Friday Favorites

Hi, Friends!

Happy Friday to you!

I'm really working on finding something other than "Happy (insert day of the week)" to greet you with... but I just really want people to have happy days so what's a girl to do? Trying to be more clever though. Trying so hard.

So excited to share this dress I found this week.

It's literally the perfect fit. I'm wearing a small for reference. I ordered three days ago and got it today! I've linked it here and I am happy to say it's only $25! HAPPY. DANCE.

Now for these shoes. Swoon. I'm a sucker for anything black and white. And stripes? Don't even get me started. I found these for $15 at H&M this weekend. I'm in love. They're only available in stores but I think they'd be worth the drive. 

Just watching to make sure Rowen doesn't run in the street. #momlife

Now for a few more favorite! I want to share a way we stay organized and CLEAN on the regular in our house.

Stair Baskets: We got these baskets from Wal Mart for $7 a piece and they are just perfect for the depth of the stairs. They also have a little chalk board on the front for each person's name. During the day, if I find something that belongs to someone and don't have the time to put it upstairs or where it actually goes, I just stick it in the basket. Then before we go to bed at night, each person cleans up their basket. It's good practice for the girls to learn that it's their job to clean up after themselves and I'd much rather see random junk in a cute basket than on my floors.

Exercise Ball: Ok, I'm late to the game. I know. But I just got a balance ball and I love it. I've been doing ab exercises with it this week and you can really feel the burn. I found this one at Wal Mart (yes, I am feeling like a red neck for referencing Wal Mart not once, but twice). It comes with examples of how to use it and they're really all you need. So getcha one.

Decor Steals: Are you signed up for the daily steals from this website?! If not, please go sign up NOW! I got this magnolia wreath for half the cost that I'd seen it elsewhere (Looking at you, Magnolia Home) and the quality is great. I've ordered other items from them and their customer service is top notch. They really are on top of the latest trends and the deals are too good to pass up!

Salvaged Chic Market: I posted a few of our new signs from this adorable Etsy store this week. They're so beautiful! Heather does custom work or you can choose from any of the sweet pre-made items in her shop. She is fun to work with and does a beautiful job. I'm so happy with my signs!

Glasses: Matt and I have been married for almost eight years and about a month ago, we noticed most of our glasses we got as wedding gifts were chipped or just looked terrible. Sad. But then I stumbled upon these beauties and instantly forgot all about the nostalgic newlywed cups. These are super sturdy and have the most beautiful design! We also got matching ice cream bowls because I needed another reason to want ice cream. No. No I didn't. These are a part of the Pioneer Woman collection from... you guessed it! WAL MART. Oh my gosh who am I? Whatever. The price is right and the quality is great so who cares where it's from?

I'm getting my hair done this morning. Glory. Then I have a girls night out tonight to celebrate one of my best friend's birthdays and I can't wait to share this cute H&M outfit I've planned to wear!

Reese has her first ballet recital Saturday morning and we are getting SO excited. Honestly I've been so excited about the recital that I haven't planned a single thing the rest of the weekend. I think basking in the glory of our little tutu-clad ballerina should suffice!

Happy Friday, friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Laura

Workout Routine

Hello!

Half way through another week, can you believe it? May seems to be FLYING by. We leave for the beach next week so I'm not mad about this week going by quickly. #takemetothebeach

Today I'm sharing a little bit of my fitness journey. I call it a "journey" because I'm still on it. I don't have everything figured out at ALL but I will share the things I have figured out so maybe it'll help you start or keep up the journey you're on.

Let me start by sharing a picture of my post-baby bod... I know I looked hot. Or not. At this point I was nursing exclusively so I really felt helpless as far as cutting calories and was too overwhelmed to even think about challenging myself beyond walking the stairs multiple times a night to feed my babe. You new mamas feel me, right?

My sister and I decided to do the Whole 30 together. During the 30 days, I also started trying to add resistance training into my workout since finding time to run was challenging with an infant and a two year old. I would work out about three days a week for 30 minutes. Doesn't sound like much but you gotta start somewhere.

Before                                    After

After I completed the Whole 30, I got pretty relaxed about what I was eating again. I still tried to stick to the 80/20 rule (Eat clean 80% of the time) but I felt like I had kind of plateaued. I was doing the same exact exercises every week. I was bored.

I stumbled across the BBG (Sweat with Kayla) workout plan while scrolling thru instagram and seeing all the incredible before and after pictures. My sister had just purchased the guides so she let me give them a try. 

Oh. Man.

I couldn't do it. I'm not even kidding. Like I couldn't do any of it. I was huffing and puffing and literally feeling like I was going to die. Trying to finish three burpees in a row had me envisioning the next days headlines 

"Local woman sweats to death after attempting consecutive burpees." 

What a way to go.

But the strange thing was, I actually got excited about doing the workout. It was different every time and even tho I saw some of the same exercises, it always felt new and challenging. The longer I did it, the more I thought "this has to get easier, right?" Wrong. The longer you do it, the harder it gets. But that's the beauty of it. You never get bored and you actually see results.

The other thing I love about this workout is that it's fast. 28 minutes and you're done. 

Nowadays I'm doing at least three BBG resistance training sessions per week along with two cardio sessions that last about an hour. I'm also really trying to up my protein intake and continuing to stay away from sugar in all of its glorious forms. I still love you, starbucks. 

Pre-BBG                                          4 months after starting BBG

I'm not a machine. I still have to struggle thru finding balance week by week in my eating but I don't miss my workouts. Whether it's at night or in the morning. During nap or jumping around my babies when they're awake, I just know it's going to get done. I don't say that to sound cocky. I just know how I feel when I'm working out and I know what it does for my overall outlook. I also love that my girls can watch me do something consistently that's good for me. Today in Target, Rowen was doing a (very strange looking) sit up like motion in the buggy. She looked at me and said "I do my wookouts, mommy." I died. 

The BBG plan is now in an awesome app format making it super easy to get started. It is a little on the expensive side but I think it's well worth it. 

I think the moral of this story is that sometimes you just need to start something. Just get moving. And if you're not happy with the results you're getting, then change what you're doing. 

If you have any questions about the workout, please let me know in comments! I'd be happy to help in any way I can. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a happy hump day!

Laura