Friday Favorites: Brooklyn Outings, Snow Days, and Milestones

Hello there! I hope you had a good week and are settling in for a great weekend ahead.

What’s the weather like near you?

It’s been a very cold week here in Brooklyn, and I’m sharing more about our first snow day of the year in today’s Friday Favorites post.

I don’t know about you, but these days leading up to the holiday week are flying by for me. I just feel like I can’t get everything done! Anyone else? We’ve even cut back on a lot of our “normal” to-dos like holiday cards this year, and I’m at home working for myself instead of full-time at a fitness studio, so I can’t really put a finger on what’s going on.

Regardless of what you are or aren’t doing this season, I just want to send a friendly reminder to keep our eyes on our own paper. Seriously. I shared two posts on this earlier this week (here and here), and I’ll say it again here. This year, do what’s best for you and your family, and if something is bringing you more stress than joy, you might need to re-think if it’s worth it.

Such is 2020, right? ‘Tis the year of reflection and reassessing.

In an attempt to get back on track here, let’s focus back on today’s subject of faves! I hope you enjoy this round up of local outings with a new workout and a few fun things sprinkled in, too.

Thank you so much for checking in, and Happy Friday!

FRIDAY FAVORITES: WEEK OF 12/18

• Snow Day!

Wednesday night into yesterday was our first real snow storm of the year, and it was pretty cool to see the morning after.

For those of you who don’t live in an area where it snows, blizzards aren’t horrible (compared to other storms I’ve experienced as a Floridian), as long as you are hunkered down inside with plenty of food, heat, and activities to pass the time. This is also one of the perks of living in an apartment versus a home, as we don’t have to worry about shoveling or salting the sidewalks.

So, snow days are actually something I somewhat look forward to, as they’re a chance to slow down, stay cozy, and spend some quality time with family if it’s been a while. (And by a while, I mean outside of being quarantined in 2020, lol.)

My favorite part of snow days is waking up to a fresh, fluffy layer of snow the morning after, and being one of the first people to make tracks in it.

I was surprised to hear that Skyler’s preschool remained open at the tail-end of the storm, but since things had slowed down quite a bit and we only live a short 2-minute walk away, I decided to drop him off as normal and treated myself to a Starbucks coffee (blonde roast with almond milk and a pump of peppermint!) and Southwest Veggie Wrap for breakfast.

I spent the entire day working in our apartment, and it was the perfect excuse to heat up some leftover soup from the freezer and stay indoors while peeping the flurries outside.

Skyler absolutely loved being in the snow, and now he can’t stop talking about building a snowman, having snowball fights, and repeating that “it’s snowing today.” So cute.

It was such a brief walk to and from school for him yesterday, so we spent more time outdoors today in the park at daylight. More on that soon!

• Total Body Strength Gym Workout — (Barbell, Bench, Dumbbells)

All right, I am finally able to get back to the gym somewhat regularly, so I’ll be able to highlight new gym workouts from time to time. Are the gyms open or closed where you are right now?

I posted this photo on my stories this week, so I wanted to share it here along with video breakdowns. As always, please make sure to get cleared by a doctor before trying anything new and listen to your body when it needs to rest or modify.

EXERCISE BREAKDOWNS

DUMBBELL REVERSE LUNGES

BARBELL DEAD LIFTS

BARBELL CHEST PRESSES ON BENCH

DUMBBELL SINGLE ARM ROWS ON BENCH

DUMBBELL ARNOLD PRESSES

DUMBBELL LATERAL LUNGES TO BICEPS CURLS

DUMBBELL TRICEPS KICKBACKS

DUMBBELL WINDMILLS

Per usual, I started this workout with some static stretching and a 5-minute warm-up on the elliptical. I finished it out with 5 sets of sprints on the treadmill (that was hard!), and cooled down with stretches afterwards.

Please reach out with any questions!

• latest Brooklyn/Manhattan restaurants for takeout/outdoor dining

Last week I shared a handful of outings we went on in Manhattan, so this week I wanted to include what I didn’t get to. Each restaurant mentioned below deserves a little blurb, but for time’s sake, here are three places we tried and LOVED either with takeout or outdoor dining.

And, by the way, outdoor dining is very much still a thing in New York City. This photo was taken last week in our neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn.

