Jazzercise on Demand Review

Home workouts are all of the rage in 2020, although I have been always working out at home. I am sure that as the number of cases rise, so will the amount of people that probably will be working up from home.

I’ve been using the Jazzercise on Demand for about two months now. The app is basically a library of jazzercise workouts at all different types and times. There is a huge variety of workouts: strike (which is essentially kickboxing), HIIT, dance, band classes, and strength. The app costs $19.99 a month, and allows you to use it unlimited times. New workouts are added pretty regularly as well.

I’ve never done Jazzercise prior to getting this app, but I am going to be honest. I really love it. I use this app at least two to three times a week.

There are a variety of different classes of different levels. There are express classes, which are a little lighter and are great for those who are just starting with the classes. These classes are typically around 30 minutes, and offer a mixture of cardio and strength. There are also HIIT and Strike classes, which are intense and kick your butt in the best way possible. And, there are strength classes as well, which are great on their own, but also are amazing to pair with cardio since classes vary from ten to thirty minutes.

I am going to be honest here. I am obsessed with this app. I have used Jillian Micheals in the past, and I love this so much more. The amount of positivity and encouragement that these instructors give you is amazing, because when class is done, I always feel as though I am on top of the world. I am a clock watcher when it comes to workout videos, but I really find myself not doing this as much with this app. These classes are still hard, but paired with the music, it’s actually really fun.

I am not going to post pictures, but I love that these give your body a complete workout, especially the HIIT and the Strike. I’ve noticed a difference in my arms, my abs and my thighs as well. Typically, I do at least one class that is 40 minutes long, and then a few of the express ones. Sometimes, I’ll do the ten minute mini strength classes as well. There are a ton of challenges and collections as well, but I honestly just use them with whatever I feel up to that day.

That said, I highly recommend this app. It is actually really affordable, because classes are typically $15 per class, and this subscription is $20 a month. I also love it that you can do this anywhere and at any time. I often workout early in the morning, and this really helps me be able to work out.

This is by far my favorite home workout app, because other than weights and bands, you really don’t need expensive equipment. You just need yourself. This is perfect for someone on a budget, and this is great for someone who just wants to have fun with working out.

Overall, I love this app, and if you’re thinking about using it, I highly recommend that you at least try the free trial. For further information, check out their website here.

Note: I was not compensated for this post in any way and all opinions are my own.

Book Versus Movie — Dash and Lily

Yeah, Netflix did it again. They turned another YA novel into a movie. Well, it’s a mini series in this case, but you get the point. Netflix has become home to the adaptations of many Young Adult bestsellers, including the To All of the Boys I Loved Before series, The Kissing Booth novels, and now, Dash and Lily.

Dash and Lily premiered on Netflix last month. It is eight episodes long, and the book series as of the time that this is published, is a trilogy by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The novel starts out like this: “Imagine this: you’re in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author’s books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.”

The premise of the series is basically a Christmas scavenger hunt in New York City. New York City is the best place to be during the holiday season. We have Dash and Lily who are complete and total opposites. Dash is the anti-Christmas, while Lily is obsessed with the holiday. Dash is wandering the Strand bookstore, when he comes across a red notebook in the Sallinger section with the title do you dare? Intrigued, Dash picks up the notebook and begins a series of dares. Once completing them, he then leaves the book, with his own dares.

This then turned into a series of dares on both ends. Throughout these dares, they both become close to them and fall in love with the person at the end of the pen.

I am going to be honest here. For the most part, the book and the series are pretty similar, which is great. That said, the big difference is that in the show Dash is a little more upset about the breakup with Sofia then he was in the book. In the show, he also rejects her, where in the book, he does not and they end up hooking up.

That said, I loved both the books and the series. I thought that this was really adorable and it really got me into the Christmas spirit. Furthermore, I also enjoyed watching the series because it brought me to New York City in the fall, which due to the pandemic is somewhere where I can’t visit at the moment. I highly recommend both if you’re looking for a holiday read or show, because this show honestly is what Christmas is all about. And, both honestly put such a huge smile on my face.

