February was a short month that felt like it lasted forever. March was a long month that felt like it was over in approximately two days.
Neither perspective is accurate, but both months paved the way for some new-to-me favourites.
The F.I.G. Collective
We have needed our umbrellas of gratitude this year. I am beyond humbled by the sheer number of everyday joys and blessings people noted in February. Thanks to everyone who participated and I hope, for many of you, it provided renewed enthusiasm for your gratitude journey!
MERINO BASE LAYER
Kyria had a credit for a Canadian outfitting store that doesn’t ship to the US and she kindly gifted me the credit.
One of the things I purchased was my first merino wool base layer – Icebreaker 175 Everyday Long Sleeve. It’s comfortable, it’s light, it’s warm. Check, check, check!
Thank you, Kyria!
RICOLA
My kids tend to dislike cough drops and I agree – most taste sickly and medicinal. I have long preferred Ricola (over, say, Halls), but the kids never used them. John brought a bag home from a trip overseas and when Belle was down and out with a horrific cough in February, she started reaching for Ricola. It always feels like a parenting win to find a product your kids accept to help offset the symptoms of an illness.
MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE
I’ve been using magnesium citrate for years (Natural Calm), but I absolutely HATED the taste and hated the process of adding powder to warm water. Such a nuisance.
Magnesium (bis)glycinate has solved that problem and I find it really helps with muscle relaxation and recovery after lifting weights. Here’s the brand I’m currently using. It has also been very effective in helping one of our kids who is periodically affected by growing pains.
WORKOUT VIDEOS
How crazy is it I can enter just about any search string – specifying the length of time, the amount of weight, the type of exercise – and get thousands of options?
Between home workouts and videos to follow while lifting at the gym, I have been loving YouTube workout videos.
MANGO BUBLY
My go-to favourite sparkling water has been PC Grapefruit, but Mango Bubly is quickly becoming a close second!
CREPES
Funny story. A few weeks ago, Alexandra left a comment where I misread what she had written. (How I got crepe from cheap I’ll never know, but I’m so glad I had that mental misfire.)
We have had crepes three times in the last two weeks! I’ve used this simple recipe and it has received enthusiastic thumbs up from everyone in the house. Last night for supper we had savoury crepes with egg, prosciutto, and cheese. So good!
FRENCH PATISSERIE
In a trip with so many memorable desserts, this tarte au citron probably takes top billing (though the pain au chocolat aux amandes I had in Auvers-sur-Oise – and proceeded to inhale so quickly I have no pictorial evidence of it’s existence – was also incredible).
Your turn.
- What were some of your favourite things in February and March?
- Do you own any merino base layers?
- What’s your favourite flavour of sparkling water?
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coco
Crepe is one of my favorite food from Paris, if not my favorite! I wish I could replicate it at home and eat more often. So satisfying and simple, right?
So many favorites in March despite so many ups and downs due to the move. what comes to mind is my husband for handling the packing and finalizing the move while I was away for two weeks. Now we are both in constant tiredness and needing a nap throughout the day due to accumulated fatigue.
I don’t owe merino as I haven’t lived in a cold place for so long.
Elisabeth
So simple and so delicious. I love that it’s not heavy and it’s such a versatile product – sweet, savoury or somewhere in between. Also, I make extra and the hold up well in the fridge, so we can have them over a few days. I’ve heard you can freeze them, too – I haven’t tried that yet.
I am jealous you don’t need to own any warm-weather gear! I am ready for this winter/spring cold to be behind me.
Maria
I don’t personally own any merino base layers but the kids do and I notice a huge difference in how long they can stay out in very cold weather when wearing their “woolies” as they call them.
Sparkling water is something I get an intense craving for when pregnant. The rest of the time I like it but don’t usually bother to buy it. I usually tend towards citrus flavours. Grapefruit is a favourite even though I can’t stand actual grapefruit!
Elisabeth
The right gear can make all the difference!
Grapefruit is so good in sparkling water, but I can’t stand it as a “fruit”. Citrus flavours feel fresh, which is why I gravitate toward them. But I highly recommend Bubly Mango as well.
