Friday Faves: Some Highlights of Quarantine – Week Six

Hi there! We made it to the end of the week … I think. What day is it again?

I don’t know about you, but it’s starting to feel a lot like Groundhog’s Day over here, now that we’ve completed six weeks of being in a shelter-in-place quarantine. That’s a weird thing to say, but I guess everything is a little strange right now.

I can’t help but to start each Friday Favorites post with one of my favorite pictures of my week these days. Yup, you guessed it. Here’s a snapshot from one of our daily walks through the neighborhood, complete with a Roadie booty. I get this view on the regular right now, and I’m not mad about it.

Something you might not have noticed is the tree on the right. It has red hearts that say “love” on them! Isn’t that adorable? It made me smile when I realized what they were, and I thought you would enjoy that nugget of love, too.

On that note, let’s dive right into this week’s round-up. And I’d love to hear about one thing that made you smile this week in the comments. I’m thinking and praying for all of you right now and also sending virtual hugs!

LATEST FRIDAY FAVORITES DURING QUARANTINE

• park days

I know that I’ve mentioned going to the park in just about every favorites post over the last several weeks, but this week was different in a great way! I parked the stroller around a new area every day and spent 30-45 minutes running around with Skyler while Roadie enjoyed the sunshine under a nearby tree. He dug holes, laid in them, and treated himself to a variety of sticks that Skyler brought over to him, one by one.

Is there anything bad that I should know about in regards to a dog chewing on sticks? He doesn’t swallow anything — he really just likes to chew them up and moves on. I guess it feels good and provides entertainment for both of them … so we’re rolling with it.

We played with sticks, kicked a soccer ball, read books, and had dance parties with music. This is our routine almost every day right now sometime between 10 am and lunch.

The weather has been all over the place, so we wear coats some days and t-shirts others. I’m appreciative of the time outside, but I’m looking forward to the day where we can put our coats away for good and break out the sunglasses on the regular. Anyone else?

• Skyler’s bath bombs

Skyler tried his first bath bomb on Easter after he received one in his Easter basket. It blew his mind, and the green water is all he could talk about for days on end. Scott brought this Crayola Bath Bombs Bucket home from a recent trip to Target and it’s been a huge hit.

I’m in the minority of not really loving bath bombs for myself. After trying na few, my experience resulted in a stained bathtub, which cancels out the relaxed feeling that I have after a bath. But that’s just me!

Luckily, these don’t stain the tub, so we’ll use them to entertain Skyler for a while. It’s the little things that we can look forward to during a quarantine, right?

The only thing I don’t like about them is that I use clean baby products for my toddler every day, and I have no idea what is really in these bombs or what soaking in them regularly can do. Does anyone have any suggestions for a better-for-you alternative? I’d love any suggestions!

• rooftop Appreciation Hour

I can’t believe that I haven’t mentioned this one yet. It’s pretty cool!

Every night at 7 pm (when the usual AM/PM hospital shifts change over), you can hear applause and cheering from the rooftops in our neighborhood and all over New York City. We live about two blocks away from a huge hospital in Brooklyn, and we hear ambulances zoom by all day long.

I guess it all started about a month ago when we heard a three-man marching band on our street playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” towards the hospital right before 7 pm. That encouraged people to come out and cheer together, and now it’s a thing to do.

You can find a small group of people at the top of almost every building next to us and across the way clapping, cheering, and even banging pots and pans together. It’s neat to witness!

I have to throw a special shout out and an extra big THANK YOU to all of you who are working on the front lines right now. We are so appreciative of your efforts and hard work every single day. Stay safe out there!

• a return of egg salad

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest egg salad fan … or at least that what I always think until I actually give it a shot. I’ve made it a few times, per Scott’s request, and I’ve even created a Lightened-Up Egg Salad recipe that I shared here on the blog several years ago. (And by the way, I’m making a mental note to re-make this one. It was delicious.)

Once I finally taste it, however, I always ask myself why I don’t make egg salad more often. It’s so good as a spread for sandwiches or crackers, a quick snack, or even as a dip!

