Switch your New Years resolution mindset

Hi friends! Happy New Years Eve! What are you up to this evening? I’m excited to take the girls to a Noon Years Eve party (more my style than staying up until midnight) and Meg is going to be my dinner date since both our hubbies are working. Later tonight, I’m really looking forward to watching the ball drop on TV and hanging out with the crew. It should be low-key and perfect. 

Since it’s prime time for resolutions and goal setting, I thought I’d share some tips as we brainstorm any New Years changes or resolutions. While I don’t love the pressure of an ambiguous date, I do love the fresh feel of a new year. I especially love the fresh feel of this year because it’s ended on kind of a blah note. I’m really looking forward to a shiny new start and chance to shake off the shadows that have been around for the last few months. It feels so amazing to take out my planner, jot down ideas and goals and start to fill the pages. 

While I don’t think you need to wait until New Years to make a change – if you want to go after something, do it now! – I thought I’d share some tips to consider as you’re planning your goals.

Tips for smart New Years resolutions:

Maybe you don’t want to change anything, and that’s AMAZING. This time of year, we’re often flooded with messaging that makes us feel like we NEED to change or that we’re “less than.” You’re absolutely perfect the way you are. If what you’re doing is working, and you’re happy and fulfilled, keep doing your thang. Don’t feel like you have to make a resolution or any drastic changes because everyone else is doing it!

Instead of focusing on subtracting from your routine, think about adding. I feel like a lot of resolutions are centered around deprivation, which can set you up for a feeling of failure. (Really it also just sucks the fun out of life.) Also, what makes you want something more than anything? Telling yourself you can’t have it. Instead of taking things away from your routine, think about what you can add. More vegetables on your plate, more meditation minutes, more time outside, more memories with the people you love, more soul fulfillment, more reading, etc. What can you do MORE of this year for a happier, healthier you? 

Don’t make changes you don’t want to sustain indefinitely. If it doesn’t make you excited, don’t do it! If you’re doing something that you don’t want to do forever, it’s not worth it. Aim for lifestyle changes you can implement for the long haul. 

For fitness resolutions, make sure they’re SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Goals should be achievable within a certain time frame and make sense for your lifestyle. Be sure to crosstrain (don’t do the same thing every day), take rest days, fuel yourself appropriately, and get proper guidance and coaching to avoid injury.

Enlist a buddy, or someone who knows what you’re up to. I don’t share all of my goals with everyone – that would be annoying because I have a new one pretty much every day – but a select few people in my life know what I’m up to and check in with me. Have someone join you on your goals, or even just share your goals with someone you love that will be cheering for you.

Are you into the resolution thing or not so much? What’s something you want to do MORE of in 2020?

See ya next year 🙂

xo

Gina

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Top posts of 2019 (and survey help!)

Hi friends! Hope you’re enjoying the morning! I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for 2020 to begin. The end of 2019 can pretty much go in the trash can lol. Even though I’ve been feeling way better, I’m still a bit tired and achy. I haven’t worked out since Xmas eve, and I just feel ready to feel like myself again, get back into a routine, and not feel like I could nap at any second. 

As I set my intentions for the upcoming year, I always like to go back and check out my blog posts to see which ones performed well. Some of these are usually expected, and some are complete surprises! It gives me a little glimpse into the type of content that you’re looking for and I like to use some of these ideas to plan future posts. 

When I’m planning my content for the next year, I also use your survey suggestions and topic requests. If you haven’t done this year’s survey yet, please take 2 minutes here! Your feedback is invaluable to me (and yes I’ll have a sneaky giveaway to celebrate this week!).

Here are my 19 top blog posts for 2019: 

1) PiYo review month 1. This is one of those posts that continues to do well every single day and I’m afraid to mess with it even though the photos are a total nightmare. Carry on, old post. 

2) Potty training tips from two nanas. This is from that one time that my mom and nana potty-trained Liv in 24 hours. She was a little over two years old and it was a game changer. I was really excited to use their strategies for P, but she ended up potty-training herself around 18 months. She screamed at me, “NO DIAPERS” every time I went to put a diaper on her, so finally I stopped… and turns out she didn’t need them any more. These kids are a mystery in the best way, I tell ya.

