This Past Weekend

Happy Monday my wonderful readers. This past weekend was all about fun activities with the girls and spending time with family. Since I knew we had a busy weekend ahead of us, After waking up on Saturday morning I headed straight into the kitchen (while everyone was still asleep) to prepare a natural air freshener. This smell infuses my entire house with warmth and love and tends to wake up my family. While growing up I woke up to the smell of coffee every single morning and now I make coffee just to smell it. It's nostalgic and comforting. This is what I am trying to create with my daughter, a nostalgic memory. 

NATURAL AIR FRESHENER
simmer

-cinnamon
-orange peel
-apples
-star anise

I add water to a small pot along with the ingredients above. I let it simmer and turn it off before heading out the house. If water evaporates add more water.

After making my air freshener I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth, shower and cleanse my face. I have been using AHAVA Prickly Pear & Moringa Dry Oil Body Mist after each shower which I picked up at Ulta Beauty a few weeks ago. I love body and face oils and this one has been my favorite lately. Another product I live by and have been using for years is the Enzyme Cleansing Gel by Mario Badescu. I introduced this to my husband and he loves it as well. It's extremely gentle on the skin and leaves it feeling so nice and smooth. I follow with my moisturizer. I will admit that I take quite some time in the bathroom before stepping out my house. I mean, it's the only real place to be alone without interruption. Since the silence was feeling quite nice I took advantage to also paint my nails with a color I have been obsessed with lately, Mint Candy Apple by Essie. It's such a nice Spring color that look super nice on short nails.

By the time I step out the bathroom everyone was up eagerly waiting for breakfast. Although, my girls love pancakes and french toasts on the weekend I have been watching what I eat lately and trying to fit healthier options in everyones diets. I've been cutting all sugars/ fats from my diet and been going to the gym ever since my doctor told me I gained 25 pounds in the past 6 months. Everyone tells me not to worry about it as I'm pregnant and it's totally normal but I'm still concerned. 25 pounds is ALOT in such a short amount of time. I'm determined to take better care of myself and this is certainly a good start.

For breakfast I prepared a multigrain toast with almond butter and bananas. My girls aren't huge fans of almond butter so I substituted it with peanut butter. I followed with a fruit smoothie. As simple as this breakfast might sound it really kept us full till the afternoon.

This isn't our typical weekend routine but I really wanted to change it up and get Jayleen and Hazel moving. We all woke up with the intention of going to Court 16's new location in LIC. Court 16 is a space to play tennis for kids and adults. They have two locations, one in Brooklyn and the newest one in LIC. My girls and I love this place because its such a fun environment specially for kids. They learn great tennis techniques taught by great instructors. I won't get into all that they offer but if you are interested definitely checkout their website for pricing and schedules.

After the Court 16 classes we stuck around LIC reminiscing of the days we lived in the neighborhood. So much has changed since we left. So excited to see what else they bring to the area for the entire family.

Sunday we visited my father's side of the family. My husband and I ended our weekend with the biggest smile after watching Hazel and Jayleen dance the night away with their grandfather. 

This weekend taught me that all that matters in life is being present in the moment. 
Love those who love you. 
Give your best everyday.
& focus on the good.