Girls Trip 2016

My best friends were just here for the week and we had so much fun! I just love when we are all together and the shenanigans ensue. Here's the highlight reel.

They got in and we went straight downtown to see the bean, stop at the signature room, and then went to Anita's for a drink before dinner.

Dinner at RPM Italian, so delicious and great conversation.

On Tuesday, Katie saw her first squirrel and was *very scared.

Book club at my casa on Tuesday night!

Bike riding on the Lakefront path Wednesday morning.

And then home with grown up snacks :-)

Shortly after, wine :-)

And then the deep dish from Pequods...

Jamie's first time handling the classic Chicago pizza : /

Saw Anita's Great Love debate on Wednesday night at the Apollo. Super fun!

Pregaming before the Cubs -Sox game on Thursday night.

Jamie had a lot of fun, and many, many drinks.

I'm happy she lived to tell about it!

Jamie, we just love you!

Katie is one of the funniest people I know.

Well, it's the combo of the three or four of us I think.

If only I could share the hilarious videos made at 1am :-)

Katie went home on Friday morning : (

Jamie and I recovered all day, partly at the mall, then mostly on my couch.

But Saturday morning we did get to ZiCardio with Liz and that was super fun.

And a brunch with Lizzy and Brian afterwards!

I love these girls so much, and I'm so thankful that we all have summers off to reconnect. Next year we're planning for Boston!

and I'm hoping to be sober enough to pick out
the right shoes and avoid hours of name-calling.

:-)

Love you girls!

xo,

Fave Summer Products

Hey everyone! Happy Summer! Are you enjoying the long days relaxing on your porch with a cold beverage? I am (minus the porch I so desperately wish I had...future goals!)

My last post about my favorite Arbonne products was so well received, I wanted to do another one with my favorite products for summer! Check out a few of these that I've been using religiously and a few others I still haven't tried yet, but that are on my wish list!

Before we begin, you might be new here, so just want to share that with Arbonne, everything is pure, safe, and beneficial. Each product contains carefully selected, botanically based ingredients. Our products are rigorously tested. We're vigilant about the latest research regarding chemicals to ensure we're being mindful and cautious. Our products deliver results. As trailblazers, we must educate, empower, and inspire people to make better choices for the beauty, health, and wellness of their family and friends.

With that, let's go!

Awaken Rejuvenating Body Mist

from our Aromassentials line 

Not only is this a lovely lemony scent to wake you up in the morning, but it also serves as an awesome bug spray! I've been using it instead of Off and it's working like a charm. A friend took it to the woods in Wisconsin with great results, too!

Key ingredients: Awaken Essential Oil Blend which is a balance of lemon and coriander, clover extract, and ginseng extract.

Energy Fizz Sticks

from our nutrition line

I love, LOVE the fizz sticks. They are meant to break the coffee & pop addictions, but as someone who has been working out in the mornings now that it's warm, I usually find myself coming home and not wanting coffee. So, I make one of these and it's cold and refreshing and lightly caffeinated too. They come in pomegranate and citrus.

Some other cool things to do with them: Fizztini, add some Malibu, mix them with our Herbal Detox Tea, or add them to the 7 day cleanse for a little more flavor.

Key ingredients: antioxidants and a botanical blend of green tea, ginseng, guarana, combined with B vitamins and  chromium which helps boost energy

Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 for Body

from our Liquid Sunshine Line

Water-resistant mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide that creates a barrier between your skin and the sun. Protects from UVA/UVB rays. Super lightweight and non-greasy. 

Tried this out the other day for the first time at Lake Michigan and worked like a charm. Laid out for about an hour and a half before finally going into the lake, and I could tell it was still good to go even after splashing a little water on myself.

I also have the sunscreen for face and the chapstick, which tastes like coconuts. I'm nuts about it :-)

I haven't tried the Sunless Tanner yet, but I heard that mixed with the body firming cream, it's amazing, too! I will definitely be getting that out when I get the winter blues next February!

Renewing Body Gelée

from our SeaSource Detox Spa

This is one that I have tried a few times, but it's still on my to-buy list. It's a cool, refreshing gel that hydrates for soft, smooth-feeling skin. 

When I tried it, I had three bug bites. I put it on one but not the others just for comparisons sake. Here are the results after 36 hours:

Ridiculous, right? I can't even with this one, not sure why I haven't purchased it yet! So, this is just one use of this product. Here are some others that I'm going to try out after I get this for myself:

Sun burns

Bee stings, any bug bites

Headaches

Carpal tunnel

Fever reducer

Arthritis

Hot flashes

Let me know if you're interested - I'm not sure where you'd put it for hot flashes, but like for headaches, on your temples and back of your neck. I know some of you are already believers of this "magic blue jelly." What else are you doing with it?