3) How to combine baby led weaning with purees. This one was unexpectedly controversial. Turns out people get fired up about how other people feed their babies, despite epic disclaimers and “talk with your pediatrician and do what works best for your family.” Both of our kids had purees in addition to baby led weaning for convenience and it worked out well for our family. They’re both awesome and adventurous little eaters now.

4) When I got my breast implants removed and my experience with explant. This was an important post for me and one where I really put it all out there. I was so thankful for all of the support I’ve received about this and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for my health. 

Breast explant surgery

5) My full review of the Peloton App. Even if you don’t want to invest in the Peloton bike or treadmill, you can absolutely still get an awesome workout using the app. They have so many workouts available, including bootcamp, meditation, and yoga, plus you can use the app on a spin bike or treadmill at home or the gym. I use the app on my old spin bike for about a year before purchasing a Peloton bike. 

6) Top 5 easy healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. These are some of our go-to staples that we still enjoy all the time!

7) Baked breakfast cookie. This is a convenient and portable breakfast treat. I haven’t made it in a while, but I have a feeling that it will be making a comeback. Liv is changing schools next semester and it starts earlier and is a bit farther, so as much as I’d love to have time for them to eat at home, we’ll probably have a lot of car breakfasts. 

8) Full Peloton bike review and is the Peloton bike worth it? The Peloton bike is one of my favorite purchases EVER and I still use it at least 2-3 times a week. The Pilot is into it now, too! I’m obsessed with my bike and if you’re considering gifting yourself one for New Years, my code gets you $100 off accessories: XXKJQU.

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9) Morning detox drink. This is one of my classic drinks and I especially love it during the winter months. According to Liv, it smells like death, but I look forward to it. 

Morning detox drink 3

10) Homemade nibble bars. These are the perfect little bars for toddlers and tiny hands! I need to make some for Augs. 🙂 

11) How to keep your guinea pig cage clean. This was an important post to write because I did SO much research before we got guinea pigs to make sure our house wouldn’t smell like a barn. The strategy really works and visitors are usually impressed by how clean the cage is and the fact that Livi’s room doesn’t smell. 

Holding the guineas

12) Fitness categories page. This is where I keep all of my workouts and they’re organized by muscle group and type of workout!

13) Orangetheory vs. Barry’s Bootcamp. This one is a comparison between Orangetheory and Barry’s Bootcamp with what makes them difference. I feel like it could use an update since I feel like the Orangetheory workouts and technology have changed quite a bit. 

14) 1 month of baby food, 1 hour, $20 – round 2. Baby food posts are always on my top lists. Since we’re done on the babies front, I think I should make food for a baby friend of ours so I can take some new pics. 🙂 

15) Healing timeline for breast explant and diastasis recti repair. In this post, I broke down my healing journey and what it looked like. It was a ROUGH recovery, but I’d do it again tomorrow if I needed to. I wanted to write this post because when I was first researching getting my implants out and having my diastasis recti repaired, I couldn’t find anything like this. I wanted to know how I could build up my movement, exactly how I’d be feeling, and any tips for a better recovery.  

16) My review of the book Thinner, Leaner, Stronger. While this isn’t my favorite strength training or healthy living resource, I liked it way more than I expected. 

17) Exciting cable machine exercises. This post is if you’re sick of doing the same ol’ cable exercises. It includes some of my favorite ways to switch it up!

18) DIY shower steamers. I love these little beauties! They’re like a bath bomb for your shower and made with natural ingredients. 

DIY shower steamers with essential oils

19) 1 month of baby food, 1 hour, $20. The OG baby food post. This one absolutely needs new photos but I’m really proud of the recipes. It’s been fun to see mamas make this food for their babies over the years. 🙂

So tell me friends: is there a post on the blog that stuck out to you that you really loved? Any topic requests for 2020?

