Weekend Warrior #24

Weekend Warrior #24

by | Aug 6, 2017 | Weekend Warrior

If you have ever wondered why I picked the “Angry Tomato” pic for this series, there are a few reasons.  One is that it made me laugh, out loud.  I reacted to it, so I decided it would work.  Another is because I am fighting my way to living a healthier lifestyle, and I wanted a kitchen themed picture for this series.  I try to do the cooking and cleaning on the weekends, I find it had to work at during the work week.  I have had some success this year in my spring cleaning challenge, but as of yet, I have not finished.  I choose not to dwell on what I have not done and try to move forward because of what I have done.

I am planning my day out, dreading the return to work tomorrow.  I am a firm believer that there should be less week and more weekend.  I do not have the power or the budget to sustain a lifestyle that does not include a day job, so the reality is, I have to keep the day job, even if I would rather devote all of my time to being creative and writing.

Which brings me to my books.  I have started them, yes.  I have had an idea (finally) this morning about where to continue as I plan to write some more today.  I don’t know if I will succeed in writing enough to complete the weekend challenge I joined, but I am going to see what I could do.  That is how I entered.  This doesn’t count, as it is not progressing on my book.  I will add it to the word count as a side project, because it is writing, nonetheless. I do have deadlines with my blog, too, though and I have to do my best to keep up with it here for myself, and for my followers.  Thank you to those who are taking the time to read my Blog, and welcome to any people who are new here.  I write at least twice a week, and this is one of my regular categories. Me vs the weekend. 🙂

Yesterday I got up early, bought and delivered a birthday present to a friend.  Her birthday had been the day before, and I wanted to make sure I got to see her.  We had a good talk, but as she was working it wasn’t the same as a real visit.  I am going to try and pop over again today, as I think it would be nice.

I then tackled some indoor gardening projects.  I have read online that spiders and other bugs do not like mint plants.  A few weeks ago, I had bought six different mint plants, and my husband replanted them into new pots for me.  I have noticed that they were drying up.  I am still trying to figure out a watering schedule for them.  I watered them from the top yesterday when I was finished, and just before I started writing I watered them from the bottom.  I will have to do some online research.  While I was working yesterday I found a green “leaf eater” bug, which my husband buried in the dirt saying that it is a leaf eater, that should be the end of it.  I have my doubts.  I also found an inchworm in another one, and that was successfully relocated outside on a leaf from that plant.  Late last night I got him to move a ladybug back outside for me.  The ants and spiders are not found as frequently inside, so that is a bonus.  I am hoping it works and more bugs stay outside.

Something else was a little confusing.  There is a spearmint plant amongst the varieties I bought, and around the base of the pot on the shelf that I have it on are a lot of hard, black dots.  It is either droppings from a critter or the plant went to seed because it was so dry.  I am not sure, the black bits are no bigger than granulated sugar pieces.  They may indeed be little seeds.  I may gather them up and plant them, to see what comes up!

My husband worked a few extra hours yesterday.  He has been doing that on one of his days off to help with our budget.  I am not going to write about my work here, at least not this week, I had a frustrating week.  I am going to leave it at that, and it is also the reason I did not do any over time at my work this week.  Sometimes I do.  This week it just wasn’t going to happen.

After he was done, we picked up a few groceries.  He made us subs for lunch and he barbequed some wieners for supper.  We then headed out to spend time with some friends.  He had a guys gaming night, and I watched a movie with another friend and called it a ladies night.  Sometimes it is important to plan activities apart.  Other times, like today, we will spend more time together.  It is OK to not spend every single minute with your significant other when you have free time.  It is healthy to have different friends, hobbies and activities.  There is still a common ground for the things you enjoy doing together, but a little break here and there is something we all need.

For prep cooking today I am making Bangin’ Ranch Drums.  It is a Trim Healthy Mama recipe.  I love it, and my husband is OK with it in the rotation, but like with all of the THM recipes, he doesn’t want it all the time.  We also got buns for barbequed cheeseburgers and sloppy joes.  I have some THM sloppy joe mix already made in my freezer.  He likes Manwich.  On this, I am OK with him making his own supper.  If I am to be on plan when I eat it, I will have it with salad, not on a bun.  I may make some green bean fries this week too, as I do enjoy them as a side with the chicken.  I am still working on everything all at once but trying to be realistic at the same time.

Today I will be continuing the cat sitting job.  I also did some plant care there yesterday, they have one houseplant and it needed TLC.  I don’t know about the plant boxes on the deck, though.  They look like they have had a rough summer, and I am not sure if they can be rescued.  I may try, just to surprise my friends when they come home.  I will see how the day goes.  It is very dry, there is a no fire ban here province wide. If I do work on the outdoor plants, I will have to remember to water them.  If they don’t read this, it will be a nice surprise.  If they do, I make no promises.  It may be beyond saving.

