My Favorite Things Monday: Product Reviews!

After Wednesday's big 'life download'  here is a fun update on 5 things I'm obsessed with these days. Enjoy! Happy Monday - and here's to wonderful weeks for us all - cheers!

1. This Water Pitcher. Obsessed. I found it online and when I went to  Ikea with besties Monica & Sharon they found it for me! I wanted it purely for decoration - looking at it truly made me happy. But during our prepping of the house for potential buyers we added a lot more flowers to the backyard. I designated myself water girl and the pitcher has been my right hand gal. Love it and look - together we totally rock at keeping flowers alive and beautiful.

2. This Cell phone case.  The jimmyCASE is basically an iPhone wallet. Having finally converted to the iPhone 6s plus it was great to find a case that makes my phone do even more. For instance, as you know, I spend my days running around town with a three-year-old. I sincerely hate having to carry my purse everywhere - it's heavy, cumbersome and I'm often holding other bags that I can just toss my phone and keys into. But what about my wallet? Ugh - needing to carry that third thing makes me resort to bringing my purse.

But this case makes it so easy to just tuck my baby (the Amex) and some cash into the phone case. My keys have my gym card hooked on them so it all fits right into the phone case so I'm only keeping track of ONE thing vs. having to carry my heavy purse OR having to hold my keys + wallet + phone which creates a hand cramp as well as the likelihood of leaving something behind at the checkout counter. This case is truly perfect for quick errands, and an absolute must for the pool bag. The wallet part is stretchy but hasn't stretched out at all, and I love the wood grain part, too. And I, of course, chose Auburn colors! Austin now wants one which makes me think this could be a great gift, especially if the cases match your school colors!

3. These Salad bowls. I can't go on about these enough. Me and Beckett are obsessed. I can just toss two in the cooler with a banana or a fruit bowl and we're done - off to the pool and we won't starve or resort to eating the main other lunchtime offering: sandwiches. She asks for these all the time - her favorite is the Chef Salad; mine is the Turkey and Bacon Cobb. When I'm at home, I've been known to add extra veggies (cucumbers, tomoatoes) and extra meat (ham or diced grilled chicken) to beef it up some. I've also changed out the dressing at home. But for somewhat healthy on the go eating that both me and Beckett like - this is where it's at!

4. These tanks. Athleta's chi tanks have become my summertime staple. Already. I went from owning 0 to 4 pretty quick and I wear them everyday. With the chaturanga capris when working out at the gym, and with the swagger skirt for walks and errands - haven't run it in yet but that's what it's for so I'm assuming it will work! The tanks are SO lightweight and soft. I have washed them several times (and air dry) and they look perfect still - woo!

5. These boxes. We use these every. single. day. She used them during the school year for lunches, and now we use them for snacks at camp (dipper in small box; fruit in bigger box and veggies in biggest box). They're the perfect size and fit right in to the skip hop lunchboxes and (so far) all others I've tried. She likes to pick her color each day - it's the perfect size for her!

I'm not the only one who loves the salads and lunchboxes! Forgive her for always eating in a leotard or princess costume - we're on week 3 of ballet princess camps!

Our backyard flowers are loving the watering can!

Q: What's your favorite thing these days?!

4 Things: Weight, Lodging, Fertility & Transition Time

1. Weight:

I've been between 125 and 127 for the past few weeks. This has made me pretty happy in that I've been eating good and feeling good and my clothes have felt great - even big. I actually went to Athleta and got some work out clothes that fit which was super fun. Of course B came along with me (straight from swim class to gymnastics class to lunch in an Athleta dressing room - gotta get it all in! LOL

She may or may not have made friends with an employee named Loraine who helped me look after her and make sure her little hands didn't make big messes!

