Thrift Store Steals

I've got to admit, I LOVE thrift stores! I honestly did most of my son's "back to school" clothes shopping there! I may have bought him one actual pair of "new" shorts & a few "new" t-shirts from stores but the rest of his shorts came from the Salvation Army. Why am I going to spend oodles on brand new clothes when he's just going to grow out of them throughout the school year? 6 yr old boys grow pretty quickly & I'm not going to flush our hard earned money down the toilet for the sake of fashion. I will admit that I am a pretty picky thrift store shopper. If it doesn't look brand new or mostly brand new then I won't buy it. Anyways, this post is about me this time. Yesterday my son & I went to the thrift store on base because I had a box full of books to donate as well as some odds & ends. While we were there I found a few books that I either had added on GoodReads.com to read or the books appeared interesting so I nabbed them, my son a t-shirt, & myself a bunch of shirts & a pair of capri type shorts & I only paid $8 for the whole lot. It was SUCH a bargain because I had 5 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, & at least 5 books. I was happy! Today I decided to try out my more "grown up" outfit. I know I am older & that I probably should STOP shopping in the junior section of stores & I probably should stop shopping at Wet Seal, Forever 21, etc but I just like the style of those clothes compared to "adult women" clothes. Anyways..so yesterday I was at school picking up my son & a few of the moms of the kids in my son's class were outside waiting for their kids & of course here I come in my super ripped Old Navy jeans, flip flops & shirt like I'm still 21. All the other moms were wearing "business casual" clothes & I know those moms don't work so it's not like they came from a job..it's just how they normally dress..most had on knee length skirts, khaki capri pants, dressier tops, etc & I looked like the casual early 20s chick who just did NOT fit in. So..I made a mental note to, at some point, when I do go clothes shopping to pick up ONE "grown up" outfit. I talked with the moms for a bit & then I grabbed E & off we left for the thrift store so I could drop off our stuff. While there I saw some "grown up" clothes so I decided to buy my one grown up outfit there instead, haha! So..for TWO dollars here is my adult outfit. (Obviously the shoes are for laughs only..I will NOT be wearing those ungrown up shoes with my adult outfit.) Anyways..I thought I could get away with wearing my hair tightly pulled back, using my aviator sunglasses as a "headband", etc. Do I look "business casual" now? Hahahaha..I thought for $2 I couldn't beat that deal!

Our goal when we buy land and build a house is to also have a big vegetable/fruit garden and also have chickens to give us eggs.

I've always been gung ho about owning some chickens but I just read this article about raising ducks instead and now I'm wondering if maybe we should scrap the chicken idea and go strictly for ducks. I've always liked ducks. I think they are so cute. I've never had a duck egg though but this article is saying they taste better than chicken eggs. Makes me kind of want to try them.

Has anyone ever owned ducks? If so, do you recommend them & are their eggs much better than chickens?

If we get ducks I'd like to dress them up as these guys, hahaha!

Gorgeously Green

Because I am subjected to being home 24/7 due to my hip fracture I've had LOTS of time to read & surf the internet. I honestly hate sitting on my butt day in and day out because I know I'm getting all sorts of fat cells on my butt, hips, and thighs because of this but I have no choice until my stress fracture heals.

Anyways, I've really gotten into my vegetable garden hobby. Along with that and my increased interest in eating vegetarian I've just been reading up on all sorts of things. I feel very strongly about deciding to become vegetarian. I just feel like it is SO important to not eat all these tainted animal products. I'm trying to go as organic as possible with fruits and vegetables since even all our produce is tainted with chemicals as well. I just want to be as free from all these harmful chemicals as possible. I just want my body to be as healthy as it is supposed to be.

A few nights ago Jeff and I watched the documentary Chemerical and even though I found the main family on it SUPER annoying I completely agree and want to follow what the documentary was about. It's common sense that all our products contain harmful chemicals and it's common knowledge that all these toxins are seeping into our skin and we're breathing them in. I knew this but of course sometimes you just need a slap aside the head to really understand just how awful all this stuff is and what it's doing to us.

Anyways, I got the slap I needed and even though I have been slowly using up all my cleaning agents and beauty products I realized I just need to STOP using them and replace them all with natural, good ones. I honestly hate wasting money and the thought of just tossing all my cleaning agents and beauty products just eats at me but when you realize just how harmful all these things are you need to just suck it up and dispose of them properly. Thankfully we have a convenient place on this military base where we can drop off all toxic chemicals so I have been packing up a box and plan to drop them off there.

