Hey, my friends! Today is the last day of April, oh my goodness. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, 2021 is flying by, whereas 2020 was as slow as molasses. 

What a busy week it was over here. We had some warm days, afternoon family walks, a lot of work, preschool, virtual classes and the usual stuff we do. This weekend, we don’t have any big plans. But our weekends are actually starting to fill up later in the spring and summer, which is exciting and also a big change. Do you guys feel like you have more to look forward to on the horizon now? I sure do. How was your week? 

And now, today’s favorites post is going to be a round up of little things I’ve been loving lately. Here we go …

Current faves

Little delights

Visiting the library

I had missed the library so much. You probably remember that I used to utilize my two local libraries in Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill back in California all the time before the pandemic. I took Brady to a kids’ story-time a couple times a week, and I took myself to the library to work or to browse books quite regularly.

It was just an easy place to go and spend some time. Even though I’ve missed having the library as a place to go, I’ve also missed having a library card. And in order to get a library card to check out real books (not just digital), I needed proof of residency in Mecklenburg County.

(Wearing world’s most comfiest cardigan, which I always recommend as a gift.)

As a proud owner of a North Carolina’s driver’s license, I finally went this past weekend to the library on a rainy Saturday and signed up for my card and spent about half an hour browsing the books.

I checked out five books for Brady, and four books for me. And I absolutely soaked up scrolling through the new releases and finding things that sounded good, and using the card catalog too (is that perhaps one of the dorkiest statements ever written here?). Of course, I’ll share more about what I read, as I read it (including one book I’m already talking about below).

Nonetheless, I’m a big library fan, and getting my library card here and exploring my local library was just another way I’m making Charlotte feel like home. Yay for that!

Also, did you know the limit of books you can check out at one time is 99? For real. I felt like taking home nine was greedy, imagine taking home more than you can carry.

Taking Brady on a smoothie date

I know it’s going to get hot and humid soon, but the weather in Charlotte has been really pleasant the last few weeks. And last Sunday, Dave was off golfing, so I took Brady to the park (we actually went with a neighbor and her son), and then I took him to Smoothie King for a little smoothie date.

There’s a Smoothie King about five minutes from our house that we’ve been to a lot, and Brady loves smoothies (and outings). He also says “smoofie” still, and that always puts a smile on my face.

We grabbed our smoothies and found some steps outside the building that were empty, so we sat there and drank our smoothies and people watched. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, the smoothies were tasty, and Brady was being a good boy — although he did get an ice-cream headache at one point and shed a tear. But other than that, it was a nice outing, and for some reason — I felt at peace. As I said, it’s the little things.

By the way, I usually get the Vegan Mango Kale smoothie, and it’s super tasty and filling, because it has SunWarrior protein powder. Brady had a Peanut Power Plus Chocolate one, which is what Dave gets too. Why are smoothies from a store so much better than smoothies made at home? We always seem to get coupons from Smoothie King for a few dollars off, so I see it being a regular part of our lunch-time routine every week or so.

My return to Trader Joe’s

And one more little delight …

I go to a lot of grocery stores, because not one store has everything I need. Anyone else? My main store is Sprouts, but I also do Publix and Whole Foods. But there are some things that you can only find at Trader Joe’s, and I hadn’t been to Trader Joe’s since we left California.

There are only a couple in the Charlotte area, and I finally went to the one closest to us earlier this week. It was totally packed, and we had to wait in line to get inside, but once we were in — I found so many things I’ve missed.

I picked up my favorite pepitas salsa, some trail mixes, nut butters, coconut oil sprays and other items that are the best from TJ’s. I also grabbed some sunflowers, because I love to have fresh flowers and don’t buy them nearly enough. Why is that? Anywho, it was a good trip!

(Wearing the softest compression leggings from Carbon38. And my code ASHLEYPITT gets you 15 percent off on the Carbon38 site.)

I don’t plan to go back to Trader Joe’s every week, (especially because the parking lot was awful) but an every once in a while stop in works for me. Are you a Trader Joe’s lover?

