Hi Y'all! I'm super excited to share with you guys that one of my very favorite retailers (literally buy almost all my clothes from there) is having a great sale! It's kind of a buy more, save more situation. I've rounded up a bunch of my picks for you to browse so see below!![showboutiquewidget id="588453"]Let me know if you have any questions about sizing or anything! Happy shopping!
Spring Cleaning - Closet Edition
Hey Friends! Let's get down to business.
As some of you may know, I have a little side gig called closet editing. It's basically where I come over to your house ad help you clean out your closet. Some of you are like "Wow, that sounds horrible. Why would I let you into my closet?" I'll tell you why! THE best way to make clothing decisions is to have an unbiased second opinion. Enter: me!
During the closet edit, we make piles, I have you try things on, I ask prodding questions... all in the name of LOVE. As in I want you to love your closet.
Because so many people prefer to fly solo on this task, I'm here with a few tips on how to have a successful and efficient closet clean out sesh, just in time for Spring and Summer clothes to make their grand appearance. Speaking of Spring and Summer... can we talk about these elastic waistband crop pants? They are perfection paired with this cami blouse. Also, this laser cut detail tote has quickly become my go-to bag for Spring. Oh, did I mention the inside of the bag is blush? You're welcome.
Ok here we go!
Step One: The Piles
Go thru all your hanging clothes and make a pile of anything faded, picked over, missing buttons, or just down right nasty. This will be your donate pile. Some of the things might also need to be in the trash pile. You be the judge. If it's not in good condition anymore, you don't need to put it on your bod.Now pull out anything you haven't worn in the past few months. We all know the items that stare us in the face and beg to be worn. Chances are, if you haven't worn it up until now, you're not gonna wear it again. These kinds of items can go in the SELL pile. This includes things that don't fit well. They might fit someone else! I use the app Poshmark to sell all my clothes when I'm done with them. It's very simple and you can make a whole lot more than online garage sales or consignment stores.Step Two: The Styles
Ok now that we've got our donate/trash and sell piles, what should be left is your KEEP pile. Here's the part where if I were doing the closet edit, I would go through and help you put together outfits with what you already have. But if you don't have me, you still have Pinterest. Bless it. You can put together outfits by doing a search for items you own! For instance, let's say you want to know how to style a white button down. Just do a quick search for that on Pinterest and you should come up with a bunch of ideas. I like taking pictures after I've put together a look so I can remember it later. #mombrainI also recommend going thru tee shirts, underwear, socks, workout clothes, and shoes. The same rules apply to these things. Make your piles and stick to your guns.I hope this helps and as always if you've got any questions, please feel free to let me know!Thanks for reading!My outfit details are linked below![showshopthepostwidget id="2586927"]
The Loft Spring 40% Off Sale
Hi, friends! Just wanted to pop in real quick to give y'all a roundup of some of my favorites from The Loft 40% off sale. Some of my picks are an additional 40% off SALE so yay for that!
You can shop everything below by clicking on the picture! If you have any questions, let me know! [showboutiquewidget id="586052"]
My Workout Routine
Hi, friends!I reached out to y'all last week on my Instagram Stories asking if you'd want to see a blog post on my workout routine and I got TONS of messages saying you would. So here it is!
I workout five days a week (sometimes six depending on the week). Three of those days I do what's called a HIIT workout... aka High Intensity Interval Training. I have one for abs, one for arms, and one for legs. I use the Kayla Itsines Sweat With Kayla app ($20 per month) as a guide. These workouts are only 28 minutes each but they will absolutely kick your tail. I literally collapse after each one! I use minimal equipment for my at home workouts like free weights, balance ball, medicine ball, and an exercise mat. The rest is body weight resistance training.
The other two days a week I like to focus on cardio. I do at least 40 minutes of walking or running. If I want a really good workout, I'll push the girls in the stroller. 100 lbs of baby makes for some great resistance training cardio! I love my Nike Tanjuns for walking but I use my Nike free running shoes for high intensity workouts because they are super lightweight and almost feel like you're barefoot.
I also want to mention that we are very active as a family. We love to go for hikes a few times a week. We play outside and run around a lot. I also spend about 65% of my time chasing babies!
As far as diet goes, I drink a smoothie every morning for breakfast with this protein powder, almond milk, spinach, and frozen bananas. It's super filling, which is great. I normally don't eat anything in the morning until after I've worked out. My general rule about eating is that I try to eat really clean good fats, proteins, and greens about 80% of the time. Then the other 20% is just kind of whatever I feel like. Chick fil A anyone?
