- Large art above sofa can be purchased through the Megan Ann McFarland Shop and the two smaller paintings can be purchased through me. Everything else is linked up above!
Gorgeous and Laid Back Family Room
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Updated interiors at the Clifton Hotel (the best of updated traditional)
I've got a special treat for your eyes this morning! Several friends here in Richmond have posted or commented on Facebook recently about the new interiors the Clifton Hotel so I decided to take a look for myself. Y'all. This is good. Real good. Virginia has no shortage of wonderful bed & breakfasts and inns decorated with a beautiful and well appointed colonial feel, much like your precious grandmother's house, all featuring idyllic views for days, but, there have been no real standouts with an updated twist on traditional until now. Rather than a literal interpretation of how Martha Washington might have decorated her home, the Clifton Hotel showcases what you might imagine Martha and her designer coming up with today. Bam.
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images via Robb Report
images via Robb Report
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We're Moving...again
Hey friends! I hope everyone is having a great summer! We're in major clean out and clear out mode over here because we are trying to sell our house again. M starts a new job on August 1st and we're trying to get things ready to officially list our house then as well. We have painters and contractors coming back over the next few weeks to finish up some things so hopefully we'll stay on schedule to make our August 1st target. I think it's going to take me every bit of this month to physically get our things out of this house. Yikes, we've accumulated SO MUCH STUFF. We've been pairing down and editing since this time last year when we toyed with the idea of moving, but this time, it's official and the house will have to be emptied. I'm in the process of bagging it up and donating it. When I think about the amount of clothes and toys and kitchenware and holiday decorations and decorative objects and pillows sitting in closets here it makes me ill. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of moving into a new house with just a few pieces of furniture and a large suitcase. It feels so freeing! We're no strangers to moving. When we moved from Pawelys Island to Richmond I was pregnant and had a nine month old. Not a fabulous combination for moving boxes in the heat. Our next move from the Fan out here to Goochland I had a not yet walking one year old and a two year old to literally chase down while trying to pack. This go around should be so much easier. Tagg is 6.5 and Wells is almost 8. They can pack/unpack their own things and sit on their ipads while I GSD.
We haven't found a new house yet which actually feels a lot less stressful than you'd think but I know the right one will come at the right time. I don't want to overwhelm myself so step one is to focus on selling this house and then step two is to find a new house. I'm not in a huge hurry to rush into anything and not trying to buy and sell at the same time is best for our family.
Anyway, we are in a wonderful neighborhood in a great location so please pass this along if you know of anyone interested! You can also just sent them to the site below for more information.
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Bedroom refresh with Kohl's
It's been quiet around here this summer but I can assure you behind the scenes it's been anything but quiet. I recently partnered with Kohl's to freshen up a few things before listing our house on MLS. I packed up our headboard and most of our linens in mid-July to prepare for our upcoming move out of state so I was using some of our older sheets that wouldn't make the move leaving the room looking less than inviting. So the first update I made, and the most dramatic by far, was in our master bedroom. The old sheets were fine but they had seen better days. Crisp and spotless linens are always a good start to each new season but really are a must have when selling a house. I picked up a bed in a bag set on sale for just $89. The Big One 6-piece crinkle bed set included a bed skirt, fitted sheet, top sheet, two king shams, and a bedspread. Automatically the room is more pulled together and attractive to buyers and more relaxing for me and my husband.
I never knew I could love a pillow insert this much, but, our old standard size pillows were ready to be tossed so I picked up two Columbia ice fiber down alternative pillows because they felt soft and promised to stay eternally on the cool side. I was not prepared for the incredible and amazing cool staying power of these pillows. I am a perpetual pillow flipper in order to keep my head on the cool side all night and these replace that need by literally staying cool all night long--on both sides.
They are so good that Wells convinced me to go buy one in a standard size for her bed. I picked up one for Tagg too, but, his stayed in the packaging and went straight to the storage unit. He uses a pretty heavy duty allergen pillow protector so I'm curious how the cool factor works through the layers. Stay tuned.
