Nadine

Happy October! Wow, we are entering the last 90 days of the year. Crazy, right??? Does anyone else feel like it has been a week every week lately? I just wanted to sit down and share a few fun things before I dig back into the work hole that I feel I will never get out of.

We have had some incredible sunrises this week! I just wish that they were happening about 30 minutes earlier than they do. I don’t love taking my after workout walks in the dark.

Do you have any fun plans this weekend? We will kick off ours with some homemade pizza tonight, Alabama plays Ole Miss tomorrow (which is funny because work had me dealing with some Ole Miss things this week) and I am sure Zoe will want to spend some time in her bounce house at some point.

Did you know that you can now shop HomeGoods online?!?!? This excites me SO MUCH! Goodbye money.

Favorite Finds: I have been wanting to try Cle de Peau concealer for quite awhile, but it is pricey and I never wanted to pull the trigger. It is on sale here this week, and I figured YOLO!! My under eye area is my constant trouble spot and if this works as well as everyone claims, it will be well worth it.

How cute is this little set?? I am going to order it for Zoe. Such a great price!! I love that it comes with bows to match. She is totally into accessorizing and this makes it so easy. Would be great for other fall outfits too.

Favorite Aldi Finds: Fall is still going hard at Aldi this week, and I am here for it! I was really excited to see these makeup towels for $4.99. You get 5 for a fraction of the price of the Makeup Eraser and they work just as well. This is our second block of that Wickedly Habanero cheese, and y’all….wicked it is! Love the spicy kick to it. Probably going to make a cheese board for the game this weekend.

Favorite Recipes: I made this chicken enchilada skillet the other night. It had been awhile since it was in our rotation and comes together pretty fast.

We tried out this Italian Egg-Drop Soup. I like that it was meatless and another quick recipe for the weeknight. I am not sure that I want it reheated, so I may cut down on some of the amounts next time.

Favorite Workout: If you need a killer superset workout, this will do it.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I have been wanting to write this post for awhile now. Last year, my hair was at it’s worst. I was overdue for a cut and I mostly neglected it. Sure, I might have bought a salon brand shampoo and conditioner, and I was using a protection spray (that wasn’t doing a thing). But other than that, I didn’t really care. I spent my time and focus on my skincare.

Fast forward a few months into the pandemic, and I couldn’t take it anymore! My ends were so dry, brittle and felt crispy almost. My hair just looked so dull and it was falling out so much more than usual. I decided to start all over with my products, slowly incorporating new things in one at a time to ensure they were working and serving a purpose.

Let’s talk about my hair type before we jump in to the products, as I want to be completely transparent. I know not everything works for everybody. I have very fine, thin hair. Some people have thin hair, but a lot of it. That isn’t me, my ponytails are very small, what I see on like 1/3 of someone else. Also, my hair is mostly straight, every now and then it has random waves, but I tend to straighten it if I am leaving the house to smooth it. It is also frizzy if left untreated with anything, as I live in a very humid climate. My hair was super long when I started this regime, I got two healthy at the shoulder cuts since, and it is below my shoulders again now. I also had my hair professionally colored once in the last 2 years, back at the end of June.

This is my line up of products! I don’t use them all every day, I am going to give you an idea of what I use them for, and my frequency.

Paul Mitchell Scalp Care Anti-Thinning Shampoo – I truly believe that healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Enter this shampoo. This is what I use most days in the shower. Chris uses this also. It is refreshing and smells like a spa. I feel like it cleans my hair really well, but doesn’t strip it. I pair this with either the R & Co Dallas Conditioner or the Colleen Rothschild Mask.

R & Co Dallas Thickening Conditioner – This conditioner has biotin in it and smells amazing. I love the way my hair looks and feels when I use this. It definitely adds some bounce and shine into my flat, thin hair without weighing it down at all. A little goes a long way, this bottle has lasted me quite a long time.

Colleen Rothschild Quench & Shine Restorative Mask – I absolutely love this stuff. Again, it smells great and doesn’t weigh done my hair. I love that you can use this either as an every day conditioner, or leave it on as a mask while you are shaving or whatever. This was one of the first products I tried and noticed an immediate difference in the feel and texture of my hair. An auto-repurchase for me. A little goes a long way. I got one container to last about a year. (Because I do switch it up with a few other things.)

Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub – When I tell you that this stuff smells amazing!!!! This is one of my favorite products to use for the smell alone. But it is also great at getting rid of any build up on your scalp from style products or dry shampoo. It is cool that it doubles as a body scrub if you are into multi-tasking products. I use this or the detox shampoo about once a week, so this is getting used one or two times a month, the container lasts forever.

Ouai Detox Shampoo – Again, Ouai products smell amazing…and this is no different. I use this or the Scalp Scrub once a week, so once or twice a month. This instantly gets rid of any product build up with apple cider vinegar. I always get it in the set with the dry shampoo, because why not?? Their dry shampoo smells amazing and works great too, though I rarely use a dry shampoo. I workout 5 days a week, so I am washing my hair at least 5 days a week and don’t really need it.

Olaplex 3, Olaplex 4 Shampoo and Olaplex 5 Conditioner – I have been using this stuff for a long time, but never consistently until this past year. I know everyone raves about it, but it is for good reason. While you could probably get away with just using Olaplex 3 Hair Perfector as a treatment if you don’t want to invest in the whole line…..I feel like the line is worth it. I use it once a week, so the bottles last me for a very long time. I usually chose to use the treatment on a day I have a little extra time. I will wet my hair a little at the sink and put it on and do a few tasks like quick clean the bathroom, make myself breakfast, or if I am in a hurry….I will jump in the shower and let it sit for a few minutes while I shave. It is awesome when you can find the whole set like here.

Shu Uemura Shiki Worker Blow Dry Primer – This stuff actually works!!! I used to use It’s a 10 Miracle spray that was half the price of this….but I realized that it never really made a difference with my hair if I used it or not. I mean, it did detangle…but that was about it. This stuff is incredible. Not only does it detangle, I feel like it protects, hydrates and smooths as well. My hair looks and feels silky soft when I use this. I like that it is protecting it from the heat of my blow dryer and straightener on the days I use them.

Hairitage Argan Oil – This product is a workhorse for the price! You can grab this at Walmart and it is under $10. Since I do have fine hair, I only use this on the bottom 1/4 of my hair. But I rub it in after I spray it with the Shiki Worker and it helps keep those pesky split ends away. Once I have split ends, I pick at my hair. So this definitely helps! It has a pleasant smell, beautiful packaging, and works great. Such a steal.

Tangle Teezer – I started with the weird shaped Tangle Teezer when it first came out and loved it, but I hated it never had a real handle. I picked up a Wet Brush after that and used it for quite some time….until I realized that Tangle Teezer had come out with some brushes with handles on them. Hands down the BEST detangling brush!!!! Wet Brush bristles had little nubs on each end and they would get caught in my hair and rip it out. I notice they did the same thing to Zoe’s hair. Now we both have the Tangle Teezer brush and have never been happier.

Have you tried any of these products? Every now and then, I get sent a new shampoo or conditioner to try out, but I almost always end up giving them to my mom after I use them a few times because I just love these so much. My hair hasn’t been this healthy in years.

Happy Friday! Or as Zoe knows it around here, pizza day!!! We have been making homemade pizza every Friday night in September, and we aren’t hating it. Football season is in full swing, and last weekend was a close one between Alabama and Florida. I am glad we were able to pull out the W! I think my favorite part of the whole game was hearing the stadium singing along with the Tom Petty song I Won’t Back Down. I wish I could have been there and felt that energy.

It has just been nonstop work, work, work over here the last few weeks. Shit is insane, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Just trying to find the balance. The weather here has been incredible this week after the rain finally moved out, and I am trying to soak it in as much as possible. We have been taking longer family walks, and Zoe and I have been outside with side walk chalk, playing ball and working on her gymnastic skills. September – December is definitely my favorite time of year.

Favorite Finds: Did you know that Ulta has a Gilmore Girls collection????? How perfect is this nail set for fall??? I am such a sucker for stuff like this.

