January Foodie Penpals

Remember when you were younger how cool it sounded to have a penpal??  Well, I am 31 and that still hasn't changed in my mind.

So when I found Lindsay's blog, The Lean Green Bean, and saw that she hosted a Foodie Penpal, I was overjoyed.  It took me until this past month to actually get the nerve to participate, but I am so glad I did.

The cool thing about this is that you send a package of food, recipes, whatever to another foodie, but the package you get is from someone else. So it is an amazing way to meet other people!

I was super lucky to have Lauren as the person sending me a package.  Lauren blogs on 2 sites, Fitness & Food Junkie and I'm Just Here To Eat.  Her food site makes me drool every time I read about the latest place she has dined and her fitness site inspires me!

After being paired up, Lauren e-mailed me to see what kind of stuff I like.  I think I gave her a very basic answer like "coffee, chocolate and the color teal."  Lame, right?  Well, Lauren is AMAZING!!  From my e-mail this is what she got me!

Chocolate flavored coffee, chocolate covered espresso beans and a TEAL "I <3 NY" coffee mug!  I was amazed at how lucky I was!  I have been enjoying all 3 items on the weekend when I truly have time to indulge!

Here's my dorky mug showing off my new coffee mug!!

I got Jennifer's name over at Peanut Butter and Peppers.  Go check out her blog to see if she liked what I got her!  :-)

Here's an overview of the Foodie Penpal Program:
-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
Sound like fun? If you’re interested in participating for February, please send  an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. – this is SUPER important so I can get you on the right list!

2012 Goals {Check In #1}

On January 1st I set my goals for 2012.  Since I really want to stick to them, I thought it would help for me to revisit them at the end of each month and share my progress.

In case you need a reminder of my goals, here they are.

And here's how I feel I am doing:

1. Take more time for me.  Honestly, this is the one I struggle with the most.  But I have been able to finish 2 books I started after Christmas, so this shows me I am taking a bit more time for myself than last year.


2. Get back on track health wise - eating.  Easier than I thought it would be...at times.  When I am good, I am GOOD.  When I am bad, I am BAD!  But I am making much better choices overall.

3. Get back on track health wise - exercise. I am killing it on this one!!  Gary & I are taking Sasha for walks at least 4 times a week and trying to go for a LONG walk {just the two of us} once a week.  Will I be running a marathon anytime soon?  No, but I am making better decisions.  Instead of driving to the Redbox that is a little less than a mile from us, we walk to get and drop off movies.  In the past that would have never happened.  I am also working with my resistance bands and doing other toning exercises at least twice a week.  GO MO!!

4. GO ON VACATION!!  My goal is for us to take a vacation this summer, and we are saving money to do this.  It has been tough and money is tight, but I truly believe that it is important to travel and get out of your regular routine a few days a year.  Our vacation may not be luxurious, but it WILL happen!

Overall, I give myself an A- for this month.  I really need to work on the relaxing and being more selfish with my time.  I can honestly say that this is the 1st year I have stuck with my goals, and I know it's because I am blogging about my life.  Blogging has been my biggest motivator to keep up with my goals and keep myself accountable.  So thank you all for reading about my crazy, mostly boring, life!

Keeping Man's Best Friend Healthy During Winter

I love my dog Sasha more than anything, so making sure she stays healthy is one of my top priorities.

Living in California means we do not have to deal with snow, but the temperature can dip pretty low and we sometimes deal with a lot of ice in the Central Valley.

I'm Sasha...Thank you for reading Mom's blog!

Here are some tips from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals  on how to keep your pup {and felines, if you are a cat lover} healthy & safe until Spring:

1. Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife. 
2. During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape. 
3. Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags. 
4. Thoroughly wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice. 
5. Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk. Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear. 
6. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death. 
7. Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If your puppy appears to be sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper-train him inside. If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only to relieve himself. 
8. Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities? Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him, and his fur, in tip-top shape. 
9. Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information. 
10. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.

Another thing Gary & I have to do is make sure Sasha is getting enough activity during these months.  She is an inside dog while we are at work, so she's not able to run off extra energy during the day.  We try to make up for this by taking her for regular walks to a local park where she can run around and by dropping her off at Doggy Day Care {aka my parents} to run around their huge yard at least once a week.

I'm such a lucky dog!

