Latest Favorites….

 

I seem to post in little bursts here and there.  I guess when I have the time and the whim, I take advantage!  Here are my latest favorites, from pillows to apps.

Home Classics® Memory Foam Cluster Gusseted Standard Pillow.  Can I just say that I am in love with this pillow?  After I slept a night on it, I was dancing around the house singing “I’m in love with a pillow” to that “I’m in love with a stripper” song.  (Yes I know I’m a total dork.)  Seriously though, I sleep like the dead with this pillow.  We already have a memory foam mattress and friends of our recommended memory foam pillows, saying how much they loved them.  I was out with Salsa Judy last weekend and we stopped at Kohls.  She said she needed a new pillow and I told her what I had heard about memory foam.  The cost seems a little high, but they were 50% off and we had our 30% off Kohls coupons.  So that pillow was basically a steal.  I get home later that night and immediately want to try it out.  At first it felt really really weird.  Like hard as a rock.  But once I laid my head down in it and got comfortable, I slept like the dead. It really gives good support to my neck and I’m one of those people who sleeps in all sorts of ways during the night so I need that.  I have slept wonderfully every night since.  Highly recommend!!!

Pandora app for Android.  I know I am way late to the party on this but I haven’t had a smart phone forever and honestly don’t utilized the way I should be.  However, I do have Pandora on my computer and realized that I don’t always want to take my MP3 player with me to the gym and my phone (I use my phone for a stopwatch between sets.).  So I downloaded the app and use it while I’m doing cardio.  My fave channel as of ate has been the Disco Cardio channel.  I am so Salsa Judy’s daughter! She was a disco queen and I still love all the songs.  The best part is the songs are pretty long so you forget how long you are on the treadmill or elliptical.

It’s a Brad, Brad World on Bravo.   I will admit I wasn’t quite sure if I would like this show or not.  I adore Brad—I think his style and POC’s (pops of color) are amazing.   But Bravo already has the Rachel Zoe show so would this be the same?  Oh yeah, I forgot—there are a bazillion Real Housewives show, so totally Bravo would make a similar stylist show.  Anyway, I love Brad and love his InStyle page each month so I was willing to give it a shot.   Love it!  We get to see Brad as he is starting his career on his own (after departing from RZ) and he really is starting from scratch.  He has clothes in his garage!  The thing I love about Brad is his infectious enthusiasm for fashion—he still loves clothes.  I also love his honesty—he isn’t afraid to show his vulnerability and struggles.  We can all relate to that.  I also love his partner Gary (who is the Abbott to Brad’s Costello) and his cute pups.   The other part they illustrate in this show is how hard it actually is to be a stylist.  It’s work, not just all fun all day. You have to pull the clothes, put the looks together, style them etc.  I hope everyone realizes (I know I do when I try to figure out what to wear every day) that Brad’s job isn’t easy!  I will definitely keep watching to see where Brad goes next!

This coat from Target.  I wish I had a link for you but it’s sold out online and I just happened to get it in the store.  For $17.95. Yes!  That’s it !  You know you can’t go to Target and not check out the clearance racks.  I just look to see if there is anything good there.  That’s how I found my great Missoni blouse for $11.  I was still shopping with Salsa Judy (actually needed lightbulbs and kitteh treats amongst other boring things) but we stopped to look at clearance.  Saw this coat above and tried it on. It felt great and SJ gave her approval saying how ‘flattering’ it was. That means she likes it.  I had a giftcard, so basically the coat was free for me!  SJ also got a really cute dark green pea coat for $15.  Woot for deals!!!

Rooney Mara.  Check out her dress at the Golden Globes.  Doesn’t look like much from the front but the back was so beautiful.  She seems to have a great individual style.

If you haven’t seen her in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo—go and see it!  I loved her performance in it and hope she is nominated for an Oscar.  Her performance is haunting and empowering.  And it doesn’t hurt that hottie Daniel Craig is in it too!  Looking forward to seeing what she wears to the Oscars if/when she is nominated!

Okay---lunch time is over—back to the grind and please share with me your latest faves! 

Updates N News N Stuff…

How is everyone doing now that we’re 2 weeks into 2012? Are you still writing 2011 on everything?  It only took me a few days and I thought I was doing really well until I almost wrote 2011 on a work document.  Guess I’m not quite there yet!