For reference, I snapped this photo mid-morning during a weekday, so it doesn’t surprise me that there isn’t a large brunch or lunch crowd pictured. That said, some of these NYC outdoor dining set ups really impress me!

Now onto some food highlights …

We sat outside at Broccolino on Dean Street for a couple of great pizzas.

We ordered several sushi rolls from Natto Hibachi & Sushi, and it made me remember what life was like when we actually went indoors to experience hibachi dinners. Man, I miss things like that!

And last, but certainly not least, we made a quick stop into Lady M on our adventures in Manhattan for a quick slice of cake to-go. They are very raved about, and I can totally see why after my second visit there. We tried the tiramisu this time, and holy yum!

I’m sure there are stops that I’ve forgotten to document but I think I’ll stop there. Make sure to check out for the rest of the highlights for holiday to-dos. Our holiday strolls through the city were different this year, but it was still awesome to see the landmarks.

• Skyler’s First Haircut

After debating when Skyler should his first haircut for almost two years, Scott and I finally decided to go for it last Sunday. It was an emotional experience, that’s for sure!

In such weird times, the hardest part about it was that only one of us got to be in the shop with him. Masks were required, and while our trip was pleasant and very kid-friendly, it bummed me out that Scott wasn’t able to be there as other people were free to roam the store in parties of two. So that part didn’t really make sense to us, as this was such a milestone that both of us wanted to see!

That said, I was thankful that Scott offered me the spot to go in with him, and I am very proud of our little dude – he did so well.

We took him to Lulu’s Cuts & Toys on Fifth Avenue, which is definitely a kid-friendly boutique haircut experience. The hairstylist chairs are themed out, and Skyler got to sit in the tractor while viewing his movie of choice throughout his time in it. He chose Toy Story 2, of course.

After telling them this was Skyler’s first haircut, they saved a bit of his curls and made a special certificate for us to take home as a keepsake along with a balloon. I thought this was a really sweet touch.

Skyler is officially a little boy now, and part of my heart is still coping. The days are long, but the years are short, and I’m learning just how true this statement is with every big step along the way.

• Clean Beauty Gift Guide & Beautycounter News

In case you missed it, I shared my ultimate yesterday. This post is all about self-care through safer skincare, cleaner makeup, and better-for-you bath and body products that I truly love.

You can always catch the latest on the Life In Leggings – Beautycounter page or ! But, since there are some major things in the works, here are a few things you should know …

• If you’ve never tried Beautycounter before and want to dive in to a few products, please reach out to me (if you need help) and use the promo code CLEANFORALL20 to receive 20% off your order now through 12/27. (Shop with me here!)
• If you’re still shopping for loved ones (and I would love to help you with this), make sure to take note that this is the last day (12/18) to order 2nd Day Air to get your package before Christmas. Any orders placed tomorrow on should be accompanied with Overnight shipping in order to get them before 12/25. Reach out to me if you’d like to find out more about how I can help reimburse you for the shipping upgrade!
• The 12 Days of Giftmas is officially over, and it was so much fun! I’ll definitely be continuing the series on next holiday season, and keep your eyes peeled for one last giveaway opportunity in 2020.
• There may or may not be a *cough* winter sale coming up, so make sure to follow the pages linked at the top of this section to stay in the loop!

And finally, I want to give a heartfelt shout out to the amazing people who have purchased from the links I share and/or reached out to me with questions. I truly love what I do and couldn’t do it without you! I appreciate you so much.

• favorite LIL posts

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There are several bouts of cardio in these moves, and the workout has a total body focus. You’ll be working different muscle groups at once from head to toe. Grab a mat, some water, and a towel (for sweat) and let’s do it!

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Are you still shopping for the holidays? This year’s Life In Leggings Ultimate Gift Guide has five guides at different price points categorized by interest for her, for him, for families, for fitness enthusiasts, and for foodies. Enjoy!

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Okay, I could keep typing but I better sign off and get to a few chores that are staring at me. Skyler is currently sleeping on the couch (his naps are a disaster lately, lol), so I’m trying to take advantage of the solo time while I have it.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and cheers to us making it to Fri-yay!

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*Disclaimer: Friday Favorites posts may contain affiliate links. 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!