Hey, friend! How are you? How was your week?

It’s good to be back with a current faves post after taking last week off for my trip to Tennessee. In case you didn’t read my recap, the gist of it is this: We had an awesome time, and it was a great break for us all to get away from our routines and explore a new place. We made some memories with our besties and their kids too, with a mixture of outdoor and indoor activities.

This week started out with the Fourth of July (more on that below), and the rest of the week was all business. I taught my usual five classes, worked, took Rudy to the groomer, took Brady on a playdate with some school friends at the park and had someone come over to hang some wallpaper for us (more on that soon too).

This weekend, we’ll be hanging out with my mom, and we’re finally having our new countertops installed, and our kitchen will officially be transformed. I’m going to share a full before and after once we get all the accessories changed over. 

Alright, let’s get to the current faves of the week …

Current faves of the week

Fun

Fourth of July festivities

We had a great Fourth of July, and it was an eventful one too. I taught my usual barbell class in the morning while Brady and Dave marched in a neighborhood parade. Dave decorated Brady’s bike with some balloon spinners, and they are still on there for future bike rides. Brady got to go in a real firetruck and have a Krispy Kreme donut at the parade staging area, so his holiday started off with a bang.

(I’m wearing a new one-piece suit, shown above. I’m wearing a size 8, and it’s the comfiest and most covered-up suit I’ve ever owned. I’m a big fan, so I splurged on it!)

Once I was back from class, and the parade was over, we went to a pool party for a couple hours to splash around. Then, we went home to rest up for the main event.

That evening, we attended a big Fourth of July festival at our country club, complete with bounce houses, a buffet dinner, music, face-painting and the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen up close. Last year, Brady was pretty scared of the fireworks, but this year (while wearing his noise-cancelling headphones), he was a huge fan of them. The fireworks show really was incredible this year.

It truly felt like a big holiday celebration, and it was great to share it with my mom and some of our neighborhood friends too. Once again, we didn’t always have big festive activities like this back in California, and we’re so grateful to have them now.

We didn’t get Brady home and in bed until 10:30 p.m., so it was one of his latest nights ever, and he was a champ. Overall, a spectacular Fourth of July! (Also, those ice cream candy bars that Dave and I had (shown above) were delicious. I didn’t even know Twix made ice cream bars, and I will need to have them again one day.)

I made a little video about the Fourth here.

Fashion 

Comfy ruffle-sleeve dress with pockets

My mom and I swung through Old Navy on July 3, because I wanted to find a new dress for the Fourth, and I immediately picked up this one. I tried on a small and an extra small and went with the extra small, and yet it still had a loose fit. And perhaps I should have ironed it, but the humidity made it look fine once I got outside.

(Here’s my dress.)

The pockets are convenient, and I love the ruffle-sleeve look with the cut-out on the chest too. By the way, this dress is on sale online but not in the actual store. And I just learned that if you are shopping in store, you can show the online price at check-out on your phone to your cashier, they will honor it. I’m glad to know this good tip that I could have used in the past and will use again now that I know it. Shop my dress here, and it comes in two other colors, by the way.

Super-soft modal romper with pockets

I have to admit that I was influenced by some ads I saw on social media, and so I ordered a few things from the Vuori brand. While I didn’t love the fit of one item, I loved the fit of this soft modal romper with pockets. It feels like wearing pajamas.

(Here’s my romper.)

The armholes are a little big, which I read in the reviews too, but they still work fine for me. I’m wearing a medium in this, and I plan to wear it a lot for the rest of the summer. Shop my romper here. Also fun fact: Someone told me that fitness instructors get a 40 percent-off discount in the actual Vuori site, and they sell activewear, so I may need to try it in the future.

Workouts

My workouts from last week

Here’s where I share a recap of my previous week of workouts. I share this to show you how I try to get diversity 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. 

Workouts from the week of 6/20

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m., practiced barre for 90 minutes, 3 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., took 45-minute barre class with light weights, 10:45 a.m.
• Wednesday: Taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class with weights, 9:45 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 90-minute tennis lesson, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: 30-minute full-body weights at home via Peloton, 10 a.m.

Workouts from the week of 6/27

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: Rest day
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: 30-minute full-body weights at home via Peloton, 6 p.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m., took 45-minute walk with a friend, 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday: 90-minute tennis lesson, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: Took 45-minute walk, 10 a.m., practiced barre for 45 minutes, 6 p.m.

These past two weeks of workouts looked a bit different, because I did two full-body solo weights workouts at home, and I took three full days off during our Pigeon Forge trip. I brought some workout clothes with me on the trip, in case Bre and I wanted to do a little exercise session, but we didn’t fit one in, and that was fine by me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time off, and I enjoyed getting back to my scheduled movement too. 🙂 

Deal of the week …

This is pretty cool. You know I’m a huge fan of the Les Mills Smart Tech equipment for working out at home (and whenever I work out at home, I use my Les Mills Smartbar). Well, right now, Les Mills is offering 20 percent off extra weight plates, when you buy a Smartbar and weight set. Use the code PLATES20 at check-out. The other codes that work on Les Mills Smart Tech equipment are BETTER10, STRONGER10 and SMARTTECH5, but these can’t be combined. Head here to check out the Les Mills equipment. This offer is good through July 17.

Best read of the week …

Here’s something I saw this week that I felt like sharing with you:

Mobility workout. This is actually a video and not a read. I didn’t do the whole thing, but boy it looks like it feels good, because our bodies always need some extra TLC. Try this 20-minute mobility workout to open up your body and feel really good. You can do this on its own or tack it onto the beginning or end of another workout. Enjoy!

Quote of the week …

Here’s a thought for YOU from one of my sunflower notecards my mom gave me …

Blog archives of the week …

There are so many posts on the blog worth revisiting, so let’s look back at two good ones (one recent, one older) …

Midyear check-in. I hope you took a moment to read this post and ask yourself the questions I posed. If not, why not do that this weekend? … “How and why to do a 2022 midyear check-in (and how I’m doing midyear).”

Fun times. We had a great time on our family trip to Tennessee, and I shared all about it in this one … “Our joint family trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.”

That’s all I’ve got for you today! Thanks for reading, my friend. Have a wonderful weekend!

Questions of the day for YOU …

How was your week?

Did you do anything fun for the Fourth of July?

What’s one thing you’re doing this weekend?