Latest Faves: workouts, baking, news, and more

Hi there! We’re in Week Five of quarantine and we made it to Friday.

How are you holding up out there? I know, me too.

If you’ve been checking in on the blog over the past week or so, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that I’ve been in a bit of an emotional rough patch lately. Being cooped up in an apartment day in and day out really can get to you, and the uncertainties of our future can be a hard pill to swallow. I have great days where it doesn’t phase me at all, but I also have days where my goal is to simply survive. So that’s where we’re at … and it’s all okay!

I had a few wine dates with some girlfriends on FaceTime this week, and I should mention that they all felt the same way. This season is bound to come in ebbs and flows, so please don’t feel like you’re alone in feeling it if you are. I am, too!

But enough about that. It’s the time of the week where I like to take a look back at what made me smile, so let’s move on to those things. I hope you enjoy the read and stay safe out there!

LATEST FRIDAY FAVORITES

• late-morning routine

My favorite part of our “new normal” while being quarantined is getting Skyler and Roadie out of the house for a long walk around the park every morning. This helps us get the fresh air we need, and also helps Scott focus on whatever he needs to get done at home without distractions. (More on this below.)

I used to take Skyler to the indoor play gym, followed by arts & crafts class on Mondays and Wednesdays, around 10:30am – Noon. It always tired him out enough to take a solid nap, so I’m trying my best to stick to that schedule and fill those hours with fresh air and activity outside of our apartment for him.

Walks really have been saving my sanity lately, and I just love our (safely-distanced) time outside when we get it. I pack the diaper bag with snacks, drinks, books, sunscreen, a toddler-sized soccer ball, and I thoroughly enjoy my loops around the neighborhood. I park the stroller by a tree in the park after about 1.5 miles, and Roadie digs around and basks in his time outside while Skyler and I kick a soccer ball and run around for at least thirty minutes. He would stay there all day if he could!

He ends up purposely falling and rolling around in the grass, however, so this is usually our cue to get back home for lunch. We sing The Alphabet Song umpteen times, work on counting, and he likes looking at a few wipeable learning books while we walk, too.

If he’s really into the books, that’s my time to put in headphones and listen to a podcast or music.

It’s seriously the best part of my days right now!

• planning uninterrupted power hours

It’s a struggle on many different levels for everyone right now! I know a big adjustment for most is working exclusively at home, alongside loved ones and the distractions that come at you all day long.

My husband and I have shifted our schedules quite a bit over the past few months, and while we both transitioned into working at home, it’s been very different for us since the quarantine started. We had our routine down before, and it included me taking Skyler out of the house a few times a day to help him focus. He would also frequent the library and local coffee shops and work for hours away from the home. Since we’re both bound to the front two rooms of our apartment (as it’s really the only spot with decent Wi-Fi – ugh), it’s really easy to invade each other at an important time without meaning to.

This week we implemented uninterrupted power hours, which means that we pretend that the other person isn’t in the apartment for at least one hour per day. I chose my distraction-free hour to be from 9-10am, and I’m really loving it. I get up early (when Skyler isn’t on a sleep strike) before the house and have an hour to focus then, enjoy breakfast with the family, and then set up my plan for the day, answer emails, draft blog posts, and work on my online businesses.

I get to circle back here during Skyler’s nap time and once he goes to bed, but things tend to creep up or take over. So, my uninterrupted power hour is where it’s at and I really love using it however I need to that day.

Whatever your schedule and work load is right now, I hope you can talk with your spouse to figure out at least an hour in your day to be able to focus on whatever you need to. And to the single parents out there – you are truly my heroes. You. are. amazing!

• quarantine baking & snacks

I don’t know what it is about quarantine, but everyone seems to be baking banana bread … including us. I forget how much I love having it around, and I got a reminder of how much I should be making it over the last few weeks. Yum!

This recipe was a great one. We added a tsp of vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and baked the bread at 325 for 65 minutes instead of 350. It calls for 6 bananas, but you could definitely get away with using 5.

We also put most of the hard boiled eggs that we had from our dyed Easter eggs to use with a fresh batch of deviled eggs. If you look close enough, you can see little rings of color around the edges, too.

Here’s the recipe for these if you’re looking for it. They were very good!

• getting the news to my inbox only

I shared this before, but I think it deserves another mention after some recent conversations with friends and family. The concern of listening to the news around little ones came up in a discussion with moms the other day, and a lot of them shared that they catch up with everything once their kids are asleep to spare the endless questions that will result in them overhearing.

