Over the last year, I have been using Stitch Fix (#stitchfix) to help keep me in style.  If I was left to do it on my own, I would look pretty rough.  I don't get to take my time and shop/browse anymore.  Ryan has about a five minute good behavior window before he is over it, and no mom wants to deal with a temper while shopping.

To fix my lack of shopping, Stitch Fix has made it easy for me to shop at home and get some new clothes for my closet.

If you don't know what Stitch Fix is, it is a website that allows you to shop out of the comfort of your own home.  You sign up on their website and fill out a personal style quiz.  From there, you will have a personal stylist pick out five personalized pieces to send to you.  Once you receive your clothes, you have three days to try them on, and ship back the rest.  You only pay for what you keep and the cost of shipping the items you don't want back is free.

You can schedule to have your "fix" sent to you monthly or at your convenience.  There is a $20 styling fee, BUT, if you decide to keep anything, that $20 is then applied towards your order.


If you read my May review, then you remember I was a bit disappointed in my fix.  I usually like at least half of the options they send, but last month was a disappointment.  My June fix, that I received this weekend, was actually really great.  I really liked almost everything that was sent and it was only minor things that kept me from keeping it all.

Here is my review:

Weekend Recap | My Weekend in Three Words

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

This weekend could not have been more perfect.  The weather was the best...low 80's and zero humidity.  We spent most of the time outside and I am not complaining one bit.  Too bad my Monday didn't start out as great as the weekend went.  Dead battery in the car this morning...Happy Monday to me!

I tend to be too much of a Chatty Kathy on my posts and ramble a lot.  If you talk to me in person, I am the same way.  So, I am challenging myself on this post, by showing my pictures with only three words to describe each.  Ready, set, go!

Friday Favorites: 6/26/15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

Oh hey hey hey!  It's Friday, and there is only ONE thing to do and that is to share my absolutely favorites from the week!

 #FRIDAYFAVORITES

PURE BARRE STUDIO SERIES DVDs

I love a good Pure Barre workout but going to a class is a weeee bit expensive. Two years ago, I cancelled all of my gym memberships and switched to working out at home.  Now I do HIIT training on the treadmill, Crossfit inspired tabata workouts, Turbo Kick DVDs (I used to be certified and taught at gyms, so I have a tonnnn from the past), and Pure Barre DVDs.  I love Pure Barre's Studio Series DVDs as they are a perfect way to bring the studio to your home and only pay for the price of a DVD.  I did one of the workouts for the first time in a few weeks earlier this week, and my bootay hurt oh so good for several days.  My knees also thanked me for such a great low-impact workout!

Oh, and they have prenatal DVDs and I used them throughout my pregnancy.  I was never once uncomfortable and it kept me tone throughout the nine months.

10 Treadmill Thoughts

First, I want to give a shout out to Amanda @ RunningwithSpoons for the link up.

Its #thinkingoutloud Thursday!

I have a love/hate relationship with the treadmill.  I jump on, immediately ready to kick some butt, and then one minute in, I am silently cursing myself in my head.  That happen to you?  Not that I don't appreciate what the treadmill does for my bootay but, it ain't easy!

Here are my top ten thoughts that pop up in my head as soon as I am on the treadmill:

1.  "Dearest safety key, stop trying to hold my hand and jerk me to a stop!  Not cool...so not cool."

2.  As my son is standing at the edge and trying to throw his toy trucks at my feet.  "I wanted to run today, not jump hurdles son!  I am not training for the Olympics...I am not Lolo Jones!  Is he trying to kill me?"

Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins

Yes, I know the title is a mouth full, but so is the muffin... a mouth full of deliciousness!  I am not even going to begin to take credit for it either!  I am an fan of Amanda's blog Running With Spoons.  She has great recipes and she recently posted her version of the Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins.  

Her picture she took of the muffins won me over.  Obviously the ingredients did too, but man, I need her to teach me a lesson in taking pictures of food because I suck at it.  No lie.  Anyway, I had all of the ingredients at home and loved that it didn't have flour, butter, or too much sugar in it, so I knew it was a must for me to make for Ryan and I.

I did tweak it just slightly (added just a few more ingredients), which is why I am posting my version up here too.  My picture is horrible and I totally overfilled my muffin liners so the tops did not rise like they should but it was still mouth-watering!  They are moist and delicious and I do not feel guilty eating them.  My only note is, do not do what I did and over fill the liner, you must obey the golden rule: fill only 3/4 the way on each liner.