The last thing I was excited to add was a fancy new mattress topper. I haven't used one in years because honestly we had too many nights of sick or potty training babies in our bed to use anything more than a basic waterproof mattress pad. Sorry, TMI? #momlife. I think we're safely on the other side I've missed having something plush and luxurious so when I saw the Serta 3-inch soothing cool gel memory foam mattress topper sitting in the aisle adjacent to my cool-promising pillows I jumped to throw it in my cart.
Heaven. I've never really thought much about the importance of updating the things you can't see but this is a good lesson that you really do need both. It's August and we just moved further down South so this cooling technology is imperative. Sometimes, what's on the inside and the outside counts ;)
With Kohl's big home sale, I was able to purchase all new bedding and two fancy king size pillow inserts for just under $200. That alone earned me $30 in Kohl's cash (which I used to buy Wells her very own cool pillow). The gel memory foam mattress topper was more of an investment, but still only $230 which earned me another $40 in Kohl's cash which I'll probably use to pick up a new door mat for our new house. Mohawk has a really big selection and I can snag one for free with my Kohl's cash. Woohoo!!!
Shop the post
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December Favorites
December is my favorite month. Besides Christmas and my Birthday, there are a thousand things to do and see and every day feels special! I'm going to be rounding up some of my favorites for you this week to hopefully give you some ideas and make shopping and dressing up for the holidays a little bit easier!
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J.CREW is 60% off sale items and 50% off full price with code CYBER
TUCKERNUCK is 20-35% off site-wide with code GoWild
TORY BURCH is having 30% off order over $250 with code THANKS
BAUBLEBAR is 35% off everything with code CYBER35
SHOPBOP take extra 30% off sale items with code WOW18
J.CREW is 60% off sale items and 50% off full price with code CYBER
TUCKERNUCK is 20-35% off site-wide with code GoWild
TORY BURCH is having 30% off order over $250 with code THANKS
BAUBLEBAR is 35% off everything with code CYBER35
SHOPBOP take extra 30% off sale items with code WOW18
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Holiday Dresses in Red
Little Red Dresses
Red isn't my favorite color. Not that I don't like it -- it's just always not pink. You know? Last year at Christmas I found myself really drawn to the ladies in red and I've decided I want to be one myself this year. Here are my top picks in case you want to be festive along with me!
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Red isn't my favorite color. Not that I don't like it -- it's just always not pink. You know? Last year at Christmas I found myself really drawn to the ladies in red and I've decided I want to be one myself this year. Here are my top picks in case you want to be festive along with me!
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Holiday Dresses Sparkle Edition
Rounding up those pretties! I love having all my favorites in one place to go back and compare. I have two parties coming up that I really need to order for soon. I definitely took advantage of having all the shopping options at arms lengths. Trade off for the perks of a beach town, I guess :)
I've also had a request for more long sleeve dress options so I'm going to look into that tonight. It's not freezing where we live now but I sure don't mind covering up my white arms this time of year that's for sure!
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I've also had a request for more long sleeve dress options so I'm going to look into that tonight. It's not freezing where we live now but I sure don't mind covering up my white arms this time of year that's for sure!
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Colorful Holiday Dresses
I can't think of anything better than a pretty pink dress, except maybe that leopard dress! I put those pink shoes on my wish list this year and now I'm thinking I need to pair them with something animal print!
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Gifts Under $30
I don't know about you, but finding gifts between $15-$30 is h-a-r-d! That price range has the longest list of names to shop for yet I always have the hardest time finding things that I would actually want to get myself. I hope this round-up will help if you're looking for stocking stuffers, extra add-ons or even gifts for teachers, friends, and the other women in your life you want to treat this time of year.
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And here are a few sales to keep in mind for extra savings!
Plum Pretty Sugar take 10% off full price + an extra 20% off flash sale items with code SALE18
J.CREW 35% off your purchase + 50% off sale with code WINTERSALE
J.CREW FACTORY extra 50% off clearance with code FLASHY
LOFT 40% off your purchase with code GIFTS
VINEYARD VINES $20 off orders over $150 if you use amazon pay with code AMAZONPAY18
Plum Pretty Sugar take 10% off full price + an extra 20% off flash sale items with code SALE18
J.CREW 35% off your purchase + 50% off sale with code WINTERSALE
J.CREW FACTORY extra 50% off clearance with code FLASHY
LOFT 40% off your purchase with code GIFTS
VINEYARD VINES $20 off orders over $150 if you use amazon pay with code AMAZONPAY18
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Luxury Gifts
Hey there! The other day I shared with you some of my favorite things for under $30 and today I'm going on the opposite extreme to talk about the best high end items on my list. About half of these are things I already have and would absolutely buy again and the rest are on my list for this year! I always have one or two big ticket items on my list that I may not otherwise splurge for myself.
