Took the plunge!

Today was sign ups for the Blogging A-Z April Challenge & this blog is # 274!  This is my second year doing this.

This challenge in a nutshell... there are 26 days in April, not counting Sundays.  Each day, the topic will begin with a letter of the alphabet.  April 1 = A, April 2 =B, etc.  Simple as that!  And since this is a weight loss / health blog; my topics are different exercises, healthy foods, stuff like that.  You don't even need an actual theme!

I really like that they're giving you the option to categorize your blog, so if you don't really want to read about book reviews or gaming, you can easily avoid them!    Too bad it only looks like about half (so far) of the sign ups have done it.  I put this under "Lifestyle".  It seems to fit.

Last year I was slightly freaked out, since I jumped right in with all 3 blogs.  It wasn't as bad as I thought, but I did learn a few things to do differently.   I already have a spreadsheet 98% of the way filled out with topics for each blog (darn those X's & Y's!!) and I have created and pre-scheduled posts for each one already, even though the only content is the letter of the alphabet and maybe a link or idea. I'll go back and edit each one later.  I did this last year & it worked.  What I learned.....
Lesson #1 - make sure to actually edit them!  I missed a couple last year.  Embarrassing!
Lesson #2 - put a blurb at the beginning of each challenge post with what is going on to differentiate these from regular posts.
Lesson #3 - don't ignore regular posts

So go ahead & sign up - you know you want to!

Friend Makin' Monday - Getting to know each other

Happy Monday!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  Hubby got home just in time for dinner last night - he was up north doing radio stuff for a snow / road rally.  Surprisingly his furry shadow (aka Miss Maddie) didn't mug him.  In fact, I woke up during the night with her lying on my chest, sound asleep.

 

What a life!  This is why my bed didn't get made yesterday!

I also spent quite a bit of time preparing for the Blogging A-Z Challenge.  Sign ups are Wednesday!!  Basically your first post will have a topic that starts with A, next day B, etc. etc. I'm doing all 3 blogs so I needed to get ideas down on my little spreadsheet.  If I do it right, all my posts will be done & pre-scheduled before April! 

But now it's FMM time!

Now it’s that time…If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Getting To Know Each Other

1. What is your favorite color? I like all colors.  But I look better wearing jewel tones like the darker reds / blues / greens.

2. Share one or more of your talents. My family all think I'm creative & crafty.  I do come up with some neat stuff, tho.

3. If you were spending the day getting to know someone new, where would you want to go?  Probably on a walk around the park or getting coffee at Tim Horton's.

4. What is your favorite meal?  probably the grilled sirloin & shrimp from Texas Roadhouse.

5. Do you prefer to text or talk?  Depends.  If it's just a quick note - text.  But actual conversation is good, too.

6. Share something about yourself that might surprise someone that you’re getting to know.  Hmm.  I was enlisted in the Navy for 8 years?  Heck, I have a tab with a whole list of stuff about me!

7. Do you color your hair? Yes.  My natural color is mud.

8. Do you wear glasses or contacts?  Yes.  I am blind as a bat without them!

9. What is your favorite breakfast food?  Omelets with bacon & hashbrowns.  Or grits with runny eggs.  Yum!

10. Would your friends say that you’re sarcastic?  Probably Yes.

11. Do you prefer salty or sweet?  Sweet.  Although if they came out with a chocolate covered Payday bar, I'd probably OD on them.

12. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?  face / eyes

13. What is the last movie you watched?  Saturday night I introduced my daughter to the joys of Top Gun - she enjoyed the volleyball scene in particular!  I took it as a walk down memory lane, since I spent 3 years stationed on an aircraft carrier.

14. Are you religious? I believe in God, but I can’t really call myself religious. (keeping Kenlie's answer)  I also occasionally find the need to pray - but it's usually for other people!

15. Are you a neat freak, a slob, or somewhere in between?  In between.  My house is cluttered (too much stuff and no place to put it!) but there are no dirty dishes or food left all over the place. I try to keep the kitchen counters cleared off and try to keep the clean laundry put away off the couch, since the dog likes to snuggle into it.

16. Share something from your bucket list that you hope to do someday. I want to visit all 50 states.

17. Are you a risk taker, or do you prefer to play it safe?  Hmm.  I used to be a real risk-taker all the time, but not so much anymore.

