Updates

• Working Out - I am still working out at least three times a week, and taking my GNC vitapak.  I fianlly saw the scale move (down of course)!  Not by a lot, but at least it was SOMETHING like I had wanted.
• School - It has been pretty stressful lately, because of some seriously misbehaved children combined with a lack of support from....a lot of people.  I'll leave it at that.  So now when I get home, I'm not only physcially exhausted like usual from standing and walking around children all day, but also mentally exhausted from arguing my case with co-workers, and dealing with the political side of teaching that they don't warn you about in your education classes in college.
• I got a new bedding set from IKEA today that I have been anxiously waiting to get.  I literally wanted to wash everything immeadiately when I got home tonight so I could put it all on right away. BUT our knob for the washer temperature broke off last week, and the new one won't be here for a few days.  Normally I wouldn't care, and just wash the duvet cover in cold water, but since the insert that came with it specifically said use hot water only, I'm apprehensive to use anything other than that, ESPECAILLY because I just bought it and you never know what new sheets/clothing items will do in their first wash...  So anyways, you'll probably see a post with lots of bed pictures once I can switch our washer to hot and get all that ready for my bed :)
• We made a definitive decision on our Spring Break vacation in April: Puerto Rico, here we come!  We are planning on purchasing the tickets/resort package this month.  Probably towards the end of the month, so I can add in all my extra babysitting money (I've been picking more up just so I can save for it faster).



Source

• One of my bffs is totally preggers and due on Feb. 2nd!  That's SO soon!  I can't stop thinking about how exciting it is to see one my close friends as a mom and to have a baby around!  I know it will change a lot too, but it's just so surreal and exciting right now to think about.  Woo!!

That's about it.  OH and I will probably not be making a resolution post.  I'm not sure if I really believe in them much, especially because I can't think of one serious resolution that I honestly stuck with for a whole year.  So we will just say that in general I am trying to maintain the healthy habits that I have been doing for the past month. :) I am also trying to make a more consciencious effort to have more do-nothing non-planned time.  It is HARD to do for me, but I'm trying! We shall see how that works out...


Anyways, have a good night!

No Smoking!

 

I have (unfortunately) grown up around smokers all my life.  My parents smoked cigarettes all the time, in the house, out of the house, morning, day and night.  I was extremely embarrassed by the smell of it, and how it would make our whole house smell like smoke.  Kids would tease us at school saying that we smoked, because our clothes smelled like it.  I rarely invited people over to the house because of it.  I HATED it.  When learning about second hand smoke at school and how it's a danger to those around the people that do smoke, I was appalled to learn that my parents were not only putting their own health at risk, but also the health of my brother, sister, and I.  I went home that day, enraged and determined to convince my parents of why they shouldn't smoke.  I remember putting up No Smoking signs around the house, and making a BIG deal about it when they smoked inside.  I even started throwing away any cigarettes that I saw! (Not whole packs, but if I saw random ones lying around, or half used ones that my parents wanted to finish later)

Nothing worked.  As I'm sure anyone who has smoked for a while can tell you, the only way to truly quit is if you want to do it for yourself and no one else.  My parents later moved on from cigarettes to cigars!  Which normally would be better, considering most people don't inhale cigars.  Well, parents do!  So it's actually even WORSE than smoking cigarettes! Ugh! 

Anyways, it still blows my mind how naive they still are about it all.  I come over and immediately start coughing or covering my mouth because of how smoky it is.  My mom will say some comment about how they haven't smoked inside all day and how she has no idea why I smell it.  DUH!  You'd think after almost 30 years of smoking inside, they would realize that the smell travels and sticks to EVERYTHING!  Clothes, blinds, carpets, even the furniture smells like smoke! 

It makes me really sad to think about all of this, especially considering that my grandfather died from complications of smoking (emphysema and lung cancer).  He even stopped at one point!  He smoked for 40 years, but didn't smoke for 20 and STILL had all of those problems.  I really thought that would jog some kind of motivation for my parents to stop, but no.  I really hate to think about when I have kids, and how I'll be hesitant to bring them over to their house because of the smoke.  I really hope that they quit before it's too late.

What's even sadder, is that I'm the only one in the family that didn't pick it up.  My brother and sister have both smoked (and one still does now) cigarettes on a regular basis.  I know that had they not grown up with it around them, they would have been less likely to be smokers.