They say it takes about 21 days for a habit to form.  I truly believe that. I finished Phase 1 of my Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer and am on Phase 2. I honestly never thought I’d look forward to doing cardio but I really was craving it!  4 weeks with no cardio made me feel huge and bloated.  (I’m sure all of the goodies I had over the holidays had ZERO to do with it LOL).   I know most of it was gaining muscle, but I was thrilled to start Phase 2 and get a bit of cardio in.  The cardio isn’t even hardcore, just walking on the treadmill or elliptical or bike at a moderate pace.  So last week I trooped over to LA Fitness (they finally opened the new one near my house) and got my weight workout in.  Then I happily jumped on the treadmill for 30 minutes.   It felt so good to get my legs going again!  I could feel a difference in my body by the next day.   Phase 2 has you doing cardio 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes.  Also—the workouts are upped to 5-6 days a week. 

But here’s the habit-forming part.  I actually enjoy going to the gym!  I look forward to it.  Remember I was a bit hesitant about joining the gym?  No longer!  I am amped up and ready to go and get going.  I took Sunday off to rest and to get some things done around the house and I actually felt a bit guilty.  And I missed it.  But I still stayed home to give my body a rest.  I think that’s really important, and I don’t want to get burned out.   I will be honest and tell you that I am not 100% perfect with the eating plan but I am doing SO MUCH better now that the holidays are over with!  I am planning my meals and thinking about what kinds of foods I am eating now more than ever!

That brings me to part 2 of my check-in.  My former hoarder room.  Since I stayed home yesterday and had no plans, I got lots of work done on my room.  The bed was a clothing repository.  Now there is only one small pile of pants that need to be hung.   I went through all of the old mail I had piled up ‘for later’ and either filed it or threw it away.  I have a new bag of clothing for the Veterans to pick up!  I used my time the best way for me: work for about an hour, take a 15 min break to do whatever (make tea, read Facebook, pet kittehs, pet kittehs, pet kittehs).  You get the idea.  I would show you a pic but I’m still too embarrassed.  Especially since I read a lot of home decorating blogs.   Tonite after I get home from the gym and have dinner, I will spend another hour or so working on it.  This time it will be hanging up and putting away the rest of the clothing.   In the meantime, I’m also scouting out some old night stands to redo for that room as well.  All I have in there now is a round table with a table cloth on it.  I’d rather have a cute little nightstand I can refinish like this one (link on pic):

I am scouting Craig’s List and also have a few ideas in the works.   I love the idea of painting it a pretty bright turquoise, but also wanted to paint my large armoire that color.  Maybe the nightstand will just get a coat of Old White.  But first I actually have to find one I like and that isn’t expensive! 

And I am getting better with my night before routine.  Now I get out my gym stuff and get it ready for the next day: my clothes, my drink, my workout binder and shoes.  I also think about what I am going to wear and get it out as well.  I am ready a lot quicker when everything is out for me and ready to go!! 

Still a good way to go but at least I am making some progress.  How are you doing with your resolutions or goals for this year?

I can haz stuff---no more stuff!

 

Really—I don’t need any MORE stuff. 

First of all—Happy 2012 to anyone reading this.  I hope you enjoyed your holidays and time off.  I know I did!  I had to work a few days but I got to enjoy LONG weekends and got a good bit of things done.  Wasn’t really thrilled to get up at 5am today and fight the snow (it’s still snowing out) into work, but I made it!

As anyone with ADD knows, it is very easy to ignore what I call the ‘chaos’ around you.  You can walk by it day after day and just put it out of your brain.  This drives DH insane about me but it does help me in many situations as well.  I don’t get all freaked out in a tense situation, I am able to put it out of my head and focus on the real situation at hand.  On the other hand, this little trait also allows me to ignore a big pile of stuff for days on end until I get the motivation to organize.  

However, the mess of the spare room/Melissa’s boudoir was even getting ME antsy!  I’ve decided that 2012 will be a year when I get some organization and routine in my room.  I don’t use the term resolution because I know that it will always be a struggle for me to stay organized and not ignore the chaos.  

I have found that for me to be successful with certain things I need to have a routine.  When I have a routine, I do SO MUCH better with what needs to be done every day.   For example, I will get up for work and do the same tasks in the same order as I get ready for work.  Sounds really annoying, but it works for me and it helps me not to forget anything like my lunch for the day, my ID badge, keys etc. 