18. Have you ever worn braces?  Nope.  I probably should have, tho.

19. Would you rather spend an evening at a theater or at a club?  Back in my wild days, I'd say club since I love to dance.  Now I'm married to a guy who has no rhythm at all, so I'd have to go with theater.

20. If you could have three wishes, what would one of them be?   To be able to tear down & rebuild my house, my kid to do well in school & life, and for Randy & I both to live long, healthy lives.  Is that technically 6?  Oh well!

Have a great week!  

13 in 13 update

One of these days I will find a darn template / font that I really like & feels right for my blog. Dammit. I do like this grayish-green, tho.  I wanted my bedroom painted this color, but it came out very minty.  Oh well!

I have another rant about other people's eating habits.  Last week were the annoying people who "forget" to eat.  This week it's the people who think they're eating healthy, but obviously are not.  Have you ever witnessed a work marriage?   It's hard to describe, he protects her from evil co-workers and caters to her every whim - she will go get him lunch and coffee, etc.  It's quite disgusting.  Anyhoooo, this particular couple calls this Mediterranean restaurant almost every day and get chicken fattoush salads.  By the way, everyone else takes their lunch to work.  We don't want to pay the $10 a pop for a freakin' salad!  Besides, they don't offer to pick up lunch for anyone else.  Moving on,  I was curious and looked up what a chicken fattoush salad is. It's basically a salad with a variety of greens & spices, grilled chicken, some kind of garlicky dressing & pita triangles. Looks fairly healthy.  But the past week or two, Princess has been complaining about how swollen her fingers are and she can't get her wedding rings off, no matter what she's done.  Lotion, cold water, Epson salt, nothing will budge them.  Well, I bet there are truckloads of sodium in those salads.  That's probably her issue, on top of whatever garbage she eats at home.  And she sure doesn't drink any / much water during the day to flush that salt out, either.  Of course she's a complainer, too. 

Speaking from experience, I got a basic grilled chicken salad from Burger King a long while back that was reasonable in Points, but the next day I had the same problem with swollen fingers & such.  I looked up the stats on that basic salad & it had like 1700 mg of sodium!  You're only supposed to have 2000 mg a day!  We haven't gone back since, not because of just the sodium, it's been an unspoken, unanimous decision.

I was down a whole whopping 0.2 lbs tonight at weigh-in!  I'm pretty sure it's because I have been slacking on drinking my water, so I'll be sure to remedy that this next week. I mean, why shouldn't I?  Look at what I found at Walgreen's...It tastes like a pina colada!

At the meeting tonight, we got in groups and had to figure out a 10 Point meal that included certain criteria listed in our weekly handouts. It was pretty fun. Lots of ideas.  We were challenged to plan all of our dinners out this week in at least a day in advance.  I usually do this anyway, before grocery shopping.

So let's check in, shall we?

1) plan meals weekly - check!  Randy is gone until Sunday doing radio stuff for a road rally up north, so I only have one picky-ass to feed.  Leftovers last night, Taco Bell tonight, she's going to a friend's tomorrow, so I'll just have to figure out Saturday.  I make more of an effort when Randy is here.

2) eat more / new veggies every week - check!  My new veggie dish was to saute up a mess of squash and mix it in with my leftover spaghetti.  It was really good!

I tried a new fruit, too.  A blood orange!  It was pretty tasty, once you get past how gross it looks. 

3) take better care of my skin - working on that. I don't appear to have any hangnails at the moment, but my cuticles need some work.

4) be a better blogger.  I'm going to be signing up for the Blogging A-Z Challenge again this April with all 3 blogs.  So I've made a spreadsheet with columns for each blog and am listing topic ideas to fit each of my themes.  I'm probably 2/3 of the way done with ideas. Sign up is next week!

5) work on getting my house de-cluttered.  Meh.  I'm averaging 4 days a week.

6) dust off my Walk At Home DVDs.- check!  I've done 3-3 mile walks and about 45 minutes of Wii Yoga.

7) cut back on unnecessary spending. - check!

8) MGC fence  - No Check!

