Friday Favorites: Week of 10/23

Happy Friday my friends! I hope you’ve had a great week. Mine has been interesting over here. Scott is finishing up eight days of hurricane relief in Louisiana, and Skyler and I have been flying solo and trying to make the most of our alone time together.

It’s been an eventful couple of days with the usual highs and lows, but there have been some really great things that have conspired. Read more about those below!

I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen (check out this soup recipe!), I squeezed in a trip to the gym while Skyler was in preschool, and I’ve been keeping extra busy at night with two different virtual bootcamps that have been helping me grow my online businesses.

It’s (almost) the weekend, and I’m looking forward to a virtual wine and charcoal mask party tonight with some clean beauty friends to kick things off!

This week’s Friday Favorites post takes a look back at the highlights, so grab your beverage of choice and thanks so much for checking in …

Friday Favorites: Week of 10/23

• Skyler’s first official modeling gig

I talked about this on Instagram stories yesterday, but here’s a big high from our week that I wanted to share here …

Skyler had his first post-quarantine modeling casting (and second official casting ever!) yesterday. It was for a children’s clothing company and included a private appointment time with one casting agent/photographer. I felt safe with their protocols in place with requiring temperature checks in the lobby and masks on all adults, and it was a very quick, in-and-out process.

After talking through the pros and cons for a while, Scott and I decided to sign Skyler to a local modeling agency here in Manhattan. Our approach has always been laid back about it … we never want to pressure Skyler to do something that he doesn’t want to do. We’d like to see where it goes and be able to have him earn and save money in his own bank account as a result.

He is loving the adventures that come along with castings, and any event that breaks up the monotony of 2020 quarantine life is a win for me. He was excited to get dressed and visit “the tall buildings with all the photos” yesterday.

Well, he did so great and got booked for the job! We’ve filmed a few shoots and a commercial as a family before, but this will be Skyler’s first official modeling shoot — on his own — and I am looking forward to seeing how it goes on Tuesday!

I’ll be sure to report back with more details next week.

• Usborne books

A lot of you have probably heard of Usborne Books before. It’s a popular and well-established online book retailer where you can purchase books, puzzles, stocking stuffers, gifts, and more through independent consultants.

I got an invite to attend a book party from the family I used to nanny for in college, and I was excited to check out some of the producrts and see what all of the hype was about!

I ended up purchasing three books, and I could have thrown a lot more into my cart if I wasn’t sticking to a budget. I like how everything is divided into different searchable categories like age, school level, price, etc.

Skyler is obsessed with lift-the-flap books, so he was an instant fan of Why Do Tigers Have Stripes? It’s a lot longer than most of the books we have, and will usually suffice for one “big” book before bedtime. He really likes The Book of Nursery Rhymes, and the one that was worth every penny with a pleasant surprise is Night Sounds.

It’s a read and press book that instructs you to press down for noises as the story unfolds. Skyler is infatuated with it and, no joke, reads it at least 3-5 times every day. I’m sure that we will keep these around for at least a few years!

If you’d like to search around more or have questions on anything at all, I’d love for you to reach out to my good family friend, Lucy!

• clean beauty rewards on rewards

Y’all know I love to talk about clean beauty, and while there is a lot to update you on with new product launches, holiday sets, packaging upgrades, and more, this week I want to highlight my latest host rewards haul because it’s so good.

All of the products included were earned through me sharing a unique pop-up code either in an email, on social, or just in conversations with friends and family. I earned 5 free products, then was able to select any 5 products I wanted from the site at 50% off and took home a total of …

10 products for $153!

The products I snagged for free or at 50% off range anywhere from $36-$89 a piece, so I think we would all agree in saying that the savings was HUGE.

Check out the video on my Life In Leggings – Beautycounter page for more deets, and I also talk about why these are some of my faves!

Here’s what I got for FREE:

⁣⁣⁣⁣Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream ($89 value)⁣⁣

Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum ($79 value)⁣⁣

⁣⁣Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel ($63 value)⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⁣Counter+ Lotus Glow Cleansing Balm ($72 value)

Counter+ No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil ($69 value)⁣⁣

Here’s what I got at 50% OFF:

Counter+ All Bright C Serum ($79 value)⁣⁣

⁣⁣Countertime Ultra Renewal Eye Cream ($69 value)⁣⁣

Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer ($45 value)⁣⁣

Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Mist ($36 value)⁣⁣

Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion ($39 value)⁣⁣

Again, 10 products for $153!

Interested in getting in on some goods for yourself?

⁣⁣⁣⁣I’m currently looking for two hosts who would like to party (online) with me and earn all of the rewards for the month of November. The main thing you need to know is that I do ALL of the work and all you have to do is invite the guests. ⁣⁣⁣⁣It could even be as simple as me creating a referral code for you to send out in an email and/or on social. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

You really can’t go wrong!