Nicole MacPherson
I do have merino base layers – for cross country skiing and for snowshoeing! I think I got them from Mark’s. Am I a Mark’s spokesperson now? A Mark’s influencer? MAYBE I AM!
I literally remember nothing at the moment of February and March. I should actually reference my blog. It’s like they are wiped off the face of the earth! WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE MONTHS! Oh yeah, I went to Mexico, that was probably my most favourite thing! How could I forget?
I haven’t tried the mango flavour, but I like lime Bubly, and they had a Merry Berry one at Christmas which was great!
Elisabeth
You should be getting commission from Mark’s, Nicole. You are like their unofficial top salesperson in Canada these days.
Merry Berry? How did I never see that? Sound delish though, I assume, it is very seasonal. I will be on the look out next Christmas.
Jenny
HA! No need for wool base layers here. I do have a current favorite flavor of sparkling water though- it’s the Waterloo brand, blackberry lemonade.
Let’s see… February and March kind of blur together for me too. I would say a favorite thing that happened was that I started going to the chiropractor for low back adjustments, and it feels SO MUCH BETTER.
Elisabeth
Blackberry lemonade sounds delish, Jenny.
I wish I had no need for base layers; I suppose I do appreciate that I don’t need air conditioning all year either, though. There is good with the bad!
Yay for chiropractors and for a happier back.
Michelle G.
My favorite thing today was getting a Paris postcard from YOU! I love the one you chose for me. Thank you – it really brightened my day!
Elisabeth
Awww. I can’t remember what one I sent your way, but I was very deliberate about what postcard I picked out for each person, so it would have reminded me of you for some reason or another.
You’re welcome <3
Lisa's Yarns
Mango is probably my fave sparkling water flavor, too!
Fave things in Feb/March were celebrating Paul’s bday with a 1:1 day when he was off school, our trip to Mexico, a double date with my brother and SIL, and getting a longer break from work travel than usual.
Elisabeth
I think this recent try of the Bubly is my first time having a Mango flavour and I 10/10 recommend.
Your 1:1 day looked like so much fun. I wish the relaxation and warmth of Mexico had a longer runway when you came home – but I know you’ll be so glad the surgery for Will is behind you once you get over this awful hump. Hope today hasn’t been too awful at work??
NGS
My entire winter wardrobe is merino base layers. Most of it is SmartWool, but I do have one Icebreaker shirt. SmartWool is softer, but less durable, FYI. I have pants and shirts and most days I’m wearing both. I refuse to be cold!
Favorite things in Feb/March: when my husband’s brother and his family came to visit us and when I took a couple of days off in March over Spring Break and hung out with my husband!
Elisabeth
Engie, you know how to stay warm, so I’m not surprised you own lots of merino base layers. Smart!
I’m so glad you got to spend quality time with people you love <3
Ernie
I do not own a Merino wool base layer. I wonder if it would make me itch. I have a lovely black Merino wool dress by Kuhl and it does make a little itchy at first. I do not love sparkling water. While in Italy we had to keep requesting still water – all three of us preferred it to sparkling. When I read the start of your post, I honestly had to pause because for a moment I thought – well, March isn’t over. Um – YES, ERNIE. IT DEFINITELY IS OVER. My favorite thing was leaving for our trip to Italy and getting to see Mini. So fun. Coach and I managed a few decent dates while the girls were at therapy on Fridays in Feb and March. Oh, I also reconnected with my favorite high school teacher in February. That was definitely a highlight.
Elisabeth
Next time I’d get a thicker merino wool layer, but I don’t find it itchy (though it’s not incredibly soft; my husband has a HH merino wool base layer that is super, duper soft!).
I don’t like unflavoured sparkling water at all, so also am constantly asking for still water in Europe.
Hooray for fun trips to Italy!!
J
Oh, that Marino wool base layer looks SO COZY. I always think of Almonzo Wilder when I think of Marino sheep, because in Farmer Boy, that’s the kind they raised, and his mother would spin their wool into yarn and make them soft, warm clothes.
