Evolve Fit Wear

Josie Girl 7 Comments

First of all, thank you so much to your comments, emails, texts, and love for the 5th year of the JGB. I am blushing and so appreciate it all– thank you so much, and most of all, thank you for reading and letting me be in your life!  On to today’s post…

 

I spend half my life in fitness clothes — or at least, a big chunk of my morning — and therefore, like to be dressed in high performance (makes you run faster, right?) and cute (makes you hotter, right?) gear. So when I came across the fitness clothing site, Evolve Fit Wear, I was incredibly happy. AND THEN WHEN I FOUND OUT that the owner and creator of Evolve, Kyla Smith, is a blog follower (#humbled), I jumped at the opportunity to interview her. I love digging into people’s business and seeing what makes them tick and operate. Kyla is a strong entrepreneur who created an e-commerce fitness website from scratch. Take a look — what an inspiration!

 

Kyla -- can you handle the cutness? I want her whole look. Puppy included.

Kyla — can you handle the cuteness? I want her whole look. Puppy included.

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The Josie Girl Blog- 5 Years!

Josie Girl 17 Comments

Hi.  This is Ken.  The Josie Girl’s Husband.

 

I am hijacking the blog today to let you know that today is the 5 Year Anniversary of the Josie Girl Blog, which all started with this post here.

 

I am incredibly proud of my wife (Yael if you call her by her middle name, Anika if you call her by her first) for having the commitment, creativity, and discipline to put forth such great content over the last 5 years.  Since her “go-to” toast is lists, I wanted to share the Top Five Things you didn’t know about The Josie Girl / writing a blog:

 

1)      She is the anti-blogger.  Working in the industry, I can safely say writing good content is only 20% of being a mainstream blogger.  The other 80% is promoting yourself, through social media, networking, etc.  While The Josie Girl loves the 20%, she refuses to do the 80%.  She is the shyest blogger ever.  Her Instagram is private.  Her Twitter is run by the company (outed).  And she literally has never shared a single one of her posts on Facebook (and won’t let me do it either).  The vast majority of her friends don’t know about her secret blogger life, and she wants to keep it that way.  (NOTE: If you are a loyal reader, please recruit your friends!)

 

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Me and wifey

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Beef Pork Sticks

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Since I got a heads about a new butcher in the neighborhood, I have (oddly) spent a lot of time browsing their website and visiting their store. Located on 76th and 3rd avenue in NYC, they are exactly what I have been looking for: high quality meat from local farms. They have beautiful honeys, jams, yogurts, and spices… along with raw meat and cured beef sticks and beef jerky.

 

Simple sausage.

Simple sausage. Beef and pork raised right.

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Glimpse Guides – Travel with Kids

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Introduced by a good friend, I had the privilege of meeting Jordan Rhodes, the creator of the website Glimpse Guides. The website shares Jordan’s travel finds, reports on current fashion for children and adults, and provides a wide variety of travel tips for families. It is a great resource when booking trips with kids. (She also featured my tips on traveling in Paris… take a look here). As a mother of two (with the third on the way!), Jordan manages to visit, write, and post inspirational and helpful content — thank you so much!

 

Jordan (pregnant with her third child) and her husband this past Fall in Scotland.

Jordan (pregnant with her third child) and her husband this past Fall in Skibo Castle in Scotland. Her family loves Scotland as there are so many outdoor activities for all ages, and the beautiful, remote landscape is unrivaled.

 

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Storm King

Josie Girl 2 Comments

FIIIINNNNALLLLLLY, after ten years of putting it on my to-do-list for Fall, we made a trip to Storm King! And it was absolutely picturesque, glorious, beautiful, and enjoyable. Yes yes yes, our kids whined a little too much, and there are things we could have done differently, but overall, it was the perfect weekend activity….and we can’t wait to go back again!

 

Like person, like sculpture.

Like person, like sculpture.

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Superhero Muffins

Josie Girl 3 Comments

As I mentioned last week, my new favorite cookbook is “Run Fast Eat Slow” by Olympian Shalane Flanagan — I literally can’t get enough of it.  My most recent obsession is the “Superhero muffins,” as I have made four batches in the past two weeks (no joke). They are moist, filling, sweet, delicious, and healthy. And refined-sugar and gluten free.  And they make you feel like a superhero.

