Fresh Friday

It's Friday!  This has been my first full week back at work since the Snowpocalypse that hit Kansas City the last two weeks.  I have to say, it has been nice to get back to a normal schedule.  Snow days are fun, but since my job is scheduled out with students each hour, missing a day or two really throws a wrench in the works.

Fresh Friday!

Again, I can't say enough how much I love this link-up.  It is so easy to get caught up in the negative, stressful happenings of the week.  Doing this link-up causes me to take a look at the last 7 days and find 3 things that were fresh.  Fabulous.  Fantastic.  Fun.

So, even if you aren't a blogger, even if you don't post it anywhere but in your mind, please join me in conjuring up 3 things that made your week fresh.  I would love to hear what yours are!

Dinner with friends + hot yoga.  I love both so much and I always say I should do both more often.

Fruits!

L has been eating fruit like crazy this week!  He loves to help slice and prep, too.  He even tried celery this way!  Kid tip: let your kids help out with fruit and veggie prep and they will be more likely to try the foods.  L requested a piece of celery to chop and then popped a piece in his mouth!  He didn't love it, but at least he tried, right?

Fresh spinach, tomatoes and avocado are making my week.  YUM!

Join the link up here.

Tell me your three fresh things from this past week in the comment section below!

Don't go yet!  Click here to enter to win a moisture-wicking, super soft Manduka eQua fitness towel.  Perfect for hot yoga, Pilates, cycling...wherever you sweat!

Thursday Thoughts

Joining Jennifer at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for the first time for Thursday Thoughts.

 

+ I ran today for the first time in over a week.  The last time I ran I was in the middle of the cold/flu/sinus junk that took me about a week to get through.  It was super tough and I felt like I was dying.  Today I ran 1:30/:30 intervals for 10 minutes, with a 5 minute hill climb warm-up/cool down.  It was hard but in a good way.  I feel great!

+ I have been really trying this week to get back into my raw eating for breakfast and lunch routine.  I have done well, getting lots of fresh fruits and veggies and avoiding junk.  Today I finally don't feel like a bloated balloon.  The scale hasn't budged much but I feel better.

+ I am getting very emotional about L graduating from preschool.  I am going to miss my extra time with him.  I am going to miss having a "baby" that isn't in elementary school yet.  I am going to miss dropping him off and picking him up from his preschool.  It was a big milestone when E graduated preschool, don't get me wrong, but at the time I had no idea how much time really does fly once kindergarten starts.  And how they go from being a baby to being a big kid.  *sigh*

+ It is supposed to be really mild and nice this weekend. My gut instinct is to skip Zumba on Saturday and run instead.  But I promised I would go to Zumba every Saturday in March and I know that I need to.  Beep boop.

+  I really like this Pitbull song.  It's going to find it's way onto my running playlist very soon.

+ I had a Twix egg today.  It was magical.

+ I need to find out my blood type.  At hot yoga last Sunday the instructor was talking all about how your blood type can give you clues what to eat, how much rest/exercise you need...all sorts of stuff.  I can never remember my blood type, but now I am curious.

What's on your mind?

My Birthday Party + Manduka Giveaway!

I had an absolutely perfect birthday party on Sunday!  A group of my closest friends and I went to my favorite hot yoga class and then to dinner.  It was so fun.  And something I would never have thought to do just a few years ago.

I used to get really stressed out when planning what to do for my birthday.  I wanted the people I was inviting to have fun so I would try to think of what my friends liked doing, what would make them happy.  This would leave me stressed and not even wanting to do anything.  "No one will want to come, it will be so boring."  I would end up thinking.
Years ago I was getting my hair cut, by a stylist I can't even remember, but she was telling me how she went ice skating with her friends for her birthday.  I was shocked.  I told her it sounded like so much fun but that I didn't think that any of my friends would come.

"Plan what you want to do.  If they are your true friends, they will come."

Wow.

I had never looked at it that way, but it is so true.  I had obsessed for so many years over planning my party at a bar or restaurant that I thought my friends would like that I missed the whole idea.
It's my birthday.  It's my one day to have fun.  My friends want to spend time with me, not be entertained by a perfect night out.  So, a couple years ago, I did plan an ice skating party.  And guess what?  My friends came!  They didn't all skate, and there were plenty of laughs to go around, but it was so much fun.  It was a turning point for me and what has allowed me to dare to be different and plan a hot yoga party for myself.

5 of my friends came to yoga last night.  Well, 4.  One of them was locked out because she was late.  She has always run late.  Forever.  But it's one reason to love her!  Two of my friends brought a friend along.  How cool is that?  So, there were 7 of us in this challenging, warm, relaxing yoga class.  Breathing and taking time for ourselves.
Then we went to Houlihan's for dinner.  I hadn't been there for years and I just love their food.
Talking, laughing, giggling about our horrible waitress.  Discussing what we all do with our lives during the week.  Reminiscing about the old days.
So.  Much.  Fun.
And gifts!  Lots of fun gifts and the gift of just being there.   Oh, and creme brulee.  My favorite dessert!

Now for the giveaway!

A few days after my actual birthday in February I received a workout towel from Manduka.  I have been saving it to take with me to hot yoga.  My birthday = a present for YOU!

Manduka is an eco-friendly line of yoga gear.  Mats, towels, props, tees and tanks.


The eQua hand towel is a super soft microfiber that fits perfectly at the front of your yoga mat.  As I was sweating my way through class I noticed the difference between this towel and a regular towel immediatly.  The eQua towel absorbed sweat so quickly.  No wiping and waiting.  Just a quick blot was all I needed.  And, placed at the front of my mat, my hands didn't slide or slip at all.
For savasana I placed the towel over my eyes and it blocked out the light but wasn't heavy at all.  And, the best part, it was dry!  That's right, I didn't have to lay there with a sweaty towel on my face because the fast-drying eQua towel really lives up to it's promises.

There are so many options out there for yoga gear, but what I really like about Manduka is their eco-friendly mission, the exciting colors and the fact that their products are well made without being through-the-roof expensive.  I have found my go-to company!

The only bad thing about the Manduka eQua towel?  Picking which color to get!  There are so many fabulous colors I wanted one of each :)  I chose SHADE, a beautiful slate color.  But it was so hard.  GLOW would be fabulous for a mat, don't you think?  You could color-coordinate your mat, towel and bag or pick colors to compliment each other.  How cool is that?

To celebrate the launch of their spring line/colors Manduka is doing the #NowisWow campaign, a 5 week digital campaign encouraging the yoga community to take a pause and experience the moment—by celebrating life, reveling in nature and embracing the now.  Every week Manduka will showcase a new color from the Spring line—in visual collage form—via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their awesome The Upward Frog blog! To learn more go here.


Next on my shopping list is this bamboo block and the Ombre mat towel in Pop Rock!

Manduka is generously offering to give a eQua towel to one lucky readera Rafflecopter giveaway