Key Ingredients: sea kelp extract, ivy leaf extract, Japanese green tea extract

PhytoSport

from our Sports Nutrition Line

So this is one I *haven't tried yet, but was just talking about it last night with some friends. I'm running my first half marathon in September with my sister and so the other girls who are also runners were telling me how if you're going to be out running for an hour or more, this is a great product to use.

Three steps, and lots of carbs, key amino acids, electrolytes and more help support your workouts. After I get a hold of this and try it out, I'll be back with more details!

So what are you already using? Are you using any of these products any differently? Do you have questions? You can keep the conversation going in the comments section below!

And, if you're in Chicago and would like to join me, send me an email and I can let you know about a few events (one I'm hosting later this week!) that you could attend to learn more. You can reach me at hellogoodgoodlife@gmail.com :-)

Thanks for reading, and be well, friends!

Xx,

I'm on Both Sides

There is a lot on my mind and I have a heavy heart this morning. Luckily I have writing to help me through. I don't know how GMA can still go on with the Kenny Chesney concert right now. How can people be in the crowd cheering when our country is in such a bad place?

I watched this video this morning and feel like I can finally breathe, well, a tiny bit. In this video, Trevor makes the point that if you want to talk about these problems in our society, and you start talking about how Black Lives Matter, that must imply that you don't think Blue Lives Matter. He goes on to say - his whole point - is that both black and blue lives matter. Thank you, Trevor, finally a little bit of clarity for me when waking up to such horrific news. If you haven't watched, take the time and please do.

Can we agree that Black and Cop lives matter? The outrage on social media, today - obviously. I can't believe what happened in Dallas. I don't have the right words to express the depth of what I'm feeling. (Distraction from the Hillary verdict? I feel awful for even suggesting that, but seriously. The plot lines of Scanal are seeming all too real lately...)

Blue lives matter. Black lives matter.

But where was the outrage after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile? The reason #BLM even exists is because of the ridiculous institutionalized racism that prevails in our country that is exasperated by the media (who is conveniently owned by the White elite). The media reports to us, and we tell ourselves, "it's fair and balanced, of course they are reporting truth." Get your news online for a week - follow the trending hashtags on Twitter and read those articles or watch The Young Turks on You Tube. See if you feel any different. Watch the documentary The Brainwashing of My Dad on Amazon Prime. Have an open mind and understand that the media is painting a coordinated picture for us all.

Black lives matter. Blue lives matter.

But back to my point - it's so sad to me when people say, "Michelle, all lives matter!" You're missing the point. White lives have always mattered, and I can best illustrate this with a tweet from an amazing author of Young Adult lit:

My life has always mattered. My opinion has always mattered. No one ever expects me to do any harm, damage, and people will always listen to me. The same is not true for our black and brown brothers and sisters. They face an ongoing narrative in the media that they are the reason for all that is wrong with our country. But then we see two videos - just this week - that show two black men doing nothing wrong, and they are shot and killed, and no outrage. Why? Why is it okay for them to be killed, but then when it's someone who is white, it's a different story?

Blue lives matter. Black lives matter.

I am the proud daughter of a police officer - 38 years of dedicated service. My uncles and my dad's friends are all good people. They put their lives on the line to protect and serve their communities. I hesitate when sharing about things like this because I have such a high level of respect for the people they are and the work they do.

Black lives matter. Blue lives matter.

But I teach kids of color. I hear their stories. I read their writing. I live through their experiences as black and brown youth here in a white America. But still, I teach them about hope and working hard, and when you do, you can have anything you want, because we live in the United States of America.

Except we're not so united lately.

I don't think there is going to be much in the way of change until we have an honest discussion about the problems facing our communities, a conversation about the state of policing in our country. Something needs to give.

Blue lives matter.

Black lives matter.

I'm with you both.

Rainbow and Butterflies Friend

It's Thursday, July 7th of summer break. It's 2:52. I'm still in pajamas (cool with it) and also have been watching Plan With Me videos on You Tube for the past hour.

I've been buying Erin Condren notebooks for the past few years, but this year (next month when I have some money) I'm going to be upgrading to the Life Planner. So there has been a lot of research - do I want the horizontal or vertical design? (finally decided on vertical.) What cover? What extras?