2. Lodging:

Long story short - we're MOVING! It wasn't the plan. At all. We were actually about to finish the last piece of renovation in our home - the master bathroom which is seriously outdated. However, Austin went to surprise me with a Mother's Day treadmill (I was SO SICK from allergies and was missing walking so he was going to solve my problem). Long story short, when he went to a neighboring home to buy the treadmill it turned out they were selling their home. He walked around and loved it; I came and did as well. While we didn't end up with that house, it sparked our interest in moving and we quickly found our 'forever home' - just a mile away. 

Enter 'day in day out' of pulling finances, making an offer, back and forth on due diligence repairs, contractor involvement, inspection, etc. All while, of course, getting our home ready to sell - pressure washers, carpet cleaners, landscapers - you name it. We ended up agreeing on all due diligence items on the new house on May 24, so we listed ours on May 25. We had 13+ showings starting that evening, got two offers on Sunday, May 29, and were under contract by Tuesday, May 31. Needless to say, this is what we've been doing every day - between house hunting, to finding our home, to selling our home - we have not rested and it's been a whirlwind of fun and excitement!

Somebody had to get the house ready for prospective buyers...

3. Fertility:

Well, lots of ups and downs this time around. Weird cycles (too long or too short), frustration, feeling like shit and getting downright upset about why this just isn't happening for us. While we're not ready for IUIs or IVF, we were ready for something more assertive. Enter, clomid. Had an ultrasound to make sure the ovaries wouldn't be overstimulated, then quickly had Cycle 1 during all of the aforementioned house stuff. By Cycle Day 12 I had another ultrasound - not awful, but not amazing progress on follicles. My Day 21 test had to take place on Day 22 due to Memorial Day. It was yesterday. I was excited. I thought maybe this time? They drew my blood yesterday and I didn't even make it home before my period started. Another too-short cycle of just 22 days. Another opportunity lost. Deep sigh. 

That being said I still called my mom and cried because, you know, I can and I felt better. I even left a teary voicemail to my nurse - we talked today - she was disappointed, too.

I go in tomorrow for another ultrasound to make sure the ovaries are still good (they feel certain they have reset since not that much happened by way of clomid stimulation). From there, I'll start Clomid Saturday - not sure if I'll stick to the 50mg or bump up - we'll see. But likely Days 5- 9 of Clomid mg TBD and then we'll see. Big frown. While I'm loving having the house stuff as a super fun distraction, I have to make sure that it's not a big stressor that can affect fertility. Time to get zen. For real. In the meantime, at least I still have my special Beckett - can't get enough of our funny, sweet, precious little girl who is everyone's friend and loves to sing and dance and smile. Now she also loves to push my buttons for a reaction, but that's another story!

4. Transitioning from Spring to Summer: The focus for a while now was end of year - wrapping up choir, school, gymnastics, tap/ballet & swim lessons. 

Obligatory overpriced school pics. At least they don't involve laser beams anymore!

Now, we're moving into summer - gymnastics camps, dance camps, lots of pool time, and lots of chill time. 

Water table with friends = super fun Memorial Day. And we've been to the pool every day since last Wednesday. Our hair hates us but we're having fun!

Her camps are three to four mornings a week - love that they start later so we can have slow mornings, and they end earlier so we can have picnics or lunch by the pool. So far, so good. Work hasn't been too crazy which is nice (being that I've been so bogged down with #2 and #3!)

 Someone is rocking 'teddy bear' dance camp this week

So... it's been a little wild. I haven't rested as much, worked out as much, read as much, or cooked as much. I have had lots of fun and have enjoyed this house project with Austin so much. After 7+ years in our home, it's nice to start this new exciting chapter together. We just really see ourselves in this new home - sharing ideas and planning and day dreaming about it all has been a blast.

Love my little family

So - that's what's been up! And here is me and B right now as she asked me for a 'mommy and Beckett picture' (she just woke up from nap!). We're off to the pool - happy Wednesday. :)

Yummy Recipe, Good Read & What's Been Up

Wow! You guys I have bad allergies so sinus infections, while miserable, are common. So I feel bad but get a sinus infection and get good meds and feel a bit better but the allergies persist. Then I get hit by a tummy bug - OMG they are the worst. In between being sick, here's what's been up:

My Number:

Pretty sure that one-pound weight loss is named Gastroenteritis. Yuck.

