My arm pits bring all the boys to the yard!!!

Ok so maybe my arm pits only bring my husband to the yard LOL!!! Just wanted to drop in and talk about my arm pits... no seriously... I received a Dove Vox Box from Influenster.

Let me just say that I NEVER pay attention to my arm pits until its time to shave, and this is usually done very quickly on the shower. However when I got the box I immediately took note to this:

If this is true and I'm shaving at least twice a week what does that really mean for my arm pits? Well I don't know but what I do know is I have officially switched to Dove. Not because I'm more than likely shaving my skin but because putting on the deodorant is like putting on lotion. It is so smooth, it smells delicious (yes I have been watching re runs of Mob Wives) and is last so long. Now after I have killed myself in the gym I am no longer afraid to #raisemyarms!!!! 

 I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Wellness Wednesday- Anxiety

Wellness Wednesday is so dear to me, Im sure you cant tell because I haven't done one in a while but its due to my life being in what feels like a constant transition. However going through old post I remember why I started it. I wanted to encourage and educate others on varying topics related to mental health.

This week the theme of my clients has been anxiety. ENTER THE DRAGON... This post could be a book long so I will focus it solely on the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This does not include other disorders such as panic disorder and PTSD. Please be mindful that the symptoms may manifest in others differently.

A. Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance). 

B. The person finds it difficult to control the worry. 

C. The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past 6 months). Note: Only one item is required in children. 

(1) restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
(2) being easily fatigued
(3) difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
(4) irritability
(5) muscle tension
(6) sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep) 

D. The focus of the anxiety and worry is not confined to features of an Axis I disorder, e.g., the anxiety or worry is not about having a Panic Attack (as in Panic Disorder), being embarrassed in public (as in Social Phobia), being contaminated (as in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), being away from home or close relatives (as in Separation Anxiety Disorder), gaining weight (as in Anorexia Nervosa), having multiple physical complaints (as in Somatization Disorder), or having a serious illness (as in Hypochondriasis), and the anxiety and worry do not occur exclusively during Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 

E. The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. 

F. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism) and does not occur exclusively during a Mood Disorder, a Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

This post is not meant to replace seeking professional help.  It is simply meant to be informative. Everyone worries about something weight, bills, children, and the list goes on. Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of and if you or someone you knows is suffering seek help. You do not have to suffer alone.

Come back next week as I discuss possible treatment options for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Monday and its March!!!!

I know, I know, Im such a bad blogger. Thats why you need to follow me on Instagram LOL!!! Well if you haven't figured it out by now when Im not blogging Im probably not working out much either. This has been true until recently when I hit rock bottom.

To sum it up I found myself angry at other's transformation pictures. Generally Im not a hater but I was really pissed. Which then lead to me being mad at me. Who am I to hate on someone who is working their but off...literally. I was so disgusted with myself I joined a gym despite having ended the previous membership to "save money" I decided it was needed to save me!!

If you all dont know Val get to know her. She is doing a weekly motivational, accountability email thing that is very helpful. I will be honest and say in Janurary I read the emails every Sunday got all motivated and by Tuesday was eating crap. However in Feburary I started to take them seriously, and lost 5 pounds. If I want my own transformation story I have to earn it. SO here I am... AGAIN recommitting.

This will not be easy but to stop feeling stuffed in my clothes I will do this. I will be taking measurements this time as I have learned that the scale does NOT account for inches lost. I have started March off with a bang and hope you have too!!!

I had to get the hubby involved because its easier when you have support

this was my first official day back on the wagon... it was rough

What keeps you motivated?

Make a little money while going to school!!!

A while back I was contacted by Angela with Campus Book Rentals to do an informative post on their services and that of Operation Smile. My original post focused more on Operation Smile, however this time I thought I would discuss the text rental. I was compensated for this post. All information was received via the sites linked below. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you have been following my blog you know I have started working on my second master's. As a lifetime college student I have found this information about renting text books very helpful. So let me bullet point it for you:

-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices

-free shipping both ways
-can highlight in the textbooks
-flexible renting periods
-Each text book rental yields a donation to Operation Smile

Along with the aforementioned they have a new program called Rentback (where was this when I was buying books every semester, now I have online books). Rent Back is new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own - to other students... which is awesome because it will make you 2-4x more money compared to what they'd make through single buyback options! For example that math book that is wasting space in your room you can rent it out to a student each semester instead of just getting the one time payment from selling the book back at the end of the year. One thing to consider is that professors do change the books sometimes so be sure to check into that and weigh all your options.

 

She cooks...???!!!!

I know I usually don't do this but I am experimenting with different types of post to see what my readers really want to hear about (as well as develop my niche, voice style, blah blah). It seems that my posts about my never ending weight loss struggle journey, crafts, my wedding, home management, and even this old recipe type post are a major hit.

I plan to spice it up around here (as time allows) and still stay true to the reasons I started blogging in the beginning.... all that to say this is a food post. Nope it is not healthy because when I made dinner this night I was off the proverbial wagon!

My husband usually does the cooking at my house. Perk to being married to a chef! However in his absence I had to dust off the old cook books... hey mini me and I have to live LOL. I was craving chicken quesadillas from a restaurant downtown and there were two reasons why I couldn't have it. One, its toooo far away from my house, the other is the never ending budget. I digress...

