Hellobee

I’m so excited to share my five Friday favorites with you all this week! Like the others have said, it was hard to pick only five things once I got going.

1/ Second Birthday Party Planning – It is birthday season for the twinblings, with Lilly turning two next week and Audrey following behind in early June. I am planning a birthday party this year for the girls over Memorial Day weekend that will be much smaller in scale than their first birthday party, but I am still having a lot of fun selecting details and dreaming on Pinterest. I’ve decided to go with a Hungry Caterpillar theme and it’s so much fun to find Eric Carle stuff everywhere I look! I’ve had a lot of fun browsing products on Zazzle and Oriental Trading. And I am loving these adorable handmade outfits and dresses that match the party theme from an Etsy seller.

2/ Backpack – With a commute in Chicago that requires about 30 minutes of walking each day, I decided last year that my shoulders were taking too much of a beating from my standard shoulder work bag. Standing behind a stylish woman in the security line at the airport one day, I fell in love with the backpack that she was wearing and decided on the spot to make a change. Mr. Starfish gave me this backpack for Christmas and I’ve been using it ever since for my daily commute and while it definitely took some getting used to, I’m now loving it! My laptop fits inside easily and I’m no longer nursing an aching shoulder every weeknight when I arrive home from work.

3/ The Americans – Mr. Starfish and I struggle to find shows that we both like to watch, and one of our favorites over the past few years has been The Americans. The show is about a seemingly normal DC-based American family in the 1980s that is headed up a mother and father who are undercover Russian spies. While I would caution you that this show is not for the faint of heart, I am really loving the final season that is airing now – it keeps me on my seat so much that it seems each episode is over in 10 minutes even though they are an hour long! The Americans airs on FX network and prior seasons can be streamed on Amazon.

4/Costco beauty finds – Recently Costco has become one of my favorite places to purchase beauty products. Their Kirkland-brand Professional Salon Formula Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner is rumored to be a dupe for Pureology’s Hydrate line, and I recently picked them up on a recent warehouse run and I’m loving them. There are also a ton of beauty items available on Costco’s website that are not available in the warehouses, and the listed prices nearly always include shipping. I recently snagged my favorite dry shampoo online, and they also have several Korean beauty products that I’ve tried out and loved, including this product that Mrs. High Heels also mentioned a couple of weeks ago on her Friday Favorites post. It’s my understanding that some of Costco.com’s products can be snagged at their great prices even if you’re not a member, so it’s definitely worth checking out even if you don’t have a membership card. For instance, right now they have a Korean beauty starter kit that you can purchase without being a Costco member.

5/ Green Toys Build-a-Bouquet – While spring keeps teasing us here in Chicago, it most certainly has not yet arrived in earnest. So while we aren’t currently seeing flowers outside, I recently ordered this cute and fun flower toy for the girls. I love that it helps the girls with colors and fine motor skills, but I really love how it will keep the girls entertained independently for long stretches of time. It’s also pretty adorable when the girls build me a flower and can’t wait to give it to me!

I have loved reading all of your Friday favorites, and can’t wait to hear what you’re all loving this week. Please share in the comments or on the boards!