Friday Favorites: Week of 2/12

Hi there! It’s the end of another week, and I am looking forward to a quiet weekend ahead. It’s supposed to be a cold one here in New York City! Scott and I don’t have anything specific planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, so we’ll probably just go with the flow and see where the day takes us.

The good news is that indoor dining (at 25% capacity) has been reinstated again as of today. This was only briefly a thing once before since last March, so we are hoping to slowly make our way back into more meals out to places we feel safe and socially distanced.

What are things like where you are?

I know it’s all so different from state to state and city to city!

In typical Friday fashion, we’re covering Friday Favorites with things that brightened up the week. Some of my recent workout picks are included along with highlights from a few adventures. It always makes me smile when I take a look back to write these posts, so I hope it serves as a lighthearted break in your day, too.

Thank you for reading!

FRIDAY FAVORITES: WEEK OF 2/12

• embracing the snow and winter season

I will always be a warmer weather lover, but I have to admit that I do appreciate the presence of seasons after experiencing them in two different cities. Michigan was a big eye-opener for me as a Native Floridian, and I like to joke that going through four very harsh winter seasons there prepped us for the winters here. They’ve been considerably mild in New York over the past few years!

Well, ever since Scott and I had this exact conversation a few weeks ago, the temperature dropped down to the teens and we have seen a lot of snowfall. We had a blizzard last week, and it’s been snowing on and off ever since.

(This was taken from our bedroom window right as the sun was setting. I just love that distant skyline view!)

There are definitely days where I feel over it and want to trade in all of my winter gear for more swimsuits and flip flops, but I am happy to say that I have been accepting and embracing the beauty of the winter season more than ever this year.

It could have to do with the fact that we’re already cooped up inside more than usual, but I’m not sure. It gets cold and annoying, but it is really cute to see Skyler wake up every morning to ask if it’s snowing and if he can go see it later.

The last big snowfall that we had this week looked so inviting that we all headed out for a walk around the neighborhood! We layered up, we got wet from the falling snowflakes, and we walked back in with cold fingers and feet (through the layers!) … but it was still worth it.

We’re just doing our best to soak everything in right now, because we are fully aware that anything could change at any moment in this season for us!

• cupcake and cake carrier

Skyler wanted to make cupcakes for Valentine’s Day treats, so we made a special trip over to Target this week to get baking supplies and little valentines to take to his preschool’s “party” yesterday.

Parents aren’t allowed inside yet (due to safety protocols), so their party consisted of an all red and pink theme, balloons, and sweet treats for them to enjoy after singing and dancing. We get videos of everything every time he attends (twice a week), and it was so great to see Skyler light up over all of the action. He absolutely loved it!

We scored this cupcake and cake carrier with our baking supplies, and I had to share it here. This has been on our wish list for years, but we’ve resisted it due to lack of storage space in our small city apartment kitchen.

I love that it can convert to hold cupcakes or cakes and have a feeling it will be put to great use for years to come!

• the sweetest Valentine’s surprise (and a saga on lost technology)

You may already know this, but I am not known to have a great track record with holding onto iPhones or AirPods. I have improved considerably in the phone department over the years, but there was a time where I had to replace my iPhone three times in the same year. I didn’t lose them, but I had crazy bad luck and I get forgetful when I rush around trying to do too much at once.

One phone went in the washing machine, one phone went down the trash chute at our first condo, and I actually ran over another myself while driving after leaving it on the roof of my car about ten years ago. (These three instance happened all in the same year, so I almost gave up on owning a smart phone at all, haha.)

Since then, I’m happy to report that I haven’t lost one and have only replaced one for an upgrade when I get a great deal to do so!

I haven’t been so lucky with the AirPods. I bought myself a pair about two years ago and then they went missing in our apartment about two weeks later. Scott’s AirPods also went missing, so we think Skyler hid them, and we eventually found his pair about six months later.

I resisted repurchasing a pair for myself for about a year, then caved and got them slightly discounted before our trip to Israel (highlights here and here). I was so happy to have a pair again and wore them once before I realized they were no where to be found after our return home. It happened AGAIN.

Now, as much as I would love to blame my toddler for this, I have a feeling that I left them in the gym during the one time I wore them and worked out on our trip. They probably sat in the cup holder of the treadmill for a few weeks before anyone noticed them, and I eventually gave up on trying to get them back.

