Whoo! We’re on our way to Denver for the long weekend! One of my childhood friends lives there and is pregnant with her first baby! We were invited to her baby shower and we’re so excited to celebrate her, her fiancé, and baby boy! Additionally, a few other close friends have moved to the Denver area so we took the weekend to visit with everyone! We’re really excited to spend some quality time with the crew.
Do you guys have any fun plans for President’s Day Weekend or are you laying low and taking the time to chill and recharge?
Today I’m sharing five things that have piqued my interest or things that have been on my mind / going on in my life recently!
1000 Hours Outside
After so long being cooped up inside… with quarantine, then general infant germ concerns, incessant rain, smoky summers, and unsafe city living, I’m really dedicated to making an effort to spend more time outside as often as is reasonable, even if it’s just for 20-30 minutes a day. It’s mostly for Sophie’s benefit, but also for mine. If the weather is truly horrible, I’m not going to brave it, but otherwise I’m trying to spend a bit more time in the fresh air.
I discovered this initiative that encourages families to get outdoors called “1000 Hours Outside” that has a lot of activity / outdoor suggestions, but also time trackers and the idea is to, as the name indicates, spend 1000 hours outside over the course of a year. 1,000 hours sounds like a lot… because it is. I don’t know if we’ll even come close (even an hour every day of the year would only get us 1/3 of the way to the goal), but I’d love to give it a shot because whatever we do achieve will be better than our previous situation!
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Porcelain Fragrance Diffuser
Love this elegant fragrance diffuser for our bathroom countertops! A bit of a splurge for the porcelain diffusers, but they can be reused unlike the traditional reeds. We use the Cedar and Cardamom scent and really enjoy it!
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Neutral Athletic Sneakers
And normally I wear these sneakers paired with my leggings and crew socks, but as you can see above they look cute with a no-show sock and a bare ankle too! I included them in my recent “Winter Mom Uniform” roundup because they’ve become a staple in my daily outfits.
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Pottery Barn Design Service Experience
In case you missed it, I recently shared our experience with Pottery Barn’s Expert Design Service. We’re furnishing the new house with Pottery Barn furniture pieces to keep the general look of the home cohesive (but not matchy-matchy!). I wanted a little expert advice for a few of the spaces to help me to build a solid “foundation” to build upon with decor. If you’re curious about this free service, check out my post!
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Adult Beginner Ballet Class
I touched on this in my IG Stories a few weeks ago, but I felt that it needed a permanent spot on the blog.
I took ballet for ten years as a young girl and I absolutely adored it. I only gave it up because I wanted to to pursue other extracurriculars (cheerleading, etc.) and that meant I wouldn’t have the time to dedicate to attending classes (I think at one point I was at the studio 3 times a week!).
Recently, a friend told me that she and some other mutual friends had started taking a beginner ballet class hosted by the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company and said I should join them sometime! We were able to make it work with our schedules and I honestly had the best time. I’m a little rusty, but everything felt pretty familiar. It’s also a rude reminder that my body is different than it once was. 😂 The class felt very inclusive — there were attendees of every skill level, background, age, orientation, etc. which I thought was super cool for all of us to be joined together by the mutual thread of dance. My friends’ and my schedule have all been a bit chaotic since then so I haven’t been back to take another class yet, but I can’t wait until I can make it happen. Highly recommend if you’re local!
If you’re wondering what to wear: ballet shoes are highly encouraged and probably the most important thing. If you really want to commit to the look, I’ve linked some suggestions from my favorite ballet brands in the widget below. There were definitely other class attendees in workout clothes, like what you would wear to a yoga or Pilates class if that’s more your comfort zone. I kind of did a hybrid of both: I wore a sports bra under a leotard that I had purchased for a Halloween costume years ago paired with my beloved Lululemon Align leggings.
*Note: I will advise that if you have a bigger chest to wear an extremely supportive sports bra because there can be a decent amount of jumping / leaping / spinning and you’ll wanna keep the girls in check. 🤣
A bonus item in today’s Five Things: a list featuring Black-owned restaurants that are James Beard semifinalists! If you’re a foodie or love to try new spots when you travel, I hope you give these a try!
Have a great weekend, friends!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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