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Summer Fitness Essentials

As the weather warms up, it gets easier to be active outside. The fresh air can motivate you to run a little farther than when you are on the treadmill at the gym. Start tracking your activity, water intake and protect your skin while you are enjoying the summer sun. Get out there and have fun!

If you need a little extra motivation to stay on track and you want to record your workout achievements, grab this free fitness tracker printable.

Free fitness tracker template

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Here’s what you need to arm yourself for success while exercising outside this summer. Stay hydrated, protect your skin and get out there.

 

Summer Fitness Essentials for Exercising in the Heat

Sources

1. Thermos’s Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid (it connects to your fitbit to accurately track your water intake!)

2. Athleta Mesh Runner’s Cap

3. FlipBelt (this fits my iPhone 6 Plus)

4. Nike Womens Flex Running Sneakers

5. Athleta SPF 50 Pacifica Top

6. Lululemon Pace Rival Skirt (these have “sticky”shorts underneath which work great for tennis and running)

7. Fitbit Alta Fitness Tracker

8. Beautycounter Stick Sunscreen SPF 30 Broad Spectrum

Get out there and have some fun outside! Even if you are just running after your little ones at the playground, you might as well look stylish while you are doing it this summer!

8 Summer Fitness Essentials for Women

Pin this and share with your friends. Thanks!

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What I’m Into (February 2016)

What I'm into: February 2016

Today is a bonus day. One extra day we don’t see for another four years. I thought I would use this day to share what inspired me, delighted me and encouraged me this past month. Spring is around the corner and I’m excited to flip the calendar page tomorrow.

What inspired you this month?

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  1. What started as a fun Instagram idea for #waterwednesday has turned into a fun beverage to fill the gap between coffee and wine.

IMG_34352. Trying to learn a new skill is hard, but worth it. I decided to sign up for the Modern Calligraphy Summit this month. I have enjoyed seeing people create wonderful businesses through the gift of lettering. Call me curious so I’m giving lettering a whirl. It’s a lot harder than it looks…

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3. The bullet journal is working for me. My way. It’s not the real way, but it’s a tidy place for me to categorize all the random information I learn from magazines, blogs, conversations with friends and such. (I use the Kate Spade spiral notebook.)

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4. At Mine is like Pinterest of old…pretty pictures without screaming headlines. Take a peek if you like to look at pretty interior design pictures. It’s also another way to shop directly from a picture.

Home-office-inspiration-organization

 

5. Aqua is my happy color. I cleaned out my Martha Stewart office supplies and when I get a glimpse of this color it remind me of summer. I did the same thing under my kitchen sink with fun baskets. Who knew throwing out the trash could spark joy? (image source)

To round out what I’m into this month:

Reading: Station Eleven and listening to Daring Greatly

Listening: Finally switched to Spotify since Pandora doesn’t work in Canado (boo!). Love the Peace playlist when the kids are rowdy. Also loving the What Should I Read Next Podcast.

Watching: Billions. Great show so far. Also loved the movie Burnt.

See what’s inspiring others over at Leigh Kramer this week.

Ready for March?

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How I am Surviving Winter

After last February’s epic snowfall, I can’t say I was very excited for the return of winter. When we learned we were moving to Toronto, we had no idea what to expect. Most people said it isn’t too bad, yet others said the last two winter’s were really cold. So far it’s been quite bearable, but I know we are far from through the woods.

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite things this winter that are helping me stay warm and cozy when the temps do dip below freezing. The only thing missing from this list is my husband lighting a fire in the family room.

