Youtube Yoga

When I was in college and actually started thinking about maintaining physical fitness for the first time in my life (helllloooo Freshman 15), I wanted an easy-non-cardio-don't-make-me-actually-sweat workout. I thought, Eureaka! Yoga is easy!

Now, all you Yogis out there don't start gunning for me yet...

I was so wrong. Yoga is totally challenging and actually DOES make me sweat! I loved it - and if it hadn't been for 3 jobs and a crazy class schedule and a serious relationship, I probably would've taken waaaaaay more advantage of the free classes at our rec center. However, se la vie, and I didn't do as much yoga as I would've liked. Fast forward 5 years (holy crap, I've been out of college for FIVE years?!) and I still love yoga, but I had fallen out of doing it with any regularity.

When I picked up running a couple years ago (wow, I still feel like such a beginner!), I started having some inflammation in my hip (something about an extra vertebrae and a pelvis that likes to twist). The first bout of inflammation I treated with ice and chiropractic care and proper running shoes. Then I stopped running for 6 months, ya know, because of that hip... and internship... and job.... and oh yes, a polar vortex. (I have lots of great excuses guys!)

Running and I were on a break.

But we are working things out now. 

My renewed relationship with running now has  the added component of regular yoga. Since I am cheap and my husband is probably the biggest fan of youtube.com I've ever known, I decided to give it a whirl and see if I could find some post-run yoga stretching for my hips on the ol' youtube.

I found that and so much more! Here are a few of my favorite videos:

My go-to post run stretch:


I love her whole channel and this video really got me sweating:



This was harder than I thought, and dang, I was sore afterwards:


Oh and an oldie but a goodie!:


I love that all of these are free and the only equipment you need is some stretchy pants and a yoga mat, but still a great work out in the comfort of your own living room!

Disclaimer here - I am not any type of fitness guru and you should have some common sense and not do stuff if it hurts or your doctor tells you not to - kapeesh?

A Stylish Mama

So, today is Mother's day - never my favorite day out of the year since losing my own mom to cancer 17 years ago. It has absolutely gotten easier to celebrate this day over the years and I have a lot of amazing women in my life to celebrate on this day.  Women who treat me like one of their own, mentor, and help to guide me along this crazy thing called life. It is a complex thing to celebrate this day but today I want to focus on something I love - style. I saw this adorable blog about what women have learned from their mom's about fashion and ModCloth's instagram and blog have been filled with "mom-inspired" outfits all week!

I love the idea of celebrating mom's style because most of the time a mom is going to be a big source of your fashion and style choices, even unconsciously. My own sweet mama was definitely my biggest style inspiration just by her own love of clothes, fashion, shoes, and all things accessories. Some of the biggest fashion lessons I learned from her were:

- If you've got it, flaunt it. (aka dress for your body, every one has something to flaunt! Play up your assets!)

- Always look put together, because how you look affects how you feel. My mom was often undergoing some sort of medical procedure or treatment for her cancer, but by god I dare you to find a hair out of place. She felt better if she looked put together.

- When in doubt, buy the shoes. She is the reason I inherited by Imelda Marcos level shoe hoarding habits. She had dozens and dozens of shoes, and she found a way to wear them all!

- And perhaps most importantly, be confident. Be OK with who you are and embrace yourself. It may have took some urging by her best friend (hey, we all have self-confidence issues now and then) but it was brave and amazing of her to bare her adorable little head during her chemo. She also had a blonde wig that she wore because, as she said, "Blondes have more fun".

So today, in order to honor her, I am wearing an outfit directly inspired by my mom. I have lots of 80's - 90's fashion inspiration photos to choose from, as you can see from above, but when I first decided to do this post I picked this one:

Just look how adorable she is! :) Stripes are totally on trend right now and I love red. I thought this would be the perfect outfit to try to emulate. So I tried. And I tried. And I hated the new top I bought (I am actually taking it back) and it just didn't feel right.

I went back to the photo album. I learned that my mom wore white jeans a lot. Like, she even had a pair of white overalls! I learned that she also wore pastels. a lot. I also learned she apparently had her photo taken in winter a lot, or she was just always cold, because I swear the woman is wearing a turtleneck or heavy knit in almost every photo! Then I started to re-think this whole post and thought that a photo album was making me a liar…

Then I took a minute and breathed.

 I decided to go simple. So, I  went back to some of my favorite photos, of some of my most cherished memories. I changed my mind and picked this one:

A snapshot from our last vacation together in Sedona, AZ. The time when my mom was being amazingly brave. A classic outfit - a floral top (even if it is a turtleneck (IN ARIZONA MOM - REALLY?)), jeans, and a long sweater. That I can do.

So here is my version. Updated print and silhouette and let's not talk about acid wash, but ultimately the same concept. Plus, I think she would've liked it.

Happy Mother's Day Mama.

Has your mom influenced you fashion sense? What's the best style advice your mom gave you?

