We’ve been enjoying family time at the Utah house for the past few weeks.  It’s so nice to finally be able to bring our daughter, CC, to one of my favorite places!  Speaking of favorites, I’m excited to share some of my favorite things from the past month with you, ranging from clothing, accessories, and beauty items to home goods, multi-media picks, and food.

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Clothes & Accessories

❊ Caslon Relaxed Slub U-Neck Tee – I am all about the Momiform lately, which for me is jeans and a t-shirt.  I love the super soft and light tees by Caslon.  The u-shape neck line is a great hybrid between a crew neck and v-neck.  The pocket adds a bit of style without a lot of fuss.  Perfect for this low-key mama!

❊ Stella & Dot Signature Engravable Bar Necklace – I love the Stella & Dot engravable line of necklaces, especially this dainty bar style one.  I had it engraved with Charlotte’s name figuring someday she could have it.  The chain has an extension so you can wear it longer or shorter.  It’s sweet and simple!

❊ Stella & Dot Signature Engravable Memento Locket – I’ve had my heart set on a locket for awhile now and after thoroughly combing the internet for the perfect one for me, I found this sweet round disc style from Stella & Dot.  I had it engraved with a cursive “C” for Charlotte & put a couple of my favorite photos of her inside.  I also purchased a Tiny Tanzanite Pendant (Charlotte’s birthstone) from Etsy to hang on the same chain as the locket.  I love wearing the two together on a 24″ chain.

Beauty

❊ Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Lotion Nourishing Coconut – I have been all about Aveeno products this year!  I used the unfragranced Daily Moisturizing lotion for over 6 months and have now switched over to the lightly scented coconut version.  The lotion sinks in nicely leaving my skin feeling soft and not greasy.  The coconut scent is very light and does not linger.

❊ Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Body Wash Nourishing Coconut – I also decided to give the coordinating body wash a try.  I love it!  It’s especially nice out at the Utah house where the climate is quite arid and my skin tends to get dry.  I feel like it helps keep my skin feeling moisturized along with the lotion.  The subtle coconut scent is a nice bonus.

❊ Aveeno Positively Ageless Skin Strengthening Hand Cream – My hands have been extra dry lately, especially with all the hand washing that goes along with having a baby.  I’m always on the lookout for the best hand cream and have found a winner with yet another Aveeno product.  This cream packs a big punch with a soft, non-greasy finish and a light cucumber scent.  It’s the perfect size to pop in a purse or diaper bag for on-the-go.

Home Goods Fitness

In lieu of a Home Goods favorite while I am out of town this month I thought I’d share a bit about my current favorite fitness program.  I started exercising regularly again at three months postpartum, first with just low key elliptical workouts.  After a few months of that and dabbling in some old cross-training favorites, I felt ready to take on a more intense regimen.  I decided to give the Blogilates PIIT28 Program a go a couple of months ago.  It’s a 28 day interval training program.  I absolutely love it!

If you’re familiar with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), it’s very similar to that except it’s based on pilates moves.  That’s the best of both worlds to me! I get a super effective cardiovascular workout while also targeting different muscle groups every day for strength training.  The 28 minute daily PIIT workouts are doable even with a little one at home to look after.

I am now almost all the way through my second round of the program.  I’ve had to make some modifications this round due to a strained achilles tendon (I went a little too hard the first round, I guess!).  There’s a lot of jumping and high impact moves in the workouts, so I definitely recommend easing into them, but they are easy to modify to be low impact.  Even with modifications this round I am seeing improvements in my stamina and strength.  I plan to continue with another round after I finish up this one.

I definitely recommend checking out the PIIT28 program if you’re in the market for a challenging but achievable workout regimen that’s interesting and engaging enough to do every day.  You’ll definitely see results if you stick with it without having to put hours in at the gym.  Plus, the only equipment you truly need is your own body and a supportive pair of workout shoes.  It’s hard to beat that!

Multi-Media

Blogilates App – This app goes along with my fitness favorite, making the PIIT28 program accessible to me anywhere!  The fitness timer is customizable for any interval workout.  You simply enter in the names of the moves, time of each interval, rest time in between, and how many total rounds and the app takes care of the rest.  I usually prefer to follow along to a video when it comes to fitness, but have been using the app at the Utah house since our internet connection isn’t ideal for streaming.  It’s really come in handy!

Summer Olympics – I look forward to both the summer and winter olympics whenever they roll around and this summer was no exception.  Don and I enjoyed watching beach volleyball, swimming, diving, and gymnastics, among other sports.  A new favorite of mine as of this year is the synchronized swimming.  It’s incredible how strong and graceful those athletes are to perform such amazing and beautiful synchronism!  What’s your favorite summer olympic sport?

Tasty Treats

I have been converted to the dark side of boxed baking….I kid!  I don’t think there’s anything wrong with baking from a box mix, especially if it turns into something scrumptious.  My mother-in-law introduced me to the amazing Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix last year and I’ve never looked back.  When it comes to baking brownies, I find this mix always outperforms any homemade recipe I try.  They’re moist, super chocolately, and beyond delicious.  I highly recommend giving them a try!

If you’d like to hear more about my favorites this month, check out this video:

I would love to know what some of your August favorites were if you care to share.
I hope you’re enjoying these last few weeks of summer!

* Post contains affiliate links. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. *