How to Survive Winter with Cozy Favorites

  • Reading has become a favorite pastime again. All the Light We Cannot See is a must read. (amazon affiliate link)
  • North Face Mittens (shop)
  • Essential oils-I use the Young Living line and use Thieves daily. (if you need someone to place your order with, I can connect you with someone in the US or Canada) There are another 4 oils I use regularly as well and so far we are all staying healthy this season!
  • L’Occitane Shea Butter- using this on everyone’s hands and face. Amazing. (shop)
  • Tea is key, and so are cute mugs.
  • Lole Emmy jacket (shop). I have the blue one!
  • Cozy boots are a must for our slushy mornings. I love these ones from Merrell.
  • Audible books, which is Amazon’s audiobook shop- get 2 free audiobooks when you try it out this month. (amazon shop) I find it easier to listen to non-fiction books on my reading list in the car. My two favorite ones as of late are Big Magic and Make it Happen.
  • Tennis is my favorite sport these days. It’s social and aerobic at the same time and makes me feel less of an outsider in my new town. I use the Babolat Aerodrive racket.

Share some of your winter favorites in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear what’s on your list.

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Embracing the Fall Season

It’s officially fall and time to embrace the change in seasons. Cooler days and darker nights are not my favorite part of fall, but it does give us an excuse to settle in and get cozy. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite things that get me excited about the fall season. Add to this all the pumpkin things, like my pumpkin pie smoothie, and I’m ready for falling leaves and cooler temps.
Fall uniform, check. (which is a vest, jeans and tall boots. Thank you Joanna for solidifying the uniform name!) Happy rain boots, check. New kitchenware for cozy stews, check.
Fall Fashion Favorites
 Sources…

What’s on your must have list for Fall?

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Sun Protection Beyond the Bottle

The hot weather has finally arrived in our little neck of the woods. Snow pants and wool hats were quickly replaced with sunscreen and sun hats. Getting the kids off to school layered up in sunscreen is a new part of our routine, one they need to get used to for the summer ahead. But what about other ways to protection our skin from the sun’s harsh rays? May is Skin Cancer Awareness month and it has certainly touched many people’s lives. Today I want to share some ways to protect your skin beyond reaching for the bottle of sunscreen.

Sun Protection Beyond the Bottle

Umbrellas

  • Find yourself a fabulous umbrella for the beach. Make sure it has an UPF rating of 50+. (UPF stands for ultraviolet protection factor)
  • The Coolibar Umbrella here is our family favorite. You can see at least 4 of them lined up at our beach spot all summer long with multiple families sharing the cool shade. It’s worth the price.

UPF Clothing

  • There is now a wide variety of choices in clothing with built-inUPF ratings of 50+.
    • Coolibar has womens, mens, kids and babies
    • Athleta and Title Nine also have options now for working out and some beach cover-ups.
    • Mott50 has fashion forward choices, including this awesome infinity scarf accessory.

Mott50 Infinity scarf

 

Hats

  • There are so many choices in fabrics…straw, canvas, and so on.
  • The key is to find one that will cover your ears, one of the top spots for skin cancer to form.
  • Find one with a brim large enough to give you lots of coverage, but not so much that it’s droopy and impedes your peripheral vision. (I had that issue once and it was so annoying while watching the kids at the beach.)

Kids Surf Suits

Kids UPF Surf Suit

  • The adorable surf suits make playing outside all day so much easier for both kids and parents. Less sunscreen is needed and some cover from the neck all the way to the ankles. (both suits at Coolibar.com)
  • These suits are generally good for one season and not great as hand-me-downs. The fabric often gets stretched out from sand, salt and the sun and you can’t rely on the same level of sun protection.

Hydration

  • A friendly reminder to stay hydrated while hanging out in the sun. Treat yourself and the kids to new water bottles this summer to encourage lots of water intake. Flavor the water with fresh fruit or cucumbers and keep it chilled.

Stay safe as you enjoy the warm summer months! Sunscreen will always be helpful but I love that there are all these other options now to help us protect our skin from the sun.

Disclosure: Coolibar provided our family product in exchange for this post. We have been loyal shoppers of Coolibar for years and all opinions shared here are my own. Throughout May, which is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Coolibar is giving the American Cancer Society $1 for every order placed. As an added incentive, they are also offering 15% off the entire order using the code ACS15.

