Hello there and Happy Friday!
It hasn’t been the typical Fri-yay around here, as Skyler has been hit with a nasty cough and cold. We had two restless nights in a row with frequent wake-ups (holy flashback to the newborn days), and I’m hoping that everyone gets to turn in early for some much-needed rest and recovery tonight. Fingers crossed!

We went to the doctor’s this morning and he had a precautionary COVID-19 test included in his exam, so I should know results from that in two days. He hasn’t had a fever, but the poor thing just can’t stop coughing and doesn’t have much of an appetite. I’m putting my mom hat on for the rest of the weekend, but I wanted to stop in and quickly publish the latest set of Friday Favorites while he’s content playing a game on the couch. There’s a new workout to try, a new favorite product you need to know about, some highlights from a few days out in the city and more.
Thank you for being here and reading!
FRIDAY FAVORITES: WEEK OF 5/7
- latest city outings
Last week, we took #PizzaFridays to a new level and made a trip out to Little Italy to share a pizza pie together as a family.

We were one of two groups dining at Bella Ciao, thanks to an early dinner time before 5 p.m. Skyler and I ventured out to meet Scott after his day of volunteering, and we decided to eat early and take cover with rain clouds looming over us. We were sitting inside, but also right next to the outside patio area with open windows. It was the perfect way to transition into the weekend.

And, of course, we had to make a trip across the street to visit the Christmas in New York store. My mom and I took this stop in to warm up with Skyler when we were walking around the area back in March. Well, the store delivered in a big way for him … the kid loves everything about Christmas and the decorations! Now our biggest challenge is instilling the concept that Christmas only comes in the winter time (when it’s snowing), after the summer (when we can go to the beach), and that is still quite a ways away.
We took our time walking the streets in Lower Manhattan after that and passed through Chinatown on the way to a new playground.

The rest of the weekend was very low-key, and that was okay by me.
Our church met in-person for the first time on a Sunday morning in fourteen months! Scott was busy at a fire workshop (this is real life … he works in entertainment and is an active stunt man, lol), but Skyler and I loved getting back to a more “normal” Sunday morning routine with a service, kids church and followed it up with an in-person park hang with some friends from church at Washington Square Park. It was gorgeous out and had been too long!

If you’re looking to connect a church in-person or online, we are still streaming services virtually until further notice. And, if you have kiddos who would like to be a part of C3 Kids, there’s an amazing kids program online, too. (Peep the latest episode from last Sunday if you want to see both Scott and I on the worship singing/dancing team! Hehe.)
- a *clean* hand sanitizer and hand serum in one
You might have seen a quick highlight on this product in my Top Beautycounter Must-Haves For Spring, but it definitely deserves its own feature here, as it’s unlike anything else on the market.
The Hand Savior launched a few weeks ago, and I’ve had the pleasure of testing it out for a little over a month. I’m a big enough fan that it may or may not be showing up on all of the doorsteps of the moms in our family for Mother’s Day. (I had no idea what my hands had been missing out on all of this time!)

It’s a safe hand sanitizer that also moisturizes and treats the skin on your hands. FYI, our hands can show signs of aging more than our face does. It pretty much does it all, without the pesticides and fertilizers that most sanitizers on the market have hidden in their ingredient list. (Yikes!) No methanol or n-propanol, and the fragrance was screened for trace contaminants to ensure it meets Beautycounter’s safety standards.
It’s a top-notch product, and I love the non-sticky serum texture that absorbs quickly into your skin. It leaves my hands feeling softer than any other sanitizer I’ve tried, and the smell is light and citrusy without being overpowering.
Here are the main ingredients:
- Hyaluronic Acid: hydrates and maintains skin’s moisture.
- Niacinamide: known to improve the appearance of dark spots, helps brighten skin, improves uneven skin tone.
- 60% Organic Sugar-Derived Alcohol: active ingredient antiseptic that helps reduce bacteria.
- Safflower Oleosomes: timed-release delivery system provides long-lasting moisture.
Plus it WORKS and kills 99.99% of germs!
I am here to answer any question you may have regarding clean skincare, makeup, bath and body products, so please reach out and follow my clean beauty page on Facebook for more updates and giveaway opportunities.
- Mother’s Day at preschool
I just love Skyler’s preschool.
He only goes twice a week, but it’s made such a big difference in breaking up our weeks and enables him to socialize with other kids. We get photos and videos of what he does there at least once a day, and his activities include anything from yoga and story time to structured lessons and outdoor play. They make holidays and birthdays a big deal, and I always appreciate the extra effort that gets put into themed days and photos sent our way.

I got a surprise in my messages yesterday with a video of him making me a special craft that now lives on our fridge. They also took a series of shots in front of this flower backdrop!

So, so cute. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, moms-to-be and those desiring to be moms out there. I am thinking about you this weekend and am sending you virtual hugs!
- *NEW* Full Body Dumbbell Workout With Compound Exercises
I put a new strength workout on-the-fly this week, and it turned out to be a great one that I will be repeating again. You’ll need a few sets of dumbbells and a bench (or something like a sofa) to complete it, and ideally have access to light, medium and medium-heavy weights.
Almost all of the movements are compound exercises, which means that you are working multiple muscle groups at the same time. (Yes!) This workout is broken into three different circuits, which means that you complete the first group of three exercises first for three rounds before moving onto the next one.

As always, rest and modify needed, and please ask any questions that you may have!
Video demonstrations are below.
EXERCISE BREAKDOWN
dumbbell chest presses on bench
dumbbell sumo squat to high rows
hip thrusts on bench (option to hold weight)
lying dumbbell triceps pullovers
alternating curtsey lunges to hammer curls
mountain climber twists on bench
Disclaimer: This workout was great for me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s ideal for you. If you’re new to strength training, please make sure that you’re cleared by a doctor to try strength workouts before you try this.
- Brew Memories (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
All right, one more spot worth mentioning today is a relatively new coffee shop in our area. It opened last June (in the midst of peak shut downs, due to the pandemic), and it’s been one of our favorites to pop into for warm beverages, bubble teas and Homemade Dumplings. The dumplings are unreal and sell out almost every day!

We recently visited for lunch and also tried the Homemade Chicken Wontons and Chicken Lo Mein. Everything was fantastic, and it might have been the best lo mein I’ve had in years. I’m looking forward to keeping this spot in our rotation of go-to cafes, and I’m so glad it pursued through a really hard kick-off season.
- favorite LIL posts
» Reflections And Lessons On The Last Year
We can do hard things. We can survive the hard seasons. We can get sad about them, but we have to keep swimming and look for the silver linings to hold onto along the way, because they’re always there. Here’s a look back into the last year or so of living through the pandemic, and what I’m taking away as lessons and changes for the future.

»
Sharing all about life with a toddler at 3 years old, what he’s been loving, toddler parent favorites, milestones, stories and more!

All right, it’s time for me to go snuggle my little dude and be in chill mode for the rest of the day with him. I’m sure he will be okay, and thank you for the well wishes I’ve already gotten over on Instagram. I’ll keep you posted. <3
Enjoy your weekend!
*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!

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