 

Run Fast. Eat Slow. (Not Run Slow, Eat Fast).

Run Fast. Eat Slow. (Not Run Slow, Eat Fast). Basically, all you need in life is a stick of butter and some veggies.

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Honey Harvesting

Josie Girl 3 Comments

All my California friends are doing the bee thing — meaning, they have bees and they harvest honey for fun. DON’T YOU LOVE CALIFORNIA? I swear I am going to be the first Manhattanite mother with a bee farm — really, seriously, I am doing it. Get ready, Natori Family, here come the bees! I am learning from my dear friends out west — and thankfully, my good friend, Katie, agreed to do a post on how to harvest honey — so fascinating (nature is insane, right?) — take a look!

_____

 

As summer comes to a close and fall ushers in, we did our honey harvest recently to capture sweetness to carry us through the winter. Beekeeping seems intimidating from afar, but once you get into it, you see that the hard working honey bees mind their own “bzzz-ness” for the most part and the honey harvesting process is fun, easy and satisfying…truly, five simple steps!

 

The first step is pulling frames full of honey from the hive. We only take only half of the frames and leave the rest of the honey filled frames for the bees to feed themselves over the winter. Paul uses smoke to calm the bees while he does his work.

 

Paul and his bees.

Paul and his bees.

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Politics. Sadness. Links.

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Although it seems like it should have been a joyous weekend celebrating my son’s seventh birthday (thank you so much to everyone who sent me greetings on his special day — truly felt like my birthday, thank you), it was darkened by the political climate in our country. I spent many “birthday greeting phone calls” talking and worrying about what was going on — it feels like a bad, bad movie.  It’s a scary world out there, and let’s make sure we do what is right for EVERY single person in our country, regardless of race, religion, gender, etc.  Here are some important links around the web.

 

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Family ice cream birthday party (celebrating Cruzzie’s 7th birthday and my sister’s 36th birthday) — the ice cream cake was DELICIOUS and I ate more than my fair share…..but YOLO.

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Healthy-ish Desserts

Josie Girl 2 Comments

I love dessert. Almost as much as I love my family. But I don’t like to eat too much sugar because I get jittery, emotional, and always have a sugar crash. So, when I don’t have time to bake my own health(ier) dessert, than I go to my local stores to purchase healthy-ish desserts. Here they are:

 

Yes, they are packaged food and store bought. But I like to think that they are healthier than a snickers bar, and made with higher quality ingredients in a more thoughtful process. But yes, you are so right, it is always HEALTHIER and better to make your own food at home, where you know exactly what is going into the food. But, YOLO (you only live once), so sometimes it is nice to just grab and go.

Yes, they are packaged food and store bought. But I like to think that they are healthier than a snickers bar, and made with higher quality ingredients in a more thoughtful process. But yes, you are so right, it is always HEALTHIER and better to make your own food at home, where you know exactly what is going into the food. But, YOLO (you only live once), so sometimes it is nice to just grab and go.

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Currently Loving October 2016

Josie Girl 5 Comments

Can’t believe it’s the beginning of October! Here is what I am currently loving.

 

1.  Starboy by The Weekend and Daft Punk

 

I can't help my tween music taste, but really, The Weekend and Daft Punk together is the best duo ever. Kinda like if Coldplay were to jam out with Justin Bieber, I might die out of happiness. This song is everything. And helps me move.

I can’t help my tween music taste, but really, The Weekend and Daft Punk together is the best duo ever. Kinda like if Coldplay were to jam out with Justin Bieber. This song is everything. And helps me move.

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Scrumptious Banana Bread

Josie Girl 3 Comments

The other morning when I was at my good friend’s house, she had just pulled banana bread out of the oven (how she makes banana bread while dealing with two kids on a school morning amazes me to no end!). She offered a piece, and although I had already eaten breakfast, I couldn’t say no. And HOLY crap, this was the best banana bread ever. Thankfully, she sent me the recipe and here it is!

