Friday Favorites

A lot of Friday mornings, I’ll wake up singing that “Friday” song by Rebecca Black in my head. Haha, please tell me I’m not the only one. 

But anyway… happy Friday, my friends. This week surprisingly flew by! I was able to get a bunch of work and blog stuff completed, including a solid content calendar for May. This is huge for me, because most months I only have a rough idea of the topics that I’m going to blog about. I’m going to really push myself in May to stick to schedule and post at least 4x a week. Do we think I can do it? Let’s hope so. I have a few days still open for blog posts, so leave me a comment below or on my most recent Instagram post letting me know what types of posts you’d be interested in reading. 

Here are my Friday Favorites from this week.

1. “From the Heart” Podcast

Many of you know that I spend close to 2 hours a day in my car, driving to and from work. I love listening to podcasts to pass the time. I was looking through iTunes this week to find a new podcast, and came across From the Heart: Conversations with Yoga Girl. It was on the top of the Health category chart, so I figured I’d give it a listen. 

There’s only 3 episodes so far, but my favorite is the one launched on April 7 called Manifesting Abundance. It’s all about manifesting financial freedom, staying true to who you are, and doing business with your heart. Rachel shares her own personal financial story starting with her childhood – living with her mom who struggled to make ends meet and her dad who was well-off. She also talks about how she built her business out of nothing. After going through her back story, she discusses how using meditation helped her cultivate trust and a life that she always dreamed of.

So if you’re interested in yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and similar topics, I highly recommend you listen to this podcast. It’s really uplifting and I love starting my day with it. You can listen directly on Rachel’s website, or download on iTunes. 

2. The Blog Connect Conference

I’ve talked about this a few weeks ago (read all about it here), but I’m speaking at The Blog Connect conference next weekend – April 22-23! I can’t believe it’s coming up soon. I attended last year and had a blast, so I was super excited when they asked if I’d be interested in being on the panel this year. I’ll be talking all about working with brands, when you should and shouldn’t work for free, how to reach out to brands and find the correct contact, and so much more.

If you’re a Philly-area blogger or if you’ve always wanted to start a blog, I hope you’ll come attend The Blog Connect. Tickets are still on sale here. 

3. Staedtler Pens

This next favorite is kind of random, but let’s just go with it. I found the most amazing pens. Call me a stationery nerd, but it’s true. I could spend hours walking through Staples or Office Max, or surfing Amazon for new products. That’s what I was recently doing when I found the Staedtler Marker Pens on Amazon for less than $10. Of course, I had to buy them right away and try them out. 

OMG you guys, I love these pens for so many reasons. I use them for writing in my planner, editing/proofing documents at work, making to-do lists… really whatever! They don’t bleed through paper like a lot of other marker pens, and they dry quickly and don’t smear as I’m writing {left-handed problems}. The set I bought has a bunch of cute colors that come in a handy storage case, so I can just throw it in my bag without worrying about them opening and leaking all over. I wish I had found them sooner, because I would’ve been using these for years by now. You can get your own set here. 

4. Kong Dog Brush

I used to share a bunch of dog-related posts when we first got Pete, but haven’t shared a lot recently. So, let’s switch gears a bit and talk about a pet wellness favorite. This product I bought on Amazon a couple of years ago, shortly after we got Pete, but I just found it again. It’s the Kong “ZoomGroom” dog brush and it’s one of Pete’s favorite things {aside from bananas and peanut butter}.

At least once a week, I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of brushing Pete’s coat. It’s not only good to get rid of excess hair build-up, but brushing also promotes healthy skin and circulation. It’s like a mini massage, and he LOVES it. He’ll just lie on the bed and let me brush him. He doesn’t fidget at all! It’s kind of funny. 

If you have a small dog, definitely get the version that I have. If you have a larger breed, this one is a better option. 

// Have a great Friday, everyone. Make sure to follow me on Snapchat to keep up with me during the weekend.