Decorating For Christmas!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is decorating. Since my mom passed away last year, this has become a bittersweet memory for me because she loved decorating so much. Last year, I used a similar tree that we had in years past, but this year, my boyfriend and I purchased a pencil tree that is more pet-friendly. Much of my decor was passed down from my mom, other than a few exceptions.

To help get into the holiday spirit, I started by playing some holiday music. I have a Christmas playlist on Spotify that I’ve been loving and I have been listening to for the past few years.

The first thing that I did was take down all of my fall decor, which isn’t much other than crochet pumpkins. I have some knickknacks that were collected over the years, as well as a ceramic tree that I made last year, so I put those in a little display in my family room. What I love about this display versus having the tree there (which I’ve had in years past), is that it’s low-risk in case Lucy decides to jump on there. I did add my salt lamps, which are deep enough to keep Lucy from licking for an additional glow. In addition, I put my Christmas throw pillow on my recliner.

In the kitchen, I replaced our usual centerpiece with a ceramic Christmas tree that my mom made many years ago. It used to light up with a base, but because it looked questionable, I didn’t want to risk it so I turned it into a centerpiece.

In addition, I also changed up my fall signs to my Christmas Snoopy pictures that I got from TJ Maxx last year. I love Snoopy and it’s not a holiday for me without watching the Charlie Brown Christmas specials, so Snoopy is a huge part of my holiday decorating.

Finally, I changed my message board to say something more festive as well, which is seasons eatings and good spirits.

The last place that I put up Christmas decorations was the living room. The biggest one being the Christmas tree. Like I said earlier, this Christmas tree is new, because I wanted a taller tree that was more dog friendly. I also wanted it in the living room, because there is less of a chance for her to jump on it, and break anything. The pencil tree is something that takes up very little space, but is very tall. I like it because my house is on the smaller side, but it’s still fits perfectly. Many of the ornaments were my mom’s, and putting up the tree made me emotional because it was something that I did with my mom.

The last thing that I did was put up my stockings. Like I did last year, I put my mom’s stocking up, along with my stocking that I’ve had since I was born, and Lucy’s.

My decor is very simple, but every piece of it has a meaning to it. That’s what I love about Christmas. Christmas is one of the hardest times of year since losing my mom, since she was very into Christmas and decorating for the holiday.

Did you decorate for Christmas yet? Let me know in the comments below.

November Reading Wrap Ups/December TBR

I love doing the reading wrap-ups every month, and I am so glad to be continuing them again since I was taking a blogging break last month.

This month was a weird reading month. I read three very long fantasy novels, and also read (well listened to) an entire novel in a day. I also have read some of the Dash and Lily series after binge watching the series in two days.

December’s reading wrap up will likely consist of holiday reads. You can check out my holiday TBR by going to yesterday’s post. I also hope to get to the second Discovery of Witches novel (or at least start it) before the end of the year.

That said, here are all of the books that I read in November:

  • Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: I gave this book a rating of four out of five stars. I loved this book, because it was Twilight for grownups with a twist. I liked the romance and the angst in the novels and flew through the second half of the book. That said, I did not find it realistic that Diana fell in love so quickly with Matthew. Unlike Bella in Twilight, she was not a complete damsel in distress. However, I didn’t believe it, because of the fact that she was a professor and she was a witch. That said, I still enjoyed the novel, and hope to continue with the series in 2021.
  • Presence by Marissa D’Angelo: I was gifted this book from the author, and will not rate that for that reason. The novel is about Adam, who follows in his father’s footsteps in becoming a photographer for a local newspaper. However, he is engrossed with the mystery of the local island. I will be writing a further review of this later on in the month, but in the mean time, you can check the book out here.
  • From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I gave this book a rating of five out of five stars. This novel is about Poppy, who is the maiden. This means that she must remain pure and untouched. However, she is rebellious and learns how to fight despite this status. She is about to enter her Acension, which is something that she is terrified about. When she meets Hawke, her royal guard, she is challenged by a fallen kingdom, as well as the feelings of desire. I loved this book, and finished the second half of the book in a day. I loved that in the second half, there is a twist that I didn’t see coming, and I was left in awe.
  • Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I gave this book a rating of four out of five stars. This is the sequel to From Blood and Ash, and because of that, I will not give much away. I liked this book, and I didn’t. I wanted more answers about Poppy’s history, and was disappointed when there wasn’t. I did love the romance in the novel, and I still enjoyed reading it.
  • Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis: Remember that audiobook I was talking about earlier? Yeah, this is it. This is a great book to listen to if you’re going through something in life. I was so inspired and fired up after reading this and loved the audiobook. I gave this a solid five out of five stars.
  • Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn: I gave this book five out of five stars. “Imagine this: you’re in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author’s books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.” That begins Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. I picked this book up after watching the movie and really enjoyed it. This was really cute, and I really enjoyed reading it. It was just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit.
  • 12 Days of Dash and Lily by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn: I heard mixed reviews about the sequel, but I wanted to try it. And, I am glad that I did. I won’t give away much about the book, however, I did give it four out of five stars.

Christmas TBR

Welcome to Day Two of Blogmas! Today, I wanted to share my TBR for holiday themed reads.

I have held off reading Christmas/holiday themed books until now, because I like to save them for December to help me get into the holiday spirit.

This year, I only have a few books I want to get to, but nonetheless, am really excited to get to them.

That said, here is my holiday reading TBR:

1. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

2. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

3. Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

4. Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

Like I said, it’s shorter than my usual TBRS. However, I am sure that I am going to enjoy each and every one of these books.

What I Love Wednesday December 2, 2020

Happy Wednesday and second day of Blogmas. I am so excited that we are now in the holiday season, because now I can listen to Christmas music and appreciate my Christmas tree. It is also the most challenging time of year for me, since Christmas without my mom isn’t easy. By doing Blogmas, it actually creates a distraction from all of the sadness of dealing with the loss of my mom. 

That said, I wanted to share some of this week’s favorites.


Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus: I am such a huge fan of Miley Cyrus since she was Hannah Montana. In fact, I think I still have the Hannah Montana CDs in my house. That said, I really am loving her new album, Plastic Hearts. I am getting the 80s’ rock vibe from it, and I am here for this era of Miley Cyrus. My favorite songs are: Prisoner, WTF Do I Know, and Midnight Sky.

Rachel Hollis’ Didn’t See That Coming: I love Rachel Hollis’ new book. I listened to the audiobook a few weeks ago, even though I have the physical book. I am going to be honest, I loved the audiobook. It was really great to listen to. The book talks a lot about healing, and is something that is a great resource for someone that is grieving or going through something. Since I do have the physical book, I’ve been using that as a way to journal and reflect. I really recommend this book as a way to grow, and am considering getting her other two books — which I loved — on audio to serve as inspiration.

The Sopranos: I am so glad that I finally have the ability to binge my favorite shows now that I can use HBO Maxx on my Firestick (Thank you AT&T for including this in the plan.) I love this especially since I can finally watch the Sopranos in full. I am currently in season one, but I can’t wait to cross another show off of my list.

Madewell Roadtripper Jeans: I am a huge fan of Madewell, as many of you know. Nordstrom was having their Black Friday sales early this year, so I snagged a pair of these jeans. I got them the next day and wore them last Friday. These jeans are really comfortable, and they fit great. I loved them so much, I ended up purchasing a second pair actually. I can see these quickly becoming my new favorite pair of jeans.

New YouTubers: I stumbled across two Youtubers — helloxluxury and Angel Nguyen. They both talk about jewelry and luxury fashion. Even though I am not purchasing a luxury bag or item for a while, I still enjoy watching those type of videos, and they both give honest views on the products that they talk about. Therefore, I really enjoy their videos.

