Friday Favorites

I realize we should aspire to make every day a good day, but you cannot deny there is something special about FRIDAY!

Favorite birthday cake inspiration for Luna (2 years old! Wow!): Sprinkles Birthday cake 

Favorite Vlogger: Viviana Does Makeup is addicting! Her videos include uncomplicated makeup routines, easy minimalist style and she's very likable. I highly recommend you check out her videos and blog. 

Favorite Magazine: I still enjoy flipping through pages of actual magazines, and Real Simple is one of my far to many go-to's. 

Favorite body product: I just discovered this Lavender rosemary body oil at CVS (drugstores are my jam!), and the price is right.  Slather it on after your shower and you will smell nice all day. Especially for Moms who prefer not to wear perfume around their littles or are scent-sensitive. 

Favorite Podcast: Every single night you will find me in bed with my SleepPhones on while listening to  Sleep With Me Podcast. Most of the time I do not pay much attention to what he's saying, it just drowns out my own thoughts and puts me to sleep. 

Favorite weekly quote: That's my kinda of forecast! 

As you know, Friday nights are our in-home date nights, and tonight we will be grubbing on some cauliflower tortilla fish tacos and watching Gone Girl (I hope). 

I am especially looking forward to this weekend because we will be celebrating our daughter's 2nd birthday! So be warned, there will be several upcoming posts dedicated to our little Luna. 

Cheers to the weekend! 

Mindful Monday: Positive Affirmations

Do you believe in positive affirmations? Awhile ago I read this post on Cup of Jo which basically says a good happiness trick is to talk to yourself. Ever since I read it, I try to remember to really look at myself in my bathroom mirror and tell myself a positive affirmation. Sometimes it is simple like "I am happy today" or "I feel pretty." 

I am not going to lie, the first couple times I attempted the mirror exercise, I felt silly. At first, I did not say my affirmations with meaning or gumption. Instead, I would say it without really seeing myself. 

Now that I have been doing positive affirmations on a more regular basis, I believe they work (even if it seems a little cuckoo).

Here's a list of some easy, and great affirmations to repeat to yourself:

I am worthy of a great life. 

I am strong. 

I am beautiful. 

I am enough. 

I am prepared to succeed. 

I am loved.

Below is one of my mantras, and I will admit to you, it does not come natural for me to automatically think positive all the time, but you have to trick yourself! 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/316800155012178264/

I hope you are feeling my positive vibes! It's a good day!

Friday Favorites

It is Friday once again, and we made it through the week! Here are my favorites this week. 

Favorite Podcast: I am a podcast fanatic, and Invisibilia is one of my favorites! Take a listen. It is so interesting...

Favorite Stay-at-Home mom outfit: Below is all clothing I own and it is my go to outfit. I pair these black jeggings with this tee and these as slippers on days that we stay indoors all day. Then on play-date/outing days, I pair my black jeggings with a simple long-sleeve or quarter length tee, a cardigan (with pockets--this is key) and my Nike's (I have two pairs and highly recommend these).  I bust out my favorite booties and a pretty blouse for girls night or date night.  

Favorite Quote: "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." --EE Cummings. Well said. 

Favorite Home product(s): Candles. I used to light candles at night only, but lately I light a few candles in the late morning to burn throughout the day. It makes our home smell great, and it makes me feel more relaxed while Luna is running around. I am usually into a woodsy or clean scents, but I am heading to buy some of these so I could imagine being on vacation! 

Favorite meal this week: I forgot to take out protein for dinner--so some fried eggs on arugula salad with spices and Cholula--absolutely delicioso!

Favorite Moment: For those of you that follow me on Instagram/Facebook, I posted this video of Luna singing, and it made me so happy! Especially on a tiresome day...I needed a good laugh & smile. 

Tonight we are ordering sushi and catching up on Celebrity Apprentice (we are going strong on our no television Monday through Thursday). How are your goals/resolutions going?

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!!!

Mindful Monday: Finish What You Start

As you may recall last year I began my French language courses. By the end of summer/beginning of Fall, I got burned out. I fell behind and then became disconcerted, and eventually stopped going. I took about a 4 month hiatus. This was another reminder to myself of my lack for finishing what I start. 

FINISH WHAT YOU START 

=

FINIR CE QUE VOUS COMMENCEZ

In the back of my mind, I had been missing my French class (in part for the "me time" and social aspect), and of course the feeling of my brain waking up to learning something new. 

Recently, I received a call from a classmate, she left me a voice mail saying I was missed and it is time I come back. It was so thoughtful and I took it as a sign. It is time! 

The next day, I called to register and attended my first class last week. I am glad to be back. 

The moral of my story is that it feels good to follow through on what we started. And it doesn't hurt to have people in your life who hold you accountable. Here I thought nobody noticed I was gone, but I was wrong. 

Whitney English

If there is something you know you need to finish. Why not do it now!? I did not listen to my inner thoughts, but I got a reminder from a friend, and now I hope I am the reminder for you. This could be your year to finish what you started. 

Friday Favorites - Amazon

Am I the only one who loves Amazon? For me, Amazon delivery day always makes me happy! Every few months we place an order which will include stuff from our wish lists. The best way for us is purchasing Amazon gift cards at our grocery store, which racks up our gas rewards, and keeps us on budget. Genius!

Our favorite things to order include books, stuff for Luna, health/fitness and food/kitchen goods, and anything else that comes to mind because Amazon has it all!   

