put up my kitchen favorites. I grew fond of these in Europe, and we got one for our wedding. It got a lot of use when Jakeboy started solids since he was on a pretty deliberate little baby diet called What Mom & Dad Are Eating All Mashed Up. I'm pretty sure Jacob likes it because of it's associations with Butternut Squash Bisque. 

- 4 -

 Bar Mops

 

When I first eschewed paper towels I wasn't very formal about it. I had a bag of old rags mixed in with our nice dish towels and our napkins, and this "system" drove Jacob crazy. So we bought some bar mop towels that now sit in a nice stack under our sink, can be used for all household messes, and get thrown straight into a laundry basket whenever they've reached their limits.

- 5 -

Looking around Kitchen. Glances at Liquor Cabinet: 
Does Alcohol Count?

Sure, babe.

What are your significant other's favorite things in your kitchen?

>> <<

Well I have to run away and read some Little House in the Big Woods with the little man.

Me: let's read the one about the sugar snow and the dance at grandpa's.

Jake: I think we could just read about the bear and Pa gets his toenail ripped off.  

Five Favorite Kitchen Utensils

Linking up with Hallie for some favoriting today.

I certainly don't need to reiterate that I'm not a chef. In Los Angeles I had this little troupe of grad school buddies (Hi Ruth! Hi Wendy!) who were kind of foodies (You were. You are. Be honest) and we would go to fun restaurants and share the best food at each others' houses. I would always get a little nervous making food for them, so I tried to avoid it as often as possible. I cooked for them only a few times. One of those times I think I made a pasta with wilted greens. Very bad idea. Grazie for nothing, Giada.

So with that intro, I will now tell you my favorite kitchen utensils.

- 1 -

Spatula

And not just any spatula. THIS SPATULA. I think I use it every time I'm at the stove. If it's dirty, I will wash it before I reach for a substitute. It's that awesome.

- 2 -

Little Spatula/Rubber Scraper 

I grew up also calling these spatulas, but Jacob calls them rubber scrapers. We argue about this divergence like we argue about most things. We have this set of three, and I use them frequently. But the green one is my favorite. I'll stir my sauteeing onions with it. I'll grab it to fish out the last bit of jam. The pink spoonula thing that comes in the set is not my favorite, but c'est la packaged deal.

- 3 - 

Mortar and Pestle

We like to make our own chai tea which involves grinding lots of spices. I used to use a rolling pin. It was tedious but it mostly worked fine except for the cinnamon sticks which, if you managed to even break them, would torpedo all over the kitchen. Time consuming AND hazardous. Jacob got me a mortar and pestle for Christmas, and it's the funnest. It can crush a cinnamon stick like an egg shell. So, while I certainly don't use this everyday, it sits on my counter looking beautiful, and I get so excited whenever I do use it.

- 4 -

Funnels

I hadn't used a funnel in my kitchen till like a year ago. I was always one of those "I'll just aim really well and be very very careful and then clean up the mess afterwards instead of getting yet another utensil dirty" kind of people, but Jacob is a funnel person and he bought us one, and now I'm a convert. As I grabbed the image above I realized there are such things as funnels with strainers?? And dry goods funnels? What is all this amazingness?

- 5 -

Danish Dough Whisk  

 

I want to be a baker of bread. Right now I have a reader (Hi Kris!!!) graciously coaching me through some bread baking via email because she offered and I'm determined if mediocre at the whole business. But the only sure fire thing about my bread baking is that every time I try try again I get to use this Danish Dough Whisk, and my if it doesn't make up for all my paltry proofing.

What are your favorite cookin in the kitchen must haves??

Visit Hallie for more favorites.