Cravings are something I rarely get. Ok, so let me re-phrase... Chocolate cravings are something I really get. Right now I have been craving mint ice cream SOOO much, but have not taken the time to actually make some. When I woke up this morning at my sister's house I decided I would eat some fried eggs and toast and then head out for work and on my hour lunch break I would run out and grab something from a grocery store. I say grocery store because it would be cheaper and I could buy a few days worth of food. Well, I woke up and got ready for work, got out the small frying pan, sprayed it with some cooking spray, turned on the burner, put away a few plates from the dishwasher, and then realized we do not have any eggs. :(
Quickly I ran out the door, ran to the store to get breakfast AND lunch, rushed to work, and scarfed down a microwaved sausage biscuit and juice. No, I did not get it from McDonalds. Kroger's had some frozen ones without cheese! I like my sausage biscuits to be just sausage and a biscuit. Lunch was a mixed veggie steamer single serving thing, a burrito, and some raspberries. Oh, and twenty minutes later, the other sausage biscuit.
Dinner came, the nephew and I ate some mac and cheese which he had tortilla chips and a jello thing with and then we shared some blackberries. Tomorrow I have to wake up early and head an hour south to a teaching interview then drive 3 hours north to get my boyfriend from the airport. Not sure what I was going to eat so the nephew and I packed up really quick and headed to Kroger's. Now, I grew up mostly going to Wal-Mart for everything. Minus how much I really would like to not shop there, it really is convenient. Convenient unless you have a 5 year old with you who is trying to make you a deal for a toy if he is really good before he even has his shoes on! So grocery store it is! Kroger here also has a better veggie and fruit selection. Well, a better selection in general in my opinion.
I picked up some eggs, some more All Fruit so I can make a sandwich with the bread I am making right now, and I broke the cardinal rule for my sisters house. I bought peanut butter. The nephew is allergic to peanuts so peanut products are outlawed. At least that is what I thought but my sis has the smuckers pb&j's in the freezer... Well, I picked up my Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Peanut Butter (contains evaporated cane juice which is the most processed sugar I allow myself) and then I saw the chocolate...
Like I said, I typically do not get chocolate cravings and without sugar you are limited to mostly dark chocolate which I think is gross. But any chocolate was sounding good and then I saw the "Dark Chocolate with Forest Mint!" The chocolate knew it could get two cravings in one... So, I gave in. I bought an Endangered Species All-Natural Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint bar. 72% Cocoa in case you were wondering. And.... it is not milk chocolate for sure. :( But it hit the spot and I have only eaten 4 little squares which is just less than 1 serving and so less than 12 grams of "unbleached water filtered beet sugar." It does provide a nice hint of mint. Not too much, but just enough.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Things to Grow in My Garden
So, I have no clue what this summer may bring, but I will probably end up staying in town, living with my sister. If this turns out to be the case, I am going to use the WHOLE garden spot this year. My sister will just have to deal with it. Last year we planted a few tomato plants and some nasty cucumbers. Not sure what kind the cucumbers were, but they all were nasty! They tasted like dirt and it was horrible. We did not eat a single one more than a few bites. So here is my imaginary garden list for when I become a garden pro...
Mint
Cilantro
Chives
Baby Spinach
Romane Lettuce
Celery
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Carrots
Bell Peppers- green and red
Chili Peppers
Cucumbers
Asparagus- Takes 3 years!!! ??? not this summer...
Corn, tons of corn
Green Beans
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Edamame
Mint
Cilantro
Chives
Baby Spinach
Romane Lettuce
Celery
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Carrots
Bell Peppers- green and red
Chili Peppers
Cucumbers
Asparagus- Takes 3 years!!! ??? not this summer...
Corn, tons of corn
Green Beans
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Edamame
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Week 9: ? ... Keeping my mouth shut...
Maybe by the end of this post I will know what I want to make this week's resolution...
So I woke up this morning for church and took my body measurements and apparently it is not all just in my head, I lost half an inch on my waist and a whole inch on my hips! I really am losing inches working out! The only one I am upset with is the bicep. I wanted to measure my biceps in this because I really wish I could get them more toned, but smaller at the same time. I gained an inch and a half!
I know, a girl with biceps looks strong. While in high school I took one of my favorite pictures. At the first "formal" I could go to without a date I danced with my friend. Someone came along and snapped a picture of us with a few other people and the way my arm was on his shoulder you could see all my arm muscles defined. That was my sophomore year when I was down around 130lbs and let me just say, by my graduation I was almost 180 lbs. To have those defined muscles back would be really nice. Not the body builder extreme kind of muscles, but just not flabby. I in no way view myself as fat, but I do have things I want to change like the way my tricep area is a little flabby and my "muffin top". If I gain a slight six-pack I would be cool with it too.
Now, why am I upset about gaining inches on my biceps then? Well, have you tried to go clothes shopping with biceps? Let me tell ya, I have a decent rack and otherwise am a decent size. In short sleeve shirts I can fit somewhere between a medium and a large. (It all depends on how it stretches over the chest.) But, you add in biceps and long sleeve shirts are out of the question. Even larges now a days do not have sleeve space! I tried on one of my button up shirts from Old Navy the other day and I cannot wear them any more. I have 3 of them in various colors and unless I decrease my arm size, there is no more wearing them. I can hardly get the sleeve on all the way because my arms are too big. My actual rib cage is too big to fit most dresses and my arms are to big to wear most long sleeve things. Besides making my own shirts, any tips?
Juicer Review as Promised- Jack Lalanne Juicer Pro
Not as bad as I thought it would be. Reading all the reviews for various juicers and for the one I was given, I was worried about how it would actually be. First impressions from cleaning my gorgeous stainless steel juicer??? They could have filed down some of the edges. There are sharp edges on all the pieces! Where the fruit goes in, where the top part attaches to the lower part, the edge of the strainer, the edge of the spout where juice comes out... Way too many sharp edges! Definitely not child friendly parts. I would be worried about a kid even picking up parts from a drying rack!
Sharp looks and sharp edges aside, I was shocked at how QUIET the thing is. In my mind I had the noise level set at somewhere around blender or food processor. Nope, it is like whisper quiet! Yeah, when you put fruit in there it makes a little more noise, but unless it is at the seed parts it really does not make much noise. Now, it will try to jump off the counter when you put something in it! It shakes a lot, especially with apples, and so I put my hand on top of it kind of over the part where the pulp comes out. The hand on top seems to help and so it is not a big draw back. The juicer jumps a little more when it is trying to spit out the seeds. And, as the manual says, DO NOT force food down. I used the plunger to apply gentle pressure and minus having to let up to get the seeds through, it worked like a charm!
Cleaning. Well, I was given the juicer because it was supposed to make a big mess and be hard to clean. The sharp edges make it a little more challenging than it probably really is, but it is no worse than I expected. The pulp sticks to the cover and such on the way to the pulp collector but with a rubber scraper I just scraped it all into the trash can. (One day it will go into a compost pile.) I think I will heed the advice given in the manual though and use a plastic bag in the pulp collector for easier disposal. The corners are really hard to get emptied and I ended up washing some of the pulp down the drain instead of into the trash.
Ok, a resolution idea... less arguing. I argue a lot. Apparently a lot more than I realize. Although I am not quite sure why this is I feel like I should be able to blame my mom. (Half a joke.) Mom likes to switch things around and make up her own stories some times. The latest being that only aunts and uncles are invited to my cousin's wedding in May. I have personally talked to my cousin about this topic before and after the engagement and just the other day she again told me that she is inviting everyone. Not necessarily the huge extended family that we only meet at funerals or in pictures, but those that we do know and interact with, even if it is just at Christmas. (We have a GIANT family.) I completely understand her reasoning and will probably do the same thing if/when I ever decide to get married.