To view the original recipe, view Amanda's here.

Here is my tweaked version since I love vanilla, protein, and love cinnamon.

Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins

by Sherri Schwartz

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

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Ingredients (12 muffins)

• 1 c. Plain Greek Yogurt
• 3 Ripe Bananas
• 2 Eggs
• 2.5 c. Old Fashion Oats (could use quick too)
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar (I used light brown sugar)
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder (I used aluminum free baking powder)
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• Splash of Vanilla Extract
• 1 scoop of Vanilla protein (I use True Athlete's Natural Whey Vanilla Protein)
• 1/2 c. Dark Chocolate Chips and/or Blueberries, Walnuts, etc.
• Cooking Spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin pan with liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray so that the mixture will not stick. (You do not have to use liners, but if you do not, spray the pan with cooking spray.)

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor (except chocolate chips) and blend until smooth. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

(At this point, you could also add in any other ingredients you may want: i.e., blueberries, walnuts, etc.)

Pour mixture into muffin liners until each is 3/4 full and top with chocolate chips.

Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

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Ryan's Favorites | Skip Hop Backpack

I am happy to say that Russell is feeling much better and Ryan has his daddy back!  Yay for all of us!  Since Russell didn't get to enjoy Father's Day (you can catch up on that here), I cooked his favorite meal last night to semi make up for it.  Ryan gave him a card he made for daddy that included artwork from our little Picasso and Russell also got a new Breville juicer, but he ended up getting that days ago when it got delivered to me and he arrived home earlier than expected and saw it.  Grrrr.... 

We ended the night with Ryan playing with his Radio Flyer bike and wagon.  He is seriously in love... He has to say "bye bye" to them every single night and ends up crying because it is time to part with them.  We asked him to choose which one he wanted to play with last night and he grabbed both...  It's a strong love people, a strong love.

Speaking of strong love and favorites, I haven't done a Ryan's Favorites post in a while, so I thought I would get you all caught up on a new favorite.  When Ryan was a little babe, I had a large Skip Hop diaper bag (Waverly) that had tons of space for all of Ryan's essentials and then some.  It went everywhere with us but I started noticing, the older Ryan got, the less stuff I needed to bring and I really hated lugging it around since it was so bulky and I didn't need that space anymore.  Gone are the days of bottles, baby food, rattles, 70 changes of clothing, etc.  All he needs is a snack, a few diapers, a book or two, and sippy cup, and he is golden.  

Once I realized I needed to downsize from the regular diaper bag, I stumbled upon Skip Hop's Zoo Pack backpacks.  They were too darling and had just the amount of space I was looking for, and I figured, when Ryan got a little older, he could take it to preschool.  It has a main pocket for his books, diapers, etc., a front pocket that is ideal for snacks and necessities, a side mesh pocket for his sippy cup, and very cushy padded straps for him.  The backpack comes in different animal looks and we chose the dinosaur since Ryan loves dinos.  When we brought it come, he instantly fell in love!   

Happy dino, happy Ryno!

Front pouch for applesauce pouch, first aid kit, boogie wipes, paci, etc.

I love putting my Huggies wipes clutch in there!

Main pouch for diapers wipes, color book, books, mini magna doodle

Ryan carries this backpack all around the house and loves filling it with his toys.  I love it just as much as he does, if not more, because it is the perfect size for his new diaper bag and easy to take to restaurants, shopping, etc.   If you are in search of downsizing your diaper bag, you have to check these out!  Plus, watching him waddle around with his backpack on is an instant heart melt!

They are seriously the cutest backpacks ever!!  You can check out their animal backpack selection here!

FYI: This is not a sponsored post, just my opinion based on my own use of the product after my own research and purchase.

XOXOX,

Sherri

Questions:

Did you downsize your diaper bag?

What is your favorite baby/toddler product?

Weekend Recap | Father's Day in Bed

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

This weekend was a lot of fun but totally exhausting at the same time.  Saturday was full of excitement for Ryan and on Sunday, Russell spent his Father's Day in bed with food poisoning.  Since daddy was out of commission Sunday and Ryan had to spend all day with just me, he was a sad and frustrated lil guy and let me know just how he felt!  The toddler two's are here folks!

But, Russell is on the mend and I will have my partner-in-crime back in full force next weekend.

