March Favorites

Oh happy day! April is here!

There is so much hope in the air right now.

Spring is here. The virus situation seems to be improving. I have hope. Hesitant hope, but hope nonetheless!

We received wonderful news that Kieran will be returning to FULL in-person schooling in a couple weeks and we couldn’t be happier. Mostly for him, of course. But for me, too. Hah. It will be a burden that is lifted for me – but I will, of course, miss having him here with me everyday. He’s the best kid. So easy going and sweet. Just love him! I am excited for him to get back to a normal childhood experience, though. I thank God everyday that this is happening when he is young.

In other news, Finn turned 2 at the beginning of the month, and he’s just the sweetest little thing. Seriously, SUCH a sweet child. He is definitely developing some of the classic 2-year-old traits like picky eating (he has always eaten EVERYTHING) and some tantrums here and there. But generally? He’s so easy. Dan and I marvel about it all the time.

Like, how did we get so lucky with these kids? They’re both so sweet and have this innate kindness in them. Ugh. Melts my heart.

Personally, I am very much looking forward to the start of warmer weather. I can’t wait to take Finn to the park once it warms up a touch more in the mornings (after Kieran gets on the SCHOOL BUS – someone pinch me. I’m still in disbelief). I miss being outside, and the weather here has been so hit or miss lately.

I’m also looking forward to planting all the flower and making fresh herb pots again for summer cooking. We’ll also open our pool in month or so (we always do it a bit early), which drastically changes the visual appeal of our backyard. I am pumped!

Bring on April!

Here are some fun things we’ve been enjoying these past few weeks.

1. I am still completely in love with the Madeline Moves work out app. I mentioned it last month, and let me tell you, I am still going strong. And GETTING stronger, at that. It is such a fun way for me to incorporate strength/resistance training into my work out regimen without having to think too much. Madeline does all the work for you. You just go through the exercises as instructed. No thinking involved! Every work out is different, too, which has been a huge game changer for me. I get so burnt out on repetitive stuff. It’s always fresh and different. Plus, I am SO sore all the time, which means that it is working.
2. Because of these work outs, I bought these resistance bands, and while I’ve had resistance bands for years, these are by far the best. The looped nature of them makes it so much easier to do so many exercises, and I think the tension is better. LOVE!
3. Again, because of the MM workouts, I needed to invest in some cross-training shoes. My regular running shoes are too molded/shaped to my foot and are not as stable as something with a flatter sole. So I got these from Nike and I love them! So comfy and light but stable. I no longer teeter over from side to side when trying to do balance work or moves like lunges. Plus, they’re cute. Always a bonus!
4. I am attempting to track macros right now. I’ve done it before in the past, but never stuck with it for very long (it is a lot of work!). I love the approach macro tracking takes. You can eat everything (which for me is key – mentally, if you tell me I “can’t” have something, I never succeed), but you try to hit certain targets for fat, protein, and carbs while staying within a reasonable window of caloric intake. It’s kinda like a fun nutritional jigsaw puzzle for me, and I am enjoying it so far. For some fun macro-friendly meal ideas, I bought Lillie’s ONE cookbook, and it is amazing! I’ve made 5-6 things from it so far, and we’ve loved every single one. HIGHLY recommend if you’re looking for new macro-friendly dishes that aren’t overly complicated. I can’t wait to try more of her recipes!
5. After seeing a bunch of people on Instagram talk about the GoHydrate packs, I decided to try them. They’re good! I think I still prefer Liquid IV in terms of flavor and price point, but I love that these have no sugar. It definitely is appealing. All the flavors are good, too! I bought the variety pack. With the Liquid IV packets, I usually use half a packet at a time in a 30-oz tumbler of water. They’re too sweet for me if I use the whole packet, but I love the flavors and can get them in big bags at Costco.
6. When shopping for the kids’ Easter baskets this year, I found these PB&J chocolates at Target. OMG. They’re so good. They remind me of the ones from Trader Joe’s…but even better. They have a higher peanut butter-jelly ratio than the TJ’s ones. I keep sneaking them when the kids aren’t paying attention. Shhh.
7. I also grabbed a bunch of these Imagine Ink pads for the kids. They love them. Kieran used to do these all the time when he was 2-3 years old, but then he sort of outgrew them (or got too cool for them or something, haha), but he’s rediscovered them and can actually read the pages now, which is fun for him. He likes to do the pages with mazes and word searches. Finn loves them too. I can sit him down at the counter with one of these and he’ll just doodle away for 15 minutes. Buys me some time to empty the dishwasher or prep dinner. Plus, there’s no mess to worry about!
8. After going through a bit of draught with beauty products (I wasn’t changing things up too much), I tried out some new ones this month. First: this vitamin C treatment from Murad. I generally like Murad products, and this one is nice because it’s super lightweight and can be used in conjunction with any of my other face products. It also has a hint of shimmer to it, which makes my skin extra glowy.
9. I also tried out two DIME beauty serums this month. Both the Hyperglow and TBT serums are AWESOME. I wasn’t expecting much, honestly. Every influencer under the sun has talked about DIME beauty at nauseam this past year and I didn’t truly trust that it was as good as they claimed (because, you know, they’re being paid to say so). Well, prove me wrong! These two serums are fabulous. The Hyperglow is great for daytime wear. It is lightweight, not oily, and gives my skin a luminous and moisturized look. The TBT serum has been AMAZING for evening out my skin tone and tightening up my pores. I swear, after the first night of using it, my skin looked so smooth and clear. Highly recommend. And I’m not an influencer being paid to say so!
10. I’m always on the hunt for good lipsticks. I know that we’re all in mask times right now, but I can’t wait to show off all the new lip colors I’ve found these past few months. My newest fave: this one from Urban Decay. It goes on matte without being drying and is the prettiest mauve-pink color ever. It is so pretty and could work for casual daytime wear or a date night out. Love it. It’s perfect for any time of year, but I think it’s especially pretty for the spring and summer months.
    

And that’s about it! Lots of fun discoveries this month. I’m so looking forward to what April will bring. Xoxo!

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