I dislike the flavor of mango, so not interested in mango sparking water. We are mostly plain around here (some grapefruit when we are feeling fancy). My daughter drinks it like it’s water (haha). I guess I should say, she drinks it like it’s free. It’s not.
February and March – I have enjoyed going to the anti-Trump / anti-Musk protests, it makes me feel SO MUCH BETTER. I mean, like I can breathe at least. And we had a lovely birthday celebration for my daughter’s birthday at the end of March, which was a lot of fun.
Elisabeth
I didn’t realize it spoke specifically about Almonzo’s sheep. How cool! Thanks for that little tidbit of trivia, Julie. I never know what fun facts I’m going to learn in the comment section of my blog
I’d say I average 4 cans of sparkling water a week – the only other thing I drink is water (well, and coffee), so it is my liquid “treat” but it is definitely not free and I do feel some guilt about the cans. I know they’re recycled, but it all has an environmental cost. We get our water from a natural spring in our local area (free!) so that is definitely the most environmentally friendly thing for me to be drinking. But it does feel like such a luxurious treat!
Action is the antidote to anxiety!
Stephany
Give me mango-flavored ANYTHING. I love that flavor! I’m not sure what my favorite flavor of sparkling water is, though. I usually try to mix it up every time!
I love Ricola cough drops. So much better than Halls!
The FIG collective was definitely a favorite thing from February. It was so nice to see all those happy posts in Feedly every weekend! I also enjoyed meeting Birchie!
Elisabeth
I grew up on Halls – of course, because they are much cheaper than Ricola – but my goodness to me there is NO comparison.
I’m jealous you met Birchie, but I guess I shouldn’t be too jealous because I MET SUZANNE (in Paris, no less!)
Melissa
I have two light-weight black merino long-sleeve T-shirts which are staples in my winter wardrobe. Most days, I’d wear one of these with a windcheater/jumper and jeans. They are also great for travel. I am a big fan. I am boring and always choose plain sparkling water.
Elisabeth
Melissa, you have inspired a new “name” post by your mention of a “windcheater”! I’ve never heard of such a thing, but I assume it’s like an outer shell of a coat that helps break the wind (I’d call that a windbreaker)? And jumper = sweater; in Canada, a jumper would be a dress with no sleeves. This will be a FUN post.
I cannot stomach plain sparkling water. Eeks. Though, I suppose it HAS been years since I tried and my taste buds have changed. But I used to loathe it. Maybe it’s time to try again.
Kate
Awwww, ricola drops are my mom’s go-to when sick. To be honest I don’t like the taste that much but it is certainly nostalgic for me. I haven’t been able to find a cough drop yet that my kids will tolerate — which is annoying especially when I’ve just bought a new bag of a flavor that seems to be more kid-friendly. Oh well!
Yes, yes, yes to magnesium glycinate! I just started giving it to Greta after she had a scary complex migraine (I will post about that soon), and recommend it especially for women in the perimenstrual years for sleep and anxiety. The other forms of magnesium are likely to cause upset stomach/diarrhea so glycinate is my go-to. I hadn’t thought about using it for growing pains but it absolutely would work for that!
I own nothing merino and truly don’t own that many cold weather clothes. In the winter, the kids and I hibernate as much as possible
Elisabeth
I took magnesium for years and then my doctor encouraged it as well (I think it’s one of the only elemental things we CAN’T get enough of naturally). It 100% helped us with growing pains (and a friend has her child chew magnesium gummies if she wakes with growing pains).
I agree about hibernating. It’s my favourite go-to.
San
I love crepes. I make them regularly. Such a quick and easy lunch/dinner. I prefer them sweet (strangely, because I am more of a savory girl over all).
And I’ve just gone through a whole bag of Ricola last weekend. I agree, they don’t taste like other cough drops. And they remind me of my dad, he always has a tin can of Ricola in the car
Elisabeth
I hate the sickly after-taste of most other lozenges. Ricola feel like the right mix of helpful (but not too strong!) and comforting.