If you're curious to see how harmful your beauty products are I highly suggest checking out the site Skin Deep. It's a large cosmetic database where you can just type in the name of the beauty product you use and it'll give you the information on what is in it, what it does to your body and a score of 1-10 on how harmful it is.

I typed in a few of my beauty products today and let's just say I had to suck it up and dispose of some of them because they were all very high on the toxic list. One of my products even had a 9! It was an Avon eye cream and it stunned me because I LOVE Avon and the fact that I've been putting a highly toxic cream on my thin eye skin (which absorbs easily) just makes me cringe. My poor toxic body! Is there some way to detox my body of all these harmful chemicals? I have been a beauty product addict for at least 15 years so the thought of all those chemicals inside me is just revolting.

Random!

Okay I didn't make it to the Salvation Army because I was feeling pretty sleepy but I did manage to stumble upon a tidbit about Benjamin Franklin. Yes, I said Benjamin Franklin.

I just found out that he was apart of a secret society called the Hellfire Club. Turns out the Hellfire Club is this group of rich people who come together to make fun of religion, drink & participate in huge orgies. Ben Franklin in an orgy?! I was seriously stunned because I grew up seeing this picture of a serious proper gentleman - you know the one in the history books.. and to now see him as this evil man who participated in these kinds of activities is just weird.

A Little Bit of Home

I was fortunate enough to get the car today. I have been stuck in the house for over a week with nothing to do but read and it's getting a little old. Technically I'm not supposed to be using this left leg at all BUT I'm getting cabin fever so when Jeff took the Mustang today I hopped in the Jetta and have been driving around today.

First stop was the Annex so I could see if they had any vegetable plants I could buy and plant into our garden. Nope! I did end up seeing a gorgeous spider plant - so bushy with babies growing that I couldn't resist and I bought that along with the Herb Grow Bag so I could start cat grass, cilantro, and basil. (My cats better thank me for the cat grass that will be soon growing!)

I've been wanting to get a houseplant, especially a spider plant, since they are known for eliminating household toxins in the air. Now that I've become all about going as organic, all natural, etc a houseplant was definitely something I needed. I'd honestly like to buy numerous amounts of them and put them in our bedrooms as well but because we'll be moving off island within a few months I didn't want to spend that money and have to either give the plants away or throw them out when we leave. I really hope I don't have to throw out my spider plant, whom I've already named Sylvia, haha! (See how sad and pathetic I've become if I'm naming my plants now?) It's so bad that I actually named our two tomato plants Bob & Bob jr and named our cucumber plant Larry - yes, Veggie Tales *may* have been my inspiration. :)

Anyways, I also found some little carton seed containers I had bought years ago so I put in some soil and planted 3 pole beans and I'm going to attempt sowing the spinach seeds in our little spot where the tomatoes are. I'm not sure how or if they will grow directly in the dirt we have here but we'll see. I didn't want to start spinach in a pot because the back of the package says to just sow it right into the ground so I'll cross my fingers that it'll grow that way.

Next on my To-Do list? I think I'll head to the Salvation Army. I want to see if they have any cheap pots and while I'm there maybe I can find Ethan some shorts for school. I love the thrift store so much but the one out here is expensive for a Salvation Army. Their clothes are like $5 and up! I'm used to the one in RI where clothes were like $5 and below. Oh well.. Hawaii isn't ALL glitz and glam, haha! You definitely have to fork out the dough if you want to live here.

Before I end this entry..is anyone into prepping? I started watching that prepper show and I love it. Heck, I was already in the prepping mindset before seeing that show but since seeing I definitely want to prep more. Our goal is to become entirely self sufficient and be able to live off the grid. I really want to leave the island so I can REALLY start stockpiling. We can't exactly prep out here because when we move in April they aren't going to ship all that kind of stuff so I haven't really done much of anything out here. Let's hope a natural disaster, financial disaster, etc doesn't happen before we leave here or else we'd be unprepared!

I think in the future I may do another post on prepping just because I find it so fascinating and even if you think this country will be fine it's still good to learn some tricks just in case you do find yourself in a situation. I want to learn how to survive in case something bad were to happen.

Chocolate Frosting Shot

Here is an AMAZING dessert recipe that I found on Pinterest and tried tonight.

It's called a chocolate frosting shot and the creator of this dessert can be found by clicking on that link.