Favorite Aldi Find: I forgot to take a picture of our bag, but these Gorgonzola Pita Chips are amazing. All three of us loved them.

Favorite Activities: I saw this toddler fall bucket list, and everything on here definitely needs to happen! We may have already done a few.

Favorite Recipe: We are pulling out all the old favorite soup recipes now that it has dropped below 80 here. I discovered this Mexican Chicken Soup when I did my first round of Whole 30 many years ago. It definitely gets major rotation in our house.

Favorite Workout: Heather Robertson has put out some killer workouts the past few weeks. I did this HIIT this morning that left me drenched and puffing. You don’t need any equipment for this one. I am trying really hard to beef up my daily movement. I am great about working out for at least 30 minutes five days a week, but I need more. Taking walks multiple times a day is easy right now since the weather is so great.

The best way to tackle the upcoming cold/flu season (in addition to the flu shot) is to lower your risk of comorbidities. Getting more movement and eating more real foods and less processed shit is a great way to give your body the boost it needs. I have noticed lately that people who share healthy foods, talk about how different foods can help lower inflammation in the body or talk about getting more movement are being warned their Instagram accounts will be taken down. WTF is actually wrong with the world today. We cant talk about being healthy anymore???? It is absurd. I like to follow those accounts because I learn a lot about different foods and ways that I might be able to reduce certain pain or help with issues I am having.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites.

Happy Friday! This week was work, eat, clean, repeat forever and ever and I am exhausted. I have been working on site words with Zoe the last few weeks, and I am hoping she is picking up on them. It is hard to tell. I am so not teacher material.

This past week she has decided that she wants to be the person to take Mac out. I was a little nervous at first, he only weights 9.75 pounds but he is a sneaky little guy and sometimes he pulls a lot harder than you would think. But apparently Mac has figured out when I am walking him vs her and they have done really well together! Of course, I am always right there if she needs me.

Alabama plays the first SEC game of the season this weekend against Florida. I need to come up with some fun football snacks! I love football season! Other than that, I don’t have a whole lot going on. Work in the mornings before Zoe gets up, probably clean the house some. I know I won’t be spending anytime cleaning Zoe’s playroom this weekend. Zoe has kept up with it every day this week. Hooray!!!

Favorite Finds: I have been really enjoying this Too Faced lip injections gloss. The packaging is so pretty and the color is fun. It does have some plumping to it, it reminds me of the favorite Buxom glosses.

Zoe and I painted our nails this week with the Orly Lisa Frank collection topper. It is everything I wanted it to be. So fun!!! I didn’t get any yellow stars from it on my nails, but Zoe did and she was so excited. Apparently this exact top coat is sold out everywhere, but they do still have the star glaze one and the 3-pack color options.

I saw this sweater on clearance when I was ordering some staples from Walmart. It is $5 and is so soft!!The perfect transition piece into fall, as it isn’t too heavy. I love the fit, a little oversized and it covers the bootie if you want to pair it with leggings. I got my normal size.

I also found these boots on clearance for $15.99!!! I got the white pair, which is definitely more of a winter white/creamy color. I love them. They also have black. These will be perfect for Gatlinburg and any other winter outings. They fit true to size, and are wide enough at the tops to tuck in your jeans.

Favorite Aldi Finds: Fall time is the best time at Aldi. They have the best fall treats and coffees that come out. I grabbed the last two bags of pretzels, we are all obsessed with them. Zoe particularly loves this pumpkin pie hummus, which is shocking really. I know I would have never touched it when I was a kid. She has eaten half the container herself this week. Their pumpkin ravioli is my FAVORITE!!! I do a brown butter and sage sauce with it and OMG!

Favorite Recipe: I made this black bean soup this week. I liked that you didn’t have to get the blender out, and it was so full of flavor.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I had several really good books this month, so let’s hop in shall we? Linking up with Steph and Jana.

We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange

I love a good family drama, and man does this deliver!!! I read this in 24 hours, simply could not put it down! This will 100% make my favorite list for the year. I loved that the book rotated through the voice of different characters. So many bad decisions, secrets, drama. Highly recommend.

Bottom Line: Read it!!