Back on topic. So I feel that I am used to having to argue to prove myself right about things or to educate people on stuff. Growing up, I am the youngest of 3 and am 5 years from the nearest sister. I was the little one who did not know anything. And in my family, whether they want to admit it or not, once you hit a certain age they start treating anyone younger, or not married with kids, like they do not know anything and cannot take care of themselves. If you want to actually get through you better have evidence to back up your thought and prepared to stand your ground. Does this mean yelling? Not so much anymore. On top of having to defend every thought and choice to family, I also went to school with mostly guys for about 4 years. My last two years in high school and then while getting my associates I was in classrooms with a lot of guys who did not think I could do stuff or know what I was talking about. Many got to know me and learned I am not a dumb girl. Then comes the teaching thing. Yeah, you have to back up what you say with support, especially as a science teacher! And I learned about common misconceptions which students get at some time in their life and keep forever. I hate that there are people who are never corrected about wrong facts! I want to educate everyone!!!
So, I am sure my boyfriend will love this resolution, as this last week especially he has told me I argue a lot. Starting this week I will try to keep my mouth shut more. All the time, no, but a little more. Hopefully he will help me figure out when I am doing it because I do not realize I am arguing.
So I woke up this morning for church and took my body measurements and apparently it is not all just in my head, I lost half an inch on my waist and a whole inch on my hips! I really am losing inches working out! The only one I am upset with is the bicep. I wanted to measure my biceps in this because I really wish I could get them more toned, but smaller at the same time. I gained an inch and a half!
I know, a girl with biceps looks strong. While in high school I took one of my favorite pictures. At the first "formal" I could go to without a date I danced with my friend. Someone came along and snapped a picture of us with a few other people and the way my arm was on his shoulder you could see all my arm muscles defined. That was my sophomore year when I was down around 130lbs and let me just say, by my graduation I was almost 180 lbs. To have those defined muscles back would be really nice. Not the body builder extreme kind of muscles, but just not flabby. I in no way view myself as fat, but I do have things I want to change like the way my tricep area is a little flabby and my "muffin top". If I gain a slight six-pack I would be cool with it too.
Now, why am I upset about gaining inches on my biceps then? Well, have you tried to go clothes shopping with biceps? Let me tell ya, I have a decent rack and otherwise am a decent size. In short sleeve shirts I can fit somewhere between a medium and a large. (It all depends on how it stretches over the chest.) But, you add in biceps and long sleeve shirts are out of the question. Even larges now a days do not have sleeve space! I tried on one of my button up shirts from Old Navy the other day and I cannot wear them any more. I have 3 of them in various colors and unless I decrease my arm size, there is no more wearing them. I can hardly get the sleeve on all the way because my arms are too big. My actual rib cage is too big to fit most dresses and my arms are to big to wear most long sleeve things. Besides making my own shirts, any tips?
Juicer Review as Promised- Jack Lalanne Juicer Pro
Not as bad as I thought it would be. Reading all the reviews for various juicers and for the one I was given, I was worried about how it would actually be. First impressions from cleaning my gorgeous stainless steel juicer??? They could have filed down some of the edges. There are sharp edges on all the pieces! Where the fruit goes in, where the top part attaches to the lower part, the edge of the strainer, the edge of the spout where juice comes out... Way too many sharp edges! Definitely not child friendly parts. I would be worried about a kid even picking up parts from a drying rack!
Sharp looks and sharp edges aside, I was shocked at how QUIET the thing is. In my mind I had the noise level set at somewhere around blender or food processor. Nope, it is like whisper quiet! Yeah, when you put fruit in there it makes a little more noise, but unless it is at the seed parts it really does not make much noise. Now, it will try to jump off the counter when you put something in it! It shakes a lot, especially with apples, and so I put my hand on top of it kind of over the part where the pulp comes out. The hand on top seems to help and so it is not a big draw back. The juicer jumps a little more when it is trying to spit out the seeds. And, as the manual says, DO NOT force food down. I used the plunger to apply gentle pressure and minus having to let up to get the seeds through, it worked like a charm!
Cleaning. Well, I was given the juicer because it was supposed to make a big mess and be hard to clean. The sharp edges make it a little more challenging than it probably really is, but it is no worse than I expected. The pulp sticks to the cover and such on the way to the pulp collector but with a rubber scraper I just scraped it all into the trash can. (One day it will go into a compost pile.) I think I will heed the advice given in the manual though and use a plastic bag in the pulp collector for easier disposal. The corners are really hard to get emptied and I ended up washing some of the pulp down the drain instead of into the trash.
Ok, a resolution idea... less arguing. I argue a lot. Apparently a lot more than I realize. Although I am not quite sure why this is I feel like I should be able to blame my mom. (Half a joke.) Mom likes to switch things around and make up her own stories some times. The latest being that only aunts and uncles are invited to my cousin's wedding in May. I have personally talked to my cousin about this topic before and after the engagement and just the other day she again told me that she is inviting everyone. Not necessarily the huge extended family that we only meet at funerals or in pictures, but those that we do know and interact with, even if it is just at Christmas. (We have a GIANT family.) I completely understand her reasoning and will probably do the same thing if/when I ever decide to get married.
Back on topic. So I feel that I am used to having to argue to prove myself right about things or to educate people on stuff. Growing up, I am the youngest of 3 and am 5 years from the nearest sister. I was the little one who did not know anything. And in my family, whether they want to admit it or not, once you hit a certain age they start treating anyone younger, or not married with kids, like they do not know anything and cannot take care of themselves. If you want to actually get through you better have evidence to back up your thought and prepared to stand your ground. Does this mean yelling? Not so much anymore. On top of having to defend every thought and choice to family, I also went to school with mostly guys for about 4 years. My last two years in high school and then while getting my associates I was in classrooms with a lot of guys who did not think I could do stuff or know what I was talking about. Many got to know me and learned I am not a dumb girl. Then comes the teaching thing. Yeah, you have to back up what you say with support, especially as a science teacher! And I learned about common misconceptions which students get at some time in their life and keep forever. I hate that there are people who are never corrected about wrong facts! I want to educate everyone!!!
So, I am sure my boyfriend will love this resolution, as this last week especially he has told me I argue a lot. Starting this week I will try to keep my mouth shut more. All the time, no, but a little more. Hopefully he will help me figure out when I am doing it because I do not realize I am arguing.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Ending the week with some juice!
First question... Next weeks resolution, what should it be? Keep a food/exercise diary? No more drinking straws? Any suggestions? I have until tomorrow night to decide.
So, the week is almost over and I feel I should do a quick recap of the week's progress.
The sugar thing is going good. I went to a baby shower today and turned down all the candy they had, the chocolate dipped pretzels, and the cake! I did bring home a baggie of candy and a pretzel for when my boyfriend gets back, but otherwise, it has not been a problem this week. It also helped that none of it sounds good and the cake looked like it would not have been worth it. I do want some ice cream though! I shall look up some recipes tonight because this coming week will probably be an ice cream kind of week.
Plastic bags are gone. It is a challenge sometimes when I want to quick run to the store and grab stuff but do not have my bags. But, when this happens I just buy less and only what I can carry.
I needed a take out container this week, but I did not use one! On Wednesday I took my boyfriend to the city so he could stay with a friend and go to the airport the next morning. I was babysitting my nephew so we all did the road trip and met our friend for dinner. My nephew only ate a quarter of his small pizza and I knew he would probably get hungry on the ride home. In preparation for this I brought along a glad-ware container. My purse is kind of small though so I left it in the car and when the time came my boyfriend watched to see what I would do. I put the left over pizza on a napkin and carried it to the car where I then put it in the container and had it handy when two minutes on the road the nephew was hungry. Turns out he was not really hungry, he wanted some of my hot fries I had picked up on the way which I would not let him have.
Portion control is doing alright. I went to an all you can eat fish fry on Friday and could have eaten less fish and hush puppies, but otherwise I feel like I have been doing a decent job keeping portions in check.
I cannot think of a new recipe I did this week!!!! I guess I need to whip something up by midnight... good thing I was planning on using my new juicer tonight!!! (more on that in a minute)
Working out has proved slightly difficult. I had a crazy week and worked out at least twice. I think I did do a walk on Sunday too. I have been trying to work on the couch to 5k running plan, but with the new job I just do not feel like running or working out after being on concrete floors for hours on end. I really need to find some stars or stickers or something to get my star chart going...
