Friday Favorites // June 9, 2017

I'm linking up again with Erika, Andrea and Narci for the Friday Favorites! My favorites this week include my sweet kids and a bit of skin care shopping!

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Carolina had her last day of preschool ever.  I literally cried several times that last day.  It's just the end of an era that has been so precious to me.  Watching her and Nico grow up is the joy of my life.

Just for kicks I put in last years picture too when she was in three year preschool! It's shocking how much she changes from the beginning to the end of the year.

Onward to kindergarten in two short months!

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Carolina, Nico and I love to ride the bike over to the community herb garden.  There is also a splash pad and a playground there which doesn't hurt.  We love to pick some fresh herbs for dinner.  I always feel so blessed at the abundance and beauty of the garden.

It's also a great place to meet a friend and talking about blogging.  Thank you Christine for snapping these photos when I didn't know it!  Go visit her blog too at Coffee with Christine.

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Since I've been Project 10 Panning lots of things lately, I've been looking into some new skincare.  I placed an order from The Ordinary today and I'm excited to try their products.  They are so crazy cheap that I'm slightly skeptical but I hear great reviews.  

I ordered the Advanced Retinoid, the Rose Hip Oil and the Metrixyl.  I spent a ton of time reading the descriptions trying to figure out what I needed.  It's very science-y but I'll keep you posted how I like them.  My skin has been going through so many changes and I need something to help with dryness, some hormonal acne and it seems like I'm becoming more and 

more sensitive if not rosacea prone.  Some things just inflame my skin so quickly.

Has anyone tried this line?

21 Day Food Challenge Update: FAIL?

I completed two weeks of the Les Mills food challenge as of last Monday.  As you can tell from the title, I called it done early.  This challenge at times was quite grim.  I was slightly hungry almost every day.  I have experimented and adjusted along the way but there is only so much you can eat of vegetables, protein and a little bit of fat.

I am totally shocked that I cut all sugar, grains, dairy, fruit and alcohol out of my diet and I really didn't lose any weight.  How is that even possible?  I can eat anything I want and maintain my weight so I thought for sure that cutting out all those things would be a jump start to these last 7 pounds of baby weight.  Maybe if I had stuck it out the last week the weight would have come off.  We'll never know!

Here are some of my typical meals each day.  I'm sure I haven't convinced you to try this challenge but these are also Whole 30 compatible if you are doing that.  Just for the record, I have done whole 30 several times and I always lose weight and keep it off.

Salsa and avocado with omelette. 

Roasted veggies for food prep

Garlic granules go on everything!

Fried eggs over veggies

Hot Tea for the Blues

This diet challenge is not for the lazy!  You have to prep, prep and more prep.  When you get hungry, you need to know there is something already there to eat so you don't make a bad choice.  I wasn't perfect in this diet but I was very strict with myself.  One day I had a very long and bad day and I ate a dessert that I had made before the challenge started.  It was divine but I got right back on track.

A few pointers for you

1.  Shop with a meal plan.  Have a list of ingredients you need.  I have a husband and two children so I also have to feed them.  It works best for me if I can cook something similar for them and myself.  One night I made spaghetti for them, eggplant with spaghetti sauce for myself.

2.  Do not get hungry.  The goal is to eat 5 small meals a day, one being a protein shake.  If you get hungry, you might make bad choices out of desperation.  Always have boiled eggs, veggies, almonds or something else convenient to grab.

3.  Have an accountability parter.  You will get weak and it's nice to have someone in the same boat as you.  Misery loves company!

Well, in the end, even though I only lasted two weeks on this challenge, I did learn a lot about my eating habits.  I love to just grab things and go.  If I want to eat healthy, I need to always do the prep work involved.  There need to be peppers cut, fruit and vegetables always available to make good choices.

I felt like a failure for a few days but that is ridiculous and I'm calling myself out for such a bad perspective.  I am still nursing and you actually aren't supposed to do this while nursing.  #stubborn

I did gain some valuable insight on this challenge versus the Whole 30 one.

I wasn't able to cheat my way through it.  

On Whole 30 you can eat fruit if you are having a sweet craving, even if you aren't supposed to do that...alas, I did.  Also, when you want something salty, I would eat plantain chips because they are technically approved on Whole 30.  Starchy vegetables are also allowed on Whole 30 and my saving grace for filling full.  Without them, I felt empty.

This really is a very healthy food challenge and I plan to incorporate some of the recipes and meal substitutions into our weekly meal plan.

Have you ever done a super strict diet or food challenge like this?  What was your verdict?

Friday Favorites // June 2, 2017

I'm linking up again with Erika, Andrea and Narci for the Friday Favorites!  I love reading everyone's favorites too!