Another thing that works for me is writing it down.  DH learned this the hard way with me.  I do the majority of the grocery shopping and I write the grocery list down before I leave so I don’t forget anything.  I will ask DH to add to the list and he used to get mad when I asked him to be more specific.  My reply was “If you are not specific, you are at the mercy of what I pick and I may not pick what you want.”   That problem was solved fairly quickly!!! 

 

Another place to check out is Flylady.net. I happened upon this site a few years ago after reading about her on a random blog.  Her advice is wonderful and it includes:

• Declutter for 15 minutes a day.  She’s right—we all have 15 minutes!  I think doing this at night before bed would be best for me.
• Take regular breaks.  This is especially important for we ADD’ers.  Over the holidays I spent a few hours cleaning up my room.  I would spend about 45 minutes cleaning and pitching before I took a 10 minute break.  I would stretch, walk around or read email.  Then I would get back to it.  This really helps me to not become distracted and wander off to do something else.
• Establish a routine.  That is one I already know works!  Find a routine that works for you and stick with it!  Have a backup routine too!
• Write out a list.  Very important again.  I realize that I am all over the place in trying to do a big task.  I can turn into the Tasmanian Devil.  Writing out a list beforehand (even if I end up editing) is a great way to get my thoughts in order and stick to my tasks.

Another motivator for me is browsing Pinterest for ideas on organization.  There are just so many ideas I never even thought of!  Some pics below (credit to source is in the link):

So tonite when I get home, I will write out a list of things that need to be done in my room.  I will also spend at least 15 minutes just cleaning up.   Once I have it cleaned up enough, I will order my Annie Sloan paint and paint the dresser!  

What are your fave organization tips?  I would LOVE to hear them!

Stay warm everyone (as the snow continues to fall here)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can haz fitness?

Now I know you’re really impressed—another post just one day later!

Yesterday I wrote about WW and motivation.  This time of year is just almost impossible for most of us to entertain the idea of paying better attention to our eating habits.  There are parties, events, work lunches, kids’ events, and family events.  Not to mention the running around for presents, decorations and other ‘fun’ stuff.  I realized this morning that I haven’t made a full trip to the grocery store in over a month.  My list for today is quite long.  I haven’t even started to bake yet!!!  Normally my baking is just about done.  That new oven is begging to be tested out!  DH and I have not been home on the weekends in weeks—this weekend will be no exception.  *whining over* 

So what do I do in the midst of all of this chaos?  Well I did tell you a while back I was thinking of joining a gym.  And I did—joined LA Fitness in November.  As I told you before, I was hesitant because I’m really not a gym person.   Other than classes, I had no idea what to do!

I also realized I do so much working out with a structured plan.  Most of us ADDers need to have that or else we end up wandering around looking at all the bright shiny machines and people watching!  You may laugh but it’s the truth! 

I considered doing my Chalean Extreme at home and doing cardio classes at the gym.  But I had already done 2 rounds of the program and while I love you Chalean, it was time for something new.  Plus—I wanted to use as much of the gym as possible.  It seemed just a waste to go for classes when LA Fitness has a lot more to offer me.

Enter Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer.  What the heck is that?  It’s a hardcore, full training program.  I had already worked out with free weights at home with Chalean Extreme, to me this was the next step.  Before deciding on this, I read over my old Oxygen magazines for ideas on a routine.  But I have to be realistic about myself and my goals.  I know that in order for me to not wander around like a kid in a candy store, I need a plan.  In short, I need to be told what to do and how to do it.  So the search was on for a good training plan.

So why this plan?  Well look above—that’s Jamie Eason.  Her body is amazing.  If you aren’t familiar with her, she’s a fitness model and has written a column in Oxygen magazine.  She also works with BodyBuilding.com, and that’s where this program comes from.  If you take a few minutes to read some of her past columns from Oxygen Seize the Day, you will see just why I consider her a great fitness role model.  She loves fitness, but she’s realistic and understands that we all can lose motivation and need to find ways to stay up on it.  And if you follow her on Facebook or Twitter, you can see her sweet personality shine through as well.  She’s never too busy to cheer on someone or answer a question.