Since I only need to record my measurements on Sundays I am doing pretty good on that. I feel like I am losing inches during and after my run. I do not know why, but when I get in even a tiny workout routine I feel like I drop some unnecessary fat even if I do not drop pounds. In the past I have not done my measurements so it will be interesting to see if I really am shedding the inches.
And the pesky contacts... Only on Thursday night did I not take out my contacts. After a day at work and then 4 hours of driving I really did not want to run to my boyfriend's apartment to get my glasses so I could take out my contacts. I did take them out on Friday night and threw them away.
Oh, and Lenten special... So after writing a blog post about Lent and what I am doing for lent, I almost slept through church on Ash Wednesday! I made plans to attend with my friend in the morning at 8:15. By Tuesday night I forgot. I had a feeling I was supposed to get up, but could not think of why. My friend called at 7:25am to ask if I was still going and so I made it on time. I also abstained from meat on both Wednesday and Friday which I think my current obsession with mac-n-cheese and grilled cheese helped out with that. Now, I just have to make sure I get up tomorrow and go.
Today was a good day. A long time ago I used to coach a color guard group. No, not the ones that march in with the American flag for the anthem, but the ones with the marching band. (only not that hardcore) One of the girls who was in my color guard is having a baby! So I drove the hour and a half to her baby shower to see her. I have not gotten to see her in about 3 years so it was nice. Then, on the way home I stopped to visit my ex's sister. She and I have kept in touch over the years and Friday she gave birth to her fourth kid. So I stopped by on my way home and held the baby and caught up with her, her husband, and the other kids. I had to giggle a little when I went to leave and her husband came up and gave me a big hug. I made a comment about him missing me and he said he misses me a lot and they say all the time how much they wish it was me that had married her brother instead of the girl he knocked up after we broke up. I told them I do not wish that at all. I am very thankful I got out of that when I did and wish maybe I would have come to my senses a little sooner. But, apparently the whole family still misses me some and ask about me. Someday I should probably stop by to say hi to his parents, but I do not miss them enough to make the trip just for them. Plus, that is just a little awkward.
Oh, the juicer. So, in my post about my Valentine's gift I talked about how my dad's cousin was sending me her Jack Lalanne juicer. I did not know she was sending me the pro version that costs approximately $150!! Only after she sent it did she find the tool to remove the blade for cleaning though so I have not gotten to use it yet. The tool came in on Friday and by the time I knew about it I was too tired to go out and get fruit or to even clean the juicer properly. Tonight though, I think I need to fire it up and test it out. I also just stopped to buy $30 worth of fruit to juice/eat. The store had a sale on fruit. I will update tomorrow on how it goes, but do not forget to leave a comment with some resolution ideas!!!
**Update**
Recipe: Lemonade
2 lemons + 2 granny smith apples + some water= SOUR lemonade
Good, but sour! I would add some sugar to this if I could. The apple was supposed to help with that part I think, but I picked up granny smiths since I do not like normal apple juice. I think Fuji apples might be the next ones to try this recipe with.
Check tomorrow's post for an initial review of the juicer.
So, the week is almost over and I feel I should do a quick recap of the week's progress.
The sugar thing is going good. I went to a baby shower today and turned down all the candy they had, the chocolate dipped pretzels, and the cake! I did bring home a baggie of candy and a pretzel for when my boyfriend gets back, but otherwise, it has not been a problem this week. It also helped that none of it sounds good and the cake looked like it would not have been worth it. I do want some ice cream though! I shall look up some recipes tonight because this coming week will probably be an ice cream kind of week.
Plastic bags are gone. It is a challenge sometimes when I want to quick run to the store and grab stuff but do not have my bags. But, when this happens I just buy less and only what I can carry.
I needed a take out container this week, but I did not use one! On Wednesday I took my boyfriend to the city so he could stay with a friend and go to the airport the next morning. I was babysitting my nephew so we all did the road trip and met our friend for dinner. My nephew only ate a quarter of his small pizza and I knew he would probably get hungry on the ride home. In preparation for this I brought along a glad-ware container. My purse is kind of small though so I left it in the car and when the time came my boyfriend watched to see what I would do. I put the left over pizza on a napkin and carried it to the car where I then put it in the container and had it handy when two minutes on the road the nephew was hungry. Turns out he was not really hungry, he wanted some of my hot fries I had picked up on the way which I would not let him have.
Portion control is doing alright. I went to an all you can eat fish fry on Friday and could have eaten less fish and hush puppies, but otherwise I feel like I have been doing a decent job keeping portions in check.
I cannot think of a new recipe I did this week!!!! I guess I need to whip something up by midnight... good thing I was planning on using my new juicer tonight!!! (more on that in a minute)
Working out has proved slightly difficult. I had a crazy week and worked out at least twice. I think I did do a walk on Sunday too. I have been trying to work on the couch to 5k running plan, but with the new job I just do not feel like running or working out after being on concrete floors for hours on end. I really need to find some stars or stickers or something to get my star chart going...
Since I only need to record my measurements on Sundays I am doing pretty good on that. I feel like I am losing inches during and after my run. I do not know why, but when I get in even a tiny workout routine I feel like I drop some unnecessary fat even if I do not drop pounds. In the past I have not done my measurements so it will be interesting to see if I really am shedding the inches.
And the pesky contacts... Only on Thursday night did I not take out my contacts. After a day at work and then 4 hours of driving I really did not want to run to my boyfriend's apartment to get my glasses so I could take out my contacts. I did take them out on Friday night and threw them away.
Oh, and Lenten special... So after writing a blog post about Lent and what I am doing for lent, I almost slept through church on Ash Wednesday! I made plans to attend with my friend in the morning at 8:15. By Tuesday night I forgot. I had a feeling I was supposed to get up, but could not think of why. My friend called at 7:25am to ask if I was still going and so I made it on time. I also abstained from meat on both Wednesday and Friday which I think my current obsession with mac-n-cheese and grilled cheese helped out with that. Now, I just have to make sure I get up tomorrow and go.
Today was a good day. A long time ago I used to coach a color guard group. No, not the ones that march in with the American flag for the anthem, but the ones with the marching band. (only not that hardcore) One of the girls who was in my color guard is having a baby! So I drove the hour and a half to her baby shower to see her. I have not gotten to see her in about 3 years so it was nice. Then, on the way home I stopped to visit my ex's sister. She and I have kept in touch over the years and Friday she gave birth to her fourth kid. So I stopped by on my way home and held the baby and caught up with her, her husband, and the other kids. I had to giggle a little when I went to leave and her husband came up and gave me a big hug. I made a comment about him missing me and he said he misses me a lot and they say all the time how much they wish it was me that had married her brother instead of the girl he knocked up after we broke up. I told them I do not wish that at all. I am very thankful I got out of that when I did and wish maybe I would have come to my senses a little sooner. But, apparently the whole family still misses me some and ask about me. Someday I should probably stop by to say hi to his parents, but I do not miss them enough to make the trip just for them. Plus, that is just a little awkward.
Oh, the juicer. So, in my post about my Valentine's gift I talked about how my dad's cousin was sending me her Jack Lalanne juicer. I did not know she was sending me the pro version that costs approximately $150!! Only after she sent it did she find the tool to remove the blade for cleaning though so I have not gotten to use it yet. The tool came in on Friday and by the time I knew about it I was too tired to go out and get fruit or to even clean the juicer properly. Tonight though, I think I need to fire it up and test it out. I also just stopped to buy $30 worth of fruit to juice/eat. The store had a sale on fruit. I will update tomorrow on how it goes, but do not forget to leave a comment with some resolution ideas!!!
**Update**
Recipe: Lemonade
2 lemons + 2 granny smith apples + some water= SOUR lemonade
Good, but sour! I would add some sugar to this if I could. The apple was supposed to help with that part I think, but I picked up granny smiths since I do not like normal apple juice. I think Fuji apples might be the next ones to try this recipe with.