***Please note, I am NOT a dog expert, I just happen to have one of the sweetest, most loving dogs ever living with me, so I do my best to be a good dog mommy!  Ask your vet for REAL advice!!***

****Any other suggestions as to keeping your animal healthy & safe this winter?

Attitude Adjustment

While at work yesterday, I had a situation come up where I was not proud of myself.

My school district was hosting a few training sessions for this new online fundraising company that we have contracted with. Each school was able to send a few people to receive this training.

Totally up my alley because:

-One of my main jobs in my office is fundraising {schools are poor, so you need to know how to pimp yourself out JUST right to get money for anything}
-Using social media is soooooo my thing!

Yet, I was not picked to go.  I found this out awhile back, stated my case to a few people, still was not told to go, so I went on my merry way.

After the morning session, I was called up by my office manager.  I guess the group that went thought {SHOCKER} I really should have been there, so our boss would like to know if I wanted to go to the last training of the day.  Of course I said No....wait....I said NO?!?!  Yes, dummy, you said no.

You may be wondering why.  Well.....

{in my BEST inner 16 year old attitude}

Wasn't I th.....


WAIT!

{add an eye roll for good measure}

Wasn't I the one who originally suggested I be included?!?!  Don't they think I know my job well enough to decide what will help our school?!?!  So I will show them by NOT going.

As soon as I hung up, I aged back to 31 and realized what an immature brat I was being.

Now you need to understand that I am normally {say 98%} of the time very reasonable at work...my feeling is that if something is going to benefit the school and our students, I will do whatever I need to. So if you've reached this far with only thinking I am a crazy biatch once, I thank you!

Needless to say, my boss did "encourage" me to go.  This time, I was my 31 year old self, so there were no problems.

I went to the training, got a million and one ideas and came to work today with suggestions as to how this will benefit my school.

Why am I sharing this so publicly?  Because I know I'm not the only one out there who has days like this.  Days where we know if our Mommas heard and saw us, they'd take our butt to the Ladies room for a "chat."

Like the saying goes: Shit Happens.  And sometimes it's your shitty attitude that is happening to everyone around you!  Just remember that when you're the one getting shit on by someone else's attitude.

Why Does Monday Hate Me??

If there was ever a week where I had a case of the Mondays, this was it!

Instead of making a video showing you my interpretive dance on how my Monday was {because I am just too friggin' tired}, here is my Monday in photos.

When the alarm went off at 4:45:

At 5:30, when I either had to go get ready or crawl back into bed:

When I got to work:

After I realized I worked at a school and the above response was inappropriate:

But then I got home, went onto Pinterest {um...duh}, saw this......

......laughed my ass off and was inspired to write a post about my Monday.

Which just proves, Ron F***ing Swanson {and bacon} makes everything better!

What Gets Me Through The Week

Work has been crazy busy since coming back from Winter Break with no end in sight, so here are a few things that have been getting me through the week.

ALMOND MEAL - I am in LOVE with this almond meal.  I don't want to say we have been eating strictly Paleo, but we are trying as much as possible and the possibilities are endless with this one ingredient.  Pancakes, pizza crust, breading for chicken, fish, etc.  Oh, and it is MUCH cheaper than almond flour {only about $4 at Trader Joe's}.

ALMONDS - These are raw almonds that I have been taking with me everywhere I go.  Just a few when I feel a little hungry and I am good to go!  I tend to have these and a banana for my morning snack at work.

EGG MUFFINS - Last weekend I shared my recipe for these.  Gary jumped on board this week and he is a HUGE fan.  I keep experimenting with my own recipe.  This week I added a handful of spinach and broccoli  to the food processor, which is why they look so green!

PITTED DATES - How have I been able to say no to M&M's in the afternoon?  2 of these babies.  Sweet, sticky and super filling!

 STIR FRY - On Wednesday, I did not feel like making the complicated meal I had planned {note to self: any meal that will take more than 30 minutes of work needs to be saved for the weekend}.  Rather than fall off the wagon, I used the chicken breast I had already defrosted for that night, some broccoli that wouldn't make it past the weekend and a bag of frozen veggies to create this easy meal.  It turned out really nice and I even garnished it with a few of the almonds I showed you above.

This was my 2nd stir fry of the week {the 1st one was planned} but it was soooo different.  My 1st one included red bell peppers, mushrooms, and more almond butter than I would like to admit!