Books

“One Day You’ll Thank Me” by Cameran Eubanks Wimberly

Okay, okay, let’s get this out of the way: This title, “One Day You’ll Thank Me: Essays on Dating, Motherhood and Everything In Between,” is not an award-winning book at all. And the only reason you would know of this author is if you’ve seen Cameran on “The Real World” or on “Southern Charm” — neither of which she is on any longer.

It seems like Cameran wrote the book herself (rather than having a ghost-writer), and the writing style is not great, but it’s real stuff. She doesn’t use great transitions or grammar, and her sentence structure is terrible. But that’s neither here nor there, because it sort’ve pulls you in anyhow. And every chapter, or “essay” as she calls it, features a quote about motherhood from a famous person, and I liked that a lot. 

However, to be honest: I totally enjoyed this book, and I read it over the course of just two nights — devouring it, because of how easy it was to read and digest. (Whereas, it took me more than a month to read the last non-fiction book I had, because it was so much more meaty.)

Cameran talks a little bit about being on “The Real World,” she fully gets into the things her body went through while pregnant and postpartum, then she totally dishes on the realities of being a stay-at-home mom and her choice to have only one child.

I think Cameran kept it super real with how she divulged some gross details that anyone wanting to become a mother may want to know, and I appreciated that. But of course, my favorite parts were when she talked about what it’s like to be on reality TV. I actually wish she talked more about the reality TV part, but maybe there’s something in her contract that won’t allow her to do that.

(“One Day You’ll Thank Me” by Cameran Eubanks Wimberly.)

I read this book after finishing a wellness book that took me a long time to read, so this was a nice breather. It was light, sometimes funny, and very much relatable too. 

So who would like this book? If you’re pregnant or hoping to be pregnant and want some real talk on what it’s like. If you’ve watched “Southern Charm” and have any interest in Cameran herself. Or, if you really just want an easy and quick diversion from whatever you’re currently into. I’m glad I read it, and I’m also glad I checked it out of the library and didn’t have to pay money for it. 🙂 

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are last week’s workouts …

• Monday: 45-minute BODYPUMP on Les Mills On Demand, 4 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute Barre Burn on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Wednesday: 45-minute full-body weights workout at Life Time Athletic, 8:30 a.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute Barre Burn on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute cycle on Peloton, 6 p.m.
• Saturday: 30-minute full-body bike bootcamp on Peloton, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: Rest day

This past week of workouts was good because I switched things up just a little, with one live group fitness workout and a bike bootcamp. I’m not currently following a workout program, and I choose what I feel like doing one day at a time, making sure I vary my formats. I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed every workout this week, and I love that.

Discounts 

A Lady Goes West recommended 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. 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 superfood 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.
• Four Sigmatic. These superfood coffees and teas are so good — I especially love the Cacao Chill and Lion’s Mane Latte. Get 15 percent off your order with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Les Mills On Demand streaming 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.
• Les Mills Coach program. You can get 15 percent off a 4-, 8- or 12-week guided coaching and accountability program with the code ASHLEY15.

Best reads

A few things from around the web 

• Food combining. Have you ever heard that you shouldn’t eat more than one type of protein at the same time? I always thought that seemed silly, and this post on food combining by my friend and an RD, Whitney, totally debunks it. She shares a few beneficial pairings you can do, but also talks about the complexities of digestion you may want to know too.
• How to talk about toxic chemicals. I absolutely love this post by a Beautycounter executive about how to talk about toxic chemicals and ingredients in personal care products, without scaring people, and by using scientific rationale. Totally taking a page from her book, and it’s worth educating yourself too.
• Thoughtful questions. Have we all forgotten how to do small talk? Being isolated for more than a year probably didn’t help a lot of people in the social department. This is a great list of thought-provoking questions you can ask new and old people in your life to spark deep conversation. Love it.

Here’s the quote of the week from the Calm app …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Mother’s Day gifts. It’s only a little over a week away. Have you shopped yet? … “The best Mother’s Day gifts for 2021.”

• Carbon38. I’m still getting almost all my workout clothes from Carbon38 … “The best pieces from Carbon38 and a Carbon38 discount code.”

Thank you so much for clicking through to the blog today. I appreciate you, my friends! 🙂 xoxo

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What’s one thing you are looking forward to this weekend?

Have you read anything good lately?

Do you have a library card?