What I Ate: Still keeping breakfasts carb-free with omelets (vs. muffins or tacos). Morning snack has been a banana - keeps it simple! And Lunch has been easy, too - chicken salad, raw veggies, fruits, hummus - doing cold lunches instead of hot lunches. I'm obsessed with these containers from Whole Foods and have been cleaning and reusing them to make adult bento boxes!

These are so yummy and filling

Dinners have been a little different since last week we had a couple of Easter events and this week we had a guest - my mother-in-law was in town! It's always fun to go out to eat with her. We went out to eat two nights - yummy sushi one night and mexican the other. I also cooked a new recipe Monday night and we liked it! It was Cooking Light's Skillet Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Carrots. The sauce and chicken were amazing, but the veggies were still crunchy so I need to modify this recipe a bit but we're definitely having it again - so hearty and tasty.

Source: Cooking Light

Fitness/Steps: Still loving my M-W-F classes - am honestly considering buying a step. Is that weird? I just love it so much and feel I'd do it every day if it were offered! If you know of any good YouTube step videos holla! Steps have been on the lower end since I have been avoiding this pollen and staying indoors so no family walks for me! But that's okay - when I feel better (hopefully ASAP - still in bed today with this tummy bug - blah) I plan to add in my more gym time for treadmill walks until the pollen calms down out there!

What Else Has Been up:

Easter Egg Hunt and dinner at church 

Easter Egg Hunt & Family Lunch at my sister's house - so fun - the kiddos painted Easter crafts, played and loved the hunt together!

Pics by Revelry Photo House

This one makes me smile so hard - her with her new ballerina bunny from Gigi! Pics by Revelry Photo House

Cutest family! Pics by Revelry Photo House

Love my mom & my baby girl; Pics by Revelry Photo House

Love cakes from Whole Foods! Pics by Revelry Photo House

These cuties have my heart! Pics by Revelry Photo House

Time to paint in our 'painting jackets' since it was surprisingly chilly! Pics by Revelry Photo House

I can't handle this cuteness Pics by Revelry Photo House

Beautiful! Pics by Revelry Photo House

Book club Girls night at my mom's; this book was VERY good! I recommend it for a great quick read that keeps you interested and gets you thinking. It explores the choices we make and how they send us down different paths. Fun nonfiction read that we all enjoyed

Pizza night with friends - family selfie beforehand!

B always asks for a show after dinner LOL

Lots of fun with her from ballet to...

her first pedicure! She chose purple, with white flowers!

So, all in all, despite having felt anywhere from funky and weak to sneezy and miserable for two weeks straight, fun has been had! LOL SO ready to feel better. Next week is spring break so lots more time for me and B to have fun! And lots more time for me to get my behind in the gym and make some more new recipes!

Same Number, New Recipe, What's Been Up

In addition to Georgia giving us seasons, it also gives us allergy problems. I am currently on what feels like day 87 of a sinus infection, and Beckett and Austin are snotty and coughy, too. Sigh. Definitely used it as an excuse to try to slow down and rest and take antibiotics. I am not very good at slowing down.

Today's Number:

Still at this weight - have seen a couple of 129's and nothing lower, but 128.5 seems to be the star lately.

What I ate: I've been doing great here for the most part. Sticking to breakfast omelets; lunch has been half sandwiches & raw veggies & fruit; and I've cooked a healthified dinner from the blog almost every night (e.g., green chicken enchiladas; skillet lasagna). We did go out to eat last Thursday, and I had spring rolls and they were awesome. Also, the day my sinus infection hit its low and I couldn't breathe or open my eyes properly I felt sorry for myself and ate an absurd amount of reese's pieces. Like I was almost ashamed of myself. I also made a new recipe - Cooking Light's Honey-Lime Drumsticks. I will link up my recipe as I changed it a bit, used basmati instead of brown rice and substituted edamame for snow peas. We all loved it - even little Beckett! We did have to cut the chicken off the bone for her first and she wanted broccoli but still a win. She liked that it wasn't spicy - it was sweet!