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

The talk of Hilderbrand quitting her “beach reads” to become a book reviewer and all the shit she talked about so many people really put a bad taste in my mouth of her. I will not be purchasing anything from her, but will still borrow from the library, because damnit, she writes a good beach book! I absolutely loved this one. This may be my favorite from her. I was so engrossed in the book and all the characters, I flew through it, even though it was rather long. The ending. Wow. I got quite emotional. Definitely put this on your list.

Bottom Line: Read it!

How Lucky by Will Leitch

First of all, this book takes place in Athens, Georgia near the campus of UGA. I have been there many times, and love when I can actually picture the book from real life experience. The author definitely got SEC football atmosphere just right. I was trying to decide how I wanted to classify this book, it is a little bit mystery with a kidnapping, but also, I  learned a lot about Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I read the back insert from the author, and his son grew up with someone who had SMA and I feel like he did his research and had real life experience with it. It was a very compelling story, suspenseful at times, and left me feeling optimistic and hopeful. Obviously, I enjoyed the main character, but I also loved his best friend Travis and his caregiver Marjani.

I do wish we got more of the backstory on the kidnapper. And learned more about the kidnapped girl. I also felt that there were random progressive ideologies thrown into the book that felt more forced by the author, than naturally flowing into the story.

Bottom Line: I think this is one anyone could enjoy. I will say, the writing was a little erratic. Sort of reminded me of Backman.

Yearbook by Seth Rogen

I did this one on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Seth Rogen as an actor, and he is a funny guy in general. I loved listening to his stories. I laughed several time and just had a smile on my face while I listened. He is a great story teller, and this was very engaging.

Bottom Line: If you like Seth Rogen, I suggest this one! I really enjoyed his own narration on audiobook, the only way I really consume this genre.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

I love Helen Hoang and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I blew through this, finishing it in a day. This is the third book in the Kiss Quotient series, but I don’t feel like you had to read the first two to enjoy this. Though I liked both of those too! I really felt like Anna and Quan progressed realistically. I really like that Hoang deep dives into anxiety, autism, depression and hard things. While this is a romance and had lighter moments, it is also much heavier than your typical HEA book. You really get to know the characters and they have a lot of depth.

Bottom Line: Read it!!!

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

Double murder, family secrets and drama. What is not to love here? I was instantly hooked by this one and flew right through it. This family was seriously dysfunctional, and the murders were so violent, you know it had to be personal. The book switches POV between the characters, and none of them are all that likeable. You start wondering which one is the psychopath. Their annoying aunt Audrey was an interesting story line as well, and how she ties in the other side characters. I actually enjoyed the detectives more than the family members, working to prove one of them is guilty.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a good whodunnit, read it!

A Brush With Love by Mazy Eddings

I am trying to decide what I want to say about this one. I started it once and quit two chapters in, mainly because I had something come in from the library I was more excited about at the time. I picked it up a month later, and stuck with it. I really enjoyed Dan and Harper, and watching their relationship form and grow. I will say, with the setting in graduate school and them being in their late 20’s…I felt like it was a little immature at times? I can really appreciate Harper’s anxiety issues, and Dan’s guilt he carries to help his mom. There was definitely emotional baggage on both sides, which made this book a deeper read. Overall I enjoyed it, but I had so many good reads this month that this one doesn’t stick out. I liked The Heart Principle a lot more, which also deals with anxiety.

Bottom Line: Cute read if you are into romance. Definitely worth it if you struggle with anxiety.

**I received a copy of A Brush With Love from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Therapist by B.A. Paris

It took me months to get through this book. I kept putting it down for something else. It was a rather slow and boring to start. I feel like BA Paris books are becoming quite a formula and there isn’t much to excite me about them anymore? Also, most of the main characters are kind of dumb. I found myself just not carrying most of the book. There were a few shockers, but the beginning was just so boring. Trying to figure out why her neighbors act weird and who this person is that came to the party. Meh.

Bottom Line: The narrator was great. I have heard her do other books and I think she reads them quite well. This one though, there are so many other good books I read this month…I would mostly just say to skip this.

**I received an audio version of The Therapist from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

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The People We Keep by Allison Larkin