A Side of Sweet

Pijon Box + A Giveaway!

A Pijon Box Review + a Discount Code and a Giveaway!

Pijon box is a monthly subscription for college students. Even though I’ve been out of college for a while, I was more than happy to review a box when the folks at Pijon sent one to me. Having been in ‘college’ for 10 years (BS, MS, MD – I made a career at collecting letters behind my name!), I think the idea of getting a box every month in the mail would have been awesome. It’s so nice to get things in the mail when life seems like an endless stack of papers and midterm exams!

A Pijon Box Review + A Discount Code!

My Pijon box had a great assortment of goodies. It was a nice mix of snacks, beauty and etc. I’ve seen Mamma Chia snacks at the store before and more than once thought about grabbing one to try. I love chia seeds! These little snacks are delicious and perfect to keep in my coat pocket for a snack on those busy days when I’m rushing from the hospital to clinic. The box also had Tapaz2Go which are lentil crackers with shelf-stable hummus. I’m always a little leery of things like that that usually need refrigeration being able to stay out of the fridge, because it typically means lots of added preservatives. Luckily the label of Tapz2Go passed the “Can I pronounce this?” test.

I’ve been meaning to switch to a more natural deodorant, given that the kind I’ve been using since high school has lots of harsh chemicals. pHresh natural deodorant is just what the doctor ordered! I can’t believe how well it works, even after a workout.

Pat was more stoked than me about the Light My Fire sporks. He grabbed them up before I even had a chance to try them to use for an upcoming camping trip.

My favorite part of my Pijon Box was Color Club Nail Polish in a shockingly bright pink! I’ve been meaning to take the plunge to a bright colored nail polish and this was just what I had in mind! It was definitely a change from my usual unmanicured look, but I have to say, every time the bright pink catches my eye, I smile! My hands are dry and full of hangnails, so it was nice that they included Waxelene petroleum jelly alternative to moisturize before my mani.

It’s a bit like Pijon box got in my brain. There were a few things I’ve been meaning to try, something to make Pat happy, and something to push me out of my comfort zone. I loved my Pijon box so much I almost forgot that they are geared towards college kids. How cool would it be to get one every month to brighten up your day between papers and midterms?

Each box has a $35-50 value, but is as low as $25 per month with a subscription. Use the promo code ‘BlondePijon‘ to get $10 off your first box!

Pijon Box Giveaway

The folks at Pijon Box are giving a box away to a lucky Running Blonde reader!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Pijon Box for providing me a box to review! And thanks to you for supporting the sponsors that keep Running Blonde running!

Our Holiday Cards + Minted

Now that we’re halfway across the country from some of our closest family and friends, holiday cards this season are more important that ever. What better excuse than the holidays to write a hand written letter and send it to our loved ones via snail mail? I wanted to have something special to send out to our nearest and dearest. The obvious choice was a photo card of Pat and I featuring one of our amazing wedding photos by the wonderful Kinsey and Josh Mhire. With literally hundreds to choose from, it was so hard to narrow it down to one! We eventually went with one of us with the swing that Pat made.

Our Holiday Cards + Minted Foil Cards!

Minted is an online company based out of San Francisco, and I’m such a fan of all of their pretty paper products. When they reached out to me about providing our holiday cards (and a discount for you!), it felt like the perfect opportunity. We chose one of their new foil-pressed holiday card designs. It was so easy to upload our photo, click through the options and submit. Really, the hardest part of the process was picking just one design! We eventually narrowed it down to this festive Cheerflake design.

Opening the box was such a treat. The cards were wrapped in ribbon and the package was signed by the designer. The cards are perfect. The photos are matte, so they don’t show fingerprints and look so professional! I am so happy with the quality and with how great our photo looks. There were so many options to choose from. Here are a few more of my faves:

Minted Foil Cards + a promo code!

Foil Holiday Cards + a Minted promo code!

I chose to leave the back of our cards blank and my intent is to fill the space with a hand-written note. One of the benefits of being so on the ball with holiday cards this year is that I’ll actually have time to do it! I love sending and receiving hand-written notes – it’s one of those small thoughtful things that is so meaningful.