Friday Favorites

I like to hop around the blogosphere to see everyone's Friday posts because they are all usually so upbeat and lovely. Everyone is celebrating the fact that it is Friday, the hard week is over, and the weekend is just a few hours away... It is like a party on the internet and I love it.

I want to put out some positive Friday-vibes on my little corner of the interwebs too, so I thought I would just throw out a couple things I am loving from this past week! (Prepare yourself for this to be all over the place, I love lots of things!)

1. Jif Whips

This is heaven in a dish. Oh my goodness, it is light and fluffy and super delicious. I am telling everyone I know about this stuff and my husband and I are going through almost 2 tubs a week! We are constantly fighting over the chocolate one... its almost like candy or nutella but FLUFFY. Really, there is no going wrong here.

2. Nurses and Teachers

Hey it's nurse and teacher appreciation week - I know a bunch of both and they are some of the most giving, loving, patient, kind people with stomachs of steel... I mean kids and patients = body fluids. *shudder* But really, I do think you are amazing and respect all of the really hard work you all do to make the world better either by teaching or by nursing. :)

3. The Originals

If it is wrong that my husband and I bond over smutty supernatural shows, then I don't want to be right. We both totally love this new CW spinoff (even better than the original... har har) and always watch it together. Elijah is my favorite. I think the hubs prefers Klaus. :)

4. Pinterest - Geek Section

This section of pinterest truly speaks to my soul... or at least my funny bone. When I need a pick-me-up at work, I spend 5 minutes here and giggle to my heart's content. It's also full of great gifs of Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) dancing. Go ahead. Click here, here, here, here, here and here. You will thank me.

5. Summer Country Music
Now this truly does speak to my soul. Some of the new country songs hitting the air waves are seriously taking me straight back to 17, laying in the grass, watching the stars, and being carefree. It's nostalgic, bittersweet, and just lovely. (Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back to 17 for a million dollars, BUT it is nice to get all reminisce-y)

You can check out some of my absolute favorites right now on the ol' youtube.com:
Luke Bryan - Play it Again (I mean... swoooon)
Black Shelton - My Eyes
Keith Urban - Cop Car
Band Perry - Chainsaw
Eric Church - Hometown
Rascal Flatts - Rewind

What are YOU loving this week?? Products, music, websites?? Share in the comments!

Happy Friday!

Product Review: Primer (for yo face, not yo wall)

Since I have some great friends who are in the middle of a home-reno, paint primer was the first thing I thought of when I wrote my title, which is why I needed to clarify this is primer for the face! I actually had no idea what primer was until about 5 years ago when shopping for wedding-day make up. Any girl needs to know that her wedding day make up will stay put and stay flawless and primer helps to make that happen. It also helps moisturize and some have SPF protectant. I literally used it 1 time and relegated it to the bottom of my make-up bag because, as the meme goes, "ain't nobody got time for that".

Well, as I have grown out of my early 20's baby face and have been turned on to more grown up make-up, primer has actually become a regular part of my make-up routine. I have tried several and will share my thoughts about them with you here!

First up, the wedding day primer:

Make Up Forever

I just got another sample of this in my recent Sephora order and was reminded of why it works so well. This is definitely a high quality product, it is light and silky going on. The smell is light, fresh, and clean. It is very thin consistency, so a little goes a long way. It is a higher price tag than I would typically spend - $35, but a fantastic product. 

Benefit Pore-fessional 

This is another super silky product and you could wear it alone if you just wanted very sheer coverage because it is very slightly tinted and helps to even out skin and cover up pores to make make-up glide on easily. I also like this product, but I tend to get a little shiny in the T-zone by the end of a day when I use it. However, I do not like the smell of this one. I can't even describe it to you, but I find it to be icky, but not quite icky enough to not use. This one can also be pricier than I am usually willing to pay ($31 for full-size) but you can get a mini version to try for around $10.

Neutrogena Primer

This was is totally budget friendly ($10 or less) and has a mattifying effect which I loved. It is fairly light consistency and also a thinner consistency so it spreads on easily, and make up goes on easily over it. It kept me pretty matte all day, which is a win in my book. I got it at Target, but I've been back several times and can't find it again!

My fruitless hunt for the Neutrogena primer led me to try this last one -
No. 7 mattifying primer.

Whoa man. Matte for days baby. This one has kind of a sticky formula, which took some getting used to, but it is very effective and budget friendly too. I am using it every day, but probably will try to find something a bit lighter on my next trip to the store since the weather is warming up, I try to go lighter on the facial products in the summer. It is about the same price tag as Neutrogena - $10 or so.

If I had to pick out of all of them, I would go for the Neutrogena one, because it is budget friendly and it had a mattefying effect without being super sticky. However, the Make-Up forever one is definitely a winner in my book as well, and it is a brand I love (I use their foundation and blush too!) but I feel like you should save where you can.

Tired

Guys, sometimes this whole blogging this is really hard. 

I mean, yes, I have been super busy as of late, but it is more than that. 

