Wordless Wednesday Swimming

Amy Winehouse … Really?!

 I know addictions are a horribly powerful thing to not only live with but overcome as well. I’ve seen too many of my family members deal with various addictions to k now this isn’t something you take lightly and that  addictions are one of the toughest battles some face and are something you deal with everyday with how they can consume your entire life.

But Amy Winehouse wasn’t your everyday ‘average joe’ dealing with an addiction now was she? Now she was a ‘celebrity’ and that meant a person with fame which usually brings with it money. I can’t say I was a fan of hers mainly because well I could see where she was headed in her life and I felt sorry for her family and friends around her in a small way. It wasn’t like she didn’t know about rehab, heck she even spent time in some only to check out before completing the programs. That broke my heart honestly and showed she had given up on herself. She had chances to go to the best rehab facilities in the country. These were opportunities that most addicts DON’T have. You don’t have to live in a big city to see them lined up on the street holding signs. We have a spot that’s about 10 minutes from my doctor’s office that I see addicts standing at holding out signs. Some just look like they need a helping hand. The ones that get me are the ones that park their nice car behind the bush and pull a sign out of the neighboring garbage can and try to get a few bucks for what they need. It’s sad and other than you don’t know what their real intentions are, a reason why so many people won’t help each other. It makes me sad for Amy’s family, friends, and even fans all around the world that instead of getting clean and sober she didn’t believe in or care enough about herself or her life to WANT to get help. I know the saying that you can’t make an addict get clean, it’s something they have to WANT to do so that’s why I feel for her family

It also doesn’t help me feel sorry for her that not only did she not complete her rehab, but that she comes out with Rehab which of course is a big hit and everyone loves it. Which makes me ask WHY?! I know the first time I listened to it I felt sad for her, then hearing all the stories of her being in and out of rehab I felt sick. She’s throwing away a good life and it seems like she’s more known for her antics than her singing (though isn’t that what most celebrities are known for?) It really gets me that we place certain human lives on pedestals and are shocked when they become addicts and act out in such ways as Charlie Sheen or end up dead like Amy Winehouse. What else did you expect? Everyone is waiting for there next failure or moment they are going to make a complete jackass of themselves. It’s hard enough for the ‘average joe’ to realize they are at rock bottom and get help, I can’t imagine how hard it is for the ‘celebrities’ to do so. I mean the average person doesn’t have people kissing ass and saying what ever they think will make them happy just to try and get something from her or say they are friends with them. Look at rapper Eminem, he hit rock bottom thankfully before it was too late and realized he needed help. He’s sobered up and is actually grateful for the opportunity. He of course had small children to sober up for and I can only imagine how hard it was after losing his best friend. It’s nice to hear a GOOD story about someone recovering from addiction instead of the latest installment of “Who’s next” list of dead celebrities. What does it show to the children and young adults in america?

Now as I said I wasn’t fond of her voice, I liked the sound she was doing. It was different and unique. Also when she wasn’t trying to do that beehive train-wreck hair style she was really beautiful (as pictured above). It’s a sad story and I wish nothing but my condolences for her family/friends, I just hope this can be a wake up call for anyone that is suffering with an addiction.

Butt Bible Update

Between the heat and the fact that I worked myself out way too hard doing Butt Bible Workout, I took the last 2 days off. I think I’m just going to start tomorrow as day 1 and follow the schedule that way. I’m excited to keep up with this routine because well it’s honestly not that hard to do. I know I’ve only done the 1st set of workouts but I really like those. The lower part really isn’t as intense as some of the other ones are and I really think this is a great start for beginners. I like that you do two weeks of Upper/Lower 1 before moving on.