So back to the plan.  It’s a 12 week program in 3 phases.  Phase 1 is mainly about lifting heavy weights.  NO CARDIO!  I couldn’t believe it either.  It is going to be very hard for me not to do anything. (Phase 2 and 3 adds the cardio back in, so not to worry.) I may take a walk around our block to keep my legs moving but she is very emphatic about no cardio so that you aren’t losing the muscle you are building with your weight workouts.  I just completed week 1 and my arms and legs are STILL sore from Sunday’s workout!  This is no joke!

They say that being fit and healthy is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  I kind of believe it now.  Until I joined WW, I worked out but wasn’t seeing results until I started paying attention to what I was eating.  Jamie also came up with a meal plan for each phase as well.  Warning—it’s definitely going to be a change for those of you don’t already follow the ‘eating clean’ guidelines.  It’s lower carb and also heavy protein to support the muscles you are working to build.  Don’t dismiss how important nutrition is to your body—it’s the fuel for the fire of getting leaner.  If you want to see the sample diet for Phase 1, please go here.  I will be honest and say I didn’t completely follow it for week one because I desperately need to get to the grocery story. But I do have my list updated and ready so I can follow pretty closely.   Jamie also has a great listing of her own recipes too! Just click here to see them.  I have tried many of them and they are good!

To help me stay organized, I got an an old binder from work and printed out each day’s workout for that week.  Then I take it with me each time I go to the gym to keep track of my progress.  I admit that I am getting a little bit obsessed with this, but I really want to see some results.

After week 1 of Phase 1, I definitely feel strong and see more definition in my arms.  I think that once I get the eating plan down and planned out better, I will see even better results and more energy.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress as I go along.  Looking forward to seeing how far I can push myself and hopefully come out of the program smaller and stronger!

Even if you aren’t interested in the program, it’s worth checking out for the nutrition tips and recipes that Jamie offers.  Like I said, just look at her and that will tell you she knows her stuff!

Do you have a fave fitness routine or program?  What is it?

Thanks for reading such a long post!  I’ll be back later this week with latest Favorites! 

Ch-ch-ch-changes….

Are you impressed I have posted again so quickly?    A little bit more time on my hands this week.

So those of you who know me in real life know that I’m an avid Weight Watcher. I am really proud of being a Lifetime member and I have zero problems talking to anyone who wants to listen! LOL  But like anyone, I struggle with staying motivated.  I’ve lived this healthy lifestyle since 2007 but there are times when I just lose my mojo and have a hard time keeping focused.  What’s a girl to do?

Well WW has helped with some of it and I’m thrilled.  This past week at our meeting, we learned of some new changes to the plan they are calling Points Plus 2012.  The biggest plus of all was that Lifetime members no longer have to pay for E-tools!!!  As long as you are coming to meetings regularly and weigh in at least once a month, you will receive a voucher that enables you to receive E-tools for free!  E-tools will be going up to $14.95 a month, so that is a pretty decent savings for a year.  It will more than pay for my weekly Starbucks trip with my WW friends.

The other big news is that you can adjust your daily points allowance.  One of my big gripes with the Points Plus was that I thought they were giving us too many Points to use during the day.  There were days when I didn’t eat them all.  Well I guess the folks at WW did some research because they made it adjustable.  My old PP for the day was 29 and it was changed to 26.  I changed it to 27 and usually do not go over this.  Some Points Plus values were also adjusted.  One member pointed out that wine had dropped by 1! 

We also received a bunch of new materials: a Q&A book, a new Pocket Guide (with a special one for us Lifetimers), and a new book to help us get started.  The information is really helpful and laid out very well. 

After the meeting,  our leader Jane held a special info session to answer question and help us get started.  When you’re a new WW'er there is always one Getting Started session after the meeting.  This time, WW has realized we will need a bit more help and addressed it.  Now there will be 4 sessions.  I stayed for the first one which dealt with how you can remove tempting foods or ‘trigger’ foods and replace with healthier options.  In my case, licorice is something I ask DH not to keep in the house.   It’s not that bad for you, but it can be if you eat the whole bag like I tend to do!  I can’t seem to stop going back to the bag and grabbing a few more Twizzlers.  Rather, than feel bad about it, I just don’t buy it.  Or I tell DH to just put it in a drawer that I never go into so I don’t know it’s there.  That works so much better!

I am impressed that WW is listening to feedback and updating based on that and science.  It shows they are committed to helping people succeed.  Even with the meetings and online tools you can still get a bit confused.  This January will be my 5th anniversary at WW and I STILL get confused!  Glad they are setting us up to stay successful.  Also really glad they are giving us Lifetimers a little reward!!!  YAY!

