Hi, friend! How are you?

Welcome to our latest current faves post. I publish this type of post every single Friday so we can talk in real time. In these posts, I like to share how the week went, what the plans are for the weekend, how I’ve been moving and what I’ve been loving too. 

This past week was mostly a good one. I taught my regular classes throughout the week, and today, I’m off to teach a double, because I’m subbing an extra (on-the-barre) barre class before my usual barbell class.

Other than that, this week, I played tennis twice, I took Brady to his second tennis lesson, and I even went out for a little mid-week wine date with my neighborhood lady friends last night. Also, Dave was gone for work, so I was busy doing all the home/parent things. And that means I had the TV to myself for a couple of evenings and got just about caught up with season 3 of “Emily in Paris.” Yay!

However, one not-so-great event happened though, which I already shared on my Instagram story. On Monday late morning, I got a call from Brady’s preschool that he had been hurt on the playground. He slipped while running on some mud and went head-first into a wood structure and got a huge bump on his forehead. When I got there to pick him up, the bump was literally raised off his skin more than half of an inch, and apparently he had been crying really badly (and he never cries at school, so they knew it was not good). Once I had him with me, we spoke with a nurse from his pediatrician’s office on the phone and she gave me tips for home care and signs to look out for to check if it was more serious. Luckily, with some icing sessions and rest, the bump reduced a lot, and he slept well and had no other complications, so he was back in action the next day. While he still has a visible bruise and small bump, he’s totally back to normal, thank goodness. But it was so sad and scary, and not a feeling I enjoyed (he didn’t enjoy it either).

We spent some extra time snuggling on the couch on the day Brady got hurt, and I was able to tackle a project I’ve wanted to work on for a while. I went back and pulled out some archive posts and scheduled them for Facebook for the next couple of months. Even though we all love to read new posts on blogs, it’s helpful for bloggers to remember that the older content is valuable too.

With that being said: Are you following A Lady Goes West on Facebook? If not, I would love it if you did, so you can see all the new and some of the old posts that pop up in your feed, and you can support me. And if you’re feeling generous, when you like my content with a click of your mouse, it helps it be more visible, so I always appreciate that. Thanks, friend.

This weekend, for the first time in months, we have literally no plans. I’d like to take some walks, go out to some meals and spend a lot of time with my little crew.

Alright, now that we’re all caught up, let’s get to the faves …

Current faves

Entertainment

Watching “Break Point” on Netflix

I’m not sure if Dave would have suggested we watch “Break Point” on Netflix, if I hadn’t gotten into tennis in the last year, because I don’t always jump all over sports documentaries. (Even though yes, “Friday Night Lights” is my favorite TV series, I don’t consider that sports-focused show, and that one is fictional anyhow.) 

However, because Dave was a fan of “Drive to Survive” — the same type of documentary on Formula 1 racers also from Netflix — he knew that “Break Point” would be well done. And it is pretty well done. There are only five episodes out right now on Netflix, but I think there are more coming soon. And we ate it up, I looked forward to watching each episode, and we did them in one week.

Each episode follows a professional tennis player (or two) as they compete in large competitions and Grand Slams. We also got to hear from sports analysts and some former big-time tennis players. They talk about the sport, they talk about the mental challenge of being a singles tennis player, and they talk about what a hard life it is to compete at a high level and travel around the world nearly year-round — leaving behind your friends, family and community.

I liked watching the tennis part for sure (dang, they play hard). But what I liked even more was watching the players complete their routines. I liked seeing how the tennis players warm up before they compete, I liked seeing a glimpse into their workouts, and I liked seeing all the behind-the-scenes stuff that you don’t get when you’re watching a regular tennis match on TV. 

Yes, there was a little bit about the personal lives of the athletes, but not a ton. I felt like it was just enough. I won’t say too much else, but if you’re a tennis fan or a competition fan, then this is a good one to check out on Netflix. I was amazed at the athleticism, and I was intrigued with the rest. Looking forward to more episodes coming soon, I hope.

