Continuing my love of these wipes

I love Seventh Generation Free and Clear Wipes and was very happy to try the new and improved version from Generation Good. 

I love how thick they are and that it takes very few wipes to get most jobs done. I think that makes them a cost saving wipe as well as knowing how safe they are on my little ones sensitive skin. These wipes are by far the best that I have tried with my two little ones, and we have tried a bunch!

We love keeping these with us for on the go trips!

**No compensation was received for this post, I was sent free sample wipes to try even though we already use them!

In love with my acupressure mat

So I wrote a bit ago about this awesome acupressure mat that I was lucky enough to get to try. Here is my official flow up and proclamation of love for this amazing acupressure mat.  First of all it took no time what so ever to incorporate this into my daily routine, because you just need to sit or lay on it! I mean how easy is that! The benefits are amazing. I am sleeping better, I feel more relaxed, and I feel like my stress level is way down. There is something about just knowing that you are taking time for yourself that makes you feel better. 

Also I feel like I have been able to recover from my workouts a lot quicker. I know some people will tell me I am crazy, but I think I recover quicker when I am more relaxed. I would highly recommend that anyone that needs help relaxing (ok all of us!!) try one of these acupressure mat, because seriously how easy is it to sit down for 5 minutes each night!

Back to School Shopping Time

I love this time of year. I feel like the start of the new school year is like a chance to reset, almost better then New Year's. Maybe I am just in the mood to reset since we have accomplished all our DIY goals for the year! (More on that another day).

Back to school shopping has always been fun, but before my daughter was in Elementary School it was just not the same. I love looking for kids fashion clothes . My daughter is all about her "style" lately so we can't just go with what you find in the stores. But seriously how cute are these clothes from Popreal?

Also don't forget to pick up toddler girl jackets when you are on the Popreal site, I ALWAYS forget coats for my kids! We might try these this year....

Let me know what you pick up for your little ones!

Have you tried acupressure?

Has any one tried acupressure before? I have been a big fan of all things Eastern Medicine wise since acupuncture changed my life a few years ago. My only problem was that it takes weeks to get an appointment with my girl April, I will only go to her, she is the best.

 So I was quite excited when I was contact to try an acupressure mat by the people at Dosha Mat. They make these great acupressure mat that come in lavender and teal ( I mean what great colors as well!) Here are some of the benefits of using an acupressure mat according to the Dosha Mat website

Studies have shown that acupressure mats can have incredible health effects, including the following:

1. Reduction of pain and soreness
2. Deep calm and relaxation
3. Reduction of stress and anxiety
4. Improved sleep
5. Weight-loss
6. Increased circulation
7. Rejuvenation of the skin
8. Improved digestion
9. Increased energy levels
10. Reduction of cellulite
11. Alleviates arthritis
12. Alleviates fibromyalgia
13. Aids myofascial pain syndrome
14. Alleviates sciatica pain
15. Faster recovery after workouts
16. Lower cortisol levels

I was told to start off slow with my new acupressure mat, because it takes time to get use to using one. So I am starting out easy and using it on the couch, but seriously how pretty is this!

I will update more in about a week or so once I have had the chance to use it!

Reasons to love Aaptiv

Scale and Freshness: More than 2,500 classes are available on the platform. There are 20 active trainers who create new classes each week. More than 50 classes are added to the Aaptiv platform every week. Each class is individually produced in a professional recording space, with state-of-the-art sound mixing technology powered by a talented sound engineering team.

Affordability: For $14.99 a month or $99.99 for the year, members get unlimited, on-demand access to classes in running, cycling, elliptical, strength training, stair climbing, and more. Access to exceptional personal training has never been easier, coming at a fraction of the cost of hiring a personal trainer, purchasing expensive equipment, or being confined to one fitness location.

Convenience: Wherever individuals prefer to work out -- at the gym, at home, on the road for business -- Aaptiv goes along with its members. This factor has helped Aaptiv scale much more quickly than services that are confined to particular equipment or studio locations. Aaptiv classes can be taken anywhere, at any time.

Empathy: Most fitness solutions expect people to change their programs and routines. Aaptiv lets people choose the workout types and locations they prefer, and “meets” each member on their own fitness journey. Trainers conceive of and produce workout classes that suit the needs of people at every stage of fitness: novice, beginner, intermediate, or advanced. A Facebook community of more than 22,000 devoted Aaptiv members interact regularly with trainers to learn about how they can get even more out of their workouts.

