1. Whew! What a busy (and fun!) week! I never got the chance to check in until now, partly because we were away at the beginning of the week for a little surprise trip to Great Wolf Lodge.
This was now our third trip to GWL (we first went last July, and then again back in March) but this was our first time visiting their Poconos, PA location.
2. Both locations (PA and MA) had their pros and cons, and we all agreed that we liked the water park better in PA, since it was located all in one area and definitely had more water slides.
3. But when it came to the other activities like mini golf, bowling, and games, Jay and I both agreed that we thought the MA location has a better layout.
4. Either way you slice it, the boys were absolutely THRILLED to be heading back again, and we had the best time surprising them with it.
We wound up booking the trip after seeing a promo and getting the room on a Monday night for a steal, so we aligned that with a reward that Lucas had earned for having filled his cottonball jar for good behavior over the past few months.
We may have dug ourselves a hole on this one though, since kiddo definitely won’t be getting an overnight trip every time he fills his jar! But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. ; )
5. I’ve had a bad habit of stealing Jay’s sweatshirts lately. Whooops! I totally got a hold of another one of them while we were away earlier in the week, and I’m gonna have a hard time handing it back over.
FYI: the sweatshirt is THIS ONE from Kohl’s! Size down and you’ll find yourself in all sorts of cozy glory.
6. Has anyone started their Christmas/holiday shopping yet? I’ve actually picked up a few things for the boys, and have found a few really good steals/sales at Target, too. My goal this year (as it is every year…) is to have almost all of my shopping DONE by the beginning of December so I don’t have to worry about it. Now that Black Friday sales are basically available for 2 months, I don’t feel like I need to wait for a bargain, so maybe…juuuust mayyyybe…this will be the year!
7. I recently found myself a few new fun hair products at Ulta, including this Kenra Clarifying Shampoo and this Kenra Dry Volume Burst.
I went in just looking for the clarifying shampoo, since I’ve felt like my hair just needed a good, thorough washing to remove all of the product buildup. But then I saw they were having Buy 1, Get One 50% off so I snagged the volume burst, too. Definitely a good pick! I spray it under my roots when the hair is dry and it definitely gives a little extra oomph!
8. Guyssssss. I know I mentioned this last Friday, but I am SO pumped my caramel brulee syrup is back at the ‘bux.
I’ve been trying extra hard to only go 1-2x/week, and so far I’ve stuck to that, but man. I want one every. day.
9. P.S. – that pedicure I had up there, which took place last Sunday, was one of the best ones I’ve had in a LONG time. It’s my favorite when they take extra time for the leg and foot massage! <3
10. We had our annual Thanksgiving potluck at work yesterday, and it did NOT disappoint.
Once again, deep fried turkeys have proven themselves to be the front runner of my turkey favorites, and the spread of sides and desserts was unreal.
Needless to say, productivity that afternoon was likely a little slower across the board in the office!
11. Out of curiosity, do any of you out there take magnesium as a supplement? I’ve been hearing a lot about it recently, and am most curious about it for its claims on providing relief from muscle soreness. If you’ve got any thoughts, pros/cons, I’d love to hear ’em!
Alright friends, that’s all I’ve got for today. Hopefully I’ll be back a bit more next week since we’ll be back to a normal schedule over here…! In the meantime, I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend ahead <3
bkprzy says
If you are looking at taking a magnesium supplement for sore muscles or cramps, I would go with an oil to rub/roll directly on your sore muscles. I have found it works better than taking a pill/drink. If you want to take it for calming/sleep purposes, I like Magnesium calm drink before bed. The only downside of a drink/pill is that it can cause diarrhea….Although if you are backed-up it can be a positive;-)
Missy says
I take a magnesium supplement! I don’t take it for muscles but actually mental health–I was recommended magnesium and Omega 3 for managing my anxiety/depression. I would definitely recommend it for that reason alone! I take it with a whole slew of other things (postnatal vitamin, Omega 3, zoloft…) so can’t really vouch for it’s effectiveness by itself but I”m happy with my regiment as a whole :)
I’m starting to Christmas shop and getting so overwhelmed. What are you looking at for your boys? I gave my 4 year old the amazon catalog and told him to circle what he liked so I could get a few ideas and he ended up circling everything except the Barbie page. Ha!
