Hi. Thursday nights are always a little “catch my breath” after teaching five yoga classes at three different studios in the span of 27 hours. When I first came back to teaching in January I felt a bit ungrounded and overwhelmed but with every week that passes and I am getting more in the groove of being back at it and enjoying it so much!
Today was a super special day because I got to take my friend Suzanne’s yoga class for the first time in almost four years. Suzanne is the teacher who made me fall in love with hot power yoga when I moved to Charlotte 10 years ago and we have recently reconnected. I respect her so much as a teacher, mother and human. She’s the real deal and I am honored to be working with her again.
(Photo circa 2015!!!!)
I took Suzanne’s 4:30 p.m. class at Charlotte Yoga before teaching at 5:45 p.m. When I started to teach the 5:45 p.m. class on back in January I thought I’d get to take Suzanne’s class every week but life with a baby and juggling childcare proved otherwise. (Which is all good and I am not complaining.) Her class today was everything that I need my practice to be right now. Quiet, soft, slow, mindful, breath-focused and simple. I mean all of those things in the very best way. Suzanne is an incredible teacher and if you are in the Charlotte area, you’d be doing yourself a huge favor by practicing with her. ESPECIALLY if you are a new yogi. Suzanne is so skilled at teaching classes where all levels are accommodated and new yogis feel welcome.
One of the most difficult things to find balance with in motherhood has been my yoga practice. Again, I know this is just a short season of life but I am really looking forward to being on my mat with a lot more regularity. I am feeling such a pull to in and a desire to dig deeper. I have so many ideas swirling for myself and my upcoming yoga trainings.
Okay, so for this post I’m just sharing some Friday faves. I’ll be back over the weekend with recent eats for both Finn and myself! 🙂
INA’S INDIVIDUAL MEATLOAFS
(Photo Food Network)
One can never go wrong with an Ina Garten recipe and her individual meatloafs did not steer me wrong this week. I’ve eaten this every night for dinner for the last three nights and YUM!
MANDUKA GRP MAT
(Photo Manduka)
After practicing on the same Manduka Pro Black Mat for over eight years, I bought myself a new yoga mat last fall. Although my pro was still in perfect condition, I kinda felt like it was time for a fresh start. The owner of VIDA Hot Yoga was raving about Manduka’s new GRP mat so I decided to try it out. I AM IN LOVE! This mat is amazing! It’s designed to offer a lot of traction so that you don’t feel you are slipping on your mat. It also absorbs sweat so that you don’t need a mat towel. And I can tell you that it works!
THE REWATCHING OF SCHITT’S CREEK
So I hesitate to say that you must watch Schitt’s Creek because it seems to be one of those shows that you love or hate. BUT…judging by the number of Instagram DMs that I received after posting that I was starting the series over from the beginning, I must add this to the favorites. I’m typically not a fan of over the top or dumb humor but this show does it so right. I need a real life David!
THIS PLAYLIST
I’ve enjoyed being back to creating regular playlists for my yoga classes.
This one was so good!
LITTLE MAN ON THE MOVE
One minute he was crawling around on the kitchen floor, the next he and Zoey were both all up in the dishwasher. Welcome to my new life! 🙂 I love it.
WORDS
I am forever screenshotting things that I love on Instagram. Here are some words that have spoken to me in the last week.
WHAT I AM NOT LOVING
The book I have been trying to read lately. It’s one of those where I keep trying to get into it but I fall asleep 2 pages in and it’s not hooking me. We’re going on 2 weeks now.
Sooo…tell me what I should read! What have you loved lately?
And now it’s time for me to decide whether to re-watch more Schitt’s Creek or try to read. I hate it when I don’t have a book that I look forward to reading when I get in bed. 🙁
I am just about done Michelle Obama’s memoir, and definitely recommend it. It is empowering, inspiring, and surprising. For fiction, have you read When Life Gives You Lululemons? It’s the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. It’s a light, viciously funny read that focuses on Emily, Miranda’s British assistant from the original, and pokes fun at the whole Connecticut yoga moms scene.
I loved her book so much. I have not read When Life Gives you Lululemons! Thanks for the review.
I just read “a hundred summers” by Beatrix Williams and really liked it. I just started “tiny little thing” by her and enjoying it so far!
Thank you! Have not read these!
I’ve been on kind of a mad tear with reading lately. And they’ve all been good/great!
Where the Crawdad’s Sing (mystery, beautiful writing)
Woman in the window (thriller) 4/5
Something in the Water (thriller) 4/5
The Last Mrs. Parrish 4.5/5 (loved this one…kind of chick. kind of suspense)
Swear on this Life (love story, but not sappy) 4.5/5. I read this book in 4 hours.
One Day in December (love story, predictable, but cute) 3/5
Sorry, I’m terrible with authors names, but pretty much everything I’ve read from Reese’s Book Club has been great!
Hey Jen – thanks so much for these recommendations! I have read a few of them but not Swear on Your Life, Something in the Water and One Day in December so I will check them out!
Jen you will LOVE “where the crawdads song”! Highly highly recommend.
I read it and you are right, I adored it!
I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing – it took me maybe 2-3 chapters to get into, but it was SO worth it! I read the entire book in two days. I passed it along to my mom and she read it in two days, too.
LOVED that book!
These are some of my favorites I’ve read over the last several years:
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Burrows
True Places by Sonja Yoerg
I hope you find something you can get into! There’s nothing worse than starting a book and struggling to get through it.