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8 Ways to Make Stitch Fix Work for You

8 Ways to Make Stitch Fix Work Better for You

Over the past year, Stitch Fix has become part of the busy woman’s vocabulary. No time to shop? Stitch Fix will do it for you. Looking to update your wardrobe post baby? Stitch Fix can do that too. Yet despite how amazing the program is, many women are still struggling to make it work for them. When I’m wearing a fun novelty sweater, my friends will now say, “That’s a Stitch Fix isn’t it? Why don’t I get stuff like that?” Everyone loves the idea of it, but some need to guidance of how to work for them.

Stitch Fix has given me a closet I love. I walk in and it takes me very little time to get dressed. I have options for dressier gatherings, but also chic everyday clothes. I truly enjoy each piece I have decided to keep and they bring me joy. (yes, I have read this book, and now reading her second.)

Today I’m going to share some tips on how to make Stitch Fix work better for you. It’s still a fairly new company so things continue to be updated and allow for more communication with the stylists. There are lots of different places where you can make your opinions known, loud and clear.

Take the time to fully update your StitchFix Profile to make it work for you.

Take some time to fill out your Style Profile, but remember to come back to it occasionally to see if it still makes sense.

 

1. Style Profile: spend some time filling this out. I think it should take no less than 10 minutes to fill it out for the first time. This is where you fill out the info for your size, style preference (based on image collages) and needs.

2. Style Profile: for returning customers, continue to go back into your Profile. New questions get added by the company, including ones regarding Petite sizing and are you are Pregnant.

3. If you really want more clothes to choose from, select the jewelry from the list of items you do not want them to send you. I have never received any bracelets/earrings/necklaces and instead get a lot more clothing items to choose from. (my accessory exceptions are handbags and scarves)

The note to Stylist is the best place to give specific feedback for your next StitchFix box.

4. Note for your Stylist. This is a fun place to be specific about what you want to see in your next Fix. You can always get to this by signing in to your account if you have a fix scheduled. Go to your Home tab and enter details of what you need in the note. This is the place to remind the stylist that you don’t want sleeveless, have a long torso, looking for cardigans, hate cardigans, etc. I am specific here about what is appropriate seasonally. Living in the Boston area and still looking at snow, I don’t need anything too summery yet. I share that I need transitional items that lend themselves to layering. Living down South, you may be ready for sleeveless tops and cute dresses.

Create a Pinterest board to help your StitchFix stylist

5. Creating a Pinterest board to help guide your Stylist. I had one started long before Stitch Fix arrived at my doorstep and had hundreds of pins to help share my style with my stylist. (Thank you Michelle!) Start your own and see what outfits make you smile. You can search Pinterest for ideas, head to the women’s fashion section, or pin directly from J. Crew or other shopping site. You can follow my Pinterest board below and scroll through to take a peek at what I’m saving to share with my stylist.

 

Use the StitchFix checkout area to give specific feedback about your box.

6. When you checkout your box, be very specific in the feedback. This is your chance to say if you have a long torso and need longer length tops. Same for bottoms. Got something you really didn’t like? Tell them what it is? The shape, the print, the feel of the fabric, the color, the length? There are so many things that make a piece of clothing work for someone, but it may not work for you. Let your stylist know.

7. Share Stitch Fix with your friends and if they purchase a box, you get $25 in free clothes. Lovely, right. This is my affiliate link and I have been able to get a few credits to help update my closet the past 18 months of using Stitch Fix. It’s no cost to you either and is easy to share online with friends and family once you have a profile.

8. Stick with the same stylist once you find one that gets your style. I’ve had the same one for 7 of my 10 fixes. She knows I’m partial to navy and green and novelty printed tops. Is it always 100% keep? No, but I’ve had at least 4 100% keep boxes, which is great because you get an additional 25% off. I have friends that will keep item #5 and then barter with friends to trade! This may not always be accommodated, but it’s great when you find a match.

Declutter your closet with Stitch Fix

Are you ready to streamline your closet so you only see items you love? Head here.

