High Five for Friday (5.1.15)

1. A few weeks ago I mentioned how much I love Ava Anderson Non Toxic. (For those of you who are unfamiliar, "Ava", as we affectionately call her/the company around our house, is a line of organic, natural, and non toxic skin care, cosmetics, hair care, baby care, sun care, pet care, scents, candles, bug spray and home cleaning products.) And now today, I want to share a perfect example of why we use these products in our home and on our bodies.

Last Tuesday night Will came to me with an angry, itchy, bumpy, red rash - which I could see spreading even as I drew a border line around it with a pen - on his shoulder and back. I grabbed our Ava diaper cream and slathered it on the affected areas. Within minutes the pain and itchiness had subsided…see for yourself!

Right after I drew the border line.

50 minutes after one application.

The next morning, after that first application
and then a second application an hour later.

I promise I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm just singing the praises of a product that actually works (it has also healed sunburns, heat burns, and bee stings in our house) and that I feel completely comfortable using on those I love. Feel free to ask me questions about Ava in person or via email at erin@chasingroots.com.

2. This picture of my girl, playing in the sand (dirt?) on her kindergarten field trip to the park, makes my heart sing. She adores school, her teacher, and her friends, and I love watching her delight in the simple pleasures that is being six years old.

3. On Friday night Will graduated from a blue belt to a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do. This boy makes me so proud.

4. On Saturday afternoon the temperature hit 90 degrees for the first time this year, so in keeping with our tradition of going out for ice cream when the mercury reaches 9-0, we headed to Spoons for bowls of frozen yogurt maraschino cherries, gummy bears, animal cookies, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. Then on Tuesday the temperature dropped into the 40's and I had to wear fleece-lined leggings. Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Mother Nature.

For the past four years our traditional 90-degree indulgence has taken place at Dairy Queen. However...Tom and I have twice found peanuts in supposedly peanut-free DQ drinks, which means DQ has become a risk we can't afford to take unless we plan to purchase pre-packaged ice cream treats.

5. We had a lovely visit with Tom's parents, who during their visit joined us for Will's karate graduation, a dance showcase of Hallie's (more on that next week), and the trip to Spoons. They built a fun, tree-related addition to our backyard (more on that next week as well), took us out for a few meals, had lunch with both kids at school, and…supervised the home front while Tom and I went on our "work date". It was glorious.

Bonus 6. At eight years old, Will still brings his beloved "Roar" with him when he climbs in bed to cuddle with his Grandma and Grandpa. Stay little, my boy.

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up with High Five for Friday!