I am a member of the Fredericton Science Fiction Society.  The FSFS gets together a little less frequently than it used to, but today we are going to meet up at a local ice cream shop.  My husband is a member too, and the group usually has potluck events year round.  With a ban on fires, we decided it would be better to go have ice cream instead of an outdoor BBQ at a local park today.  Air conditioning may or may not have been a deciding factor in this plan.

We have to do some cleaning.  While I was working on my indoor gardening yesterday, my husband was trimming the lawn.  He didn’t mow it yet.  It is still very dry so there may not be a rush for that.  He is amused that I think we should water it with the garden hose.  It is turning brown.  I just want it to be healthy, and not be so dry it is at risk for burning.  There was a thunderstorm last night, but we need more rain to remove the risk of fires, sooner rather than later.

All in all a busy weekend, but thankfully, it has been going at a slower pace this week.  It is a holiday tomorrow, and I look forward to the holiday pay that I *may have* already spent yesterday.  It is OK. I will forfeit it to the budget since I went ahead and bought some extras.  It’s all about compromise and doing what you can to make life enjoyable with what you have to work with.  Weekends are supposed to be fun and relaxing.  I think I snuck a little of each in this weekend, so it is a win for me!  What did you do this weekend?

 

 

 

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 22

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 22

by | Jul 20, 2017 | Trust Your Gut

 

Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues.  It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on.  Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real.  The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale.  If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Home page for this blog.  I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.

 

The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name.  If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story.  The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors.  I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.

This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.

Here is  Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 22

Well, folks, it has been a fantastic day!  I didn’t start off too well, I started the day with a sugar low.  I didn’t let that stop me, not for too long. I ate my banana in the car and had a juice box when I got to work.  My sugars, of course, went up from there.  As usual, I chased the banana with a black coffee.  That’s how my days start.  I don’t usually have the juice box, and I don’t usually have the low at that time of day.  So what is going on?

I have worked hard this week to find my way back to working on me.  I have had to make some decisions and some changes.  I have started cooking meals that are on plan this week, and I am letting myself enjoy what I make.  That is how Trim Healthy Mama is supposed to work.  I’m not an expert, and I stray a little here and there, but I am getting my groove back, and the scale is responding the right way.

I am also happy to say that I am sitting here melting in my living room.  It is said to be the warmest day of the week, and it is more than warm.  I am not just warm because of the temperature in here, but also because I have made it to Zumba twice this week.  So when I write that I am melting, it is literal.  I worked out in this heat, hydrated, and now I am relaxing in my little almost sauna.  It sounds better than it is, but I am not here to complain.

I am here to try and help people.  I have been lacking in that department, lately, because I was not trying very hard myself.  I have had enough of that noise!  I am back and working hard to make more progress than before!  I am seeing it, and when I see it, I know it is real.  I am cooking.  I am planning.  I am working with recipes that I really love because that is what keeps me going back to this plan.

My sugars are coming back around.  That is one of the most important things I can do for my health, is to monitor my sugars, and eat so that they stabilize.  I am working on that, and THM is the way for me to do that.  When I add in exercise, it is a remarkable difference in how I feel, and how I attack every day.  Planning is so important for me when it comes to food.  I have worked hard this week to make food that is on plan so I can start winning this thing called life we all play at here.

I am breaking away from the bad habits again.  Only I can do that, I have to believe that I am worth the effort.  Now that I am back in my routine, and back from vacation, it was time to start working on things that help me feel better, and live life better.

After my on plan supper, I was wanting a little something extra.  I tried the new Good Thins Beet crackers.  They are OK, but I saw the ingredients and decided to not eat too many.  I was debating making an on plan shake or smoothie when my husband showed up.  He had picked up his own supper, and cinnamon rolls.  But the best thing he brought home was a bag full of fresh cherries.  I indulged in a bowl full of cherries.  Because let’s face it, life really is based a lot on your perspective, and in what you make of it.  I am making the most of things tonight, and having the bowl of cherries, because who wants to choke on the pits?  Not me.  I’m back, and I am feeling great!

#TrustYourGut

 

Makeup: A Purge and Purchase Story

Makeup: A Purge and Purchase Story

by | Jul 18, 2017 | Events

Once in a blue moon, I get the idea to buy makeup.  Usually, there is an event that I will be attending as the reason for this thought to cross my mind.  This time my motivations were different.  I am spring cleaning my home, and I had decided that I have too much makeup for the rare occasion that I wear it.  I decided it was time to purge it.

I made it official.  I shared my plan on Facebook.  Then I got scared.  Full on panic.  I was worried that if I threw it all out, I would not be able to replace all of the components within my budget.  So I gathered it up to have ready to purge after I bought the new makeup.