Differentiators: Aaptiv is the only fitness company that focuses exclusively on audio content. Audio as a means is also underappreciated. It’s the most natural fashion for consuming content because it’s how people already communicate. The success of the medium is reflected in the growth of Audible, podcasts, and products like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Now, and Siri. Aaptiv’s all-you-can-eat model provides accessibility that has never existed in fitness before.

You should check it out here! 

Aaptiv On Sale this Summer

I wanted to re-share information about a great workout program I have found. If you are busy like me and joining a gym is just not something that will work in your schedule you need to check out Aaptiv

The app has TONS of workout that are geared towards anything that you might like. There is music and a trainer to help you stay motivated the whole time and really push you to do more. I have really found this to be a great app to help me fitting in those workouts in the summer time. Check it out for free for 30 days, and for the summer they are also running a 30% of sale after that!

Let me know what you think:)

Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent Pods

I love the easy use of laundry pods, but have you noticed the over whelming scents of some of them? We have a huge issue with scents and dyes in our house, so we need to use only Free and Clear detergent products. So when Seventh Generation came out with laundry pods, I was all in to try them.

Here is some info about them:

Seventh Generation biobased Laundry Packs use quadruple-enzyme power to remove stains and leave your clothes looking as good as new! Plus, the toss-and-wash single-dose pods make laundry day simple and mess-free.

A clean you can trust! EPA Safer Choice certification means that every ingredient in our laundry packs has been reviewed by the EPA to ensure it meets their stringent human health & environmental criteria. You can relax, knowing that you have made a good choice.

The Free & Clear option, without any added fragrances, is made for sensitive skin.

- Quadruple-Enzyme Formula Removes Tough Stains

- EPA Safer Choice Certified Product

- USDA Certified Biobased Product - 94%

- All-temperature laundry packs work in hot and cold water.

- Effective in HE & standard washers.

- 0% dyes, synthetic fragrances, and artificial brighteners.


You have to check out your store for these pods, they are great.

** I received 2 sample packs to try for free, but all opinions are my own.

Hello, Hello Fresh

I was sent a coupon code from a friend to try Hello Fresh (PS this link has a discount code too!) and I figured why not. We had been in a little bit of a food rut so why not. I went with the Classic Plan for Two because the meals looked better to us anyway and was excited to pick our first meals.

Veggie Loaded Orzo with Sausage was up first, ingredients laid out

First of all, I love that is comes all in a bag together so you just grab it and go. The meals are shown in about 6 steps so they move pretty fast and you are ready to eat in no time.

Plated and ready to eat (this meal feed Hubby and I dinner and me for lunch the next day)

Next up was Orange and Cashew Chicken Stir Fry, I got my little helper involved in cooking this one.

She loved being able to help me make dinner and even ate this one as well

This was my favorite meal the flavors were on point and so fun.

Finally we had Steak Tagliata, my helper again

The kids ate the arugula salad and sweet potatoes with this one (they are not steak fans...yet....)

Hubby loved the sweet potatoes from this recipe, so easy to do, and it was a nice change of pace for us and the kids.

We have decided to try another week of Hello Fresh because it gave us some fun ideas and was a great experience for the whole family. Any meal suggestions we should try?

Cutting the Cord

Does anyone else feel like changes come in waves around their house? I feel that our house is like that all the time. I feel like things are all status quo or we makes loads of changes, no middle ground at all. When we started renovating our living room (into a bar space, more to come later), the conversation went back to cutting the cord on cable.

This conversation started last fall, when I did all my research and showed the Hubby how much we could save. He did not really buy into, it so we continued on with cable. Fast forward 3 months and we are running new electrical in the living room and talking about putting the tv on the wall. When this conversation comes up, he says we really should look into cutting the cord, it would save on running more cable lines for this project and the big basement renovation that is on the block next.

I am sure you can guess my reaction, but trying to be smart and know that I could get my way, I remember the new tv sitting in a box in the basement.

*** Side note.... there was a brand new smart tv in a box in the basement just waiting for a home. Because on a snowy day in December, when apparently I needed a new car (my lease is not up until March) we got an SUV and a tv because the guy really wanted to sell a car that day.

So I went down stairs to finally look at this tv and see it is Roku equipped already. We plugged the tv in and set it up in the Living Room with a week trial of Sling TV. My Hubby was able to still see all his shows and watch Sports, he was sold (finally!!).

