Friday Faves
Hi friends! Happy Friday! The weekend is heeeeere again. I’m looking forward to spending time with the fam, catching up with friends for brunch, filming more Fit Guide exercise videos, and just chilling. Not having to wake up for school drop-offs always feels like a treat.
I’m enjoying this weird place between summer and fall. I can drink a pumpkin spice latte
(decaf with almond milk)
and swim in the same day. No complaining over here. 😉
I’d love to hear what you’re up to this weekend!
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my fave finds from the week, and I love hearing about what you’re enjoying, too. Please share a fave or two in the comments if you’d like to join in the fun!
(Random fave: dinner plans with a friend fell through and since I had a sitter already, I decided to go to Commoner and Co. and sit at the bar, read a book, eat, and drink wine. It felt like one of the most relaxing and luxurious things I’ve done in a long time. PS the goat cheese tart on top of strawberry jam may be my favorite food ever.)
Good eats + recipes:
– Birch Bender Paleo pancake mix. This is a semi-old find, but I don’t think I’ve given it a proper shout-out on the blog. I got the enormous bag at Costco and have been mixing it with egg whites instead of water to bump up the protein content. With almond butter, syrup, and berries, it’s one of my fave sweet breakfasts.
Signs you’re getting older: I get the craziest thrill walking around Costco. The girls looooove the samples and I get so excited to see many of our favorite brands on the shelves. (You can get a 24-pack of LaCroix for $7. I KNOW.) We still get a lot of our faves from Thrive Market, but have been stocking up in bulk avocado oil, snacks for school (gummies, Clif Z bars, Mamma Chia pouches), Whisps, black bean burgers, eggs, frozen organic fruit, Nuttzo, and LaCroix at Costco.
– Trying this cauliflower rice ASAP.
– Mochi. The girls tried this mochi the other day and loved it, so I picked up a pack. I decided to give it a whirl and immediately wondered why the heck I’ve waited so long to try mochi. I’m not a huge ice cream fan – if I’m having dessert, I want some type of dough to be involved, like cake, cookies, or brownies – but was so surprised by the flavor. I love the rice “shell” and the ice cream itself is really mild and perfectly sweet. I also like that this brand uses hormone-free milk and zero artificial colors or flavors.
– I’m going to try this chicken recipe next week!
Read, watch, listen:
– I’m so excited to share the news that I’ve been asked to contribute to the WebMD food and fitness blog. You can find my posts here, along with posts from other professionals in the health and wellness space. I was so honored when they asked me to collaborate and my first two posts are live if you’d like to check them out! Signs you should quit your workout and 5 effective exercises you can do anywhere.
– A good reminder to love more.
– Smart and funny tips for life.
– Something that made me laugh.
(Source)
Crowdsourcing:
– Livi bear needs glasses. We found out this week and I’m taking her to the eye doc this morning. I’d love to hear any tips or advice you have about picking out glasses for kiddos! I feel like there must be some secrets or tips out there, especially since I got glasses as a kid (I was 4) and things have obviously changed so much since then. I’m going to join her and update my glasses since they’re super old and one side has a giant scratch on them. (P stole/borrowed them one morning and rubbed one side against the fireplace. It was time for an updated pair, anyway.)
Fashion + beauty:
– This resurfacing peel! It’s SO hyped up, but I was skeptical about trying it because my skin is super sensitive. Whenever I get a facial, I tell the esthetician that my skin is sensitive and they always say, “Ok, we’ll use the most gentle peel on you!” Then I have to kindly ask to them to please remove it when it feels like my face has caught fire. There’s only been one peel that’s worked well for me and its the Eminence sweet potato peel, which is kind of hard to find. (I would not recommend getting it from Amazon because professional products are sometimes diluted or tampered with; you don’t know who you’re buying it from. You’d likely have to find an esthetician to order it for you.)
I was completely prepared for my skin to burn and… nada. It felt great! The best part: when I woke up, my skin looked really tight and bright. Usually when I wake up, I have blanket creases on my face and look a little beat-up. This is a gamechanger. I’m hoping it will help the WTF lines in between my eyebrows.
If you decide to order the peel or anything else at Beautycounter, you’ll get a two free gifts (travel bottles of the #1 brightening face oil + the hydrating lotion) for orders over $150! Please let me know if you need help with products. (My very faves are the dew skin, face oil, charcoal mask, lip glosses or lipsticks, and the cleansing balm.)
– Labor Day Sales! There are so many amazing sales this weekend. Here are some of the best ones:
J. Crew 40% off with code BIGSALE (loooove this sweater-blazer in pink, this peplum button-up top and these leopard flats)
J. Crew Factory 50% off everything!
Shopbop up to 70% off
anthropologie extra 40% off sale and home
kate spade 30% off sale with code ONEOFAKIND
Express 40% off everything
So tell me, friends: any plans for the long weekend? Are you taking a trip or staying local? I’m still trying to decide if we’ll head to Phoenix and shop it up for the day.
Happy FriYAY,
Gina
You might also like:
31 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
The Commoner, that wine, and book!? Wow, that looks like a perfect evening. This weekend I have some plants to head to a baseball game, and hopefully cook up some good food!
sounds like perfection. hope you have a great one!
Last year I got glasses for myself at Warby Parker and I love them! The entire process of selecting my frames and placing an order was so easy!! I believe they have kids options as well so it may be worth checking out. Have a great long weekend!!
such an awesome tip. liv got her glasses at the doc’s office, but i’m going to check out wary parker for myself
Omg, yes — the peel! It’s hyped for a reason, right? 😉 It’s such a game changer!
omg i’m so glad i finally gave it a try!!
That meme is my husband !! I laughed so hard 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed some solo time when your plans fell through, eating alone with a good book is nice sometimes.