See ya soon with some tips for New Years resolution mindset.

xoxo

Gina

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Friday Faves

Hi friends! Happy Friday and hope that those of you who celebrated Christmas had a very merry one. Ours started off on a high note with an amazing dinner at my dad’s house. We had a Mexican food feast (tamales, rice, beans, enchiladas, the works) and it was so much fun watching all of the kids together.

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Little Augs is getting so big!

Later that night, I started crying like a giant weirdo and couldn’t stop. It turns out that it was my immune system crashing and burning. It took about 45 minutes for me to will myself to fill and roll the cinnamon rolls, and I went to bed with the chills, convinced that I was just exhausted from non-stop activity since October.

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The girls were PUMPED with all of the goodies that Santa brought! They tested out their new pogo sticks while I put nana’s egg casserole and the cinnamon rolls into the oven, and then the rest of the family came over for brunch and to exchange gifts.

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Madre brought over grammies and Christmas coffee cake,  

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plus a ham and fresh tamales.

We all ate together and sat in the living room in pure Christmas chaos.

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While we were opening gifts, I still had the chills and got slammed with an awful headache that made my eyes hurt, and my mom told me to go lie down. I ended up sleeping for two hours and spent the rest of the day in bed. 🙁 It was reassuring to know that the girls were cared for and enjoying playing with the cousins, but I was super bummed to essentially miss Christmas. The family ended up heading out around 5pm, when P and Liv both crashed out (Liv came down with a fever, too) and we all ended up sleeping throughout the rest of the day and into the night. The Pilot was gone this year which was a bit of a bummer, too. He spent his Christmas in Puerto Rico so we did stockings before he left.

Two of my very favorites in one pic. <3 

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(He’s cute, right?!)

The good news is that Liv’s fever broke overnight and she was doing great, and I was feeling way better by yesterday morning. I’m probably 95% better today, but am still going to take it easy. I definitely think all of the sleep and constant water helped, along with the usual wellness shots 2x a day, this cold + flu magic, oscillococcinum, and elderberry

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So… Christmas was not exactly as expected, but it’s still been a magical and wonderful time of year. I told Kyle I was bummed that I missed most of Christmas day, but he reminded me that our family gets together ALL the time, so missing out on one morning isn’t that big of a deal. It made me feel better. <3

Before we head into Friday Faves, I have an extra exciting giveaway winner to announce. Thank you so much to all of you who entered the Favorite Things giveaway + helped me out with this year’s survey. I have so much content to prepare for 2020 and I’m so thankful to those of you who spent the time to send ideas and feedback. The lucky winner of the huge giveaway is comment #598: Marina!

*The lucky winner has been emailed*

Stay tuned for a sneaky giveaway 😉

Here are some of my favorite things from the week and around the web:

Read, watch, listen:

Hilarious tweets about white elephant, yankee swap, and dirty Santa gift exchanges.

The most real children’s clothing ad I’ve ever seen.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

News anchors losing it over their co-worker’s horrible artichoke dip.

Fitness + nutrition:

How to create New Year’s resolutions that actually stick.

30-minute full body HIIT workout.

Interesting article regarding HIIT timing.

My latest post for WebMD with things to consider before you join a gym. 

Don’t forget to sign up for your free 21 days of Les Mills on Demand! Perfect if you’re looking to shake up your routine as we head into 2020. 

5 things to keep in mind as you set your goals for 2020.

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Beauty + fashion:

Purple shampoo. I got highlights for the first time in 80 years, and she recommended a purple shampoo to keep the highlights from turning red and brassy, which often happens to me. I only have to use it every couple of weeks and the highlights are still a pure, ashy blonde color. It’s very drying, so I wouldn’t recommend using this regularly, but is perfect for protecting color and highlights. 

All of the post-Christmas sales!

Here are some of my favorites:

Everlane choose what you pay. I ordered this cute dress, another one of these shirts, and this wrap dress. 

Thinx is 20% off. I haven’t blogged much about this, but I switched to Thinx over a year ago and have been extremely happy with this option. It’s another way to be earth-friendly if you don’t like the cup. (I don’t use a cup because it has uses suction and pressure to be held in place.) 

Gap up to 75% off everything.

