Things I Can't Live Without

I know I'm falling behind on my posts.... again. I have such a hard time keeping a schedule. So I have decided to do a post about all the things I cannot live without.

Phone

This is obvious. I use my phone to stay connected. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3. Wheee!!! Smartphones are awesome. The apps save my life. My favorites are: Facebook, Shopkick, MyFitnessPal, Pandora, Alice of Hearts, Soundhound, and of course my flashlight. Trust me, when you are trying to find a plug in a dark car with a customer hovering over you, it comes in handy.

Books

I love, love, love to read. It calms my mind, and gets me away from my stress. Right now I am reading this one.

 

 

I had read the first book in this series a few years ago, and just now got around to reading the sequel. Pretty good so far. It's about a girl who hunts evil, all while trying to keep a cop from falling in love with her.

 

I used to be into just fantasy books, but lately I've gotten into murder mysteries as well.

 

 

Music

 

 

Music literally rules my life. I can't function properly without it. I do all my chores with headphones on. When I get super angry (because of my Bipolarness) I put on music and rock out. It calms me down, and gives me energy when I need it.

 

Animals

 

I am a hardcore animal lover. Since I was born, I have always had at least one cat or dog.

This was my cat Gussy. He was my partner in crime til I was about 13. He let me do ridiculous things to him and still loved me. He died when he was about 28 years old, or so I'm told by my father. He was the last cat from his litter (we had the mom and 3 kittens). I was devastated when he died. A year later my dad got me two new kittens. I still have one, along with 4 of their offspring, plus a dog and two lizards.

My Family

This is pretty obvious. These people are my whole world. I would be lost without them. Actually, this picture is missing two people: my father, who is my hero, and my Earthson, Declan. Declan was just born at the end of February. I love him and his big sister as if they were my own. It's funny how I am closer to my "friendfamily" than my blood relatives.

Notice I did not list my car. Because I don't need it. I love to walk. Nature is soothing and is meant to be enjoyed and protected. Now that it's warm out again I can be outside more! Yay!

Alright, I will wrap up here by saying I hope you have a wonderful week!

 



One Step Closer

This is gonna be short, simple, and oh so sweet.

I weighed myself yesterday. I'm up 5 pounds. However, I also measured myself. I am shrinking! So that means I'm heavy with muscle. Yay!!!! I'm going to have to make a FitTip on this today. The scale can be misleading. But measuring tape and mirrors will show you your true progress.

Another reason why I am excited today: I am picking up my breadmaker!!! A family of 4 goes through bread really fast. Especially when we eat sandwiches for lunch every day. So I figured making bread at home would save money. And I can know exactly what is going into my family's mouth. Which is good because when my daughter is not with me, she eats horribly... or not at all.

My daughter has anxiety that makes her stomach hurt sometimes. Food does not affect it in any way. Yet, a lot of times, she will come home saying she didn't eat. Which upsets me. I trust people to take care of my daughter. That means making sure she gets the right nutrition. But, I am ignored. Instead I hear: "We know how to raise a child", "She is your first child", etc. Why should that make a difference? She is MY child. I know what's good for her. Not you.

Sorry for the mini rant. Trust me, I stopped with way more to say.

Back to good.

I have decided to get up earlier to fit out a workout first thing in the morning! Started yesterday. It felt amazing to get it done, and I had energy all day! Totally worth a go for the procrastinators out there.

Alright I'm done, gotta go work out! Have a beautiful day everyone!

ShakeO review

So, with part of my tax return, I bought two... yes you read that right, TWO Shakeology packs. One is the Tropical Strawberry, which I have tried before and love, and one was the improved Chocolate. This is my review of these.

Tropical Strawberry

This was the first ever Shakeology I tried. And it is great! It's got a great flavor on its on, but it's also so versatile. It can be mixed with juice, water, milk, fruits, veggies, and a lot more. Even with just milk, it's filling, and thick like a shake you would have to blend with ice cream. AMAZING!!!!

Chocolate

So, I was nervous to try this one, for numerous reasons. I am not a huge fan of chocolate, especially homemade chocolate shakes. They taste funky to me. Also, the old "improved" chocolate was getting a lot of bad reviews on taste. Luckily they have fixed it. I am addicted to it! I have drank it mixed with just milk every day for about two weeks, and am so happy with it. It's rich, smooth, and filling.

General Info

These shakes are amazing. Not only do they taste great, they are filling and healthy. But that is not my favorite part. They help you lose weight in numerous ways. It helps curb cravings, and is made from natural ingredients with no added crap. I drink one in the morning, and am good till around 2pm. I also have issues with snacking. I have noticed lately that my insatiable appetite has decreased significantly... which is a good thing since I am surrounded by candy all day long. Bleh!

Needless to say, I am hooked on this product. It helps me maintain a healthy weight, and keeps me strong and awake all day. And, it's safe for children as well! Plus, when you do the math, it's so much cheaper than trying to buy everything that makes up the vitamins and nutrients in it.

Is it worth it to have a better, healthier life? I think so.

Quick update

So. I have a secret! It's crazy, and life changing, and I'm so excited!!!!

But I can't tell. Sorry.

I can say that I have low self esteem, and this is one of the many things I am moving forward on to help that.

Also, I have been thinking about getting more tattoos. I have a few in mind, just need the funds.





