The Midwest has been slammed with snow and freezing temperatures. Schools have been closed two days in advance and a lot of businesses have closed up shop for awhile too. The air hurts your face to even walk outside, and the stir crazies have begun to seep in. Moms and dads and anyone with kids, you’re on your own. I’m snowed in with my boyfriend and cat, so I have no one to entertain but myself. So, I’ve put together some ideas for you to burn the day away.

1. Do a deep clean. Turn on some music and just dive in. It actually can be fun to start going through stuff and getting rid of it! It’s basically spring cleaning, but instead of wasting your precious spring days, do it now in the winter where you got nothing else going on! And if you want to make some money off of your clothes, shoes, etc. try selling them on Facebook or download the app Poshmark. And don’t limit yourself to just your closet, dive into the kitchen, living room, etc.
2. Netflix without feeling guilty. This is my favorite part of this miserable weather: you can’t feel guilty for not going outside. So, get some drinks and snacks and your favorite blanket, and start the binge watching. My favorite shows right now? Good Girls (watched all of Season 1 in two days) and Schitt’s Creek (hilarious and easy to watch). I’m on the hunt for some more good shows though, what would you recommend? Let me know in the comments!
3. Workout! You had to have known this was coming. But doing an at-home workout is a great way to get those endorphins flowing after Netflixing for hours. You don’t need any equipment, here are some sample workouts for you:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Plan your calendar for the next month. It feels good to be organized. So, pull out a calendar (if you don’t have one, use a piece of paper and a ruler to make one), and start adding everything on there. Here are some things to think about putting on the calendar:

• When your trash and recycling goes out
• Events going on around town (check Facebook for these)
• When you are going on vacation or someone is visiting
• What meals you’ll be having (yes, plan out your meals for the next week or month – add a grocery list to the side of your calendar and look up some good recipes to try)
• Days you’ll be done working early/have off
• Errands you have to run
• Days you’ll go the gym/work out at home

There’s endless possibilities! Think of anything you have going on and put it on the calendar! Get crafty and make it cute.

5. Play board and/or card games. This is assuming you are snowed in with someone else or can invite someone over. Even if it is just one person, there are so many great games you can play with just two people. If you didn’t know this about me, my boyfriend and I strive to have a “bomb-ass game collection” (his words). It’s our top goal as a couple, and we play games all the time. Here are our favorite games when it is just us TWO:

• Blokus
• Rook
• Carcassonne
• Sequence
• Mancala
• Rummikub
• Othello
• Banagrams
• Stratego

Some (most!) of those games can be played with more than two people. But we normally just have each other, but when we do have more people, here are some of our favorite party games:

• Scattergories
• Smartish
• Taboo
• Exploding Kittens
• Telestrations
• Family Feud
• Catan

So, if your friends are willing to brave the weather, host a game night. Make a big pot of chili and have them bring their own drinks. Then break out a game and let the fighting (I mean, fun) begin! 😉

There’s really so much you can do when you’re snowed in. If none of these meet your fancy, maybe there are some books you want to catch up on, new recipes you want to try, or just listen to some podcasts. And my favorite yet to burn some time – write a blog! ;D

Let me know in the comments below what shows you are binge watching and any other good snow day activities!

 

 

I have discovered some fantastic products over my 26 years of life. And they all have one thing in common: I love them. I do not just like them, these are products I never stray from. They are my backbone, they are what makes me me. Okay, that’s way too dramatic, but I do love them. Let’s get to it. I have hyperlinked all the titles, so you can easily click to learn more or purchase.

Native Deodorant 

Trust me when I tell you that I have tried a lot of natural deodorant. I decided to try out natural deodorant quite awhile ago when the typical aluminum deodorant was found to be strongly linked to breast cancer in women. However, none of it worked, and I always ended up back with a Secret deodorant. Finally, I found Native. And it has been a game changer. It has gotten #1 natural deodorant on all the blogs I have read. But you have to GIVE IT A CHANCE. Meaning, your body has to go through a detox phase, and you are not allowed to use any type of aluminum deodorant during that time. So suck it up, smell a little, sweat a lot, and embrace your Native deodorant. It gets better. I do reapply throughout the day sometimes, but I don’t have a problem with that. I will go entire beach volleyball tournaments without reapplying, and no one tells me I smell (and I ask people too ;)).

Tip: maybe Native isn’t for you, but at least starting checking out deodorants that are “aluminum free.” Aluminum is what clogs your pores so you don’t sweat and that is not good for you.

Double tip: you won’t find Native at just any store. Currently, Re*Imagine in downtown St Joe (for my local people) and Target has them. Otherwise, buy online (pretty sure not even Amazon carries it).

Batiste Dry Shampoo – with a hint of color

The biggest game changer in the history of game changers. If you have dark colored hair, this is an absolute must have. Out of all the products I am sharing today, this one is my favorite. It sprays in with some color (so don’t spray your face) and not with that starch white color that makes you look like you have grey hair. I can go days without showering (which I do, judge me – I actually really don’t care). I have super oily (aka greasy) hair, and if I shower in the morning – normally by evening, my hair is already looking a little oily. They have some for lighter brunettes, blondes, and tons of delicious scents. Enjoy and thank me later!

Tip: Spray it in, do your makeup or any other activity, and then rub it in and brush it. Works even better!

M.A.D. Brightening Serum

Okay, normally I believe stuff like this doesn’t work, and I would never purchase it on it’s own. However, I had signed up for Ipsy (I highly recommend this beauty service as well),and I received this. It is AMAZING to lighten up acne scars. It doesn’t make them disappear, but the redness significantly goes down the next morning when I wake up. They have a lot of other products, but this is the only one I have tried, and I would really recommend it if you have some old scars/spots you’d like to lighten up.

