Friday Favorites–April 28th, 2017

tulips

Happy Friday! It’s already been a bit of a crazy morning as I had an early physical therapy appointment with my incredible PT, Abby Bales, and thanks to the F train running on delays, I had to play a bit of trains & taxis to make it on time. The good news is that my pubic synthisis is improving since I stopped running, am listening to my body, foam rolling and getting deep tissue work from Abby on a regular basis.

This weekend begins nesting mode for the two of us and I couldn’t be happier. Tonight we have two pediatrician interviews before an Orangetheory date and a triple date with friends at one of our new favorite spots in our area of Brooklyn, Runner and Stone.  I’m already dreaming of their bread, pasta and delicious vegetable dishes! The rest of the weekend is focused on nesting and making progress in organizing and rearranging our upstairs. We are moving our closets around and  organizing Baby Girl Diamond’s things. It’ll be a nice little weekend with a few trips to Home Depot, Ikea and Buy Buy Baby.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

  • After dealing with “pregnancy mask” or chloasma, I did research to figure out which all-natural skin care products could help minimize the hyper-pigmentation as it was especially bad on my upper lip and cheeks.  After two weeks of using a combination of the Beauty Counter Rejuvenating Toner Pads and the Brightening Facial Oil I’ve seen a noticable improvement. I love the citrus scent the products have and the fact that my skin is literally glowing after this combination! The pads clean without stripping and the facial oil hydrates while infusing my skin with needed Vitamin C and moisture it needs without leaving me looking like a greasy mess.  If you’re interested, I know Theodora is offering some great specials right now!
  • I loved running both the Savannah and Brooklyn Rock’n’Roll Half Marathons last year. Today you can save $20 on seven of the upcoming Rock’n’Roll Half Marathons by using the discount code SUPERHEROESRUN.
  • While Hello Fresh has helped me fall back in love with cooking dinner, I’m also really enjoying this time in the kitchen thanks to the Jazz Classics playlist on Spotify. It’s a great way to unwind while cooking and remind me of a few favorites such from Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and others.
  • Speaking of playlists, if your workout or day needs some inspiration and good vibes, check out Soul Cycle’s most recent playlist – April 2017 Top 40

 

Strawberry-Salad-with-Goat-Cheese-1

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  • Strawberry and spinach has always been one of my favorite salad combinations, espeically during the Spring and Summer. This Berry Salad Recipe from Skinny Taste recipe adds a few other delicious ingredients such as goat cheese and almonds for a healthy and flavorful salad that will surely satiate without depriving. I think I’ll whip up a large salad on Sunday so I can enjoy this next week for lunch each day.
  • These fun, delicious butterscotch bars will be a perfect sweet treat to serve at our backyard bbq in two weeks.
  • These six running tips are great for runners of all abilities and I appreciate that Jesica combined so much of what we learned during our Brooks trip to New Mexico in one easy-to-reference post!

Okay, now it’s time for my 32-week OB-GYN appointment and then a full day of work before the weekend can begin! Have a great weekend friends!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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April Reading List

 

ashley reading

I don’t know about you guys, but the cool, rainy weather in New York City has me wanting to curl up in bed with a warm cup of tea, cozy blanket and a good book.  While I can’t do that during the day, regardless how strong the temptation, I have found myself spending more time reading at night. As I mentioned a while back, I have found that I sleep better when I read for 30 minutes before bed instead of watching television, reading blogs or scrolling Instagram. In addition, the third trimester aches have me craving a warm, soothing bath almost nightly which provides another perfect time to read.

Based on the feedback I received on Instagram and Facebook when I shared this list last night, I thought it would be fun to share it on the blog today and hopefully share it more regularly since I’m reading more frequently. I love getting book suggestions from friends and other bloggers, such as Grace, so why not share with you guys too?

If you’re looking for more inspiration or more frequent updates, you can follow me on Goodreads. My “to read” list is more than 100 books long as I find myself adding new books on a weekly basis; a far faster pace than I read a book these days.

