My Week In Review (otherwise known as WIR) posts are just that: a review of my past week. I post an update here every Tuesday sharing some tidbits of my previous week as well as an accompanying photo recap with selections from my Instagram. Here’s the buzz from my week:
Last Monday was the official launch of the Tone It Up #BikiniSeries. I am so excited to be participating in this 8-week long challenge to get toned up for summer. I actually kicked off my Bikini Series challenge a week early as I mentioned in my last WIR by cleaning up my weekday diet and adding in a second round of cardio four days a week on the elliptical. My plan for this year’s series is to follow that kind of plan, trying to eat pretty clean during the week and kicking my booty a little extra four days a week. I decided to join many other members in kicking off the official BikiniSeries launch with the 7 Day Slim Down, which is part of the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan, for which I am a member. While the BikiniSeries is open and free to all, there are some added perks for Tone It Up members during the series. I find that for me a four day version of the slim down is the optimal diet reset. I am thoroughly enjoying the BikiniSeries so far and feeling great! Tone It Up is such a great motivational and inspirational community.
Daily life hums along at an even clip most of the time between the daily to-dos, working on my posts, and keeping house. I find myself noticing the little things and treasuring the small moments even more within the comforting familiarity of routine life. For instance, just the other day I was working at my desk and happened to glance over at the plethora of mint-colored items all bunched together to my left. I have this Lace Oval Bin from Target and inside of it is a mint green Jellycat bunny and my kikki. K pocket planner. I happened to be using my mint-colored LifeFactory water bottle that day as well. There is nothing particularly remarkable about these items or some deep meaning behind me noticing them, but seeing this cluster made me smile inside and out. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It’s the little things, you know? A great read, a sleeping puppy, a tub full of bubbles – this is a small moment relative to others that have happened and will come about in my life, but it is a joy to experience them. It’s easy to take simple pleasures like this for granted, but this year so far has been a lesson in truly living them for me. There is so much joy to be found in the small things.
Speaking of joy, I have been enjoying vlogging again here and there and have decided to take the plunge with a high end new vlogging camera. I originally purchased the Canon PowerShot ELPH 340HS to replace my beloved 330HS that has a scratched lens, figuring it would be the same quality since it’s just the newest model in the line. I decided to return it after discovering that the video quality was not as good as its predecessor and instead decided to upgrade to the Canon PowerShot S120, which is the model my favorite vloggers, the SacconeJolys, use. Their video quality always looks amazing and they seem to have less trouble with blurriness, which is my main beef with the 340HS. I filmed with the S120 for the first time over the weekend and am very pleased with the quality. I mention all of this not only because some are interested in what cameras and equipment I use, but also as a rather roundabout way of sharing that I am truly digging vlogging again. I lost my vlogging mojo for awhile there, but lately I’ve been missing it. I like sharing with you in that casual sort of way. I am having so much fun sharing again!
Our weekends have been jam-packed with lots of activities and lots of eating lately! We kicked off the weekend on Friday with a panini party with my parents. Why are toasted sandwiches so much better? It might have something to do with the butter, I’m guessing. 😉 On Saturday we headed downtown with Don’s sister and her husband for dinner at Sixteen to mark the end of a friendly weight loss wager between the three of them. It was quite the celebration! I took my Mom out for an early Mother’s Day celebration since I will not be with her next weekend. We went to brunch at Allium, which is one of our favorite ways to celebrate together. Then, we saw The Joffrey Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet, which is a contemporary choreography. It was incredibly powerful and we both enjoyed it thoroughly! Our family sure knows how to celebrate!
As I mentioned before, I am trying out vlogging on the weekends. If you’d like to see more about my weekend, check out this video:
With so much loss and sadness that is a natural part of life, it is important to celebrate moments both big and small with the ones you love. Wishing you many happy celebrations!
* This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. *