I've found where diet is concerned that it's better to focus on balance than an all or nothing mentality. If I know ahead of time that I'm going out to eat or that I want to eat treats, I'll just to be extra clean leading up to that. I don't think of it as punishing myself for that "bad stuff" but rather rewarding myself for eating so much good stuff! I've just come to grips with the fact that I like dessert and I like trying all kinds of different foods. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's just a matter of finding an eating plan that fits into your life. As long as you're working out and eating well the majority of the time, then you're winning! If you're not quite to your goal weight, you will have to be more disciplined. I'm in maintenance mode right now. I don't want to lose anymore weight. I just want to gain more muscle tone. The initial discipline is totally worth it in the long run tho!
With all that being said, here's a week at a glance of eating and working out! Monday:28 minute HIIT workoutBFST: Green smoothieLunch: Tuna salad over mixed greensSnack: Raw almondsDinner: Grilled chicken, sauteed veggies, brown rice Tuesday:40 minute walk with the girlsBFST: Green smoothieLunch: Rolled up turkey and cheese, almond crackers, mixed fruitSnack: Protein barDinner: Chick fil a! Wednesday:28 minute HIIT workoutBFST: SmoothieSnack: Raw almondsLunch: California roll sushiSnack: Peanut butter pretzelsDinner: Gluten free spinach pizza Thursday:40 minute cardio workoutBFST: SmoothieLunch: Turkey roll ups with mustard, pickle, and almond crackersSnack: Raw almondsDinner: Girl's Night so anything goes! Friday:28 minute HIIT workoutBFST: SmoothiesSnack: Protein barLunch: Mixed greens with tuna saladSnack: Rice cake with peanut butter and raw honeyDinner: MEXICAN! Saturday:40 minute hike with the girlsBFST: Chick fil a!Lunch: Green smothieDinner: Date night! Sunday:RestBFST: Gluten free pancakes with fresh berriesLunch: Vegetable soupDinner: Something quick and easy like grilled cheese or burritos A few tips:Try to fast for 12 hours in between dinner and breakfast. If you're last meal is at 7:00, try not to eat anything until at least 7 the next morning. It's actually really good for your body to take a total break from processing food.Intermittent cleansing is also a great idea. We have done juice cleanses in the past for two to four days at a time and it's just a great way to clean out the junk and feel super refreshed.Focus on form when you're working out. It's ok to go slow. Be sure you're not straining the wrong areas. If you're in plank position, keep your tummy sucked in and your back straight.Drink tons of water! I drink at least 64 oz of water a day and this is a must. Hydration is the key to healthy skin, proper digestion, and even weight loss.Don't make excuses. We all could make a long list of excuses if we really wanted to. But it's when you decide that your excuses aren't going to stop you that you'll really start to move forward and progress. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know! Please keep in mind that I am in nooooo way a fitness expert! I've just figure out something that works for me.What it all comes down to is finding a plan, committing to the plan, and being consistent even when you don't feel like it. Discipline becomes easier the longer you do it because it just becomes a part of your life. My girls will now ask me why I haven't worked out yet because they're so used to watching me every morning. Talk about accountability!Thanks for reading! I appreciate each and every one of you! You can find links to my workout gear below![showboutiquewidget id="584323"]
Easter Basket Ideas
This year is the first time the girl's have been very interested in the idea of an Easter Basket. We don't really talk about the Easter Bunny coming to our house because we kind of approach it as mommy and daddy give the gifts for Easter Sunday morning. There's not really a theological reason behind our skipping out on the bunny. I just think the Easter Bunny is kinda creepy. I still LOVE doing Easter Baskets so I wanted to give y'all a little peak into what I'm planning for the girl's baskets! But first.... could we talk about this dress?
It had me at "pleats" but I also love the tiny ruffle detail as well as the neck tie situation. So much goodness going on here. If you're still in the market for an Easter dress, this could be a winner. You can get free two day shipping when you purchase a certain amount so it would definitely get here in time. The best part is that shipping and returns are free so if you don't love it, you can easily send it back. I'm wearing a size UK 8 for reference. There are only a few sizes left but last I checked, they had smaller sizes available!
Ok! For the girl's this Easter, we got this sweet book I wanted to share. It's called "God Gave Us Easter" and it's really a perfect way to talk about the Easter story with your babies.[showshopthepostwidget id="2581082"]I found these sweet felt Bunny baskets for the girls to find their surprises in and use for the egg hunt.[showshopthepostwidget id="2581088"]We don't love the sugar high that accompanies too many sweets so we try to stick with non-food items instead. A few of our favorite Easter Basket ideas, are board books, bubbles, play jewelry, stuffed animal, and a flower to plant and water!Our absolute favorite stuffed animals come from Jelly Cat and we are accumulating quite the collection! This sweet unicorn will be our next addition![showshopthepostwidget id="2581096"]I also do a little Easter Basket for Matt every year. His normally has a new book, a few snacks that are allergy-friendly, a new tooth brush (lame, I know!), and a new shirt. If a new DVD or game comes out, I might stick that in there too! Thanks so much for reading, loves! Hope you and yours have a sweet Easter Season!Oh, and if you want a little sneak of my Easter dress, you can look HERE!