Here’s my little tennis player anxiously awaiting his turn to play this week …

Fun

A social weekend with good people

Last weekend, I did two fun social things in a row. On Friday night, I went out to dinner to Firebirds Wood Fired Grill with four other moms from Brady’s preschool. I’d hung out with these moms during playdates and birthday parties before, but this was our first time getting together without our boys, and it was so nice to do that.

All four of the moms are lovely people, and we had a great three-hour dinner chatting and getting to know each other better — sometimes talking about our kids, sometimes not. Also, I had never been to Firebirds in Stonecrest before, and it’s a huge restaurant that gives you that chain-type feeling, but still, the food was solid and the service was great. It was a nice evening for sure. No pictures from that evening though, except for the one I took of my outfit before I left the house …

(My exact skirt is from Nordstrom Rack and not available, but here’s a very similar skirt.)

The next night, Dave and I had another couple over for a pizza night at our house, and we had a great time. We’ve been so blessed with a great group of neighborhood friends, and yet, we’re meeting new people all the time too. I can’t say enough about what a good community we have in Charlotte just two years in, and that makes me happy.

Fashion

The very best slippers

Okay, can we file slippers under the “fashion” tab? Perhaps that’s a stretch, but I’m doing it.

I shared about these slippers in my list of the best gifts I got for Christmas, but I felt like they needed a shout-out in a faves post too. Dave got me these for Christmas, and I’ve had them on my feet ever since. They are so comfy!

If you’re a slipper person, I would highly recommend investing in some UGGs — they just feel different. I’m a fan. Also, I think these are the only thing in my closet with real fur. You can find my slippers here.

Workouts

My workouts from last week

Every week, I like to share a recap of my previous week of workouts. I share this to show you how I try to get diversity of movement in my week, and how I always take a rest day (almost always). But remember, I do a little bit more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor. You absolutely don’t need to compare your movement to mine.

Workouts from the week of 1/16

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday: Did 40-minute solo weights session, 9:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class, 9:45 a.m., took 1-hour tennis clinic, 11:30 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: Did 10 minutes of slow yoga via Peloton, 6 p.m.

This past week was another good one of movement. I had a rest day, I played tennis three times, I lifted weights in a solo workout, I taught five classes, and I even fit in an extremely short and gentle yoga session to stretch a little more. I hadn’t done yoga in forever, and it always feels so good to return to, even if it’s not super fun for me.

Here’s the workout I did on my own in my neighborhood gym …

Best read of the week

Here’s an article that I thought was interesting …

Warren Buffet’s 20-slot rule. I read this short article this week and knew I wanted to share it. It’s all about a rule Warren Buffet used to teach called the 20-slot ticket. In general terms, he said you should think of life in this way: You’re only allowed to use 20 slots for the investments you make in a life time, so you have to be choosey with how you invest your money. What that means in real life is to think of your time as your money. You can’t do everything, you can’t focus on everything, and you need to think about your time differently — throughout the course of your life — it’s finite. This is a message I always need, because I always find myself into too many things at once. It’s a quick read, so give it a look here.

Quote of the week

I love this quote from Tiny Buddha on Instagram all about being present and enjoying the now …

Blog archives of the week

Let’s look back at a couple posts …

The best gifts I got for the holidays. Did you catch this one that went up earlier in the week with the best presents I got this past year that I’m loving and using? Here it is … “Five of the best presents I got for Christmas that I’m using and wearing.”

Super simple habits. Are you doing any of these three things? They really help … Three super-simple wellness habits to get a better start to your day (and WHY).”

Thanks for visiting A Lady Goes West today, friend. Please go out there and have a wonderful day and weekend. I’ll see you back here soon! xoxo

Questions of the day for YOU

How was your week?

Have you watched anything good lately worth sharing about?