Hi, my friends! How are you? How was your week?

We had a great week over here, and my mom was here for most of it. She left today, and although we never like to see her go, we already know we’ll see her in less than a month in Orlando. We’re heading there for a wedding, and she’s going to meet us at our hotel to watch Brady while we go to the events and festivities. Brady is already excited about “using the phone” in the hotel, because he loves to play with the phones. Isn’t it funny what kids remember and look forward to?

This week was also significant, because I took on a second in-person weekly regular class at Life Time — woohoo. I’m teaching the Life Time “Shred” format, which is a mixture of cardio and strength in 45 minutes. It’s a much looser framework than “Barbell Strength,” which I’m also teaching, and I like the addition of cardio. I prepared my workout and practiced before my first class, and it went great. Yay for teaching two in-person and two virtual classes now — it’s good to be back.

This weekend, we’ve got a couple things on the agenda, including Father’s Day. With that, let’s get into the faves for the day …

Current faves

Family

Good times with Grammie

We’ve really enjoyed having my mom here this week. It’s so crazy that this time last year, I had no idea when I’d see my mom again because of living across the country and because of COVID. Now, we’ve already had three visits in the last few months with more on the horizon, and this is such an awesome thing for us — one that I’m truly grateful for.

During this visit, we kept our activities pretty low-key. We went out to lunches and a brunch, we did some shopping, we lounged at the pool and we also did a lot of chilling at home too. We don’t have to entertain my mom when she comes, so we also do our own thing much of the time.

Here are some little highlights …

Brunching at the Sunflour Baking Company near us and having the perfect table in the shade. And yes, we brought crayons and paper plates for Brady to color on. He calls them his big “coins.”

This was our second time going there together, and I got the same thing as last time. An oat milk latte, and the most simple, yet delicious, avocado and egg sandwich on toasted sourdough. Perfection.

We spent an afternoon hanging by the pool, people watching and Brady watching. On this visit, Brady met a little friend who he played monster trucks with in the pool for like an hour. Adorable.

We went out to a nice lunch and walked around the golf course. And yes, Brady is a big fan of his new sunglasses, and he’s been rocking them regularly.

One of the things I bought while shopping with my mom is the denim dress I’m wearing above. It’s loose, airy and a good summer item, and I’m wearing an extra small. You can find it here. I rarely wear things immediately after buying them, but I did that with this dress.

Thanks for driving up to see us, Mom!

Fun

Day date at the mall

Dave and I had so many years together, just the two of us, especially our first five living in California without kids. Other than working, we pretty much went anywhere and did anything we wanted, which was just our way of life. Oh how things have changed since becoming parents. Now, it’s a luxury to be able to have a little outing with just us.

That’s why we wanted to take advantage of having my mom around to babysit, so Dave and I took a last-minute excursion on Sunday afternoon to the mall.

We went to the Cheesecake Factory first, where we sat at the bar and had a beverage and some chips and guac, then we shopped. We bought some jeans for Dave and had them tailored while we walked around. It was only a three-hour outing, but it was super fun, because we hadn’t gone shopping like this together without Brady … ever since he was born. 

We’re very much looking forward to our upcoming vacation too, even though I know I’ll have some tears leaving little Brady behind for four nights for the first time. 

Entertainment

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime

I had heard so many good things about this series, so Dave and I gave it a try and just finished up all three seasons that are currently out. It was truly enjoyable. And I believe season four is coming later this year, so we’ll catch that one when it’s ready.

I will say that the first few episodes aren’t all that good, but then you start to fall in love with the characters. By the way, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is an Amazon Prime original show about a housewife in the late 1950’s in Manhattan (named Midge or “Mrs. Maisel”), who embarks on a stand-up comedy career after her husband leaves her for his secretary.

(Image source: Amazon Prime.)

The witty banter in this show is excellent, and I love that. I also love the fashion and the music and the pageantry. I wouldn’t say this is the best show I’ve watched all year (that title goes to “Succession” on HBO all the way), but it’s still super entertaining. There are some raunchy moments, some sweet moments, a lot of funny moments, and overall, it’s a feel-good series. I’d recommend it, and thanks to those of you who told me about this one. And of course, now we need another series to watch. Any suggestions?