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Frankly Memory Foam Mattress is the only thing I couldn't link up to my fancy wheel of goodies above but it's totally worth taking a click over! We got this new mattress in a box when we moved and its HEAVEN. I've ordered other mattresses in a box as well as traditional mattresses before but this luxury memory foam from Frankly is the best by far! It's pretty inexpensive for such a high quality mattress. I've been meaning to tell ya'll about it for a while but I wanted to give it a good few months to make sure it didn't get any sink holes or sunken sleep spots like our last one did from another company.
Frankly Memory Foam Mattress is the only thing I couldn't link up to my fancy wheel of goodies above but it's totally worth taking a click over! We got this new mattress in a box when we moved and its HEAVEN. I've ordered other mattresses in a box as well as traditional mattresses before but this luxury memory foam from Frankly is the best by far! It's pretty inexpensive for such a high quality mattress. I've been meaning to tell ya'll about it for a while but I wanted to give it a good few months to make sure it didn't get any sink holes or sunken sleep spots like our last one did from another company.
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Favorites for Girls from the J.Crew Sale
I rounded up all my favorites for girls from J.Crew and J.Crew Factory. J.Crew is doing 50% off your purchase including regular priced items and sale items with code MONDAY. Whoohoo! This is the time to shop this store and stock up on things for yourself and your girls. The boys section is a bit picked over but I'll let you know if I see anything there I'd throw in the cart as well. J.Crew Factory has 20% off your purchase and 50% off sale with code FROSTY.
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J.Crew Sale Top Picks for Holiday Parties
Run, y'all, to grab some of these pretties before they're out of stock. J.Crew is doing 50% off your entire purchase including sale items. Dang thats good. I'm usually a dress gal but these party skirts have me all starry eyed. Pink + Gold is my kind of party. And those sequins skirts?!!! I'm in love!
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Gift Guide for Men
Guys are always so hard to shop for but I'm pretty sure the men in your life will be pretty pumped with anything on this list. I'm especially loving all the fun themed kits this year. From emergency to cocktails; there is something for everyone. Really great stocking stuffers or add on gifts. The Festive Family Survival Kit and The Binge Reading Kit are my top two for sure! Just add a bottle of liquor or a book and you are sure to win the gift giving awards.
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Gift Guide for the Kids
Okay, I came up with two lists - one for girls and one for boys - based solely on my kids personal interests but there are a lot of things on the list for boys that are perfect for girls as well. Everything on these lists are things that we either already have or things my kids asked for Christmas plus a few fun things I found they don't know about yet! Lots of price points as well so this should be helpful to pass along to the grandparents too.
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Okay, I came up with two lists for kids - one for girls and one for boys. These are based solely on my kids personal interests but there are a lot of things on the list for boys that are perfect for girls as well. Everything on here are things that we either already have or things my kids asked for Christmas plus a few fun things I found that they don't know about yet! I tried to include lots of different price points as well so this should be helpful for everyone and perfect to pass along to the grandparents too.
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And the boys.
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Okay, I came up with two lists for kids - one for girls and one for boys. These are based solely on my kids personal interests but there are a lot of things on the list for boys that are perfect for girls as well. Everything on here are things that we either already have or things my kids asked for Christmas plus a few fun things I found that they don't know about yet! I tried to include lots of different price points as well so this should be helpful for everyone and perfect to pass along to the grandparents too.
And the boys.
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Art + Jewelry Favorites
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Free Christmas Gift Tag Downloads
I'm going to try to add on the whole finished gift when it's complete but I wanted to go ahead and get these downloads up for you so you could use them too! You can print them out at home but I plan to have them printed on a thicker paper at FedEx Office. It's a really inexpensive way to get custom prints done fast.
