No not THAT kind of research. The bathroom between the girls’ bedrooms is the only room in this house we haven’t touched since we moved in 5 years ago….and it shows. The dull paint, original window treatment…..to put it nicely VERY READY.

I was very very torn between a bold blue paint (dark, basically navy) or a fun wallpaper. I know what you are thinking – Wallpaper is in and has been “back” for years. However, I have NEVER worked with it. But after an instagram poll – 92% of the feedback came back supporting wallpaper. The peel and stick which is both easy to apply & (apparently) remove.

Not even an hour of research and look at these amazing options!

Now I am in analysis paralysis as there are 1) SO many gorgeous and fun designs 2) do we do the whole thing? or just 1 accent wall?

I am hoping to pull the trigger on a design soon, measure and order so we can accomplish this in the next month. Stay tuned!

Today was day 12 of running. It is starting to be a little more difficult to find the time but still going strong!

I am so glad I checked because even my quick runs during nap time do actually add up. Like I said in my original post, there is no mileage requirement for this 30 day challenge. If you run each day…you have accomplished your goal.

Sidenote: how cute are my cheerleaders??

Seeing all the Tiger King & Carol Baskin costumes made me realize just how long ago quarantine binge watching was. Tiger King & Love is Blind were the first shows we watched (keep in mind “binge” is a relative term when you’re speaking to parents). 

There are many other hobbies I took up during 2020, listed in my post here, but in case you are looking for something to watch, here are the shows we’re recently into:

• The Queen’s Gambit
• Mandalorian
• The Wire – I’ve never seen it, I know I know! And my husband is equally enjoying rewatching it with me
• This is Us
• Making the Cut
• 30 for 30: Michael Vick
• Rebecca – one of the best books from High School summer reading and Armie Hammer as Maxim doesn’t hurt either
• Emily in Paris
• Schitt’s Creek
• The Vow (HBO)
• Hunters (Prime)
• Outer Banks

One of the best parts of starting a blog has been connecting with new people/bloggers/influencers digitally. I first came across Za’s instagram when my sister forward me one of her posts. This one to be exact:

Za has been running everyday since 2002. Let that sink in! Every Damn Day. No matter what the weather, life plans, good or bad, she ran. If that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is!

So I thought about it and then thought about it some more. I had my running days in my twenties. First 5k and then a 10k….then the Cherry Blossom 10 miler (which is one of the BEST races ever in my opinion) and then the Chicago Marathon in 2009. It might have been the intense marathon training because once Chicago was done, I needed a break and moved onto a new fitness routine.

During my week of thinking, it wasn’t doubt that I kept coming back to. I knew I could run for 30 days, it was dread. Since I was no longer running on a regular basis, it got harder and harder to pick back up. Truth is, I’m just not as good at running as I used to be. But in a world where gyms are closed and it is easy to sneak out for 15-20mins during nap time……a 30 day running streak challenge began on November 5th.

I like it so far, mostly because there is no mileage requirements along with the challenge itself. So for a person like me starting over, I felt accomplished at the end of the run, no matter how short or long, fast or slow it was. If I ran that day…mission accomplished.

Arnold Palmer…John Daly…whatever you want to call it, if you give me a 70 degree weekend in November, I am drinking one!

Ingredients:

• 3-4oz iced tea
• 2-3 oz lemonade
• Squeeze of lemon wedge
• 3oz Vodka

I ordered this with all intentions of making a sarcastic blog post basically saying “Do you really have a blog if you haven’t opened a FabFitFun box?” …for those of you who need more context every influencer (literally), reality TV star and D…no, make that E list celebrity reviews these product delivery boxes on a quarterly basis, oh and have their own coupon code. 

Here was my thought process on ordering one. Besides it being blog and insta content, I am not really shopping. Besides grocery store, most of the time I leave the house it is for a walk, bringing my 5 yr old to/from school or playground trip with my littlest. The days of browsing sales racks or testing makeup samples at Sephora are over. I don’t even buy coffee anymore. So for $49 ($39 if you use a coupon code), I figured…why not. 

The box arrived and it was a very busy week: Halloween and both my husband and my birthdays… the box sat untouched for a while. I had every intention of a formal unboxing video, but after the 30th time of my daughter asking “can we open that package” I caved and we opened it with no documentation.

Here is what was in my FabFitFun box:

• The Laundress, Crease Release: retail $16
• HiP cutlery set – retail $16
• Vitamasques Multivitamin Mask (set of 5) – retail of $20
• Skin & Co Whipped Cleansing Cream – retail $35 
• Erno Laszlo Clay Mask – retail $48!!! Happy freakin birthday to me!
• The Beauty Crop Glow Milk Illuminatior – Retail $18
• Hythe Tranquility Sleep Mist – retail $27
• AND Botkier nylon black tote, retail $129!!

My Takeaways:

• The products sent matched the input/answers I put into the user survey. 
• These are full sized products – I was very impressed by this. I just assumed the several items would be small (if not travel sized) based on the price point of $49, but this was not the case. 
• When I read that boxes can hold over $250 in value, I doubted it saying ‘yeah yeah’ to myself….but it really does. I am still surprised and skeptical, waiting to see if it was just the case on my first delivery. So stay tuned on my delivery of my Winter Box. But based on the retail price of all the items from my first delivery, it is true.
  • Maybe influencer marketing is FabFitFun’s main advertising source, but I feel like they’ve devalued themselves. By giving our promo codes to any/everyone…I didn’t think the delivery would be as good as it was.
  • This is probably a good time to caveat that I paid for this myself. This is not an ad, I am still building a follower base and do NOT have my own promo code 🙂
• Like most mail order packages – FabFitFun includes ALL the subscription promos (eye roll): hello fresh, wine delivery, there were about 4 of the same overused promos and such a waste of paper. I tossed them in the recycling!
• Lastly, you can pick a few of the items that will be in the delivery, but not all. I don’t see this as a bad thing, trying new products at a lower price is one of the main reasons why subscription services like this work. So while I wouldn’t rush to Sephora to buy crease release or tranquility sleep mist…I will likely use both now that I have them.

This is a question my mother asks me every year, only this year, I had no answer. We are 8 months into our new way of life, and it is looking like we will have even more time at home if rates go up in the cold weather. Honestly, if I needed something, I would’ve ordered it for myself by now. 

I could’ve answered “a case of wine” or a “morning to sleep in” but didn’t, so I graciously accepted the envelope of cash while we sang and ate cake Sunday night. Confession: I will likely spend most of it on wine anyway, but I did buy myself a new pair of leggings.

Athletic wear is basically my uniform these days – I wear leggings to exercise, and then I change into a new clean pair of leggings afterwards until cozy pajamas go on at night. I looked at these multiple times on prime day and had regret when I didn’t buy them. So happy birthday to ME! They are $29.99 and (bonus) they match my new green leopard phone case. They’re so soft and will fit in with my legging uniform wardrobe nicely.

Truth is, I don’t need anything. I have a wonderful family, a warm house & roof over our heads,  and a supportive spouse who is helping me figure out my new path. But now I can brainstorm in my new soft, comfortable & affordable pair of leggings!