Have a great weekend!
it was so surprisingly relaxing! hope you have a wonderful weekend <3
That meme sadly reminded me of myself….I’m usually the one that can’t find things haha. I’m headed to Pensacola for the weekend to be a 7th wheel with my inlaws…wish me luck Haha. That goat tart is amazing, and it’s cool you made the most of your change of dinner plans. Have an awesome weekend!
haha the 7th wheel. i hope you have a great time this weekend!
I want to try that tart for sure! My mom and I are headed to Tucson tomorrow through Monday (yayy cheap rates at La Paloma). Any other new must trys? I stole my husband’s yeti cooler so we can buy ALL THE THINGS at TJs to bring home. Also, not to go full fan girl, but if you’re teaching barre anywhere this weekend I would love to try!
yayy have the best time! if you can, try the sunday brunch at ventana, la ancantada is close to you (outdoor shopping and both north and blanco are great restaurants; they also have a barre3). i’m not teaching this weekend :/ i got asked to sub on monday but it was too tricky with childcare. hope you have a great vacay!
My only advice would be to let her pick the glasses. They are more eager to wear it if they made the choice themselves…Target carries Disney glasses, and my son was charmed into some Planes glasses. While they aren’t very trendy, insurance covered them, and he liked it. check and check.
such an amazing tip. i just let her pick whatever she liked and she got the cutest pair of black/pink/purple ray-bans. xoxo
Good for you taking that night out for yourself. Such a treat! Enjoy your weekend, Gina!! So fun to chat with you yesterday! 🙂
loved chatting with you, too! hope you have a wonderful weekend <3
My son had to get glasses about a year ago (at age 4), and he looked like Dwight Schrute in every single pair at the eye doctor. 🙂 We decided to try Jonas Paul–one of the ‘try on’ companies where they send you several frame shapes to try on at home, and it was amazing. They are $80 before add-ons and have wonderful customer service. I think he’s gotten more compliments on his glasses than I’ve gotten in general in my 34 years of being. 🙂 Highly recommend!
i will definitely check that out- thank you so much!!
I just really loved this post- as per usualCan we just talk about that nail color in the Starbucks photo
ahhh i can’t remember the nail but it’s the sally hansen gel polish! i’m pretty sure it’s the only purple shade like that they have
xoxo
I got glasses for me and my 5-year old at Costco. They replaced her pair for free when they broke and will do free adjustments.
My daughter has had glasses since before kindergarten. Best thing I’ve ever done is let her pick them out. Don’t try to push your agenda or color or frame shape onto her. If she likes them she’ll want to wear them. End of story! Also, we always go back for a recheck at the end of summer before school starts so she’s in tip top shape for learning to begin the next school year. My daughter’s RX has changed every year so it’s important to go back yearly! She actually started wearing contacts half way through her second grade year. Our doc said mature girls sometimes are a good candidate as early as 2nd grade. She only wears them to school on intense gym days and soccer practices and games. So don’t be discouraged thinking sports/activities will be tough from here on out. She gets compliments on her glasses everywhere she goes and my daughter loves them. Also, If you’re positive about them, that’s how she’ll feel about them!! Liv will look so cute. I can’t wait to see what she picks out!!
i’m so glad that you pointed that out. i just let her pick whatever, and she picked the cutest glasses. i really hope she loves them! great to know about the contacts, too. i started wearing them in 4th great and the dr was saying it’s a great way to keep their eyes from regressing. thanks for the reassurance! i hope she loves them <3
Congratulations on the WebMD articles! I’m clicking over to read one now. And have you tried the Kirkland brand La Croix? So good. So flavorful.
thank you so much, friend! no, i haven’t! i’ll definitely check those out
My son got glasses 2 years ago when he was 5. My advice is mainly to just let her pick them out. She likes them and they feel comfortable she’s more likely to wear them. The first pair my son picked out had the nose pads on them. They were fine for awhile but eventually started to hurt his nose and we were having to go in for adjustments often. His new pair does not have nose pads and are super light weight and he’s much better at wearing them.
that’s so great to know. she picked up a pair and loves them, so fingers crossed she’ll feel the same way when she gets them!
first pair of glasses! i’m a pediatric optometrist; totallyi agree with aboves… let her pick them so she’ll really like them and actually wear them. is she near sighted? if so, i’d encourage her to take them off if reading/ipad/near work for extended periods of time. could potentially slow the rate of increase in SRx. also studies are supporting playing outside to slow rate as well (which i know you guys do tons of!). if she has to wear them all the time, you might want to consider transition lenses. then she gets the sun protection when outdoors, doesn’t even need to think about it; lenses just turn darker in the sunlight.
if you have any questions, by all means feel free to email me! but i know you’re a seasoned glasses wearer 🙂 fellow one here, too! would love to see what she chooses. ..
these are such awesome tips- thank you! she picked out a pair she loves and they’ll transition to sunglasses outside. i’m hoping she loves them! the doc started with a lower rx in hopes that she won’t need her full rx. we have to go back every 3 months to tweak and make sure it’s good to go.
thank you for offering to help answer questions. i’ll likely be emailing you!
xoxo
We just found out my Bella (3 1/2) has ASTIGMATISM…which is why she has been having headaches. I asked on the SD mom group where to take her…People recommended COSTCO..so we went and got her two cute pairs. It only took a week to get them back with her prescription lenses. Also ZENNIOPTICAL.com is good. They have a feature you can upload Liv’s pic and “try on” the different frames. Plus they are really cheap…cheaper then costco.
The WTF lines between the eyebrows HAHA!!! I’ve just become annoyed with mine recently and this is the PERFECT way of referring to them! Hysterical.