Then, I'm on You Tube looking at review videos and I come across these "Plan with Me" videos. At first, I was scoffing at the girls putting all this time (prob hours!!!) designing their planner for the coming week. But then the more I watched, and the prettier the pages got, the more I liked it! My fave one to watch is on a channel called Inspired Blush, check her out!

Then I started following links for stickers. First it was this one. Then I went to this studio. So so pretty. I want all the stickers! (I've always loved stickers, collected them as a kid and still love to buy them now, but never considered it with the planner. The options, seriously endless!!)

So I thought I should share this joy with my friends, so I texted them a video of the You Tube. (Honestly, I knew they would make fun of me, but they love me for it.) They had no idea what 'planning a planner' was, so I told them. Here's their response:

Sorry, I'm the rainbows and butterflies friend.

Who's who in your group of friends?

Any other rainbows or butterflies out there?

What I'm Lovin, music edition

Last Friday, my girlfriends were here, nursing a friend's breakup. We sat around watching YouTube Videos on my Roku for hours. I got a bunch of new music on my playlist! Here are some of my faves from all that Vevoing.

Me, Too by Meghan Trainor

I thank God every day

That I woke up feelin' this way

And I can't help lovin' myself

And I don't need nobody else

(actually I do...)

Hide Away by Daya

Where do the good boys go

to hide away, hide away?

I'm a good, good girl who

needs a little company

Lookin' high and low

Someone let me know

Where do the good boys go

to hide away, hide away?

Broken Arrows by Avicii

We have to tear down the walls

that live in your heart

to find someone you can

call home

Now you see me for me

and my beautiful scars

So take my hand,

don't let go

New Romantics by Taylor Swift

Baby, we're the new romantics

Come on, come along with me

Heartbreak is a national anthem,

We sing it proudly.

We're too busy dancin'

to get knocked off our feet.
Baby, we're the new romantics.

The best people in life are free....

Hell No by Ingrid Michaelson

Am I going to miss you?

Hell No! Baby watch me up and go

Mama said that the boys like you

never walk out anyway

Girlfriends say, are you gonna be sad?

If he calls you up, you gonna take him back?

I say hell no, Oh, hell no!

I get it, whatever.

Click that title and watch the official video, so good!

Holy by FGL

You're holy, holy, holy, holy

I'm high on lovin' you, high on lovin' you

You're holy, holy, holy, holy

I'm high on lovin' you, high on lovin' you

What are you listening to lately?

Need to keep adding to my workout playlists!

Arbonne: My Why & First Fave Products

As many of you know, I have launched a business with Arbonne, and I'm loving it! I wanted to share about my favorite products so far and also a little about why I decided to link arms with amazing women in this company.

Why Arbonne?
As many of you know, I have a career I love, in education as a literacy coach. I serioulsy never dreamed of having such a rewarding gig, and I'm so thankful for the work I get to do every day!

But, teaching is never going to afford me the kind of life I envision for myself. For instance, I have three months off in the summer, but I'm usually too broke to go anywhere... especially not the places I want to see, like Napa, Cabo, and Tuscany.

But then I found Arbonne, which is a Mulit-Level Marketing (MLM) company. I always thought these kinds of companies were kinda a scam, I mean, what, you work your bum off and then the people above you collect all the money? But, since beginning with Arbonne, and reading lots about MLM, I have figured out a lot of misconceptions, and I now believe that people who get into this kind of work are pretty smart, working on something (else) they are passionate about in order to build a future full of opportunities.

Since beginning, I've not only collected a little bit in the way of a 'Thank You' check, but I've begun to switch over all my self-care products to Arbonne at a great discount. Also, and even better, I've been able to spend time with people who are so positive and uplifting, making new friendships and learning a whole new set of skills (which I also see transferring to my work as a coach). So why would I say no?

Aside from the business opportunity, I also love the products that Arbonne offers because of thieir ingredient policy. They formulate products on many lines: baby care, skin care (both men and women), nutrition, hair, makeup, and sun. All of their products are formulated to be pure, safe, and beneficial, which means they are formulated without:

• Animal products or by-products, including collagen, elastin, hydrolyzed animal protein, keratin, lanolin
• Benzene
• Diethanolomine (DEA)
• Hydroquinone
• Petroleum-based ingredients, such as mineral oil
• PABA
• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Propylene Glycol
• Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate
• Triclosan
• Toluene

Anyways, I love that I can feel safe knowing that any product from Arbonne will be healthy for me. That is why I want to share with my friends and family!

That being said, here are a few of my favorite items from the various Arbonne lines!