9) rededicate myself to Weight Watchers. - check! I've been tracking so well that it's a real eye-opener.  I ran out of my weekly Points last week and started using my earned activity Points!  I've been guilty of never tracking over the weekend.  I did this week.  Hence all the walking sessions.  I noticed that if I get up on a Saturday and don't have any protein of some sort, I will eat like a freakin' pig all day.  It's like I can't get satisfied.  So I guess I can't just have a bowl of cereal in the morning any more, unless I go somewhere to keep my mind off the munchies.

10) figure out and use my Kindle Fire.  Using somewhat.  I'm actually reading one of the books I got from a little book store that closed.  I don't like going on Facebook on it, since if I click on a post and then go back to my feed, it'll take me back to the top, instead of where I was.

11) get my RACES certification.  I did find and open the book, enough to remind me how incredibly boring Government publications are!  But at least I know where the book is and that it's handy.

12)

The big #13 - Cutting back on pop.  Check!  I've been having water at dinner more often.

 It's been crazy cold here lately, so stay warm, wherever you are!

Friend Makin' Monday - Just some things

Since our lovely Miss Kenlie  is off taking care of some family stuff, Chris over at Wisdom, Courage, Power has taken the reins and created an FMM for this week.

Thanks, Chris!!

Middle name?  Marie.
I have been called the oddball in my family many times.  Besides being the only child born in an odd year (until my own daughter arrived), I'm also the only one named after my Mom.
Dad's name was James Curtis.  My half brother is named Jimmy Curtis.  My brothers are John James and Terry Curtis.  My nephews are James Richard & Alexander Curtis.  My sisters are Laura Lee (Dad's Dad was Homer Lee) and Linda Bea (Dad's Mom was Ora Beatrice).  Yup.  I've mentioned before about the ego in my family - see where is comes from??  Mom's name is Mary.
Incidentally - notice me & my sister's names all start with L, end with A and middle names rhyme?  We're just awesome like that.  Not planned, either!

Pets?  My Beagle Jack and 2 cats, Chester & Maddie. I consider myself to be Bi-petual since I love them all equally.  We also have 3 fish tanks.  One of them is a huge old pleco (the algae eaters that suction themselves to the glass) called Mr. Clean.

If you could only do one workout, what would it be?   Hmmm.  I like the challenge of yoga, but I've only done the Wii version.  I imagine the real kind is much tougher.

Do you have a mentor, or at least someone to look up to?  I can't think of anyone personally that stands out.  My dad, up until he passed away, probably.

If you could have one Superpower, what would it be?   I'm not up on my Wonder Friends, so I'll guess something like super speed so I can get housework & mundane crap done quickly.

Do you have a talent?  I have a vivid imagination and like to create.  My Halloween display at Maple Grove Cemetery is a good example of that.  I made everything myself, with very minor assistance from the hubby.  For some reason he didn't want me using the circular saw myself.  pfft.

So that's all for now - hope Kenlie & her family are all doing well !

btw - don't talk to me about the Wing's game Saturday.  I turned it off halfway thru the 3rd.  Apparently someone forgot to tell them the lockout was over!!

It's hockey time!

Finally!  Get to watch the first NHL game tonight & am very happy about that!  Can't wait to see how our new Captain does!

I woke up at 7:30 this morning & freaked - I thought I was late for work!  Then I realized what day of the week it was.  But I never really did get back to sleep.  Miss Angela was over at a friend's house and I wanted time to do a nice 3 mile walk before going to get her.  She has her acro class at the studio at 11 on Saturdays so I just got up.

Did some tweaking on the blog tonight.  I'm still not sure about it.  It's very blue and the white post background is blinding.  So there may be some other changes, but not tonight, since it's almost time to drop the puck!

Warning! This song will get stuck in your head forever!

400th post!!!! 13 in 13 update

WOOHOOO!!  My 400th post!  My first post here on Blogger was 7/25/09.  I used to blog over at Yahoo 360, but they changed it and I apparently didn't like their changes and imported everything over. The first 2 years I blogged, I had 19 posts each year.  But they were posts of the novel variety - I mean super LONG posts!  I'm so glad that I learned that shorter / more often is better.  And pictures to break up the text! 

brief rant.  There was a dispatcher at my work for about 3 months.  Do you know I never saw this guy eat?  Never!  And another lady does not eat breakfast (she's a friend of mine & we chat every day) and she has a cup of yogurt for lunch.  And don't get me started on ~those~ people who forget to eat.  WTF, people!  How can you NOT eat?  I can't possibly imagine what I would have to be doing that would cause me to forget to feed my face. 

