Holidays (national or somewhat arbitrary) offer fun inspiration for projects and lessons for kids. Yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day (though I'm happy to celebrate penguins any day of the year!) and I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on this fine bird with project, book, and design inspiration. If you have other ideas to share, feel free to do so in the comments below!
I firmly believe that part of making your life more awesome involves self-care. I also believe in carving out small chunks of time for fitness and tweaking your nutrition gradually so you don’t set yourself up for failure with lofty goals that are, well, too lofty. So, following my post on intention setting for 2014, I wanted to share a roundup of links to help inspire your fitness and nutrition journeys.
Given the holiday break + snow days, I haven't had a chance to sit down and set intentions for 2014. So yesterday I put a meeting (with myself!) in my calendar for a paper and pencil creative visioning session later this week. Want to join me? To get my/your wheels churning, I've rounded up some lovely back posts about tackling goals and setting personal and professional intentions with work and parenting. Let's do this thing!
Today, contributing writer (and fitness trainer) Jules shares 6 killer medicine ball exercises:
It can be daunting to try out new fitness equipment, but medicine balls are easy to use at home for a productive and time efficient workout. Medicine balls are basketball size and come in weights varying from 2 to 25 pounds. It’s helpful to have two different ball weights so you can use them for different exercises depending on your strength. Here are 6 exercises I frequently use with clients:
Today, contributing writer Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) shares a roundup of cute unisex pajamas:
I love pajamas. Few things are more adorable than a pajama-clad kid, whether it's a chunky toddler or a lean 9-year-old. Now that it's cooler again, my children are back to happily pulling on their PJs after bath. And given that I have an older daughter and younger son, I'm always looking for unisex pajamas, so that they can be easily handed down. Here are six of our favorites:
Do you know about fashionABLE? Not only are their products amazing, but this company works to give vulnerable women in Ethiopia opportunities for employment so they can lift themselves out of lives of prostitution and are not dependent on charity. I had the honor of visiting fashionABLE in Ethiopia last fall and these women are why Asha and I are donating 100% of book royalties this month to Women At Risk (order the book via http://bit.ly/helpwomenatrisk to help the cause!).
Today, Kate shares a favorite gadget that inspires her to take advantage of the (seemingly small) fitness moments:
If you're like me, you spend a large part of your weekdays at a desk, in front of a computer. Time for exercise has to be found in the early mornings and the evenings, after work and parenting and all of the other things that you need and want to do. Or does it?
To complement last week's roundup of 8 cute tankinis for girls, today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) shares a roundup of 8 cute swim trunks for boys:
When it comes to choosing bathing suits for my son, I have one simple, but essential criterion: they stay on. After that, it's fun to consider solids, prints, and stripes. Some boys like board shorts, and others like elastic-waist trunks. Whit is now 8 years old, so we've been through a lot of bathing suits over the years. Here's a roundup of some of our favorite swim trunks for boys:
When it comes to bathing suits for girls, I'm all about the two-piece; diapering and bathroom visits are easier (and less, er, chilly). And for my girls, I favor tankinis over bikinis, probably due a bit to modesty, practically because it means less skin exposed to potential sunburn, and also because I have embarrassing memories of coming out of an ocean wave as a child with my bikini top floating around my neck. Good news is, there's no shortage of cute tankinis on the market. Since I was just shopping for tankinis for Laurel and Vi this past weekend, I thought I'd share 8 cute picks with you:
These days, I've been using the word epic with some regularity, there's just been so much good stuff going on! And today, I have something to share that is truly epic in the fun department. I'm teaming up with some wonderful bloggers to offer you an epic May giveaway including a Canon T4i DSLR + a gorgeous Epiphanie Charlotte chevron bag (I have been coveting this puppy), collectively worth ~$1055! Woo hoo!
I dig ChopChop Magazine (yay for cooking with kids!) and New Balance (I just ran in a pair this morning!), so when I heard the two were pairing up for a Run the Rainbow, Eat the Rainbow campaign, I was like, yes, cool -- I am all over getting my kids out and running around and eating a well-balanced plate (especially important to me since Laurel is a vegetarian and Violet has dairy and gluten allergies). I have three things I wanted to share today in relation to this campaign:
One of the most beautiful things about the online space is how incredibly nimble people can be to make awesome things happen. In October when I traveled to Ethiopia as part of the ONE Moms delegation, our team created such an online stir about fashionABLE that they were able to create three new jobs. This past winter, fellow Ethiopia companion and dear friend Gabrielle Blair, of Design Mom and Alt Summit, worked with ONE and fashionABLE to challenge the Alt community to design an exclusive ONE/fashionABLE Mother's Day scarf. And today the beautiful Genet scarf is available for purchase (with free shipping today and tomorrow).
Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares 9 tips for reducing anxiety around doctor visits:
Visits to the pediatrician have become a nightmare since our little one has entered toddlerhood, a stage in which he's old enough to remember past experiences (particularly painful ones like shots) yet still too young to comprehend everything and be reasoned with. From the moment we enter the waiting area until we leave the building, he is in hysterics, occasionally resulting in an incomplete exam. Anxiety over visiting the doctor is common for kids, but can become stressful and troublesome when it is so severe that it interferes with the doctor doing his/her job. Here are 9 ways we've been working with our toddler on reducing anxiety around these visits:
I meant to post the last of my four-part spring style lift series (see also, necklaces, scarves, studs!) last week. However, time ran away from me and I also couldn't fathom sharing spring shoe recommendations when the sidewalks were obscured by snow and ice! But the snow is melting, next week is April, and I didn't wear socks the whole time I was in Dallas this past weekend! Here are 8 flats recommendations for you, in an array of colors across the rainbow; perfect for adding pop to an outfit, while still being kid-chasing-friendly!
My friend Jess kindly has called me queen of the statement necklace. It's true; I do love accessories for pop, particularly as an easy (and overall more affordable) way to elevate an outfit while sticking to neutrals with clothing. In my third spring style lift post (see also, scarves + studs), I wanted to share 8 statement necklaces. If you've been wary of trying bold jewelry, I say go for it. Or borrow a friend's necklace and give it a go and see how it feels. You'll be amazed by how quickly a bold necklace can finish an outfit and draw admiring looks!
Spring is almost here -- ready to feel the burn? Today, Jules shares 7 of her favorite kettlebell exercises:
As a personal trainer, I'm constantly trying to bring my clients innovative and dynamic exercises. The kettlebell looks like a bowling ball with a looped handle. Using a kettlebell is efficient in improving core strength and all-over muscle building because of its off-center weight. Combining standard exercises you would do with dumbbells with multiple explosive movements will provide an ideal total body workout. Here are seven of my favorite kettlebell moves.
Because I'm still operating in daily scarf mode (and plan on being in this mode for a while), my daily earring of choice is studs, both to prevent snags on said scarves and also because Violet can't resist pawing at my ears when I wear dangling earrings. But studs need not be boring! For installment #2 of my spring style series (see #1 here), here are 6 striking studs that are practical (when worn with scarves and alongside toddlers...) but full of pop for every day.