Snow in October!

 

Minnesota has the weirdest weather sometimes. But, luckily for Baby Chewy he no longer needs to come inside for a snack. He's got the snow in the front yard.

The snow has now melted a bit but it's still cold - I'm hoping for another day in the 50s before it gets terribly cold so I can finish cleaning up the yard. Oy, this snow came before some trees even turned colors! 2020 is really throwing the heavy stuff at us.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Exercise During a Pandemic in Winter

 

Going into it here - I've gained 10 pounds since last November. It's mostly alcohol weight, along with the fact that I stopped exercising for a long while. Also, we're home and I cook and I LIKE TO COOK so I definitely don't make the healthiest of food all the time - but I don't make things like Hamburger Helper, if we want that, then I make it from scratch. And stress.

I used to be up at 5 to do a workout video. Then I'd make myself a protein shake for breakfast, I'd meal prep my lunches, and calculate the calories with dinner. In short, I was obsessed with controlling what I was eating. And that stopped. And I feel better now. Like, I lost a stress that I didn't need.

But I also gained more stress - yay, pandemic!! I tried so hard to keep up with waking up early but I was so exhausted and just plain burnt out by 5pm. I couldn't wake up early anymore and be "on" the whole day, I needed the sleep so I stopped waking up early.

A long time ago we used to have a bike trainer. It was loud, it was awful. I didn't like it. Also, Bimmer Man used to exercise by riding his bike to work and doing classes at the YMCA.  

I mentioned getting a trainer last year because our neighbors are cyclists and they use Zwift, and again this Spring but Bimmer Man brushed it off...until he decided that he needed to workout too (can I get an "I TOLD YOU SO" here? Because I think this deserves it). I literally signed up for a Beachbody account because I can't ride my bike AND watch children at the same time so this was the only way that I could workout and exercise.

So he created a Zwift account, got a trainer, and now we're back at it. I took yesterday off for a rest day, and today is weightlifting for me, tomorrow I'll be on the trainer for at least an hour in the morning, I think - we'll see how early I can wake up! If not, I'll carve out time in the afternoon for a ride. 

It's somewhat satisfying??? It's not the same as being outside but the routes are pretty good - there's lots of hills and hill climbs (Bimmer Man just jumped right in after not biking for awhile and picked a hilly route, so he's still sore). I don't mind riding with the other virtual riders either - it's fun to pick a rider and try to pass them. I think I saw you can race too but I'm not all that competitive, and I need to ride more before I even think about it! There's some really awesome riders on the Zwift. 

So that's where we're at right now. I finally have cardio that I can do at home that's not a Beachbody HIIT workout video. 

Happy Tuesday!

Super Easy Hummus

I don't have a fancy recipe roll reader thingy. Deal with it. 

Super Easy Hummus

1/3 cup really good tahini

3 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

3 tsp minced garlic (well, I use 2 spoonfuls of garlic because I LOVE garlic!)

Heaping 1/2 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tbsp of lemon juice)

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Toppings: Olive oil & paprika

Add ingredients tahini through lemon juice to a food processor. Process until ingredients are entirely smooth and blended.

Add chickpeas, process until smooth - or keep chunky if you want to, whatever your tastebuds like.

Transfer to a low, wide bowl.

Add a turn or two of olive oil, sprinkle with a couple dashes of paprika. VOILA!

Serve with pita chips, pretzels, cut veggies

                                                                                                                                                                 

 

October Already???

I feel like October is shaping up to be a shitshow and it's only the first. Also, where did September go???

Hybrid learning starts on Monday... do we really want to do this?? I mean, the general public doesn't respect each other, the racists are running rampant, the President told people to WATCH OTHER PEOPLE VOTING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE (like this is actually a felony and yet no one FUCKING CARES). I'm using too many uppercase letters. I'm raging inside.

The world is currently like Quentin's shoes. They're so dirty and beat up and no one wants anything better. But I do. I want better.

I want the racists to crawl back into their holes and go away.

I want to go to the store without telling someone to step 6 feet away from me.