Emily says
I take magnesium occasionally at night because it actually helps me fall asleep. I use Epsom Salt Lotion for sore muscles. Please share any good deals you find on toys for the boys (if you have the time)! I got that massive paw patrol firetruck that was on sale at target recently (it is way bigger than expected) and am on the hunt for other christmas toys for my boys too!
Lauren says
I take magnesium for the anxiety/depression affects as well as sleep. I really like it! I take it in pill form.
Beth says
Magnesium helps me with migraines, stomach issues, anxiety, and sleep — I have done pills and Calm gummies, but recently got the Calm unflavored powder, which I like best. I put it in a cup of peach or sleepytime time tea when I wind down in front of the TV before bed. Start with a much smaller dose at first and then work up (so your stomach can tolerate it).
Steph says
I’ve been taking the Natural Calm magnesium supplement on occasion to help with sleep and anxiety. It comes in capsule and powder form, and I enjoy both. Someone mentioned it above, but I like to mix the powder with sleepytime tea at night when watching TV, about an hour before bed. I’ve also heard of people taking it for muscle cramps and experiencing positive results. I never had any GI effects from it so I think it depends on the person! It’s sold in a lot off health food stores and on Amazon too: https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Anti-Stress-Supplement-Raspberry/dp/B00BPUY3W0 I recommend the raspberry lemon flavor :)
Megan Coffey says
I’ve used magnesium lotion. It’s supposed to be more easily absorbed by the body than supplements. I use it on my boys at night as well. 👍 The brand was called Ancient Minerals on Amazon.
Erin m. says
I take magnesium and feel that it helps with my sleep and migraines. It very well could also help with muscle recovery, too! Also, aerie has the BEST sweatshirts ever, if You are looking for more.
Mary Burns says
We’ve actually gotten a pretty good start on the Christmas shopping this year, hoping to be done by the end of the month. I was thinking about taking magnesium for my migraines, but ended up taking melatonin instead. I’ve heard great things about it though, so hopefully it will help with your muscle cramps. Have a great weekend!
Amanda says
The BEST magnesium is magnesium glycinate and you can get it on amazon. The Calm drink is ok but long term absorption is better with the pill form as glycinate!
Erin says
I started taking a magnesium supplement when I had a super annoying muscle twitch! Not sure if it’s the direct reason for it stopping but I keep taking it since I figure it can’t hurt.😁 I take the Spring Valley 400mg one from Walmart. You get like 250 of them, for $9!
Fiona MacDonald says
What a fun week! I’ve been taking ‘calm’ it’s a magnesium powder you can mix with water ( has sort of a sour taste but not terrible – they do come in flavours too ) and helps with sleep and muscle soreness before bed – I’m not always great remembering to take it but when I do it helps!
Jennifer Hoffman says
Magnesium will make you poop. Lol so it’s great if you’re constipated, but if not, I would recommend doing an epsom salt bath or a rub on like people mentioned above.
Crystal Doyle says
Ok! I am curious about the cotton balls in the jar for good behavior! I have a 6 year old boy who at times LOVES to test the limits. :) I am curious how the cotton ball system works. What size jar do you use? Thank you!!! And good luck next time he fills up the jar!
Courtney says
Hey Crystal! Oh man, we totally just went and “winged it!” I had been overthinking it for months, and finally we realized we just needed to do something. So I found a random plastic container, grabbed a bag of cottonballs, and told him we were going to make a goal to fill it to the top. He never got them taken away, since we wanted to focus on the positive. And in the beginning, there was lots of emphasis on earning them (helping out, being kind, listening on the first ask, etc.), and extra opportunities to help get him excited. We didn’t always follow through with it, but for the most part, it definitely worked as an incentive and the positive reinforcement is something that works/worked well for him!