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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE navy blue SET
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE warmest holiday ever SET
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE navy blue SET
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE warmest holiday ever SET
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A Little Bit of Christmas
There is nothing like the first Holiday after a big move to make you realize maybe you went a little overboard with the giving things away. I'm really thankful that the ornaments my kids have made and my favorite garland were saved -- but it seems the rest of my Christmas decorations were donated before we moved. I know that's probably still best in the end but it's pretty annoying as I try to throw Christmas Cheer on every surface of our new house. :)
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After Christmas Sales
I've rounded up all my favorites from some of the best sales on the web! Almost everything is geared warmer weather and transitioning toward Spring but I did see some great Holiday finds that would be extra nice to pull out next December worry free. Do you like to stock up for next year with the plaids, velvet, and holiday or are you already focused on warmer weather and just want to freshen up your closet now?
J.CREWEXTRA 50% off sale with code: BIGGERSALE
J.CREW FACTORY
Extra 60% off Sale with code: CLEAROUTFOR THE GIRLS
VINEYARD VINES
Extra 40% off with code: WHALE40
here
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Health Journey Part 1 The Overview.
Y'all ready to get healthy? Swimsuit season here at the beach starts a whole heck of a lot earlier than it did in Virginia so I've already got food and fitness on my brain. I've never really talked about health or fitness on the blog before but after some encouragement from y'all over on instagram I decided to share with you. Specifically, what I did to loose baby weight, what I eat, how I workout, and overall how I try to stay healthy and fit as I head into my late thirties. I realize that every body is different and what works for me may not work for you, but, I just turned 37 and I'm in the best shape of my life so I must be doing something right.
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I'll also share what has and hasn't worked - on both ends of the extreme and finding balance in the middle - and why I truly believe that having a healthy relationship with food is the first step in maintaining a healthy body weight. I want to give you an overview on some of my practices without overwhelming you with words so I created some bullet points that I'll dig into deeper in future posts.
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I'll also share what has and hasn't worked - on both ends of the extreme and finding balance in the middle - and why I truly believe that having a healthy relationship with food is the first step in maintaining a healthy body weight. I want to give you an overview on some of my practices without overwhelming you with words so I created some bullet points that I'll dig into deeper in future posts.
- Food is not the enemy but it's also not your best friend. It can never truly make you feel better but it also shouldn't make you feel bad about yourself.
- Food should not be a reward or a punishment. "I was so 'bad' yesterday and ate all the cookies so today I'm going to eat nothing but salad." "Work/my kids sucked the life out of me today - I'm going to curl up on the couch and eat the whole tub of ben & jerry's." Eat the salad because you feel amazing and full of energy afterwards or have the ice cream because it's delicious. But just know that neither one will ever fix what needs fixing.
- We cannot nourish our bodies if we aren't also nourishing our souls.
- You are not good or bad based on what you eat. Nothing makes me sadder than hearing women say, "I was so bad over the holidays -I ate all the things" or "I'm going to be bad and get dessert!" Despite what you hear - you are NOT what you eat. What is true? What you put in your body directly affects how your body functions but you have full control over that operating system.
- Every bite you take is a chance to supply your body with what it needs and a fresh start to make a decision for yourself. Don't wait until Monday or the first of the month. Start at 2:00 on a Tuesday by drinking a glass of water instead of a diet coke.
- You do not need to clean your plate or eat a meal because it's "time." Learn your bodies cues for hunger.
- Learn the difference between being truly hungry and being not full. It's okay to feel a little hungry.
- If it's not amazing -skip it. Ask yourself if it's amazing for your body (like kale or celery juice) or amazing for your tongue (like warm chocolate chip cookies or a badass charcuterie tray) and if the answer is no-don't eat it.
- Put half of all your meals in a to-go box before you eat (either at a restaurant or at home). If you're still hungry after eating, get out the second half and eat it. Remember it's just food -you're not "good" for saving it or "bad" for eating it right away.
- Plan ahead. Bring snacks with you. I can't tell you how many times I'm snacking on carrots and hummus or peppers in the carline. I just take the whole bag of carrots and the big old tub of hummus with me and eat what I eat and bring it back inside when I get home. If I have to prep it first and put in a a little snack sized container that I'll then have to wash when I get home I won't do it. I make it easy on myself.