Check tomorrow's post for an initial review of the juicer.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Star Charts
So long ago, ok so like 2.5 years ago, I had two roommates who were
with me in trying to work out on a regular basis and just more in
general. It came down to none of us being able to keep track of when we
worked out so the teacher in me came up with an idea. I printed a simple
month calendar for each of us and hung it on the wall just outside of
our doors. Every time we opened our bedroom door there they hung on the
wall. Then, for each day we did 30-minutes of physical activity more
than our usual activity (walking to class and such did not count) we
could get a star on that day. The one who got the most work outs at the
end of the week or two weeks got to pick an activity for all of us to
do. Well, it worked surprisingly well except the group activity part...
we ended up not hanging out so much. And when i say it worked out, there
would be nights we would come home from class exhausted and really
really REALLY want that star for the day so we'd drag ourselves down to
the gym.
I brought the star charts back the following school year with my new roomies. There was not much competition in it as I was doing 28 (dropping to 26) credit hours and they were both doing classes and working in their respective labs as they were grad students and I was just an over achieving undergrad. I did make deals with myself though and that helped me push to keep working out. One month I told myself if I worked out 15 days that month I would get new shoes. Not just any shoes, but I would fork out the money on a new pair of nike running shoes. I did it and now own my favorite pair of shoes EVER, on clearance!!! Only, now I am pretty much going to have to order online if I want new ones.
Long story short, I am thinking of doing this star chart thing again. I do not have an ideal place to keep my stars though so that's a bit of a problem. I am going to see if I can create a star chart on here somehow and keep track of my exercise. A star is earned for any exercise that goes above and beyond normal activity for at least a half hour. Once I counted moving boxes continuously up and down at work, going for a walk, working out at the gym, running, swimming, stand-up paddling, etc. It sounds so childish, but it definitely gives you the extra push to get that star on there.
Oh, and my free juicer came today!!!! Only, the tool to get the blade out to clean the rest of it is being sent separately. :( So juice will have to wait.
I brought the star charts back the following school year with my new roomies. There was not much competition in it as I was doing 28 (dropping to 26) credit hours and they were both doing classes and working in their respective labs as they were grad students and I was just an over achieving undergrad. I did make deals with myself though and that helped me push to keep working out. One month I told myself if I worked out 15 days that month I would get new shoes. Not just any shoes, but I would fork out the money on a new pair of nike running shoes. I did it and now own my favorite pair of shoes EVER, on clearance!!! Only, now I am pretty much going to have to order online if I want new ones.
Long story short, I am thinking of doing this star chart thing again. I do not have an ideal place to keep my stars though so that's a bit of a problem. I am going to see if I can create a star chart on here somehow and keep track of my exercise. A star is earned for any exercise that goes above and beyond normal activity for at least a half hour. Once I counted moving boxes continuously up and down at work, going for a walk, working out at the gym, running, swimming, stand-up paddling, etc. It sounds so childish, but it definitely gives you the extra push to get that star on there.
Oh, and my free juicer came today!!!! Only, the tool to get the blade out to clean the rest of it is being sent separately. :( So juice will have to wait.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Lent?
So, in case you do no know me, yes, I am Catholic. I chose to go through confirmation when I was in high school and was not forced into being Catholic. Typically people think that I was forced into it because I was raised that way and such, but nope, my decision. Now, am I a perfect Catholic, no, but then again, I know know anyone who is really even a perfect Christian in general; nobody is perfect at anything. So, as many people know, there were tons of Mardi Gras celebrations this weekend leading up to Fat Tuesday. For those who have never put two and two together, Mardi Gras is kind of a Catholic holiday... I do not think it is really openly claimed, but it was a way to get all the eating and partying out of your system before Lent began. Now it is just a huge party and feast. So, Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent; 40 days of fasting.
Not necessarily fasting in the old school sense where you do not eat anything, but doing something that will bring you closer to God. This could be giving up a bad habit or a vice (often candy or soda), or go in the opposite direction and be DOing something. One year I knitted squares to send to Africa giving up some of my time to do it and doing something to help others all at once. I did not get them sent by Easter, but shortly after the campus housing people did an "event" to learn how to knit and were collecting squares to send the the exact same organization so I gave the squares to them.
I digress..
So I began to think of what to do for Lent. I already have given up quite a bit of stuff this year for my resolutions and it is not like I can just say I will give up candy or soda, I already gave up sugar! So I thought about doing something like volunteering or adding in something I could do to help others. The problem with that is I do not have any time. I just started my cashiering job and am substituting with my EcoMomTeam thing on the side. Even the spare time I do have, I cannot guarantee I will have it next week. My schedule changes daily and I am not set up in a work schedule yet. So I think I am going to work on the being a not so perfect Catholic. Step one, go to church when I am supposed to. So, starting on Ash Wednesday I am going to try my hardest to make it to church on the holy days of obligation and on the weekends.
Not necessarily fasting in the old school sense where you do not eat anything, but doing something that will bring you closer to God. This could be giving up a bad habit or a vice (often candy or soda), or go in the opposite direction and be DOing something. One year I knitted squares to send to Africa giving up some of my time to do it and doing something to help others all at once. I did not get them sent by Easter, but shortly after the campus housing people did an "event" to learn how to knit and were collecting squares to send the the exact same organization so I gave the squares to them.
I digress..
So I began to think of what to do for Lent. I already have given up quite a bit of stuff this year for my resolutions and it is not like I can just say I will give up candy or soda, I already gave up sugar! So I thought about doing something like volunteering or adding in something I could do to help others. The problem with that is I do not have any time. I just started my cashiering job and am substituting with my EcoMomTeam thing on the side. Even the spare time I do have, I cannot guarantee I will have it next week. My schedule changes daily and I am not set up in a work schedule yet. So I think I am going to work on the being a not so perfect Catholic. Step one, go to church when I am supposed to. So, starting on Ash Wednesday I am going to try my hardest to make it to church on the holy days of obligation and on the weekends.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Cutest Can Opener Ever!
In case you did not know, the Kuhn Rikon Black-auto Orca Safety Lidlifter is the MOST ADORABLE CAN OPENER EVER!!! My boyfriend tacked it on to my Valentine's Day present list today at TJ Maxx. It was just too adorable for me to leave all alone in the store.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Week 8: Remove Contacts
First of all, This has to be the best trash can idea ever! I think it is an amazing idea!!!! I have grown up using a "full sized" trash can in the kitchen, meaning a 12 or 13 gallon one, but have always used plastic bags like these for the bathroom trash and for other trashes around the house. A dilemma would probably arise though, with not using any more plastic bags, I would eventually run out of bags to put in it. Then what would I do? Eventually I will run out of bags anyway and am not sure what I will do when that day comes. I do not like using just the trash can in the bathroom and emptying it into the bigger one because then the trash can gets dirty and stuff sticks to it and it is just kind of gross. Any ideas???
As far as Week 8 goes, I am adding to my list of resolutions that I must religiously remove my contacts nightly. As most of these resolutions are, it is something I should be doing anyway. So tomorrow I plan on going to Wal-Mart, stocking up on my fancy contact solution (which comes with a new case) and I still have regular solution to rise with which means I shall be stocked to do this resolution.
As far as other resolutions go, I tried 2 new recipes this week; empanadas were awesome, the mac and cheese recipe was not so much.
I worked out 3 times! I re-used a Wal-Mart bag at Kroger's for my apples. The cashier looked at me a little funny but thought it was a neat idea for re-using bags. I told her I did not like using all the plastic bags and such and she understood. She could still see through it and such so it was not a problem.
I have decreased the amount I order at restaurants decreasing the need for a take-out container and decreasing my portion size. I am proud of my portion control lately.
Body measurements will likely come tomorrow, but the trend of my daily weigh-in has been a downward one!