A friend of mine was like just make them they are easy. So that's what I did...

I grilled chicken on my George Foreman grill, and then proceeded to shred it as we discussed politics and making changes in the world gossiped like high schools girls and talked about the joys of being married.

It was really easy I used the chicken I had just shredded, shredded cheese, ranch, bacon bits, and quesadillas. I made varying quesadillas (she doesn't eat pork, mini me was apprehensive about the ranch dressing... blah blah)

 

I put all my ingredients near the stove because I can be so messy in the kitchen LOL

 

I placed the quesadillas in the skillet with minimal oil, on low heat, then loaded it up

 

 

 

Folded that baby in half, flipped it over a couple times so both sides would be brown and BOOM homemade quesadillas.... Of course there was salsa and sour cream but who really needs to see how much I ate when Im sure in a couple post I will be discussing my weight!!!

 

Oh and some ways to clean this up is to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, wheat quesadillas, and low fat cheese, and SKIP the ranch and bacon.

Jumping The Broom!

Who would have ever guessed that I would fall in love with DIY? I'm not sure if its the thought of using a glue gun, saving money, or Hobby Lobby's 50% wedding items sale but I really enjoyed crafting for my wedding. I have never imagined my wedding without the "jumping of the broom." That is one tradition that I was really looking forward to. So the hunt was on. I scrolled through Etsy, Amazon, Ebay, my married friends boxes and even Pinterest searching for a broom. 

 

What I wanted was something simple, light and dark purple, and a hint of bling. I found some that were perfect but for 100 plus bucks I was like HEEEEECK NO LOL. I searched everywheere and the cheaper ones werent what I was looking for and it seemed like adding bling to a broom meant more bucks being removed from my checking account. Then it hit me DIY!!!!!!!! Once again my supplies come from Hobby Lobby who did not pay me nor do they have anything to do with this post.

 

 

 

 

Yep its the same blong from my wedding programs!

 

The flowers are from Hobby Lobby, Dollar General, Dollar Tree or maybe all three... I spent a lot of time in those stores so I am really not sure. They were in a bundle and I just pulled them apart.



I really wish I had a before picture of this broom. My husband bought it from Hobby Lobby in Detroit and there was a scarecrow attached. My hubby is not a blogger so before pics dont mean a lot to him... He spray painted the handle purple.

Wrapped it in ribbon...

Here are a few of the options I played around with.

 

 

Of course mini me helped, and she was very excited

 

 

We tinted the bristles purple just to be different LOL

 

 

 

This is the broom I jumped when I married my boo... I should start selling these things it was super fun to make!!

 



The Day Before...

I already posted some really fun photos but I wanted to be sure to capture a lot of how I really felt about the whole wedding thing. Hind sight is 20/20 right?  So today's post probably should have come before I reintroduced myself but eh oh well LOL...

No one tells you how stressed, tired, happy excited, and EVERYTHING else you will be the day before your wedding. In my mind I was going to show up, tell people what I wanted and then go and get my nails and toes done with my bridesmaids have rehearsal dinner and sleep. I secretly wanted a slumber party with my girls but that among other things didn't happen.

I had this fairy tale of events like a spa day with my sister, or people treating me like a princess for the day all pictured in my mind... blah... my family was having none of that. It seemed the more I expressed what I wanted on MY day the more people rebelled and called me a bridezilla. I'm sure it sounds selfish but it was MY day I was supposed to get a selfish pass right???

Lets see where to start we lost like three groomsmen a week before the wedding, one actually dropped the day before the wedding. The decor was not what I wanted I asked for tulle going down the isle and the lady my mother insisted on hiring used some fabric that resembled fake spider webs going down the isle...

I was late for EVERYTHING this day as I had to rely on others to get me where I needed to be because my husband and I drove one car to wedding city and he had other plans. I had 8 bridesmaids, 2 junior bridesmaid, and 3 flower girls. My husband had 5 groomsmen (we had a couple ppl fill in and their suits didn't match the tuxs).

The rehearsal was a HOT MESS. We forgot the music, half of the party wasn't there. We had hostess practicing with groomsmen... literally a hot mess. My friend Meyoshia (remember her from the bridal shower) came through and used her phone placing it next to a microphone so that there was some  music for this rehearsal.... I was stressed, and sad, my hubby was mad. We argued and I honestly didn't know what the next day was going to be like.

I would just like to say that as little girls we are brainwashed into these Disney fantasies and they just are not realistic. No matter how meticulous you are in planning the wedding or how much money you spend, when you hand over control people screw up! I don't think they do it intentionally but it just happens. I was blessed because I have amazing friends who stepped up and handled things but almost nothing aside from the I do's went according to plan.

Ok enough woe is me I will save that for a later post detailing what I learned from this whole experience.... On a positive side my wedding was amazing because my friends and family showed up. My wedding was spectacular because I married my best friend, and my daughter looked great... and I will leave you with some random pics I found in my phone...

 

 

 

 

 

Me before things started spiraling out of control

My boo thang!!! She was ride or die just like we discussed

My mom

My great aunt

I finally did get my pedicure, but it was rushed

My new beautiful niece

Me by the end of the night