So far our plans for the weekend include a story time play date with Chase, a workout date with one of my girlfriends, a family hike, mattress shopping and hopefully a whole lot of laziness thrown into the mix, though being lazy is something I seem to forget how to do these days. Quiet moments now equal moments for productivity but sometimes I know I’d benefit most from parking my butt on the couch and diving into a good book. (One of my girlfriends passed along her copy of Better Than Before because she knows how much I loved The Happiness Project by the same author, so I can’t wait to begin reading that book soon!)
But now it’s time to dive into your weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where we all share a little bit about what we are loving most every week. Feel free to join in the fun by leaving a comment on this post.
Have an awesome weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I think my quest for the perfect v-neck t-shirt has finally concluded because I think I found the one. Back when I was pregnant, I picked up a lightweight tee from Victoria’s Secret. I bought it two sizes bigger than my usual size to accommodate my belly and wore it all the time. (It’s actually the t-shirt I wore to the hospital when I went into labor!) After Chase was born, I continued wearing the top since I wasn’t ready for my pre-pregnancy clothes just yet… Fast forward a few months and I couldn’t stop wearing the t-shirt. I loved the soft fabric, longer length and the slouchy, relaxed fit of the t-shirt. I ended up going back to Victoria’s Secret last month and buying the shirt in heather gray, also in two sizes up because I love the laidback look of a comfy basic tee. Plus, the price point is right for a simple tee – 2 for $32 – and I already see myself buying it in a few more colors in the future as the weather warms up… Put this one on your radar if you’re looking for a simple t-shirt you will wear over and over (and over!) again!
Apparently a bunch of you guys are interested in training for your first race this year because I’ve received a handful of emails and comments asking me about training plans! As you know, I am by NO means a naturally gifted runner but I AM a big believer that anyone (uninjured, of course) can train for a distance race. SO much of it is mental and once I got it through my head that I, too, could run far distances, I felt so empowered. There is nothing like the feeling of crossing the finish line of a race you’ve worked so hard to train for and I love that so many of you are interested working toward that goal this year.
As far as training plans I recommend, I almost always direct people to Hal Higdon’s website. I followed his Novice Half Marathon Plan for my first half and think his plans are both safe and effective. Hal Higdon offers free training plans for novice, intermediate and advanced runners for races beginning at a 5K all the way up to the marathon.
- Misheard Lyrics Video for Sean Paul’s “Temperature”
Oh my gosh, this video is hilarious! If you love the song “Temperature” by Sean Paul and find yourself scratching your head wondering what the heck he is saying 99 percent of the time, you have to watch it. The video details “misheard lyrics” – aka what the lyrics really sound like – and it’s hysterical (and also dead-on). The song came on during one of my workouts this week and I immediately remembered this video and just had to share it with you guys. I cannot hear this song without wanting to scream “ANGOLA!” anymore…
- Love What Matters Facebook Page
Warning: Do not follow this page unless you want to cry daily. Laurel recommended following the Love What Matters Facebook page and I’m not sure whether I love her or hate her for this recommendation because the updates published on this page had me in tears no less than four times in 24 hours. The stories are sweet and heart-warming but MAN they sure do get the waterworks flowing!
- Suja Probiotic Water
My buddies over at Suja sent me some of their new probiotic water to sample and this ginger-loving girl was immediately smitten! The water is made with nothing but organic fruits, vegetables and vegan probiotics. They’re only subtly sweet (<— a plus in my book) and I love the slight spiciness in the orange ginger pineapple water. Thanks, Suja!
- Throwback Photos
(Is my Dad not totally Chase’s twin!? I think the resemblance is CRAZY!)
(Me and my mom!)
(Our family’s Christmas card in 1985 when I was a baby!)
Earlier this week I received a delivery from Legacybox that included a bunch of old digitized photos. Many of them were old family photos I took from my grandmother’s house but I also sent in a bunch of pictures from the beginning of my relationship with Ryan. Meeeeemories! Ryan and I were cracking up looking through some of our old pictures together and I’m so glad I sent a bunch in to have digitized.
