Hi friends! How was the weekend? I hope you had an amazing one. This blog post is a way to bring it back old school and share some more real-life adventures. Quite a few of you let me know that you missed the style of blogging from the past (I do, too!) so I’m trying to do it in a way that’s low-key and still focused on my experience, instead of the kids’ experience if that makes sense? It can be tricky because the kids are obviously a huge part of my life (and by far the most exciting and such an enjoyable part of my life). I’m still trying to navigate blogging in a way that feels authentic to me without overdoing it on kid content, while continuing to create value-driven posts, too.

If you guys enjoy this and want more everyday-style posts, let me know!

This weekend was a wild one and packed with so many fun adventures. Friday night, we went to a local fall festival with the fam. My dad, stepmom, aunt, cousins, Kyle and Meg, and their kiddos were all there.

We also ran into so many familiar faces that evening! Tucson is a small world, but feels smaller the longer we stay here.

BEFORE fall festival, the Pilot took P to a birthday party while I took Liv to dance, so P had double fun times. The kids played in the obstacle courses, got their faces painted, did the cake walk and bingo thing, and it was a blast.

Saturday morning, P had a soccer game, I took care of some work stuff and chores, and then one of Liv’s best friends came over for a sleepover.

We took the crew to sushi at Ginza,

(dress is here! Heads up that it runs big, so if you’re in between sizes, I’d size down)

and then picked up one of P’s friends so she would have a buddy, too. We headed to the mall, where the younger kids hit up the giant arcade with the Pilot, the older girls and I went to Claire’s and got boba teas.

We made it back to the arcade for some motorcycle races, Dance Dance Revolution, and then grabbed ice cream before P’s friend went home.Read more

Hi friends! Happy Friday!

Before I head into the usual Friday Faves post, I wanted to send a huge hug and thank you to all of you for your wonderful messages, emails, texts, and comments about saying goodbye to sweet Caro. All of your lovely messages lifted us up during a hard week. I hope you know how much we appreciate you.

While I was heartbroken over everything, I feel a sense of peace this week that she’s pain-free and hanging out with Bella and my Tata Gene.

What do you have going on this weekend? It’s going to be a fun one over here. P has a birthday party, we’re headed to a fall festival, Liv’s friend is sleeping over, and we’re seeing Lion King. Whew! Packed as much fun as possible into the weekend. 🙂 I hope you have a great one ahead, too.

A bright spot in the week: seeing Michael Bublé for the second time! The last time I saw him in concert was 2019, and it was a DREAM to see him again on Tuesday night. Madre watched the kiddos and the Pilot and I headed up to Phoenix for dinner and the show. It was everything. He’s so incredibly talented, the musicians were incredible, and I LOVED his backup singers/dancers. They were up there killin’ it the entire time.

Naturally, I screamed my face off and croaked all day on Wednesday. It was worth it and 10/10 will do it again.

We had amazing seats! Also, there was a woman in the audience who has been to 52 of his shows! GOALS.

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.

Friday Faves

Read, watch, listen:

What has made you laugh lately? For me, it’s been these chipmunk videos. I could watch them for hours.

Aging isn’t about lost youth.

Fashion + beauty:

Beautycounter’s fall sale is heeeeere and ends on Sunday. Enjoy 15-25% off sitewide (exclusions apply).

Some of my top picks:

Color intense lipstick. Brunch is my go-to for the perfect pinky-nude.

The best body polish. I use this before applying sunless tanner (and use this one or this one).

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I’m writing this post with tears streaming down my cheeks and the biggest knot in my stomach… because sweet Caroline is gone.

She crossed the rainbow bridge on Monday, and devastated is an understatement. She hasn’t been doing well for a couple of years – she’d have a rough week and always seem to pull through – but knowing that it was coming didn’t make it any easier. In some ways, it’s made it even harder and more heartbreaking.

We got Caroline from a Cavalier Kings Charles rescue when Liv was a toddler. We drove to Phoenix, where they had multiple cavaliers running around from the puppy mill in Arkansas that had been shut down, and Caroline was the one Liv had to have. She was the smallest, most timid one, hiding in the corner, shaking.

