by Tish MacWebber | Jan 13, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
There are some things that it is prudent to be superstitious about. Until today, I never really worried about Friday the 13th. Then again, today was not like any other that I have experienced.
Once in a blue moon, I have issues with my digestive tract. Today was one of those days. From when I woke up this morning before the alarm, and even now, the tummy has been off all day. It is usually related to something I ate, or a virus. I am hoping for the first one, because it will work its way out faster. So this morning set the tone for an unlucky day.
Made it to work, safely. Many years ago, my husband was driving us somewhere on another Friday the 13th, and the wet pavement caused a minor fender bender with a taxi. Nobody was hurt, just our budget. Things like this happen, but they tend to stick out in your memory a little further when they happen on a Friday the 13th.
I knock on wood to scare away bad luck. I don’t walk under ladders. Some people have routines. Growing up, there were lots of superstitions in Cape Breton. Someone was always doing some little thing or blaming the spooks and running the other way throwing salt over their shoulder.
So the tummy trouble was not unusual in and of itself. Then I made it to my break time. Normally, I make a trip to the ladies room on every break, so I don’t have to take extra breaks for that reason alone. Some days this works. Other days, I need the extra trip. If it’s worse than that I usually stay home. Today, I decided to go to work, and tough it out.
Don’t be scared, it is not a messy story.
As I was preparing to use the facilities, POP! There went the button on another pair of jeans. The place it used to be now has a big hole where it was. So I am thinking that I have 2 pairs of jeans for the next clothing donation day. Good for my friend, again, not so good for my budget.
In the list of all the things to go wrong in your work day, this is not an optimal situation to be in. Not the end of the world, in any way, but a small pickle to find oneself in, nonetheless. I did what anybody in this situation would do. I blamed the date, and found a paperclip. I twisted the paperclip in such a way that I needed scissors to break out of it when I got home. The pants are not too tight, normally, but today I found myself a little more bloated than normal, with the tummy troubles, and it caused this wardrobe malfunction.
So there you have it. On a positive note, I survived. The jeans were not so lucky.
by Tish MacWebber | Jan 13, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
A part of my New Healthy Lifestyle that I have been working towards for more than two years now has been adding physical activity into my routine. At my current job, there was a team for the local Relay for Life Charity event, and I joined. I have gone to a few Relay Events in the last five years, and that is where I found the Zumba Crew. The group size ranges from year to year, and class to class. The core group has remained, for the most part, the same. It is a private group, not that we don’t accept new members, but that it is not based out of a gym. We meet twice a week, and I have been working at it and getting better all the time.
The featured picture above was from Relay For Life 2016. This is just a few of us. The photo bomber Storm Troopers in the background looking like they want to be a part of the Zumba Crew really were there. They were in another group for Relay, and they gathered a lot of attention. But if you look past the Zumba Crew, you can see it. They want to join in. That happens around our Zumba Crew. We have a lot of fun!
As you can see, one of the Storm Troopers joined in for Zumba at Relay 2016. It was really fun! I have come a long way in my healthier lifestyle goals. I have always finished class. Not always doing the same thing as everyone else, or keeping the same pace, but I am there until the end. The first time I did Zumba at Relay, I had two; not one but TWO charlie horses in my calves. I wanted to quit. But I thought about where I was, and what I was participating in. Thought about how it was to raise money to cure cancer, and if you have cancer, and need to go through treatments, you can’t just quit in the middle if you want to beat it. So I toughed it out.
Since then, I have never had an experience quite like it. I am grateful for that. I have had health issues in the past year that forced me to take a break from Zumba. I am happy to report that I am back, and getting stronger again. I am keeping pace better, and trying harder at doing the same moves as everyone else. I have to do my own thing, sometimes, because I still have a long journey ahead of me to becoming a healthier version of myself. Something I want people to take away from reading this is that it doesn’t have to be Zumba, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. But if you pick something you enjoy doing and work at it on a regular basis, you will improve, and you will be a better person for it.
So go out there and try something new. Or get involved in something you used to like doing. Make friends. Have fun. It might be the best thing you can do for yourself! Trust me, the best part of my Mondays and Wednesdays is rushing out of work to go join my friends at Zumba Class. Find your Zumba, and start becoming the best version of you that you can be!
by Tish MacWebber | Jan 9, 2017 | Tish-ism
A Margarita is a cocktail made of tequila, lemon or lime juice, and triple sec typically served in a salt-rimmed glass. margarita. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9th, 2017, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/margarita
Are you ready for another Tish-ism? It is hilarious, breathtaking and involves tears; all at the same time.