Protein Powder - Chocolate and Vanilla

Stats: 20 grams of vegan protein, gluten free, fructose free, dairy free, low glycemic index (Diabetic-friendly) so it does not cause a spike in blood sugar, 20 vitamins and minerals, no saturated fats, trans fats, or cholesterol, and no artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors

Both options are delicious. I use the vanilla mix usually with berries, kale and/or spinach, fresh OJ, and ice. The chocolate I like just straight with water or almond milk, but have also added berries, cherries, and/or a banana. Oh, and I just realized I could freeze coffee into cubes and mix that with the chocolate for a mocha-flavored shake!

I began drinking these shakes for breakfast around April and haven't quit. They will keep you full for hours!

Herbal Detox Tea

I got this as part of the 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan (which is an awesome program to detox and clean up your eating for 30 days, including online support with holistic health coaches!)

Anyways, here are the stats on the tea:

• Helps support liver and kidney health
• Hydration supports toxin elimination
• These processes help support optimal health

Extra perk for me was it has been helping me sleep better. Usually I wake up a few times in the night, but not since starting this tea. I would also eat stuff (granola bars) and maybe OJ in the middle of the night, and that has also subsided! (Such bad habits I have had!)

I guess what I'm learning from Arbonne, is they want to drive beauty from the inside out, so their nutrition products all support that. I could go on and on about the nutrition products because I love them all, and they are my new daily essentials.

Arbonne Intelligence Genius

Moving on to skin care, I have to lead with the resurfacing pads. The Arbonne girls call this product 'botox in a bottle' and even though it's botanically based, it sure feels strong!

These are used at night after you wash you face. You swipe your skin (especially where there are wrinkles and color spots) upward to resurface skin.

I have those lines by my eyebrows from giving students 'the look' and I can see a change in them in just the last month that I have been using them. Of all the skin care, this is my favorite so far!

RE9 Intensive Renewal Serum

I also have begun using the RE9 line which is their anti-aging skin-care line. I have super dry skin which is the first reason I love the serum: Stabilized Vitamin C boosts and maintains moisture by supporting collagen, resulting in improvement in the appearance of fine lines as well as proving moisture barrier protection to restore a natural, youthful glow. And of course, it's formulated without synthetic fragrance, parabens, or dyes. Win!

CC Cream

I am not someone who used to wear foundation, or even knew what a CC Cream or a BB Cream was. I did use a product from Benefit though called Erase Paste to cover up the bags under my eyes and the zits I would get. I have now switched that to the CC Cream and I'm loving it!

A CC Cream is a 10-in-one product: 1. Primer; 2. Protector; 3. Concealer; 4. Hydrator; 5. Mattifier; 6. Brightener; 7. Blemish Cover; 8. Pore Refiner; 9. Comforter; 10. Complexion Controller.

So my Benefit product I used to cover zits and bags under my eyes has been replaced with this all-over product. I was never one for lots of makeup, but this is a great base for the little extras I do put on after, like eye makeup and blush. The CC Cream feels like a light version of concealer and definitely feels hydrating. Color wise, I'm medium (third one down).

That's just a taste of the products so far. I love so many others, too - Digestion Plus, the Fizz Sticks, mascara, eye primer, Tea-Tree Oil Shampoo, and the Shea Butter lotion. Pretty soon there will be nothing left of the products I used to purchase at Target. Why not shop with a company that can give back to your family?

To see these products and others, check out my website. Do you shop with Arbonne? What are your favorites? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below! :-)

Be well,

Tiny Beautiful Things

It's 4:28 and I'm still in my pajamas and it's amazing.

With this first week of summer, my main goal has been to sleep in later. When you get up at 5:30 every day for 9 months, it takes time to sleep to 7:30 again, so when I was still in bed at 9:15 this morning, I was so proud of myself, even if my stepmonster called me a slug for it! :-)

That turned into reading blogs online until 10:30, then a Skype date with a friend, an Amazon delivery, and then, spending the entire day reading a book I bought as a birthday gift, here it is:

This book is a book of letters, letters to Dear Sugar that are responded to bluntly, matter-of-factly, with some explicit language, but always with empathy. That's exactly what this book is about - a book of empathy on many different complications in this long, lovely life we all lead.

I wanted to share the last letter with you, it's lovely. Also, share some commentary. So here it is.

Tiny Beautiful Things

Dear Sugar,

I read your column religiously. I'm twenty-two. From what I can tell by your writing, you're in your early forties. My question is short and sweet: What would you tell your twentysomething self if you could talk to her now?

