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Showing posts from March 14, 2019

Affordable Pullover Sweaters for Spring

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The temperature is starting to warm up and the snow is finally melted here, which means (I hope) Spring is just around the corner. It also means that I can put away my winter coat and break out my favorite cozy pullover sweaters. I was actually in the market for a new one, so I rounded up the best women’s pullovers in this blog post. Each one is equally as stylish as it is affordable. Many of which cost less than $30! I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a totally reasonable price for sprucing up your Spring wardrobe! Additionally, a bunch of these women’s sweaters come from Amazon, who has a super easy return policy. This, of course, makes shopping online truly a piece of cake. I hope you find something you love! PRETTYGARDEN Button Neck Splice Geometric Pattern Fleece Pullover  – This pullover was super popular on Instagram Stories. I probably received a good two dozen inquires about it – and for good reason! I love everything about this piece – from the button neck to the

Batman Hit a Growth Spurt

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Hi, friends! Quinn slept in until 7:35 this morning, which, for a kid who doesn’t wake up much later than 6:00 most mornings, was quite the world record! He actually seemed taller when he came out of his room this morning, so I made a comment that maybe he hit a growth spurt overnight. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, Quinn said he wanted to measure himself. He immediately walked downstairs and opened the door to the hall closet. Quinn had indeed grown since the last time we measured him back in January. I actually measured him 3 different times just to make sure.  Batman definitely hit a growth spurt! After I dropped Quinn off at school, I swung by Stop & Shop for “ cheesy popcorn ,” which was Quinn’s request for our movie night tonight. I always walk down the peanut butter aisle when I’m there – just to see if the Teddie Peanut Butter is on sale. I guess it was my lucky day because it was just $2.99 a jar. Of course, I stocked up and bought 4! After that, I sto

Clean Eating Green Lemon Pineapple Smoothie Recipe

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I swiped this clean eating green lemon pineapple smoothie recipe. True story. I was shopping at Costco and had gone in for Pull-Ups only . But on my way to the register, I got sidetracked by the Vitamix girl. You see, whenever Vitamix (a high powered blender) comes to Costco, it’s physically impossible for me to just walk by without stopping for a delicious sample, and Mini Chef knows that that is one of the few sample tables mom will always stop at. So it didn’t take much pleading from him to get me to come to a screeching halt directly in front of this woman. Now, as I’ve mentioned before on my lil’ ol’ blog here, I don’t share food very well. In fact, I’ll wrestle somebody twice my size before I’ll share my food with them. Yes, my family lovingly refers to me as “Joey” (5 points if you get the reference). So when a woman cut in front of me at the Vitamix table, I can tell you that I was not a very happy camper. In fact, I spent the entire demo plotting how I would slip my han

Dear Mark: Protein Efficiency in Seniors, Earned Carbs, Hardgainer with Limited Time

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For this week’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering three questions from readers. First, is the reduced protein efficiency in older adults due to inactivity, or is it something inherent to the aging process, or both? Second, how does a person know if they’ve actually “earned” any carbs? Does everyone on a keto diet earn carbs by virtue of exercising, or is there more to it? And finally, how can a hardgainer with a packed schedule all week long and limited gym time maintain what little muscle mass he’s managed to gain? Let’s find out: Interesting observation on protein needs and training in Sunday with Sisson – general consensus is that older folks need more protein as they age but maybe that’s because they are less active and not simply a result of aging. That’s probably part of it, but it’s not all of it. In studies where they compare resistance training seniors who eat extra protein with resistance training seniors who don’t, only the seniors eating extra protein gain muscle

When Instagram Broke Yesterday [Digital Health]

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Timing is everything, right? Earlier this week, Mal sent me an e pisode of the Mind Pump podcast  to listen to. It was all about “digital health,” which is obviously a subject that has come up in our house quite a bit over the years, like a lot. The episode’s guest Tommy Sobel talked about “ Brick: The Phone-Free Movement. ” It really struck a chord with both Mal and me, so we started “bricking” our phones at night. Basically, we put them on airplane mode and then in our bedroom, so we could be 100% present and not distracted by our phones. We’ve only done this for a few nights now, but it’s really quite liberating. As a blogger/influencer, I feel like I always need to be on, sharing content and updating social media, specifically on Instagram Stories. My mind is constantly thinking of new content, and I’m always stopping to share a photo or video from my everyday life. I honestly love sharing, and my job is a ton of fun, but sometimes I need a break, just like anyone else. When In

Review Of My NordicTrack 990

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You guys have already heard me report that I’m very happy with our new treadmill purchase. I bought the NordicTrack C 990 through Amazon with my own money. (This post/review isn’t sponsored at all). I wanted to share a more formal review of it because: Lots of you have asked me about both the model and the ordering/delivery/assembly experience. When I was doing my own research I couldn’t find that many informal, real-person reviews of treadmills. So forgive me for being a bit redundant with points I have already blogged about. I want to put it all in one big easy-to-read post! Why Did I Buy A New Treadmill? As I have already  written about , I bought a used treadmill on Craigslist last fall that was a basic model and 10 years old. I loved power walking and eventually running on it after my baby was born. But soon, the wear and tear on such an old machine led to a few problems related to the belt and incline that would cost a few hundred dollars to repair. The treadmill was so