I want to go to Ikea to pick up a new lap desk thingy without having to wait hours in line to stay social distanced.

I want normal as much as the next person but we can't because people just don't know how to respect one another. UGH. It makes me want to scream. 

Alrighty, thanks for the vent. Back to parenting my children and re-teaching math.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Chewie Goes Biking

 

Favorite Daily Summer Moisturizer

This is one of my favorite moisturizers for summer. It's light, and not only is it light but it's also SPF30 - there is another option that's SPF17, which I may try this winter too, but in general I like to use the thicker moisturizers in winter. Minnesota is so dry!

Mario Badescu Oil Free Moisturizer SPF30 can be found at Ulta - and if you shop there often, they generally have a sale on Mario Badescu products every other month or so. It's currently $28, I've seen it for up to 40% off - hopefully a sale comes soon!

Pros: It's light, doesn't feel heavy on my face, rubs in fairly easily, and the SPF is 30, which is fantastic for summer because if you forget to wear a separate sunscreen, you're semi-covered. 

To note: I have a nose piercing and so to rub in moisturizer it can be a little bit trickier, and by that I mean sometimes if you're not paying attention or the moisturizer is too thick, then it gets into the piercing or the jewelry and it doesn't look good. It looks like you have white blobs on your face.

I have used this with a Vitamin C serum and it goes on just as well - though I don't actually wear too much makeup anymore, you know.. Covid-19 and all. Though I have used eye shadow OVER this, I don't remember it making my eye shadow cake-y or wrinkled. 

Overall, this is a great moisturizer for skin like mine - that is a little oily, older, and sometimes have acne. I feel like it doesn't add to my oily skin, which is a total bonus. I do have a few wrinkles too. You don't end up with greasy, shiny skin, or feel as if you need to wipe off extra moisturizer (which honestly, I've done in the past with other thicker moisturizers).

Recommend?? Yes! Absolutely! If you don't want to pay full price, wait until it's on sale or if it's a freebie - skincare can be expensive and it can be such a disappointment if it doesn't work. I hate to throw away skincare. Love how this makes my skin feel!

 

Sunscreen Review: CannaCell Sun Buddy SPF 30 by Andalou Naturals

I love my Tula gel sunscreen but for the life of me, I just can't find it. I would reorder it but it's $36 for a small tube and we're close to the end of the season. I need to find some type of suitable replacement that's cheaper but still good. Something I can slather on that's not too greasy, smells good, and WORKS.

Andalou Naturals sells this Sun Buddy Facial sunscreen SPF 30 for $14.99. Currently on sale at Ulta.

First impressions: GREASY. Oh, so greasy. I had to wash my hands almost immediately. Thank goodness I didn't put this on AT the beach, because I would have had sand stuck all over me! And then trying to wipe wet, sandy, greasy hands on Turkish beach towels is just impossible.

It does smell really good - in general Andalou's products smell really good - definitely natural smelling, not too sharp, not too strong. The scent didn't last long either, which for me is a bonus because with strong smelling products I usually end up with a headache. 

Next: It leaves me looking greasy and also, it sort of looks like I have a white-ish glow to my face. I really don't like that and now I just realized that I totally went out in public looking like a serious half-zombie. I also sweat like crazy on my nose and upper lip - that's not sweat, that's the greasy sunscreen. Good grief, that's embarrassing. 

At some point, it did sink into my skin - but we were at the beach when it did happen. Though even on the way home I itched my eyebrow and my finger came away greasy. Not exactly the best sunscreen for the beach. Or walking out in public.

Most important: I DID NOT GET A SUNBURN. It was still there on my face after being in the water, sweating, and general running after children. So there's that. It works. It stays on and frankly, if you're a busy parent and just need something in a pinch, it's not too terrible, but it's also not a lotion that rubs in really well. 

To wash off: I did have to use Dermalogica's Precleanse to melt away the greasy sunscreen to make sure my face wash worked. Otherwise, I think I might have ended up with a whole face of acne. 

Overall: do not recommend, too greasy for me. 

DAMMIT. I wonder where my Tula gel went.