- Park at the back of the parking lot and walk the extra steps.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Stand up at the playground instead of sitting down (you can play on your phone and ignore the kids just as easily standing up.
- Add something healthy in rather than taking something you love away. Try adding in a green drink and then still eat your lunch; drink 120 ounces of water but still have your sparkling water or diet coke or whatever you can't live without at 3pm. In a few days I bet you'll be feeling less hungry at lunch or dinner and drinking less of those cans without even trying to cut back. Your body begins to crave the unprocessed foods more and more.
- Pay attention to how your body reacts to certain foods both mentally as well as physically. One of my all-time favorite foods is pasta with shredded cheddar cheese on top but after my son was born I began to notice that I felt really down and/or more anxious almost as soon as I finished my bowl and I was really sluggish about 30 minutes later. Is a plate full of noodles and processed cheese worth feeling tired and unmotivated the rest of the afternoon? Nope. The trade-off just isn't there for me.
- It's not all or nothing. Allow yourself some things you truly love that have a good trade-off value. I'm never going to give up wine no matter how much weight I could lose or how much better I'd feel without it. But, I did give up all other drinks with sugar/sweetener and now only drink unsweet tea, black coffee, water, sparkling water, and wine. I quit coke, sweet tea, vanilla creamer, sugar in my coffee, pineapple juice, lemonade, gatorade, etc. because drinking sugar gives me headaches and makes me tired. Neither of which I can afford when I'm busying Moming. I still drink a specialty starbucks latte every so often but I don't let those 2-3 hours of drinking sugar derail me from sticking to my plan the rest of the 730-ish hours in the month.
- Make working out a priority. You don't need to join a gym or go to barre or start a couch to 5k program to exercise your body. Start by taking a walk. No matter how hard I've tried over the years- I'm not a runner or a gym rat. But I figured out that I can maintain a healthy weight and toned body by walking my butt off. Don't give it all up just because you can't do barre or orange theory or whatever class you'd love to do on the regular. Those things cost time and money you may not have. But how about once a month? That's 12 times you'll get your body professionally toned this year which is better than zero, right?
- You can't do all the things. Repeat, You can't do all the things. You need to figure out what your actual goal is for health and wellness. Do you want to look better in your clothes, feel better in your clothes, lose weight, tone up, gain more energy, sleep better, maintain weight, gain muscle, run faster, achieve a fitness goal, or maybe just feel ownership over your body again? Probably all of them right? Prioritize what is really the most important to you and go from there. For me it was being able to physically make it through the day with two babies and not pass out from exhaustion or be too jacked up on caffeine to rest when I could. The side result? Dropping below my pre-baby weight within six months post-partem and going down two sizes. I want to keep up with my kids, not run a marathon.
- Eat as minimally processed as possible. Fat-free, low-fat, sweeteners, etc. have more chemicals than the real deal and your body doesn't know what to do with them.
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Health Journey Part 2 Intermittent Fasting + What I Eat
Thank you!!! I got such good response from y'all on my last post! I love that this is something we can all really help each other with. I get stuck in a rut and it's nice to read what other normal people are doing.
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Intermittent Fasting
While chatting with a friend at a Christmas party last month, I realized I practice Intermittent Fasting. I didn't realize it was a thing or had a name - I just thought I went to bed early and didn't like breakfast. The basic premise it that you only eat during an 8 hour window and fast during the remaining 16 hours of a 24-hour day.
It might sound pretty awful at first, but, think about your own schedule and eating habits and it may not be as hard to do as you think. I only eat during the hours of 11am-7pm. For instance, I sip on coffee all morning until I actually feel hungry and then I eat whenever I'm hungry for the next 8 hours but the only thing I have after dinner is water. If you're a breakfast lover break your fast first thing in the morning and eat bottom heavy-meaning eat the majority of your food on the bottom half of your day so you're left with an early light dinner. Switch it around if a big ol' dinner is your thing and eat super clean/light during the day. Personally, I spread my eating out so I'm never really consuming a big meal at once.