About a year later, Scott graciously gifted me his AirPods and purchased these wireless earbuds for himself for $30! (Those earbuds don’t quite fit me right, but they’re great for him and he says the quality is way better! Go figure.) Well, a few weeks later I went for a long walk with Skyler in the stroller and Roadie on a leash. I got off of a phone call still wearing them and noticed that only one was in my ear once I got upstairs about an hour later. I went back out in the rain and retraced my steps in the dark with a flashlight for at least thirty minutes, but no luck.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Yes, this is who I am and apparently what I do. This all happened about six months ago, so you can imagine why both Scott and I refused to buy another pair of wireless earbuds for me after that. I’ve been sporting only the left one ever since …

Until yesterday! I went to pull out my trusty left AirPod to listen to a podcast while tidying up around the apartment and found the sweetest surprise.

(Thank you, Scott, for the gift that keeps on giving!) He found a replacement for my right AirPod on Facebook Marketplace for $40, but you can also find them on eBay and as a new set at a discounted price now that the new version is out at places like Target, Best Buy, Amazon and more. I will be guarding them with my life!

• Heather Robertson’s workouts

If you are in the Life In Leggings Community group, then you already know that I am a big fan of workouts from Heather Roberton’s YouTube channel. They’re free, and there are so many different kinds that require little to no equipment.

She doesn’t talk through any of the exercises or give any verbal cues, so that is the one drawback, in my opinion. But, she’s great if you’re looking for an easy-to-follow format and someone to take you through the workout in real time.

Here are some of my newer favorites that I’ve tried and loved:

• Total Body TABATA Workout // 12 Minute Tabata With Weights – This one is fast and furious, proving that sometimes you can get an amazing workout (and sweat!) in just 20 minutes or less.
• Arm Toning & Strength // Dumbbell Only Workout – this one is good for when you want to work out but have had a day full of movement already, paired with an ab circuit, or on its own on day you want to focus on arm strength. I love this upper body workout too!
• POWER Pilates Workout // HIIT Fusion – I love, love her power Pilates workouts because they’re the perfect blend of sitting and moving. I did this on a day I didn’t feel like working out and still enjoyed it all.

• One Year Ago …

This week marked one year since I left my full-time job to be able to stay home with my son and focus on two online businesses: Life In Leggings Blog and Beautycounter. Without Beautycounter, I wouldn’t be able to still be exclusively working at home, for myself, on my own schedule, help provide enough extra income for my family, or even afford the investment in clean, quality products. I have a fire to share “things you can’t un-know” about the beauty industry, and I love the mission even more than the opportunity.

I am very thankful for that part of my business (and those of you who have shopped with me), and I am excited to see where it takes me in the future!

I have hit a lot of personal and professional goals in the last year, and there are several more that I have written down and that I am currently working on this year. Stay tuned for more scoop on this soon!

The point is … even during a not-so-great year, there are still opportunities to take, goals to seek, and growth that can happen along the way. Don’t underestimate those little victories when they happen! Realizing that I hit this one year milestone during an extremely challenging and unpredictable season got me a little emotional because being able to work at home and for myself while being Skyler’s main caretaker has always been a dream of mine. I feel very thankful for the chance to do what I do, and I am so grateful for every person who clicks here, your comments and engagements on social posts, and your content shares with friends. It really does mean the world to me!

By the way, I’m most active on social during the week here:

Life In Leggings Community (healthy recipes, meal ideas, workout shares, healthy living tips, polls, giveaways, etc.)

Life In Leggings – Beautycounter (all things clean living and beyond.)

Life In Leggings Instagram (make sure you’re following for an exciting end of the month giveaway every month this year!)

Thank you for your support. <3

• a return to indoor gym activities

You have to get creative on how to entertain your kids and keep them active during the colder and snowier days, especially in this season of being home all the time!

I have been going back to the gym for a few months now, and I finally felt safe enough to sign Scott, Skyler and I up for a few family gym sessions together this week. We kicked off our Monday with open gym time and a family swim all before lunch! The spaces were very limited (we were the only ones in the entire gym area to kick a soccer ball and play basketball), and masks were worn the entire time, outside of actually being inside of the pool.

Skyler had a blast and we are trying to get off of waitlists to come back again soon — the competition is fierce at limited capacity!

• favorite LIL posts

» Tips On Cooking With Kids: Toddler Edition

Have you ever tried cooking with your kids and inviting them into the process of creating your meals? It definitely takes more patience (and time!), but it’s worth it in the end when you can learn, explore and have fun while cooking together. Here are my tips

» 

This post is all about switching over to safer products, WHY it matters, HOW to see what is in your current products and how to save the most money on any budget with Beautycounter.

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I guess that just about wraps things up for today! It’s time for me to sign off and plan the rest of the day with Skyler, but I’ll be checking in here and there for a new more of a behind-the-scenes look into things for #casualfridays over on Instagram.

See ya over there and have a great Valentine’s Day Weekend!

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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!