Saturday

We got up Saturday and hit the ground running.  So that we could relax for Father's Day, Russell and I tackled cleaning the house from head to toe and Ryan concentrated on his morning reading and carrying around his favorite accessory (my purse).

Then it was time for his swim lessons and a short nap since we had tickets to see Sesame Street Live!

When I woke Ryan, it was like waking a T-Rex (at least what I would imagine waking a T-Rex would be like).  He was screaming and thrashing around.  I was so worried that the show would be a total disaster but, Ryan gathered his bearings and actually really enjoyed the show.  It was a 90-minute show and it really kept his attention almost the first 60-minutes.   After that, he was a little over it but you could tell he enjoyed seeing a big production like that.

We followed that up with some playtime on the bike and cutting the grass with dady when we got home so Ryan passed out later that night from his fun-filled day.

Sunday

Around midnight, Sunday morning, Russell started getting sick and spent most of the night bonding with the toilet.  Then, that proceeded to carry on into the day Sunday, so he didn't get to enjoy the day and we didn't get to celebrate daddy.  Ryan only wanted to be around daddy, so that made it equally frustrating for him.   He demanded to get in the bed with Russell right when he woke up and proceeded to climb right beside dad for some lounge time before I took him away to give Russell some piece and quiet.  I took Ryan out and about to get groceries and get him a toy (since he went ballistic over a giant red ball he saw).

 

By mid-afternoon, he was over me and proceeded to be a terror letting me know I was not the person he wanted to be around.  He became Destructive Dan and was throwing any and everything in his path.

We have started implementing time out at our house since Ryan has really started to get to the temper tantrum age, so needless to say, he did get a few timeout sessions and even once,  as soon as he did something he knew he wasn't supposed to do, he put himself in timeout!  Ha!  Even though he hates timeouts, I always make him give me a hug afterwards and say "I'm sorry." (sounds more like "I saw wee.")  It's the cutest thing in the world.

I am hoping that tonight we can celebrate Father's Day with Russell and I can cook his favorite meal (if his belly is up to it), the veggie pasta using shrimp.  For a man who is so hard working and sacrifices so much for our little family, I really want him to enjoy at least a little bit of Father's Day.


XOXOX,
Sherri


Questions: What was your favorite thing you did this weekend?

Friday Favorites: 6/19

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

This week has certainly been a slow one and I have had my days confused!  I was so sure Wednesday was Thursday and then Thursday felt like it needed to be Friday.  Now that it is actually Friday, I am excited to spend the weekend with my boys.  Ryan has his third swimming lesson tomorrow and then tomorrow afternoon we are heading down to the FedEx Forum to see Sesame Street Live!  I cannot wait to see his expressions and how much fun he will have!

But first, here are my favorites from this week!  #FRIDAYFAVORITES

My Mommy/Son Date Night

On Wednesday, my church small group did not meet so I took the opportunity to take Ryan out with me to Michaels and then dinner at Chick-fil-A. (A little mommy/son date.)  While I shopped for new picture frames and dining room table decor during the sale Michaels was having, Ryan happily tagged along and played with all of the random stuff he could find.  Of course, we couldn't leave without getting him some kind of toy, so he was stoked.  Then, we grubbed out at our favorite place and he flirted with an older toddler and blew her kisses. He is such a ladies man!  #toddlercasanova It was really fun to get out and do something with him mid-week.  There is a farmers market nearby that has events on Thursday  nights that involve food trucks, music, and kids activities that I am shooting to take him to soon.

Speaking of Michaels...

I was very bored with my three picture frames above my living room couch and wanted to spice things up a bit.  Thanks to Pinterest, I wanted to do a picture frame collage to utilize more space.  I love the way it turned out.  Michaels was having a huge sale on their picture frames so my $20 frames ended up being $7.99 each.  Score!  I also, checked their clearance section out and turned my Pinterest inspiration for my dining room table into reality as well.