When I had my first margarita several years ago, I was with friends. We were out for supper, and then we were going to a social event. We had plans to view anime at a local venue, with more friends. So we had our meal, with a margarita. If I remember correctly, we had the meal at a Mexican restaurant, hence the margarita with the meal.
About an hour later, we were in the lobby outside the theatre where the anime was being viewed. A few of us were taking a break to socialize, as there were different episodes of different anime shows being played throughout the evening, so it was not uncommon for small groups of people to hang out in the lobby and chit chat while waiting for the next one to start.
There is no recollection of the exact thing that started what I was going to term my first margarita moment. Something struck me funny. Really funny. I started laughing uncontrollably. Then came the tears. Hilarity ensued, as I continued the laughing fit and nobody else got the joke. Which made me laugh even harder, to the point where I had to force myself to breathe because the laughing and crying had caused me to lose my breath. Literally.
So the next time that happens to you, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Margarita moments can happen to anyone, at any time. Plot twist: margaritas are optional.
by Tish MacWebber | Jan 8, 2017 | Cooking Adventures
That is a picture of Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole. It is one of my favourite Trim Healthy Mama recipes. Last year I stumbled across this plan, and thought I’d give it a whirl. I can say it works, as long as you work at it. I have been bouncing between fifteen and twenty pounds lost in the last year. From playing with it. I am never 100% on plan. But I have made some changes, and feel better when I try hard. So this is one of the reasons I am working harder at it this year.
I need to plan ahead for grocery shopping and cooking meals to stay on track. I have started prep cooking on weekends. Prep cooking for two doesn’t have to be complicated, unless the other person doesn’t want to eat what you have made. At first, I was disappointed with my husband for not wanting to do this with me. I had to take a step back, and think about how to progress with it, and keep us both happy.
There was a point when I realized that I was merely existing and not really living my life to its fullest potential. I came to that conclusion for myself, about myself. Not for him. So he will have to deal with his choices, like I am dealing with mine. I am choosing to try harder. Which means sometimes I cook his and hers lasagna. Other times we make spaghetti sauce and he makes pasta, while I have spaghetti squash with mine. Sometimes we eat the same thing. Sometimes I eat things that are not on plan, with him. Other times I make what I want and he has to feed himself. We manage.
Adapting the grocery list and budget for this was challenging. We use coupons when we have them. We circle what we want in the flyers before making our grocery list. And when I am on top of things, I pick a couple of recipes and add missing ingredients to my grocery list. That is work too. Not hard work, but it is time consuming. So it helps to have a time set aside for this. We like to go get the groceries together. One reason is that we are on a budget, and if I go alone, a sale could cause me to “forget” the budget. He keeps me within the guidelines of the budget. Also, it is good to have help getting it all in the house and put away.
Storage is another issue we have. Living in a mini home, we have to maximize the space we have. That is an ongoing struggle. It is part of the reason I am involved with the cleaning and organizational challenges. There would be more prep cooking done if I had the space and money for more storage containers. Also time. I would love to cook all weekend, but then, there is the cleanup. So that slows me down sometimes.
I have learned that one or two casseroles a week gives me enough food for lunches all week, and for some suppers. Which is reasonable. Until he doesn’t want anything I made. Which on the wrong day makes me angry. But I am learning to let that go, it’s not me he doesn’t want, it’s the food I made. Which by the way, is really tasty, the recipes rock! He just misses potatoes and veggies and meat. Together. I do eat sweet potatoes more than white potatoes, now. Sometimes we bake some of each. He turns his nose up at spinach. That’s why I make his and hers lasagna. He eats traditional, and I eat Lazy Lasagna, which does have spinach and no noodles. I have been teaching him to cook some things, so if he decides he wants something different, he has choices.
Ideally, there would be a way to cook enough for a whole month at a time, have containers to keep it in the freezer, and have him join me on this journey. Reality is that he doesn’t like spinach. So, in this like other aspects of our marriage, we choose to compromise. Sometimes that is the only answer, until he realizes I am right. Which he will, eventually, I have no doubt. Seeing is believing, and we will be seeing results this year. I plan on working hard at all of my goals for 2017.
