Five Things Friday!

1. L'Oréal Paris Makeup Voluminous Lash Boosting Conditioning Primer - I would never have purchased this for myself in a million years, but I received it as a free sample and now it's one of the most valued pieces in my makeup bag! It's not so much that it makes my lashes look longer and thicker (which it does), but it's more that it solved a problem I've had since I started wearing mascara in high school. This primer helps my mascara wash off totally and completely! (No more wrinkle-causing rubbing at night and raccoon eyes in the morning!)
   
   Shop it HERE. 

2. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (seasons 1-3) - You might remember (I won't blame if you if you don't) that I started rewatching the entire series of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch last year. I was thrilled when, just days before we headed off on our trip to Disney World, an episode was set at Disney's Animal Kingdom! I finished the seventh (and final) season this morning. Although this is not the first time I've watched the entire series, it is the first time I came away with the conviction that, while seasons 1-3 are pure magic (pun intended) and completely rewatchable, the show starts to go downhill with season 4 and gets progressively worse.

One of the things I really love about seasons 1-3 is that each episode focuses on Sabrina making some kind of mistake and learning a valuable life lesson. In season four, this "lesson-learning" format shifts into a drama about Sabrina's love life. In addition, several main characters disappear, including Sabrina's arch-nemesis Libby and her best friend Valerie. Two new (not-so-great) characters are introduced: Dreama and Josh. Sabrina doesn't tutor Dreama like she is supposed to because she's so focused on her own personal drama. Josh is the third point in a love triangle between Sabrina and Harvey and unfortunately sticks around until the end of season 6.

If you aren't offended by stories about magic, seasons 1-3 of Sabrina are classic and great fun. I recommend stopping at the end of season three, with the possible exception of the last two minutes of the sereis finale in which ***SPOILER ALERT*** the viewer sees Sabrina and Harvey ride off into the sunset and finally have their happily ever after.

3. Swim lessons - After an almost three-year hiatus, we are resuming homeschool swim lessons at our local YMCA! Our first day was yesterday and were we EVER a hot mess! Just before it was time to leave, Theo slammed his fingers in a drawer and took a bit of skin off. I washed his finger and wrapped it in a Band-Aid, and you would have thought that I had strapped him into some kind of torture device the way he was howling in protest at that Band-Aid! Then I had another kid be careless and accidentally bonk his brother on the head, and bonked-head-kiddo slammed his brother's fingers in a cupboard in retaliation. I had three children screaming bloody murder at the same time as we were trying to head out the door and were already late!

When we got there, I dropped off the two littles at Kids' Corner, and Logan, who had previously BEGGED me to let him play in Kids' Corner, was clutching the gate, jumping up and down, scream-crying, "Don't leave me, Mama! I don't want to stay here!" For the record, when I picked him up later, he told me that "Kids' Corner is the BEST, and it's even better than Expedition Everest!" (A ride at Disney that he was too little to go on.) "When can we come back?!" <eyeroll>

I know it's only going to get better from here as we settle into a routine. My mom is coming with us, and I hope to eventually lure her into the wellness center, so we can workout together!

4. Trim Healthy Mama's "Workins" - Speaking of working out, I have been loving this set of workout DVDs! A little backstory first... In December, I saw a doctor to investigate the cause of my hair falling out. (It turns out that it's only a short-term problem and is 100% due to nursing.) Anyhoo, I was told that, even though I'm eating really well and get lots of cardio just by living my daily life, I should also be doing some intentional strength-training. (Boo.) I actually like working out, but I just have a hard time finding enough minutes in the day to do all. the. things.

I received this THM workout kit for my birthday in October, so I decided it was time to bust it out! Pearl and Serene, the lovely ladies behind THM, have a unique (to me!) philosophy. They are not into the grunting, gritting-your-teeth, grinding workouts. Instead, they promote exercise that creates a strong-looking feminine physique. The exercises are designed to address women's unique needs, promoting inner-organ health with "perky posture" and strengthening the pelvic floor with LOTS of exercises that focus on the glutes. (Pearl and Serene claim that the reason we see lots of elderly women shuffling along is that their glute muscles are weak.) Surprisingly, there are ZERO exercises focused on the abs. The Trim Healthy girls say that these "rounded-back" exercises are actually bad for mama's abs (which have been stretched out in pregnancy) and that the core will be strengthened incidentally by "securing" during the various moves. Pearl and Serene also insist that 20 minutes three times a week is plenty of working out. If you workout too much (and, even worse, without joy), it can actually induce a stress hormone and be counter-productive!

While the series of nine videos strike me as being a bit unprofessional, that's also what I love about them. Pearl and Serene lead us through a series of exercises from the comfort of Serene's living room! The girls are often dressed in their pajamas or "grungies" and use mop handles and milk jugs as equipment. They keep it simple, convenient, and doable for the busy mamas. Watching the two of them intereact makes me long for a sister, as these girls are clearly BFFs and have loads of fun together. In keeping with their fun carefree THM style, the workouts have silly names like "Clammies in My Jammies," "Bandies in My Handies," "Lungies in My Grungies," and "Let's Play Ball." They have "Bizarre Active Rest" periods and end several workout with "Hot Tater Dance" and "Mad Matador." These girls make working out fun!

You can find the kit HERE.

5. An ingenious tip for cutting down on the paper clutter - I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I snagged it from Erin Loechner at Design for Mankind. (I was unable to find her exact post. It might have been on Instagram.)

Anyhoo, does anyone else struggle with what to do with all the children's arts and crafts that make their way into your home? Of course I keep some of them. (I keep samples of work that show their creativity and current stage of life... I'm also a sucker for anything with little handprints or footprints.) But our house would burst if I kept it all.

I set up email accounts for all of my children. They don't even know that they exist! When a child comes home with a large craft, I display it proudly for awhile. Then, what that piece of art's time is up, I snap a photo of it and send it to that child's email address (and hide the actual piece in the trash). That way, my child has a record of his art, and it takes up zero space! Someday, when the boys are old enough, I will give them the passwords for their accounts, and they can view all of their masterpieces! (Or not. My parents recently gave me several pieces of my own [giant] artwork from high school, and it didn't really feel like a gift, haha!)

You could even make the "revealing of the email password" more special by typing love letters to your children on their birthdays or special days, such as their First Communion.

This notion was such a blessing to me, and I hope it helps you, too!

What have you been digging lately? Have a great weekend, friends!

XO,
Kristin