Boho Beautiful Virtual Yoga Retreat Recap

About a week before quarantine, I took yoga back up for the first time in well over 18 months. I began doing it in my living room after I would drop the kids off for school, not knowing a few short days later we would all find ourselves home for months due to COVID-19. My husband had interest right off the bat and asked if he could join in my morning sessions. Honestly, I was so excited to have a workout buddy! I found yoga classes on Youtube and began to gravitate toward the Boho Beautiful channel. By the second week, all four of us were doing yoga 4-6 days per week. Ryan and I really wanted to buy something from Boho Beautiful because we were doing her workouts for free so often, so I headed to her shop page. I saw she offered a digital yoga retreat and was so excited to be part of something like that during this weird time in our lives. Looking back, I'm so grateful we had 5 weeks of daily classes under our belts before we began this. Even with those weeks, it was still a very challenging week for us both! 

My Mediation Journey Plus My Favorite Apps

(Morning meditation on our deck.)

Today I want to talk to you guys about something that has really changed my life for the better, meditation. Last January I was in a really bad mental place, so I started meditating daily. My goal was not only to lower stress level and take 10 minutes a day for myself (which were added benefits), but I really needed to figure out a way to be more in control of my thoughts. Now, 15 months later I literally feel like a different person! Some days I only meditate for 10 minutes, some days I end up doing it for more like 30. It has become an important part of my life and I feel my best when I do it. To be clear, it's not easy. It's something you have to work at, but the benefits are so worth it and over time it becomes easier and you crave it more.

Summer Bodies are Made Durning Quarantine

To begin with, thank you to all the first responders, healthcare workers, grocery store employees, delivery service drivers, essential workers, & everyone else putting themselves out there during this time. 

I used to think summer bodies were made in the winter months, but apparently that can all be undone in under two weeks of quarantine while baking daily and eating comfort foods. Grrrrr So, I decided to take this time to get my family on a good health track. It's so important to be eating healthy and also to be moving your body durning this time. Plus, don't forget to take your vitamins to keep your immune systems as strong as you can. So that's it then, I've decided. Summer bodies are made during the quarantine. I'm hoping habits we choose now stay with us long after! 

Recipe: GF Ice Cream Sandwiches

With "stay home" orders in place, we are finding comfort in our weekly baking challenges. Last week, I asked my kids to pick a recipe from the eight cookbooks I set out to choose from. My daughter found the most delicious ice cream sandwich recipe so we did our best to find the ingredients so we could make it. We also supported our local ice cream shop, picking up a curb-side order to add to the fun. These were pretty easy to make if you're OK rolling with it. The cookies were supposed to be round, but they all cooked together making it more like a full sheet pan of cookie than individual cookies. I moved quickly after getting them out of the oven, cutting into small rectangle shapes. In the end, they were delicious, they looked more like classic ice cream sandwiches with their rectangle shape, it counted as "creative time" for school, and they made my family happy in general! 

Here is the recipe so you can try them out too!