Things I’m Loving Friday #290

Hello! How are you guys doing today? All is well over here! Well, mostly “well” other than the fact that my emotions have been ALL over the place this week. I officially weaned Ryder a few days ago and have just felt sad, moody and more irritable than usual. Thankfully I know enough to recognize that weaning can often bring about a range of emotions thanks to fluctuating hormones and I’ll likely feel more like myself soon but I am definitely ready for the weekend, quality time with my family and some rest. I haven’t been sleeping well all week either and just feel run down. I’m looking forward to my pillow, a good book and an early bed time tonight!

As for the weekend ahead, we’ll be spending it with my father-in-law. As you know if you read the blog earlier this week, he arrived in town on Tuesday and the boys are loving their time with Granddad! Greg is a great grandfather and enthusiastically participates in Chase’s “star shows” using his star light in his bedroom and is always down to play various games with the boys. It’s so fun for me to see his relationship with our boys grow. Living far from family can be tough so visits like this mean a lot to us!

And now, let’s dive right into my weekly roundup of Friday favorites, shall we? As always, feel free to tell me a little bit about something you’re loving this week in the comments section of this post! I hope you all enjoy the weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday 

• Primally Pure Dry Shampoo

I have a new shampoo to add to my lineup of dry shampoo favorites and THIS is the one I feel best about using in my hair because of the ingredient list. Primally Pure Dry Shampoo is made with recognizable ingredients and a base of kaolin clay and organic arrowroot powder to absorb moisture while adding texture and volume. (I have the one for Light Locks though they make a Dark Locks dry shampoo as well.) It contains organic essential oils from grapefruit (natural cleansing properties), lavender (soothes the scalp) and peppermint (stimulates hair growth) and I love the way the peppermint oil gives the dry shampoo a slightly minty smell lightly minty smell of the dry shampoo.

The Primally Pure team recently sent it my way along with some of their other products to try and it quickly became the dry shampoo I use most often because it hides grease well and doesn’t make my hair feel weighed down. Though I’ll never part with my Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo for the days when I want to give my waves a little more life and get my hair looking its best, I will admit that sometimes using that dry shampoo numerous days in a row can make it feel like there is a little bit of buildup in my hair which I don’t find in the Primally Pure Dry Shampoo at all. It’s a great everyday dry shampoo and I highly recommend it! If you want to give it a try, you can use the code PBFINGERS to get 10% off any Primally Pure purchase! And if you’re looking for a great natural bug spray, I’ve also been loving their Nature Spray for our family. It’s been a life saver for our boys in our backyard this summer because the mosquitos are crazy over here!

• Pinch of Yum’s Feel Good Zucchini Muffins

Pinch of Yum does it again! You guys know by now that I’m basically a muffin-making machine and I’m always on the lookout for new healthy muffin recipes to try. When I saw this recipe pop up on Pinch of Yum recently I saved it to my phone and got the chance to whip up a batch this week. They were a slam dunk and that’s even without the addition of chocolate chips! Both boys loved them, I loved them, my father-in-law loved them and Ryan loved them. A win all around! Keep this recipe in mind if you’re looking for a wholesome muffin to try that incorporates lots of in-season summer zucchini!

• Stitch Fix “My Items”

I recently logged onto the Stitch Fix website to check out after ordering a fix and noticed they had a new tab labeled “My Items” on the site. I clicked it and was so psyched to see a list of all of my recent Stitch Fix keeps! It’s awesome because you can order more of your favorite items in different colors or sizes depending on their availability. As you can see above, I instantly ordered the cropped charcoal wrap top I love so much in an olive green and looove this feature! I also ordered a pair of Madewell jeans in black I loved from a previous Fix and appreciate how easy they make it to find the specific style names of the clothing and accessories I’ve kept so I can more easily share them with you guys in the future. Definitely check out this new feature if you’re a longtime Stitch Fix lover like me because they have items on the “My Items” tab from yearsss ago and it was so fun to see!

• BBC Leg Workout

It’s been a hot second since I’ve completed a leg workout that totally smoked my glutes, hamstrings and quads but Thursday’s Burn Boot Camp workout did the trick. It was brutal in an oddly awesome way so I knew I had to share it with you guys! As for the workout above, AMRAP stands for “as many rounds as possible” and you may find picture demos of most of the mini band exercises in this post: Mini Band Booty Workout.

• Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger 

I read and loved The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger a couple of months ago and when I searched for another book by the same author to read, Girls Like Us popped up an intrigued me. It’s a page turner for sure and a fast-paced read I thoroughly enjoyed. It was suspenseful without creeping me out and kept me engaged the entire time.

Girls Like Us follows Nell Flynn, an FBI agent recently placed on leave, as she returns to her childhood home following the tragic death of her father, Martin Flynn, a homicide detective with the Suffolk County police department. She’s quickly recruited by Lee Davis, her father’s former partner, to help with the investigation of the murders of two young women, murders that appear very similar and remain unsolved. As Nell learns more about the most recent murder, she begins to question everything, including the possible involvement of her father in both cases. She begins to investigate and her questions begin to bleed into her past as she starts to wonder who really murdered her own mother years ago when Nell was only seven years old.

• Around the Web

Food: Vegan Banana Pancakes / Healthy Turkey Meatballs / Cheesy Zucchini Bread / Easy No Bake Granola Bars

Fitness: Resistance Band Loop AMRAP Workout / 30 Minute Dumbbell Arm Workout

Weekend Sales: 40% off summer favorites + 50% off sale styles at LOFT (I ordered these joggers my friend Carrie brought with her on our Park City trip because they were the perfect combination of cute and cozy) / BOGO 50% off all jeans, joggers and shorts +25% off your purchase with code ONLINEONLY at American Eagle / Nordstrom Anniversary Sale still in full swing — ends on Sunday! /

• Friday Flashbacks

Triple Chocolate Protein Oatmeal (For the mornings when chocolate sounds too good to resist!)

Killer Cardio Total Body Tabata (This one flies by and will have you sweatin’ up a storm!)

Question of the Day

• What is one thing you are loving this week?