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We went salsa dancing last Friday night!  Gustavo and I met salsa dancing when a mutual friend invited us both to go dancing with a group of people who were taking dance lessons. It was love at first dance!  Haha!  That was 13 years ago and we've hardly been salsa dancing since so we were happy to remedy that situation!  If you are in Houston, check out The Aquarium on Friday nights during the summer.

I cut our friends out of the picture because I didn't know if they would want to appear on the internet, but we had so much fun with them and went to the Cheesecake Factory afterwards.  

Side note, Señor Gustavo wore his dark sunglasses all. night. long, even after dark.  He couldn't break character!

Here is Gustavo giving a salsa lesson to our friend.

Its mesmerizing, isn't it?

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We went to Ikea to get some organizing things for our horrendous shelves in the laundry room and spotted a duvet cover that matched me.  

You see how easy it is to get distracted at Ikea?  We did have a purpose and here are the shelves so full of disarray.  We take off our shoes here and they pile up plus all of our crafts and paints are stored here.  

For the record, I had a big problem with buying more bins to put things in when I already had bins available, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and get something that matches.   I think it makes a big difference in the feel of peacefulness in our home as soon as we walk in the door.

We still have a situation with so many shoes but as the kids grow out of them, I won't buy as many. Ok, who am I kidding?  That's the plan, though.

This is a look inside one of the bins.  It holds our paints and the handy little attachable box to put paintbrushes in is only 79 cents more!  

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Three is this recipe for banana chocolate muffins that the kids helped me make this week.  They are so delicious.  Even Gustavo said they were the best muffins ever!
  

Carolina actually did measure the flour and sugar all by herself. I barely watched her so she must have done ok.  When Papa said he loved them she was so proud!

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This is a picture of me trying to write this blog post.  I'm a total Mommy blogger with kids all over me all the time!  I wouldn't trade it for anything but if there are any typos in my posts, I'm going to blame them!

Friday Favorites

Today I am linking up with Momfessionals and Grace and Love to write about my Friday Favorites!

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Carolina and I got matching Converse shoes!  We were both so excited to get them in the mail yesterday.  We still may need to exchange sizes and maybe even the style, but we will definitely be sporting some very soon.  

Carolina has flat feet and needs inserts in her shoes which is why we may have to try the different style.  Those soles are glued down and not going anywhere!  Anyone have advice on trying to either take them out or fitting insoles in?

Nico wanted to get in on the action too.  I love his little chubby feet.

Matching Mommy and Carolina shoes 

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Summer clothes shopping is here!  I say that like I love it and I so don't love buying shorts.  I go in the dressing room with a sense of dread and look for the ones I hate the least.  That's so terrible to say and I was hyper aware of anything I said to the salesperson with Carolina in there.  I don't want her to have body image issues.  I don't want myself to have them!

The way I'll decide if I like something in the dressing room is to take a picture and see myself in them.  I'm going to post those pictures so you can see how they look on me compared to the model on the website, for reference.


These are the Pilcro denim shorts.  They were the darkest wash and they seem to be comfy so far.  They stretched out just enough to make them not so tight on my legs like the picture of me wearing them. Also, they are 25% off.

I also got these camo shorts from Anthropologie here .  I sized down to a 26 and I normally wear a 27.  These seem to work like a neutral with a lot of my tops.  I love them and seeing on how much I wore my army green military jacket in the winter, they are going to be my favorite.

This is me wearing the same ones but the grey color.  I didn't get the grey.

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The third is a funny story about when I was in Anthropologie last weekend.   I was near the checkout by a young teenage girl and she was exclaiming how much she loved the scrunchies that are shown here.  Scrunchies! I just looked at her while she continued to extol the benefits of scrunchies in her hair and how they don't crease it.

I just really couldn't even process it except to shake my head and acknowledge that the 80's are back and in full force.  The high waisted pants brought their scrunchies with them and we're all doomed.  Just kidding, I think.

Thanks for reading!  That's all I have for this Friday.  I hope you all have a lovely Memorial Day weekend!  

Join Me in An Experiment in Minimizing Makeup

Every once in a while I'll need a good escape to youtube videos and I'll find some "project pan" videos.  Why is this a thing and why is it fun to watch, I really don't know.   In spite of it, I'm in!

Join me in using up some makeup and declutter some drawers.

Ok, this isn't my first time doing a Project Pan Challenge.   I remember when these first started.  The girl who started it doesn't even do youtube makeup videos anymore, but she sure did make her mark.   I really think this trend has done it's good work in the youtube and makeup lovers community.  The turn-around in mind-set from the obsessive collecting and not using makeup did a 180 to wanting to use things up and get the value out of money spent  Thumbs up to a good change of philosophy!

In the years since I did a Project 10 Pan before (read about it here), I have used up many things and even though I don't add too much to the mix, it still seems to dwindle slowly.   It takes forever to use up an eyeshadow or blush!  I really love the concept of Project Pan because it makes you make a decision of whether you really like something or not.  I mean, it can rattle around in your drawer for a couple of years before you acknowledge that you aren't going to use it.