Since I had made this a public announcement, I started getting comments.  I decided that I would make use of $85.oo in Optimum Points and buy my new makeup at Shoppers Drug Mart.  I was advised which store to choose in the city, there are two, and then I was asked if I went yet or not.  A few friends wanted to help.  I felt at this point that it was becoming more of an event than a shopping trip on the other side of the city.

One of my friends is trained in makeup application.  She was joining me to get a few hours break from being a full-time Mom.    She had asked me a few weeks ago that if there was anything that I was doing, she would gladly join me to get a break.  She lives outside of the city, and we don’t see each other as much as we used to, so I thought it would be a perfect girls day out if she was available.  She made arrangements, and I would be picking her up the next day.  We decided that if our mutual friend felt up to it, that we would take her too, or if not, we would visit her before the day trip was over.  By this time another friend had asked if she could join us.  So, a party of 4 showed up at the store the next day.

I had decided before we got there that I was going to need a skin care routine.  I don’t really have one, and I wanted to replace the skin cleansers I had been using because they had expired.  The lady I was consulting with helped me with all of my choices.  She was amazing!  She walked me through the basics and helped me pick colours and brands that some friends had recommended, but I had never heard of before.  It was an adventure!  One friend joined the shopping spree and found the store to be quite impressive, as I did.  Our other friends were with another consultant, and one of them, the friend I was giving a day out of the mommy land, she was getting a makeover.

Those of us that were shopping got a bonus lip gloss and 2 free movie admission tickets.  That was really great!  His & Hers gift for her shopping.  Win-win!

When we finished there, it was time to really take a hard look at the old makeup and force me to purge it.  There was a Starbucks next door, so we went in there with my 2 large Ziploc bags full of my older makeup.

We got our drinks and snacks and found a table.  When we were settled in, we made a plan of attack.  Certain things needed to be tossed.  Others could be donated, my friend has a teenager.  As discussed in detail on my Facebook wall, you can clean powdered makeup with alcohol.  90% was recommended, the kind you have to ask for. You wet the powder and wipe off the top layer of the powdered makeup with a tissue.  The rest of the powder is then left to evaporate the alcohol, and it is clean and able to be used safely again.  Makeup that was in decent shape was put into a donate pile.

All the old mascara was tossed, as it was all more than 3 months old.  Any colours or products I wasn’t certain about,  were set aside to compare to my new makeup at the end.  I would say that the donate/toss makeup amounted to 2/3 of the total makeup I had there before I went shopping.

Makeup Clean up

Left: to toss Right: to donate

After we all went home, I then began planning phase 2 of this plan I had hatched.  I needed to find a way to keep all of the new and old makeup organized.  I went on a few different trips to some local stores and found bits and pieces to pull together my very own cosmetics counter in my Master Bathroom.

This is the final result of my organization phase:

Obviously, I did not buy all of the product shown here for $85.00 in Optimum points.  With the points, you have to pay the taxes when you redeem them.  So I think I made good use of the points, and I am using the cleansing routine now on a daily basis.

The pic below shows what I kept, in the Ziploc bag, and what is new is placed on the counter. This is the final result of the purge and purchase:

Tish's Makeup

New and To Keep Makeup.

I have also purchased Vichy Skin Cleansing, Toning, and Moisturizing products, not shown.  I am happy with my purchases, although I find the new lip stain ( the 2nd tube from the right) to be a little bright.  I guess that means I will have to go shopping again…

When I take the time to actually do my makeup and have a reason to put it on, I will write about the experience, with before and after pics.  I have lots of before pics to choose from.  What a fun afternoon we had.  Do you have any organization tips for your cosmetics?  What product is in your must have list?

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 22

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 21

by | Jul 13, 2017 | Trust Your Gut

 

Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues.  It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on.  Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real.  The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale.  If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog.  I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.

 

The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name.  If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story.  The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors.  I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.

This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.

Here is  Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 21

Here I am, in the middle of the week, at 8:30 pm, wondering what to make for supper. Again.  I have mentioned before that planning is the key to me staying on plan.  Last week I was on vacation and enjoying myself.  Yesterday I went back to work, and I have not planned any meals this week.  I need to thaw out the chicken that is in the freezer so I can cook it.  I also want to do some more barbequing but the meat is frozen, so that is out.  Garbage day has come and gone, and I still have food from before vacation in the fridge, that should have gone out with the garbage.  When I open the fridge, it is hard for me to figure out what is good and what is not.  So the fridge needs to be cleaned out.  It may not happen before the weekend.  I have only so much energy during the week, and extra energy is being focused on cleaning my kitchen in the war I am having against the ant invasion.  Cleaning, cleaning, and cleaning.  I do not like the thought of making food in the kitchen at the moment, because of this.