Also, this isn't law so if you need to wing it some in the beginning while you're learning your body that's okay! The whole purpose is to change up how you think about food and meal times and let your body be your guide.
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Grazing
Personally, I can't follow a meal plan with strict guidelines. That lack of ability to follow directions has been trailing me since elementary school. If you tell me I have to eat a hand-full of almonds at 3pm I can assure you I will grow a sudden aversion to almonds and only want to eat a yogurt or maybe just eat the whole bag. The first step in progress of any kind is to know your strengths and weaknesses and play off that. Maybe it's my creative side but I prefer to work within a circle of possibilities and guidelines instead so I just stock up on foods I know are good for me so I can grab when I feel the need.
Stock the Pantry & Fridge
Playing off my statement above I have to say that I have the willpower of a threenager who wants to tie his own shoes when I'm grocery shopping. All bets are off once it's in my house so I have to make strong choices at the store. First, I go straight for the produce section to stock up on apples and carrots because they are super filling. Then I shop the store perimeter -meaning produce, meat, and dairy/dairy alternatives. Lastly, I hit the middle section to pick out things that will keep my children from hating me like pasta and jar sauce, goldfish, pretzels, chips, pop-tarts, etc. But I have a very specific mindset when I'm in that danger zone. School snacks and school lunch items only. That's not my food, it's theirs. Each child has their own basket in the pantry and their items are divvied up accordingly. This makes it way easier to get out the door in the mornings but it also works as a good stoping strategy for me. It's a lot harder to eat a whole bag of chips when you're stealing them from your son's lunch box section.
What I Eat
Okay so this is a hard one and I'm going to need to journal for about a week or so to really get a good handle on "what I eat" in a particular day. I tend to rotate in a lot of the same foods but I don't necessarily have all of this on hand at a given time. I drink a lot of green drinks and eat a lot of salads and grilled chicken with vegetables so I went ahead and included those on my list.
Snacks
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Baked/Grilled Chicken/Salmon Dishes
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Green Drinks
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Intermittent Fasting
While chatting with a friend at a Christmas party last month, I realized I practice Intermittent Fasting. I didn't realize it was a thing or had a name - I just thought I went to bed early and didn't like breakfast. The basic premise it that you only eat during an 8 hour window and fast during the remaining 16 hours of a 24-hour day.
It might sound pretty awful at first, but, think about your own schedule and eating habits and it may not be as hard to do as you think. I only eat during the hours of 11am-7pm. For instance, I sip on coffee all morning until I actually feel hungry and then I eat whenever I'm hungry for the next 8 hours but the only thing I have after dinner is water. If you're a breakfast lover break your fast first thing in the morning and eat bottom heavy-meaning eat the majority of your food on the bottom half of your day so you're left with an early light dinner. Switch it around if a big ol' dinner is your thing and eat super clean/light during the day. Personally, I spread my eating out so I'm never really consuming a big meal at once.
Also, this isn't law so if you need to wing it some in the beginning while you're learning your body that's okay! The whole purpose is to change up how you think about food and meal times and let your body be your guide.
Personally, I can't follow a meal plan with strict guidelines. That lack of ability to follow directions has been trailing me since elementary school. If you tell me I have to eat a hand-full of almonds at 3pm I can assure you I will grow a sudden aversion to almonds and only want to eat a yogurt or maybe just eat the whole bag. The first step in progress of any kind is to know your strengths and weaknesses and play off that. Maybe it's my creative side but I prefer to work within a circle of possibilities and guidelines instead so I just stock up on foods I know are good for me so I can grab when I feel the need.
Stock the Pantry & Fridge
Playing off my statement above I have to say that I have the willpower of a threenager who wants to tie his own shoes when I'm grocery shopping. All bets are off once it's in my house so I have to make strong choices at the store. First, I go straight for the produce section to stock up on apples and carrots because they are super filling. Then I shop the store perimeter -meaning produce, meat, and dairy/dairy alternatives. Lastly, I hit the middle section to pick out things that will keep my children from hating me like pasta and jar sauce, goldfish, pretzels, chips, pop-tarts, etc. But I have a very specific mindset when I'm in that danger zone. School snacks and school lunch items only. That's not my food, it's theirs. Each child has their own basket in the pantry and their items are divvied up accordingly. This makes it way easier to get out the door in the mornings but it also works as a good stoping strategy for me. It's a lot harder to eat a whole bag of chips when you're stealing them from your son's lunch box section.
