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Happy Friday, y’all! Well, we made it through the second week of school and we’re all looking forward to some fun this weekend! I haven’t done a regular Five on Friday post in almost a month, so I’m overflowing with favorite things from the past few weeks, so let’s go ahead and get started!
O N E – O Cedar Mop and Pods
I’ve shared my love for this mop on the blog and on Instagram several times, but I wanted to share it again because I recently discovered that they have pods that you can use to wash your floors, too! In the past, I’ve used very diluted Tide powder clothing detergent in my water to mop the floors because I saw someone post that method on Instagram years ago. It makes the house smell like fresh laundry, which I love, but I recently saw something that said you actually shouldn’t use detergent on hardwood floors because it can cause residue to build over time, ultimately ruining the floors. Whoops. Who knows if that’s true, but just in case, I grabbed these pods when they happened to show up in my recommendations.
I used them for the first time last week, and I do love them! They made our whole house smell like a spa, for starters, and they did make the floors look sparkly clean! They dissolve almost instantly in hot water, so I didn’t even have to wait, and I’ll definitely be keeping them on hand from now on.
And if you haven’t ever used an O Cedar mop, they are truly the GOAT of mopping systems. We’ve had ours for several years now, and I don’t mind mopping now... it’s actually kind of enjoyable!. The best part about this system? The mop heads are removeable and machine washable, so you always mop your floor with a clean mop.
T W O – My Vibration /
Meditation / Neck Pillow Combo Each Night
I’ve mentioned this loads of times on the blog, but today I thought I’d actually go into detail about it here because the benefits I’m getting from this combination of things in just 10-15 minutes per evening are too great not to share.
I started meditating daily years and years ago, and it has helped tremendously with my anxiety and stress. I purchased a lifetime subscription to the Calm app years ago on Black Friday weekend since they had a great deal, and it’s been money well spent since I use the app so frequently.
Last year, I added this neck pillow to my meditation routine at the urging of my upper cervical chiropractor. After having all my scans done last June, the doctor was able to show me that my neck has straightened significantly over the years due to years of sitting at a desk and being on a phone, meaning the natural C curve that everyone is supposed to have no longer existed in my spine. He recommended getting this exact neck pillow because it’s adjustable allowing you to get the exact height you need for your body, and that also allows you to start out slowly and work your way up to a deeper curve as your body changes. I cannot even tell y’all how much I love this neck pillow. If you’ve ever experienced neck or upper back or shoulder tension and / or pain, then you know how debilitating it can be. Laying on this pillow has become one of my favorite things to do each day because my tension melts instantly as soon as I lay on it. It forces all your muscles to relax, while slowly restoring the C curve in your neck, and it’s also helped with my jaw issues and headaches, too.
I also recently purchased this vibration plate (which I’ve mentioned on the blog before, too), but I had to stop standing on it for now since it’s been irritating my dizziness a little bit. Instead, I drape my calves over it while I lay on my neck pillow and meditate, and I let my entire body melt for 10-15 minutes every evening. Since I started using the vibration plate consistently (every single day), I haven’t had a single day that my feet have swollen… not even after my workouts. The puffiness in my legs and ankles has completely disappeared, too, and it has been wonderfullll after suffering from issues with edema in my feet and ankles. (I also owe a big part of that to my turmeric, too, though!) The vibration plate can also help with pain, headaches, insomnia, digestion, muscle building, muscle recovery, blood circulation, stress, anxiety, and so many other things, and I am most definitely seeing the benefits. I just can’t wait until I can get my whole body back on there so I can see the benefits all over.
T H R E E – Creamy
Hazelnut Coffee
One of my goals this month was to find a coffee that I could enjoy without cream or sugar. Why? Because coffee has so many health benefits, but I could never justify drinking it every day for the benefits when I was adding piles of cream and sugar into it just to get it down. I probably would have never bothered with the coffee at all, but recently, I’ve been having issues with digestion and major belly bloat since I stopped taking my medicine for my vertigo, and I think most people know that coffee is a great way to get things moving naturally.
I found this creamy hazelnut coffee that’s incredibly inexpensive, and y’all, it is by far the best coffee I’ve ever made at home. I have been drinking it black (literally never in a million years ever thought I would say that) and the kicker is that I’m actually enjoying it. The hazelnut gives it such a rich flavor, and the “creamy” part of the flavoring takes the bitterness out of the bite that coffee always has when you don’t put cream and sugar in it. It actually has a sweet aftertaste, and it is delicious.
Within just a few days of drinking one cup each morning, my belly bloat that I’ve been experiencing for months went almost completely away, and I feel so much better than I did before I started drinking it. And I’m not saying that this would be the case for anyone else experiencing belly bloat, but this was what actually worked for me since mine was, apparently, a digestive issue due to stopping medication that I’d been taking for years.
Anyway, I just thought I’d share since it’s so tasty! And I’ve always found that coffee makes me feel full and satisfied longer than I do when I don’t drink it which also means I’m not dying of hunger by the time lunch rolls around. I’ll be loading up on this and drinking a cup every day going forward!
F O U R – Bike Shorts
Under Skirts
We’ve always purchased “cartwheel shorts” for Olivia to wear under dresses and skirts, and a couple of years ago, it occurred to me that adults can wear them, too! Haha. I have a few of those Amazon fluttery skirts that I’ve posted about a million times here, but the only problem with those is that they flutter a little too much sometimes when it’s windy, so I started wearing shorts underneath as a precaution. I’ve been wearing them for years, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared them here before, so I thought I’d share with all of you in case you’re looking for something to wear under skirts and dresses, too. These are my favorite ones – they’re identical to my very favorite leggings of all-time that I’ve shared so many times – and they’re comfy, excellent quality, and the perfect length to go under skirts. They also come in a longer length if you want to wear them like genuine bike shorts. I have some of those, too!
F I V E – Bubble Skincare
Olivia has been really into skincare for the past year or so, but she’s only 12, so I don’t let her go wild in Sephora like so many of the young kids are doing on TikTok these days. Kids have delicate skin that can actually be harmed by all those fancy grownup products, so I was excited to see that there’s finally a skincare brand that is safe for tweens and teens.
Bubble Skincare was formulated with the help of dermatologists, and they have everything from facial cleanser to daily sunscreen to sleep masks. The best part is that it’s all clean, gentle, fragrance-free, vegan, and high-quality, but it’s actually affordable (unlike most of the brands at Sephora), making it a safe choice for tweens, teens, and people with sensitive skin. And the products are cute and well-branded so your tween or teen can feel fancy without paying the high price tags that are on other brands like Summer Fridays or Drunk Elephant. (And I honestly wouldn’t even know either of those other brands if it wasn’t for Olivia… I’m the least bougie person ever when it comes to skincare and makeup, so she didn’t get her love for all things beauty from me. Haha. I swear, it’s like the wild, wild west raising kids in today’s society!)
Friday Funnies &
Feels
On the Blog This Week
Happy Friday,
y’all!