My goal is to use up these 15 items before using other things I have.  Ultimately, I want all my makeup to fit in one small bag and that definitely isn't happening right now.  It is almost fitting in one drawer though and I'm pretty happy about that!

I recently canceled my Sephora Play Box subscription for this very reason.  There were just too many things to use.  Oh, I loved getting it.  It was like a birthday present every month, but as the deluxe sample items kept mounting up, it was stressing me out.  I was neglecting the items I actually chose and bought for the myriad items that were randomly sent to me.  That being said, if I get my makeup down to a reasonable amount, I may subscribe again.  In the meantime, Sephora will give you samples of things that you want to try.

Some guidelines for decluttering your makeup or doing a Project Pan Challenge:

1.  Be Purposeful:  Make a pile of your intended products.  I say, if you use it a couple of days and hate it, just chuck it out or give it away.  Done and done!

2.  Be Mindful:  The point of this process is to be aware of how much you are spending, storing and using your makeup.  If you have an issue with overbuying, which many of us have, let this be a discipline to make you aware of what you will use now and enjoy now.

3.  Be Smart:  Makeup is not an investment, no matter how beautiful it is.  Maybe we could find a certain person who is a collector, but be honest and ask yourself if you want to invest so much money into something that expires and goes bad.  Chances are, you cannot use up your makeup if you own too much.


Would anyone like to join me?  Go pick out 10 products and set them aside to finish off!

Remember, you only have one face!!

Nico's Travel Themed Nursery

Well if this isn't an embarrassingly late post, here's the nursery of my almost 21 month old little boy!  Regardless of that, I am thrilled to show off his little love-injected space.  Nurseries are always full of sentiment for us, little bits of love that I've accumulated through my life and that are so cool to repurpose for a nursery.  

Let me show you around!  That cuckoo clock was my parents'.  They got it when they lived in Germany, where I was born.  The tin, round photo is a picture of my parents that they had made in Turkey.  The other items on the gallery wall are a map of Puerto Rico, song lyrics for Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, a quote from Jim Eliot and a drawing that our nephew drew when he lived with us 7 years ago.

The hot air balloons were made by a friend for my shower and I love them.  The frame was made by Gustavo from old slats off a bed that was my great aunt and uncles bed they gave me in college.  

We made the nursery with a travel and mission minded theme.  I fretted and cried putting it together as I whispered to my belly to never actually leave me in spite of what it looked like that is what I was suggesting to him.  

That little leather jacket!

These shelves are full of little meaningful quotes and items too, everything from a UNC football my Nanny gave Carolina to the monkey that Gustavo made for me our first Christmas together.  Theres a book about Puerto Rico and some quilts my friend Nancy gave me that were her son's.

Everything has a story and I could go on and on.  Thank you for taking a tour of the nursery with me!  It was really such a blessing to create something for our sweet Nico!

21 Day Food Challenge

Carolina's Portrait of Me

So I've decided to do a food challenge with our YMCA.  It's a clean eating challenge that is pretty strict and not something you do for the long term, but more of a reset to clean up your eating habits.  I am on day one and sitting here slightly hungry.  Yikes.

You really need to have a "why" to do something like this.  It's not for the faint of heart to be sure!  You have to be prepared with food plans and preparation to be successful.  I have done Whole 30 several times and it's similar to that except you can't eat fruit or potatoes.  One caveat, for me is that I'm still nursing and even though you aren't supposed to do this if you are nursing, I plan to modify it for myself slightly by eating potatoes, which are starchy carbs.  They tell you that you can modify like that if you need to do so. 

Here is my "why" list:

1.  Eat more vegetables.  I feel like if I'm left to my own devices I never choose vegetables.  

2.  Cut out dairy.  Every time I do Whole 30 I feel fantastic and I don't really miss it much.

3.  Cut out sugar.  I love to bake and eat sweets.  It's good to take a break and it usually doesn't bother me with Whole 30 but I also can eat fruit with that.  We'll see how this goes!

4.  Lose the rest of the baby weight.  I have 8 pounds to get back to pre-pregnancy weight and I only seem to lose weight if I do diets that force me to restrict sugar and bread.  

Here is the link if you are interested in joining too.  Or maybe you are doing Whole 30?  I really loved that and it has a lot more information and support.  I just chose this one because my gym group is doing it and I wanted the accountability and fun in being part of a group.

I'm certainly not advocating this particular challenge because I'm just beginning but if you are interested in what I'm eating, or some recipes that are healthy and creative, let me know!

Here is breakfast and lunch from today, along with some almonds and coffee for an afternoon snack.  

Spinach omelette with garlic and herbes de Provence

Tuna salad put into jicama tacos with a side of guacamole

Oh, and I made these homemade strawberry pop-tarts for my Doctor's birthday last night!  See why I need to do this?