A lil spring chat with my friends out there and sharing some exciting news.

Hiiiii! How are you? I hope that your day is going well and that you had a lovely weekend. It’s been a while since we’ve had a smoothie or coffee date around here, so I’d love to catch up!

(in real life, it would be a fresh smoothie, not a bottled smoothie but let’s just go with it)

Let’s grab a smoothie, and catch up a little.

If we were having a smoothie date….

I’d want to know how you’re doing. Like, REALLY doing. How are the kids? How are you feeling? Are you stressed about May-cember and end of school stuff, or doing ok?

I’d want to know if you’ve taken any new workout classes, tried any new restaurants, and I’d love hearing all the details about upcoming vacations and summer plans.

I’d tell you that I’m so relieved that we started homeschooling P. I was SO stressed about it and put a ton of pressure on myself, which is why I didn’t consider this possibility earlier, but she’s a different kid. She’s thriving, we’re having so much fun together, and I honestly feel like it’s giving me a chance to enjoy her childhood a bit more. Since the girls were born, it’s been a wild ride, and as an anxious person myself, I was always focused on, “what’s next” and two steps ahead, instead of enjoying the present moment. The past couple of years, I’ve forced myself to be more present because they’re growing up so, so quickly. I can’t even believe Liv will be in 8th grade next year!

I’d tell you that I’ve been teaching barre at an amazing local studio and would invite you to take a class! While I don’t teach nearly as much as I used to – I can’t imagine teaching 15+ classes a week again – my 1-2 classes a week are perrrrrfect.

I’d also share the exciting news with you… we’re headed to Europe for 6 weeks, maybe longer. We’re going to Italy, France, and Spain, and I.can’t.even.wait. Last year when we went to Spain, we toured a couple of gorgeous apartments. With the tax (21%!) we calculated that we could spend the same amount of money to spend almost the entire summer in Europe for the next 19 years, and have the flexibility to go wherever, instead of being in one spot. So, summer #1, let’s goooooo!!! Of course, I’ll share all of the adventures on Instagram stories and here on the blog. It feels like a huge treat and we’re all ready for it.

I’d ask you if you like pickleball and if you wanted to play sometime. I’m not good at pickleball, but I love it, and am always looking for chances to practice. The kids are into it, too!

I’d ask you if you’d split a gluten-free treat with me, and plan our next catch-up date, since time flies by and at this point, you have to schedule things way in advance. 😉

So tell me, friends: how are you *really* doing? Any summer plans? Do you like pickleball or no? Let’s chat in the comments section.

xoxo

Gina

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? The Pilot is back tonight – he’s been gone a ton for airline training – so I’m looking forward to going somewhere alone lol. I can’t wait to take a hot yoga and a barre class this weekend 🙂 We’re also meeting up with friends at the pool, P has a bday party, and getting ready for Liv’s next dance competition. I’d love to hear what you have going on.

Our Spring Forward challenge started on Monday, but it’s not too late to join in the fun!!. I’ve loved seeing everyone’s check-ins this week. Get your plans here – it’s totally free and everything is delivered to your inbox.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

4.24 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

Wrapped up week 3 of homeschooling. We did the usual subjects and for science, P worked on constructing a roller coaster.

This is so random, but my neck and traps have been sooooo tight, and I ordered this. I can’t wiat for it to arrive this afternoon. It looks like pure bliss.

We took Maisey with us to meet friends at their campsite for dinner last weekend in Mt. Lemmon, and she LOVED it. I had no clue how she’s do in the wild. Would she run off and disappear forever? She was so good. She played with the other dogs, stayed closeby, and then as we sat around the bonfire, we took turns holding her like a giant baby while she snoozed. We’re definitely doing the full camping experience next time.

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Okay, let’s talk about bedtime stretches and moving your body!

When I was cleared to work out after Liv’s birth, I couldn’t wait to get back into sweaty interval training. Finding my personal max and soaked in sweat sounded like a dream to me. After P’s birth, I couldn’t wait to Orangetheory and Spin again. (Hopefully, I’ll be back at OTF in the next few weeks as my hand gets stronger!)

After my most recent hiatus, I had one thing on my mind: yoga.

Yogaaaaaaa.

