At Home Workout Finds from Amazon

 

  All my workouts have been at home or outside at parks or in my backyard, and even when I'm not working out, I'm mostly wearing at least yoga pants. I figure when I start my day and get dressed, I'm going to work out, so I might as well just get dressed in my yoga pants and sports bra.
Because I was going through my stash so fast (since that's mostly all I'm wearing), I needed to supplement. I tried a few new brands at much lower prices than my typical workout wear brands, and pleasantly surprised!
Sharing my new favorite Amazon found brands and other items that I'm loving in this new workout from home lifestyle.

Bottoms: Love these liquid-shine black cropped pants to wear even off the (workout) mat, I have have these cropped "naked feeling" pink cropped pants, and these leopard leggings are similar to ones I have from Athleta.
Tops: This nude sports bra is great for summer with a mesh top and back, this breezy workout tank also has a mesh back to keep cool in the heat, and I love the back on this strappy sports bra (and lots of color options).
Matching Set: I love the scalloped edge to the yoga bralette (and it's criss-cross back) and the edge of these matching bottoms in solid or the mesh-design insert of these coordinating bottoms.
Essentials:  Everyone needs a pair of dumbbell hand weights (even a light pair) can be the key to tons of toning exercises.  I've had my Garmin smartwatch for several years, and love that it keeps me on track with steps and tracks my calorie burn, etc.  I'm eying this foldable yoga mat after lugging my typical rolled up around to some parks for group workouts.

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Amazon It List

 {Top to Bottom; Right to Left: 

Dress, Earrings, Lace Swim Cover Up, Headbands, Bamboo Purse, Pink Crocodile Clips, Marble Tray, Sunscreen, Hair Clips, Workout Leggings, Stripe Shirt, White Slides, Swimsuit}

  My Amazon IT list of what I'm feeling and loving right now. That prime gets me everytime. Here are the fashion, accessory and other random items I recommend:
Cute totes and purses for summer are great to find for cheaper on Amazon! I love this round wicker purse for under $30, this popular bamboo tote and this black/white stripe beach tote for under $25.
All the things you need for summer at the pool or beach are on Amazon! My favorite sunscreen, this cute and flattering strapless swimsuit, these birkenstock knock-off and waterproof slip on sandals, and a lace swimsuit coverup that can double as a summer layer to an outfit (worn here).

I get a lot of my everyday hair tools and products, as well as fun trendy pieces from Amazon. I have been using this hot tools curling iron for 10+ years. It's inexpensive and works like a charm.  And I use these crocodile clips to keep pieces of hair back while I style my hair.
I am loving the fun hair clip trend and have picked up these pearl ones (seen on Nora and I above) and geometric/tortoise shell ones. Nora and I share these clips - she still thinks it's fun to match. :)  I've also just ordered these knot headbands for under $15.

My closet isn't hurting either - I love Amazon's workout pants (worn above) for workout classes or shorter/cooler workouts (they just don't breath as well as more expensive versions, but at $25 and a ton of fun colors - worth it!). I also love stocking up on summer dresses - like this stripe short-sleeve dress.
And what's a closet without a million stripe shirts? This one is under $18, and I love how it's longer in the back - perfect for wearing with leggings.
Some of my current favorite shoes I've scored recently are these cream sneakers and these white slides:

A light weight and fun earring to add to your summer rotation are these tortoise shell hoops.
And probably one of the most popular buys from previous Amazon posts over on my Like2Know.it account, and that I also love myself is this faux-marble tray that I use as a sink caddy for my soaps and, another favorite item, this soap dispenser that suds up in the dish with the brush.

SHOP IT ALL HERE:

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10 Things to do on your Sabbatical!

  {New denim jacket, great workout leggings for warmer weather, old favorite bag and sneakers on sale!}