Surprisingly, there were no adult beverages included in that list {this may need to change tonight}!  

Wishing you all the most awesome weekend ever!

An Open Letter to My Parents & A Recipe

Mama & Papa  {aka my parents},

This past Monday evening, I was cooking up this delicious meal of kale and chicken, when it hit me just how lucky I am that YOU are my parents.  Not because you bought me my cool cookware set, but, to put it simply, I LOVE kale.  And brussel sprouts.  And eggplant.  And sooo many other vegetables!

In my younger years, these were staple foods in our home, so it was never weird to me if we would have all 3 within a weeks span.  What was weird to me was when I would talk with a friend about what I had for dinner the night before and they would give me the strangest look and tell me how they didn't HAVE to eat that stuff.  Are you kidding me?!?!  I didn't have to either.  I wanted to.

Growing up in our family, there was not an option as to what was on our dinner plate.  There was no one to cook me a separate meal.  There was no one to tell me not to have any veggies if I didn't like how they looked.  The rule was "you need to try it once."  This rule even applied when I had a friend over.  You have made some of the people I love the most a cheerleader for eggplant or kale, but only because "they had to try it once."  The next time they were over they were hoping it would be their favorite new dish!

Not only did this shape my attitude of being open to try new foods, it also made me adventurous in the kitchen {you should see my knife throwing routine}.  Having the knowledge of how to cook a variety of vegetables made it easy for me to experiment with different flavors and spices.  I grew up in a house where I was able to help cook when I wanted.  Most of my good memories from the Milpitas house happened in the kitchen and around the dining table.

I can honestly say that whenever I make a new recipe and it is a hit my first thought is "Mama & Papa would LOVE this!"  You guys get me in a way that no one else ever will when it comes to how much joy it brings me to cook for the people I love.

Thank you for making me eat tomatoes {and bell peppers},

Maureen

PS- I still hate lima beans...you can't win 'em all!

In honor of my amazing parents, here is a simple, yet delicious recipe for Kale & Chicken.

Ingredients {for 4 servings}:
3 bunches of kale, leaves taken off the stem and tore into pieces and washed
S&P
Nutmeg
Chicken Breasts, browned on each side.

Directions:
Add half of the kale to large pot.
Add S&P as desired.
Add nutmeg {I use about 5 shakes}
Place chicken breasts on kale.
Add 2nd half of kale
Repeat with S&P and Nutmeg

Cover and cook on medium-high for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy {and if you have children, PLEASE make them try a few bites...they will thank you in the long run)!

The Best Pizza Crust You May Ever Make

I have not been able to eat "regular" pizza for almost 6 months.  This should be against the law!  For some reason, any pizza other than one with a gluten free crust makes my stomach sick.  I found some "just okay" pre-made gluten free crusts a few months ago, but the ingredient list was still a little too long for my liking.

So how excited was I when I found a link to a gluten free/Paleo pizza crust on Tina's blog!!  I decided to try it out this Saturday and I was so happy with the results.  It was thick and hearty, which made it great for holding all of our toppings.

You wanna piece of me??  YES!!

Here s the link to the original recipe, but I thought I'd post it for you as well.

Almond Flax Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups flaxseed meal
• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp natural baking powder
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1 tsp Italian mixed dried herbs
• 3 large eggs, beaten until smooth
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• ½ cup water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425° F.
2. Combine flaxseed meal, almond meal, sea salt, baking powder and Italian herbs together until lump-free.
3. Beat together eggs, olive oil, honey and water until smooth.
4. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture. Blend well until smooth.
5. Press into desired shape.
6. Place on a pre-greased or non-stick pizza pan or sit on a silicon baking mat.
7. Bake for 15 minutes in the center of the oven until cooked.
8. Add favorite toppings and then return to the oven to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

I topped mine with some organic tomato sauce, ground beef, sauteed onions and bell pepper, diced tomatoes, mushrooms and just a handful of shredded raw cheddar cheese.  Gary & I were both surprised at how well the crust held up with all those toppings.

I didn't think ahead to make a salad or anything with this, but 1 1/2 slices was plenty for me!  Even Gary struggled to eat 2 slices.

My future self is telling me that this might just have to be a weekend staple in our house (add a salad and we have leftovers for lunch the next day).

