Things I’m Loving – week# 2

And just like that it is Friday once again! Who is doing their Friday dance today?!! Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend? We don’t have anything too crazy planned which makes me happy since last weekend was a busy one for us with our road trip. Sometimes it is nice to have a slow weekend to get a few things done and take a little time for yourself.

Let’s get this edition of “Things I’m Loving” kicked off! Listed below are all of the things that I am loving this week and want to tell you all about!

Spring – The past few days have been so pretty here in Whistler, BC. Okay, I’m not talking hanging by the lake in a bikini sipping a nice chilled glass of rose! I mean, we are slowly moving away from winter and starting to experience spring like weather! It makes my heart so happy to be outside and breath in the fresh air and to take in all the natural beauty that surrounds us. I get so excited for summer that I can barely contain myself!

Apple Watch – I bought my Apple watch about four weeks ago. Even though I am still learning new things about it each day, I am really loving it! Next time I am in the city I plan on doing another tutorial on the watch that they host at the store. Have you ever been to one of those? They are so useful and interesting.

Candles – After dinner, once the dishes have been done and the kitchen has been tidied, I like to go around our home and light a few candles for the evening. Especially if I am reading in the living room, it is so nice to sit with the nice smell & flickering light of a candle. Every time Bath & Body Works has a decent sale on their candles I always stock up on them. Totally necessary! I have a secret stash in my cupboard and I really do panic when I get down to my last candle!

Dental Floss – I know this is probably a snooze fest for most people but when my Mom introduced this to me a few weeks it was a game changer for me! It has really made me up my flossing game! Dare I say I am actually enjoying it?! I saw the dental hygienist last week and she told me I was doing a really good job. Yay me!

Essential Oils – I have been using essential oils for many years but have probably become even more obsessed with them the past few months! This week I was looking for a new blend for bedtime and decided to mix a few drops of lavender, juniper berry with a little bit of coconut oil. I massaged the blend into the back & front of my neck, my forehead & temples and then the rest on my arms. This simple mixture smells amazing and has been sending me off into an amazing sleep.  That’s a win in my books!

I could not send you off into the weekend without a cute picture of my puppy Buster Boo. He is so shy and refuses to look at the camera! I melt when I look at this picture!

WHAT ARE YOU LOVING THIS WEEK? ANY NEW FINDS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT? LIST THEM IN THE COMMENT SECTION!

 

 

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What’s in your lunch box?

The last few weeks I have been making a good effort to bring my lunch to work every day. I used to be in the habit last year then for some reason I totally fell out of it. I have learned that it really does make a difference, to the wallet and the waist line! Bringing your lunch to work each day is right up there with bringing your own coffee to work if you want to try and save a few extra dollars $$$$. It’s amazing how fast it adds up when you eat lunch out every day.

I always like to find out what other people are eating for lunch. I get so much inspiration from other people’s lunches – it is super interesting to me! This past weekend we stopped by my cousin’s house and his little girl was eating lunch while we were there. I made a mental note of what she was eating. First of all, everything on her plate was really healthy (love that!). Second, it was all food you could make ahead and take the next day for your lunch. I might be eating like a five year old, but at least I am a healthy five year old!!!! Third, it was finger food and easy to food. If you don’t have access to cutlery – no big deal!

Lunch #1 – tuna (with green onions, mayo & sriracha sauce), cucumbers, carrots, baby tomatoes and pretzel chips. I loved every bite of this lunch!

Lunch #2 – cheese quesadilla, guacamole cup, carrots, cucumber and an apple for dessert.