Love, Seeking Wisdom

Dear Seeking Wisdom,

Stop worrying about whether you're fat. You're not fat. Or rather, you're sometimes a little bit fat, but who gives a shit? (A-fucking-men.) There is nothing more boring and fruitless than a woman lamenting on the fact that her stomach is round. Feed yourself. Literally. The sort of people worthy of your love will love you more for this, sweet pea.

In the middle of the night in the middle of your twenties when your best woman friend crawls naked into your bed, straddles you, and says, "You should run away from me before I devour you," believe her.

You are not a terrible person for wanting to break up with someone you love. You don't need a reason to leave. (But when one of your reasons involves the content of the first paragraph of this letter, best be on your way.) Wanting to leave is enough. Leaving doesn't mean you're incapable of real love or that you'll never love anyone else again. It doesn't mean you're morally bankrupt or psychologically demented or a nymphomaniac. It means you wish to change the terms of one particular relationship. That's all. Be brave enough to break your own heart. (Wish I would have read that last line last September, but still feels good to gloss my eyes over that one today.)

When the really sweet but fucked-up gay couple invites you over to their cool apartment to do Ecstasy with them, say no.

There are some things you can't understand yet. Your life will be a great and continuous unfolding. It's good you've worked hard to resolve childhood issues while in your twenties, but understand that what you resolve will need to be resolved again. And again. You will come to know things that can only be known with the wisdom and age and grace of years. Most of those things will have to do with forgiveness. (So true that as our lives unfold, as we see more, learn more, spend more time with new people, with the same people, our experiences are recolored through a new set of lenses. The work of understanding is never done.)

One evening you will be rolling around on the wooden floor of your apartment with a man who will tell you he doesn't have a condom. You will smile in this spunky way that you think is hot and tell him to fuck you anyway. This will be a mistake for which you alone will pay.

Don't lament so much about how your career is going to turn out. You don't have a career. You have a life. (Work to live, my friends.) Do the work. Keep the faith. Be true blue. You are a writer because you write. Keep writing and quit your bitching. Your book has a birthday. You don't know what it is yet. (Ahhhh, love these joyous words. However I build an amazing future, be it via writing, sharing Arbonne, consulting regarding teaching, or some new way I haven't figured out yet, all I know is that the stuff on my vision board most certainly will become a reality.)

You cannot convince people to love you. This is an absolute rule. No one will every give you love because you want him or her to give it. (Got a good understanding of this in the months since last August. Amazing what a little distance and new people can do for you.) Real love moves freely in both directions. Don't waste your time on anything else.

Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small, quiet room.

One hot afternoon during the era in which you've gotten yourself ridiculously tangled up with heroin, you will be riding the bus and thinking what a worthless piece of crap you are when a little girl will get on the bus holding the strings of two purpose balloons. She'll offer you one of the balloons, but you won't take it because you believe you no longer have a right to such tiny beautiful things. You're wrong. You do. (Please substitute any shit in your life for the heroin. We always deserve the tiny, beautiful things.)

Your assumptions about the lives of others are in direction relation to your naive pomposity. Many people you believe to be rich are not rich. Many people you think have it easy worked hard for what they got. Many people who seem to be gliding right along have suffered and are suffering. Many people who appear to you to be old and stupidly saddled down with kids and cars and houses were once every bit as hip and pompous as you.

When you meet a man in the doorway of a Mexican restaurant who later kissed you while explaining that this kiss doesn't "mean anything" because, as much as he likes you, he is not interested in having a relationship with you or anyone right now, just laugh and kiss him back. Your daughter will have his sense of humor. Your son will have his eyes. 

The useless days will all up to something. The shitty waitressing jobs. The hours writing in your journal. The long meandering walks. The hours reading poetry and story collections and novels and dead people's diaries and wondering about sex and God and whether you should shave your arms or not. These things are your becoming.

One Christmas at the very beginning of your twenties when your mother gives you a warm coat that she saved for months to buy, don't look at her skeptically after she tells you should though the coat was perfect for you. Don't hold it up and say it's longer than you like your coats to be and too puffy and possibly too warm. Your mother will be dead by spring. That coat will be the last give she gave you. You will regret the small thing you didn't say for the rest of your life. (How fragile life is, remember that. It could change in an instant, so tell the people you love that you love them. Be patient when your family annoys you. Go visit your Grandfather, hell, take him to a Cubs spring training game. Do the things of importance every day to show those you care about just how much you love them.)

Say thank you. (Be thankful, people. Think in small moments of gratitude, for your family, for your old friends, for all that is new, for the books you had delivered from Amazon, and the gift your bff won't mind you reading before you give it to her. Appreciate this beautiful life.)

Yours, Sugar

Has anyone else read this book? Thoughts?