Well, not only do I skip the big news stations all together right now, but I get the important information that I actually need to know delivered right to my inbox on the daily. I’ve actually never been a huge fan of watching the news. Call me crazy, but it always leaves me feeling worried and stressed out! I’m not naive to what is happening in the world, I just feel like there’s better ways to educate yourself on the latest — especially when it comes to updates on the Coronavirus.

I get the New York Times briefing every morning, then read theSkimm, and then follow that up with a quick fifteen minute podcast on one of my walks called Coronavirus Daily.

I really love the narrator and the overall cool and calm approach on it. You get all of the current information that you need to hear, and it includes real stories and interviews from people on the front lines, relevant sources, and helpful outlooks from professionals in the essential and health care fields.

If you’re feeling discouraged after reading or hearing too much of the fear-driven information out there, I can’t recommend this approach enough!

• buy one, donate one and some other Beautycounter news

Together, we can give back to those who are putting their lives at risk every day for all of us!

Right now, for every order you place, Beautycounter will donate one Counter+ Charcoal Cleansing Bar to healthcare workers on the frontlines, with the goal of getting safer products to the medical professionals who need them most.

Here’s our best-sellers, and – of course – I could recommend specific products just for you with a simple reach-out. (I’m here!)

Other promotions going on through April:

• New Clients can get 20% off of their first order! 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).
• Counterstart is now available, a new two-product essentials line at a lower price point. The Cococream cleanser is $20, and the Cocoboost Moisturizer is $29 and they’re great for anyone, especially those with sensitive skin or just pick up whatever they can find at a convenience store. (Start here with cleansing and protecting!)
• Countermatch has a new foaming cleanser! This line is perfect for hydrating dry skin if you don’t have an anti-aging focus and is a fantastic way to dive into a clean beauty routine. I started my journey with the Countermatch Collection and it’s fantastic.
• BoB Membership free gift is the Overnight Resurfacing Peel! Join for $29 and earn 10% product credit back, free shipping on orders $100+, the peel for free (worth this in value alone), and exclusive offers. It’s like the Amazon Prime of safer skincare and makeup! Join here.
• Free enrollment offer is EXTENDED through April to help anyone start their business during this time. Beyond the initial 40% off discount on starter sets, consultants get 25% off of products year-round, early access to sales, pre-sales of product launches at extreme discounts, infinite host rewards to cash in on free and 50% off product opportunities, and more. Read my post about Why I Became a Beautycounter Consultant & FAQs for more information here, and please reach out at beautycounter@lifeinleggings.com.

Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to help you!

• last week’s workouts

I used to highlight recent workout shares from the gym from time to time, and since I won’t be able to do that for the foreseeable future, I thought it would be fun to recap what I did over the past week in this end of the week round-up.

Here’s a peek into what last week looked like on the workout front. My goal right now is to move every day, even if it’s just for a long walk outside. I have been running a few times a week and strength training with dumbbells, resistance bands, and whatever I can find at home, too.

Friday: 4.5 mile run around the park

Saturday: REST and a long walk with the family

Sunday: At-Home Tabata Strength Workout With Resistance Bands

Monday: 5.25 mile run around the park

Tuesday: one-hour yoga class with my girl @misslaurengibbs – she teaches frequently during the week here in NYC and is currently leading classes several times a week via Zoom and IG Live. Anyone can join!

Wednesday: I repeated the resistance band workout listed above so Scott could join me. It got him sweating and sore the next day!

Thursday: 3.1 mile run in the neighborhood (does anyone else get that extra .1 in when they go for 3 miles to round it up to a 5K? Haha, it’s the little things.)

I didn’t have too much variety with my workouts last week, but that’s okay. I love that I have gotten back into running lately, and the weather couldn’t be nicer for it. Generally, I like to add at least one or two more strength days into my week, so I’ll try to incorporate that with an actual plan coming up.

Today is a rest day for me!

• favorite LIL posts

» Easter Weekend 2020 & Some Coffee Talk

Throwing it back to a good ‘ol weekend recap and some coffee talk chatter about the realness of quarantine life. I hope you all had a great Easter, too!

» How To Increase Your Productivity While Working At Home

Let’s talk about productivity! Here’s what has been working for me to immensely increase the amount of work and tasks that I can fit into each day while working at home and still being present as a mom. 

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All right. I better get going! My uninterrupted power hour is coming to a close and there’s a bit more to get to. Thank you for checking in today and let’s catch up again on Monday.

Have a great weekend and be well!

*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.