 

This is how I bake....6:30 am on a Sunday morning, in my pajamas, totally disheveled, with my little baking partner (my 4 year old), with flour all over myself. But at least I am wearing FEATHERS undies.

This is how I bake….6:30 am on a Sunday morning, in my pajamas, totally disheveled, with my little baking partner (my 4 year old), and flour all over myself. But at least I am wearing FEATHERS undies. (I promise you this photo was not staged — Ken took  a photo of me because he said it looked ridiculous with the hand print).

 

Ingredients:

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Clog Master, Take 3

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Yes yes, it is true. I now own three pairs of custom made clogs. Not necessarily a hip Upper East Side choice of footwear, but I can’t help myself; they are just too good to be true. I have a normal red pair, a higher heel-ed black pair, and now a crazy nude / fringe / boho one. Now that the Clogmaster has all my measurements, it is super easy to order. You call them, pick out the leather, the wood of the sole, the height, and voila — a custom fit beautiful clog. Check out how they make it here. For those of you who have never seen the Clogmaster to get your correct measurements, they are based in Southern California but make frequent trips to New York and San Francisco to fit customers. Trust me, it is worth it.  Ken even has 2 pairs (but the male clog trend isn’t exactly spreading through New York… yet.)

 

Nude and fringe

Nude and fringe

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Best Pens: International Arrivals

Josie Girl 1 Comment

I have a daughter who loves to draw and color, and as a result, I have bought many and many sets of pens, pencils, markers, and paints. For whatever reason, she only uses certain sets (picky about everything in life) and ALL of these sets are from a company called International Arrivals. Now I know not to bother buying any other type of pen. These coloring sets are fun, unique, and great for gifts, too.

 

Our typical breakfast routine....eating while coloring.

Our typical breakfast routine….eating while coloring. And as you can see, she is much more interested in her art than her food.

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Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee

Josie Girl 3 Comments

I am a big believer in having quick-easy-access to coffee. Sure, I love my morning hot coffee in the morning (but not if I have to make it — thank you, Babers, for prepping the coffee maker every night). But after my first (of two) cups of coffee, I want something quick and effortless. I am also a coffee snob which makes it that much more difficult. Thanks to Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee, I get everything I want just by opening up my fridge.

 

Big jugs of coffee.

Big jugs of coffee. Actually they are coffee concentrates, so they can be diluted. It depends on how jacked up on coffee you want to be.

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NYC Fall To Do List 2016

Josie Girl 2 Comments

So far, Fall has whooped my butt. I feel like I am always behind (like writing the weeks’ blog posts) and I can’t keep up. I know that everything is temporary, but right now, it is like 0 for me vs. 100 for everything else. So why not add on to how behind I am by creating a Fall wish list of activities for me to do :).   Here it is:

 

Start to school has kicked my bootie, but also the kids. This picture is of Toosh in the middle of the morning, who decided she was just going to rest instead of doing anything else. #Jealous

Start to school has kicked my bootie.  Same for the kids. This picture is of Toosh in the middle of the morning.  She decided she was just going to rest instead of doing anything else. #Jealous

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September 2016 Work Out Playlist

Josie Girl 3 Comments

One of Ken’s pet peeves is listening to me LISTEN to music to add to my playlists. Yes, it is a lot of stops and starts, but I need to in order to find good workout music! Since I am yet again running the NYC marathon and doing lots of long training runs, I am fired up for my newest running playlist.  Sorry, Babers! And yes, a reminder on why I run.

 

Hiking this summer. Yes, hiking is not running, and there is no ipod or music involved in hiking, but it is the closest photo I have of running.

Hiking this summer. Yes, hiking is not running, and there is no ipod or music involved in hiking, but it is the closest thing I have to a recent running photo

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Food Truck Wedding

Josie Girl 4 Comments

My sister got married this weekend in an amazing wedding in Portland, OR (yes, we just relocated the family back from the West Coast the weekend prior… lots of travel!)  It was beautiful, heart warming, emotional, and fun. I am so #blessed (#sorrynotsorry) that I love my family as much as I do — my sisters, brother, and parents (obviously, my husband and kids too)– so much that I just want to be with them all the time (which makes my re-entry to NYC all that much more difficult).  Outside of the event and family, the highlight of the wedding was my sister’s WEDDING FOOD! BEST WEDDING FOOD EVER EVER EVER.  And not just any food, it was FOOD TRUCKS. Yep, food trucks at a wedding. And it was AWESOME. There were three food trucks for the main meal, and one food truck for dessert #Winning.