I made some alterations to her recipe because I didn't have cocoa powder. I am a HUGE fan of chocolate Shakeology and because it's all natural (NO artificial ingredients) and loaded with super foods I like to substitute chocolate Shakeology for cocoa powder, etc in recipes.

Katie's recipe called for:

1 can full-fat coconut milk 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract sweetener to taste (stevia, etc)

Then you: "Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight, unless it’s already thick like mousse. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen Organic, because I’ve had the most success with that brand.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. (For the photos on this page, I didn’t use beaters. But I did pipe the mousse out using an icing tip.) Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker." (Excerpt taken directly from chocolatecoveredkatie.com)

Okay so here is what I did if any of you have Shakeology handy. instead of 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder I just used 1/4 cup chocolate Shakeology - Ta Da! (You all thought I was making some huge alteration to it..haha, nope. I also left out the sweetener because I try to avoid as much sugary stuff as possible. Honestly, with the Shakeology, vanilla and coconut cream I didn't think it needed anything else, it tasted AMAZING! Now, I have no idea what her recipe actually tastes like with the cocoa powder and extra sweetener so I can't help you there BUT I do know the version I made was AWESOME and I will definitely be adding this recipe to my dessert keepers list!

I'm so glad I found her recipe for this delicious, quick, indulgent dessert!

I'll include the photo that was pinned to Pinterest. Mine looked the same as well if you follow her directions.

Hope you all enjoy!

I've had even more time to think about this blog to decide (again) where I want to take this. I said the fitness routine and now I think I will add recipes as well. Heck, I think I'll do a mostly based fitness/recipe blog along with what I sometimes go through. Why the heck not? :)

My family has decided to try vegetarian as our new "lifestyle". We started this about two weeks ago and so far it's going better than I thought. We didn't go cold turkey so right now I will say we are flexitarians because maybe once a week we have some form of poultry..which reminds me, I do eat eggs (I love them too much to give them up & I want their protein) so I guess technically I will never be full fledged vegetarian which is fine by me. We didn't go into this with the mindset of "SAVE THE ANIMALS" but we went into this decision to switch our eating habits after watching the amazing documentary Forks Over Knives. (I highly recommend watching it)

Anyways, with our vegetarian mindset we decided to plant a garden. Where we live, on a military base, we don't have many choices to the size of it so it's quite small but that's fine. At least we'll be able to grow a few organic cucumbers and tomatoes and those are two vegetables that I buy quite often at the store. It'll cut our grocery bill down some and it's a step in the right direction to go all organic.

I've become quite a Nazi when it comes to buying organic produce. If I can afford it I will buy it. Otherwise, I'll buy the fruits and vegetables that aren't as bad the ones with the rinds I can peel off, etc. I used to just rinse my produce, maybe give it a little "scrub" with a dry paper towel after rinsing (what a bad idea that is!) but now that I've become aware of how harmful pesticides are I now scrub the heck out of the produce. I had bought that Fit produce spray but since joining Pinterest I have found other alternatives to cleaning my produce.

One "recipe" to clean your produce is to fill sink with water, add 1 C. vinegar, mix. Add all fruit and soak for 10 minutes. Water will be dirty and fruit will sparkle with no wax or dirty film. Great for Berries too--keeps them from molding.

FYI: That above text was taken from the Pinterest pin. Here is the actual blog this "recipe" comes from. DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash. I'm actually quite new to blogger so I hope I gave credit (the right way) where credit is deserved. I don't want anyone yelling at me for "stealing" this idea/recipe when I'm not. I'm letting you know now that I got it off Pinterest and then clicked to find her blog.

I just really want people to clean their produce better if it isn't organic. Maybe you all do, I don't know..all I do know is that I was a slacker and just rinsed my produce never really thinking how BAD pesticides and germs in general (that are already on the produce) truly are. I know it's basic knowledge but sometimes we just overlook it and bat an eye and think we'll be fine. We won't be fine. We are wreaking havoc on our endocrine systems by ingesting all these pesticides and other toxic chemicals sprayed on our foods.

My Plan

So how do I plan on losing 10 lbs? Well, through Beachbody. I replace one meal a day with Shakeology. 

Drinking Shakeology is a lot like brushing your teeth and exercising—you've got to participate in these healthy habits every day to see their benefits. The more you do it, the more you can experience these advantages.

