Hello, friends! I hope you have had a wonderful week and a fabulous Halloween full of fun. Halloween happens to be one of my very favorite holidays, second only to Thanksgiving. Perhaps it is my New England roots that have me loving all of the great fall holidays, but whatever it is, I am here for it. This week has been a ridiculously busy one here as we close in on the One Room Challenge reveal, run all over for soccer games, and prepare for my parents to visit this weekend. Chris also had to teach some trainings this week for work which required him to leave super early, which meant that I was up at 4:50 am so I could squeeze in a run. Naturally the mornings he left early were the ones where there was more than usual chaos here and one of the dogs vomited in our bedroom, thankfully NOT on the rug. It’s been a week, and this girl is ready for the weekend! Of course, this weekend will be all about finishing up One Room Challenge details and shooting photos so I can share with you next week. I hope you are as excited as I am!!! After a week like this, I for one, can really use this Feel Good Friday 4 post today. (This blog uses affiliate links.)
Facing Our Fears: This week’s theme for the Last 90 Days Challenge I have been doing was fear, and the challenge was to choose a fear of our own and come face to face with it this week. I also listened to the podcast episode that went along with the theme of fear this week, and it was SO inspiring and featured an interview with Michelle Poler if Hello Fears. I was not yet familiar with her, but she created a challenge for herself and faced 100 fears over 100 days (the first 70 were consecutive, but then she needed more planning time.) She shared that what she learned was that facing her fears created much more confidence, and she ended up loving some of the things that had previously terrified her (like tarantulas!!!). In this episode, she states that “the enemy of success is comfort.” Wow- such a truth! If you have dreams and goals you want to achieve, you have got to break out of the comfort zone or you will never get there. All of that being said, I thought long and hard about what scares me, and eventually decided that it was owning up to something I am somewhat embarrassed about. Of course, jumping from a plane terrifies me, but that wasn’t something I could feasibly do right now with my schedule and budget, so I had to choose from accessible fears. There’s something that I’ve not yet shared with you, because something keeps holding me back. I am currently writing that post to share with you as soon as it’s ready. PS- Michelle has a book coming out next Spring and I am adding it to my must read list!
Fabulous Running Shorts: Ok guys, you know I like to run, and I am a HUGE fan of lululemon running shorts, but man, they are at the top of my budget. I own two pairs and LOVE them, but at $58 a pop, it’s hard for me to stomach. Well, for my birthday in August I asked for a new pair of Under Armour running shorts that I found on Amazon. They were $25 at the time, and I figured for that price there was no harm in trying them. Well, you guys, guess what! I absolutely love them! The fit is very similar to my lululemons and they are now under $16!!! Shut the front door! Seriously, I am thinking I need to stock up here! I still wear them to run even when it’s in the 40s outside, and pair them with long sleeves and gloves. BTW, you can find all my favorite cold weather running gear here.
A Great Cosmetics Company: I am really picky about what I use when it comes to cosmetics and bath products and do my best to research products and companies to check their ingredients and ethics. Well, I have been living under a rock, because I had no idea that Tarte cosmetics were cruelty free and safely created. Before I headed to Austin a couple of weeks ago, I was just about out of my go to product that always made me look a little more alive, and I left myself no time to order it. With little time to spare, I headed to my local Ulta the day before I left for Texas and told the sales associate what type of product I was looking for and she immediately took me to the Tarte section of the store. I purchased foundcealer which is less expensive than what I had been using, and available locally to me! I absolutely love the way it helps give my skin a more flawless finish. They had a special going on so I ended up purchasing this lipstick with gloss in one which I’ve been wearing every day as well.
A Great Podcast Episode on Shame & Vulnerability: I am a huge fan of Tim Ferriss’ podcast as he interviews such a vast selection of intelligent and talented people from all walks of life. Four years ago, he aired an interview with Brene Brown, a well-known author and shame researcher. (You can find the episode here.) I finally listened to it this past week and just loved it! Brene is smart, funny, and thinks differently which makes her really interesting to hear. She was full of wisdom, but this part really resonated with me as I see so many people these days oversharing in the name of trying to “be authentic” really just to get more engagement on their platforms. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of intimacy, trust, connection, creativity, innovation. For leaders, it’s the birthplace of trusted influence. But it’s not permission to over-share.” Trusted influence. That truly hit me because that is, after all, what I hope that I have created here.
Smoothies: I was struggling to get Wilder milk because he just doesn’t like to drink it straight, so I started making him smoothies every morning. I typically throw in 1/2 frozen banana, a few frozen mango chunks, some frozen blueberries, kale or spinach, whole milk, and blend it with my Ninja. (I have this one). It’s a great way to sneak in everything he needs vitamin wise, but I have been thinking that I should take a note from him and start making my own (with almond milk though because mama doesn’t need whole milk!). I really want to get this book which has a bunch of great clean and pure smoothie recipes in it. Here he is, throwing down his morning smoothie like a champ! I never struggle to get him to drink it.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of happy and proud little moments, gratitude for everything you have, and some unexpected surprises. If you have anything Feel Good Friday-worthy, send it my way! I love to hear from you.