Message me for more information, and don’t forget to use the promo code CLEANFORALL20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order.⁣⁣⁣⁣

Please reach out with any questions!

• instant Halloween ambiance

This one may seem silly, but it has been a true comfort around our apartment for years. I stumbled upon a random fireplace ambiance during my maternity leave with Skyler and have been enjoying a variety of them to have on in the background whenever we’re home and just hanging around. We don’t have a fireplace to lounge by, so instead, we have a smart TV that helps us pretend that we do.

You can find endless options to view for free on YouTube! Simply search whatever you’re looking for like “halloween fireplace ambiance”, “beach fireplace ambiance”, or “city skyline ambiance”. Skyler loves finding new scenes with me and we usually keep them on mute and play our own music through bluetooth speakers. It’s the best!

• kinetic sand hack

Okay, I’m sorry that this edition of faves centers around my toddler, but these are the little things that go a long way around here!

I’m sure a lot of you have heard of kinetic sand before, and even tried it. It’s similar to Play-Doh, and amazing for toddler entertainment, but not-so-amazing for parents to pick up the aftermath. After mentioning these feelings about Play-Doh in the latest Skyler update, a friend suggested to give kinetic sand a go since it isn’t quite as messy.

Well, in theory, it isn’t. It still gets everywhere, but it is an improvement from the messes that Play-Doh can make, in my opinion.

While talking about this exact subject with another friend of mine, she suggested that I try lining his play area with a trash bag to be able to collect the sand and easily mold it back together for next time.

Skyler has a hard time keeping the sand AT the table, so we’re working on that, but I have to admit that clean up has gotten better with this approach. I save the black liner I made from two gallon trash bags and duct tape, but don’t necessarily save the white trash bag where most of the sand ends up.

It’s still not the easiest activity to pick up, but Skyler LOVES it … so we make it special with this set up and play with it every couple of days.

I’ve had a hard time finding kinetic sand in stores, but you can choose from quite the variety online through Target, Walmart, and Amazon. We have this Kinetic Sand Set with Tools and Skyler really likes it. (The blue sand is still in the packaging, and we make sure to keep the red in an air-tight container after we’re done playing.)

• latest workout faves

Here is a recap of what the last week of workouts looked like …

Friday: REST

Saturday: REST

Sunday: Low Impact FULL BODY HIIT Workout via Heather Robertson – this was a sweaty one that didn’t require any equipment. I loved the low-impact moves that got my heart rate up without jumping, too.

Monday: LIL Total Body AMRAP Strength Workout

Tuesday: 4 mile jog/easy run around the park

Wednesday: 12 Minute KETTLEBELL TABATA Workout via Heather Robertson – another quick but effective workout! And yes, 15 minutes to complete a dedicated workout is way better than no minutes at all. Loved this one and I substituted a dumbbell for the kettlebell.

Thursday: I had a limited window of time for a workout at the gym, so I was in and out in 30 minutes with the following …

*NEW* 30 Minute Superset Strength Workout

for the gym

Complete each group of two exercises back-to-back for two total rounds. Rest, then move onto the next group.

(12-15 reps each, 2 rounds per circuit)

KETTLEBELL SIDE BENDS ON BENCH⁣⁣
KETTLEBELL GOBLET SQUATS⁣⁣
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HIP ABDUCTIONS⁣⁣
HIP ADDUCTIONS⁣⁣
⁣⁣
CABLE FLYES⁣⁣
CABLE REVERSE FLYES⁣⁣
⁣⁣
DUMBBELL BICEPS CURLS TO PRESSES⁣⁣
GOOD MORNING TO TRICEPS KICKBACKS⁣⁣
⁣⁣
CARDIO blast of choice!⁣
(I did 5 quick sprints on the treadmill)⁣⁣

I didn’t make this one into a graphic, but I usually try to for you to be able to screen shot and/or save it. Let me know if you enjoy this since it’s slightly time consuming.

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I had an okay week of workouts! It wasn’t good or bad, but somewhere in the middle. I would have liked to included one more run outside and another session at the gym, but it was tricky with Scott traveling. Thank goodness for at-home circuits with minimal equipment in a pinch!

• favorite LIL posts

» Healthy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

A fantastic (and healthy) way to get your pumpkin spice fix! This recipe is free of butter, oil, and eggs, and includes how to puree dates for a natural sweetener.

» Cable Machines Versus Free Weights — Which Is Better?

It’s such a loaded question, right? But it’s one that I’ve gotten from plenty of people who are generally curious as to which strength-training strategy is better for them. The short answer is it depends on the person, their goals, and what training level they’re at. Keep reading along for the long, more detailed answer!

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All right. I think that pretty much covers it for today. I’ve got some work to dive into before the little guy wakes up from his nap.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and thanks again for clicking over!

*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!