I also began my new job today! I went in for about 5 hours of orientation and paperwork. I am excited and will be signing up for my health, dental, and vision insurance within the week and it kicks in the day I submit all the paperwork! This means I will be going in for my annual check up, possibly a dermatologist, a dental appointment, and my eye appointment over the next few months. I am pumped!!! Lately I have been worried about how I was going to cover the expensive annual exam, now I know how. And the dermatologist would be nice to make sure some of these moles/spots I am growing are not cancer. People think I am nuts some times, but I know of at least 5 moles that I did not have a year ago, about 8 that I did not have 5 years ago. I know they may not all be cancer, but the big one I worry about is the one on my buttock. It showed up about 4 years ago and has slowly grown over the years. It is not huge or anything, but sometimes when I walk and stuff my pants rub on it because it is right where they fold when walking. Having it removed would be fine with me!
And although I am pretty blind without contacts, my eyes have been improving and I have been forking out the money for eye exams yearly without insurance. I had health insurance through college, but not vision. When you need a new prescription to continue buying contacts to see, you kind of fork out the money. As a part-time employee I am excited because they will cover a lot of a new set of frames/lenses!!! Although last time I looked at new frames I ended up picking out the same ones I already had without knowing it so I just replaced the lenses.
And the dentist... I think I was in high school the last time I went to see one. I know that in my first year of college (06-07 year) I had my wisdom teeth removed because they were pushing my bottom, front teeth together too much. Let me assure you, they spread out some after the wisdom teeth were gone, I felt it... But, I have not been back since because of the lack of money on my part and the lack of interest on my parent's part, otherwise they would have covered it. I figure it has been about 5 years, I should go back and get new x-rays and stuff done.
Growing up my parents were the "only if you really have to" kind of people when it came to medical stuff. I do not completely understand it since my dad was military until I was about 4 or 5. Around the age of 3 or so my mom thought I had lime disease from a tick and I went in for blood draws constantly. They never found anything and Mom finally discovered it was not going away because I secretly scratched it. Besides that and the time I could not sit up without puking for a week, I never went to the doctor. I went to the dentist maybe twice until around middle school when I went a few times and then once or so in high school, and of course the wisdom teeth thing by the oral surgeon. Otherwise, no dentist visits either. The eye doctor I kind of forced my mom to take me to when I was in 2nd grade. I could not read the big clock from across the room. She realized there was a problem and turned out all three of us girls needed glasses. We then went about every other year until we started wearing contacts.
When I have kids I want to be able to have the money and such to make sure my kids get annual check ups by the doctor, dentist, and eye doctor. My sis I live with has yet to take her kid to the dentist or eye doctor, but the school does vision checks and he is fine on those. The dentist part she is waiting on a little longer. I once asked her why and saw very valid reasoning in her choice; it took until he was about 3 or so before he would not scream and cry when he saw someone in scrubs. Nurses in wal-mart included. The kid has had a rough life when it comes to doctors so she figured she would wait until school has the "dentist day" kind of thing where they get the kids all excited about going to the dentist, or until he starts losing teeth. And although he hates it, he goes in approximately every 6 months to Children's to get a general check-up and blood draws done for allergy tests. Yes, she helps two other nurses hold him down for these because she figures she would rather him be upset for holding him down to do the blood draws and such than for him to remember her abandoning him during his time of need. I had never thought of it that way before...
As far as Week 8 goes, I am adding to my list of resolutions that I must religiously remove my contacts nightly. As most of these resolutions are, it is something I should be doing anyway. So tomorrow I plan on going to Wal-Mart, stocking up on my fancy contact solution (which comes with a new case) and I still have regular solution to rise with which means I shall be stocked to do this resolution.
As far as other resolutions go, I tried 2 new recipes this week; empanadas were awesome, the mac and cheese recipe was not so much.
I worked out 3 times! I re-used a Wal-Mart bag at Kroger's for my apples. The cashier looked at me a little funny but thought it was a neat idea for re-using bags. I told her I did not like using all the plastic bags and such and she understood. She could still see through it and such so it was not a problem.
I have decreased the amount I order at restaurants decreasing the need for a take-out container and decreasing my portion size. I am proud of my portion control lately.
Body measurements will likely come tomorrow, but the trend of my daily weigh-in has been a downward one!
I also began my new job today! I went in for about 5 hours of orientation and paperwork. I am excited and will be signing up for my health, dental, and vision insurance within the week and it kicks in the day I submit all the paperwork! This means I will be going in for my annual check up, possibly a dermatologist, a dental appointment, and my eye appointment over the next few months. I am pumped!!! Lately I have been worried about how I was going to cover the expensive annual exam, now I know how. And the dermatologist would be nice to make sure some of these moles/spots I am growing are not cancer. People think I am nuts some times, but I know of at least 5 moles that I did not have a year ago, about 8 that I did not have 5 years ago. I know they may not all be cancer, but the big one I worry about is the one on my buttock. It showed up about 4 years ago and has slowly grown over the years. It is not huge or anything, but sometimes when I walk and stuff my pants rub on it because it is right where they fold when walking. Having it removed would be fine with me!
And although I am pretty blind without contacts, my eyes have been improving and I have been forking out the money for eye exams yearly without insurance. I had health insurance through college, but not vision. When you need a new prescription to continue buying contacts to see, you kind of fork out the money. As a part-time employee I am excited because they will cover a lot of a new set of frames/lenses!!! Although last time I looked at new frames I ended up picking out the same ones I already had without knowing it so I just replaced the lenses.
And the dentist... I think I was in high school the last time I went to see one. I know that in my first year of college (06-07 year) I had my wisdom teeth removed because they were pushing my bottom, front teeth together too much. Let me assure you, they spread out some after the wisdom teeth were gone, I felt it... But, I have not been back since because of the lack of money on my part and the lack of interest on my parent's part, otherwise they would have covered it. I figure it has been about 5 years, I should go back and get new x-rays and stuff done.
Growing up my parents were the "only if you really have to" kind of people when it came to medical stuff. I do not completely understand it since my dad was military until I was about 4 or 5. Around the age of 3 or so my mom thought I had lime disease from a tick and I went in for blood draws constantly. They never found anything and Mom finally discovered it was not going away because I secretly scratched it. Besides that and the time I could not sit up without puking for a week, I never went to the doctor. I went to the dentist maybe twice until around middle school when I went a few times and then once or so in high school, and of course the wisdom teeth thing by the oral surgeon. Otherwise, no dentist visits either. The eye doctor I kind of forced my mom to take me to when I was in 2nd grade. I could not read the big clock from across the room. She realized there was a problem and turned out all three of us girls needed glasses. We then went about every other year until we started wearing contacts.
When I have kids I want to be able to have the money and such to make sure my kids get annual check ups by the doctor, dentist, and eye doctor. My sis I live with has yet to take her kid to the dentist or eye doctor, but the school does vision checks and he is fine on those. The dentist part she is waiting on a little longer. I once asked her why and saw very valid reasoning in her choice; it took until he was about 3 or so before he would not scream and cry when he saw someone in scrubs. Nurses in wal-mart included. The kid has had a rough life when it comes to doctors so she figured she would wait until school has the "dentist day" kind of thing where they get the kids all excited about going to the dentist, or until he starts losing teeth. And although he hates it, he goes in approximately every 6 months to Children's to get a general check-up and blood draws done for allergy tests. Yes, she helps two other nurses hold him down for these because she figures she would rather him be upset for holding him down to do the blood draws and such than for him to remember her abandoning him during his time of need. I had never thought of it that way before...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
This week's recipe!
So I came home after a long day of substituting and debated what to make for dinner. I have my nephew while my sis is at class tonight for a make up class and so I was in charge of cooking. After drinking a fruit smoothie for breakfast, having an apple for snack, and a bowl of soup with a side of blackberries for lunch I was craving something substantial. With a pound of ground beef thawed in the fridge I began to think and... Empanadas it was! I just googled a recipe and found that one. After beginning I realized my sis does not have a grater thing so I just diced the potatoes after microwaving them for about 3 minutes. Added that to the meat and about an eighth cup of water to make sure the potatoes would cook the rest of the way ok. I also only rolled the dough out to about 1/4" thick, used a bowl to cut out circles and then rolled them out a little thinner, one at a time. I ended up with about 10 I think. I also debated on adding corn to the filling because I did not know if it would be enough filling, but the potatoes added a lot. Not sure on how they taste yet, they are baking in the oven right now, but I must go save the boyfriend from having to play with my nephew. He likes it some of the time, but I am not sure how OK with it he really is right now; I am sure he would not mind being pulled away.