BEFORE

AFTER

UP CLOSE

NEW TABLE DECOR

Birthday Cake

Yes, this was a favorite of mine!  Monday was my birthday my co-workers brought in an ice cream cake for us to indulge in.  There were leftovers in our work fridge all week, so of course, I nibbled on it during the week.  Who says you can't celebrate your birthday all week long?  Looks like some extra HIIT training is in the books next week for my overindulgence this week.  Oh well, I had to live a little. #noregrets

Ryan's new bike

Ryan has a new obsession with wanting to climb and ride on everything.  He has a little ATV in our living room that he loves to climb on and pedal with his feet but didn't have anything outside yet.  Then, he starting taking his small toy dump truck outside and trying to ride on it, so it was time for him to get something to ride outside.  This week, we bought him a Radio Flyer 2-in-1 bike that starts out where he just scoots with his feet, but when he is old enough, the pedals fold out and it becomes a tricycle.  He is absolutely in love and cries his eyes out when it is time to go inside and say "night night" to his bike.  We have had so much fun with the bike in the evenings this week!

Already trying to leave the nest.

I can't wait to tell everyone about Ryan's trip to see Sesame Street Live on Monday!  His first real "show" experience.  I am just giddy with excitement.


XOXO,
Sherri

Questions:
What was your favorite part of your week?
Anything you are looking forward to this weekend?

This Time Last Year...

First, I want to give a shout out to Amanda @ RunningwithSpoons for the link up.

Its #thinkingoutloud Thursday!

Have you ever jumped on your phone, scrolled through all of your pictures, and then just stopped and found yourself looking at a photo from a year earlier?  I did that this morning.  I found these gems taken exactly one year ago today:

I had a great flashback seeing Ryan this small.  He was just starting to sit up by himself and really become interactive.  But look at those cheeks! Even though I absolutely love the stage we are in now, I miss those chubby cheeks and that baby look.  Now, he looks like a grown boy. 

Time sure does speed on by.  Now, I have a crazy boy who loves to be chased, blow kisses at random little girls he sees, throw major tantrums because that's the cool thing to do, and say "Cheese" with his mouth wide open with food.   

I swear time speeds by faster when you are a parent.  I am going to blink and he will be a teenager and I will be hiding in his suitcase heading to college.  But seriously though, I did have a conversation with Russell the other day and told him we need to get an apartment near where ever Ryan goes to school.  Russell says I would not be letting Ryan grow up... duh!  That's the point!  He isn't allowed to.  (Side note- If When Ryan plays football for Notre Dame, I have to have a place to stay so I can be the biggest cheerleader on the sidelines.  This momma won't miss a game.)

I am having a hard time realizing he is growing up.  It's time for me to embrace it...or, just have another already!  Haha.

XOXOX,

Sherri

Questions:

What were you doing a year ago?

Do you find yourself looking through old photos a lot?

If You Were Stranded On An Island...

I know, I was MIA yesterday, but life happened and time got away from me.   Ever have one of those days??

Now... on to today...  Have you ever watched the show "Naked and Afraid?"  If you haven't, you should.  My husband was randomly watching it on TV one night and I got sucked into it and now, when I channel surf and it is on, I always stop to watch it.  Basically, 2 people are placed in a very desolate location (totally naked) and have to survive for 21 days. On the last day, they have to find their way to an extraction point and only there, will they be picked up. They are only allowed to bring one item with them (like a hatchet or fire starter).  They are on their own to find water, build a fire, shelter, food, etc. Pretty tough stuff huh?

So, the show got me thinking about when we were kids and the end-all, be-all question "If you were stranded on an island, what are the three things you would take with you?

Matches

So that I can easily build a fire.  Let's be real, there is no way I am going to sit there and rub some sticks together and try to build a fire.  (Ain't no body got time for that!)  I will need the fire for smoke signal, cooking, boiling water, etc.  So the sooner I can make a fire, the better.  

Moisturizer

If I am going to bake in the sun, I am NOT going to have my face look as dry as the desert.  I am going to bring my trusty friend Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream.  It is my one tried and true companion that has been the best thing ever for my face.

Tinkle Razor

Yes, you read it right.  I used to get dermaplane facials because I have lot's of blond peach fuzzies on my face.  I stumbled upon a beauty vlog on YouTube by the show "The Bachelor's" former contestant Michelle Money, (here) where she used a Tinkle Razor on her face to give herself a dermaplane.  If you don't know what a dermaplane facial is, it's a facial where they use a scalpel and take the hair off your face.  It exfoliates and your facial product and make up goes on smoother.  My favorite thing ever!  The Tinkle Razor is an eyebrow razor but the new craz is using it for your face, not your eyebrows. (And seriously, I would NEVER trust myself using it on my eyebrows...that is what threading or waxing is for.)  You can buy it in bulk, dirt cheap, on Amazon, Sally Beauty, eBay, etc.