Lunch #3 – tuna (with green onions, mayo & sriracha sauce), celery, carrots, pretzel chips, strawberries & blueberries for dessert!
Tips for bringing your lunch:
1. Plan ahead of time
2. Cut up & prep a bunch of difference fruits & vegetables over the weekend
3. Keep snack size items on hand (humus & guacamole cups, snack size cheese, etc.)
4. Keep a list of lunch ideas (sounds a bit crazy but I keep a list on my phone, then look at it every once and a while and decide what I feel like)
5. Prepare the night before – if I don’t, I know I won’t the next morning
6. Make sure you have sufficient containers to store & bring your lunch in

Plan for a “treat” lunch at the end of the week if you hit your target of bringing your lunch every day. This will provide you with extra incentive to pack your lunch. Usually by Friday, supplies in our fridge have started to dwindle a bit and I am starting to get a bit bored of eating the same thing every day! I am quite lucky where I work as there are loads of really good & healthy (naughtiness too if I am feeling for something “extra” special!) options for lunch that are close by.

DO YOU BRING YOUR LUNCH TO WORK? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH? ANY TIPS YOU WANT TO SHARE? PLEASE LIST IN THE COMMENTS!!!

Running away to join the circus…

Every once in a while it is good for the soul to take a little road trip. This weekend we had the grandparents drive up to look after the puppies. I finished early from work, my husband picked me up and we hit the road to drive to my Aunt & Uncle’s house. It’s amazing how fast time goes by – it had been almost a year to the day since I last saw them. Way too long, if you ask me!

After a couple hours of battling the rain and the traffic on the highway we made it to my Aunt & Uncle’s. What a warm welcome we received! After a tour of their beautiful home, we settled down to a happy hour of warm nibbles and a few glasses of wine. Cheers! After that settled we had dinner together and then played a few games of darts. Nothing like a game of darts to bring out your competitive edge. Ha! At around midnight, my husband & I could not keep our eyes open any longer! It was bedtime!

On Saturday afternoon my husband & I both got dressed up for the main attraction of the weekend. Back in February my husband had surprised me with tickets for our wedding anniversary to Cirque du Soleil “Crystal”.

As per Cirque du Soleil website: “Follow Crystal, our lead character, on an exhilarating tale of self-discovery as she dives into a world of her own imagination. Feel the adrenaline as she soars through this surreal world at high speed to become what she was always destined to be: confident, liberated, empowered.”

This was their first production on ice and it did not disappoint! The entertainers were so talented. AMAZING! This was our second Cirque du Soleil show that we have seen, the first being “O” in Las Vegas. I loved both shows. O was in/on the water and Crystal was on ice.

The set for Crystal was on ice and looked absolutely fabulous. The pictures that I took do not do it justice but you will get a general idea of the creativity.

After spending two hours being in awe of these amazing entertainers we took my Aunt & Uncle out for their dinner to thank them for their kind hospitality and being such gracious hosts. They took such good take care of us and we both enjoyed every minute with them. Such special people:)

Any restaurant that lures you in with the promise of wine, is fine by me!

After a weekend of family, love & laughter it was time to make our way back to our little home in the mountains. It was great to get away for a little bit but there really is no place like home:) And we missed these little furry faces way to much to stay away any longer! A big THANKS to my parents for looking after the fur babies while we were away. Love you guys! You da best!

I HOPE YOU TOO HAD A FUN WEEKEND. DID YOU DO ANYTHING FUN? LEAVE A COMMENT LISTING YOUR ADVENTURES!

Things I’m Loving – week#1

I think Friday is a fun day to kind of wind down for the weekend with a post of what I have obsessing about this week. Let’s get this Friday morning started with all the things that I could not live without this week!

During the week we try not to have any alcohol with dinner. Unless we are celebrating the fact that it is a Monday, even a Tuesday can call for celebration in our house- just kidding! If we go out during the week for dinner and something catches my eye then I might have a glass. But at home we don’t usually have anything with dinner other than water or iced tea. Recently I have been loving La Croix Sparkling Water in “Peach Pear” It is refreshing and really satisfying.

When I was in the city recently I was once again on the search for the perfect under eye highlighter. I feel like that might be my purpose in life?! I have tons of them in my drawer and usually end up giving them to my Mom when I find my newest obsession! Trust me, she doesn’t complain! I went into Sephora to have a look around but have such problems with the lighting in there. Does anyone else have this issue? I find the lighting in there to be very dark. Whenever I put something on my skin to see the color, it is so hard to actually see it. I got a bit discouraged and ended up going for a walk down the mall to one of the department stores. I ended up at the Chanel counter which is not something that I would usually do. I started talking to a super helpful consultant. Before I knew it, she had me in the chair demonstrating the “Eclat Lumiere Highlighting Face Pen” in Beige Rose.I found it gave me everything that I was looking for. It brightened around my eyes and made me look really fresh.