Emapanadas were not bad at all! The pastry makes me drool just thinking about it... I think this will be my new pie crust recipe from now on too. It was so light and flaky. They are a dry kind of dish and would be better with a sauce of some sort to dip them in but I would be afraid to put any sauces inside. A sauce inside would probably make them soggy and not that great.
Emapanadas were not bad at all! The pastry makes me drool just thinking about it... I think this will be my new pie crust recipe from now on too. It was so light and flaky. They are a dry kind of dish and would be better with a sauce of some sort to dip them in but I would be afraid to put any sauces inside. A sauce inside would probably make them soggy and not that great.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A Random Post
So nothing to big to report. My boyfriend, I think, did want me to report that at lunch today I ate approximately 1.5 teaspoons of the spicy barbeque sauce from Bandana's. The beef just needed something and in case you were wondering, I got a double order of green beans as my side. They actually list the calories of everything and it really makes one think twice... After all this he has not said anything about making me post about his Sara Lee bread which has High Fructose Corn Syrup AND sugar!!! Let me just say, Sarah Lee sucks!!!! Everyone thinks Sara Lee must mean quality and healthy. At least I did, he did, and many others I know do too, but man is it bad! The Honey Wheat that his roomie bought has only 3 or 4 grams of sugars in it. I am disappointed and it makes me just want to give up bread in general. Maybe one of my weeks will be just that...
In other news, I love my bathroom scale and have weighed myself at least twice a day on it. I know it is bad and you should weigh yourself once a day, at the same time each day. And on top of that, weight is not a true measurement of health.. blah blah blah. I still get a kick out of weighing myself and if I gain a few pounds I blame it on water weight cause that is probably what it really is.
I think next week's resolution will be to take out my contacts religiously. It is something I am supposed to be doing already, but I have not been doing it enough. I used to not think twice about sleeping in my contacts and then I went to the eye doctor in Hawaii. Let me just say I almost had to change my pants after talking to him! Did you know that if you wear contacts that are not sufficiently clean you can get cyst kind of things on the inside of your eyelids? And people have also woken up blind from blood vessels growing into their cornea area?! From then on I tried to do a really good job of taking out my contacts and I even started using this fancy solution which is Hydrogen Peroxide and such. It is awesome! Holidays, traveling, and all those things that should encourage me more to take my contacts out every night have become the reason I have become a slacker in this area.
PS- Worked out tonight!!! Will probably work out tomorrow too! And... I am working on getting back on this running plan. Maybe in the future a resolution will be to run another 5k?
OMG!!! Just realized I forgot about week 5!!! BUT, I did whip up a new recipe last Tues while babysitting. It was more of an 'There is nothing to eat so let me throw this together' kind of thing. Turned out pretty good though. It was 2 cloves garlic sauteed in some olive oil, one drained can of chicken (looks like a tuna can but it is not!) and then a can of stewed tomatoes, slightly drained. Combine, heat, eat with spaghetti noodles.
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| I could not find the ingredient list. Image from: http://www.saraleebread.com/our-bread/bread |
I think next week's resolution will be to take out my contacts religiously. It is something I am supposed to be doing already, but I have not been doing it enough. I used to not think twice about sleeping in my contacts and then I went to the eye doctor in Hawaii. Let me just say I almost had to change my pants after talking to him! Did you know that if you wear contacts that are not sufficiently clean you can get cyst kind of things on the inside of your eyelids? And people have also woken up blind from blood vessels growing into their cornea area?! From then on I tried to do a really good job of taking out my contacts and I even started using this fancy solution which is Hydrogen Peroxide and such. It is awesome! Holidays, traveling, and all those things that should encourage me more to take my contacts out every night have become the reason I have become a slacker in this area.
PS- Worked out tonight!!! Will probably work out tomorrow too! And... I am working on getting back on this running plan. Maybe in the future a resolution will be to run another 5k?
OMG!!! Just realized I forgot about week 5!!! BUT, I did whip up a new recipe last Tues while babysitting. It was more of an 'There is nothing to eat so let me throw this together' kind of thing. Turned out pretty good though. It was 2 cloves garlic sauteed in some olive oil, one drained can of chicken (looks like a tuna can but it is not!) and then a can of stewed tomatoes, slightly drained. Combine, heat, eat with spaghetti noodles.
Monday, February 13, 2012
SNOW DAY!!!
I know I am a substitute and I only make money when school is in and I am scheduled to work. But hey, who does not love a snow day?! Yes I was scheduled to work today, but it is really nice to not to today.
Plus, I have not seen snow in a long time and this year's snow levels have been severely lacking! So now I just have to convince the boyfriend he wants to go sledding with me later. :)
Alright, carry on with your days. I am going to eat breakfast and work on that surprise that was mentioned in an earlier post.
Plus, I have not seen snow in a long time and this year's snow levels have been severely lacking! So now I just have to convince the boyfriend he wants to go sledding with me later. :)
Alright, carry on with your days. I am going to eat breakfast and work on that surprise that was mentioned in an earlier post.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Week 7: Keep Track... and some on Valentine's Day
Ok, so first, this was our Valentine's Day. Well, not just a day, but the weekend. We got to do nothing! It was awesome and just what I wanted. My boyfriend and I talked about going somewhere for the weekend which turned into why not just get a room with a pool in town? Then we realized none of the hotels in town have a decent pool so what was the point on spending money to sleep in an uncomfortable bed? So we stayed at his apartment and watched netflix. I loved every minute of it! We have been busy every weekend since Thanksgiving I think with me gone, visiting his family, going to birthday parties out of town, and all the other normal social obligations. And, now that he has his dream job of working from home as a booking agent, he gets up around 9am and works from his desk all day being interrupted by e-mails and calls at random times throughout the day. So even if I do not have to sub, he typically has stuff to work on anyway. The weekend alone of doing nothing was nice. We slept about 10 hours both Friday and Saturday night along with me sleeping through "Mars Needs Moms" this afternoon. He picked it while I was already half asleep.
As for gifts, I am broke. The lack of a real paycheck this month has set me back a little and he will probably get a gift next month if any. He wanted to buy me something though which came up from the weekend away. I was half joking and told him we could just stay home and he could instead spend the money to buy me a Nook Tablet. I love books though and feel I would only really want it for the tablet part along with the fact that I like physical books, would be afraid to take it substituting with me, and I one day hope to have a bookshelf full of books in my house. He said he would though if I really wanted since that was probably what he was going to spend on a weekend out of town. I then settled on a juicer.
Another strange sounding gift I know, but a practical one too. I watched the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead movie and while I was gone he watched it too. So we both kind of want a juicer to make juice with and to my surprise, he wants to do the juice fast!!! Only for like 10 days, but this is coming from the guy who I had to struggle to keep on a gluten free diet for a week! So I told him that if it was closer to summer when we could get fresh, local produce easier and have more of a selection I would do it with him. I feel winter is not ideal juice time. So in my card I got a "gift certificate for one juicer." Well in our hunt for juicers yesterday I found something interesting on Macy's website about a juicer... it will ship typically in 32 days or less. So I posted something about this on facebook and in the morning I woke up to a text message from my dad's cousin. She has a Jack Lalanne juicer that she does not use and would like to see it go to a good home. She is going to ship it to me for free! We are excited!!!! Wish I would have known this awesome woman when I was younger, but that is a long story of my huge family. Well, then with no gift to buy me, my boyfriend and I went back to the thinking board about what he could get me. Then I brought up my resolution for this week!