Go ahead and drool...I won't tell!

Egg Muffins & Almond Pancakes

Today has been a lazy Saturday at its finest!  I rolled out of bed around 10, made the delicious breakfast you will read about below, and went to my parents house so Gary could work on their computer.  After he was done we took a nice long walk around their neighborhood before heading home.

A few weeks ago, I found the Holy Grail of quick, easy and healthy breakfasts.  I cannot keep it to myself any longer, so you are in luck!

Let's start with these egg muffins:

Do you have 20 minutes?  That's how long it took me from start to finish to make 12 of these national treasures.

Ingredients:

8 eggs
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Yellow Onion
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms
S&P as per your taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

You can either chop the vegetables by hand or do what I did and throw them all in the food processor, pulse a few times and throw it in a mixing bowl.  (As you can probably see below, I forgot to add the mushrooms to the processor, so I did those by hand).

Crack the 8 eggs into the bowl, add the bacon, S&P and mix.  Pour mixture into well greased muffin tins (whether using either oil or PAM, etc., make sure they are VERY well greased) until 3/4 full.

 Cook for about 15 minutes, then let cool on your counter.

This muffin tin alone gave me 3 days of breakfasts and a morning snack (2 for each meal).  Just heat two on a plate for 30 seconds and you have a healthy, delicious meal WITHOUT having to think about what to make.  Next week I am going to start making 2 tins at a time because Gary  is FINALLY dumping his cereal habit (CHEERS, APPLAUSE)!!  Having to make this twice a week will be a breeze because I can cook them while I am cooking dinner.

Moving on to the pancakes...

I bought some almond meal at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago, because it is MUCH cheaper than almond flour.  I am not an expert, but I think the only difference between almond meal and flour is that the flour ground finer than the meal.  For the difference in price, I do NOT mind have chunky meal over the flour!

Since trying to eat Paleo (we are definitely on the right track, but still struggle) I have been craving pancakes!  So this is what I created this morning, alongside my trusty egg muffins:

Sorry for the photo quality, used my iPhone.

We have tried coconut flour pancakes before and they were okay, but I felt that I needed something heartier.

Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Almond Meal
3 Eggs
2 TB Coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1/4 tsp. Almond extract
Cinnamon and nutmeg to your liking (I just add a few shakes of each.  Nutmeg is my go to spice for a hearty flavor)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix by hand.
Drop 1/8 cup batter into a pan or skillet that has been oiled.
After adding the batter to the pan, I dropped a few blueberries into each pancake.
Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes.

Plate & ENJOY!!

We plan on watching a movie tonight while eating homemade pizza where I get to use some more almond meal that was inspired by Tina.  I read her blog daily and she has such great recipes and is such a positive person and an inspiration.

Hopefully most of you get a 3-day weekend.  Either way, enjoy it to the max!

Letting My Light Shine

There's a cute song that starts: "This little light of mine.  I'm gonna let it shine."

That is EXACTLY how I felt today!

At work, I taught myself how to use Google Docs, which I have been wanting to do for some time because it would help me in so many aspects of my job, but have honestly been too busy/tired/lazy/burnt out to do it.  Well, I guess a 3 week vacation lit a fire under my butt!  Within 30 minutes I had it all figured out.  I also caught up on a lot of things I had kind of pushed to the side...I was a motivated employee today!

During my lunch hour, I did my grocery shopping for the next few days.  While I was picking out my eggplant I noticed a lady staring at me {not in a strange way, but in a way where she looked confused} so I started a conversation with her.  I guess she had never had eggplant before and was apprehensive about buying it.  So I told her a few of the ways I cook with eggplant.  Not only did she sounds interested, she bought TWO eggplant!  Then I had a similar situation with another woman regarding kale.

These interactions made me happy for two reasons:

1.  Because of me, these women may no longer be afraid of eggplant or kale {they may even be brave enough to try OTHER vegetables}.
2.  If you know me, I am NOT the type of person to start a conversation with someone in the grocery store.  Yes, I WILL tell someone at Costco to move their cart that is blocking the aisle because they are waiting for a sample, but to strike up a friendly conversation scares me.  Once I know someone, I rarely shut up and probably will talk your ear off, but not until I know you well enough...which is ironic since I am a blogger!