So let's update.  

To Achieve - Onederland
tonight's weigh in was wonderful!  -3.4 lbs!   I sure hope that means things are finally moving in the downward spiral!

1. plan meals weekly - check!  I guess when I plan the week, I need to keep an easy meal on Thursdays so Miss Angela can make / finish it for me.  Her ballet class is 5:30 - 6:30 and my WW meeting is 7 - 7:30.  So if we do it right, it should be ready when I get home.  I'm still not thrilled with the late meeting time, but it seems to be working.

Parmesan Chicken was quite amazing.  I thought I had the seasoning salt but really didn't, so I put the smallest sprinkle of some Smokehouse Maple seasoning I had on hand & it was really good.  Of course Miss Picky-Ass Angela ate hers with BBQ sauce, so it may have just been boiled.  Randy told her it reminded him of Vienna Sausages!  I was offended!  Viennies (they pronounce it vi-eeeeeeeeenies) are gross.  But I guess I shouldn't complain, since I liked it, and frankly, Viennies are something they both eat & enjoy.  So, WIN (I think)

2. eat more / new veggies every week (1 recipe from book per week) - check!  I steamed some Brussels Sprouts one day and finally tried Kale Chips.  Om nom nom nom nom.  Kale is awesome!

Oh, and I tried Blood Orange flavored Greek yogurt.  It reminds me of a very mild orange / grapefruit.  I wasn't sure what to expect, since I've never had a blood orange before.  Tasty.

3. take better care of my skin (lotion AM, wash face PM, lotion PM) - check!  I noticed while putting lotion on my elbows that I've got somewhat droopy upper arms - got to do something about that!

4. be a better blogger - check!  I posted on all 3 blogs, even if I just posted a pic on MGC.  Look at my awesome Detroit / Monster Jam pics here.

5. get my house de-cluttered (15 minutes per day) - meh.  4/7  not doing so well here & it shows.  But I'm keeping up with laundry (folding & putting away is what I hate the most) and dishes, so that's good.

6. dust off my WAH DVDs (2 or more x per week / other DVD or Wii) - check!    2 mile actual outside walk, I don't know how far walked around downtown Detroit, 3 mile walk DVD, & 2 Wii yoga nights.

7. cut back on unnecessary spending (see #5) - check!  I've only been grocery shopping.  I used a giftcard to order a workout DVD and one of those elastic waist trimmer belts.  Apparently they have those belts for the upper arms & thighs, so I ordered those, too. See #3.  I wanted to get one of the wide belts to help with my posture while at work and found these.  I tend to slouch unless I really concentrate on what I'm doing, but I think I need something to pull my arms back. Hmm.

8. MGC fence - nope.  The building where I work is behind an office supply warehouse, so I keep eyeballing the gigantic stack of pallets they have out back.  They have literally hundreds out there. I've gotten pallets from them before, so they're OK with me just taking them.  I need to borrow someone's truck.....

9. rededicate myself to WW (weekly meeting / track every day) - check!  Tonight was pretty entertaining. The topic was about taking control of your fridge, making it more WW plan friendly.  One page of the booklet showed inside of the  "bad" fridge & the next page showed inside the "good" fridge.  So we compared them and had a few laughs.

10. figure out & use Kindle Fire - check!  Well, the using part anyway.  I'm on book #4 already.  I am a voracious reader!  3 of those were done Sunday.

11. get RACES certification (30 min per week) - nope

12.

13. wean myself off pop ( stop drinking one hour earlier every month) - working on it.

So that's what's going on so far.  Did you make New Year's Resolutions?  How are you doing on them?

Friend Makin' Monday - Interesting Things

Happy Monday!

It was such a beautiful weekend!  One of those rare - almost 60* weekends in January in Michigan!  Even better that I didn't have to waste it being at work!  Friday as soon as I got home, I changed and took the dog for a walk.  Last time I took him to the park after a thaw, one section of path was a couple inches under water, so I wore my hiking boots instead of walking shoes.  Mistake!  Halfway around the park and my butt muscles were sore from the extra pound tied to each of my feet.  I count it was a better workout!  Oh, and it wasn't flooded.  Crap.   