  One of the best perks of my company is that those that have been with them for 10+ years earn a one month sabbatical (off from work completely).  This is in addition to vacation and other personal/sick days received throughout the year.  So, if you follow me on Instagram and have seen some of my latest IG stories, you might have figured out - I'm on mine right now!
I've compiled my top list of what I plan to do with mine, and what I've heard from other co-workers who've already taken theirs below. But first an important tip: Don't let others try to dip into your sabbatical. I started to get a lot of, "well while you're off, you can do this..." or "since you're off, I don't have to do this..." etc.  Keep business as normal every where else, so you can really do what you need/want with the extra time.  And for me, those needs/wants are in the below list:
1. My number one goal for this time off - clean out my house!  We are literally quickly becoming hoarders and I'm about ready to have a breakdown.  My suggestion is to do a space at a time so it isn't too overwhelming - and get help if you can! I'm using a little bit of most of my time off to clean out one space or fill one (at least small) bag of stuff to either donate, sell or return.  I'm also using a whole day to work with an organizer to help me further!  I'm most excited about this.
P.S. I'm listing some of my better things on eBay here, if you're interested!
2. Workout!  This is my second goal for this time off. My goal is to workout at least 20 times within my 30 days off.  I'm trying new workout classes, doubled my weekly trainer sessions from once to twice a week and just getting in my steps/activity in overall.  This is especially important to me as I work in a busy environment where finding this time has become harder and harder, and I hope I can reset and keep this a priority when I return to work.

{Tried the new Caffetteria with friends last week}
3.  Try new restaurants/coffee shops. This is a great time to go to new restaurants/coffee shops (or ones you haven't been to yet) - and pick times they won't be as crowded!  And even better - meet friends/family to spend time with those you haven't seen in awhile or are craving quality time with.
4. Go to a movie during the day. I'm excited to just see a movie in general - I only get a few adult ones in a year, it seems, and this is something you can easily do alone!
5. Go to Trader Joe's - when they aren't as busy and without kids. I don't know about your Trader Joe's, but the two in my city are a nightmare during the weekends and in the evenings. I don't shop there very often because of this reason - so I plan to get at least one visit in at a less crowded time. 
Tip: Did you know Google tells you popular times for each day? I find this by searching my Trader Joe's and it comes up on the right side, under the map and store info/hours.  Looks like weekday mornings are best time to go!
6. Catch up on appointments. I booked a lot of my annual doc appts for this month off, so I didn't have to worry about potentially needing to reschedule, run late or move things around to make them actually work out.  This isn't as fun, but took a lot of the stress of appointments away by doing it this way.  I even got in some elective type appointments (like food sensitivity screening) that I've been wanting to do.
7. Spa day I mean, duh, right?  But I don't just mean a spa appointment - but like a whole day (or as long as you can take it). I did this already, and it was amazing. Started the morning off in the spa's pool/hot tub, then had a massage, then a facial, ended the services with a pedicure and then a late lunch! It was very relaxing - a great first week of your time off to start with. I went home and took a small afternoon nap, which was also amazing.

8. Spend time outside. I'm still hoping I'll get to do this. But with the unseasonably cold weather, I'm getting nervous. I'm taking advantage of any time day to get outside in the sun - took a walk with a friend who is on maternity leave on the sliver of nice weather we've had, and aim to do some reading on a patio and/or lounging on the lawn of our city's museum yard. 
9.  Volunteer This is encourage by my company to spend some of our time volunteering, but it's also a great idea in general. I am spending some of my time volunteering at my son's school and a local senior center.

{Nora and I went on a coffee/chocolate milk date last Thursday, and it was fun to chit chat with her.}
10.  Spend some extra time with my kids/husband. I hope to get in a day date, or at least lunch with my husband, pending his own work schedule and I've already gotten some extra time with each of my kids and will get some more before my sabbatical is over.  It's fun to have some one-on-one time with them.
A lot of people might spend some of their time traveling - and that's definitely a good idea! But for me, we already have a lot of travel planned for the year, and I didn't want to be away from my kids/they couldn't miss school, so that wasn't a direction I took my time off in.
I'm also trying to stay on a reasonable schedule - so not taking this time to sleep in or take an excess of naps since I will have to go back to work quicker than I even know, and I don't want to "waste" my time off sleeping. I am allowing my self some time for a short nap or binge watch Netflix shows, though! ;)
What would you do with a month off? 

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Staying Active with Kids!

