Friday Favorites {2-3-17}

Is it just me or did this week FLY by? I can't believe  it's already the first Friday of February! I am busy today working on Hudson's cake for our family party tomorrow. I am hoping to share it with y'all next week. Fingers crossed it turns out like the plan! Ha!

{O N E}
So I am still going with my healthy eating plan and goals to be my fittest by my 30th birthday. I am a water drinker. It isn't hard for me to drink water all day long. I never have liked soda. And although I always spice up my water with lime or lemon ALWAYS, I decided to get on La Croix train. I purchased a couple of flavors to start. I went with lemon, because, I already know I like that flavor. And I also got Cherry Lime.

Y'all, I don't like it. So technically, NOT a favorite. What are your favorites?? Help a girl out!

{T W O}

This is Us. Who's watching?? Who was majorly let down this week when it was supposed to be on and then was just NOT??!!! You can not show me previews that I fully expect to see in one week and then nothing! It just is not ok, NBC! 

But seriously, I love Jack and Rebecca. I love the peeks back into their growing up years. I love Randall. I am uber intrigued in Kevin's (who's character I feel has very little depth right now) past relationship that just came up.  I am obviously riveted by the adoption plot line and the challenges that adds to the family dynamic. 

Is it my favorite show of all time? No, not even close. {Side note: Parenthood fans can we all rally for one more season. BRING IT BACK!!} But Jack and Rebecca are probably in my top favorite TV couples of all time for sure.  

{T H R E E}

Our family got a pool membership as a family gift for Christmas. We are super excited. The boys (and this mama) have tons of friends that are also members. It is minutes from home. And I just can't wait to create those memories with my boys like I have growing up spending days at the pool. 

That being said, I've been thinking swimsuits. We'll all need a few because we'll be going so much. I have always been a BIG advocate of wearing a bikini if you want. Kids, no kids. Stretch marks or not. Just owning your own skin. However, I am feeling like this may be my year to go to a cute one piece. I am not decided fully yet. And of course, my feelings my change once I lose some of my winter fluff and get some color. Pass the self-tanner, please. 

These are some of the suits I am loving right now. 

Isn't this suit so pretty? I love the mesh detailing. It is a fun touch that allows you to show some skin without really baring it all. I also love that it covers the backside well too according to reviews. 

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Clearly, I am taking the term one-piece and gravitating from the traditional sense. I don't need to be completely covered. I still want to get a great tan. And this cute, cut out suit delivers. Support with a halter top. Completely covered so I can move around and the high waisted bottoms cover that tough to tone area.

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Typically, I stray away from a tie bottom because, well I am no longer in college. But, these are a more substantial bottom in my opinion. And the high neck halter with all the detail just makes the suit. I feel like it adds some sexiness without being overt and I can totally swim and play with my kids in the pool without any wardrobe malfunctions. #winwin

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I love the high waist of these bottoms and the cute scallop detail on the top. I don't have a super long torso so not sure how this one would look on me but I feel like the coverage is right in all the places I want coverage and is totally a bikini I can rock as a mama without feeling too much like a "mom suit". 

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{F O U R}
Purging. It has been happening around here. It all started with looking through my closet for an upcoming swap (more on that some other day). Well, once I got through my closet, I decided to go through all the closets. Then our storage area. And toys. And DVDs. It felt so good to have these piles of things leaving my house. I typically do this every few months when I get the itch to de-clutter. I have found that we always have "stuff" we aren't using/wearing/playing with. No one even misses it when it's gone and because of this, my house never feels over cluttered or full. I think we can all really do without so much more than we think.

That's all I have for today! I have a cake that needs finishing! Better get to it! Have a fabulous weekend!

10 On Tuesday: Spring Cleaning Edition

Spring in the Midwest is a fickle season. March started out lovely and then went back and forth between cold and rainy to lovely and well it continued into April. Gross! Once Valentine's Day has come and gone I am basically ready for spring weather, spring attire and playtime to take place outdoors daily.

In hopes of inspiring the weather to remember spring had sprung, I spent last week spring cleaning. I clean the house on the regular (read weekly) but there are some tasks that don't get done on the regular. Here are 10 things to add to your cleaning routine to get your house spring ready!

1/ Refrigerator and Freezer: I emptied everything out, tossed anything that needed to be and wiped our all drawers, shelves, dispensers, etc before placing the items back in. I did this before a grocery store run so my fridge was pretty bare which made the task simple. I didn't think our fridge was dirty but it certainly was more organized and my husband noticed!!! Cue the face of shock!

2/ Behind oven, fridge and top of cabinets: These spaces just collect dust and because we don't see them often  ever they tend to get neglected. It was a simple extra step that didn't require much time or effort but the "cleanliness next to holiness" side of me just loved sucking up those dust bunnies to be banished forever!

3/ Bedding: We went beyond the typical sheet change. We washed all the bedding; pillows, mattress pads, blankets, duvets, bed skirts. It was a LOT of washing but I just think of all the unseen dust and such that was washed away.

4/ Blinds: The most tedious, painstaking task of my spring cleaning routine. Section by section, dust them off. They do get so dusty and I noticed this week when cleaning my house did seem noticeably less dusty than usual. I'm just going to attribute that to being a HUGE help!

5/ Windows and windowsills: We have our windows open a LOT during the fall and then with winter and all that moisture, the windowsills can get quite dirty. I will need to take the screens out and hose them off but that will be another weekend now that the weather has warmed up.

6/ Diffusers: We use our YL diffusers every night and I don't always clean them as often as I should. I just learned that the oils can actually build up in our diffusers over time and cause them not to work! YIKES! So I let distilled vinegar sit in them about 8 hours (put some in when you wake up), ran it with the vinegar in it for 3-5 minutes then, emptied it, used water to clean the tight spaces and rubbing alcohol on the metal disc. Super simple!

7/ Purge everything: I went through all cabinets, drawers, and closets in every room (including kitchen and bathroom, hall closets, entryway closet). I switched out clothes for a new season, got rid of tones to donate or put in our spring garage sell. That task made our whole house feel more put together.

8/ Vacuum: Walls, baseboards, corners, air vents. Vacuum EV-ER-Y-THING! Use the attachments, move the furniture, and get to work!

9/ Vacuum: No this isn't listed twice by mistake. I clean our vacuum every few months but after a spring cleaning, it needed done again. We have a shark and I empty out the canister, wash and rinse the filters and wipe out all the parts I can. We want to actually have our vacuums work well right?

10/ Light Fixtures: There are some I do pretty regularly but others I just overlook. I did them all when I cleaned. Bathrooms, hallways, entryway, bedrooms! ALL OF THEM! It wasn't too hard but it did make me want to update/replace some of them! Ha!

Here is a spring cleaning checklist I used. I broke my house into phases and it took about 3.5 days. Do you spring clean? What would you add?