Banana Republic 60% off sale styles and 40% off regular price. This sweater is so cute for Valentine’s Day, which is bananas that it will be here before we know it. 

Nordstrom half-yearly sale! Love these flannel pajamas, these booties, my fave leggings ever, these glittery kids’ Uggs, this polar bear backpack, and this men’s half-zip.

Happy Friday, friends!

xoxo

G

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Sweet Potato Brownies

Gluten free and with no added sugar, these 83-calorie brownies are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without exceeding your calorie goals.

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What It Took for This Obese Doctor to Take His Own Health Advice

Kevin turned to food for comfort as he dealt with the death of his father. He chose a healthier path when his sister was diagnosed with cancer.

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17 Things To Do With Your New Fitbit

If Saint Nick brought you a Fitbit Versa 2 or Charge 3 this year, here’s what you should do with it first

25 Dec 2019
Advice

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17 Things To Do With Your New Apple Watch 5

Did Santa leave the new Apple Watch under your tree? Here’s what you should do with it first

25 Dec 2019
Advice

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Nine Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your New Garmin Fitness Tracker

If you found a Garmin under the Christmas tree this year here’s how to make best use of it

25 Dec 2019
Advice

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Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve! To all of my friends celebrating this week, I hope you’re having a beautiful holiday season. I hope you’re surrounded with family, friends, lots of good food, tasty sweet treats, your favorite cocktail, and happy memories. I know the holidays aren’t always holly jolly for everyone, so if you’re going through a tough time, I’m sending you a lot of love and a big virtual hug. It’s been hard without my Tata around this holiday season… it still just feels weird and wrong… but I’m thankful to be around so many people I love so much.

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas! I’ll be unplugging to celebrate with the fam, but I’ll see ya soon. (Don’t forget to enter the Favorite Things giveaway, too!)

 

xo

Gina

(+ the Pilot, Livi, P, Bella, Caro, Donut, and Lollipop)

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Six Tips For Reducing Heartburn This Christmas

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candy cane lane

(If you haven’t heard listened to that Sia song yet, it’s one of my faves. v. catchy.)

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Ours ended up being low-key and filled with fun family time. I was looking at our schedule and ended up crossing off a couple of things, and it ended up being a blessing since P came down with a little virus Friday morning. She was acting like herself but had a low-grade fever and flushed cheeks, so we ended up staying home to chill. We watched a LOT of Christmas movies and even though I hate when the kids are sick (especially the last weekend before Christmas!), it was very nice to just take it easy and hang out together. 

We also tested out the guinea pigs’ new Christmas hats. They LOVE them (sarcasm) but were good sports. 

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The Pilot and I switched off gym time, so I caught an amazing hot yoga class at Sumits.

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We had pasta at home one night (chicken noodle soup for the girls), and got takeout the following night to make our lives easier. I was in the mood for steak, which is not a common occurrence – I crave a steak maybe once every 3-6 months – so the Pilot and I got Commoner & Co. It was amaaaazing.

P’s fever was gone by Saturday afternoon (thank the Lord), so the family came over Sunday night for dinner and to decorate gingerbread houses. Target WINS since they had pre-assembled gingerbread houses. I ended up getting most of the toppings and candy on base and was shocked with their awesome selection. 

We had mulled wine, 

cheese board (always the cheese board),

 Uncle E’s famous pasta salad,

a carrot-ginger soup (I can post the recipe if I take pics tomorrow, but it was just carrots, onion, ginger, lemongrass paste, veggie broth, and coconut milk) 

the Pilot’s classic egg nog,

and Kyle brought sandwiches from August Rhodes.

The kiddos and some of the adults decorated houses, while we enjoyed cocktails and Christmas movies. It was the best way to end the weekend. 

This morning, I’m off to catch a weights workout (writing workouts for the project I’ll share with you next week!) and finish up the last-minute to-dos.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and I’ll see ya tomorrow!

xoxo

Gina

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Is Your Flow Fertile? Can You Get Pregnant Right Before Your Period?