A few weeks ago I found myself not sleeping very well and left with low energy the next morning. It probably didn’t help that the kid who lives upstairs from us parent’s were away and he decided to have a party – but that is another story! I don’t know about you, but that is not a fun way to start the day. Nope! I did a bit of research on vitamins and really liked the reviews that I found for the GNC Women’s Ultra Mega Energy Vitapak Program. Now multi packs are never cheap, because they are convenient! I have decided that after testing them out for a few weeks and still feeling really good it is a price that I am willing to pay. To me, you can’t really put a price on good health.

I love the look of a fresh manicure. But……I am not prepared to pay the $40 that they charge where I live to have that luxury. Luckily, I found this Infinite Shine nail kit from OPI that really does last the two weeks as stated on the box. The best thing is that it comes off with regular nail polish remover. The color that I am currently wearing in the picture is called “You Sustain Me”. It is a great Spring time color that will literally go with anything. I also think that it is a color that would be flattering on pretty much everyone. Shine on!

Just as the calendar was about to announce the arrival of Spring, I decided that it was time to change up my hair color to celebrate the end of winter. Spring screamed “Rose Gold” to me so that is what my bad self went with! My colorist advised me if I wanted to maintain the color I should use the Color Conserve line from Aveda. I have been using it for the past 4 weeks as directed by my hair gal (including the freezing cold water to wash & rinse with!!!) and I am certain that my color has remained.

I think that about concludes what I am loving this week. I am actually surprised that I have not included any food in my list?!!! Hmmm…that is so not like me!

WHAT ARE YOU OBSESSING ABOUT THIS WEEK? ANY NEW BEAUTY FINDS THAT I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT???????

Tips for a good night sleep…zzz

I never used to have a problem sleeping. No changes in routine ever seemed to rattle my system. I have started to notice in the past year or so sleep has not been as easy as it used to be. No fair! After a few rough nights I started to think how do people with chronic insomnia function in their daily life?

If I have a few nights of rough sleep it really takes a toll on my immune system and I start to feel like I might be getting sick. No bueno! Last night I went to a yin yoga class at 7pm to 8:30pm and it really set me up for a good night sleep! Here is a list of some of the things that I do to have an amazing night of sleep:-

Yin / Restorative Yoga – I highly recommend trying both forms of yoga. I have a love for all types of yoga but personally think that the world needs more yin & restorative forms of yoga in order to help relax and de-stress the body and mind. I have been going for a few years now and find that my body craves it. I like to do the evening classes so that I can go home and go to bed. Talk about sweet dreams!  Namaste.

Essential Oils – Since the beginning of the year I have really enjoyed indulging in essential oils. I diffuse them, add them to my facial care, add a splash of lemon, lime or orange to my water, put a few drops on my pillow each night before bedtime. I love essential oils! A bonus is so does my husband! If not, he would be gassed out most evenings as I prep myself and my pillow for bedtime! My favorite oil to diffuse during the daytime is peppermint – love it, can’t get enough of it! At night time I really like cedar wood, I find it really grounding. I don’t know if that is because we live in the mountains and that is what I need but it really is a nightly ritual that I have come to look forward to and love.

Yoga Nidra – Have you ever tried it? I used to go to class about twice every week at our old yoga studio. There are no yoga poses involved whatsoever. It is all about getting the mind and body to relax. It is a rotation of consciousness around the body. It has been said that a 45 minute session is equivalent to a 4 hour nap. Sign me up! If you do not have access to a studio go on http://www.youtube.com and search for yoga nidra. You will be asleep before the session is finished. Sweet dreams!