I Can’t Do Everything

First and foremost, happy December first. Happy holiday season. And, happy last month of 2020. 

This post is to be the first in a series of 25 for Blogmas. Blogmas, for those of you who don’t know, is when I post a post everyday for the first 25 days of December. I joined mid-month last year, and it really kickstarted a year of growth for me. 

I do want to talk about Blogmas and my perception towards blogging. I am beginning to experience blogger burnout.
In addition to blogging, I also work full-time. I also have other hobbies, such as reading, crocheting, and other crafts. And, I have adulting and family and friends.

I’ve been feeling overwhelmed a lot with balancing it all. However, it did dawn on me: I truly can’t do everything. There are only so many hours in the day, and there are so many things that I can do before I crash.

Therefore, I am realizing that I can’t do everything that I would like to. And, that’s okay. 

Sure, it would be nice to read the amount of books that booktubers read, blog almost daily, and crochet all of the things. However, I just don’t have that luxury. And, lately, I’ve entered a reading slump as well. 

So, instead of being so hard on myself, I am realizing that I can not do everything. I am not superwoman. I am simply a woman. 

And, that’s okay. 

As 2021 hits, I am working on creating a better balance with everything that I want to do. My main priorities will consist of work and my dog of course, but after that, I want to focus on enjoying everything more, and worrying about a goal less. And, part of that, was the realization that I truly can not do everything I would like to.

In terms of Blogmas, this means that I am going to try my best to get as many days posted as I can. If I can’t get them all, I’m going to not worry about it. At the end of the day, I would rather put out a post that is a quality read versus something that was whipped up.

And, that’s okay. If 2020 had taught us anything, it is to be gentle on ourselves and giving ourselves grace. This is me giving myself that some rights.

What I Love Wednesday: 11/25

Happy day before Thanksgiving everyone! Thanksgiving is looking a little different this year, but I wanted to take a moment to share some of my favorites from this past week, since next week is going to be Blogmas content. Can you believe that we’re already about to be in December? I can’t.
That said, this post will be the last of the week so I can enjoy a break blogging. So, without further adue, here are this week’s favorites:

Dash and Lily: I heard about this, and watched the first episode, and was instantly hooked. It is a Netflix show that is about a girl named Lily who leaves a red notebook in the Strand looking for love, and a lonely boy named Dash finds it and completes the challenge. The two begin to talk and they really hit it off. At the time of writing this post, I have binged watched six episodes, and am really looking forward to finishing the show. The show is a really quick watch, and I began reading the book as well. It is definitely a cute Christmas show if you’re looking for something to get you in the holiday spirit.

Pandora Beads and Pave Bracelet: I mentioned that I’ve been taking advantage of the Pandora sale and this is one of the things that I’ve purchased. I bought this a few weeks ago, and it came into the mail last week. I have not taken this off since I got it, and I like it that it’s a piece that I can wear with everything. I really love layering this with some other bracelets as well.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread: My boyfriend got into Trader Joe’s this past week, and I was really excited that he did. One of the things that he purchased was their pumpkin bread, which is really delicious. I have had it with avocado and hummus, and it was delicious.

Trader Joe’s Vegan Mac and Cheese: It has been seven years since I’ve had Macaroni and Cheese. My boyfriend also picked this up, and I really enjoyed it with broccoli. I am the type of person who is skeptical when it comes to vegan items and was pleasantly surprised that this tasted as good as it was. It’s amazing, and I recommend it if you’re dairy-free like I am.

Diamonique Hoop Earring Set: I’ve mentioned my love for Diamonique before, and I got this earrings partially for myself and partially as a gift set that I will spilt to many people. I kept a few pairs to myself, and I really love them. They are lightweight but they still pack a statement. I highly recommend these for gift giving — and for yourself.