I called the cable company and actually upped our internet speeds and cut the cable off for good and was still saving money.

So there is a little bit of start up cost with cutting the cord, we are going with the Roku and Sling TV  route so we needed a few Roku products to make the switch (1 new tv check!) Our Sling TV sign up gave us this Roku Ultra as a bonus

This went on our main tv in the Family Room, then for the Master Bedroom we went with the cheaper Roku Express, because that would do the job fine for that room.

Finally, I wanted a Roku Streaming Stick to use for the tv that will go in the basement (currently out of the living room and waiting for walls to go up) that could also be used in the Guest Room. I was happy to see at the same time this one was on sale!

We were all set with our  Roku and Sling TV at this point. I will say so far so good. I actually think we are watching less tv and being more intentional about what we do watch, and I am paying less. There is a little start up cost involved with the Roku equipment, but for just over $100 I was set and ready to go.

Any advise on favorite Roku channels we might not have found?

Imagine Food Soups and Broths

Trying new products is one of my FAVORITE things to do! So when Influenster sent me some products by Imagine Foods I was excited to see what the line offered. My kids are HUGE soup eaters, strange I know, but they love soup. We try to make a lot of it ourselves because I do not like buying food with things in it I cannot pronounce (or my six year old cannot read). Finding soups that they like and I will buy can be a bit challenging.

So the Imagine Foods lines is a big win in our house.  What is not to love when the products start with real and organic ingredients! Even better our local Wegmans carries these products. That was a side track, back to the products we were sent.

I always like to have chicken broth on hand and this Super Reds sounded amazing to both Hubby and I. I decided to try the chicken broth first. I browned up some chicken and then added the pablano and queso soup, thinned out with the broth to a pan and simmered for about 7 minutes. While the chicken was simmer I cooked the couscous in the broth as well.

This was a super quick and easy dinner (I forgot to snap a picture), but both kids loved it (even my little one who claims she does not like chicken if not in nugget form).

I can't wait to try the Super Reds another night!

**The Imagine Foods products were provided to me free by Influenster to facilitate this review.

Commercial Palm Trees

The generous people at Commercial Palm Trees contacted me right before the holidays to try out some of the great residential products they offer. Talk about having great timing, I was just removing all the annuals from the large pot by the front of our house and trying to figure out what I was going to do with it. (Way to heavy to move anywhere for the winter months). A quick peak around the website and I found this (now sold out):

It comes in a 12 pack so I figured it would be enough to fill my pot. A few weeks later the package arrived, it did not look like a lot in the box..... (I was a little nervous at this point).

But the product looks great so I took the girls outside to put them in the pot. All finished, and I still have extras too!

I love how realistic and festive they look, the best part they are made to be outdoors so they are really surviving well, as winter has finally come to visit us. Check out all the things that the Commercial Palm Trees people have to offer.

***No compensation was received for this post. I received the product to review but all opinions are my own.

Fitness and Health Apps

There is an app for everything, or at least it seems that way.  I try to be very selective about the apps I put on my phone and only have ones I use all the time (Hello Target app).  So when it comes to health and fitness apps, I only have ones on my phone that I will truly use. Here are my current favorites.

FitBit

This is my go to fitness app. I use it all the time. I check my steps, track my workouts, and make sure my sleep is going well. Seriously I love that it shows all the different aspects of your sleep! Have you checked that out? If not do it, it is so interesting.

MyChart

This one will come down to if your Doctor’s Office uses it. Mine does not, but the kids pediatrician does and it is wonderful. I can track growth, medications, shots, print records, make appointments, and so much more. This app has saved me a number of times when Little B has gone to the ER. It is amazing to have all the kids’ medical information at your fingertips.

WarbyParker

As we have moved into the word of glasses for the kiddos, this new app is awesome to keep in your back pocket. The best part of this app is that you can check your vision without going to the Eye Doctor!

I mean what could be better than a great app and saving you time!

Thanks to my friends at Warby Parker letting me know about this awesome new resource. What are your go to Fitness and Health apps?