    As you know from this post, I've been doing the Jenny Craig program (I've stuck to it - a few bumps, mainly due to work travel, but I'm making progress). Part of this program - and life - is working in exercise into my life.  I've always loved to workout and I grew up playing sports, but since becoming a mother with my career only getting busier, I have had a hard time finding the time.
I've also begun to think more about how to instill healthy habits in my children. In the summer, it's easy to keep them active - and stay active with them - with a mix of sports in the backyard and lots of outdoor activities, like family walks.
Children's Mercy shares 10 tips to keep kids active in the Winter here, and I'm finding that these are great tips for how I can also stay active WITH my kids - and get the wild energy out of them by bedtime ;). I still strive to get to the gym for a "real" workout a couple of times a week, but if I can blend my mom time with a workout, plus set a good example to an active lifestyle with my kids, that'll ease a lot of my own stress (about my own schedule, being with my kids enough and their wellbeing). 
Some of our favorite ways to stay active together in the cooler months:
1. The most fun - dancing! We play music videos via Vevo's YouTube channel, or my favorite, dance to choreographed videos via The Fitness Marshall - and get an amazing workout in by dancing. We laugh and move, and it's just all around fun. I even do these dance workouts alone during naptime - it's truly a great workout!  You can even make a YouTube playlist of all your favorite dance videos so you don't have to search each time. Check out mine, here!
2. Bundle up and head to the park.  Well, at least on the days that it's not toooooooo cold, especially when I can tell the kids need some fresh air and have lots of wiggles, we bundle up and go to the park. Bonus! We usually have the park to ourselves... Liam loves to play tag, so that gets me sprinting (he is surprisingly fast!) along with them.
3. Doing Yoga. For real! Kids are actually naturals when it comes to yoga. I think as we grow older, we teach ourselves out of the ability - slowly developing weaker cores, poor postures and tighter range of movement. I want to keep my kids doing yoga, so they retain those strengths, and it's something you can easily do at home (once you know the basics and have pretty good form) with YouTube videos or sequence printouts.  You can also try this DVD for kids specifically.
4. Play 'Simon Says' - One of Liam's new favorite games!  This is a great way to get them to be active, and then let them turn the tables onto you!  I especially like having them hop on one leg, crawl towards me, shake their booties and skip around the house! ;)
5. Indoor Bouncing - If your space allows, get a trampoline (that we also move to the backyard during the summer months) for your basement/play space, or even a blow up bounce house if you have a lot of space (you can also then deflate and put away!).  My kids love to bounce, and it's a great - and quick - way to expend some energy.  More for them, less for me, though!

 Do you have any tips for keeping active in the winter months or with your kids?

Make sure to sign up for Children's Mercy emails for more parenting tips and follow @ChildrensMercy on Twitter or Facebook!  You can follow me + other area KC moms via #CMHMoms.

This post is in partnership with Children's Mercy Hospital of Kansas City!  All opinions are my own!

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Healthy Girlfriend Date: Pilates & Brunch

 

  It's always a good weekend when one of my very favorites comes to town!  My college friend and old roomie, Katie, lives in DC, but has family back here (Kansas City), so we make the most of our visits. She uses ClassPass, so we also get in workouts. It's great to have friends keep you accountable and make working out fun.  A year ago, she introduced me to Pilates on the Reformer.  It is especially amazing for your core and all the tiny muscles that support your posture (i.e. keep you looking tall and standing up straight). 
So, this last weekend, we hit up a class at Core Continuum in Westport (where Ruby Juicery is), and then walked over to Westport Cafe & Bar for brunch.  I even stuck to a healthier order (since I'm still watching what I eat!) and drank all the water. I love brunch/breakfast, because it's actually an easier meal to eat healthier at. After brunch, we walked back to my car in the sunshine, and I was thinking was a wonderful - and healthy - time we had!  I love when you can combine two important things - like working out and spending time with friends!
{Outfit Details: Grey Sweater Coat - old from ASOS (similar here and here), Camo T-shirt, Black Leggings, Pom-Pom Sneakers, Bucket Bags - Madewell (similar); Katie's Green Sneakers}

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Training for the Go Girl Run Race with my Kids!

I was on a role, working out consistently and running longer, more often before hitting the road for vacation a couple of weeks ago (remember my goal about getting back into running?).  Then coming back to catching up on life has me buried in email, laundry and numerous other to-dos that I've gotten a bit off track.  Sometimes I wonder if vacation is even worth it when you come back to even more stress from being out.
Getting back outside (or inside to the gym with the most current 100+ degree temps) to move is also key.  With my kids getting a bigger and older, I'm trying to incorporate some of my workouts into quality time spent with them.  So last week we set out on a family walk/jog/bike ride.  Liam and I kept going a bit longer, farther and faster - and I found it was a pretty good and entertaining workout!
I had to work really hard to keep up with him at times, and he thought it was pretty funny to go slow and then go super fast so he could pass me.  I used this run to break in my new New Balance running shoes - and I already love them.  They are super light weight, but support my slightly higher-than-average arch, plus - they're really cute (even my husband said so!).
I'm really excited to be one of the official ambassadors to this September's Go Girl Run race in the south KC area (at Prairiefire), and using these New Balance sneakers to get me there.  I'm signed up for the 5K - and this will be my first time with this particular race, but I've heard fantastic things about it.  I'm particularly excited about 
Register here!
I'm happy that I can also do some of my workouts and preparation jogs with my kids (sometimes as my motivation out in front of me!).  With young kids, a career and an overall busy schedule - getting creative in sneaking in healthy actives are key.