Tech Tuesday: I Bought an iPod touch in 2020. Here’s Why

I’ve been a fan of the iPod for a very long time. In the late 2000s, I was always either downloading new songs onto it, or listening to music. And, I liked every kind of genre, from rock music, to pop and country.

10 years later, not much has changed. 

In that time, I have since gotten an iPhone and Spotify. I love streaming, because it’s so easy to find something that you want and transfer it to device to device. However, I do not love the fact that I have to basically carry my phone with me everywhere while I work out or even when I want to unplug from the world.

Unfortunately, the iPod Touch that I was using had died and it was 8 GB. I was gifted an iPod touch from my friends, but the battery never worked and I eventually outgrew the iPod. Then, last year, I purchased a Space Gray iPod Touch when they discontinued the previous generation and the battery life never worked from day one, despite the fact that I bought it to Apple several times. Because of the battery life never lasting, I never used it much.

I decided it was time to upgrade to an iPod Touch. As you may know, that iPod is the only one that is available now, since the Nano, Shuffle, and Classic are now discontinued. 

I ended up purchasing an iPod Touch 256 GB in the Product Red color. I purchased it a week and a half ago, and so far I am loving it. 

This device is a well needed upgrade for me. I love having it with me when I work out, because my AirPods work wonderfully with it, and it’s a lot better to work out with than my phone since I can just listen to the music instead of being distracted by the notifications on my phone. 

Furthermore, the device also has amazing battery life. I’ve seen some reviews online that said that it was a lot worse than the previous generation and that is not the case whatsoever.

So, many of you are wondering why someone would buy an iPod when they have their iPhone. Well, for me it’s just to keep my 6,500 songs off of my phone. I can use my Spotify on my iPod, so that’s really helpful. However, I don’t want to overwhelm my memory on my phone with my music if I didn’t have to.

And, I am sure that there are many people out there who have a larger music collection and just want to keep their phone’s memory free. I can see those who were a big fan of their iPod classic loving this, as well as those who just loving the fact that you can have music to listen on a separate device.

This device is also great for someone who is active like me. Mine only has music and Audible, so I don’t get push notifications on it. This is great to take on a run, since you don’t have to worry about dropping your phone when you’re running as well. 

Furthermore, this is something that is great for kids. It’s basically an iPhone without the phone, which is great if you don’t want to give a child a smartphone yet. I am sure this device is amazing for games and for watching videos. 

So, overall I am really happy with my iPod purchase and have no regrets about purchasing the device whatsoever. 

Do you have an iPod? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Shopping My Way Around CT: Oronoque Farm in Shelton CT

As Thanksgiving approaches, my boyfriend and I wanted to pick up some unbaked pies for Thanksgiving. Even though Thanksgiving is looking a lot different for us than in previous years, we still wanted to get a classic Thanksgiving dessert. So, we decided to check out Oronoque Farms Gifts and Bakery in Shelton.

When we stepped out of the car, we were instantly greeted with the smelled of freshly baked apple treats. We’ll get to those in a minute.

Inside, this shop had a little bit of everything — from soaps and lotions, to jewelry and unique home decor. There were also a ton of Christmas decor. Furthermore, this shop has a lot of old fashioned candy, and chocolate covered pretzels, which are my favorite. This is an amazing place to get some gifts as we enter the holiday season, and it’s a great way to shop locally.

Now, let’s talk about the baked goods. This is a great way to buy desserts for Thanksgiving. At that time, they did not recommend buying pies that were already made, so my boyfriend ended up purchasing an unbaked pie. I did purchase a pie for my grandma, and it was still warm.

Their pie selection is massive. Here is a full list of their pies here:

In addition to pies, they also sell apple cider donuts, fudge, and apple cinnamon crumb cake. I purchased their apple cider donuts, and they were outstanding. They also had cookies, and some frozen pies that you can defrost as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed going to this bakery, and despite the fact that this Thanksgiving looks a little different this year, I am so happy that we can have a small piece of Thanksgiving tradition.