(My 21st birthday… Can you tell? Ha!)
(Dressing up as soccer players for a sports-themed bowling social in college… And yes, I definitely cut my own “bangs” for a while there… Yikes!)
The quality of the photos is amazing (especially the older photos!) and I’m now on a mission to use the digitized photos to create a photo book online… Add that one to my to-do list! (FYI, I checked in with Legacybox and the coupon code I previously shared in my initial Legacybox review is still valid! You can use the code PEANUT for 40% off!)
- Around the Web
Interesting Reads: Work, Sleep, Family, Fitness, or Friends: Pick 3 // Should Everyone Go Gluten-Free? // How a “Dinner Formula” Changes Meal Planning Forever
Recipes: Skillet Lemon Chicken // Hash Brown Breakfast Bake // Toasted Coconut Overnight Oats // Easy Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Workouts: Ballet Body Boot Camp // Barre Booty Burner // A Killer Spinning Workout
- Friday Flashbacks
Collection of No Bake Recipes (A roundup of several of my favorite no bake recipes that have been featured on PBF over the course of the past few years!)
At Home Dumbbell Workout (A total body workout you can do in your living room with one set of dumbbells!)
Question of the Day
- What is one thing that is making you smile this week?
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If nothing else, those pictures of you and Ryan made me smile. Memories are the best! Also that t-shirt makes me miss home so much! I’m abroad right now and have a very limited wardrobe.
We LOVE our Leesa mattress! It’s a mail order memory foam mattress that’s supportive yet soft (we actually have a $100 memory foam topper on top of it too because of some personal neck issues and it feels aaaaaaaamazing). Leesa, Tuft & Needle and Casper are all the same type of mattress company: they ship memory foam mattresses to you, and you have a long time to test them out (in the case of Leesa mattresses, you have 180 days – half a year to decide!). If you don’t like it, usually you have a nonprofit pick it up and send in the receipt for a refund. So easy! It’s worth looking into.
I’ve heard such good things about Leesa mattresses. Thanks for the tip!
I swear by the Hal higdon training plans! I used it to train for my marathon and felt very prepared!
Agreed!! They’re awesome!
The Hanson method is amazing too. Different approach but the book explains every little detail to the method. Its awesome!
I literally love your posts because they’re so JAM PACKED with content! I bookmarked the article about picking 3 things from Family, Sleep, Fitness, etc. Reminds me of when I was in college and everyone says you have to choose 2 things from Sleep, School, and Social life. Ha! One thing making me smile this week has just been the days getting longer each and every day. I need my sunshine!
haha those old photos are hilarious! i totally get lost when going through old pictures!
Hi Julie!
Love you things I’m Loving Friday’s and look forward to them every week. Really appreciate the links that you provide, like the Meal Plan Formula. I am going to incorperate that one ASAP! Thanks again!
I thought that was such an interesting way to approach meal planning! Glad you thought it was helpful, too!! 🙂 And thanks for commenting!
Can you post the link to the meal plan formula? Thx!
Hi Kaki! The link is actually in the above post under the “Around The Web” category! 🙂
If you love her books, I think you would LOVE Gretchin Rubin’s podcast Happier. It is honestly better than the books IMO. So many great easy to implement tips and I love the format of it.
I just recently finished Better than Before and absolutely loved it. I found it fascinating. I’m about halfway through the Happiness Project now. I just love Gretchen Rubin. Have you listened to her podcast, “Happier”?
The (slightly) warmer weather this week is making me smile! It’s supposed to be gorgeous this weekend so I’m hoping to enjoy it 🙂 I’m also loving Suja! If you’re looking to buy more I would recommend getting the Ibotta app..they give you rebates on food and there’s one on there for Suja to get $2 back !