The Great Closet Project

When we bought our house a few years ago, I was thrilled to have his and her closets in our master. Of course Hubby let me pick which one I wanted first. Well within 10 minutes of trying to put my clothes away, I decided I wanted the other closet! (I know, I know such a female move). Now don't get me wrong, I have a nice size closet and I do did love it, but it just did not work for me. Ok so the 30 shoes boxes might have played a part in that. So here is my closet before, Hubby took everything out (check out the cute photo bomb -who was awake that night at 9:30 when I emptied my closet)

 

So no it was not horrible, but lots of wasted space. Here are the empty pictures:

       

I think it was just odd placements of shelves and either not enough space or too much in certain areas. These shelves left tons of wholes in the walls, but the amazing Hubby fixed all of those and gave the closet a new coat of white paint.

 

So fresh and clean.

Then it was time to re-install the shelves. Since it was Closetmaid products in the closet before hand (and we did not want to spend a fortune), we went with the Closetmaid  Shelf Track. This allowed us a lot of flexibility when we were putting up the shelves to move things around and find the best layout. (Also I can move things at any time now as well). We were able to use all the shelves (cut a few down), rods, and rod holders, and just got new brackets and these fun shoe brackets!

Here is my after pictures:

 

I really have to thank Hubby for doing such a great job with my new closet. It is so much more functional and I love it!

*** No compensation was received for this post, I paid for all the products we used, the labor was free though;)

Aaptiv App Follow Up

So a few weeks ago, I wrote about the Aaptiv App and the new workouts they are offering.

Now I wanted to let you know what I thought of the workouts on the Aaptiv App. I decided to first try an elliptical workout. Now I will be the first to admit that often I just phone it in on the elliptical and am really not 100% into it. Well with this workout I did not get that chance.

Jamie's voice was super engaging and keep me right in the workout the whole time. I love that she had me keep changing resistance (something I never do on my own). It keep my head and body in
the game the whole time. I really pushed myself and after 24 minutes burned about 350 calories!

I was totally pumped and ready for Day 2.

Next I tried a yoga workout. I loved having the voice to coach me through the moves so that I did not have to look at anything. This was one I for sure enjoyed.

Day 3 I decided to go with strength training and this was an awesome workout. I loved Sultan's motivation and the music was on point for sure!

I am continuing to use the Aaptiv App and I really enjoy the pre-selected music and the motivation to push me along through the workouts. If you have not yet, give the Aaptiv App a try for 7 days free!

*** No compensation was received for this posts all thoughts are my own.

Improved Seventh Generation Free and Clear Wipes

 I love Seventh Generation Free and Clear Wipes and was very happy to try the new and improved version from Generation Good. 

I love how thick they are and that it takes very few wipes to get most jobs done. I think that makes them a cost saving wipe as well as knowing how safe they are on my little ones sensitive skin. These wipes are by far the best that I have tried with my two little ones, and we have tried a bunch!

We love keeping these with us for on the go trips!

**No compensation was received for this post, I was sent free sample wipes to try even though we already use them!

Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Packs

First of all, you have to understand that I LOVE Seventh Generation products, so any time they ask me to try one I do a little happy dance. Most recently they asked me to try the Automatic Dishwasher Packs.

 The first thing I noticed when I open the pack is that they are not all plastic feeling like other dishwasher packs. These feel very natural, which makes me feel better about them going in with the items with eat with. From the Seventh Generation site:

Dishwasher Packs remove even dried, stuck-on food
Dishwasher Tabs for convenient, no-guess, no-waste single-pack dosing
Dish Packs contain no chlorine, phosphates or synthetic fragrances
Enzyme-rich, biodegradable dishwashing formula
Dish Packs in resealable pouch

I will be for sure buying these in the future!

*** I received a package of the Dishwasher packs for Free, but all opinions are my own.

Happy Galentine's Day

So I am a little early, but I LOVE this concept of Galentine's Day. Galentine's Day is February 13th and is a day to celebrate our BFF's and all those ladies that make life easier for us. The ladies and I will not be celebrating on the 13th, we have something planned for later in the month already, but I wanted to share so easy "DIY" Galentine's Day ideas with you all.

Fun Cocktails are a must for a Girls Night. Here are a few of my favorites:

White Wine Sangeria

Red Wine Sangeria

Can you see the theme here?

Also I love a good at home mani/pedi with my girls. Honestly I cannot say enough about Sally Hansen Miracle Gel for the best at home (easy on the nails) gel mani.

This is not a paid response, I just seriously love this polish it totally last for a while and my nails are so much healthier from it. And with 80 colors to choose from there is no time to get bored! I think the best way to celebrate with my girls is a fun low key night.

What is your Galentine's Day ideas/plans?

My ideas for this post were inspired by Eventbrite, you can use them for all your party planning needs