What I Eat
Okay so this is a hard one and I'm going to need to journal for about a week or so to really get a good handle on "what I eat" in a particular day. I tend to rotate in a lot of the same foods but I don't necessarily have all of this on hand at a given time. I drink a lot of green drinks and eat a lot of salads and grilled chicken with vegetables so I went ahead and included those on my list.
Snacks
- Red Apples
- Wow!Butter (nut butter alternative)
- Carrots
- Hummus
- Red Peppers
- Fruit Pouches
- Rx Bars (chocolate sea salt)
- Kind Bars (blueberry vanilla cashew, dark chocolate sea salt, blueberry almond breakfast bar)
- Unsweetened Cranberries
- Yogurt
- LaCroix
- Rolled Oats
- Berries
- Granola (Kind Vanilla Blueberry clusters with Flax Seed)
- Mandarin Oranges
- Dried Mango -no sugar added
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Eggs (hardboiled)
- Quinoa
- Grilled Chicken
- Black Beans -no salt added
- Corn - no salt added
- Cranberries
- Mandarin Oranges
- Pear
- Green Apple
- Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette
- Cabbage
- Flax Seed
- Chia Seed
Baked/Grilled Chicken/Salmon Dishes
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Cabbage
- Quinoa
- Red, yellow, and orange Peppers
- Limes
- Organic chicken
- Atlantic Salmon
- Avocados/Guacamole
- Black Beans -no salt added
- Cilantro
- Salsa
- Garlic
- Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette
- Corn - no salt added
- Blue Cheese or Goat Cheese
- Paul Prudhomme Red Fish Magic and Poultry Magic Seasoning
- Red Onion
- Brussels Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Basil
- Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- Red potatoes / new potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Zucchini Noodles
Green Drinks
- Green Apples
- Mint
- Pineapple
- Chia Seeds
- Flax Seed
- Spinach
- Kale
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Oranges
- Celery
- Limes
- Lemons
- Parsley
I'm going to get Matthew's help to write down some recipes for you and put together a sample meal plan or daily meal plan to show a sample of what I eat during any given week. Also, my best advice is to start with a cleanse to reset your body. There are so many good ones online you can follow, but, if that's too daunting for you how about just give yourself 1-3 days where you only eat when you're really hungry and then really think about how that food affected you afterwards. That's a start!
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Valentines Day Outfits for the Kids
Rounded up some precious Valentine's clothes for the kids!
VALENTINES FOR THE LITTLES
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VALENTINES FOR THE BIG GIRLS
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VALENTINES DAY FOR THE BOYS
VALENTINES FOR THE LITTLES
VALENTINES FOR THE BIG GIRLS
VALENTINES DAY FOR THE BOYS
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Spring Dresses at every pricepoint
SPRING DRESSES
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SPLURGE
over $250
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MID-RANGE
$100-$250
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STEAL
under $100
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under $50
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Temperatures are in the upper 60's today and all that warm sunshine has me ready for dress season...big time! Y'all know how much I love the ease of a little dress - just add sandals or wedges and you're done! I scoured the internet this past week looking for all the best of the best dresses you'll want to snag right now! I had to include some splurge items because they were too good not to share, but, I also made sure to show you some great bargain finds, and all the pretty in between. I'm having a really hard time not buying all of these!
SPLURGE
over $250
MID-RANGE
$100-$250
STEAL
under $100
under $50
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40% OFF J.Crew
Some of my favorite J.Crew pieces are currently 40% off with code: COFFEE. Y'all, it's like they were speaking right to us. Staples are 40% off which we all know our shopping brains will round up and stop at a bold lettered half-off practically requiring us to buy more than one thing. I mean, it's like buy one get one free. And then they used the magic word coffee to really seal the deal. Three of our favorite things all in one little package- free, j.crew, and coffee. Well played, marketing team, well played.