There are so many things that come to mind, about what my future children could do to really get me angry...smoking is totally one of those things.  I would FLIP out if my child started doing that.  And hopefully since I don't smoke, don't condone it, and also have family history to prove how awful it is, my children will hopefully grow up as non-smokers like I did.

Thoughts? 

P.S. I LOVE that there are so many non-smoking restaurants now! Woo! I still see smoking hotel rooms, but as long as they have non-smoking options, it's cool.  Glad the public/government has been getting their act together with that!

Trying to not be discouraged...

**All the circles on the calendar show the days I went to the gym/did workout classes

So in the past 3 weeks, I have worked out between 4-5 times a week.  I have been running, taking workout classes, lifting weights, and doing everything I can to try and lose this weight/tone up.  I even kept it up over the holiday break.  I weighed myself yesterday and I weighed 3 pounds over my heaviest weight I have ever been.

WTF!



It's so hard to not be discouraged when I see that.  I have little voices in my head saying don't worry it's just a number, it's about how I feel (the other negative voice says - I feel like poo and I hate how my clothes fit!).  They also say muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe it's muscle (well I don't see any!). 

I'm not going to give up, but it definitely brought me down yesterday.

I really hope that if I keep this up, I'll start to see some more results, whether that be in the way I feel/look, or in numbers.

Wish me luck...

Dream On!

"Dream On" is the color of the nail polish I have on right now.  The brand is "Sinful Colors." It's hard to capture the awesomeness on camera, but it's a really bright magenta pink/purple.  One of my students got it for me for Xmas, since they know I love brightly colored nail polish. :)

It inspires me to be more creative and fun!

Ha! Showed You!

To all those nay-sayers out there who have made fun of me for wearing a pedometer to track my steps on a daily basis...

I just had $125 deposited into my bank account for getting up to the next level for Virgin Health Miles.

HA!  I just got PAID for walking! Booooooyaahh! (do people say that anymore? If not, I just brought it back!)

I have a pretty little necklace over at Tiffany's that I've had my eye on, and I'm pretty sure that my walking money will be what pays for it!

Ooooohhhhh yeaaaaahhh

New Favs



Urban Decy All Nighter

Some of my new favorite products that I have been using all the time: 

















This spray is awesome!  I can spray it on after my makeup is on, and it helps make it last longer throughout the day!  I usually get the smaller bottle, which is $11 and it lasts for a while.



Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer



















I have been using this primer for a year or two now.  I tried the too faced primer but didn't like it as much.  This one honestly makes it so my eye shadow doesn't crease AT ALL all day long.  The only thing I can't figure out yet, is how to prevent my eye liner from creasing, but that's another story.



Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

 

















I used to just put concealer on with my fingers, but after switching to a brush, I'll never go back! It's SO much better, and there's just better coverage this way.  It's funny, when it comes to Bare Escentuals, I actually like their tools better than their actual makeup.

Skin-Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller

























I love this eye-roller! Concealer and brightener all in one!  I love that it feels a bit cold, because it wakes my eyes up.  And it's not greasy at all!  It actually feels really good when you put it on.  The roller ball is cool too because it helps smooth it over.

Do you have any new favs you want to share?

Workout Crazy

So I worked out on Thursday, twice on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then twice today.  So technically, I've worked out seven times in a row! Yikes! I know it's best to have a day of rest, but it's hard to stop once I'm on a roll!

AND I'm in some more step challenges with my co-workers, so that's extra motivation!  I feel like I just have this non-stop burst of energy and motivation and I should use it while I have it!

Tomorrow I'm going to a Step and Sculpt class with a co-worker and then I might go back to the gym with Dan later on again.  That's how I went twice tonight...I went to a half and half class where you do half cardio/dance and then half muscle conditioning with weights and the yoga ball.  It was awesome, but I didn't feel as exhausted/sweaty as I wanted to.  I came home, had dinner with Dan, and then I went to the gym again with him and just ran/walked on the treadmill for a while.

So the suggested amount of steps a regular person should take is about 10,000 steps a day (typically with "normal" size steps, 2,000 steps = 1 mile so that would mean walking about 5 miles a day is good).  Well, I have been averaging way more than that.  When my school day is over, I usually already have about 10,000 steps.  Then I have my workout, and of course today with 2 workouts I got a TON of steps.

So how many did I get today? ...Are you ready?  28,082 steps!!

I know, crazy, right?! And awesome! Now all I need to see is the scale move some more (downwards please!) and then I'll be even happier!

Let's hope! I'll keep you updated :)

Have a great night!