Sleep-In Saturday: Stay at Home Spa.

What's better than spending the entire day pampering each other? NOTHING. Pat and I luxuriate a lot more often than other couples; but to be fair we do use the term for everything from laying on the couch watching TV to getting really (insanely) long bubble baths.

I really love the idea of taking care of each other after a busy week, not only do we have time to reconnect and reflect, but it's also the perfect way to relax! Pick up (or make) a few bath bombs and a fun mask, put together a magical playlist, and spend the night making each other feel the most pampered!

BATH BOMBS + BUBBLE BARS WE LOVE:
-DIY Fizzies via Martha Stewart: We used Grapefruit Essential Oil because that was all I could find at the last minute, but they smelled amazing. Instead of using water, use witch hazel exclusively. The fizzies will be harder and dry more quickly

-Sunny Side Bubble Bar: This is our ABSOLUTE favorite!!!!!

-Blackberry: Pat ADORES this one! The scent lasts forever

-Mr. Bubble: Don't turn your nose up at this classic! SO MANY BUBBLES!

Create your perfect at home spa experience and  procrastinate for the rest of the day! Saturdays are for LUXURIATING!  

Sleep-In Saturday: Paint a Wall.

Painting a wall seems like hard work, but it's a cost effective and fun way to update your space! Pat and I have never painted a wall (alone or together) until last week, and we had THE MOST fun. There's something about working together and making a giant mess that is definitely more romantic than it sounds.

During the process we learned (and daydreamed) a lot. I came up with a list of Do's and Don'ts for first time painters looking to enjoy Sleep-in Saturday.

Do:

-TAPE EVERYTHING. Even if you don't think you need to. Pat taped a corner that I never would have thought to, and I'm so glad he did! Sometimes, you lose control of the roller or paint splatters from the brushes! Be prepared!
-PUT DOWN A DROP CLOTH. I didn't think it was necessary to buy one, but we did rip open trash bags and tape them near the baseboards. I'm really clumsy, so in the long run, this precaution was necessary.
-USE A PRIMER. Just do it.

Don't:

-Draw on the wall with sharpie because you think it will be a cute photo-op. It shows through. I promise.
-Try to prime the spots where the sharpie shows through after painting. You'll get shiny spots on the wall if you look at it from certain angles.
-Put a second coat in only one area. (See above). If you want/need a second coat, paint the whole wall.

But seriously, just have fun! Enjoy the process and enjoy spending quality time with your sweetie!


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Sleep-In Saturday: Healthy Breakfast Edition.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, possibly even Twitter, you may have already come the conclusion that I've recently started dating the most INCREDIBLE man on the planet. We've been doing tons of really amazing and adorable things; each date is more magical than the last. But, I'm saving that for another series...

Pat and I are lucky enough to be able to spend Friday night and all of Saturday together. However, there is one caveat; we live in a suburban area and don't always have access to a car on those two days. Which means we're on own for 24 hours. We've taken it as a personal challenge to find fun, quirky things that we can do together on Saturdays that don't require driving or even leaving the house.

We decided to do this series not only to motivate inspire all of you, but also to keep us from laying on the couch watching reality TV all day (which we are pretty much professionals at, anyway).


This week, I decided that we would experiment with insanely healthy breakfast options that include alternate, mildly off-kilter proteins like chia seeds and quinoa.

I made APPLE QUINOA BITES from And They Cooked Happily Ever After and they were devoured in mere seconds. We ate the first 12 in record time. I'm not big on breakfast, but I still made a healthy dent in the two dozen the recipe yielded. I skipped the maple syrup (because we were out) and used stevia in place of the white sugar because; why not? Honestly, we really did love them. I took the few remaining pieces to work the next where they were greeted once again by smiling faces.

I love smoothies in the morning, but feel rather neutral about peanut butter. I put my bias aside because I thought that Pat may enjoy the Peanut Butter Bomb Smoothie from Oh She Glows! and I'm so glad I did! We both adored it! I used natural, organic unsweetened peanut butter and extra chia seeds because I love them. I did skip out on the complicated topping. I'm not a morning person, so the fact that I cooked anything before coffee was a personal triumph. There was no need to show off.

All-in-all, our experimantal healthy breakfast went really well. Once of tummies were full, we did luxuriate for the rest of the day (and by luxuriate, I mean we-snuggled-on-the-couch-and-watched-Harry-Potter). It was perfect.

What do YOU do on Saturdays?