My biggest struggle with this will be getting into a routine. I feel embarrassed doing them while Jeff’s home so Mon-Thurs I need to find some time to get them in. Also with Oj starting school in about a month, I’ll be hopefully on MY new sleep schedule so that I can get up with him and do our morning routine. Thankfully once he starts school I know it’ll be easier to get more workouts in during the day and with sleeping hopefully at a better time will help knock off the 10-20lbs I’d be happy to lose. I’ve already been soda free for bout a week now. My biggest test this week was that I found one lonely sad can of Mountain Dew in the back of the fridge … I used a bunch of will power and it stayed there until Jeff came home asking where it came from. It didn’t even hurt when I said he could/should drink the soda. I know that I can have some now and again which will probably be ONE glass when we go out to restaurants. Also I’ve been watching what I’m eating, though I do love my fruits and veggies. Next step is a dentist appointment that I’ve been holding out on making due to being deathly afraid of the dentist. I also need to get a measuring tape thing to take my measurements since we don’t have a scale at home. I think that would be more accurate with tracking things than just the scale anyhow.

Back To School Cell Phone Shopping … Really?!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
In about a month and a half my baby will be a 1st grader officially. I’m nervous because well it’s his first year of full time school, but it’s also his first time being on the bus. I’m so nervous about this. I know he’s young still but I can’t lie and say I haven’t thought of getting him a TracFone. I know you think I’m probably crazy but with all the crazy stuff that is going on in schools with violence and such, PLUS I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about kids being bullied on the bus that I feel justified with my thoughts of getting him a phone. Obviously he doesn’t need a super fancy iPhone or anything like because well the boy can’t spell or read hardly yet lol. I just want something for him that can store our cell phones and our house phone, doesn’t require upping our phone bill, and something that I can just add a few minutes on here or there when he needs it. This is where TracFone comes into play. Though I was really interested in what real TracFone customers
 say about their services. After looking at their website I was intrigued by a few things.
What drew me into thinking about getting a TracFone for Owen was that there are no contracts, no credit checks, no activation charges or cancelation fees. They offer great nationwide coverage with amazing reception and connectivity. I liked that they offer some of the best leading name brand manufactures such as LG, Nokia, Samsung, and of course Motorola. Another great point was we had the option to pay-as-you-go (which I love that I can do online lol) or even use a monthly plan. Their monthly plans are priced anywhere from 119.00 for a year with double minutes for the life of your TracFone and includes 800 minutes. If that’s not something  you’re interested in, you can go with 200 minutes for under 30.00 and they go as low as 9.99 for 50 minutes. Also you can purchase the double minutes for the life of your phone for 19.99 though check your phones because sometimes it’s included. Now not that Owen needs it but I really liked that the cost of calling internationally is the same price as any other call.

TracFone has some interesting Youtube videos up of real TracFone customers talking about their experiences with reliability, No Surprise Bills, and even coverage. So after looking at what real TracFone customers had to say AND the information I found on their website I think is a good basis to take this argument up with my husband and even if it’s not the right time NOW to get Owen a phone for safety reasons I think that it’s something that we will need to seriously think about sooner rather than later. It’s nice to  have options that aren’t going to break the bank.

P.s I miss my brother

 It hasn’t even been a month yet and I already miss my brother so very very much. A couple weeks ago I said Goodbye Little Brother as I dropped him off at the recruitment center to ship off for boot camp. I know I mentioned how we weren’t really getting along until around the time he left. I knew we’d miss him but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss him. Oj’s running around with my brother’s hat on all the time. Just the other day he said that even though Uncle was in the Army, he wanted to join the “Old Navy.” Which was cute beyond by the way. I hate that it took him leaving for God knows how long for me to realize how much I took for granted having him in our everyday lives.

I’ve heard from other people that they’ve heard from him already and or gotten letters. I received a few texts of I love you guys and miss you already a couple days after he left but I’ve been stalking the mailbox for days hoping there is something in there from Bug. We got a Gorgia call a couple weeks ago and I dang near broke my neck trying to wrestle the phone out of Jeff’s hands because I was SURE it was Bug …. sadly it was a telemarketer. I expected that his girlfriend and my parents would hear from him first but I’m having a sad feeling I’m going to be left out in the cold because well I don’t talk to my parents very much. My ‘mother’ I haven’t spoken to in 3 years and I honestly don’t intend to any time soon. I talk to my dad sometimes but it seems like he’s never there when I call so I don’t know. I’m sure I’m over reacting but right now I just miss my brother so very much and I hope I hear from him soon.