I have done fairly well with staying on plan with my lunches.  Did you ever have a breadless ham and cheese sandwich?  You use the cheese to hold the ham.  No need for condiments, just the ham and cheese.  It would work with any type of meat and cheese.  I had mini cucumbers and grape tomatoes with it.  I rather like it for a change.  It is a good summer picnic style lunch.  If you can keep your lunches tasty and healthy, that is half the battle.  I usually have light laughing cow cheese with unsweetened applesauce as my mid-morning snack.  I then wait until I get home and don’t usually eat in the afternoon at work.  On Zumba days, I have a Quest Bar before class.  Protein bars are made for that.  The ones on the plan are sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol.  My husband has picked up the wrong ones in the past, so I came up with a tip to help him remember what ones to get.  The ones with, “Steve and E”  He actually remembered it, and it worked the last time.  He brought the right ones home.

I am going to be walking more in the next few weeks.  Not far, but a little here and there. To get the mail, to my neighbour’s house because I am cat sitting, just enough to start building up my activity level.  I want to be more active, and even doing a small amount of extra walking is a good way to start.  I have gone back to Zumba both days this week.  I felt stronger tonight, and a little more like I was able to participate more in the class.  I was not in my head as much tonight, and that means that I enjoyed the class more.  I also plan to get in a few more beach days and to do some swimming.  I used to teach swimming lessons in high school.  I love swimming, so I am working on planning some time well spent at the lake.  It’s not the same as the ocean, but it is close to my home, and I have friends that I can make plans to meet there to have some summertime fun.

I did look for the ginger juice on Monday.  I found a local store that carries other products made by the same company, and I will be going back soon to see if they brought some into their store for me.  While I was talking to the lady at the store about it, another customer also expressed interest in it.  I never left my name, I will just wander back in one day soon.  I may contact them about it first, as I want to be able to get it very soon.  I also need to get some more apple cider vinegar.  It seems I have almost used the whole bottle.  When I am certain the ants are finally gone, I will resume making more recipes that are on plan.  For now, I have decided on a simple supper.  Grilled cheese sandwiches on bread I bought while on vacation.  It has to be eaten up before it goes bad, so it might as well be enjoyed while it is reasonably fresh.  Treats are OK.  I did exercise today.  I ate reasonably well.   I am also going to get the chicken out of the freezer and put it into the fridge with some greek dressing.  That way I can start cooking it tomorrow when I get home from work.  It’s all up to the planning.  Time to take control again.

#TrustYourGut

 

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 22

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 20

by | Jul 6, 2017 | Trust Your Gut

 

Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues.  It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on.  Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real.  The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale.  If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Home page for this blog.  I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.

 

The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name.  If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story.  The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors.  I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.

This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.

Here is  Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 20

Vacation.  It is that time of year when people are travelling and going to celebrations with friends and family.  Vacation time can be a tricky thing on days when you aren’t in control of the food and drink that you may consume.  This can pose a difficult problem if you are committed to your plan and goals.

You want to be invited to all of the events.  You want to participate in the fun.  For me, the fun includes eating and drinking the same things as everyone else.  So it is a tricky tightrope to walk on when you are trying to fit in, even though it may not be the best way for you to stay the course.

I have to constantly check my blood sugars.  That is helpful.   I can adjust the insulin I have to take to adapt to what I am eating.  But as I have written before, sometimes that dosage is a guessing game, at best.

I experienced a low last week.  It was a bad one.  Maybe more because it caught me by surprise, and also because of how long it has been since the last time I had a low.  It isn’t a simple fix, it takes time for my body to recover from a blood sugar low.  This time it took me two and a half hours to feel normal again.

Highs are no better.  I feel really tired, to the extreme of me not being able to physically stay awake.  There are times that I am literally fighting with myself to stay awake.  It is not because I am needing sleep, this too is a side effect of the high sugars, and it is a little hard to explain.  The closest I can come is that it is not something that you can control, only fight it.  I am usually aware of what is happening at the time it is happening to try and recover.  But it is not an easy thing to do.

When you have to think about the effects of everything that you eat and drink, it makes it hard to fit in at gatherings.  A lot of them have sweets and cake and even alcoholic beverages are a source of empty calories.  So what is a person to do when faced with all of these temptations?

Think about the occasion.  What would be acceptable to participate in?  What choices can you make?  Skip the cake or the ice cream?  Or eat salads earlier in the day so you can indulge a little at the celebration?

After all, only you control what you eat or drink.  It is up to you. It doesn’t matter to anyone else whether or not you eat that cake or not.  It really only matters to you.  When you are planning a vacation, keep in mind that sometimes you will have complete control over what you eat and drink, and sometimes you will have to go with the flow.  The trick is proper planning and to not go overboard when you do participate in celebrations.  Remember to drink your water too, it can help speed up the recovery time of eating or drinking off plan.  Really, it is all about balance, both on and off the scale.

#TrustYourGut