Here are 5 reasons you should drink Shakeology daily:

1. Your cravings for unhealthy foods can eventually disappear—and be replaced by cravings for healthy choices. It's true!
2. You can save time! Replace one meal a day with Shakeology and that's one less meal to plan. Whip up your shake and go. It's fast food that's great for you.
3. You can save money! If you drink Shakeology instead of eating lunch or dinner, you'll spend just $4 on your meal.
4. You can save money, the sequel! As Shakeology improves your digestion, boosts your energy, and keeps you lean, you're bound to have fewer medical bills.
5. You can keep the weight off! Studies show that people who eat breakfast every day are less likely to regain the weight. Furthermore, a protein-rich breakfast helps you feel full and reduces the tendency to snack throughout the day.

I can honestly say that I used to be a HUGE sugar-aholic. I NEEDED/craved candy every.single.day. This craving increased about 6 months ago and I NEEDED to eat candy everyday or I thought I was going to pull my hair out. I ate enormous amounts of Twizzlers, Hot Tamales, Starburst, peanut M&Ms, etc. It was out of control  yet I could NOT stop my sugar craving, it was terrible.
I can now say that *since* starting Shakeology a month ago my sugar cravings have STOPPED. I no longer crave or desire candy. A few weeks ago I did crave something sweet but it wasn't a terrible craving and when it came on I ended up making a chocolate Shakeology smoothie with some fruit and peanut butter and it was delicious, like having a dessert, and it completely satisfied my craving. I can happily say I haven't had candy in about a month and it's been amazing because I truly thought I would never get over that sugar addiction.

If you're interested in trying Shakeology please visit my online store HERE and you will *not* be disappointed, I promise. Beachbody also promises you won't be disappointed, but, if you are they offer a 30 day money back guarantee so you wouldn't be losing anything by trying it. :)

Yes, Shakeology is part of my weight loss plan. My form of exercise that I will be doing is Insanity. If you're interested in doing Insanity please visit my Beachbody store and read about the workout there. Click on the left hand side of the page that says "Shop Beach Body" and click on "Programs" and you can find all the Beachbody workouts there. If Insanity isn't your idea of a good time, because it is INTENSE, then there are so many other amazing Beachbody workouts to choose from.

I just started doing Insanity on May 1st. It is a 60 day program and I cannot wait to see what I look like in 60 days. I'm PUMPED. It's a lot of hard work but I know if I commit to it 100% then I *will* see those results and get that body that I dream of.
I plan on keeping track of my progress on here so be prepared to read what I do for exercise.

If you'd like any information about Beachbody workouts or supplements and Shakeology then please ask me and I'll try to answer any questions you have.

Where I'm Going With This Blog...

I've been silent for a few months. I hadn't decided on which direction to take this blog. Should I make it a traveling blog? A random blog? A blog about myself?
I think I've finally decided to go with the fitness route. What about a regular old fitness blog about what I'm doing, how I'm doing it and I'll throw in some recipes and exercises we can all do? Does that sound good?

One of my New Year's resolutions was to focus on my fitness and actually get somewhere in my life. I think I'm getting there. I'm 90% on the personal trainer boat. I am SO CLOSE to signing up for the course and becoming one. The 10% that is holding me back is fear. What happens if I fail the practical & written exams? I do NOT like to fail, it's embarrassing and depressing. I know I'm second guessing myself, after all, I may *not* fail.. and how do you succeed if you never try something? Yes, there is a chance I could fail but there is also the chance that I could pass and become successful. I do understand this, yet, I'm still afraid.

I've been into fitness when I was in my early 20s. I used to ride my mountain bike and roller blade (does anyone do that anymore? haha). I'd go for long walks with my mom back when I lived at home or I'd hike. I will admit that I didn't do this stuff daily because I was young and dumb and didn't see the importance of eating healthy and exercising daily. I just thought since I was naturally thin that I didn't *have* to do that stuff. I wish I had known what I know now, oh well.

Needless to say I got into real fitness in 2008. I had my son in 2006 and gained 30 lbs. I lost all the weight but 10 lbs. It was a little unsettling but he wasn't even 6 months old so I wasn't that worried with it. When he turned 7 months I went on a hormonal birth control and ballooned out 20 lbs in less than 6 months!! My poor body went through the stretching out of pregnancy weight gain and then soon after went through the same weight gain (in less time) from my new birth control. It was awful and I became depressed.
I wasn't over eating and I couldn't lose any weight. I finally started truly exercising (when I was sans baby) and the weight wouldn't budge. I finally realized the weight gain came around the same time I had this new birth control. I finally asked my doctor to change my birth control and she was hesitant and said my weight gain was *not* from my birth control but from my apparent over eating. How would she know if I were over eating or not? Did she live with me? No. I informed her I was NOT over eating and she finally changed my birth control.