I stress over the content here. I adore reading other blogs, but I have little confidence that anything I say is readable. I am not very funny, not very witty, and don’t have any type of platform to tout products or anything else. 

I feel extraordinarily ordinary. And most days, really, I am A-OK with ordinary. 

But is ordinary worth blogging? 

What about those really tough, but still ordinary seasons of life? 

Weeks when people you love are exceptionally hard on you for no good reason. The weeks you disappoint yourself. The days you cannot stand to look in a mirror. Those times that if one more person asks you to do something you will just scream. I have had a lot of these lately. I have had no desire to string words together and plaster them up on the internet, because why? I have nothing positive of note to say. I don’t want to be a whiny blogger and just express my feelings when things are tough or I am down. And my gosh, if I have to take one more selfie… 

But at the same time, I want to be authentic and real because that is what I love so much about some of my favorite bloggers. They keep it real yo. 

So in the spirit of authenticity – life has been hard. I am tired. Eh - more than tired, weary. I have not wanted to blog. I have not wanted to take pictures of myself. I’ve taken some hits to my self esteem (honestly, sometimes I amaze myself for the amount of self-confidence I do have). I’ve worried more than my norm. I have hit my stress limits on all fronts; work, school, and home. 

But today – I see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I have been taking care of myself a bit better and hitting the pavement again. I am feeling stronger and blissfully sore again. I am almost done with another class and that much closer to my Masters. The winter has finally broke and Spring is here. I am going to be practicing a little more self-love and taking more time to appreciate my accomplishments rather than just plowing ahead to the next thing. I am setting a new intention for the rest of the year; to love my whole self. 

I don’t know what that might look like yet – I do know that I need to holistically care for myself; mind, body, and soul. Maybe a little more exercise, a little more reflection, possibly some journaling, hopefully a little less stress and anxiety, and a little more confidence perhaps? 

What do you do to love yourself and renew mind/body/spirit?

Bloglovin'

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 Guys - I finally jumped on the Bloglovin band-wagon. I am such an awful blogger! I will get myself together sometime I swear!

100 Day Shopping Ban - Home Stretch

In January of this year, I am embarked on a 100-day shopping ban with some fellow bloggers. The idea was proposed by the lovely Rachel the Hat and she wrote a great mid-way follow up post which you can read here. It really encompassed a lot of the feelings I was having about this journey.

Since January 6^th I have been purchase-free. My ban included clothes, shoes, and any accessories. I did spend some Christmas gift cards on 3 tunics from ModCloth (see here, here, and here) which I have gotten a ton of use out of, but no other new clothing has graced by closet or dented my bank account. Well, I also purchased a pair of rain/winter boots that were deemed a necessity, but those are probably worth their own post AND were OK'd by the Twitter shopping ban support group :)  

We are two weeks away from the end of this shopping ban and it is making me think that April 15^th will be my most favorite day of the year this year. (My hubs is an accountant, so tax day marks the day we can be normal people again –that AND I get to buy clothes again!) With the weather FINALLY feeling like Spring, I have to admit, I am jonesing for some new springy clothes! I meandered around Target for almost 45 minutes on Saturday just looking at and touching all of the new seasonal styles and making some mental notes for things I will be more than happy to add to my wardrobe. Also, Easter is almost upon us and I always love a new Easter dress. So, when my ban lifts I will likely purchase the following:

1.   Floral, springy dress(es)

2.   Floral, multicolor scarf

3.   Denim vest

4.   Light-weight cardi(s)

5.   Soft, pastel shirt(s)

6.   Linen pants

7.   Comfy wedges

8.   Something in cobalt

It is nice to actually have a well-thought out list of things that I actually need to supplement my wardrobe and I have also been able to do a lot of purging over the past few months as I have been able to clearly see which clothing items I don’t wear. I even started a Pinterest Wish List that can keep me realistic about the clothing items I really want to own, not just those that inspire me.

Some lessons I have learned over the past 90ish days:

1.   I really don’t NEED new clothes – I mean, I know this seems completely obvious, and it really is, but I think I needed to go through this ban to just see how many clothes I really do have.

2.   I can be more creative with mixing and matching. – Again, duh Ashlea.

3.   Shopping is almost like stress-eating for me. When I am unhappy I shop and I am glad to be able to “window shop” in the same way without making impulse purchases and still get that little “high” or bit of inspiration to take home.

4.   Purge, purge, purge. I’ve been able to make way in my closet for some new seasonal items because I purged. I am also going to make an attempt to switch from a winter-to-summer wardrobe for the first time in, oh ever. My drawers are prime real estate, so I will work on actually putting some stuff into storage in the next month or so.

5.   There are actually better things to spend money on than new dresses… kind of. We were able to get a new blender and some new pillow shams that really completed our bedroom and all because I was actually paying attention to things in our home that reside in other places than my closet.

I do miss shopping, totally. I LOVE getting new packages of goodies in the mail and making impulse Target shopping trips. However, I hope to move forward as a more responsible, careful, and thoughtful shopper.