We also went to Downtown Detroit Saturday to go to Ford Field for Monster Jam!  We go every year.  We got there early so we could get a parking spot, then had 4 hours to kill.  So I got some nice pics of some gorgeous 1820's Gothic churches nearby, and the Fox Theater, Comerica Park and of course, had a leisurely dinner at the Hockeytown Cafe.  I need to get those pics posted, but Randy had commandeered the desk all day yesterday.  

So now, it's time for FMM!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Interesting Things

1. What is the last movie you saw in a theater?   I am drawing a blank at what we saw!  It's been since Breaking Dawn 2 came out.  I took Angela & her BFF to see that.  But I've gone with Randy more recently.  Must have made a real impression - NOT!

2. How old were you when you had your first kiss? 17. When you go to school with the same people all your life and don't fit into any of the cliques, your options are few.  I was a senior & he was a freshman who also went to prom with me.  That sounds really sad, doesn't it?

3. Share the coolest thing that you’ve done so far in 2013. Monster trucks!  There was a guy in our row who had his son & daughter with him.  These kids were dressed like 2 of the drivers in their fire suits.  So after the El Toro Loco (one of the trucks) finished his freestyle run, the driver came up into the stands and gave part of the truck that had broken off to the little boy wearing his uniform. And when Gravedigger finished his run, the driver took the skull & crossbones flag off the back of the truck, came into the stands and gave it to the little girl wearing his uniform!!  It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen!  Monster truck drivers are all about the fans.  The driver for Maximum Destruction took the trophies he won for racing & freestyle & gave them to kids in the stands, too.

4. What kind of cell phone do you use? Do you love it?  I have an iPhone 4.  I like it.

5. How many times do you plan to workout this week? 3

6. What is your favorite movie from the 80′s?  Top Gun.  It probably led me in the direction of joining the Navy after high school.

7. If you could choose one character from a TV show or a movie to fall head over heels for you, who would it be?  Hmm.  I'd have to say Jason O'Mara.  I may have drooled my way thru Life on Mars when it was on. 

8. If you could eat one food everyday for the rest of your life without gaining any weight as a result, what would you choose? Oh man.  The thoughts are flying thru my head!  If there is such a thing as a peanut butter lava cake with hot fudge topping - I'd be drowning in it. 

9. What is your favorite flower?  Lilacs.  I planted a lilac bush in my yard next to a crabapple tree and they bloom together in the spring.  My yard smells AMAZING!  I love the visual combination of the light purple lilacs & bright pink apple blossoms.  Then the nearby cherry tree is blooming the same time - it's got such beautiful white blooms that look so odd against the gnarly, twisted trunk of that tree.

10. Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? Nope.  Forgot all about them.  I broke down and got some books on my Kindle and made myself useless most of the day. 

How was your weekend?

13 in 13 check in

Alrighty - since I managed to attend a meeting last night (I was up .4 lbs - boooo!) I thought I'd do a weekly update on 13 in 13 so far. And (how I plan to accomplish my goals).

To Achieve - Onederland

1. plan meals weekly.  Check!  I am stopping to get some staples on my way home tonight to make it thru the weekend - I'm totally craving veggies!  Full grocery shopping early next week.

2. eat more / new veggies every week (1 recipe from book per week).  Check!  I had brussels sprouts last night.  I had planned to roast them, but found out I had bought a steamer bag so I had them steamed with a couple shots of spray butter.  FYI - these are NOT 0 WW points, even if the scanner app says so.

3. take better care of my skin (lotion AM, wash face PM, lotion PM) Check!  I've been washing & lotioning my face / neck / chest morning & night.  I haven't been getting all of the rest of my body, but I've been doing parts every day.  Elbows after I get out of the shower.  My feet at night with some really thick lotion, etc.

4. be a better blogger.  Meh.  2/3.  I obviously posted here, and on MCG, but not RR since New Years.  Oops!  But tomorrow night we're going to see Monster Jam at Ford Field, so there will be monster truck pictures posted over there!  And we'll have dinner at the Hockeytown Cafe before the show hopefully without a 90 minute wait!