There are quite a few on your list that I have not read so I am eager to check them out!
I have two book recommendations for you:
1. Shantaram – I LOVED this book. It is long and it took me a bit to get into it but it was one of the best books I have ever read. It is based on a true story which is kind of unbelievable. It follows an Australian outlaw as he tries to start a life in India.
2. Before we were yours – this is just an awesome novel! It is a bit dark but it is so intriguing. I actually had to stop reading it before bed because I couldn’t put it down and then I would stay up too late!
Hey Megan – I haven’t read Shantaram so thank you so much for the recommendation! And I read Before We Were Yours and LOVED it.
Where the Crawdads Sing! If you love nature you will especially appreciate the beautiful writing.
ADORED that book!
It’s kind of exciting to see a Canadian show being watched and enjoyed in the US. Usually it’s the other way around.
I didn’t even know that it was a Canadian show. Haha! Regardless, it’s a great one!
I <3 David so much!!
I need a real life David!
All of Joshilyn Jackson’s books (I read one and loved it so much I went on a bender reading every single book she published — thank goodness for the library!).
All of Marisa de los Santos’ books (all are good, but I recommend these three books in this order: Love Walked In, Belong To Me, and I’ll Be Your Blue Sky).
If you like memoirs, I loved “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, “Leaving Church” by Barbara Brown Taylor, and “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi.
Hey Laura! I haven’t read Joshilyn Jackson’s books so thanks so much for that recommendation. I have read a few of Marisa de los Santos’ books, including some you mentioned. They were great! And thank you for the memoir recommendations! I haven’t read any of those.
I’m coming to Charlotte for a show Saturday night and would love to do a yoga class Sunday morning before I head home! What’s a great one to take? (Looking for heated or not but definitely a slower vinyasa flow!)
I’m reading Daisy Jones and the Six right now and it’s so good! Written by Taylor Jenkins Reid (same author as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo).
Oh THANK YOU! Evelyn Hugo was one of my favorites ever so I will definitely check this one out!!!
Where the Crawdads Sing was such a good book! It had me hooked from the beginning. Just so beautifully written. I also loved The Last Mrs. Parrish and Something in the Water. I just got The Woman in the Window to start this weekend.
I LOVED THAT BOOK and was so sad when it was over! I also liked The Last Mrs. Parrish. I have not read Something in the Water, I have read Woman in the Window! 🙂
Have you read the great alone? So good!
I’m definitely recommend Girl wash your face. I was resistant to reading it but it’s so real. I’ve laughed and cried.
I listened to it on Audible and loved it so much that I’ll probably listen to it again sometime!
Educated! I could not put it down.
I LOVED THAT BOOK!
I got the Black Mat PRO based on your review years ago! I think I’ve had mine at least 6 years now and it’s still holding up great. I’m super intrigued by this new mat you linked to. I think if I had any one small complaint about the pro it would be grip challenges when super sweaty. It’s also a bear to haul around but I don’t think I could survive without the extra padding!
I’m so glad to hear that it’s held up nicely for you! I hear you on the extra padding. I use the pro lite when I’m in Florida and it’s just not the same! I feel the same way about the grip when sweaty and I’m not a fan of YogiToes so the GRP is perfect for me! 🙂
Hope you are having a great weekend.
Book recommendations? I really enjoyed recently following books:
From memoirs, Educated and Born a Crime
I recall you enjoyed How to Walk Away – I enjoyed it as well and also liked Happiness for Beginners by the same author.
Did you also mention Great Alone? I loved it and also loved Firefly Lane by Hannah.
If you like bittersweet books, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine stole my heart.
Happy reading! ?
I will check out Happiness for Beginners! I have read Firefly Lane (LOVE Kristin Hannah) and also Eleanor Oliphant. 🙂
The Words section of your post was so meaningful to me. Thank you. Also, I love the photo of Finn in the dishwasher ?. My little one dragged the compost bin around our home today. The most fun read of my maternity leave was: The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton. Great female main character.
Aw, I am happy to hear this Kathleen. And OMG on the compost bin. Ahhhh. I will check out this book!
thank you for the first section of words. was feeling kinda blah this AM but told myself just because i failed to do something didnt mean i was a failure and it felt great to reframe it. As for books i just finished Emily Griffin All We Ever Wanted and it was good. Listened to it in car and its one of those ones where different readers read different characters and i really liked that. I just finished the LuluLemons book and loved it up until the end with Emily’s family situation (dont want to give it away). i was like NO. it just made no sense to me and felt it was a forced ending. Up next for me is Becoming by Michelle Obama and i cant wait based on the great reviews i have seen everywhere.
You are so welcome Tara! <3 Thanks for the book insight!
Love Schitt’s Creek. I laugh out loud when I watch it.
A well behaved woman – Therese Anne Fowler
The Royal We – very light read
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
THANK YOU!
I’ve read most of the books on your list and loved them!
Hands down favorite book ever: A House in the Sky.
Other good ones:
-sarahs key
-the seven husbands of evelyn hugo
-the twilight wife
-the light we lost
-behind closed doors
-the good girl
-before we were yours
-all the light we cannot see
-brain on fire
-the art of racing in the rain
-whered ya go Bernadette
-motherhood comes naturally
AHHH thanks for this list! I haven’t read A House in the Sky so adding it to my list!