Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the week. Ours has been a blur, but filled with fun adventures and time with friends. The girls had sleepovers, I met up with a friend for Pilates, and it was Liv’s recital weekend.

In the background of all of the fun, I’ve still been dealing with eye issues. I’ve been to a few doctors (optometrists and urgent care) and finally got some answers after seeing an ophthalmologist. We have an action plan and I’m really praying that things turn up before our upcoming trip. Please send all of the happy eye vibes my way! At this point, I don’t care if I have to wear glasses the entire time; I just want to not think about about my eyes all day (and night. Blah).

Our bathroom counter looks like the eye section at Walgreen’s.

(I also wash a ton of washcloths and my pillow case every day, and my hands are cracked and scabbed from constant washing)

Even though I’ve been dealing with the eye saga, I got to enjoy a blissful four days at Miraval with some of my best work buddies: Natasha, Giselle, Kim and Amber! We have a minimind together and meet quarterly to discuss business goals, brainstorm, and strategize. With this most recent trip, we were at one of the most Zen and beautiful places, and got to enjoy amazing food, relaxation,

spa services, and activities. It’s like a summer camp for health-minded adults 😉 (You can check out previous Miraval experiences here and here.)

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Sharing some tips on how you can use FAM (fertility awareness method) for period prediction for yourself, or for your tween/teen daughter! 

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful day so far! We’re living the summer life: swimming all day, meeting up with friends, hitting up the arcade, and packing for a fun trip. What have you been up to?

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little bit about Fertility Awareness Method and how you can use this amazing tool for period prediction. Once you have the hang of it, it makes life SO much easier.

As you guys know, I’m a huge fan of Fertility Awareness Method. It’s my primary method of birth control and I’ve been practicing since I went off birth control back in 2008. Over time, it’s evolved so much! I used to have to track my temp and cycle signs on a paper chart and now they have amazing apps and technology.

****I only recommend FAM as birth control if you’re in a monogamous relationship and with the understanding that there is a learning curve. Also, remember that it doesn’t protect you from any sexually transmitted diseases or infections. It may take you a while to *get* your cycle, so just a heads up that you may want to use a backup method if you’d like to use FAM as a birth control method.***

While Fertility Awareness Method can be an amazing birth control tool, it can also be used for something incredibly valuable: accurate period prediction. If you practice Fertility Awareness Method, you’re able to know the exact day that you’ll get your period.

I was thinking about FAM and how much I love it… and then a little light bulb clicked in my head. It could also be used to know when a tween or teen girl is going to have their first period ever. How freaking amazing is that?! I’m going to share all of the details + how you can use this for accurate cycle prediction in this post. I wanted to share this info for my mama friends out there, or for those who are curious about tracking their cycle.

Using Fertility Awareness Method for period prediction

When I first discovered Fertility Awareness Method, I WISHED I would learned all about this when I was growing up. It turned my body from a complete mystery into something that I was empowered and informed about. What was happening inside my body wasn’t completely random each month; it was entirely predictable. I just had to track it and understand my cycle.

If I would have known about this information, it would have saved me from a particular instance in middle school when I was wearing white shorts. Ughhh.

Each month, we have distinct phases of our cycle:

1) Menstruation: day 1 of full bleeding (may be preceded by spotting but that’s not technically the first day of your cycle)

2) Follicular phase: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) prompts the ovaries to prepare and release an egg

3) Ovulatory phase: this is when the egg is released and can potentially be fertilized

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Sharing a roundup of my top 10 fave healthy living brands and why I love them so much. Whether you’re many years in your healthy living journey, or just getting started (yay!!), I hope you find something that resonates with you in the list below.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I had the most glorious four days at Miraval and am back, refreshed, Zen. And my friend time and inspiration cups are full. I always come back from our min-mind trips with new ideas and action plans. And am really excited to put them into motion. We brainstormed for my new program (launching later this summer/early August) and I can’ t wait to share it with you.

Today, I thought I’d share a roundup of my fave healthy living brands. Taking care of our health can significantly impact happiness, stress levels, productivity, etc. And there are plenty of factors that contribute to and help improve a person’s overall health and wellness. These brands stand out from the rest when it comes to championing health and wellness. And so today, I’m sharing a roundup of brands that can help you achieve your best state of health and wellness.

12 of my Favorite Health and Wellness Brands

I put a lot of time and research into the type of brands I like to support. And these are some of my tried and true favorites. They all make products that we use regularly in our house (or in my own personal routine). And many of them are B corps, which means they care for people and the planet.

Because I love these brands so much, I have longstanding partnerships with many of them. Affiliate links are included below, which do not impact purchase price. But they allow me to share a discount with you (and I also receive a small kickback). Thank you so much to those of you who shop through my affiliate links!

Thrive Market

Thrive Market offers convenient access to products that positively impact your health, including organic pantry staples, clean beauty products, and eco-friendly home essentials. They prioritize transparency, ensuring their selection is free from harmful additives. In addition, their mission to make healthy living affordable and accessible means you can enjoy up to 50% off retail prices. By choosing Thrive Market, you support sustainable practices and contribute to a more equitable food system.

If you want to try Thrive Market, you can use my link for 40% off your first purchase. This is such an awesome deal!! You can use this discount for some of my very favorite things like, almond butter, Siete chips, Simple Mills products, cleaning products, seaweed snacks, bars, dog treats, oatmeal and grains, the best rose sheet masks, essential oils, and so much more.

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Hi friends! Happy Friday! How’s the week going? It’s been great one over here, because it’s being spent with friends at Miraval! I’m here with my mini-mind group (Amber, Giselle, Natasha and Kim), and we’ve been enjoying spa services, outdoor adventures, and all of the amazing food. I’m sharing the adventures on IG stories if you’d like to follow along.

Something exciting: Seize the Summer starts on Monday and all of the info is going out later today. If you’d like to join in, it’s a free two-week accountability challenge with workouts, nutrition, group motivation, and accountability. Join in the fun here!

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

Friday Faves

Life:

Livi’s First Communion. Liv had her First Communion last weekend and it was absolutely lovely. We were surrounded by family and friends supporting her, and P is looking forward to completing this sacrament with her class next year.

(My eyes are still driving me crazy – red and inflamed but thankfully not infected – so I’ve been wearing my glasses. Livi’s dress is here and Read more

Now that we’re in the thick of the dog days of summer (it’s hot out there!), I want to share how my beauty routine has changed with the temperature change. I wear less makeup in the summer months. For one, it’s hot out and the last thing I want to do is put a lot on my skin (other than SPF!). It needs to feel light or I’m probably not wearing it all. That said, I still want to look put together when we’re out at the pool or meeting up with friends. While SPF is a priority for me year-round, we wear A LOT of safer sunscreen as a family come summer. After all, limiting sun damage is the #1 anti-aging “secret.”

Here are a handful of my skincare and makeup staples that you’ll find in my beauty bag this summer.

I’m sharing my summer skincare & makeup staples for summer!

My Summer Skincare & Makeup Staples

With the arrival of warmer weather, it’s important to adjust our skincare and makeup routines accordingly. 

For summer, I recommend incorporating lightweight moisturizers with SPF, tinted moisturizers or BB creams for natural and breathable coverage, and waterproof mascara to withstand hot and humid days. To keep your skin feeling cool and refreshed, don’t forget to use a facial mist or setting spray throughout the day. 

These summer staples will help you look and feel your best all season long!

Beautycounter Reflect Effect AHA Smoothing Facial Mask

I am still LOVINGGGG the Reflect Effect AHA Mask. Yo