What I'm Loving Wednesdays!

So many things to love on this 2nd to last day of June!!

• First off: I am soooo happy to be on vacation!!! Technically my last day was Thursday,  but I went into school on Friday and Monday to pack up my classroom (I'm moving to 2 new schools in my district so I can finally be full-time!!) It was glorious to be able to sleep in past 7 AM yesterday morning! Some of my days this summer will be jam packed, but I'm especially looking forward to the days where I wake up and my first thoughts are "Hmm, what will I do today?"

• Now that the warm weather is here, I'm not always reaching for my hair dryer/straightener after I hop out of the shower. Instead, I'm letting my hair go its natural wavy route, with the help of a few amazing products:

I used this stuff a few years ago but completely forgot about it til a few weeks ago when I was in CVS and spotted it on the shelf. After towel drying my hair, I'll comb through it, throw in some anti-frizz serum (see below) and then use this pomade, working through the ends first and then upwards towards the roots. Then I use the diffuser attachment on my hair dryer (ok, so I guess I DO use my dryer, even when it's hot out!) so I don't mess up the waves. This pomade is very light and doesn't gunk up my hair. Because it's a creme and not a wax it's very manageable too. I've used waxes before and always had a hard time getting the product out of the container!

The anti-frizz serum I use (same company that makes the Argan oil I use too!)

• The 4th of July seems RIGHT around the corner!! It's one of my favorite holidays and this will be the 2nd year in a row that my band is the headliner at a huge celebration (actually held on the 3rd) right on the beach with an enormous crowd! So of course I've been trying to plan my outfit for the past week or so and I'm totally stuck on what to wear. I do know I'll be sporting Essie's Mesmerize:

Here are a couple of picture's from last year's gig (Look how short my hair was!!)

I'm thinking maybe I'll try to find either red shorts or a red top to wear. Or maybe a fun patriotic-looking dress? Decisions, decisions!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Target Tuesdays!

Haven't done this blog hop in awhile but I have lots to share today for this Target Tuesday!

If you want to join in, head over to Tara's blog and link up!

Now that the warm weather is here and I'm planning to do a lot of running/races during my vacation, I decided it was time to stock up on shorts/tanks/etc. Thankfully, Target has a pretty decent "activewear" section in their stores and I've found quite a few "staples" for my running wardrobe:

I have these shorts in black and a darker purple than the color above. I love them because they have a littler inner pocket where I can put my key or my iPod shuffle, and they also have built-in underwear! I know that might sound strange, but let me tell you, it's the best thing ever! Sweaty underwear = gross!!

Just bought this same tank (same color) and I can't wait to wear it! It's super comfy and I like that it doesn't have big bulky straps either!

Speaking of thin straps - my favorite sports bras are from Target too. Again, these are extremely comfortable and also come in a wide variety of colors (if you're anal like me and like to color coordinate your outfits!!)

I can't find a picture of these online, but I just bought some socks at Target that are both functional and fashionable! Over the weekend I ran a 5K with a friend, and she let me borrow a pair of her socks so I could add more purple to my outfit (the 5K was a fundraiser for a woman who passed away and her favorite color was purple). After wearing these socks, I was hooked!

They are made by the Gold Toe company, and come in a variety of colors. They sell them in 3 packs in they're about $7. Made to wick away moisture and keep your feet nice and comfy - score! I bought them in white, turquoise, lime green, fuchsia and purple! 

(I decided to just take a crappy iPhone pic of them - you get the idea!)

I'm planning to supplement my running with exercise videos/hand weights. I got these the other day at Target and used them last night with this DVD:

This DVD has 3 sections - a yoga part, strength training, and a booty blast. You can do all 3 or just choose which ones you feel like doing that day. I've never watched RHofNY but Bethenny's pretty funny! I'm also a big fan of her Skinnygirl margaritas!!

I also snagged a jump rope (for $5!) because I've heard it's a great cardio workout - tried a bit last night - was exhausted after 2 mins of jumping!

Yay Target!!!

Don't forget to link up at Tara's blog! 

Movie Mondays!

I've been a bad blogger - I apologize! Some of my latest posts have been a tad lackluster, because the last few days of school were a bit crazy: I'm transferring to 2 new schools (within my district) so I can finally be full time and it literally all happened within a 48 hour period. I'm very excited for my new adventure, but sad to be leaving my school of 3 years.

Ok, so onto my latest movie! I saw "Bad Teacher" over the weekend with some lady friends (one of whom is also a teacher!) I would probably give it a B-. Not awful, but not stellar. There are definitely some funny moments, especially with Justin Timberlake's character. Phyllis from "The Office" is hysterical as usual.  I felt that some parts of the movie were just totally unrealistic or over the top, so probably not a movie I would see again.

In other news, this little guy is coming home with us in 3 weeks!!!

Love him!!!

Oh, and for my fellow teacher-bloggers out there who are on vacation already (sorry for those of you who still have a few days left!) Congrats!!!

What I'm Loving Wednesdays!

I'm done with school!!!!!!!!

Now I can do lots of this:

 

And this:

 

And that's what I'm loving today :)

Movie Mondays!

 

Today's movie is not your typical one. I saw this documentary over the weekend at a day-long workshop I attended on music & autism.  It was a wonderful presentation and I learned so many new things about ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorders).  This movie was shown during the last portion of the workshop and it was truly the perfect ending to the day.

The kids in this movie will warm your heart (and may even make you cry - I was tearing up during several parts). The struggles of the parents will make you realize how insignificant your "troubles" are. And the final product that these kids present is nothing short of amazing.

