October has come and gone! We celebrated Halloween yesterday. At first, I was a little worried that it fell on a Monday this year. I was thinking it would not be as fun on a school night. But it turned out to be one of the best ones yet! I think we simplified the preparation so much that we actually got to enjoy ourselves more than when we plan a big party with games, elaborate food, etc. Hmmm…good to remember for future celebrations.
After all the September favorites, I was wondering if I would have anything new and notable to share from this month, but it turns out I do! I have been into a lot of new things lately. Care if I share?
Giant coloring sheet from Caravan Shoppe.
October Favorites
- Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality assessment? It has been a good 20 years since I took the Myers-Briggs. When I first took it, I came out an INTJ. I have always wondered if the outcome would be the same so many years later. Cup of Jo recently shared this personality test on their site. It is very user-friendly to take, and the results were extremely accurate. Turns out I am still an INTJ after all these years. The insight they provide into your personality type is extremely enlightening. Try it and see if it comes out accurately for you.
- For a while now, I have been digging around for a way to incorporate collagen into my diet. Yes, I am a bit of a nutrition nerd, I admit it. Collagen is an essential protein that is derived from animal connective tissue. Bone broth is one of the best ways to consume it, but the problem is that I am too lazy to make bone broth. When I stumbled upon Vital Proteins, a few weeks ago I knew I had found what I was looking for! They have a small but mighty line-up of clean, high-quality collagen products. I have been making smoothies in the morning with 2 scoops of THIS collagen powder for the past 2 weeks with good results. I feel like my skin looks better. Maybe more hydrated? I am all about it and curious to try the Collagen Beauty Greens and Beef Liver Pills next 🙂 Will keep you posted!
- So last month I shared how i was enjoying the Headspace App with one of my kids. This month there is another app I am using with them. It’s the Duolingo app. Have you heard about it?? Apparently millions of people are using it, so I am way late to the game. It is a FREE language-learning app. My mom has been using it for months to learn Italian. Our youngest son Max is using it to learn Spanish. The design of the site is simple and effective. They incentivize you to get on it every day. You advance through the lessons with a variety of teaching styles which keeps it interesting and fun. I noticed they also have a program available for schools. Anyway, if you have ever wanted to learn a language, I would definitely recommend it!
- Another thing I have been loving lately is Beautycounter products. Even though I try to eat clean, up until recently I had not put too much effort into using clean skincare and beauty products. Eliminating toxins is important to me, but I am taking baby steps. When I heard the Diane and Liz from the Balanced Bites podcast talking about the Beautycounter line, my ears perked up. I have been learning about wellness from these two knowledgeable ladies for about 3 years now and I really trust them. Liz specifically is an expert on clean skincare and cosmetics. So when she started singing the praises of Beautycounter, I was curious to try them out. What makes them unique is that they have banned 1500 harmful or questionable chemicals from their products. The part that I find super scary is that they European Union has banned 1300 of these chemicals also – but the U.S. has not 🙁
I have been super pleased with everything I’ve ordered so far. If I had to recommend a few products, I would say the charcoal mask and the dew skin tinted moisturizer are my very favorites. The shampoo has been fantastic too! For my next purchase, I am eyeing the concealer and the lustro shimmer oil for those pale leg days coming soon.
- One last little thing I want to share with you is a trick I have for keeping holiday celebrations fun and festive, without the fuss and expense of buying tons of stuff. Have you heard of Caravan Shoppe? It is the coolest little online shop for inexpensive printables you can use for parties or family celebrations. Yesterday (Halloween day) I decided at the last minute I wanted to have a kids’ activity at our Halloween get-together before trick-or-treating. I found this adorable giant Halloween coloring page on Caravan’s site and a fun poster for the wall.
Here’s how their site works: they design adorable digital products for holidays and celebrations. You pick what you like, and pay an extremely low price. Then, they email you the files for what you picked. From there, you just send it to your local printer, and for a few bucks, you are on your way!
I think what makes them such a fantastic option is that they are such talented designers. Both Alma and Melanie were my teachers at one time – Alma teaches online Illustrator classed, and Melanie teaches Photoshop and Web Design. I definitely plan on using some of their Christmas products for the class party I am heading up.
So those are my October favorites. What new products, apps, books, websites have you been into lately?