In other craziness... my daughter. It's so hard to raise her to be her own person and follow her own path when there is always someone telling her she MUST believe certain things. They fill her head with "facts" that aren't true, but because of who tells her these things, she now believes everyone else is lying. I don't know how to handle this, other than to just push forward and try to open her mind little by little.


Ok, that's all I got. Hopefully I will blog again soon!

Daydreaming on Paper prompt

So, my mentor wrote a blog post, and mentioned Daydreaming on Paper. They have a prompt generator that gives you something to think and write about. Hers was 10 things she can't live without. Mine is this:


List 10 pieces of advice you would give to someone just starting out.

I'm going to do this in general, not focusing on one specific aspect of life.

1. Try to do one random act of kindness a day. Even if everyone treats you like dirt, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you changed someone's day a little.

2. Don't worry about what other people think of you. Yes, some days they will get to you, but in the end, you will be happiest by being yourself to the fullest extent.

3. Dance/sing a little every day. Even if you suck at it, it will make you feel better. Promise.

4. Try new foods. You will undoubtedly hate some, but there's a 100% guarantee that you will find something you love that you were terrified to try.

5. At least once a year, do a new activity. Breaking out of your comfort zone is vital to existance.

6. Read books. Escaping to new worlds is exciting, and can relieve stress without any danger.

7. Meditate. Take a break every day to just be. Don't think, don't talk. Just breathe.

8. Open your mind. Don't be so focused on your own way; you may miss something great.

9. Love. Don't be afraid of getting hurt. It's part of the process.

10. Go outside. Nature is beautiful and healing. The world is a gift to us. Love it and take care of it.


These are just things that matter in my life, that I wish I was told. I hope they help someone :)

Arm bar excitement!

As anyone who even loosely follows MMA news knows.... Ronda Rousey is famous for the arm bar. She is badass with it.

4 year old arm bars Ronda

Yes I did link a child doing an arm bar. Cuz it's cute. And every video of Ronda doing it features someone's arm breaking.

She described how it feels as "when you rip the leg off a turkey"... eww and awesome!


So here's the excitement... my bf is teaching me how to do it!!!! We started last night, and only did it once. We will be doing more tonight. I plan on getting so phenomenal at it that people won't even want to shake my hand lol.


Alright that's it for now. I will probably do a more substantial post later this week, or early next.

CORE!

Just got done my core day workout. I figured I'd share it with the world.

-weighted crunches
-bicycles
-weighted leg raises
-training camps
-shrimping
-banana-to-boat
-plank with leg raises
-single leg lifts with stretch
-uneven arm situps
-elevated crunches
-ab wheel
-hip dips
-standing side crunches


I did two sets of each, as many reps as i could. For warmup and cooldown I hooped. I pushed so hard that:
a) i couldn't keep the hoop up during cooldown
b) i fell off my step while grabbing the mail

So, pretty intense workout. I plan on doing this every core day, which is about once a week.


If you have any questions about how to do these moves, leave a comment and I will either describe them or provide a link for a video!

new goal + leg day

So I now have a new idol....

Ronda Rousey!!!!

I was going to post a picture, but this computer has decided not to work...

Whatever.

So, Ronda is super pretty, and super badass. She has done judo in the past, and is now an mma fighter. Her signature move: the arm bar. Basically she tears people's arms off. BADASS.

So my new goal is to be like her. I obviously will never get into the mma. But I can learn the moves, and get a banging body like hers. So I'm working on it.




LEG DAY

I have started a pretty rigorous routine to get the results I want. It's structured and I have kept to it. However I hit a problem today.... Leg day. I need ideas. I have looked online, but can't find too much I can do at home. Please, if you have awesome leg moves, leave a comment below.... Don't let me be the top heavy girl with scrawny legs!

What are you waiting for?

Whatever your goal is, wherever you want your life to go, what are you waiting for?

This is the time to start. Not tomorrow, next week, etc. If you start today, you will be one day closer to your dreams. If you put it off for anyother day, you will most likely keep putting it off. What do you have to lose?

Also, tax season is upon us! Instead of blowing all of your money towards something frivolous, why don't you invest in yourself and your goals? Buy a new workout program, save money towards a new business, or anything else to get you where you want to go.

To help you along the way to your goals, a good idea is to sign up for free coaching. I can help you find a workout that is right for you, and give you some great ideas for managing any goals you might have.

Click the tab at the top of this page, and sign up (use Patricia DeHart as the coach). There is no time like RIGHT NOW to get started!

Clean Eating progress, week 2

Hey Everyone! So, just a quick note to let everyone know how I am doing on the clean eating thing. I have cut out all soda, and candy. I did have ice cream last week, and some mini cupcakes. Hoever The soda thing is HUGE progress. I used to drink about 2 liters by myself every day. I also went to the store today and got quinoa, cucumbers, yams, fresh organic salsa, lime juice, and garlic powder, as well as some canned veggies in case of emergency. Yay me!!!

In other news, I injured my toe. I don't know how, but it feels like I partially ripped my toenail off. I say feels because it's impossible to see. I broke my toe/nail when I was young... I ran into a full briefcase. So yeah, that sucks.

In great news, I ordered "America's Cheapest Family" the other day! It should be here this week. Super excited, and hopefully it will help me rein in my spending, and help me to budget better.

Alright, time for me to do my pushups and squats (I have a personal challenge to do a certain amount each day..... 45 squats today and 8 pushups, working up to 100 squats and 20 pushups.)
Goodnight to everyone out there, and push harder, because you can do more than you think!