It’s FEBRUARY, friends! Dang. Monday Musings – Vol 21 is coming in hot on the first day of the second month of 2021. Time truly does seem to fly. You don’t even have to be having fun for it to fly either. Today marks a few things: the start of Kyle’s {and my sister Cassidy’s} birthday month, my EGG RETRIEVAL {+ *maybe?!* a fresh transfer} happens this month, there’s an extra focus on LOVE… Lots of positives. Even more nerves. My biggest goal this month is to live IN the moment and not worry about what may or may not happen in the days/weeks to come.

Guess what is over…

NO SPEND JANUARY! I did pretty flipping well if I do say so myself. There were a few slip-ups (Target x2 & this pant + hoodie set) but they were all purposeful and not random. I did no frivolous, free-for-all ordering like I’m good at. In a weird way it was kind of fun. I’m always up for a good challenge, so it makes sense why I wanted to follow-through with this so closely. Moving forward I won’t exactly be doing a ‘no spend’ focus, I’ll still be keeping the ‘extras’ reigned in because fertility costs + finishing the basement are #1 and #2 for us right now. That being said, there are a few things I’m loving at the moment:

Something I am NOT ok with…

Cancel culture. Shutting someone down because you don’t agree with them. I have a zero tolerance policy for that bullshit. It’s sad so many people in society seem to glorify the cancelling of people. Apparently there is no longer room for differing viewpoints, no ability to LISTEN and HEAR someone who lives in a different manner. I am not saying you have to accept or even support those differences, but damn it you better show some them some love and empathy. We are ALL sinners. We ALL, continually, fall short of the glory of God. {Romans 3:23-24}

This Sephora fiasco with Amanda Ensing had me furious over the weekend. They knew full well what she supported, stood for, etc. when they ‘hired’ her to promote their brand and then silenced her voice when some random on the internet said they were offended. Sorry Sephora, but YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING YOUR RESEARCH when you hire someone. Amanda didn’t just become a ‘Trump supporter’ yesterday. Needless to say, my money will from now on be spent elsewhere. I’d never tell anyone how to spend theirs or what to or not to support, though. You do your due diligence and make decisions that fit best you. I’m friends with people who voted different than I did. We buy products from businesses who support things we don’t. I’d guess I have followers who don’t believe in my same beliefs. It’s called tolerance, inclusivity and LOVE. *rant over* And if you’re looking to shop elsewhere…I put this roundup of my fav Ulta products together for you! 😉

What we’re eating this week…

Yet another successful week of meals! I did crave pizza every. single. night. but I’m proud to report that we did not indeed eat pizza every night. That is a win in my book! I got a lot of love on last week’s recipes, especially on the crack chicken! Definitely worth a try — but I’d suggest only using HALF the ranch packet because it was pretty dang salty. This is what I have up for this week:

Meatless Monday – Mini Eggplant ‘Pizzas’ – we’ll top ours with spinach, tomatoes, jalapeÃ±os and feta
Tuesday – Shrimp Taco Bowls
Wednesday – AM Burgers (grass-fed beef w/ a fried egg & bacon) + Cauliflower Gnocchi ‘tots’
Thursday – Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce (frozen from Trader Joe’s) / I will amp this one up with parm-crusted chicken breast, spinach and tomatoes
Friday – Monte Cristo Sandwiches w/ fruit
Saturday – OUT for Kyle’s Birthday 🙂

Random Ramblings…

I finally can say I’ve tried acupuncture! Last Friday morning I had a quick consult + my first appointment and it was SO RELAXING. It has been known to promote fertility and help with IVF treatments, so we figured there was nothing to lose. The plan will be another 3-5 appointments (scheduled for 2 more) this week prior to my egg retrieval and then TBD after that!

Winter is getting to me. The constant repeat of cloudy days is BRUTAL for my mood and mental state. I have this Sun Lamp in my cart right now and am just exploring my other options before hitting ORDER.
My #SelfCareSunday evening routine has been going strong for months now. Below basically what I’ve simplified it down to: my ride or dies! Tula’s Cult Cleanser via my PMD Cleanser Device + Summer Fridays’ holy grail Jet Lag Mask.

A new month means a new scent in our house…this month: Narguile by Diptyque. Even Kyle is a fan of this one!
YES. For the love of everything, YES the lululemon align pieces are worth it. They’re even more worth it on sale. I have 2 of my sisters now on their 2nd and 3rd pairs 🙂 I wear a 2, Cassidy wears a 4 and Haley wears a 6 in the 28″ length. Also highly recommend THIS tank, I wear a 6 and am a 34A-ish.