No Weights No problem. Butt Bible Day 1

I was browsing around the internet when I found a site called The Social Workout and saw that they are doing a Butt Bible Challenge that seems really simple to keep up with and keep me interested in wanting to do these workouts. Now the Butt Bible, for those of you that are confused, is a 6-week workout plan to reshape your butt. Actually I don’t think I can word it any better than what ExerciseTv says about this 3 disc dvd:

Smokin’-hot trainer, Pauline Nordin, guarantees she can reshape any butt in just 6 weeks. Everyone can achieve a fantastic backside just by training the muscles the right way. It does not matter how much time you put in at the gym or how many diets you try, weight training is the key to building a round, shapely butt. Pauline’s proven system of circuit-style workouts will build a strong foundation from which a strong, beautiful, functional body can be crafted

I actually did both the Upper 1 and Lower 1 part of the Butt Bible today (before I found the website). I liked that the lower 1 didn’t require any extra equipment other than a towel. Now for the Upper 1 you do need a set of hand weights which I  sadly don’t have. So instead of giving up on my weight loss dreams I improvised using these juice bottles that are Oj’s (and he’d probably yell at me for not asking him if  I could use them had he been awake). For the challege in week 2 you do Day 1: Butt Bible Lower Level 1. Day 2: Butt Bible Upper Level 1. Day 3: Rest or Cardio. Then you repeat this formula for the rest of the week except on day 7 you rest no matter if you take days 3 and 6 off or do cardio for them.

I’m really excited about this challenge and since I missed week 1 I think I’ll stay a week behind of the Social Challenge Group since week 3 starts using Butt Bible Level 2 workouts. I don’t think I’m quite ready for those yet. In addition to the 2 Butt Bible Workout (which are both 20 minutes a piece) I completed a 35 minute Yoga Refresh dvd which ties into the Degree Get Into The Move Challenge. Here is some more information about the Get Into The Move Challenge:

If you’re ready for a fun, fitness challenge, try the get into the Move Challenge sponsored by Degree with new motionSENSE technology! Try these exclusive workouts and you can earn Motion Miles for a chance to win exciting prizes online! The Get Into The Move Challenge features 5 styles of energetic workouts, like Latin dance, yoga and cardio, so you’ll never get bored with your workout. Join trainer, Jennifer Galardi start getting rewarded just for moving! Learn more atDegreeWomen.com

 I think this routine will be great since I’m using them off my OnDemand and a lot of the programs aren’t in order (like there are 30 day challenges but only day 1 & day 2). Also, I’m down another 2 days with NO soda. I’m really proud of myself because when we were in Walmart today I was dying from the dry heat/humidity we’ve got going on (heat index today is pushing 104-110 with the temp being 95 it’s self), I was really craving a nice cold soda BUT I kept on walking and didn’t want to ruin what I have going on. I can’t look back now right?

Can’t Sleep? Let’s Yoga!

I know I mentioned yesterday that I can’t find a gym I like. Well I finally took a look at the exercise videos that Comcast offers their OnDemand customers. I have to admit that I was more than a little overwhelmed. I wish they would sort them into the Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced category just because I wasn’t sure what were for advanced people and what was for those just starting out until I actually started the video. Also it was a wake up that I need to get me some workout equipment, but baby steps I suppose lol. Also so excited to announce I’m 2 days ‘clean’ from Mountain Dew. I don’t actually miss it. I’m starting to incorporate more water into my daily activities. I was looking at Walmart for the Britta Bottle but oddly enough they didn’t carry it. Thankfully I seen it at Walgreens. We tried to use the Pur water filer tonight but they won’t attach to the kitchen OR bathroom sink so that sucks. But I still managed to get 8 oz of water in today and am aiming for another 2 glasses before today is over. Also I did 40 minutes of work out videos off the OnDemand thanks to the ExerciseTv section. Today I did 10 minute Pilates Abs, 10 Minute Abs and Back work out, and 20 minute Hip, Bun, Thigh Yoga … let me tell you that I am worn out already. I also am taking Oj out to run with the neighbor boys so that means more rough housing for me I’m sure. Also aiming for one more workout video while Oj naps. Even if by some chance I don’t get anymore exercise videos in today I’m pretty excited of my start for the week.