Flint Lint

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, the best lint roller ever. It’s a little more expensive, but it is small, easy to throw in your purse, and works the best BY FAR. Do you see that extremely fluffy, white animal? He destroys my clothes with his fur. Flint lint works the best to remove all the hair.

Fun story: I had a friend (Sara!) stay the night before she had to go catch a plane and travel the world. She woke up with her black leggings and black zip-up covered in fur. I gave her a normal lint roller – she was still covered. She was like “well, I guess Dreamy is coming with me for all of my travels.” Then, I went and got her flint lint – all hair GONE. It’s really the best. If you have shedding animals, you need this.

Neutrogena Body Oil

I normally put on lotion after every shower. I have done this since high school, and it just adds to the lengthy process of getting ready for the day (or for bed). Then, I discovered this. You put it on before you even dry off. I keep mine in my shower, and when I am done, just shake some excess water off of me, then I put this all over and pat dry. It takes me less than 30 seconds, and I don’t have to worry about lotion. Plus, it makes my skin feel SUPER soft and works just as well as lotion. As you can see, I used it all before I got a photo. But thanks to Melissa for the huge, new bottle!

 

Dr. Bronner’s

^^Click Dr. Bronner’s link above and check out the great sale at Ulta for this soap!^^

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This soap is full of ingredients that are good for you (the most important thing to me). And it has 18 purposes that are all listed on the bottle. But I’ll name a few: soap, shampoo, fruit/veggie cleaner, laundry, cleaning. It tells you how much to use (which is not a lot!). This stuff lasts forever because it’s so concentrated, a little bit goes a long ways. All the scents are great, but this one has a slight cooling effect. Which is surprising on your nether regions if you use it as soap. ;D

Bonus: the whole bottle is interesting to read. So, if you are bored in the shower (or on the toilet and forgot your phone), this will keep you occupied for awhile!

Wet Brush

I can guarantee you that my hair gets more tangled and knotted than anyone else (okay, my boyfriend might have me beat on that). But it’s seriously so bad, and I have a sensitive scalp. This brush lets me pull, yank, and brush as hard as I can without hurting myself. It’s a small miracle in a brush. If you’ve tried it, you will never (ever) go back to another brush.

Fun story: my sister ordered this brush after trying mine. I was at her house the day the brush was suppose to arrive. She had just gotten out of the shower, and instead of brushing her hair with her old brush, she actually waited till the new Wet Brush arrived so she could use that instead. It is just THAT good.

 
These are just a few of my favorite beauty products! Let me know if you have questions on any of them. I am not sponsored in any way by any of these companies, I am just sharing the very best stuff because the world deserves to know.

Leave a comment if you have tried any of these or have other products that are a total MUST TRY!

If it surprises any of you, I’m not big into New Year’s resolutions. However, I do like to challenge myself to try new things for short periods of time. Okay, that’s basically a resolution, but if I don’t call it that, it doesn’t matter so much if I break it, right? That’s what I tell myself. Go ahead and judge me, I judge myself for it.

Anyway,

For the month of January, I have decided to not drink. And by not drink, I mean no alcohol while drinking all the water. I am so horrible at drinking water. It doesn’t matter what I do. Trust me when I say all the tips and tricks to drinking water don’t work. So, I am doing the tough love approach. I don’t allow myself to eat in the morning till I have one massive jar of water in my system. And then I pee all day. It’s go great, I love this so much. Side note: last night aka January 3rd, I had a dream that I was having a drink. It’s going to be a long month…

Back on track:

So, no one likes the saying “new year, new me.” It actually makes me gag (so it’s a good thing I named this blog post after that – I’m actually rolling my eyes at myself). However, I am not against you in the intention. If you really want to change to be better physically, mentally, spiritually, whateverly – that’s awesome! You just don’t have to use that phrase. Also, if you use that phrase, there’s a 100% chance that it will be a new year and the same you.

I do want to be better this year. Don’t get me wrong, 2018 was actually a really great year for me. There was so much GOOD in 2018. But for 2019, I want to make myself better. And what do I want better? I’m keeping it to two things: business & body.

Let’s break those down now.

Business? Yes, you should know I have jumped into being an entrepreneur. I get (and got) a lot of support when I decided to do this. However, I am still hearing the comments “when are you going to go back to getting a real job?” Newsflash: don’t say that to people, no mater what job they have. Nothing takes the wind out of our sails like a comment like that. But I know I need to work harder, so 2019 – I’m digging my heels in and going to make this business great! And for those still wondering, I am doing social media marketing in Southwest Michigan to help small businesses grow. More info coming very soon – I’ve been saying that awhile. But I just told you all that I am going to be better in 2019, so this time believe me!

And although the 15 subscribers I have to this blog does not pay the bills, I am going to focus on writing more posts for your reading pleasure.

And now the final focus: body. This is a tough one. Let me be clear: I really do not have body image issues. I am a confident person. However, I am the heaviest I have ever been, and I don’t like it. Granted, I am also close to the strongest I’ve been. And you know the Spiderman quote: “with great power comes great responsibility”? Well for me, it’s “with much fat comes much strength.” I love being strong, and my priority is to keep that strength but also lose 15-20 pounds by May 20th. It shouldn’t be (too) hard, especially since I have all these great monthly goals set for myself…

January: no drinking
February: eat some vegetables
March: who knows what’s going to happen?
April: crap, it’s my birthday month
May: where has time gone
May 20th: Only 30 pounds to go…

 

If you feel like following along with more of these business & body shenanigans, subscribe to my blog and follow me on Instagram @lizzzzzzz11 (that’s seven z’s) or just click the pictures on my blog. 🙂