Herbal Tea – Ever heard that a cup of tea and a biscuit (cookie) can make everything better? It is so true! I once told my Mom that for the world to know peace, everyone should do yoga, get a puppy and drink tea! She thought that my naivety was sweet! Tea soothes my soul like no other. It is like a warm hug in a cup. And who doesn’t need that from time to time? My hand just went up!

Read a Book – Nothing like a good old fashioned book to help calm the mind before bedtime. I love reading. I even bought myself the cutest book light to attach to my book when I am reading in bed at night. Then you don’t have to get out of bed to turn the light off when you are done. Genius!

Put away the electronics – It is so true what they say! I try not to look at my phone or any form of social media before bedtime. It literally can wait until tomorrow morning. I don’t want to waste any precious time that could be spent sleeping, or look at anything that is going to stimulate  my mind, especially when it is time to start thinking about bedtime. You want to be winding down for the night not winding yourself up!

Bath Time – A nice warm bubble bath can help to relax the muscles and the mind. Something nice to add to the bath is a few drops of lavender.

If I have had a few restless nights I try to go through what I have been doing, or sometimes NOT doing! For me, it might be as simple as I have not been exercising as much as I usually do. The body gets used to physical activity and when it is not being fed as much it doesn’t require as much rest as it normally does in order to repair the body.

The above is just some of the things that I find work for myself in order to get a good night. WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU DO THAT IS NOT ON MY LIST? 

How I spent a few rainy hours on a Saturday…

This weekend I did something that I have not done since I worked full-time. I made a to-do list and crushed it like a boss lady! I don’t know what it is about a to-do list that makes me want to be so productive? Does anyone else feel that way? Or, have I just shared (scared) too much?

My husband had plans to be out of the house for the full day so I used that as my opportunity to get $hit done! The house was cleaned from top to bottom, laundry done and actually taken out of the dryer!!!, mutt loaf for the puppies, juices for the week, chopped some vegetables for my lunches for the week, meal & fitness plan for the week, I even lined my bathroom drawers with drawer liner! I kind of felt like Martha Stewart! Oh, did I forget to say that it was a rainy day? Oh boy did it pour! The puppies were decked out in the latest spring fashion wearing their raincoats. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa for keeping them so well accessorized! It was the kind of day that just made me want to stay indoors and keep busy.

We like to have fresh juice in the fridge that we can drink throughout the week. We did a 5 day juice detox diet in January. We both had different reasons for wanting to do it, other than to lose weight. I was recovering from an injury and thought that the abundance of fruit & vegetables that I would be taking in would be valuable to help my body to recover quicker. I honestly think it helped too. “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine by thy food” are good words to live by.

Juicing is quite time consuming and can be costly. I tend to prefer to drink mainly green juice. I kind of killed it on the beet juice so right now we are on a break! When I am ordering my weekly groceries I just select whatever green vegetables are on sale and use them to make my juice. This has saved me a lot of money instead of sticking to something in particular. I also buy “imperfect” fruit & vegetables because they are so much cheaper. Trust me, when you are juicing you don’t care what the product looks like. I have juiced beets the size of my head! As long as they are washed and cut up properly to fit in the juicer it all tastes the same once done.

I love how beautiful the juices look once they are all done and ready to go in the fridge. Seeing all of those beautiful colors really encourages me to be healthy. It makes all of the time and effort that I put into the process totally worth it.

With the fridge full of healthy juices and loads of vegetables cut-up and ready to be packed for my lunches, it makes the thought of Monday not so bad! It also allows me to focus on the fun things like going to yoga with my husband after work, playing with our puppies and reading my book. It only took a few hours of my time on a rainy Saturday to set myself up for a stress-free week.

DO YOU PLAN FOR THE WEEK AHEAD? HOW DO YOU SET YOURSELF UP FOR A STRESS-FREE WEEK?

Taking Charge of Life

I think it’s fair to say that I have been coasting a bit through life. I have had my little routine for a while now and I have not really detoured from it. We all know that nothing great occurs within our comfort zone! But when you are so set in your little routine that is “life”, how do you step outside of that zone?

