friday post Archives - My Inner Shakti

Friday Stuff [#5]

I’m starting to think of our weeks in terms of Vishnu’s schedule. So for example, this week was his first week with call and this weekend is his first on call weekend. From now on, we will have call heavy weeks and more free weeks. I hate that I even think of that way (#independentwoman), but we’re living in Covid times, and call weeks are as exciting as life gets right now! Hopefully that changes soon because it’s not really that exciting. Ha!

Anyways, let’s jump right in…

Instagram LIVE

My good friend Aartee and I are doing an Instagram LIVE next week, and we’re so excited. We’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, but the timing never felt right. We both love engaging with people on the platform and have had so many insightful conversations offline that we thought, why not bring it all together! Hope you’ll join us!

Shorts

Kaiden refuses to wear shorts when he’s at home. It could be 100 degrees outside, and the boy will only wear pants. Some days, I’ll convince him to put on shorts, but then he’ll say, “No, I want to wear pants!” The only way he wears shorts is if he has an accident at school and the teachers change him into shorts. That’s ok, but mama asking him to wear shorts is not. Sounds about right!

Walks

Y’all know I like to work out during my lunch hour when I can. Sometimes that’s an intense HIIT/strength workout and sometimes it’s a…walk! The other day, I set everything up to work out at home with the Peloton app, and then at the very last minute, I changed my mind and went out for a walk. Best decision ever! It’s super hot here in Chicago right now, but for some reason, that 30-40 minute walk (whenever I opt for that) does wonders for my soul. It feels so freeing after sitting at my desk for four hours. Bottom line – if you can’t do anything else, try and go for a walk!

Coach training program

If you follow me on Instagram, you may recall a post about the iPEC coaching program I signed up for to become a professional coach. Long story short, my first module was supposed to be in March, but because of Covid, it got pushed back. I actually declined going to the first virtual workshop because I (naively) thought that by June we’d be back to business as usual. Meaning I could attend a face-to-face session. Turns out I was wrong, so I signed up for the next virtual option. AND THAT IS NEXT WEEKEND! I’m so excited!

I can’t wait to share all that I learn!

Kaiden in action (at school)

And that concludes this week’s Friday Stuff post. A little short but always sweet!

Have a great Friday and weekend!

Friday Stuff [#4]

written by Parita 2 Comments

Helllllooo Friday! Thought you’d never get here! I’m excited for this weekend because it’s the first after Vishnu started fellowship. He’s been working a lot this week, so it’ll be nice to spend time as a family.

With that, let’s get to it. Fittingly, this is my 4th Friday Stuff post, and I have four things to share.

The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix

Stop what you’re doing and watch this show! If you were a fan of the books growing up, this one is a must. I LOVE it, as demonstrated by the fact that I finished season one in two days!

The cast is perfect, the story lines aren’t too over the top or cheesy, and the modern twists are fun.

Question for you guys – who was your favorite character growing up? I’m nothing like her but I loved Claudia. She was so spunky and fun. But if we’re talking about who I was most like, it’s definitely Kristy (minus the tomboy part).

First week of fellowship

For Vishnu, this week has been busy and hard. He leaves the house no later than 6:45a and gets home between 5:30-7:15p. This is a very big change from his residency schedule the past few months, and while I miss him, I know he’s going to love the experience and that it’s going to set him up for success.

As far as K and I are concerned, we’re doing good. We have a morning routine we follow, and if it’s just the two of us, an evening one too. So far, I’m loving 3! Kaiden is so funny and his antics always make me laugh (for the most part). And I’m very lucky that he’s eager to go to school in the mornings. If that wasn’t the case, the whole thing would be super hard and a little miserable!

Nightgowns

Every time I got to my sister’s place, I end up online shopping after seeing her purchases. That’s exactly what happened after she showed me the Costco nightgowns she bought recently.

Our room has been super hot lately, and I don’t help the situation by wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt every night. I thought maybe these gowns would help me stay cooler. We shall see!

Tatcha SPF

I love my Drunk Elephant SPF, but I wanted to try something new for every day use. I know this is a bit on the pricier side, but I’m ok with spending a little more on skincare, since I don’t spend much in other categories (especially right now).

I went with Tatcha because it’s a clean brand known for really good products. And I have super sensitive skin, so I have to really careful about what I use. I’ve worked too hard to get my skin to the point it’s at right now!

I’ll share more thoughts once I’ve actually used this, but I’m hoping it’s nothing but great!

Well, that’s all she wrote! Hope y’all have a great Friday and weekend. 🙂

Friday Thoughts + Favorite Links

written by Parita Leave a Comment

I don’t have many Friday thoughts to share this week. This mama is a little tired and ready to sleep. I looked at Vishnu the other day and said, “I’m craving eight uninterrupted hours of sleep.” He responded with a very honest, “Yeah. Good luck with that!” Touche, husband, touche!