{Outfit Details: Tank, Best High-Rise Workout Leggings, New Balance Sneakers c/o, Sunglasses}

If you are interested in signing up for the Go Girl Run 5K or 1/2 Marathon and joining the awesome community of women walkers, joggers and runners out there - do so here!  And let me know if you'll be there! I'd love to look out for you and help keep each other going. :)

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Favorite Wears: Cute Workout Outfit

I have been all about the workout clothes that kind of look like real clothes, and are versatile enough to be mixed in and out of workouts.  But of course those cute pieces actually make working out more fun, too!  And least in my head. ;) I have a serious obsession with Athleta lately.  The quality of their clothing for are great for exercising, but way cute enough to mix in with your real outfits - or motivate you to exercise more.
Tomorrow I'll show you how I transitioned some of this outfit into a look for brunch - and even though this outfit was worn for a workout - I wouldn't be embarrassed wearing this the whole day.  
So, I'm trying to get back into running. It's been 5+ years since I could consistently run or run for more than a few minutes at a time in my walk/jogs.   It all came to a screeching halt when I got pregnant with Liam.  And once your out of running, it's gone - poof, never happened, start all over again - not to mention I had a kid, then quickly another, my job got crazier, I got older and all that life stuff.  So... I'm not trying to get "it" back - I'm trying to find my new comfort level. I don't plan to train for 1/2 marathons like I was before (who knows!), but I would like to do a 5k and run the whole time. :)
This past weekend, a good friend and I did our area's Mother's Day 5k run. It was fun - great to do that with a friend, and of course a ton of other moms, and it happened to be a beautiful day.  We walk/jogged - and this route happened to be pretty hilly (ugh!), but I was sore quickly.  The next one I really want to do is the Color Run - has anyone done that?  Looks so fun!  So I will use these fun community run events keep me going, find friends to jog and socialize with and just keep trying - starting out super slow and ease into what I hope will be a more consistent jogging schedule.
Any tips for easing (back) into running??
{Outfit Details: Stripe Tank, Blue Hoodie c/o, Floral Pants, Sneakers, Backpack}

Photos in this post taken by the uber talented and sweet Elizabeth of Elizabeth Ladean Photography.  She shoots portraits, engagements/weddings and lifestyle sessions all around Kansas City.  You can follow here on Facebook here and on Instagram here.

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Beauty Routine from Workout to Day with Dove

I barely have time for a proper workout these days, and actually, until recently, I had not even been very consistent with my exercise routines.  I've been doing a much better job at making time for it, no matter how busy my career is, or crazy my schedule is, which is all the more reason that I have to be efficient.  Efficiency is the only way I can manage a career, family, blog, friends and now a more consistent workout schedule (etc etc). I’ve partnered with Dove to tell you all about their New Dove Dry Oil Collection featuring their Dove Dry Oil Beauty Bar and Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash, which helps me transition through my day and all my roles by getting the job done.
I'm a stickler about using products that do what they're supposed to do and more. Efficient products like providing a clean shave that lasts longer than the typical razor and leaves my legs moisturized, or shampoo/conditioner that works to tame my frizz and restore my breakage without tons of after-shower products, or body wash that moisturizers my whole body, even my rough elbows, that allows me to skip extra steps to get my skin summer-ready. 
The new Dove Dry Oil collection helps nourish and protect skin from dryness in the shower by effectively cleansing without leaving skin feeling dry and features a nourishing formula infused with Moroccan Argan oil beads to gently cleanse while helping to replenish nutrients to the skin. Because 9 in 10 women are concerned about having dry skin, Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash goes beyond basic moisturizing to help women nourish and protect their dry skin.

Have you guys used a beauty bar before (not a soap bar!)?! It's been along time for me - and it was probably when I was staying at someone's house and that's all they had in the shower, but this one is amazing - and perfect for the gym bag or traveling, too! Only Dove Beauty Bar has a ¼ moisturizing cream for soft, smooth and radiant skin.

What are your efficient beauty products or processes to help you move more smoothly throughout your day/roles??

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Dove, but all my opinions are my own.  #DoveDifference #ShowerAwayDrySkin #DovePartner http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

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