Within a few weeks I finally started to lose a pound or two. I was HAPPY because I could not seem to lose weight before then. Turns out I was right, it *was* my birth control! Anyways, I managed to lose 10 lbs on my own and then I joined Jazzercise and I dropped 20 lbs dancing. It was a fight but I lost the weight I had gained. If I can remember correctly I believe I hit my goal weight (to be in the low 120s) by late 2009 or early 2010. I managed to stay 122-124 for almost a year and half but I got sick this past October with pneumonia and after I got better my weight jumped to 130. I now fluctuate from 130-132 and I've been this weight since January. It's DISTURBING because I know I *can* be 123 and I'd like to be that weight again but for some reason I can't shake the weight.

I am now on a new journey to blast these 7-10 lbs away. I hate being 132, I look chubby (I'm short) and I just feel gross with my appearance.

Join me on my quest to lose these pounds and establish long term lifestyle with fitness and healthy eating being a top priority.

My goal is to lose the weight and NEVER gain it back, ever again.

Happy New Year!

It's 2012 and how do you plan on living it?

Here is my plan for the new year: Live every day like it's my last. I know that's a little extreme but I truly do want to enjoy every.single.day of this year. I'm not a complete optimist, I do know that I will have some pretty crumby days thrown in but I have a feeling if I really think about the day I will be able to find something enjoyable about it. Heck, maybe I'll even do a Gratitude Post every day!

Americans need to stop being so negative and ungrateful. Yes our country is going to Hell in a hand basket but how about if we all banded together to change that?  I'm tired of the stupidity of Americans (myself included). I'm so tired of how I've wasted so many years of my life accomplishing NOTHING. This year I want to actually accomplish something. Americans are lazy and spoiled and we need to wake up and realize how living that way is wreaking havoc on us all (as well as our country).

So this year I am focusing on my fitness (I've been into fitness and exercising for about 3 yrs now but I want to *really* amp up my focus this year). I specifically plan on focusing in on pilates and yoga. I've been interested in both exercises for a few years (bought the typical dvds a few yrs back) but never religiously used them because I got too distracted doing it in my own home. I also didn't feel like I was doing the moves correctly because it's kind of hard to tell what the instructor is doing on the tv screen. So, I kind of pushed those dvds into the back of the dvd shelf & said to myself how if I could afford a yoga or pilates class then I'd go. Nothing ever came up and when there was an affordable one it just didn't fit into my schedule so I was screwed for a few years.
Well, a few months ago the gym I go to hired a few new teachers and they now added new classes (Pilates!) & more yoga classes. I am psyched because I can now practice both all week long! Yoga is now available three days a week & pilates is offered two. I have been on Cloud 9 for a few weeks now. I have been going as often as I can & I absolutely love it.
Aside from that guy I'm married too, I have the most unflexible stiff body that I know of. It's kind of pathetic actually & I've always wanted a nice lean long dancer's flexible body. I recall reading an article years ago saying how Jennifer Aniston transformed her body from doing pilates. Transformed? Give me some of that! Pilates and yoga lengthen your body by stretching your muscles and creates and maintains lean muscle mass. Sign me up for some of that as well. I want that elegant posture of dancers because they appear leaner, which they are, but I have terrible slouched shoulders and I'm pretty sure when I become an old lady I will look like the Hutchback of Notre Dame. I want better posture and that was another reason why I've been interested in starting yoga and pilates.

I also plan on eating as natural, organic, clean, healthy - you name it! this year. I've been becoming more and more aware of how I've been literally killing my body with the stuff I've been eating. I have such a sugar addiction that I know I have really done damage to my insides. I, thankfully, don't have Diabetes yet but this year I really want to cut out most processed sugar from my diet. It's TERRIBLE for you, people. Sugar is should be your #1 enemy! Not only have I been wreaking havoc on my body with refined sugar but there are so many toxins in all our foods that we just need to be aware of it and try and prevent it. (I will have to do a whole other post on toxins in our food and how our gov't is trying to kill us all) :)

Overall, I just want to better myself. I want to actually make a difference in my life or in someone else. I honestly feel like I've wasted a good 10 years of my life - I've done nothing spectacular. The only real big things I can say I've done in those 10 yrs was get married and have a baby. That's IT. I need direction.. I hope this year I can quickly find the path that I need to get on to get direction and get running!