Scott loosely followed this egg salad recipe and tweaked it by adding 1/4 cup finely diced celery (approximately 1 large stalk), 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, and said he’s probably going to add 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce next time. He has a knack for putting new flavors together for recipes and I love it!

• new game-changing Vitamin C serum

Those who follow LIL on social already heard about this one, but it totally deserves a highlight of its own here because it’s big news! Beautycounter debuted a new product this week and it is phenom.

It’s seriously so good. And those who have tried and loved the Overnight Resurfacing Peel are going to want to listen up, as this is the perfect daytime compliment.

There’s a new Vitamin C serum on the block, the Counter+ All Bright C Serum, and it’s a wonderful addition to any skincare routine and any skin type. It’s a treatment to help reduce the appearance of dark spots, sun spots, fine lines and wrinkles. You use it after you cleanse your face (and use a toner, if applicable), then apply the serum to your face, neck, and chest before a moisturizer.

This serum is great for any skin type, from dry to oily and everything in between. It’s safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mamas, and like all Beautycounter products, is free of harmful, toxic ingredients.

If you’d like to chat about anything related to skincare or clean beauty, I’d live to connect with you! Message me or email beautycounter@lifeinleggings.com and we’ll chat about how to get you started on any budget.

In case you missed it, make sure to check out my latest and detailed review on the very popular anti-aging line, Countertime. That’s the most talked about subject, so I finally put all of my thoughts in one place.

And *remember* that new clients will get 20% off of their first order until 4/30! This is higher than any discount I’ve seen offered before, and it doesn’t exclude regimens/collections, or the Flawless In Five, which is normally the case. Get on it, my friends!

Simply go to the website and click the that says “sign up” button at the top of the page that offers the promo. Add in your email and then a code will be sent to you to use on the order. (Make sure to check your junk folder).

Let me know if you have any questions at all. I’d love to help walk you through it! And, as an extra bonus, make sure to add your order to I’m running right now during check-out for a chance to win a free full-sized product I’m giving away from me to one of you! All you have to do is use to order and you’ll be entered. All great stuff!

• last week’s workouts

Here’s a peek into what last week’s workouts looked like. I generally take a long walk with Skyler and Roadie every morning, unless the weather isn’t great, so I guess that adds up in the extremely low-impact category for extra mileage.

The past week included three strength training workouts, a quick 10-minute circuit, and a few long runs outside. And of course, the biggest challenge of all is always to complete anything fully without a million interruptions from my toddler. (I know the parents reading this right now feel me!)

Friday: REST

Saturday: 6 mile run around the neighborhood and park (first time I’ve done this mileage in over a year!)

Sunday: REST

Monday: extra long 3.5 mile walk with the boys in the morning, and a quick (under 10 minute) Mini-HIIT Workout at night

Tuesday: 30 Minute Butt and Things Burnout Workout + Mini Band Arm Workout (I finished both in under an hour and they were a fantastic combo.)

Wednesday: 3.1 mile run around the neighborhood

Thursday: Total Body AMRAP Strength Workout (it was the first time I tried 3 rounds of this one, and that last ran got me with a major burnout – yowza! I also added a mini band around my legs on a lot of the exercises for an extra challenge.)

I’m looking forward to winding down the week with a slow yoga flow or long stretch later today. Although my birthday is tomorrow, so I might shift my planned longer run to today instead and rest tomorrow. It’s all about being able to go with the flow right now!

• favorite LIL posts

» Lightened-Up Mexican Casserole

I shared this on the blog on Monday and had a few friends try it at home already. (Love that!) This recipe has all the good stuff with added vegetables and ground turkey for a lighter, tasty option for Mexican night in your home.

» 20 Minute At-Home Strength & Power Workout

This workout includes a mix of strength and power exercises to get your heart rate up with bouts of cardio. It’s the perfect way to sweat today for twenty short but challenging minutes.

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All right, loves. It’s time to get busy and get on with the day. I hope you are able to enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch you back here on Monday.

Cheers to you and Friday!

*Disclaimer: Affiliate links are included in this post and I do earn a small commission for anything clicked or purchased. Also, I am a Beautycounter consultant and love what I do with the company. By using the links provided in this post to order products, you are supporting my business.

I always appreciate you.