For today's Friday Favorites I wanted to share what we received this week:  

Books (engineering books for my husband- this and this, Bark George, Pete the Cat & Doggies) 

Peppa & George 

Acupressure mat & pillow 

Sleep phones 

Luna and my husband received books, and she also got some new stuffed lovies, her beloved Peppa & George.  The acupressure mat and sleep phones are for me. If you would like a review on these two products, please let me know and I will post a review. 

Lastly, here is a sneak peek of some of the stuff still our Amazon wish lists:

For Me:  a wake up light, like this or this, or maybe a happy light. Also, I want to try this Wonder Cloth make-up remover and this incense burner is beautiful. 

For Luna: Richard Scarry books and a refill of our favorite Goody barrettes which I only find on Amazon. Also, this Ok to Wake clock. My list for her is never ending! 

For my husband: He said he has nothing on his list, but I bet when order time comes around it will be engineering books or fitness stuff. He recently bought us one of these. 

What do you like ordering from Amazon? I would love to hear of any new products you have tried that only Amazon carries. 

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. 

Friday Faves #4

Friday is here! Our first full week after the holiday time off was brutal! Luckily, the weekend is here. Tonight is our in-home date night which means I get a cooking night off. In other words, "I'd like to place a sushi to-go order."  After sticking to our no TV Monday through Thursday rule, I am looking forward to catching up on a little tele with my husband. 

Now moving on to some Friday Faves. Since its been so long, I am incorporating four faves from each of my current obsessions: Kate Spade, food and phone apps. Let's be real, these are my survival tools! 

Top 4 Kate Spade Favorites

I have recently become a lover of all things Kate Spade because its classic and fun at the same time.  I drink out of my Cha-Cha-Cha mug every single day (no longer for sale).  I recently received this notebook and pencils as a gift from my lovely friend and I received this watch for Christmas from my husband. 

Top 4 Food Favorites 

As indicated in my prior post, I have made immense improvement in my health and lifestyle, and in doing so, I have had to switch up the food I eat. My current food faves are Mighty Leaf tea, Chameleon cold-brew coffee, Terra vegetable chips and Rao's Homemade Sauce (sensitive formula). I buy all of these at Sprouts or Whole Foods. I also have to mention one of my go-to cookbooks, Against All Grain, which I noted before. 

Top 4 Favorite Apps

Luna and I listen to music on Songza all day long! I love the playlists and being able to discover new music. Of course, I have several photo related apps because who isn't obsessed with taking pics of their cute kids! I use Collect, Over, and Project Life on a daily basis. 

I would love to hear some of your favorite products, especially healthy food products and go-to apps. 

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Decor: Breakfast Nook

It is time for our next home decor project. Next on the list is our breakfast nook. Here is a current photo of our breakfast nook, and some inspiration below.

As you can see, we already purchased the Docksta table from Ikea, and we are currently using temporary folding chairs. Its not the best look, but it does the job for now!

I originally wanted to incorporate built-in seating like this. But due to our layout, I thought it would be best to utilize our available wall. 

Luna's Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair was purchased off of Craigslist, and we didn't mind the blue. Now that Luna is a toddler and getting a mind of her own, I thought it would be fun to paint her chair a fun color.  I am not sure what color yet, but it must pop!  Here's a good tutorial. I have not told my husband yet about this tiny detail.  Since I know how much he loves to paint (*sarcasm warranted). 

As for our seating, I have my eye on these Carlisle dining chairs from Target.  They are comfortable and affordable. 

Also, a chalkboard & inspiration wall is a must! Since we have heavily textured walls, we will be following this tutorial. Below is some inspiration from Little Green Notebook.  I love her layout! And it doesn't hurt that her daughter is in the photo which instantly made me imagine Luna doing the same thing.

Lastly the window covering, our current blind needs to go.  I am thinking something like this or this.

Once our breakfast nook is complete, you will be able to see the exclusive right here. 

Thanks!

Mindful Monday: Blog & 2015 Goals

This year my goals include to blog more.  I love blogging, but I do not do it as often as I would like because I end up over-thinking my content.  I read many blogs with beautiful content and photos, and I cannot help but compare myself/my blog, and then I get discouraged. Therefore, I have decided to focus on blogging for myself, and if in the meantime, I get some loyal followers that would be wonderful and if not, at least I know I am being true to myself. 

Mondays will be Mindful Monday, and will include any motivations, thoughts, life lessons, books and anything that feeds my soul. I look forward to providing you all with some great content. 

Including my goal of blogging more, here are my 2015 goals:

Create and go on more adventures with Luna. 

My family and I will watch no television from Monday through Thursday. For now, this does not include our iPad use (because in all honesty--sometimes Peppa Pig episodes save the day! No judgement please).

I plan to get myself on a schedule.  I will go to bed and wake-up at the same time everyday. 

I will continue my weight loss journey.  Early on I decided to try and not focus on a certain number on the scale or a specific size.  My goal is to reach a healthy BMI! 

During the two weeks of holiday time at home, my husband and I started working on our goal of organizing our home.  We cleared out our closets, Luna's toys, and our garage. My goal this year is to stay organized and have a place for everything!

We have been doing an envelope budget system for a few months now, and my goal is that we continue with it and stay on budget!

The no television during the week is definitely going to help my goal to spend more quality time with my husband.  Along with making better use of our evenings, I also plan to schedule more date nights this year! 

I am a big dreamer and I'll admit sometimes I live on Pinterest or reading blogs, and love to plan vacations, but we have a hard time actually going on vacation.  This year we will plan and go on vacation, as well as get us on an airplane with Luna for the first time!  

What are you goals/intentions for this new year?