The probiotic water looks amazing! I have been loving Synergies cranberry drink, but this looks amazing too. I’ll defiantly have to pick one up! Happy weekend 🙂
I think that baby picture of you looks so much like Chase! The thing I’m loving this Friday is that it’s the last Friday I have to work for two weeks. The two weeks have four day weekends 🙂
So reading this post just resulted in me spending 20 minutes watching other misheard lyrics videos on YouTube. There’s a 90’s music edition that had me dying laughing.
Haha! Love it!
LOVE THAT! I love lookig back at pictures of the hubby and I in college, they are pretty hysterical times!
Oh my gosh the picture of you on your 21st birthday has me cracking up!!!
Ha! I just downloaded Hal Higdon’s Novice Half Marathon Plan earlier this week. One of my goals this year is to train and run a half! Wish me luck….
That’s awesome! Good luck to you!
Something that made me smile this is week is that my grandparents still send me slightly cheesy holiday cards. Also, old pictures make my heart smile 🙂
I LOVED Better Than Before! I hope you share your thoughts so we can have a virtual book club 🙂
We just bought a mattress. Ugh, worse than car shopping and not as interesting. We went to Mattress Firm, Sears, and Macy’s. I could not justify spending that much money… so once I researched Original Mattress Factory, I was sold. Literally! Got their top of the line serenity latex adjustable bed and spent about 2k less than anywhere else. It arrives tomorrow!! I cannot wait. 🙂 Good luck!
That was an epic 21st birthday 🙂 Sorry about the Love What Matters recommendation! Haha. There is about a 1 happy story to 3 tear-jerker stories per day. See ya in a month! xox
I’m loving the Rosehip seed oil! Thanks for the tip. I’ve been a Purpose moisurizer user for years & I think I’ve used my last bottle. Have a great weekend!
So glad you are enjoying it!!
You have the best Friday Favorites – I think I save/pin/print/buy something from each week. The grey T you posted could not come at a better time – I’m looking to replace the one I wore out. Thank you!!
My 7 month old looks so much like my Dad too! It is pretty incredible how strong genes are. I love the throw back photos! I also highly recommend Hal’s training plans, I always use his for my half marathon training, started another one 2 weeks ago, but back to novice for this one post-baby.
I discovered those Victoria’s Secret tees a few summers ago and 100% fell in love! They are my go-to snuggly comfy wear (almost) everywhere shirt for sure!! They’ve since been designated to the bottom drawer for some time now, but I never thought about sizing up to accommodate my growing bump – such an excellent idea!
Aren’t they awesome!? I want one in every color!
I love Hal Higdon plans! I used his for 10K, half marathon, and my marathon! And I love the throwback photos, it’s fun to see all my old photos, especially ones from themed parties and mixers!
Oh mattress shopping! My husband just spend several months looking for the perfect mattress. Here are a few kernels of advice…1) Ask the store associate to not tell you about the mattress first. Lay on it, form your own opinion and then ask what type (firm, soft, etc). You will be amazed at how much of difference there is without any bias. 2) Do not purchase a mattress that you haven’t first laid on personally. We had a Casper mattress and I wouldn’t recommend it my worst enemy. Even with the extra topper, we woke up sore every morning and never felt truly rested. Needless to say this went back! 3) Go to Crate and Barrel. I know right?! We did a ton of research and when we found out C&B sold mattresses, we figured it was worth a shot and oh my goodness were we right! In the 10+ years of the girl working there, only 2 mattresses had been returned and one was because of a defect in manufacturing. They are incredible and so much less expensive! It’s important to note these mattresses are made by Simmons Beautyrest, so you know they are quality and backed by a good manufacturer. We bought a king size plush mattress, and haven’t looked back. I’m 7 month pregnant and I’m always comfortable (which is no small feat as you know!). I wake up refreshed and rested everyday and honestly miss my mattress when I travel. Best of luck finding a winner!