This is going to be a good year, since every other year, Monster Jam is the same night as opening night at the North American International Auto Show (this is Detroit - peeps!  The Motor City!) and sometimes also a Red Wings game.  Parking is scarce on a night like that!  But the Auto Show starts next weekend & the Wings will be playing on the road (YAY HOCKEY!!!)

5. get my house de-cluttered (15 minutes per day) 5/7  I got all the Christmas stuff put away.  The last 2 nights I've done nothing.  I didn't exactly have a headache, but I felt weird and I just wanted silence.  The people at work seem to have no volume control lately!!

6. dust off my WAH DVDs (2 or more x per week / other DVD or Wii) 2/3  Since I have room in my living room now, I've been on the Wii twice.  I opened up a couple new yoga moves and I can feel those today!  My arms / hands are not able to twist so that my palms touch behind my back with fingers pointed up toward my head.  Not without excessive drama & moaning, anyway.  Then leaning forward, too?  HA!!

7. cut back on unnecessary spending (see #5)  ~checks calendar~ Check!!  I confess I went to a few stores that day I was home alone before going back to work.  I ended up getting 2 candy cane blowmolds and a toy soldier blowmold for my Christmas yard display.  And maybe another nutcracker.  They are stored in the shed on the back of the garage.  But that was technically last week, not this one!

8. MGC fence - nada

9. rededicate myself to WW (weekly meeting / track 5/7 day) Meeting - Check! Tracking - maybe 3/7.  I've been doing fine at work, but not so well at night.

10. figure out & use Kindle Fire - nada  Do you know these don't come with manuals???  Guess you're supposed to automatically know what to do with it!!  I will be downloading (uploading?) a book or two this weekend so I have something to do while waiting for Miss Angela at the dentist Monday.

11. get RACES certification (30 min per week) - haven't even touched the book yet!

12.

13. wean myself off pop ( stop drinking one hour earlier every month)  maybe not stopping an hour earlier but I am choosing water over pop more often in the evening.  After after my a.m. can in the morning, I've been drinking green tea at lunchtime.  

So that's the progress this week!  I'm going to try to keep the update posts on Thursday or Fridays for regularity's sake. 

Obstacles / Update

Why does it seem like the fates are working against me attending a flippin' WW meeting?

The last one I made was last Wednesday morning.  I like the morning time frame, but that leader was a bit odd.  I couldn't really put my finger on it.  But since I'm off vacation and back to the grind, no more mornings for me anyway.

So then I planned on going tonight.  Denied!  Normally on Tuesday, Miss Angela has 4 dance classes. Yesterday 2 got rescheduled for tonight & next Wednesday. Crap.  Her usual Thursday dance class is 5:30 - 6:30 and meetings are 6 and 7.  So I guess I'm stuck with going to the 7pm class. I hate going that late, since I'll be starving.  I really wish there was a 4 pm meeting, any night except Tuesday, at the office right here by work.  That would be outstanding.

I fell victim to mindless eating, too.  I follow a Halloween - themed blog that was giving away some cool stuff like zombie mirror clings, a cat costume, and other stuff.  And I was chosen, much to Chester & Maddie's dismay.  They're not thrilled with the costume.  LOL!  However, it also included 2 packages of cookies.  Let's just say that half the box of shortbread cookies (approximately 3 1/2 suggested servings) were gone before I even thought about what I was doing.  Dammit.  I need to get rid of the chocolate chip ones before they attack me, too.  Sad part is....they weren't that good!

I couldn't stop eating yesterday. I realized that since I started different birth control pills in October, I've had at least one day of serious munchies instead of the usual crazy PMS bitchiness.  I haven't decided which is worse yet.  At least when I was bitchy, I recognized that fact and could apologize to my family beforehand and somewhat fight it down.

I have to look at the bright side of things.  I have been reading blog post after Facebook post about people and families being sick.  I am SO thankful and grateful that me and my entire family have been staying healthy.  Whew!  Angel came home from school yesterday with a sinus headache, but she was OK to go to her 2 dance classes last night.  So all is good.

Friend Makin' Monday - Simple Questions!

Happy Monday!

