PopSugar Must Have Box January 2017

The theme for January's PopSugar Must Have Box revolves around fresh, new, and healthy..."A Fresh Start"! I love the start of a new year - a clean slate, new goals and ambitions, and that's just what this box is about! 

My favorite is always the first glance - the anticipating and excitement of what's inside the box! This month's box did not disappoint!
 

#1: Goldfaden MD Fresh A Peel Multi Acid Resurfacing Peel

Taking the term fresh-faced literally, this supercharged peel removes dead skin cells and with continued use, skin may become softer and brighter. Check out more about this resurfacing peel from Goldfaden MD.

I've used this peel several times now and really like it! My face definitely feels fresh and smooth!
Retail Price: $85.00

#2 Sourcebooks, Inc. Instant Happy Notes

Who doesn't need a pick-me-up no wand again? A daily dose of happiness is just a note away.

Suggested Price: $8.99

These notes are such a great idea! Can anyone guess why I love the green one? Hint: It's a favorite line from a favorite show at one of my favorite places in the world! :)

#3 Manduka eQua Mat Towel in Playa

The perfect addition to any yoga class, this absorbent, quick-drying and slip-resistant towel is ready to hold you in place as you breathe deep. This soft, suede-like feel will cover your mat in style. 

Suggested Price:  $38.00

#4 Daily Concepts Your Hair Wrap Towel

With special microfibers, this towel helps reduce flyaways, cuts your blow-dry time, and wraps around your hair comfortably while staying put. 

Suggested Price: $18.00

#5 May Designs Desk Calendar & Notecard

Start each month off with a bit of beauty as you flip through this calendar filled with 12 hand-painted floral patterns.

These cards are so cute, too! Flip them over and cut along the dotted lines to turn each one into a notecard for a sweet note to a friend!

Suggested Price: $25.00

 #6 Dean & Deluca Peppermint Loose Leaf Tea

It's time to wind down and relax with this aromatic peppermint tea. The soothing menthol flavor and added digestive benefits will keep your days and nights calm and refreshing. 

Suggested Price: $10.75

Bonus Item: Glade N3 Free Coconut and Beach Woods Candle

This soy candle, part of a new line of multilayered home fragrances, will transform your space into a sweet and woodsy oasis. 

Suggested Price: $4.99

That's all for January's box! :) Thanks so much, PopSugar!

Disclaimer: I was provided a PopSugar Must Have Box in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Relaxing Weekend

You know those nice relaxing weekends where you spend most of your time at home just enjoying your family and peacefulness? Yeah...that's the kind of weekend I had and it was SO nice!

On Friday afternoon, I worked late and got home in time to ride with Jason to pick Brayden up from his grandparents house. We basically returned home, ate leftovers, and watched an episode of CSI Las Vegas. We are still trying to get through them all and are currently on season 12.

Saturday morning brought about cooler weather and my last long run before Rock n Roll New Orleans next weekend!

I met up with my running buddy Heather and we had a great run! I'm so looking forward to next weekend, too!

After the run, I enjoyed lots of play time and a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Brayden! :)

He also had a handful of puffs after lunch! He sure does love those things! :)

I spent part of Brayden's nap time catching up on Runner's World Magazines. I loved the section of January's issue that talked about runners who had a cardiac event during a race and were resuscitated by fellow runners that performed CPR. I never want that to happen to me or anyone around me during a race, but I love that they are alive because fellow runners stepped in to help!

For dinner on Saturday night, we had Dickey's BBQ for the first time. They just opened here about a month ago and we wanted to try them out. It was really good!

Brayden enjoyed his peas, carrots, and beets, too! Haha!

We attended church on Sunday morning followed by lunch with my parents. After lunch, Jason and I went on his 5 mile training walk for the Enchanted 10K coming up in February during Princess Half Marathon Weekend. 

I couldn't pass up a chance to be out in the gorgeous weather! It was so nice outside!!

He did great and kept an awesome pace the whole time...I'm so proud of him! We talked the whole time and the miles really did seem to go by fairly fast! Brayden also missed his morning nap and was out for most of our walk. As a matter of fact, he's still sleeping now!

That's it for my weekend! I hope you had a great one, too! :) Happy Monday! Have a fabulous week!

Fitness Friday - 1/27

Currently Training For:

• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge

Saturday - 10 mile run
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - 3 mile run with Brayden
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - PT routine/leg exercises
Thursday - 2 mile run
Friday - 5 miles with Jason and Brayden

Saturday's run with Heather was our first without the running group. I'm not gonna lie, it was SO strange to pull up at our usual meeting spot and see a desolate and empty parking lot. Whomp whomp sad times.

We had a great run, though...and I hit another record on my Garmin! Longest run since Christmas! Yay!

After the run, I stopped by Starbucks to pick up breakfast for Jason and I. Y'all...this Iced Smoked Butterscotch Latte...omg. To die for. I'm going to have to figure out how to make it "skinny" so I won't feel so guilty ordering it again!

Side note - how adorable is this sleeper? I'm going to be so sad when he outgrows it...

On Monday afternoon, Brayden and I went out for a 3 mile run. This week has given us low humidity and cooler temps...it's actually feeling a little like winter in the south! I'm loving it!

It definitely makes it easier to breathe!

We also finished up our king cake this week and look who I found...the baby! Of course.

After work on Thursday, Brayden and I set out for a quick 2 mile run. We had friends coming over for dinner and I had to finish cooking, so we only made it two miles but I didn't care. It was a GORGEOUS afternoon and I'm so glad we took the time to go out and enjoy it!

