Fiesta Friday

~ jen ~ 2 Comments

things to celebrate happy weekend links

When we lived in Virginia, our street name was Cotswolds Hill Lane – having not known what the Cotswolds were then, they’ve since been added to my list of places to travel – check them out here with Julia’s travel post, so gorgeous!

This is literally my favorite facial product right now! I’ve definitely seen the claimed results of refined pores and a clean, detoxified feeling on your skin.

I recently discovered an awesome travel blog from the beautiful Emi, who documented these amazing pregnancy photos on her trips!

Have a great weekend! XO

 

Top 10…Ab and Core Exercises

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

I studied Exercise Science at BYU and absolutely loved my major! While I’m not currently working in my field, it’s so applicable to everyday life. Having a strong core is beneficial to one’s overall health and wellness, something I probably took for granted before having kids! My kids are almost 2 years apart and my body was definitely changed through the pregnancies and 2 C-sections (side note: it’s totally worth it, being a mom is the most amazing thing!)

I’m still working on the process of rebuilding my core and abdominal strength. One of the most common misconceptions is that doing thousands of sit ups will give you a 6 pack. Your core is not only the abdominal muscles but your entire core, including your back.

Here my top 10 effective exercises that will build your core (including your back!):

1) Plank

you can also try variations such as plank jacks, plank step outs, or plank leg lifts

 

ab1

2) Walking planks – shown on Bosu ball to add more of a challenge because of the unstable surface

ab3

3) Side plank

ab2

4) Split leg sit ups – I usually do these on the Bosu ball

ab4

5) Knee tuck on ball

ab6

6) Bird dogs – these are so great for your entire core! They can also be done on a Bosu ball for an added challenge

ab7

7) Spiderman plank

ab8

8) glute bridge – the variation is shown here using a single leg instead of 2

ab9

9) pelvic tilt – especially great for those small abdominal muscles in your core. This is also an excellent one for women recovering from pregnancy/diastasis recti 

ab10

10) side plank hip drop

ab11


Top 10 effective

Pages: 1 2

Top 10…Benefits of Peppermint Tea

~ jen ~ 1 Comment

Top 10 (3)

I occasionally drink (herbal) peppermint tea, mostly for the flavor but also for the health benefits. Here’s a few benefits:

  1. Can reduce stress
  2. Anti-inflammatory
  3. Boosts immunity
  4. Can prevent nausea
  5. Improves digestion
  6. Can help reduce a fever
  7. Can reduce cramping and bloating (especially great for that time of the month, ha)
  8. Reduces motion sickness
  9. Can calm diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome
  10. Relieves dry throat and coughing

DSC_0925

*ask your doctor if you’re pregnant or taking other medications

Fiesta Friday: Things to celebrate

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

Happy Friday and weekend! We made it!
Hosting a tea party? Check out this scone recipe.

I’ve been reading about how to epoxy a garage floor (exciting, I know!) Anyone have experience doing this – any tips?

My current favorite recipe for roasted butter garlic carrots!  Disclosure: all the recipes I use and post here are simple ones that basically anyone can make, with 2 little kids I don’t have much time to cook 🙂

and a little motivation:

quote

home decor inspiration: white walls

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

Moving to a new home and city is exciting, exhausting and usually hectic.  Since we’ve been married almost 10 years ago, we’ve moved 10 times! For the last 3 years, we’ve been living in Utah (where my husband is from and where we both went to college) and just moved last week to Austin, Texas after he accepted a new job.

One of my favorite parts of moving is decorating a new space. We built our previous town home in Utah and picked gray walls with white trim which I absolutely loved. For our new home here, we’ve decided to do all white walls. Some inspiration of images I love (via Pinterest):

home1 home2 home3 home4 home5

I’d love any pins or interior design blog recommendations!