I managed to get my outdoor decorations taken down and put away without freezing fingers off this weekend and started on the inside. So currently, my house is a disaster. And why is it out of all the cheesy ornaments you may have on your tree, the one you break is always a souvenir from someplace hundreds of miles away? Yup. Broke the one we just got this fall from the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point in da U.P. I took a pic and am going to email it to them and see if I can replace it. **fingers crossed**

Ugh. Anyway, I want the tree down & living room rearranged so I can use the Wii again. But until then - here's FMM!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Simple Questions

1. Outside my window I see…a loading dock half full of freight (it would be more exciting if I was home instead of at work)

2. My kitchen counters are…the ugliest poo-brown laminate ever created in the 70s.

3. Yesterday I drank…a couple glasses of water and 2 Coke Zeros.  I have 2 bottles of wine from work that I need to get into.

4. My cell phone is…an iPhone with a blue Otterbox.

5. My computer is…like I said, I'm at work.  It does what its supposed to.  I do like the 19 inch flatscreen monitor, tho.  It's an HP.  I have a Dell desktop and a little Acer Aspire tablet that I really like when hubby is hogging the desk at home.

6. My favorite reality show is…RuPaul's Drag Race.  I can't help it, I'm hooked!  Is it sad that I've gotten makeup tips from a bunch of guys?

7. My workouts are…slowly becoming more frequent.

8. The last book I read is…a smutty historical romance novel.

9. My week will be….getting back to normal after the holidays.

10. So far 2013 has been…good so far!

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions. Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday, friends!

13 in 13

Ugh, I'm already a day behind in this! Darn vacation - I forgot what day it was! Randy went back to work and Angel went back to school today, so I should be back on track now.  Especially since I head back to the grind tomorrow.

Alrighty - here's the grand, overall scoop on 13 in 13 (thanks, Rebecca!)

* set myself 13 challenges for 2013 - each month will have a theme
* each month, within that theme, I'll need to set myself a mini-goal or two
* the 13th challenge will be slightly different (ooooo, intriguing!!)
* it's up to me if I want to participate in all 13 challenges, but if I do, I'm entered in a prize drawing!

So here we go!

What do I want to achieve in 2013?  I really want to be in Onederland.  Actually, I want to reach 194.6 lbs. That will get me the 75 lb washer from WW to put on my keychain (pic below)  This is just the icing on the cake of health!

If I could wake up tomorrow and everything is all sunshine & roses - what would be look like?  

*I'd like to see Randy lose some weight.  I know he'd feel so much better & healthier.  Right now, he's 5'6' tall and 320 lbs.  When we got home from vacation, I had to yell at him to stop shoveling snow after less than 20 minutes, since he was so winded it really scared me.  And when he does a lot of walking, (well, a lot for him) he complains about his ankle hurting.  Gee - wonder why!  

* I'd also like to see Miss Angela do better in school.  She is making an attempt to bring her grades up, but right now she's got (gasp!) a B+, 3 Cs and 2 Ds.  Honestly, this the best progress report I've seen in a long time!  I'd also like to see her eat healthier. She's thin and athletic (a competitive dancer) but she needs the proper fuel.  She doesn't like to eat when she first gets up in the morning, which means I'm lucky to get her to drink a glass of milk and take her vitamin before running off to the bus.  And I know she doesn't make good choices at lunch at school.  Dinner is about the only thing I can control for her.  

*As for me, I'd be a healthier, somewhat trimmer, more active version of me.  

So overall, mostly the same, but better. 

Set yourself 12 goals to achieve. 

I haven't figured out how to do the fancy block of signs like Rebecca did, but here we go!

1)  plan meals weekly - I usually do this before grocery shopping so I know that I'm getting what I need to make the meals.  I also use it as an opportunity to clean out the fridge as I look for what I need.  I just need to do it religiously every week.  btw, I hate grocery shopping. 

2)  eat more / new veggies every week!  I'm totally in a rut, salad, carrots, corn, potatoes, the usual.  At my last WW meeting, I picked up the Fruits & Veggies A-Z cookbook.  Not only do they give me new ideas for the old stand-bys, it tells how to cook some of the not-usual-to-me things like artichokes, beets and jicama.  Let's say, 1 recipe from this book a week. 