I also tried my sock bun method of curling for the first time since going back to work and it was a hit. I got tons of compliments, which always lift my spirits {you ladies know what I am talking about...don't deny it}!

Oh, I also stuck to my meal plan today, even eating LESS than what I had packed....NO bag of M&M's for me today.  But I DID treat myself to one of these heavenly bites:

I only had 1, I promise!

 But I did enjoy a lot of almonds and dates today...yummmm!!

After I came home from work, I found that my calendar I created on Mixbook.com had arrived.  I've never done a personalized calendar before...it's pretty awesome since I was able to add special days of my own {birthdays, anniversary's, the date I plan on winning the Lotto, etc}.

I finished the day with a delicious dinner - chicken and brussel sprouts.  I love brussel sprouts, but only have them a few times a year {probably because they are always expensive} so when I find a good deal, I cannot resist.

Days like this make me realize how I am constantly growing and changing.  Pushing myself at work to go above and beyond what is expected and to be outgoing in public are sometimes hard for me.  But I am striving to let my light shine more and more, and don't plan on stopping anytime soon!

Cauliflower "Rice"

10 days into the New Year and I feel like one of the "Celebrity Rehab" people on their 3rd day in.  While I know the changes I am making are good for me, my body feels like it is dying inside.  Not in a bad way, but in a "why are you not giving me fatty, greasy, sugary food?" kind of way.

I did cave a little today.  I MAY have eaten a few handfuls bag of M&M's by myself.  I say MAY because it all happened so quickly that when it was over, I was literally speechless {maybe because my mouth was full}.  But it did make my 24 hour headache go away.  Still - not the best way to deal with a craving.  Tomorrow I shall be better prepared for work.

Since that episode with the M&M's, I KNEW dinner had to be high on the health scale.  So I tried a recipe I have been interested in for awhile - Cauliflower "Rice."

WAIT  WAIT  WAIT  Don't close the screen and flip to Glee quite yet!

Yes, we will turn this:

Into THIS:

What you will need:

1 Medium Cauliflower

1 onion, diced

2 TB. minced Garlic

1 TB cooking oil (I used coconut oil)

Directions:

Heat oil in pan over medium/high heat.

Saute onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes.

While sauteing onions & garlic, rinse cauliflower and cut into about 8 sections.

Place half the cauliflower into your food processor (you can also just chop the cauliflower up with a knife, but it will take a little longer).

Pulse about 3 times. 

Add to pan.

Add second half of cauliflower to food processor and repeat.

Add some salt & pepper to your liking and saute for about 8-10 more minutes.

Serve!

It took Gary a few bites in to realize what I had done, and he was quite impressed, considering he is not a fan of cauliflower.  Score 1 for me!

The process in pictures:

****NEWSFLASH!!  I have joined Twitter nation.  Just getting the hang of it, so follow me!  My Twitter name {is that what you call it} is OrganicallyMo.  Do you guys Tweet?****

Back To Normal

So it ends...I have enjoyed 3 weeks off of work, which has given me plenty of time to clean house, catch up with family & friends and relax as much as possible!

I have spent the first part of today running to the store to pick up some last minute grocery items, doing laundry {does it ever end?} and prepping all my veggies for the week.  I have found that the easiest way to stick to my meal plan is to chop up all my vegetables on Sunday.  It makes it really hard to come home after a stressful day at work and not make my planned meal when half the work is already done.

I also tried a new breakfast recipe from a new Paleo cookbook I bought last week and will share that with you later this week.

Hope your weekend is great!  We are off for a walk to the park with Sasha.

Sock Bun Curls

I finally did it...out of the 234 pins I have on Pinterest {Follow me!} I actually tried one of them out!

I've been hearing about this Sock Bun phenomenon for quite awhile now, and since all the cool kids are doing it, I wanted to give it a try.

For the YouTube video on how to do this, click here.

Here are my steps:

1.  Making sure hair is 98% dry, make a high ponytail on your head using a regular hair tie.  Now use your sock to roll your hair into a bun at the top of your head. {self portraits are NOT my specialty}.

2. Go to sleep!

3.  Wake up {please wake up}

Messy, but still in place!

4. Unroll hair.

Straight out of the bun.

5. Using hair spray, spray gel or a wave enhancer {like I did}, put in your product then style your hair.

6.  Enjoy not having to spend time with a curling iron!

The final product!

About an hour later!