Fitness/Steps: I've been doing pretty good here, although the sickness brought me down a little! I am finding that I pretty much always work out Monday, Wednesday & Friday - these are my favorite 1-hour classes at the gym - one one-hour kickboxing class and two one-hour classes that are half step and half full-body strength with dumbbells/body weight. I know 3 days isn't enough though, so I have been trying to at least walk or run on Tuesday & Thursday. This week though, I took a one-hour step class on Saturday and it was so fun! I think if I could take step every day I would! So on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday I had 11,228, 12,265, 12,427 and 12,194 steps - easy to get to 10 when I take a class! But Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday are between 6,000 and 9,000 if I don't do intentional cardio. SO working on getting more classes in as I know that that is what I really enjoy - fun music, fun instructors and fun group of women!

What Else Has Been Up: Honestly, this week had a lot of events outside of the normal school/work/tap & ballet/swim/gymnastics/choir - YIKES. We got it all done though, despite not feeling well.

Added an art display to the play room and moved things around again!

Made St. Patrick's Day Lunches and snacks for the week

Had our St. Patrick's Day picnic with our play group

Beckett's Art Show at School - super fun event before a not fun one -taxes!

Baking cupcakes for my nephew's lego fifth birthday lego party

Shoe shopping with Beckett - nothing fits for this warmer weather!

Celebrating Dane - this little cutie turned 5!

My mom and Beckett - my mom stayed with B Saturday night when we went to our cousin Laura's engagement party!

I am currently on a less-busy week as we really don't feel well. Boo. Wish us a quick recovery!

Day 9 -12: When It's Sunny, Everything is Possible

Living in Georgia we have seasons. And rain. I have tried to go with Gretchen Rubin's thinking of, "It's a rainy, day, what a great day to be inside!" and "It's a sunny day, what a great day to be outside!" But after lots of rainy days I get to be quite the crab and don't want to be inside and just want the sun to make things easier. And it does. This whole week it was sunny and amazing.

Seriously - I can't get enough outside time (or Claritin) in this weather!

Today's Number:

I'm devoting this weight loss to two things (1) running out of girl scout cookies. (2) keeping up the workout part - which I've always found easy - BUT doing better with nutrition, which I tend to be pretty flexible on since I like pizza and rice and stuff.

What I ate: I did much better here because I had MUCH less activities so all meals were eaten at home which was nice. Breakfast was omelets (no carbs); snacks were fruit (apple slices or grapes) and veggies (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower with yogurt ranch); lunches were salads; and dinner was mostly grilled - Austin grilled the BEST BBQ chicken. I need to share the marinade. And a picture. He also made our easy hot wing chicken (think big tray of chicken thighs + lots of Frank's hot wing sauce marinating for 2 days until grilled). We had the chicken one night with just green beans and one night with a big salad. I will say I have been struggling with afternoon snacks. I just really want something snacky as in a bag of pita chips and hummus. So I'm trying to get better at portioning out that snack so I don't end up eating 400 calories which is a meal, not a snack. I've also thought about cutting my lunch and having a small lunch at 12:30 p.m. then the other half at 2:30 p.m. We'll see how that goes! Just glad that thanks to putting this more into focus because of the blog I'm realizing this pattern of overeating at snack time during that late afternoon lull!

Fitness/Steps: 
Tuesday was 10,539 steps. Wednesday was 11,944 steps - a great day with hour-long cardio kickbox! Thursday was exactly 10,000 steps; was busy with Beckett's new swim lessons; her gymnastics class and work; but I walked a lot and stayed and played outside with B with playground and backyard and during her bath with Austin I went for a run. So all good!

That's it for today - had this post ready to publish Friday but forgot to hit send. Best blogger ever. LOL Hope you all had great weekends! Will do a post of our weekend tomorrow!