It’s a perfect time for this as you know this month is epic food month.  DH and I were at 2 parties on Saturday and I did okay with my eating but still indulged a little.  I’m trying really hard to stay on track with everything, but I know I’ll have a slip up or 2 along the way. But you just have to let it go and keep going no matter what. Rome wasn’t built in a day and we are all human beings! None of us are perfect.  If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you HAVE to allow for treats and just life in general.  Not every party you attend is going to have lots of healthy food to eat—so be prepared.  Eat before you go or bring a healthy item with you just in case.   Get in your exercise so you won’t feel too guilty for indulging! 

Anything special that you do to keep yourself from overloading on holiday goodies???  Love to hear them!

Stay tuned for my next post, which will be about a new workout plan I am doing.  Let’s just say that I have never been more sore in my life but in a good way!!! 

 

 

I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way…..

 

*Warning---super random post coming…..

Srsly---I’m not hiding! 

Holidays around here were super busy.  My grandma is still in rehab center and doing famously.  Truly is mind over matter.  And she bosses the nurses around too.  Or as she tells us “I don’t boss. I just advise.”  Haha.  My grandfather is still feeling effects from radiation but he is starting feel better.   Work was a crunch too with big meetings and staying later and lot of presentations.

Turkey day was insane.  I made these amazing Pumpkin Blondies (pic above is from the link) 3 times in a week.  Once for work, once for a friend recovering from a surgery, and once for Thanksgiving.  They were delish!  Very easy to make as well.  I also made green bean casserole and a WW sweet potato casserole that was a big hit!  But seriously, make these blondies and you will be loved by all.

The other big part of our long holiday weekend was our big kitchen purchases.  Our microwave (above the stove) had died a few weeks before and we figured we would check out hh gregg that opened recently.  DH had gotten it in his head that we should get a new oven as well so that they would match.  And before you ask, he is aware he has OCD tendencies!   I argued that there was nothing wrong with our current oven until Salsa Judy said to me “You always have to fight to get new stuff.  If he wants to spend, just shut up!” and I complied.    We meandered over to the store and looked at stuff WAY out of our price range *coughElectroluxcough* and found some nice microwaves and checked out the ranges.  Our salesguy Bruce suggested that we get the same brand since different brands had different colors of stainless.  DH just loved that.  After hemming and hawing for a LONG time, we ended up with the LG oven above.  I just want to point out that I wanted the less expensive stove and DH wanted the MOST expensive one.  Just sayin’    Anyway---we got those ordered and DH says we should get a fridge.  Prices were extremely good so we looked.  Then Bruce says did we measure?  Good point, Bruce!  We’ll be back!

 

DH and I leave hh gregg in search of food.  We tried a place in Bloomfield that was given a thumbs up from his co-worker, Tessaro’s.  Of course if you live in Bloomfield, you know this place.  But we don’t and we’re glad someone told us.  They have a full menu but are mainly known for their burgers.  DH hates getting a burger out but he made an exception here.  We both got a Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger.  It was sooo tasty.  Like melt in your mouth good. So worth extra WW points. 

After we got home, DH measured our old fridge—he wanted to go back to hh gregg!!!  I’m sure Bruce was overjoyed to see us (well maybe since they work on straight commission).  We got in and weedled around some more (measuring and such) before we settled on the fridge above.  I happily agreed to spend money on a new fridge as I hated our old side by side.  Just no room for anything.  And once my mom got a fridge like this, I was in LOVE.  Look at all of that room, plus a little drawer in the middle to put the stinky stuff (garlic, onions) in.   DH used is OCD-ness and ‘arranged’ the fridge for 25 minutes.  It’s great.

I give props to the shoppers who go out all hours to get their goodies.  I did that once and it just wasn’t for me.  I can shop online at home in my jammies instead!  Which is what I did.  I found some good deals for gifts for family and friends, but can’t post them here in case someone may read it!

I’ll have updates this weekend for you on WW new plan changes (good and bad), progress (or lack there of) on my room, and fashion-y post on ideas I need.

What are your holiday plans---do you have any time for yourself this time of year?  Saturday is our anniversary and we have my work party and then another party!  I am ready for a nap already!

Keep warm and cozy……..