I am not really a fan of Self Help books. To be clear, I am not saying that there is anything wrong with them,or the people that read them, but I just never felt that I would gain anything from them. I think that there are times in our life when we are more receptive to various things and maybe that is why they didn’t come along earlier? You have to be old to be wise! One day while I was scrolling through Instagram I came across the book “You are a badass, how to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life” by Jen Sincero. The title is obviously quite catchy and so is the yellow color of the book cover. I quickly logged onto my Amazon account and ordered a copy of this bad boy up. I eagerly awaited the power of Prime shipping for my book to show up so I could start living my best life!

Since starting to read this book I have had a lot “aha” moments. Don’t get me wrong, this is not rocket science that this women has wrote about, she is just someone who has figured out what she wanted in her life and how to stop procrastinating and go get it! “You go girl and live mine too with meaning while you are at it”! I don’t even know this Jen person but I think that we would be really good friends if we ever met in real life (I am probably going to be blocked on all levels of social media now!!!).

This book really made me realize that if I don’t go after the things that I want, no one is going to bring them to me. If only! I have passed up a lot of opportunities because of some silly phobias / fears that I keep dragging along with me in this journey called life. I have held tightly to some of them that they have started to feel like a second skin. Because of this book, I have learned that just because I fear something does not mean that it is going to happen. I wish that I had that enlightening moment a lot sooner. Better now than never. It dawned on me a while ago that I don’t want to spend my last day on this earth wishing that I would have done so much more with my life. I am going to fail at things, that much is a given, but if I don’t try I will never know!

What I have gained / changed since reading this book?

JOINED A RUNNING GROUP: This week I have joined a local running group. I knew before I even showed up for the group run that it would not be easy! Nothing in Whistler is ever easy! Everyone here is SO extreme! I basically felt like I was running with a group of elite runners! For me, this is so outside of my comfort zone, but I committed to it and I showed up! Could I keep up with them? That would be a “HELL NO”! Also, I have been sore for the past two days! But I feel so proud of myself! #winning

I have marked it in my calendar for next week and will show up for another round of having my ass handed to me! I know that it is never going to get easier, but each week my goal is to get just a little bit stronger. A huge incentive is if I take part in 8 runs I get a free t-shirt. And let me tell you, I want that t-shirt! It will look totally bad ass.

I knew that if I didn’t show up to run with them they were never going to swing by and beg me to run with them! Life doesn’t work like that.

BOOK CLUB: I did a little bit of research to see if there were any book clubs in our area and was super excited to see that one is hosted at our public library on the last Wednesday of each month. It is a great way to get me to read more and enjoy an open discussion with a diverse group of individuals who I would probably never meet if it were not for the book club. I am quite excited to start reading the book that has been selected and make a few notes as I go.

START BLOGGING AGAIN: Getting back to blogging. I have been a loyal blog reader for about 10 years. I love to read them and learn about the bloggers life. Does that make me ultra nosey?!! I find some of the blogs that I read to be very inspiring. I always think about how much I would like to have my own. I love the creative aspect of it and coming up with different topics. I have a lot of stories (and voices) in my head that are worth sharing. I have a lot more time on my hands than I did a few years ago. More than ever, I feel that it is important for me to have a creative outlet and to use my brain more.

PLAN A TRIP TO SOMEWHERE AMAZING! Italy – ever since I can remember I have wanted to go and eat my way across this beautiful country. I am not lying when I say “eat” my way across Italy. This would be a trip of a lifetime and there will be no counting calories or portion sharing! Everything in my luggage will have an elastic waist and no crumb will go uneaten! This trip will unfortunately not be happening this year but it WILL happen next year. I want to spend a lot of time researching the places that I want to go and make sure that it works. I think that even the planning will be exciting. It will be a trip of a lifetime and I want to make every aspect of it memorable.

There are few books that I actually want to read again after I have finished them. But I really think that I will read this book again. I think that it would be like a “check-up” for all of my life goals. How am I doing? Did I actually accomplish any goals that I listed for myself? Is there room for improvement?

ARE YOU A BADASS? HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT AMAZING THINGS HAVE YOU DONE SINCE?