  • Bringing Up Bebe – Bo and I are both reading this book that discusses the many ways French parenting differs from the common American parenting methods. Having lived in Geneva, Switzerland for two years we saw a great deal of this come to life as it is located in the French speaking region of Switzerland and therefore highly influenced by French culture.  I love that this isn’t a book that preaches to readers, instead it is a memoir of the author’s experience becoming pregnant and then subsequently raising children in Paris.
  • Paris for One and Other Stories – Jojo Moyes is one of my favorite authors, especially when I’m in the mood for a lighter read. After numerous friends, and my mom, recommended this colection of novellas, I knew I needed to add my name to the library waiting list. I started this last night and can already tell that I’ll finish it before Friday as it is entertaining, engaging and I find myself curious of what the next story will hold.
  • A Man Called Ove –   I started this book earlier this year but never made it past the second chapter. I can’t remember why I put it down but after seeing this reappear on my Goodreads list multiple times as well as hearing about it from a few of my close friends, I finally decided to check it out this week. In fact, when I look on Goodreads, more than 50 of my friends gave this book five stars! WOW! I have a feeling this pregnant momma will be shedding a few tears as I read this book.
  • Happiest Baby on the Block –  Let me begin by saying that yes, after last night’s post, I know realize that we should watch the movie as it brings the methods and actions to life. But, before last night, this book was on my reading list as more than 20 different moms from all walks of life recommended this book and said that it was the most important book they read while they were pregnant or raising a newborn.  A lot of people say that the book is longer than it needs to be and that for this reason the DVD can meet the needs better, but I hope to garner at least a few tidbits of applicable advice from the book.

These are the books that I am currently reading or keeping on my nightstand. Once these are done, here are a few towards the top of my list.

Tell me: What book are you reading or did you recently read that you loved and would recommend?

Thank you to Alexis Damen for the beautiful photo.

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April Reading List

 

ashley reading

I don’t know about you guys, but the cool, rainy weather in New York City has me wanting to curl up in bed with a warm cup of tea, cozy blanket and a good book.  While I can’t do that during the day, regardless how strong the temptation, I have found myself spending more time reading at night. As I mentioned a while back, I have found that I sleep better when I read for 30 minutes before bed instead of watching television, reading blogs or scrolling Instagram. In addition, the third trimester aches have me craving a warm, soothing bath almost nightly which provides another perfect time to read. 

Based on the feedback I received on Instagram and Facebook when I shared this list last night, I thought it would be fun to share it on the blog today and hopefully share it more regularly since I’m reading more frequently. I love getting book suggestions from friends and other bloggers, such as Grace, so why not share with you guys too?

If you’re looking for more inspiration or more frequent updates, you can follow me on Goodreads. My “to read” list is more than 100 books long as I find myself adding new books on a weekly basis; a far faster pace than I read a book these days.

  • Bringing Up Bebe – Bo and I are both reading this book that discusses the many ways French parenting differs from the common American parenting methods. Having lived in Geneva, Switzerland for two years we saw a great deal of this come to life as it is located in the French speaking region of Switzerland and therefore highly influenced by French culture.  I love that this isn’t a book that preaches to readers, instead it is a memoir of the author’s experience becoming pregnant and then subsequently raising children in Paris. 
  • Paris for One and Other Stories – Jojo Moyes is one of my favorite authors, especially when I’m in the mood for a lighter read. After numerous friends, and my mom, recommended this colection of novellas, I knew I needed to add my name to the library waiting list. I started this last night and can already tell that I’ll finish it before Friday as it is entertaining, engaging and I find myself curious of what the next story will hold.
  • A Man Called Ove –   I started this book earlier this year but never made it past the second chapter. I can’t remember why I put it down but after seeing this reappear on my Goodreads list multiple times as well as hearing about it from a few of my close friends, I finally decided to check it out this week. In fact, when I look on Goodreads, more than 50 of my friends gave this book five stars! WOW! I have a feeling this pregnant momma will be shedding a few tears as I read this book.
  • Happiest Baby on the Block –  Let me begin by saying that yes, after last night’s post, I know realize that we should watch the movie as it brings the methods and actions to life. But, before last night, this book was on my reading list as more than 20 different moms from all walks of life recommended this book and said that it was the most important book they read while they were pregnant or raising a newborn.  A lot of people say that the book is longer than it needs to be and that for this reason the DVD can meet the needs better, but I hope to garner at least a few tidbits of applicable advice from the book.

These are the books that I am currently reading or keeping on my nightstand. Once these are done, here are a few towards the top of my list.

Tell me: What book are you reading or did you recently read that you loved and would recommend?

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