Our Holiday Photo Cards + A Minted Promo Code! For postage, I’m thinking about using vintage postage stamps. There are so many available on Etsy and Ebay and I think it would such a nice touch.

Minted is offering A Side of Sweet readers a $25 off + free shipping on their holiday card order! Just enter the code Joy25FS at checkout!

Halloween in Instagram

This Halloween was probably my favorite one ever. No, it wasn’t because of crazy partying or revelry in the streets of San Francisco, it was because I spent my day at work – at the children’s hospital. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Halloween is the best day of the year to be a pediatrician. Everyone on the peds floor dressed up – the doctors, the nurses and the patients! We’re the only doctors in the hospital that are allowed to dress up and we definitely went all out! Here are some of the highlights, via Instagram.

Halloween in Instagram at the Children's Hospital

I went as a doughnut, which I DIY’d, thanks to inspiration Kelly at Studio DIY, one of my favorite blogs. I made two doughnuts, one of which Pat wore when we went out over the weekend and then a coworker wore at the hospital. The doughnuts were definitely a hit, and fun to make (see the aftermath in the above right photo). Here is the finished product:

Halloween in Instagram - DIY Doughnut Costume

It’s a spray-painted pool toy with sprinkles made out of old foam curlers! Genius! Halloween in Instagram at the Children's Hospital The bottom right photo is a mini-hike I did with a co-worker this weekend. It was the perfect end to an awesome week!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013

I’m so excited to be participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this year! In case you haven’t heard about it yet, Lindsey from Love & Olive Oil and Julie from The Little Kitchen are organizing the swap to support Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. I’m actually planning to specialize in children’s cancer for a career, so what better way to combine my two passions than participating in this awesome event!?

If you’re a food blogger (yes, you!) I hope you will consider heading over to the official Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap website and signing up! Maybe we’ll even be paired together to swap cookies!

Now I just need to choose a recipe…

Autumn Delight Cupcakes

My brain is so confused right now. Having recently transplanted myself from Wisconsin to San Francisco, the fact that the weather here has been consistently in the high sixties and even low seventies recently is blowing.my.mind. It’s late October and I’m still running in shorts! There does seem to be a chill in the air that has recently developed and Karl the Fog seems to be back in town, but it’s still much warmer than I’m used to. One of my friends recently Instagrammed a photo of frost and it snapped me back to reality – it’s truly autumn!… Read More »

What to Wear for…Grabbing Coffee After Yoga

Even though my work schedule is getting busier, I’m trying to recommit to doing yoga weekly, or at least every other week. I had such a great experience doing yoga in India, but since my return home, it’s definitely been put on the back burner. I can definitely tell – those old aches and pains are reappearing to remind me of the importance of regular stretching. I usually don’t have time to stop home and change after yoga, so I like to pick clothes that transition ok to grabbing coffee with a friend or running errands after class.

Here’s a little collection of my favorite comfort clothes right now:

What to Wear for Grabbing Coffee After Yoga

1. Cory Vines Racer Back Tank in Ameythst: Watch out Lulu Lemon! Cory Vines is moving in on the quality, high end yoga apparel market by bringing well made yoga apparel at more affordable prices. The idea reminds me a little of Everlane and I love all of their stuff I’ve bought so far!

2. Brooks Utopia Thermal Hoodie: Inevitably every time I wear this hoodie from Brooks, I’m stopped on the street or after class with someone wanting to know how to get their own. It’s versatile and fits really well.

3. Yoga Rat Mat Pak: This bag holds my mat, towel, water bottle and I still have room for a change of clothes some work papers and my cell phone. Basically, it serves as a work + play bag on those days I go right from the hospital to class.

4. Bensimon Tennis Elastic Sneakers: These are a French girl’s staple, and even though I’m only half French, I swear this bump me up to at least…75%?

5. Brooks Essential Capri: I love these pants and have them in several colors. They fit snugly and I instantly feel more fit when I put them on. I think they have some sort of magic toosh-lifting properties!

6. Ziiiro Watch in Transparent Smoke: I love.this.watch! It took me a few minutes to figure out exactly how it tells time, but now that I’ve got it down – it’s definitely a conversation piece! Fashion meets function – I love it!

P.S. – All watches on Watchco.com are 10% off right now with the promo code Fall10!