Beauty

Earn double product credit perks through Monday

For all of you lovely people who shop Beautycounter with me (or for any of you who would like to shop Beautycounter with me but haven’t yet), we’ve got a special offer going through Monday, related to our loyalty program, called Band of Beauty. And right now, Band of Beauty members will earn double product credit back for all purchases.

You normally get 10 percent product credit back on purchases as a member, but right now, it’s 20 percent back. That means, if you spend $100, you’ll get $20 of product credit in your account to use for a future purchase. Pretty cool, right? This is a great way to shop clean beauty and save.

This offer is also good for new Band of Beauty members, so you don’t have to be a current member. If you add the membership to your cart here, you’ll get the perks, which also include a welcome gift, free shipping on orders more than $100 and the extra product credit too. Thank you for choosing clean beauty! 🙂 

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Quick disclaimer: This is where I share all the workouts I did the previous week. And please remember that my workout schedule works for me, and it may not work for you. Your workouts should make you feel good and leave you feeling energized. If they don’t do that, it may be time to reassess what you’re doing regularly.

I’ve gone through periods of doing too much and doing too little, and I’ve always found that the body and energy levels will clue you in if you need to readjust.

Here’s a good post to visit with some tips: How do you know if a workout is right for you?.

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell strength class at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: 20-minute walk/run on treadmill, 10 a.m., taught 45-minute virtual bodyweight Barre Burn on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Wednesday: Took 45-minute barre class with light weights at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Thursday: Took 45-minute full-body weights/cardio class at Life Time, 10 a.m., taught 45-minute virtual bodyweight Barre Burn on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Friday: Took 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 10 a.m.
• Saturday: Took 45-minute lower-body weights class at Life Time, 8:30 a.m.
• Sunday: Rest day

This past week had a lot of workouts! This is probably the most I’ve done since we’ve been living in Charlotte, that’s for sure. I taught my three classes, took four classes and did one solo session. Some of my workouts are much lighter than others, and I had a rest day, so I felt great. I think my foam rolling and recovery methods definitely help. 

Promo codes

A Lady Goes West favorite products

I only share what I use and love in my own life, and here are some of the brands I swear by. And when you use my discount codes and links, you support me, so thanks for that …

• Carbon38. I’m always wearing stuff from here, and it’s the coolest activewear around. Get 15 percent off your first two orders of $100 or more using the code ASHLEYPITT. 
• G2G protein bars. I love these tasty and minimal-ingredient protein bars. You can get 15 percent off your order on the G2G Bar site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Organifi supplements. I’m all about the Organifi Complete Plant-Based protein powder. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Beautycounter. The best safe skincare and makeup. Send me a message, and I’ll share a 20 percent off code for your very first order.
• Les Mills On Demand workouts. My favorite fitness brand. You can do a whole month of workouts during a free 30-day trial by using my special referral link here.

Best reads

A few things from around the web 

• Fragrance. I used to love to have a large selection of fancy perfumes, and I would splurge on them, getting all the designer ones. Well, I don’t do that any longer. Once I learned that the word “fragrance” was mostly unregulated and a number of harmful toxins can fall under that category, I instead starting buying essential oil fragrances, which are not quite as good as the real thing. This is a helpful article explaining the difference between natural and synthetic ingredients in fragrances and what you should look for on the labels of what you buy for yourself.
• Fun podcast episodes. I know have mentioned that I love listening to “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast,” because it’s super entertaining, but I wanted to mention it again. You do have to take the hosts with a grain of salt, but it’s all part of the package. I don’t listen to every episode at all, but if you’re a fan of Bravo shows, then you should totally head over to this podcast, because they have hosted a bunch of Bravo reality stars lately, and I’m loving those interviews. That’s all. Not a health or wellness tip, but a fun one.

Here’s the quote of the week, which I posted to Instagram a week ago and felt like sharing here as well, because sleep is so important …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Coffee chatting. I hadn’t done one of these in a while … “Start of summer 2021 coffee chat.”

• Prenatal fitness. Always a good one to share with friends who are expecting … “15 things you should know about working out when you’re pregnant.”

Have a great day, my friends! I hope you also enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you back here soon.

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

What’s one good thing going on in your life right now?

What TV show series do you recommend?