In a clip.

Overall, I really think this will be a great way to get some volume in my hair most days. I still need to work on my rolling technique...I think this is why my hair came out more wavy than curly.

**Have you ever rolled your hair into a sock bun?**

Liposuction Voucher To A 7-year Old??

I just read this article/video from Huffington Post and cannot believe what I read {and watched} is true!!

HOW IN THE WORLD can a mother think it is okay to give her 7-year old a voucher for liposuction as a Christmas gift?!?!

I work with teenage girls everyday and it already breaks my heart to hear the way they describe themselves: "too fat" "too short" "too tall"  But, at least I get it...I was once 16 and HATED that I had big hips, big thighs and {gawd} big boobs, while all my cute friends were skinnier.  Then a few years passed and I realized that: 1. It's okay to have a different body type than everyone else I knew, because 2: I can't change the way my body is.  Yes, I can keep it healthy by working out and feeding myself healthy foods, but no matter if I am in a "skinny" phase or a "fat" phase of life, my big hips, big thighs and big boobs are always there with me!

But for a MOTHER to give her 7-year old daughter this so-called gift is bull shit!  Please note that her last gift was a voucher for a boob job when she turns 18.  The dark humor side of me thinks "18??  Make it for when she is 30.  Trust me, I am 31...my boob were JUST fine at 18....now's when I could use a lift."

What is this mother telling her daughter?  To me, she is telling her that she will NEVER be good enough just the way she is.

Society already tells young girls that everyday when they turn on the TV or look in a magazine...now they are getting the same message from home??

PLEASE chime in on this one...I cannot be the only one who thinks this is ridiculous, sad, outrageous, etc!!

I Think I'm Ready For This Jelly

In July, I bought a Groupon for a specialty pedicure at Bliss, a local spa/salon.  Of course, I waited until a week before it expired to put it to use, but it was exactly what I needed right now.

There were a few options for me to pick from and one of them was a Jelly Pedicure.  I have NEVER heard of this before, so I was all for trying it.

Here is a video from the manufacturer explaining how to use it {only takes a minute}.

It's hard to explain how it felt, but it was kind of like soaking your feet in cream of wheat {not that I've ever done this}.  Trust me, you want to try this out next time you get a pedicure.

I enjoyed a long soak in the jelly, a warm paraffin dip and a relaxing foot/leg massage to end it {the massage could have been longer, but it was definitely nice}.

Now, I have purple sparkly piggies and can cross 1 pedicure off my to-do list for 2012...I will need another one before summer comes around.

Hello 2012!

How did I spend NYE?  At home, in my pajamas, with Gary & Sasha, watching movies.  I got my midnight smooch near the end of The Princess Bride {"as you wish"} and shortly after the movie, we went to bed.  That's what I call living it up!

Of course the new year means it's time for people to look over their lives with a fine-tooth comb and figure out how they can be a better them.

This year, I am keeping it simple.

My goals for 2012 are easy:

1. Take more time for me.  Whether it be a hot bath, or reading an extra chapter or 2 in my current novel, I need to make more time for the things that comfort my soul.  Yes, this may mean my house is a little more cluttered than normal, but that's okay {sometimes...I still have to battle my Type A- personality on this}.

2. Get back on track health wise - eating.  In 2011, I lost a much needed 30 pounds, only to gain about 7 of them back between October 31 and December 31.  I know what I need to do to lose those 7 pounds PLUS more.  My plan is to get back on my diet of high quality proteins and produce, cutting out most empty carbs {a girl needs a salted caramel mocha from Sbux once in awhile}.

3. Get back on track health wise - exercise. Gary & I have both committed to being better dog parents to Sasha by making sure she gets a good walk in every day and we've been doing this since a few days before Christmas.  I also found some good interval style exercises that I can do at home or at the park while we are walking Sasha.  This is a goal I will need to reevaluate as the months go by, making it more challenging.

4. GO ON VACATION!!  The last vacation Gary and I took {more than an overnight stay somewhere} was in July 2008.  Sadly, money has been too tight the past few years to go anywhere.  This year {knock on wood} things are a little different and we are already saving money toward a trip.  Where are we going to go?  We have a few ideas, but will know more once Spring rolls around.

So there you have it...my 2012 goals {I despise the word "resolution"}.

**What are YOUR goals for 2012?**