Since I can't live without it, it's coming with me.  I do not want to look like the wooly mammoth!  Who says you can't take care of yourself while stranded?  When Orlando Bloom comes sailing up on his pirate ship to save me, ummm hello, I am gonna look good. Plus, I figured I could put it to use cutting stuff (it does have blades right??).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


So the question is:  What would three things would YOU bring if you were stranded on an island?  And humor me!


XOXOX,
Sherri

Weekend Recap | Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

The weekend went by way to fast.  I blinked, and it was over.  However, I did wake up 1 year older today...yep, it's my birthday.  I am 1 year closer to gray hair.  Russell is out of town tonight, so we celebrated a little last night and Ryan and I are going to grub out on some cupcakes tonight.

Here is a look back at this past weekend:

Saturday 

We started the day of at the YMCA for round 2 of Ryan's swim lessons.  Although he was excited to be there, that quickly faded when we got in the water and it turned out to be a scream fest the entire time.  I don't know what changed his mind, but he was not a happy camper.  I guess we will try again next week.

Don't let this smile fool you, it didn't last for long.

We ended the day with playing outside and a few wagon rides.  He also got to feed himself yogurt.  Although practice makes perfect and he needs to learn to feed himself, clean-up was awful.

Sunday

Sunday, we took a trip to the Memphis Zoo in the early afternoon and it was so fun.  Ryan has been several times, but this was the first time where he really got into it.  Naming animals and practicing animals sounds has been a big thing for Ryan right now, so he really got into seeing the animals face-to-face.  We have a membership to the Zoo, so we will be doing lots of trips this year.

He refused to use the stroller, he had to walk on his own. 

We ended the day with a little birthday date night for Russell and I.  We got a babysitter and went to the movies to see "Jurassic World."  I cannot tell you the last time I went to the movies, so this was great for me and really the only thing I wanted to do.  Just to get away with Russell was a treat.  

(FYI, I loved the movie.  The end was a bit dramatic, but then again, it is a movie about dinosaurs.)

I woke up this morning to cupcakes and a very clever and thoughtful birthday gift from Russell.  I am one grateful lady!

And, although I won't have him at home tonight to celebrate, work is throwing me a little party today and Ryan and I will do our thing tonight.

Have a great start to your week!  And since it is my birthday, I give you all permission to grub out on cake and not feel guilty about it.

XOXO,

Sherri

Questions:

What was your favorite part about your weekend?

Friday Favorites: 6/12/15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

It's Friday!  And, my birthday is Monday so I am just going to celebrate all weekend long. Ha! I wish.  Gone are the days of my early 20's where I threw down.  Instead, I consider it a celebration if I get some cake and ice cream and can take at least one nap.  Victory!

Some of my #ffavorites of the week:

This Push Up Challenge

I discovered this via Google and I am totally doing this starting TODAY.  I am in need of some toning in that area. You can view the whole 30-days to stronger arms challenge here.

Virgin Mobile Benefits for Moms AND Dads

So according to ABC News, Virgin Mobile is working to expand benefits to its U.S. offices and give 1-yr paternity leave to dads.  I absolutely love stories like this.  I recently read an article on how LOW in rankings the U.S. is on its maternity and paternity leave.  To see some companies step up and offer more, I applaud you!  Hmmmm, Richard Branson, if you are reading this (and you probably are not) can I send in my resume so I can get your maternity leave? Oh and does that come with vacation days on Necter Island?  Just a thought...  (Read the article here.) 

Entertaining a Toddler at a Restaurant

When Ryan was a little lad, we could take him anywhere and he was great.  Now, we are terrified of taking him to dinners because halfway through, we find ourselves shoveling food in our mouths to hurry the heck on out of there with our now screaming child.  I stumbled across this post offering great ideas to entertain your child while at dinner.  There may be a solution after all people!  

Binge Watching

Yes, I will be binge watching Orange is the New Black & Aquarius this weekend.  I became HOOKED on Aquarius when it debuted a few weeks ago, and NBC went ahead and released all of this season's episodes On Demand all at once.  Boom!  

Oh, and then there is Season 3 of OITNB and lets be honest, there is no way you can watch without binge watching.  

I am on cloud nine....

OH!  And before I forget, if you want to read how Ryan got his head stuck in the cabinet earlier this week, read it here!

Have a great weekend!

XOXOX,

Sherri