 

Diaper Bag Essentials

~ jen ~ 5 Comments

My diaper bag has changed a lot from when I had newborns, but here’s what I currently carry for my kids (ages 4 and 2):

WELCOME TOBag from Nena and Co – I’ve also used bags from Petunia Pickle Bottom, Urban Outfitters and Humble Hilo

Snacks – my favorite carriers are the Clinique gift with purchase bags ha, ha!

Wipes, diapers, changing pad (I use the ones that came with the PPB bag)

Hand Sanitizer, advil, extra hair ties for me

As my kids get older, I carry less stuff – less toys, changes of clothes, blankets, bottles, formula, etc. When they were newborns, I love my Petunia Pickle Bottom bag which could be worn on the shoulder or as a backpack which is awesome when you need both hands! They are expensive but you can usually find great sales on their outlet site.

Linking up today with these amazing moms who are also sharing their diaper bag essentials:

Madeline at Casey Land

Kahana at A Beautiful Life

Monica it It’s All About

Chelsea at Tessa Marie

Lauren at The Andrew Life

Adriana at Nanys2pesos

Fiesta Friday: things to celebrate

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

FIESTAFRIDAY

The easiest vegetable dip!

I kind of like this Dalmatian tunic but not sure how it would look on me –  thumbs up or down?

I got a pair of Lululemon capris 7 years ago and they’re still in awesome condition! I don’t usually like to spend a ton on exercise clothes, but they fit amazing and great quality.

Me and my family (and dog) are still in the moving process from Utah to Austin, TX. I didn’t even realize it was Friday, life has been a whirlwind! One of the best parts is being able to decorate a new home in a few weeks! Here’s some current inspiration:

white

via pinterest

Happy weekend! XO

 

Pages: 1 2

Austin, TX: City Spotlight

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

Austin Texas Travel

We made our first trip to Texas a few weeks ago and BIG  NEWS, we’re actually moving there this week!

We loved the city – the lush, rolling hills, food, atmosphere – and my husband accepted a job there soon after. Everything happened so fast as we are in the process of selling our current home in Utah where we’ve been living for the last 3 years.

When we move there, I’m sure I’ll have lots to update on this post! Here’s a few things we loved on our short trip:

Mt.Bonnell – a short walk up about 50 stairs to the highest point in Austin with a great view of the city skyline. Free admission, public trail.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – what could be better than dinner and a movie?! The service was great and they had a large variety of items to select. I had a chili burger with a side salad 🙂

Butler/Zilker Park – like the Central Park of Austin, there is so much to do right on the across Lady Bird Lake and downtown. I’m looking forward to trying kayaking or paddle boating when we move there!

To eat:

There were so many amazing places we had recommended that we didn’t have enough time to try them all! A few of my favorites:

Torchy’s Tacos – I grew up in San Diego so of course I love tacos! I was so impressed with Torchys – I especially recommend the brisket taco and queso (cheese dip for chips)

Terry Blacks – this is where I had the best brisket of my entire life, no exaggeration! The meat was so tender I didn’t even need a knife. They have self serve sides which is awesome so you can try a little of everything (which I did!)

Amy’s Ice Creams – highly rated ice cream that to me rivals Salt and Straw (Portland) – they have weekly specialty flavors or you can create your own combo. It’s similar to ColdStone but a hundred times better 🙂

Gourdoughs (donuts) – a few locations in Austin including the permanent food truck that we visited. Their donuts are pretty amazing and come with awesome toppings (fruit, icing, etc)

We’re excited to start a new adventure and see new places! If you have any Austin recommendations, please share!

Pages: 1 2

Fiesta Friday: things to celebrate

~ jen ~ 2 Comments

FIESTAFRIDAY

I would love a fox as a pet, my corgi is the next best thing 😉 check out this amazing fox sanctuary

The easiest way to clean a dirty microwave – lemons optional 😉

Soccer kit + Game of Thrones mashup

My favorite Mexican rice recipe I’ve made at least a dozen times since finding it

More makeup tips when being photographed (previous tips posted here) – “make up will photograph 2 shades lighter”