This week ties in a little with last week and will hold me accountable for last week's exercise resolution too. Especially since I failed and only worked out twice. Let us just say my sister's house is a huge mess right now and being there is not really enjoyable for me so working out in the basement sucks. This week's resolution is to keep track of my measurements. So I will be tracking body measurements to see how the diet and exercise change my body over time. Am I expecting to see huge results? No. I just want to know what is going on and if anything is changing.
That is when the Valentine's Day gift idea came to me. A bathroom scale! I know, I am probably the only girl who was excited to get a bathroom scale from her boyfriend for Valentine's Day, but I am weird like that some times. It is practical, helps me reach my goals, and he can use it too. His actual response to getting on the scale was something along the lines of "I am fat." So this could be useful for both of us. Me on the other hand, I knew about where I was and actually think I lost a pound or two since I last weighed myself.
So, measurements will be posted soon!
As for gifts, I am broke. The lack of a real paycheck this month has set me back a little and he will probably get a gift next month if any. He wanted to buy me something though which came up from the weekend away. I was half joking and told him we could just stay home and he could instead spend the money to buy me a Nook Tablet. I love books though and feel I would only really want it for the tablet part along with the fact that I like physical books, would be afraid to take it substituting with me, and I one day hope to have a bookshelf full of books in my house. He said he would though if I really wanted since that was probably what he was going to spend on a weekend out of town. I then settled on a juicer.
Another strange sounding gift I know, but a practical one too. I watched the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead movie and while I was gone he watched it too. So we both kind of want a juicer to make juice with and to my surprise, he wants to do the juice fast!!! Only for like 10 days, but this is coming from the guy who I had to struggle to keep on a gluten free diet for a week! So I told him that if it was closer to summer when we could get fresh, local produce easier and have more of a selection I would do it with him. I feel winter is not ideal juice time. So in my card I got a "gift certificate for one juicer." Well in our hunt for juicers yesterday I found something interesting on Macy's website about a juicer... it will ship typically in 32 days or less. So I posted something about this on facebook and in the morning I woke up to a text message from my dad's cousin. She has a Jack Lalanne juicer that she does not use and would like to see it go to a good home. She is going to ship it to me for free! We are excited!!!! Wish I would have known this awesome woman when I was younger, but that is a long story of my huge family. Well, then with no gift to buy me, my boyfriend and I went back to the thinking board about what he could get me. Then I brought up my resolution for this week!
This week ties in a little with last week and will hold me accountable for last week's exercise resolution too. Especially since I failed and only worked out twice. Let us just say my sister's house is a huge mess right now and being there is not really enjoyable for me so working out in the basement sucks. This week's resolution is to keep track of my measurements. So I will be tracking body measurements to see how the diet and exercise change my body over time. Am I expecting to see huge results? No. I just want to know what is going on and if anything is changing.
That is when the Valentine's Day gift idea came to me. A bathroom scale! I know, I am probably the only girl who was excited to get a bathroom scale from her boyfriend for Valentine's Day, but I am weird like that some times. It is practical, helps me reach my goals, and he can use it too. His actual response to getting on the scale was something along the lines of "I am fat." So this could be useful for both of us. Me on the other hand, I knew about where I was and actually think I lost a pound or two since I last weighed myself.
So, measurements will be posted soon!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Something out of the Norm...
So I typically do not do the whole chain mail kind of e-mails, posts on facebook, or any other sort of thing similar to this but an old friend of mine, Amanda tagged me and so I figured why not. If she was going to take the time to think of me, I will return the favor.
Starting with 11 facts about myself:
- I never thought I would ever make it past the third grade. In first grade I got the feeling that 3rd grade would just be way too hard for me and I would never pass it. Turns out it was not too hard.
- Independence is my thing! I like to think of myself as very independent and can stand up for myself. Do I all the time? No. But I know I can when I need to.
- The idea of having kids scares me. I go back and forth between wanting them someday and not. then I bounce back and forth between having my own, or adopting. I am not too worried, I still have plenty of time to figure this out.
- I went to college in Hawaii for my bachelors and miss it a lot!
- I am creative and have many talents.
- If you tell me I cannot do something it makes me want to do it more. Cannot in the sense of physically, especially if it is because I am a girl.
- Organizational skills is something I really try to work on, but it never seems to help. I have a planner, a google calendar, and an iPod touch all to keep track of my schedule and I still struggle.
- Living with my sister sucks. I would much rather be living on my own again but have no money or stable job that allows me to cover student loans and an apartment.
- I have a doggie! Her name is Kia and she is a dog that just wandered out of the woods one day. I adore her and wish that she did not have to live at my sister's house either. She likes the other dogs, but there are now 4 others and she is more of a lone dog.
- My stress levels are something I learned to lower a long time ago. I broke out with dyshidrotic eczema a couple years ago and I feel it was triggered by stress. How did I lower my stress levels? I just stopped caring. All the little things and things beyond my control are not something I worry about anymore.
- And a strange one... When I was 5ish we went to Florida to visit my aunt and uncle who had recently adopted two kids who were about my sisters' ages. While there we of course went to the beach and my dad told us to be careful because he saw jellyfish and they will sting people. All my life I had grown up only seeing bass, sunfish, perch, catfish, etc. So, when he said jelly fish I had NO clue and pictured a strange looking sunfish with long spines on the fins kind of like a catfish. I have since learned what a jelly fish really looks like but some how missed going to the beach in Hawaii when they were around.
And her questions for me:
- What makes you happy? A lot of things make me happy. The big one right now is when I go in to substitute teach and students are excited to have me as a teacher and think I am awesome at helping them with homework they do not understand. It helps me remember why I spent all that money on becoming a teacher.
- What can you never get enough of? Sleep. I am ALWAYS tired. Someday I plan on having an ALCAT test done to see if I can find out why. If I skimp on less than 8-9 hours for a few nights I end up really sick with a head cold/sinus problems.
- What's your favorite time of the day? Mornings! I know, I am strange, but it is the one time I can wake up and be productive; by one-ish I will be dragging again.
- What's your favorite time of the year? WINTER!!! I know, a girl who loves winter and snow went to Hawaii for college and would love to go back.
- Is there a time in your life you wish you could live over? 14. On my 15th birthday my friends thought I was nuts as I cried on our walk to school. I tried to tell them that next would be 16 and I would have all the responsibilities of a car. Next would come college and bills and being on my own and all sorts of things I did not want to deal with. I saw it all coming! ... Oh, and on my friend's 20th birthday she called me crying because I was right all those years ago and she wished she could go back.
- Something you have seen in the last 24 hours that is beautiful. Snow. Peaceful, white, drifting down from the heavens, snow.
- Something you wish you did more of. Social things. Like community social things where everyone meets everyone, especially sports. I moved from a tiny town with no children's activities to a town where everyone had at least played soccer from age 4. They were not very welcoming, especially to someone who had never heard of soccer before. I feel most of the town is still that way and I am a little intimidated to just go join a random team of people who already know everyone.
- Something that you do really well. Cook. I feel I can cook if I really want to. I am too lazy most of the time, but I can do a big feast like you have never seen before if I have the time and energy.
- Something you've made that you are proud of. My life. I have done a lot with my life and I am very proud of it. Right now I am not exactly where I want to be, but it is hard to look back at all the things I have done and believe that I am still so young.
- You just won a free trip to anywhere in the world. Where do you go? Russia or a tiny Pacific Island. I have always been fascinated by Russia for some reason and then I have learned that every island is linked by similar traits, yet so different at the same time.
- What celebrity do you think you could be good friends with given the chance? I used to have one and if I see her in a movie I would know it right off the bat. There is one actress who I feel is very much herself in a lot of ways and that she would just be someone really great to know and be friends with. But sadly I cannot think of her name right now!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Week 6: Workout 3x a week
So I have really taken a lot of time trying to figure out what I am going to do for Week 6 and I finally decided to just make myself workout at least 3 times a week. I thought this would end up being difficult as I am too poor to get a gym membership and I was going to the local college gym with a friend until our schedules began to clash too much. Then I would just take my boyfriend's ID and go workout at the gym anyway, but it just is not open during ideal workout hours for me and I really liked the idea of a 24 hour fitness membership, but I am too poor. BUT, when I got home today and went downstairs to get stuff out of my room, I realized that my sister's boyfriend moved in, or at least all of his stuff did while he rents a room 2 hours away for college. Guess who now has an expensive treadmill and stationary bike in the basement??? That is right, we do! Thank goodness he got the equipment paid for partly by insurance and is training for triathlons. Only since he cannot fit it in his room at college, he is storing it in our basement! He is 30 I think it is and is going back to school after his job contract ran out and the company was not planning on renewing his contract so it is not like he is 20 and dating my older sister. Thought I should add that.