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Why Activated Charcoal Has More Health Risk Than Reward

Remember when getting a lump of coal from Santa meant you were bad? These days, coal — or activated charcoal, to be exact — is offered in health stores, smoothies, and supplements as a “cure-all” cleanser for a variety of health ailments.

While most cleanses or detoxes have no science behind them (primarily because most prey on fear and don’t deliver any real health benefit) activated charcoal is a different nature. There is reason to believe that charcoal could help cleanse your body because of different uses in emergency rooms. 

But, believe it or not, research shows that slipping random amounts of activated charcoal into products might be worse than your run-of-the-mill miracle cleanse. 

Does Activated Charcoal Work?

The rise of activated charcoal as a health cure starts in the medical community. It’s used in emergency rooms — quite effectively, might I add — to help people fight drug overdoses (oftentimes from OTC meds like acetaminophen).

Charcoal helps prevent the spread of toxins from overdosing to try and limit the danger and risk to your body. That’s great for dangerous and scary situations, but supplement manufacturers took it one step further and suggested that charcoal could prevent the spread of all toxins in your body. 

Unfortunately, emergency situations do not directly apply to general use. And there are a few reasons why taking active charcoal won’t help detox your body or rid you of toxins.

When activated charcoal is given in the ER, the standard dose is about 25 to 50 grams. If you look at the most “popular” activated charcoal products on the market, the dose is 250 milligrams. That means you’re receiving — at most — about 100x less the amount you need to “detox.” And, typically, the dose needs to be given as soon as possible. 

The Risks of Activated Charcoal

An article on CNN showed that even if the activated charcoal is doing its job, it can be a very bad thing. 

You see, activated charcoal works by binding to ingredients (like when it binds to acetaminophen) and preventing it from spreading in your body. But, it’s not selective. The charcoal doesn’t know to bind only to the bad. It just knows to bind. That means the charcoal could be stripping your body of the good nutrients it needs.

So products that are loaded with vitamins and minerals and activated charcoal are essentially worthless. That’s because the activated charcoal will bind to those vitamins and minerals and prevent them from being absorbed in your body. 

 

Does Activated Charcoal Whiten Teeth or Reduce Odor?

In addition to being positioned as a detoxifier, activated charcoal has a variety of health and wellness claims. It’s always your choice if you want to experiment and see if something works for you, but here’s an eye-opening look at what research shows about activated charcoal.

According to Consumer Reports, activated charcoal does not whitten teeth or work to remove body odor.

“There are no published studies on charcoal used for whitening, for example; one unpublished experiment presented at a dentistry conference noted that “fine black charcoal powder” could actually become embedded in cracks or small holes in the teeth—doing the opposite of whitening. There are also no studies we found examining whether activated charcoal, particularly taken orally, might work to reduce general odors (either as a breath freshener or deodorant). There have been studies showing that activated charcoal dressings can tamp down foul stenches from skin wounds and ulcers. But if you have an infected wound or ulcer, you should seek treatment or advice from a doctor before trying any form of activated charcoal.”

More importantly, the health risks are fairly significant.

  • Activated charcoal can bind with some medications, including some antidepressants and anti-inflammatory medications, causing them to be less effective. This could have serious health consequences for some people, but it’s not explained on bottles or packaging where activated charcoal is being sold.
  • Activated charcoal will only bind with whatever particles are in your stomach or intestines at the time that you take it. It works by coming into physical contact with your intestinal contents. If you’re trying to use it to detox from the alcohol and kebab you had the night before, it won’t do anything at all because they have been absorbed into your bloodstream already.
  • Activated charcoal slows down your bowel and is known to cause nausea and constipation (and black stools).

Bottom line: while most activated charcoal products offer a dose that is probably too low to see results, if you decide to take it, you have more downside than upside, and it’s likely not worth your money (or the hype).

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Sweet Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash Oatmeal

Start your day with this sweet & simple butternut squash oatmeal.

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Welcome to My . . . Bodyweight Workout

All you need is your body and an empty space to do this quick and effective bodyweight workout from personal trainer Sydney Torabi.

