Hello friends! Happy Friday! How are you doing? What are you up to this weekend?
We’re just hanging out here and at home and I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend after lots of holiday activities and adventures. Suddenly it’s winter here in Tucson – rainy and freezing cold! – and in between we enjoy lots of puppy cuddles and try to keep Lola from destroying all the furniture.
(I keep trying to take a photo of Maisey and Lola together, but they always move together at lightning speed)
Liv turned 14 yesterday and I can hardly believe it. Many thanks to my OG reader friends who have been there since the beginning. A few of you got in touch on Instagram yesterday to tell me that you were reading the blog while I was struggling to teach her Zumba with her in my belly. It really feels like yesterday and 14 lifetimes ago at the same time.
Her Birth Story Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.
I post less of the kids here on the blog – I ask permission before I post anything – but she is the funniest, sweetest girl with a heart of gold. She’s also obsessed with K-Pop, which is one of the main reasons we’re heading to Seoul this summer. We just ate cake here at the house as we are heading to San Diego and Disney next week to celebrate!
Now it’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. Here I share some of my favorite finds of the week and around the internet. I’m always happy to hear about your favorites too, so please share what you like in the comments section below.
1.9 Friday Favorites
Fashion, beauty, coincidence:
Always Farm Rio! They’ve had so many great offerings this season, but this one is from Rent the Runway. I still use and love the Unlimited membership. It’s great for events and travel and also helps me do *quite a lot* of shopping 😉
Treats from Oak Essentials! They gave me a body lotion and a candle before the holidays, and I liked the products so much that I ended up buying more as gifts. The lotion is super hydrating and has a light scent – slightly piney in a good way – and I love the candle.
Read, watch, listen:
Don’t miss this week’s podcast episode here! I’m sharing some realistic, longevity-based goals for the new year.
It’s always cheese board season.
Sculpt Society now has nutrition and I LOVE the new recipe and meal inspiration. I’m adding so many of her ideas to our meal plan for next week. If you’ve always wanted to try TSS, it’s one of my favorite at-home workouts. Use code GINAJAN here to try it out!
I’ve started this audio book and already feel like it’s had a hugely positive impact on the way I think.
Fitness, health and good food:
– The new food pyramid. Do I think it’s perfect? No. I believe there are many people who cannot tolerate or digest large amounts of animal products and dairy products. I’m not sure where the beans are on the pyramid and it lacks nuance when it comes to saturated fat. At the same time, I think it’s a big step in the right direction. I like the emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, and moderate grain consumption (especially here in the US where many of our grains have been compromised).
And while I don’t believe refined sugar and processed foods should be part of everyday life, we will make room for the fun things every now and then (see below lol).
– These gluten-free, dairy-free cones. SO good.
– I also bought some puff pastry from Sweet Loren’s and it is fantastic. It definitely exceeded my expectations, especially since many gluten-free baking options can be flops. I made some Nutella pastries and also some Pop Tart creations with strawberry jam, simple frosting and sprinkles.
(Just add your toppings and eggs and bake at 400 degrees for about 14 minutes.)
Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I wish you a great weekend and see you soon!
xoxo
Gina
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