So yeah, that is my resolution for this week. I did have a neat suggestion though and I feel that when I get to be a teacher and have to assign papers it may come in handy. The idea was learn how to speed read and perfect the skill. So maybe not every day for the rest of the year, but set aside a certain amount of time each week to work on learning to speed read then just keep up with it for the rest of the year. I am definitely putting it on the list of future ones because I do not think I will have time right now for it.
Speaking of lack of time, I am currently starting a project for my boyfriend and his roommate. I will be taking pictures along the way, if I can remember to, and will write about it later. Otherwise all I can say is that it must be done before St. Pat's and it should be pretty awesome. It is going to take a lot of time though and I just started on it today. So that will be taking up a lot of my time and then I also went in for another part of the interviewing process for the job I had applied for at the local warehouse home improvement store. I do not really want to mention names and such just for privacy, but I got the job!!! It does not pay amazingly, but it is more than I was hopeful for and after 90 days I will be eligible for a raise. Orientation is on the 18th which pretty much ruled out the idea of getting a paycheck in before my student loan payment is due on the 20th. So, if you are interested in eco-friendly, safer than most cleaning supplies and household goods, let me know. It can also be a home income opportunity. And if you are interested and end up signing up then you help me out making money. So check out patricia.ecomomteam.com and request more information. I really do love their products more than I thought I would and love to tell people about them.
I also have sub jobs lined up for the afternoons from Wednesday through Friday and all day on Monday and Tuesday, so those should help with next month's check, but all it does is keep me extra busy right now. I really need to get the money in the next two weeks to make my loan payments without having to ask to borrow any. I have faith that I can get it done!
This morning was my first morning at home and not out visiting the oldest sister. I got a phone call letting me know that my youngest nephew was having a rough time with the fact that I was not there anymore and so we got my sis hooked up on Skype just so my nephew could be all shy and bashful and not talk to me. But now she has the account and software so the nephews can talk between the states with video chatting and if we get Mom and Dad in on it too, it will probably help the family stay connected. I live with the middle sis in the Midwest, the oldest lives in the Northwest, and my parents winter in the Southwest and summer in the North Central area. So we are never really all together and it takes a lot of travel to get between all of them. I will try to post some pictures on here when I get them off my camera of my recent trip to the Northwest.
So yeah, that is my resolution for this week. I did have a neat suggestion though and I feel that when I get to be a teacher and have to assign papers it may come in handy. The idea was learn how to speed read and perfect the skill. So maybe not every day for the rest of the year, but set aside a certain amount of time each week to work on learning to speed read then just keep up with it for the rest of the year. I am definitely putting it on the list of future ones because I do not think I will have time right now for it.
Speaking of lack of time, I am currently starting a project for my boyfriend and his roommate. I will be taking pictures along the way, if I can remember to, and will write about it later. Otherwise all I can say is that it must be done before St. Pat's and it should be pretty awesome. It is going to take a lot of time though and I just started on it today. So that will be taking up a lot of my time and then I also went in for another part of the interviewing process for the job I had applied for at the local warehouse home improvement store. I do not really want to mention names and such just for privacy, but I got the job!!! It does not pay amazingly, but it is more than I was hopeful for and after 90 days I will be eligible for a raise. Orientation is on the 18th which pretty much ruled out the idea of getting a paycheck in before my student loan payment is due on the 20th. So, if you are interested in eco-friendly, safer than most cleaning supplies and household goods, let me know. It can also be a home income opportunity. And if you are interested and end up signing up then you help me out making money. So check out patricia.ecomomteam.com and request more information. I really do love their products more than I thought I would and love to tell people about them.
I also have sub jobs lined up for the afternoons from Wednesday through Friday and all day on Monday and Tuesday, so those should help with next month's check, but all it does is keep me extra busy right now. I really need to get the money in the next two weeks to make my loan payments without having to ask to borrow any. I have faith that I can get it done!
This morning was my first morning at home and not out visiting the oldest sister. I got a phone call letting me know that my youngest nephew was having a rough time with the fact that I was not there anymore and so we got my sis hooked up on Skype just so my nephew could be all shy and bashful and not talk to me. But now she has the account and software so the nephews can talk between the states with video chatting and if we get Mom and Dad in on it too, it will probably help the family stay connected. I live with the middle sis in the Midwest, the oldest lives in the Northwest, and my parents winter in the Southwest and summer in the North Central area. So we are never really all together and it takes a lot of travel to get between all of them. I will try to post some pictures on here when I get them off my camera of my recent trip to the Northwest.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
As my visit, and week 5, comes to an end...
Staying at my sister's is not as bad as I thought it would be, I accomplished my main goal for coming and hopefully it will help later too. I also managed to stick with my resolutions, create a new one, and feel pretty good about myself. I did slip up once, but I cannot really call it a slip up. I look at it as product testing. So for my home income opprotunity I feel like I need to know what I have available to buy as a customer and since my sister is also a customer she had more products which I tried out. Two of them are pretty good things to buy in my opinion and had I not started this no processed sugar thing I would buy them myself. The first is a bar to block hunger cravings; really good and satisfying... unless you have not had sugar in weeks. I really think that the sugar in them is what caused me to actually be hungry for the rest of the night. I was not hungry, hungry and definitely not right away, but I just did not feel satisfied for very long. The other is a bar which has this cool technology in it which will block your body from burning recently eaten stuff and instead access your stored fat supplies. It too had sugar in it, but less than the other bar. They are both delicious tasting to a point. I feel that they would be good if my diet still contained sugar, but to me I can taste the sugar in them and it just is not worth it to me. Your taste buds really do change when you give up sugar.
So tomorrow morning I will head to the airport to fly back to the Midwest. I know it really is not a long day of traveling, but the time change is going to bother me a little with shifting me back into waking up two hours earlier. I am excited about getting back, I have a lot to work on with job applications being up there on the list of priorities! I have got to get started on those now that teaching jobs are popping up more and more each day.
Tomorrow also marks a new week of the year, Week 6. I have NO clue once again what I am going to do for a resolution for next week. I did have a friend suggest using one of these instead of pads or tampons which I already use rarely since I use these. Only I was a little put off in the differences in shape and such. But I also just noticed that instead has reusable ones?! I will have to look into them some more since I never found that when doing research. But, I also will not have to worry about this for another month now and I feel like I need to make a resolution that is pertinent this week, not next month. Any ideas??
PS I had 6 hits on my blog today. I am not sure if it would be because I put it on StumbleUpon or what, but I feel like I am famous with my 6 hits in one day!
So tomorrow morning I will head to the airport to fly back to the Midwest. I know it really is not a long day of traveling, but the time change is going to bother me a little with shifting me back into waking up two hours earlier. I am excited about getting back, I have a lot to work on with job applications being up there on the list of priorities! I have got to get started on those now that teaching jobs are popping up more and more each day.
Tomorrow also marks a new week of the year, Week 6. I have NO clue once again what I am going to do for a resolution for next week. I did have a friend suggest using one of these instead of pads or tampons which I already use rarely since I use these. Only I was a little put off in the differences in shape and such. But I also just noticed that instead has reusable ones?! I will have to look into them some more since I never found that when doing research. But, I also will not have to worry about this for another month now and I feel like I need to make a resolution that is pertinent this week, not next month. Any ideas??
PS I had 6 hits on my blog today. I am not sure if it would be because I put it on StumbleUpon or what, but I feel like I am famous with my 6 hits in one day!
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