I have to say that I LOVED Gretchen Rubin’s books until I got Better Than Before. I don’t know what it was about it that was so different from the others, but she just seemed to come off like she was lecturing people all the time about how they can do things better. I get that that is the idea (doing things better than before), but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. I would still read whatever she comes up with next, but this was definitely not a favorite.
I need to get that shirt! I’m always looking for easy, comfy t-shirts that I can wear with jeans or even to work and I love a V-neck!
Those pictures!!! How much fun. I need to do some serious photo ordering too.
I’m glad I wasn’t along in thinking you could just cut bangs into your own hair…I had to laugh because my “bangs” looked exactly like yours!
Highlight of my week was reconnecting with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while on President’s Day 🙂
Those pictures crack me up. I was just looking through some old photos the other day and remembered your post on legacy box. I am definitely going to give it a go because I want to share those memories with my daughter some day. Thanks for sharing.
How weird is this…my fiance used to live with Hal Higdon’s grandson….who was obsessed with the misheard lyrics of “Temperature”?! Crazy how both those are connected in this post!
I LOVE tshirts from VS. So comfy! Those throwback photos are hilarious! Looks like y’all had fun in college 😀
I followed the Hal Higdon plan too for my first half marathon and really helpful. Love those old photos!
I want that t-shirt, but right now I’m avoiding shopping… well trying at least 😉 Something making me smile this week… after being FREEZING last weekend, it’s supposed to be in the 50s all weekend here in PA. I’m planning on spending lots of time outside with my pups!
Those tees look so comfortable. And I love looking through old photos! Haha those are hilarious.
I gotta check out Legacybox! And I just got better than before from the library-can’t wait to read it!
You’d also love any of Brene Brown books, I promise. I’m reading Daring Greatly right now (already read The Gifts of Imperfection).
And those old photos are fab!
I absolutely love the VS Pink Tees! They are so comfy and fit so well! 🙂
I love Hal’s workouts! My boyfriend and I are following their marathon one for my 3rd marathon and his 1st!
And I love your throwback pics! How fun!
Your no-bake recipes look incredible! I looooove no-bake breakfasts and desserts.
Hi Julie,
I wanted to thank you real quick for inspiring me. I recently became a stay-at-home-mom to my 2 year old daughter. I have a little more free time on my hands and knew that I wanted to get plugged in better to our community. From your blog posts I followed your journey with Girls on the Run and it always seemed like a wonderful program. I was able to pull up the information for our local groups and signed myself up to volunteer for this spring season. It seems like such a great program and delivers wonderful messages that I can really get behind! Thank you for sharing this opportunity as I’m really looking forward to starting up practices next week with my group. Have a great weekend!
I LOVE those VS tees. And just bought a Suja water from target the other day I haven’t tried it yet though. I’m smiling this week because it’s supposed to be 60 degrees tomorrow and I’m going to spin class and having lunch in DC with my sister. Have a great weekend!
I was looking at those tees online and they appear to be pretty thin. It’s hard to tell since I haven’t seen them in person. But I was wondering what you thought – do you find you have to throw a cami or tank on underneath? Thanks!
ha ha, those flashback photos are so GREAT! So much fun. I love your whole post, as always, but just had to make a quick comment about those photos. I’m planning to have my childhood photos scanned too, a huge but rewarding project! Glad to hear the quality is so good. Thanks for sharing!
Totally dying over those old photos. 🙂 LOVE it!
Oh my goodness! Those old pictures of you and Ryan are crazy awesome, that totally makes me want to do the same with my hubby and I, we started dating at 16 and I am sure there are some silly pictures out there of us!
Love the throwback photos!
We are having the interior of our house painted this week – we went from fleshy tones (the original color before we moved in 3 years ago) to soft grays, and the difference is phenomenal! It definitely makes me smile 🙂
I love all the throwback photos!
I actually just tried that Suja probiotic water – and strongly disliked it. The ginger was far too strong for my liking. I’m a fan of their green juices though.
That training program looks great! I needed something to get me back into running!