Weight Reality Hits Hard

 Growing up I was always the skinny kid, the girl with the great metabolism. I wasn’t afraid of my appetite even if I knew someday it’d catch up to me … today was that day I was hit with a giant sack of reality. But I need to be honest with myself and admit that I had a self-diagnosed eating disorder during high school. It started freshman year and lasted sadly until I became pregnant with my son (end of senior year). I’m not proud of it in any way, shape, or form. It was unhealthy of me to just stop eating. I’d eat maybe something small at lunch, or something my Grandparents brought me over. After that it was easy for me to not eat just because I was old enough to make my own meals. All I had to tell my mother was I already ate or I wasn’t hungry at that moment and would eat later. Then I’d just ‘forget’ to eat. It went along with my cutting and just overall depression I can see that now. So I fully believe that’s why this realty of me being a “heavy” girl is hard for me to swallow.

Before I became pregnant with my son I was 5’3 and weighted in at 105 but sometimes 110lbs which would send me into a panic. When I became pregnant with my son I was one of those unfortunante people that had severe ‘morning’ sickness. I couldn’t keep anything down, no prenatal vitamins, not even stomache acid. It was the worst 3 months of my life I can tell you that. I honestly don’t know how I was able to give birth to a healthy 6lb baby boy. When I was finally able to see my doctor they had me weighted in at 90lbs … so I had lost close to 20lbs just from getting sick … weight I couldn’t afford to lose honestly. It didn’t help that after I was done getting sick I couldn’t keep down ANY dairy products. I had to take those chalky nasty calcium chews … which are yes GROSS. Just looking at my prom photo you can see how sickly I look … I don’t even really look pregnant here. I ended up weighting 125lbs when I delivered Owen and a couple days later was down to 120lbs. I was really happy to be here weight wise. I liked how I looked and didn’t want to be the unhealthy weight I was before. Then tragedy struck … I lost my (grand)mother to lung cancer.
 This has probably been the worst 3 years of my life and I’m still trying to learn how to deal with her not being here, the empty hole that’s left in my body/life. It’s hard for me because I just feel so lost without her and I’m not sure how to pick myself up and carry on without her. She was always there to help me figure the tough stuff out and I know Jeff tries but it’s just not the same thing. So without even realizing it, I turned to food as a comfort. My appetite grew and so did my soda intake. It’s to the point now where I am now trying to not only deal with the grieving process 3 years later but also to adjust to being the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m weighting in at about 145-150 and I know on my 5’3 frame that it doesn’t carry well … believe me. I haven’t found a gym that I feel comfortable in (we’ve tried 2 of them) so I need to rely on what I resources I have available. I want to get in a habit of using the free workout videos that are on my OnDemand. I used the yoga one time … and felt really good but I can’t do it for one day and then a week later here we are without me doing the video. It doesn’t help myself any at all. I can’t see results if I don’t stick to something. Getting this out here, hell even putting the photo out there for everyone to see is my wake up call. I need to stick to something and do it now so that I can be happy with myself. I don’t want to go dramatic with it, just 10-20lbs and I’d be a happy woman. I need to do this for Owen and if we ever want to have more kids, I need to do it for that as well. I need to use this for my weight loss journal just to keep myself accountable for what I’m doing or not doing. If you notice I’m slacking, please don’t hesitate to yell at me on Twitter or Facebook or even in the comments.

Wordless Wednesday Storms

This is what we woke up to on Monday morning. There is a post to come and this photo is like a minute or less from our apartment …. very scary.

(C) Rockford Register Star

Wordless Wednesday Smiles and Tears

Our week. fireworks, swimming, baseball & my brother leaving