3)  take better care of my skin - I just looked down at the keyboard and noticed my chipped nails, nasty hangnails and crepe-y skin.  My feet and elbows are scaly unless I bathe in lotion.  Ya know what bugs me?  My hubby has the softest, smoothest, clearest skin ever. His feet & elbows are like a baby's.  He hardly ever gets a pimple.  And all he does is wash with Irish Spring bar soap.  That stuff dries me out even more! 

4)  be a better blogger.  I joined the Blogaholic Social Network, but I haven't really figured out what it's good for yet.  I've gotten some good info, but it seems like most of the people on there are just looking for followers.  I personally don't follow a blog unless it interests me.  Anyway, I have 3 blogs.  This one, one about life in general and one Halloween related.  I post here quite regularly, several times a week.  The Halloween one obviously is slowing down until spring /summertime, when I start actively planning and prop-building again.  Random Ramblings has suffered this past year. 

5)  get my house de-cluttered.  We have a serious case of too much stuff and too small of a house.  When Randy & I moved in here, we took 2 fully-furnished 1100+ sq foot apartments and squeezed into 850 sq feet. Needless to say, no car has ever been in our garage.  We also have limited closet space.  Currently, the towels are in a dresser in my daughter's closet and sheets are in a basket on top of it.  But to get to either, I have to move her hamper (and other random stuff) from in front of the closet door, then move the heavy-duty rolling garment rack that she uses for competitions and recitals. Can't do much about that situation, but the rest of the house I can! 

6)  dust off my Walk At Home DVDs.  Right now it's too flipping cold outside and neither the streets nor the path at the park have been cleared of snow.  Makes for crappy walking.  I will do this twice a week.  And some other DVD or use the Wii Fit at least one other day. Once it gets tolerable outside, I'll head back to the park.  If my back porch is the starting / finish line - it's exactly 2 miles there, around & back.  I can make it longer by going thru the neighborhood different ways. 

7)  cut back on unnecessary spending.  We are fortunate that we're not hurting financially, since both of us have good steady jobs and a savings account.  But the extra buying contributes to #5. 

8)  don't laugh - but I have a goal to get a decent (portable) fence made to put around my cemetery at Halloween this year.  The last 2 years I've watched kids cross the ditch and walk across my neighbors dark yard and attempt to shuffle thru the leaves in my yard while trick or treating.  I have a somewhat elaborate cemetery set up and the yard is literally a web of extension cords under those leaves.  So in everyone's best interests - the little demons' safety & my sanity - there will be a fence to force them to go around to get their damn candy.  Then I won't need to yell at anyone while their adult is standing there like a lump.  I'll start deciding on a plan sometime soon and start acquiring material.  I haven't decided if I'm going to recycle old pallets, or buy wooden stakes from Home Depot.  

9)  rededicate myself to Weight Watchers.  I'm liking the 360 program so far.  I went to a meeting this morning - I don't normally get to attend daytime ones which is a bummer, since I like them!  Lots fewer people.   The leader commented about the bling on my purse.  She said I looked "well traveled".  I have the 10% keychain, the silver 25 lb washer and the copper 50 lb washer and 4 of the 16 week clapping hands attendance awards. 

 

10)  figure out and use my Kindle Fire that I got for Christmas.  I love reading and this seems ideal.  But right now all I've done is add books to my wish list and surf the net.  Wouldn't you know that I pass a used book store on the way home from work that is going out of business so I just loaded up on books earlier in December!

11)  get my RACES certification.  This is the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. According to the Amateur Radio Relay League it is - administered by local, county and state emergency management agencies, and supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the United States government. It is a part of the Amateur Radio Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes.

12)

The last challenge is a big one. I want you to take yourself completely out of your comfort zone but keep in mind it must be still achievable. I want you to really do something amazing! A race? A challenge? Give up your car for a month? THINK BIG AND ACHIEVABLE!  

wean myself off pop, soda, whatever you may call it.  Carbonated beverages - there!  I will have a Coke Zero as soon as I get to work and at least 1 or 2 more in the evenings.  This will be the toughest one for me. 

I'm leaving the other open for right now.  I got the idea from one of the others linked up - sorry I forget which blog you are - but it's brilliant!  I don't have a solid 12 goals as of this minute, so there's room.

So there it is.  No New Year's Resolutions for me,  Just Goals that are all entirely do-able.    

Happy New Year!