Stitch Fix has been great for this busy mom. Not only do I save time by not having to shop around for clothes, but I can try them on at home and then drop anything I don’t want to keep on my doorstep for the mailman to return. So easy. I also recommend keeping the styling cards that come with each item. Over time, it is helpful to go back and relook at how an item can be repurposed for different occasions.

Head over to Stitch Fix and schedule your box today! This month I coordinated my delivery with a friend so we can trade items if something doesn’t work for us. It’s a Stitch Fix Swap!

p.s. Have you seen my favorite picks for fun Fall Fashion? Head over here to check it out. And now the Winter Survival Guide is live too!

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How To Save Your Favorite Jeans

How to save your favorite pair of jeans!

Have you ever had a favorite pair of jeans wear out in the knees way too fast? A tear from your boot heels? Turns out there is a place to get your jeans fixed, kind of like a denim hospital. I first read about Denim Therapy in a Real Simple article about organizing your closet. You send away your jeans, they give you an estimate, then you decide if you want to have them fixed.

As I cleaned out my closet of maternity clothes and in-between baby clothes, I found one of my favorite jeans (Gap Curvy) with a split open knee. Distressed jeans can be cool, but this isn’t quite the look. In January I started the process online, printed out the instructions and sent it off to New York. (If you are in NYC, you can just drop them off!)

Repair your favorite jeans with Denim Therapy

While at Disney World, I got the email with an estimate to fix my small hole. It was $12.00 to make the repair. I said yes and they got to work. I waited a few weeks and then wondered where my jeans were. I sent an email off and they called me back within the hour to say the jeans were done, but had accidentally been put in the “pick-up” section. They fixed the problem, since I paid for shipping, and they arrived on my doorstep the next morning. Kudos for fast customer service.

The shipping cost was more than fixing it, $7 there and $12 back. Clearly a more economical choice if you are in NYC, but still a great option if you are looking to fix an expensive pair of jeans. I’m kicking myself that I donated my favorite Citizens of Humanity jeans before I knew about this service. I would have happily paid $31.00 to hang on to those jeans for another year or two.

Fix your favorite jeans with Denim Therapy

So how does the repair look? I say pretty good. The thread matching is good, with just a little discoloration around it where the fabric first started to show some wear and tear. When they are on, you can hardly see the difference. I have washed and dried it and the repair is still strong and flat. Would I send another pair in? Yes, as it’s a great way to maintain the clothes your already own and save you some pennies (and time) shopping for a new pair. It’s great to get your already broken in jeans back into the wardrobe rotation.

Got a favorite pair to fix? Send your jeans to the denim doctors over at Denim Therapy and let them work some magic.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post, I found them on my own. I did discover that they have an affiliate link to earn “denim dollars” but I’m hoping I don’t have to use them anytime soon! 

 

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Eco-Friendly Kid Shoes for Summer

It’s finally getting warm around here which means it’s time to go shoe shopping. Both kids need new summer sandals and I thought it would be fun to pull together some cute, eco-friendly shoes for summer. Summer camp is around the corner so it’s time to  get prepared with sandals, flip flops and swim shoes.

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It may be time to order shoe labels for each child too. Those sticky shoe dots are invaluable when it comes to finding your kid’s shoes in a pile. I rely on them and thankfully had them in my kid’s shoes when I accidentally took someone else’s home recently from the gym. (Can I call it pregnancy brain?). I like the sticky labels from KiddoTags, the shoe dots stay on well and there are a lot of cute ways to customize them.

Eco-Friendly Boy Shoes

Eco Friendly Boy Shoes for Spring
Eco Friendly Shoes for Girls

What else is on your shopping list for summer? It’s Earth Month so I’m trying to be aware of my shopping purchases and make eco-friendly ones when possible.

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Disclosure: I received KiddoTags to help facilitate my review. The customizing options are great and I let my four year old help pick out her own special sticky label clothing tags. They have some great value packs to get your family ready for camp. All opinions shared here are my own.

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