Even though I can hardly tell Tuesday apart from Friday these days, I still get excited about the end of the week. With that being said, this week was surprisingly smooth given Vishnu’s schedule (he worked nights). More on this topic coming soon.

Other than lots of Kaiden time this week, I fit in a couple of lunches with friends, some quality time with my sister, and lots of Parita time (between the hours of 7p and 11p). And believe it or not, I didn’t take any non-K pics.

This coming weekend should be…well, exhausting! Vishnu works a 24 hour shift on Saturday (8 am to 8 am), so I’ll be on my own. It should be ok though, as Kaiden is still a pretty chill little guy. Even still, I told Vishnu I have zero plans. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Let’s move on to some of my favorite links from the week…

Something I’ve thought about more than once.

Great tips on how to be mindful in order to make better decisions!

I heart this!

An insightful Q&A with Gretchen Rubin.

I can see how these tips create a strong parenting foundation.

So so sweet…cherish all the moments, people!

Soon enough, I’ll be able to relate (oh man!). “So today I choose to cherish the mess. To leave the stress behind and know that it isn’t possible to do it all. To know that we are not meant to have super clean homes and awesome jobs and perfectly behaved children all at the same time.”

Not the same but better!

Love this post about finding food freedom. I can relate to so much of Jen’s journey.

Julie’s post about “those” days really hit home.

Brittany is also a fan of Brene Brown. Naturally, I loved reading about her perspective on vulnerability and being seen.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Friday Favorites

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Phew! What a week…it’s been go, go, go since Monday morning. I’m exhausted. Like every body part feels weighed down. Not to mention, I could go to bed at 6 pm and it’d probably still not be enough (3rd trimester sleep is the WORST!). As I like to say though, all for a good cause! The countdown to meet our little guy is on. Less than five weeks until my due date. Ahh!

Anyways, more about the third trimester in all its glory next week.

On to what you’re probably here to read…this week’s Friday Favorites!

Le Tote ( <–referral link!) – I need to write a ‘how I managed my maternity wardrobe’ post because I have no regrets with my choices of subscribing to Le Tote and buying a few key pieces of my own. In the meantime, check out the Le Tote outfits I wore this week. Too cute not to share!

Every now and again, I go back and read some of my past posts. It’s kind of incredible how much of my life is documented on MIS – the past 6.5 years! My birthday reflection posts are some of my favorites…

32 Lessons in 32 Years
Thoughts on Turning 30
29 Years Young

I got a pedicure last weekend, and it was the most glorious thing ever. Before getting pregnant, pedicures had nothing to do with pampering myself. It was more about the need. Now? It’s pure pampering! And on top of that, I think I found my Chicago nail salon!

Our five year legal wedding anniversary was this past week. Not something we usually remember, but Facebook does. Can’t believe it’s been five years since I married this goof…

Pregnancy humor that’s funny and oh so true…

This wasn’t necessarily a favorite moment by any means, but I definitely woke up a couple of nights ago screaming in pain because of a calf cramp. Poor Vishnu! He woke up (very startled) and massaged my leg until the pain subsided. What a guy!

Favorite links of the week:

How a Parent’s Affection Shapes a Child’s Happiness for Life
11 Adorable Comics that Get to the Heart of Parenthood
Viral Comic Describing the Mother Mental Load is Everything
Love this…so true!
How delicious do these Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies look? Definitely making soon!

Happy Friday!

Tell me – any favorites from this past week – moments, links, finds, etc.?

Mind Dump

written by Parita 13 Comments

1. It’s Friday. Enough said.

2. Certain parts of this week’s Modern Family actually freaked me out a little. A comedy scared me. Only me!

3. I’m going home for a week in November! And yes, I said “I” and not “we.” Vishnu will not be coming. Sad smile His school scheduled comprehensive finals starting the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. SO DUMB!

4. Everyone needs to follow Thought Catalog and Uber Facts on Twitter. Just know this though – your overall productivity will be impacted. Consider yourself warned.

5. This is so me.

6. Vishnu introduced me to Coursera the other night, and because I’m a nerd, I signed up for two classes – Fundamentals of Human Nutrition and Introduction to Philosophy. By the way, these classes are FREE! However, there is real coursework involved – readings, papers, etc. I plan on doing the work, but it’s nice to know that there is no real punishment for missing an assignment. Anyway, I’ll let y’all know how it goes as these particular classes aren’t slated to start until early 2013. The only downside is that sometimes courses are cancelled based on the professor’s schedule. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

7. Next Tuesday Vishnu and I are going here for dinner. Woot woot!

8. I am working from home today because the weather is ridiculous. I don’t feel like dealing with wind, rain, and crazy drivers. No thank you! For anyone that lives on the eastern seaboard…be safe! Hurricane Sandy looks like one tough cookie.

9. My favorite someecard…

10. Enjoy the weekend!