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This is one of those versatile shirts you'll grab over and over again. All the colors are fantastic but I get the most use out of the navy and the pink. Now that yellow is calling my name!
Blue and White, Stripes, Shirt Dress. Yes, please. This tie waist shirt dress comes in several color combos but the classic stripe is my favorite by far.
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Lets talk about this Cropped top and pencil skirt in sweet hyacinth - how perfect would this be for Easter? This is definitely a top contender for me because it would blend in so well with this dress or this dress for Wells and this shirt and pants for Tagg. I'm not as into the matchy-matchy sets but you better believe our family will be looking perfectly coordinated. Like dang, maybe they just wake up like that?! Ha!
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This is one of those versatile shirts you'll grab over and over again. All the colors are fantastic but I get the most use out of the navy and the pink. Now that yellow is calling my name!
Blue and White, Stripes, Shirt Dress. Yes, please. This tie waist shirt dress comes in several color combos but the classic stripe is my favorite by far.
The Cameron Slim Crop Pants are another staple item that comes in perfect handy when you want something besides jeans but leggings work. Dress it up with heals or down with mules or sneakers. Subtle Pink and Ivory are my top color choices here.
Lets talk about this Cropped top and pencil skirt in sweet hyacinth - how perfect would this be for Easter? This is definitely a top contender for me because it would blend in so well with this dress or this dress for Wells and this shirt and pants for Tagg. I'm not as into the matchy-matchy sets but you better believe our family will be looking perfectly coordinated. Like dang, maybe they just wake up like that?! Ha!
I've had my eyes on this pleated A-Line dress for months and I'm so excited to finally get it out of my cart and into my closet! The color is gorgeous and those pleats are perfection.
I want this No. 2 Pencil Skirt in all 5 colors. I seriously can't think of any thing more versatile than a pencil skirt. If I were to narrow it down though, I'd go with the pink or the blue and then the yellow, black, and then navy last. But that's only because pink is a neutral in my closet.
I have an older version of the Resume Dress in Navy and loooooove it. I want to order the begonia next. The black is killer if you need a little black dress that's more work or funeral appropriate (sorry to be a downer, but we're at that age where we start seeing more funerals than weddings as our parents age).
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Best of the Best: J.Crew Sale on Sale
I absolutely LOVE when J.Crew does a sale on sale. This time they're offering 40% off EVERYTHING with code: YESPLEASE
FAVORITES
FAVORITE SWIM PICKS
HAPPY SHOPPING!
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Julia Ryan, Realtor®
Usually when I take a break on social media it's because I've gotten burnt out and need a reprieve; this time it's been the opposite. I've been working behind the scenes non-stop all Spring to prepare the launch my new website merging my real estate career with the life + style blog I've worked so hard on for the last decade.
In the process I've learned a few things:
1. I love blogging and being creative.
2. I need the structure and community of a traditional office setting. I feed off other people's energy and working alone from home just isn't a good fit for me - it drains rather than restores my both my creativity and drive.
3. Office culture can make or break your day and your job. If you have any flexibility in your work environment seek out a place where you feel confidant and welcomed by people you respect and not only have something to teach you but are willing teachers and mentors. We rise by lifting others.
4. Authenticity is at the core of who I am. I struggled with working in real estate the entire time I lived in Virginia because ultimately living in Richmond wasn't my dream and I had a hard time selling it to others. My excitement for living in the Pawleys Island area is genuine and contagious.
5. I'm a perfectionist at heart - not because I need things perfect but rather so I can leave as little for others to judge as possible. This is a trait I work to keep quiet because it's ridiculous and only hinders moving forward. Sometimes you just have to tell that voice in your head to shut the hell up because like me my business will always be adapting and evolving.
Where you can find me:
I am trying to streamline as much as possible but for now here is where you can find me:
PawleysIslandPosh.blogspot.com is where you can find the current version of Julia Ryan Creates.
JuliaRyan.com is now directed to main website focusing on real estate.
JuliaRyan.com/blog is where I am migrating the old blog so everything is under one roof. To be honest, that's not my top priority now so it may take some time before it's fully integrated. Just be patient with me as I bring over content and optimize mobile view.
Facebook - Real Estate
Facebook - Blog
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More Pages to Explore .....
