Tag Archives: shopping

Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren: My Top 5 Fitness Apparel Picks

This post is sponsored by Vocalpoint and Dick’s Sporting Goods. All opinions are my own.

When it comes to shopping for all things sports and fitness related, it’s a good idea to choose a sporting goods store that is truly passionate about what they sell. At DICK’s Sporting Goods®, you’ll find just that, along with excellent service and great prices on name brand equipment, apparel, and accessories. From gym-sized exercise equipment to fishing lures, DICK’s has the quality products you need and want. So, it should come as no surprise that they now carry Polo Sport® by Ralph Lauren, a new collection of men’s activewear.

Found in select DICK’s Sporting Goods locations, I ventured to the nearby DICK’s at The Parks in Arlington, TX to treat myself to a few of the new Polo Sport items. I thought it might be hard to navigate my way to find where Polo Sport was located within the large sporting goods retailer, but it was hard to miss the bold sign proclaiming its presence.

Ralph Lauren Polo Sport

I’m just glad I didn’t have to stop and ask this guy. I think he was in the middle of auditioning for Iron Mannequin.

Ralph Lauren Polo Sport, fitness

Hey, I claim to love puns, but never said I’m good at them!

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The layout was filled with activewear designed for top notch looks and performance in the cold or heat. The cold weather gear was tempting, but I find myself indoors or in a heated garage since Avery is usually with me when working out, so I gravitated towards the shorts and short sleeved shirts.

I found plenty of items I wanted to take home, but lets face it, spending a lot on myself right before Christmas would just be wrong. Obviously, I can wait to return that scratchy wool sweater from Aunt Sally and then go back to buy more! 😉

With the approaching holiday in mind, I narrowed my selection to 5 favorite fitness apparel items to bring home and start “playing” with right away. Having had the chance to wear and workout in my chosen items, I figured I’d share my top 5 with you.

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  1. Polo Sport Men’s Performance Jersey T-Shirt – This is my new favorite shirt. I love the deep blue color and the comfortable fit allows me to move as it keeps me cool for the indoor workouts I’ve been doing lately. Not covering our floors in sweat is vital to stay in good standing with the wife too!
  2. Polo Sport Men’s Performance Jersey Long Sleeve Shirt – Same as the T-Shirt but with long sleeves, I like having this for when I venture outside and it’s actually cold here in North Texas. Right now it’s been in the 70’s so I still wear my T-Shirt when going out for a run/walk/playground time.
  3. Polo Sport Men’s Tech Fleece Hoodie – Even as a lover of heat, there’s just something I enjoy about a good hoodie, and Polo Sport got it right with this one. When I can wear winter clothes that won’t interfere with my chosen workout for the day, well, that’s just awesome. Somehow, this comfy hoodie manages to keep me feeling warm and doesn’t get in the way of doing back squats and kettlebell swings in a cold garage when the heater stops working.Polo-Sport-Ralph-Lauren-Hat-Close-Up
  4. Polo Sport Men’s Stretch-Fit Performance Cap – My big noggin usually will not accommodate anything but the hair growing out of it, but after trying on this hat, I’m willing to reconsider. It’s designed for ultimate performance during intense workouts, but I like just having a hat I actually enjoy wearing. Polo-Sport-Ralph-Lauren-Hat-2Yes, so much so that I even take smiling selfies of myself with it on. Ralph Lauren Polo Sport, activewear, fitness
  5. Polo Sport Men’s Jersey Active 10” Shorts – Helllloooo, comfort! I’m extremely peculiar about having good shorts, and when I find a pair I like, I’ll wash them every day just so I can keep wearing them. Just a pull of the drawstring gives me a custom fit and their moisture-wicking fabric keeps me dry and stench free. Not to mention the 10″ inseam protects from any “exposure issues” when working out. All good things for something who likes to use the rower.

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Bonus points for being able to right to playtime after an intense workout and not smelling or dripping sweat like a wet dog. Avery appreciates it.

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Any or all of these would make a great gift someone you know or for yourself. Hey, only you really know what you want, right? With color options ranging from light colors like Andover Heather or Pure White, dark colors like Pacific Blue (my favorite!), and vibrant colors like Shocking Orange, there’s plenty of options to suit any taste.

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Looking to buy some nice activewear for the man in your life? Polo Sport has what you need to keep him looking good and maybe even motivated to stay in shape. Win-win!

Motivation comes in many forms, and what you wear definitely plays a big role in your desire to get up and MOVE! Polo Sport has just what any fitness-minded guy would love, so head over to DICK’s Sporting Goods or visit online by clicking here.

Black Cyber Week: A Melting Pot of Sales

The below was originally posted on December 2nd of 2014, but the bombardment of never ending sales/deals/things-i-would-never-buy-but-now-feel-I-must-have-them, I felt it appropriate to repost. Plus, why not for Throwback Thursday?

Did you know the first official Cyber Monday was in 2005? After 10 years, you’d think they would just consolidate Black Friday and Cyber Monday into one big week. Oh, wait…..THEY HAVE! Amazon has their Cyber Monday Deals Week and just about every other retailer around has their own version.

Yes, I’m guilty of “buying” into Amazon’s deals, so sue me, but I refuse to actually set foot in a store. I rarely ever do to begin with, and certainly not now with all of the chaos. Okay, I’m rambling, before this turns into a whole other post, I’ll stop. Hope you’re having a great week!


 

I’m a semi-hypocrite. The after Thanksgiving extravaganza crap-fest deals ummm, deals always strike a chord with me in a negative way. Instead of simply enjoying good food and drink with loved ones (which, in and of itself is stressful work!), so many people have one thing on their mind instead…..SALES!!