Last night, we gave my friend Melissa a gift from all of us. Her dad is the one who passed away a few weeks ago and we wanted to give her something she could always cherish.

Well, her dad was a Mickey fan like us and also a Sergeant with the Louisiana State Police. We gave her a giant Mickey dressed in a police uniform, complete with an LSP badge. He also had a little voice box in his back that played the prayer her dad prayed over her and her husband at their wedding. Needless to say, last night was a very emotional night although we did enjoy the girl time and the laughs!

This weekend will hold my final weekend training run before Rock n Roll New Orleans! I can't believe it's already almost here!! Have a fabulous weekend!

Kinesiology Tape

Over the past several years, I've dealt with lots of IT Band issues. It started on my left knee and was followed by my right knee because apparently, the right knee was jealous.

In the mean time, I've learned several tips and tricks for keeping the achiness and IT Band irritation at bay. Along with foam rolling, and my regular PT routine and strengthening exercises, I've also discovered kinesiology tape.

Taping up my IT Band was super easy and after watching several YouTube videos on the application process, I had it down in no time. However, one thing that still plagues me to this day is the stickiness of the tape. I've tried it all - from washing the knee down with soap and water and drying it well to using rubbing alcohol, hairspray, and everything else in between. My final assumption is that the tape just can't hold up to the humidity of the deep south. Either that or the pH of my skin is crazy. It could be the second one...who knows.

After reviewing the process of taping up my IT Band, I finally decided to stick to one strip of tape vs two - I ditched the "X" piece of tape over the side of the knee and decided to just stick with one long strip from the side of my knee, up my leg. This actually helped the tape stick better and helps with the IT Band issues during my run - win win!

So where my taping process used to look like the photo below....

Source

...I got rid of the blue pieces of tape and now just use the long strip that's shown as a black piece of tape in the photo above.

So, throughout the past several years, I've tried several different brands and type of kinesiology tape and decided I would share my thoughts and opinions on each one with you today!

First up is Loxley Sports.

I was sent two packages of Loxley Tape to try out. This tape is not pre-cut, but I like how the back has measurable squares. It took five large squares to make the amount of tape I needed for my knee. If the tape is not going to be pre-cut, I much rather it have a measurable grid as this one does.

As far as stay power of this tape, I give it a C. It's ok, but I know not to wear it on super hot and humid summer days because it definitely won't do the trick.

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Up next is RockTape.

I ordered two boxes RockTape for a race and even tried a temporary trial of Amazon Prime so I would have the take in time for the race!  I'd heard awesome and amazing things about this tape and I couldn't wait to try it out. To be honest, I wasn't super impressed like I thought I would be. The tape sticks ok but again, I know I can't use it on super hot and humid days. I do rank this tape higher than the previous one mentioned - it stays put better and lasts a bit longer....I give RockTape a B-.

This tape also is not pre-cut, so you can make the strips as long or as short as you'd like. There isn't a way to measure the size of the strips you need to cut, so I had to eyeball this one. Sometimes my strips were too long and sometimes they were too short.

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 Last but not least is KT Tape.

There are two forms of KT Tape - Regular and Pro. I've tried both and out of all of the brands of tape I've tried, the KT Tape Pro is hands down my absolute favorite.

I also love how these strips are pre-cut which is super easy for use with the one strip that's needed for my IT Band. However, I know if you have multiple areas to tape or you need to cut slits in the tape, a pre-cut option might not be your best bet.

As far as stay power goes, I give the regular KT Tape a B+ and the KT Tape Pro an A-.

 These also come in a wide variety of colors and patterns!

After having so many issues in the beginning, I did a little research on the KT Tape spray and eventually discovered that hair spray did the trick 90% of the time, so I never went any further with the KT Tape spray. Has anyone had any luck with it?

Have you ever needed kinesiology tape? If so, what has been your favorite brand? Do you have trouble getting the tape to stick?

Weekend Recap

Hello and happy Wednesday! I've attempted to write this blog post for two days now, but I kept getting taken away from my desk (and one night, sleep won out...I'm sure you moms understand what I mean with this one)!

So, this past weekend was a nice and relaxing weekend and I really enjoyed spending time with my two main men - my husband and my baby!

On Friday after work, I spent a little time with Brayden, then headed to a friend's house for a game night! We played Loaded Questions and Speak Out which were both hilarious!

While we were having fun indoors, craziness was happening outdoors!

Thankfully, we all made it home safely and in one piece!

On Saturday morning, I ran in the early morning with my friend Heather. We are both training for Rock N Roll NOLA and needed to get another decent long run in before the race. We decided on 10 miles for Saturday and had a great time! (More about Friday's run later!)

I also had my first slice of King Cake this weekend which of course had to be paired with a cup of King Cake roast from PJ's coffee! 

Saturday was a great mail day, too! Our Magical Express tags for Princess Weekend arrived! YAY!

In between Brayden's naps and lunch, Jason and I discussed, searched, and debated and finally decided on our 10 year Anniversary trip. We haven't booked it just yet, but we are going to sail on the Fantasy on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  The Fantasy is the only DCL ship we haven't been on, and we've never been to the Eastern Caribbean, so we figured this was a win win! I am so excited!!

Brayden and I spent a bit of time outdoors and he LOVED walking around the driveway! So much fun!

Afternoon nap time snuggles are the best!

We also had dinner with my parents on Saturday night which was a fun treat! We love spending time with them! :)

Sunday morning brought about church and more time with friends! On Sunday evening, we had dinner at a local pizza joint which was delicious!

Love my friends! :)

Now we are midway through another week and looking forward to another great weekend! I hope you have a fabulous one!! :)