No, it's not a Hollywood blockbuster or anything like that, but it's a movie that will make you stop and think about kids with autism and what that means. A great quote I heard at my workshop was "If you've met one person with Autism, you've met one person with Autism." Think about it :)

P.S. I am so in love with my iPhone, it's unhealthy :)

Fun Fridays!

Time for another Fun Fridays with Jen at A Girl in Pearls & a Boy with Toys

Today we're getting our iPhones!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like Christmas!!!

I can't wait to use this thing all weekend and start downloading apps!!!

Tomorrow I have an all-day conference (woo-hoo!) then celebrating with a friend for her birthday!

Sunday is Father's Day, so we'll meet up with my parents and my sister and her 2 kids for a Sunday brunch!

Last summer in Aruba!!!

Hoping we have some decent weather, too (it's currently raining! Boo!)

Happy Friday ya'll!!!

***Just realized that this is my 100th post!!! WOO-HOO!!!***

Not only is it Wednesday (my favorite blog hop of the week!) but it's also my last Wednesday of teaching classes! (Next Wed. is the kids' last day but I don't have to teach - just have to clean up my room, sort and file chorus music, work on next year's schedule, listen to 70 4th graders for next year's chorus!)

Here's what else I'm loving today:

2 more days til we get our iPhones!!! I cannot wait to start downloading apps! If you have any recommendations or ones that you just simply can't live without, please post them!

Peach Daiquiri from Essie - currently on my nails - such a fun, summery color! It's like a bright pinkish coral. Love love love! Now if the weather up here in New England would just stay warm and sunny for more than a couple of days, that would be great, too!

I am still very much in love with Pinterest, too!! It's such a smart (and fun!) way of organizing all my ideas/wish lists. And I love following friends' boards too! My latest search is for fun inspirational music quotes (either about music or from musicians) I would love to frame a bunch to hang in my music room/office downstairs.

Don't forget to link up at http://littledaisymay.blogspot.com!

Movie Mondays! (and other stuff!)

All I can say about this movie is WOW! I had no idea what to expect, but I feel like it's one of those "cult classics" so I knew I had to get around to watching it at some point. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I liked Bruce Willis' character a lot. Probably not a movie I would want to watch again, but I'm glad I can check it off my list!

So this is totally not related to Movie Mondays but I am really really loving Pinterest! I spent much of the weekend adding new boards/pins and drooling over other people's boards (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, head over to Pinterest.com - fascinating stuff!) For someone like me, who's constantly writing things down so I don't forget them, this concept of having a virtual pin board/cork board is amazing! I'm getting ideas for our sunroom and I just started a Summer Reading List too!

 Love this!!

In other news, we are planning to get our iPhones on FRIDAY!!! Gah! I am so flippin' excited to finally get rid of this piece of crap:

(It's a Samsung Rant for anyone wondering)

Fun Fridays!

I've missed this blog hop the past 2 weeks because we've been doing a lot of house stuff on Fridays so my blogging took a back seat!

(Wanted to post this earlier, but we were having internet issues, so I started cleaning the house!!)

Kind of a low-key weekend:

Today I'm going to tackle our closets and bring some clothes/linens to Goodwill. I love paring down our stuff and giving it away!

Meanwhile, my Dad, Brandon and his friend Tim are busy outside putting up the panels for our new fence! Here's what the accomplished last week:

This is just one side of the yard - all the posts are cemented in!

Tonight I have a gig with my band at a new bar/restaurant

From last year's 3rd of July Fireworks show

Tomorrow (as of right now!) we have no definite plans, which is nice! I will probably spend a good part of the day on Pinterest.com, my latest obsession! 

I'm also going to post about my June Birchbox which came yesterday. Here's a little preview of what I got this month:

Sunday I'm running a 5K, just a few miles away from our house - I think it's the closest 5K I've ever run! The forecast is calling for rain :( But it's supposed to be in the 70s, so it might not be too bad

Only a week and a half left of school!!! YIPPEE!!!

Don't forget to link up at Jen's blog: 

What I'm Loving Wednesdays!

Can't believe it's already Wednesday - and a hot one at that! It's in the 90s in New England today!

So here's what I'm loving today:

• Redbox! My latest obsession! I had heard about it, but never ever used it til a few days ago. And now I'm hooked! I love that you can reserve movies online or that I can pop into my local Stop & Shop to pick up a new release. For $1 a night, you can't go wrong!

And the fact that you can return your movie to any Redbox location? Genius!

• I'm also loving the Ann Taylor Loft Essential Tanks:

These are so popular that they're sold out online and can only be found in stores! 

I love layering them, and they are just so comfortable and soft.

• I love to eat fruit, especially in the summer, so I was thrilled once I saw the peaches in the supermarket the other day. I had a yummy snack on Sunday of Fage Greek Yogurt and sliced up peaches - the sweet of the peaches totally balanced out the tartness of the yogurt!

Don't forget to link up at http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com

Target Tuesday

Haven't done this link up in awhile but I did just recently get some good buys at Tar-jay!

Originally $40, snagged it for $10 from the clearance rack!

Mochachino - a fun sparkly taupe

And a few things I'm going to look for the next time I'm there:

Dora Refined Denim Dress - Chesterfield Navy

I actually bought this last year for a wedding and then returned it because I found a dress I liked better. I'm glad it's back because I think it's a great "staple" to have

And I could pair it with these:

Mossimo Wakana Strappy Wedge Sandals

Link up at Tara's blog to play along with Target Tuesday!