No thanks to commercials constantly spouting out about how stores open the evening of Thanksgiving to kick-off their great deals and our endless hunger to snatch everything for everyone on our list, it’s something to expect every year. And every year I scoff and bicker at the commercials or people talking about where they want to go first or who has the best deals. It drives me insane!

But then, I get sucked in. It starts with an innocent click on some ad that somehow knows I was looking at those Ninja Turtle toys on Amazon, and before I know it, I have 20 different items in my cart and if I add just one more I’ll get a free gift with my order. “Free gift”, sounds redundant to me, and very gimmicky. No matter, I want that free gift and I’ll be damned if I don’t get it!

This happened to me several times leading up to Thanksgiving, the  Black Friday “week” deals, and like a fish in front of a rubber worm, I took the bait; multiple times. Since I do have some dignity, I only kept to the online deals and kept away from stores at all costs. I actually had to go to Costco with Avery on Black Friday, and on my way, made a quick change in direction to go to a small grocery store instead. Best decision ever!

Keeping out of the physical stores allows me the status semi-hypocrite, right?

My wife usually sides with me on the absurdness of the deals, but her and I both had our eyes asphyxiated to our screens in search of gifts for each other. My eyes still burn and don’t feel like they’ll recover soon.

I remember when Black Friday used to be for in-store deals and Cyber Monday was for online deals, but now they’ve just become one big melting pot of sales from the week leading up to Thanksgiving and the following weekend. The coined terms are irrelevant and I vote for a change.

How about removing Friday and Monday from the names and just say “Black Cyber Deals Week”? Technically, that’s exactly what it’s become. The good news is that I got everything covered for Going Mom’s gifts, and she’s the one I want to get something for the most. My mom (G-Ma) is the other one and I think we’re good there too.

Have I gone on long enough? I’m going to say yes.

*Steps off soapbox*

In other news, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with just the three of us at home and great food cooked by yours truly. We didn’t have a big spread, but just enough for seconds and leftovers. Mmmmm, cold turkey is the best!!

Avery has been taking a couple steps at a time now and I feel a “She’s Walking!” post will be coming soon. Stay tuned. In the meantime, here she is searching for leftovers to make a cold turkey sandwich.

Where is that mustard?
Where is that mustard?

What are your thoughts on all of the sales?

Do you go to the stores or stick with online only; or nothing at all?

Still have a lot of shopping to do or are you all set?

5 Month Vaccinations After Easter!

Yep, we’re that mean, we had our daughter get shots the day after Easter.

Pretty cruel, huh?

We are following the alternative vaccine schedule, so it wasn’t a lot of shots, but we’ll be there again in another month. Sorry, Avery.

Going Mom took the day off to go with us for the shots, and I always appreciate her company. I feel kind of guilty sometimes because when she’s home, I tend to do less of the baby tasks. But, Kelley does enjoy soaking up every extra second she can with Avery, so I don’t think she cares too much.

Once in the car, Avery was flashing us smiles unaware of her pending pricks.

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Avery surprised with a hefty poo while waiting in the doctor’s office and we immediately changed once she was in a room. With her diaper off, we put our squirmy baby on the scale to see how much she gained from her 4 month appointment. At 4 months, she was 13 lbs 9oz. and this time she was about 14lbs 13oz. Almost 15lbs!!

I love seeing how much more attentive Avery is with everything and she’ll grab whatever is in reach. We laid her on the patient table and she wasted no time grabbing the paper liner and bringing it to her mouth.

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Poor girl, so ignorant of what’s come.

Well, hello nice lady with blue hands.
Well, hello nice lady with blue hands.

There were 3 shots for the day and one nurse tried to console Avery as the other administered the shots.

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So much for the consoling, Avery lit up in tears within seconds. She made sure to hit the high chords so everyone knew she was NOT happy.

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With all of her squirming, Avery knocked one of the needles off the table requiring the nurse to prep a new one. No worries, Mommy was there to help soothe her.

Oh, okay, that wasn't too bad....
Oh, okay, that wasn’t too bad….

With the last needle ready, Going Mom the now somewhat content Avery back down.

Okay, I'm ready to go back in the car n...hey, wait...
Okay, I’m ready to go back in the car n…hey, wait…

The nurse was quick, but Avery let us know she felt the prick (I like rhymes, what can I say?).

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And once more, Super Mommy was there to calm our distraught daughter as Daddy just took pictures.

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At least she tried to console her. I think Avery lost her trust in us after thinking shots were over the first time. Now that she’s more aware of her surroundings, I wonder if she’ll pick up on the doctor’s office in another month.

Back in the car, I asked Avery if she was looking forward to her 6 month shots, and judging from her look, I’m thinking NO.

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We have been meaning to open a savings account for Avery, and decided to go after the appointment. As we sat in the cubicle with one of the bankers, he asked us for her social and we both turned to look at each other.

Crap! Shots after Easter and we can’t remember our daughter’s social security card! Oops, sorry, Avery.

To try and make it up to her, I offered to let her drive back home.

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She wasn’t impressed.

So I put her back in her car seat and we made a stop at Sprouts and an auto parts store before heading home.

Going Mom took advantage of being with us and she wore Avery in the Ergobaby Ventus that they sent me free of charge to review. Kelley was able to quickly put it on and get Avery secure before we went inside.

I made my usual zig-zag through the store as Kelley picked out some baby and lavender oils to make our own baby wipe solution. The solution will consist of baby oil, lavender oil, and tea tree oil. Hopefully this will aid in clearing Avery’s rash and we’ll feel better knowing the ingredients are pure and simple.

Going Mom’s extra day off was spent mostly with us just running around and doing errands, so hopefully we’ll be able to slow things down next weekend and enjoy playing with Avery together.

Have you ever followed up a fun day with your kids by having something not fun for them? Sayyyyy, like shots?

Do you make your own baby solutions for wipes, bathing, or general cleaning?