I was craving a fiercely heated room, finding my way into familiar poses, and soaking it all in during savasana. I still haven’t been able to take a class -push-up and plank feel great but I’m not quite ready for a full practice- but I’ve been incorporating bits of yoga into my daily life. Maybe it’s a reminder to stay in the present moment (instead of rushing through the “what-ifs” in my brain), or a few deep breaths to center myself. It might be a quick flow with Liv (she’s a big yoga fan), or a simple stretching routine before bed.

This is the perfect way to wind down after a long day. It only takes a few minutes to stretch your muscles, become mindful of your breath, and ease your way into sleep. I find that setting a timer for 5 minutes to stretch and breathe helps me fall asleep faster, and as an added bonus, I’ll tack on 5-10 minutes of meditation. Afterwards I feel peaceful, centered, and ready to crash out. Works literally every. single. time.

5-Minute Bedtime Stretches  for Relaxation

1) Seated Cat/Cow

Start in a comfortable seat with your legs crossed and hands on your knees. As you inhale, fill your belly, and arch your back, bringing your chest forward. As you exhale, draw your belly in and round your spine. Repeat 5 times, taking long, e

A couple of weeks ago, Chappell Roan said something that stuck with me. “My friends with small kids are in hell.”

I have a lot of thoughts about it and figured I’d share in this week’s podcast episode. How can you find joy in motherhood with obstacles and negative messaging?

I talk about negativity in the online space, some of the many reasons why moms are struggling, how we can support our mama friends, looking for glimmers, and more. I’d love to hear your thoughts, too!

180: Finding joy in motherhood

Partners:

Check out We Feed Raw! Maisey goes crazy for this! I use it as a topper for her kibble or mix it into her pup loaf. You can try the raw version, the raw dehydrated kibble, and they’ll help you customize a plan for your pup. Use FITNESSISTA30 for 30% off your Meal Plan Starter Box here!

The Lifewave X39 patches have been a gamechanger for my energy; the Pilot is obsessed, too! Check them out here. 

Check out my new favorite red light device here, and use the code FITNESSISTA for a huge discount.

I’ve been using Nutrisense on and off for a couple of years now. I love being able to see how my blood sugar responds to my diet and habits, and run experiments. You can try out Nutrisense here and use GINA50 for $50 off.

If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission. You can absolutely join if you don’t currently work in the health or fitness industry; many IHPs don’t begin on this path. They’re friends who are passionate to learn more about health and wellness, and want to share this informat

Sharing more about P’s homeschool curriculum and how we structure our days. For more about why we decided to homeschool, check out this post.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having a wonderful morning. I have a couple of client calls today, homeschool fun, and we’re going to take an afternoon hike. What are you up to?

For today’s post, I wanted to chat more about how we structure our days now that we’re in week 3 of homeschooling. It’s worth mentioning here that every day is different and these are just boxes we check each day. The beauty of homeschool is that it’s flexible. It takes far less time than traditional school, and you have the freedom to pause, change things, or move things around, depending on what’s going on.

It’s also worth mentioning here that I’m NOT an expert and have minimal experience in this area. I’m the newb of the newbies and am seriously figuring this out as we go. I’m so so thankful that there are homeschool experts out there and friends who have offered with help and advice; I’ll take all the tips I can get!

I’m also SO thankful to Brittany from A Healthy Slice of Life who jumped in, hopped on the phone with me when I sent her a super long voice message, talked me off the ledge, and helped me figure out a gameplan. Check out her blog for homeschool info, recipes, travel, and lifestyle – she is amazing.

Even though I’m still figuring this out, I wanted to share this post for my friends out there who are considering homeschool, but are super intimidated, just as I was. I thought I’d have to be a *teacher* to be good at this. You don’t need to have a teaching background. You just need to find the right curriculum fit (and know you can change at any time), have a little patience and flexibility, and continue to show love and patience to your kiddo. <3

Our homeschool curriculum and how we structure our days

For the most part, here’s how the day goes:

We wake up and take Liv to school. We come home, P has breakfast, I give her a little bit of chill time where she can play with toys, puzzles, build things, etc. (this is where I’ll catch up on a few emails or put out work fires) and we start *school* at 9. I sit at the table with her and eat my breakfast as we work together.

Almost all of the curriculum we’re using is plug and play, which means you open the book, read the lesson, answer the questions, and move on. (Almost everything below was recommended by Brittany)

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