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Chris Lost His Leg, But Saved His Own Life

After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, Chris learned his recent weight loss had literally saved his life.

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Low-Carb Shepherd’s Pie

Bison meat and cauliflower mash are the healthy secret to this shepherd’s pie.

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Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Enjoy this healthier spin on enchiladas when you’re craving Mexican cuisine, but still want to stay on track with your health goals.

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the great Harney baking show

Hi friends! How’s the week going? I hope you’re having a lovely one! Thank you so much to those of you who have taken the time to answer this year’s blog survey and also entered the Favorite Things giveaway. Your feedback means the world to me, and helps me plan out the content you want to see, so please take 2 minutes here! 

This past weekend was filled with festive fun. The Pilot was home (wahoo!) and we took advantage of the time together. Saturday, we got to see two of our friends get married at the gorgeous Hacienda del Sol. (This is where we had our baby shower for Liv!) We very rarely make it out there even though it’s not far at all. It was the perfect venue for a wedding and the weather was a dream. It was 72 (heaven-ty two) degrees in the courtyard!

(The dress was a Rent the Runway win! I’m always a bit nervous because designer dresses always run very small and very long. I usually have to go up a size or two when I rent from RTR and avoid long dresses because they drag on the floor. I’m usually a S or XS, and ended up getting the petite small in this Bronx and Banco Moulin Rouge gown. It fit perfectly and I got a lot of compliments on it. The photos don’t do it justice, but the embroidery and sequins on the skirt really added to the quality and design of the gown. If you have any special events coming up, you can use my link to get $30 off your first Rent the Runway rental.)

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All of the details of the wedding were absolutely beautiful. 

The cake was decorated by their nieces (!)

the bride’s dress was beyond gorgeous,

the ceremony was personalized and heartfelt,

the food was fantastic,

but my very favorite moment was the live event painter. When we walked into the reception room, we noticed that he was painting the scenery onto a large canvas. The DJ introduced the new couple to the room, everyone cheered, and the bride and groom began their first dance. As they were dancing, the artist started painting THEM into the scene he’d started on the canvas. Cue all the dinosaur tears. SO beautiful, right?

He painted everyone who was there. Here’s a look at what it looked like towards the end of the night: 

What a beautiful way to immortalize the day. They’ll have this hanging in their house from now on, and the thought of that just fills me with all the warm fuzzies.

In between the sentimental moments, the wedding was chock full of fighter pilot shenanigans.

They also had a photo booth, which is always a good time. 😉

We came home just in time to watch the Wildcats lose (WAH) and Sunday was a Christmas brunch with friends, and chore day here at home. Later that evening, met up with Kyle and Meg at Winterhaven to check out the ridiculous Christmas light displays. 

I’ve mentioned Winterhaven a few times on the blog. It’s a historic neighborhood in Tucson and part of their HOA contract requires elaborate light displays. They’re sponsored by Tucson Electric Power – likely so they’re not hit with enormous power bills the month of December – and walking around  Winterhaven during the holidays is one of my very favorite things. The girls were SO onto it this year. We ended up strolling around for about two hours!

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My favorite house was the Christmas Story house, complete with a slide, and this enormous snowman.

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The rest of the week, I’ve been wrapping gifts (I just typed “wrapping gifs” – I live online too much lol), trying to convince P to wait until Christmas before ripping ALL of them open, and planning Liv’s class holiday party. We’re making snowman slime, having a dance station (Just Dance on YouTube on the projector), cookie decorating, BINGO, and pin the heart on the Grinch.

We also had a cookie decorating night here at home. It was my first time using the Sally’s Baking Addition recipe and it’s AWESOME. The girls and I had a blast making the cookies (with the almond extract, Liv said they taste like fluffy pancakes), and icing them while watching Elf.

We still have about two dozen left to decorate but the Pilot can join in the fun tonight. 😉 We can both get a little competitive so it will turn into the Great Harney baking show before we know it. 

I’m off to Orangetheory! Hope you have a wonderful day and I’ll see ya tomorrow with some faves. 

xoxo

Gina

The post the great Harney baking show appeared first on The Fitnessista.



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