“Are you sure you want this one?”

“Yes, I want this one.”

We drove her home and gave her lots of snuggles and food. For the first year or so, she remained timid, yet extremely sweet (even while receiving some occasional harassment from Bella). When we adopted Caroline, she was used to doing everything in a crate outside: it’s where she ate, did her business, and also birthed multiple rounds of puppies, as she was a young mama dog for the puppy mill.

When we brought her home, she had never walked on grass.

While she was still recovering from everything she endured, we quickly learned about Caro and her two favorite things: sleep and belly rubs. The girl could snore, too. She had the loudest, most satisfying snores, and it made my heart happy that she was able to fully relax after the horrible first couple of years of her life.

She rode in the wagon with Liv on our daily walks,

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Sharing my review (so far!) of the Integrative Health Practitioner certification and my thoughts on the program. I’m so thrilled to be partnering with Dr. Stephen Cabral on a few podcast episodes, and he also generously gifted access to my level 1 and level 2 certification programs. In this post, I’ll be sharing an update on the course and my thoughts on level one now that I’ve finished. If you’d like to join me as a study buddy, head here and use the code FITNESSISTA for $100 off Level 1 and $250 off levels 1 and 2. 

Helloooooo. Happy Monday. I hope you had a lovely weekend. We’re here enjoying our last moments with Caro before we have to say our goodbyes later today 🙁

For today’s post, I wanted to share an updated review of my experience with the Integrative Health Practitioner course and how I plan to use this certification. I recently finished level one and have started level two. I’ve loved diving into these modules and know that it will be an entirely new layer to my coaching.

There have been times when I’ve worked with a nutrition client online and wished I could suggest specific labs (it’s NOT in the scope of practice for a nutrition coach or personal trainer to do this. All you can do is refer out to an RD or doctor). I’ve added other members to my coaching team who are able to run these tests, but as my online practice continues to grow, I’ve wanted to be able to learn how to do all of this myself.

Integrative Health Practitioner Certification 

What is the IHP certification?

The Integrative Health Practitioner certification was created by Dr. Stephen Cabral. If you’re not familiar with his work, Dr. Stephen Cabral is a Board Certified Doctor of Naturopathy and founder of the EquiLife & the Integrative Health Practitioner Institute, and Author of the International Best-Selling Book, The Rain Barrel Effect. After almost 20 years and over 600,000 pages of research study completed, dozens of certifications in the natural health field, over a quarter of a million private client sessions, and a doctoral degree in Naturopathy – Dr. Cabral‘s knowledge, experience, and passion are at the top of his field.

I’ve been following him on Instagram for a couple of years and recently had him as a guest on the podcast. I’d looked at this certification

Hey hey! How are ya? Happy weekend!! What do you have going on? We have a friend’s Air Force retirement party and a soccer team outing. I’m also hoping we can catch a family hike. I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Some exciting news: I finished my Integrative Practitioner Level One Certification! Aaaand I’ve already started on Level Two 🙂 I have so much to say about the program so far, so I’ll definitely do an updated post, but if you have any questions you’d like to me to answer, please leave them in the comments section. I’ll also be restructuring my 1:1 coaching options, so if you know you’re interested, you can apply and get on my wait list here.

A little Caro update:

Caro saw the vet last Friday and has congenital heart failure and her little body was full of fluid. She started a couple of meds, including a diuretic, and they’ve made a huge difference. Unfortunately, she’s still not eating much. She was eating if I hand fed her, but now she’ll only eat every few bites or so. The vet is coming again this afternoon, so we’ll see what she has to say.

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

Read, watch, listen:

What ideal blood glucose might look like, and the value of using a CGM.

How to reprogram your brain to make healthy choices.

Check out this week’s podcast episode here, especially if you feel like you’re in a cooking rut!

Fashion + beauty:

Amazon fashion finds! I was so pumped when Amazon invited me to join their fashion program and picked out a few new fashion-y things to enjoy for the month. They have SO many awesome picks for fall (at amazing prices) and you can’t beat the Prime shipping. I find myself ordering more fashion and household items from Amazon because they’ll get here so quickly.

Here’s what I picked out this month:

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