 

hawaiian

Hawaiian Cuisine? Yes please! This truck was from 808 Grinds and served an assortment of meats, rices, and sides. My favorite dish was the Fried Chicken.

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Park City, Utah

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It feels like a million years ago that we were on vacation with our dear friends in Deer Valley / Park City, Utah. In reality, it was just a week ago (another trip to the West Coast this weekend for my sister’s wedding sure makes time confusing). Deer Valley was the perfect ending to a fabulous summer, filled with lots of activities and simple family fun with great friends. Here is a recap of our trip with recommendations.. Deer Valley is a PERFECT summer getaway (particularly at the end of the summer after Utah schools start up… everything was empty which was perfect!)

 

Utah

Utah

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Josie Natori RTW SS 2017 Fashion Presentation

Josie Girl 7 Comments

What better way to get back into the New York flow from the summer than by attending the Josie Natori SS2017 presentation.  I am in love. Presented at the Waterfall Mansion on the Upper East Side, the collection is airy, earthy, romantic, feminine, summer-y, and modern. Take a look at the pictures.

 

Rusty earthy colors.

Rusty earthy colors.

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Feathers Leopard Bra

Josie Girl 2 Comments

I am so stressed out right now — beyond belief — so here is something to cheer everyone up (including myself): a new FEATHERS leopard bra (color actually called “Exotic Dk Grey Print/Khaki” in the dropdown). Can you stand the cuteness? It might even make me smile and forget about all that has to be done? Check it out! Nothing like a racy – va-va-voom – bra to start out the new school year!

 

Yeehaw, or actually, ROOOOOAR

Yeehaw, or actually, ROOOOOAR

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Around The Web September 2016

Josie Girl 1 Comment

Sorry for all the personal posts recently! Seems like there has been a lot of traveling and exploring, and therefore lots of pictures and stories to share with you all. So here is a break from my personal life (thank god, right?) and links to things around the web that I find interesting!

 

My cool kid in the gorgeous state of Oregon.

My cool kid in the gorgeous state of Oregon.

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Napa Weekend

Josie Girl 4 Comments

On our final weekend on the West Coast (Best Coast), we went to Napa to celebrate our best friends’ joint 40th birthdays. It seems like there were a lot of California trips this summer (there were), but this one topped them all.  Just like we did 10 years prior for our friends’ wedding, we stayed at The Carneros Inn. Over the weekend, we had an incredible (INCREDIBLE) dinner at Ad Hoc, one of Thomas Keller’s restaurants, brunch at The Fremont Diner, and the party at The Barn at Cornerstone. Not only was it hog heaven food wise, but the weather, the company, and the experiences were all top notch. I already miss the ease of flying from Eugene to San Francisco, and all our West Coast friends….

 

White farm flowers.

White farm flowers.

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Renovation Post #1

Josie Girl 7 Comments

Exciting times for our family of four…..we are expanding! NO, NO NO NO, not to a family of five, but to a bigger apartment. We are currently (as of a few weeks ago) combining our apartment with the apartment below us, to give us more space and a forever family home. We are *INCREDIBLY* fortunate to have this dream come true, and we couldn’t be more excited. Thanks to the handful of friends who have looked through the plans, walked through the space, and given advice.  Thank you for being my support system — I wouldn’t be able to do it without you. And of course, main thank you to my Babers for giving us this dream and putting up with my anxiety and fear of being displaced for 6 months…

 

The stairs! Toosh's old room upstairs is now becoming the top landing of the stairs! It's currently a big hole -- but I can totally envision the stairs!

The stairs! Toosh’s old room upstairs is now becoming the top landing of the stairs! It’s currently a big hole — but I can totally envision the stairs!

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