Failed Volunteer

I fail at least once a year at volunteering. Last year I quit one place because I got a parking ticket. I will admit I have issues when it comes to parking, even my son asked a couple weeks ago when the church parking lot was full if we were going home. Yes I've done this in the past, parking lot full, I drive home. I at least fixed that by going to a later service so their is always parking. 

Last night I volunteered at a cool event for a couple hours. I wasn't fired and I even met some new people. I learned about a new website called Volunteer Match, which is similar to match.com but instead it brings you together with non-profits that match what you are looking to do!! I wish I would've learned about this sooner. I've realized I do better at events since the commitment isn't as big. Its almost like a relationship, sorry its not you its me. I just don't see myself in your office every day because I may or may not get a parking ticket. AND I hate driving around trying to find a place to park, also the parking lots are $15 a day. Since I'm giving you my time for free, $15 really is too much for me to pay. I'm not willing to see therapist about my parking issues, so I quit. 

I tried to foster dogs again, I promise this time it wasn't me. I had a dog every week and I love the dogs just not the organization. The last dog I dropped off they haven't called me since then. So here is what happened, our last dog was a stray from Texas. The very first day I had her she got out of her collar and ran away from us. Luckily a nice man got out of his car, picked her up and brought her to us. She was very skittish and scared of noises. I thought she would get better during the week but instead she got worse. She would scratch at the door and bark to come in and then when I opened the door she ran away. She really was an outside dog. Needless to say at the end of the week it was exhausting, so I took her to the adoption event and let them know what was going on. I said I would not be able to come back that night to take a dog but I would the next night. The pilot really needed to sleep before going to work. Well the person who works with the non-profit was not happy with me at all! I also got attitude a few weeks prior about asking for puppy food since I didn't have any at home. I was thinking, how did they think I was feeding all the other dogs. I don't mind providing food for the dogs but at least don't make me feel bad when I ask for food for a puppy that I've volunteered to watch. I have a feeling they won't be contacting me again to help. I'm happy to help but I think it was probably time for me to move on. 

I'm still trying to find where I fit in when it comes to volunteering. I'm hoping volunteer match will find me the perfect match. 

A New Year and A New Adventure

I love this and it's usually how I feel about New Year's resolutions but this year the pilot had a great idea. As a family the 3 of us brainstormed together what we would like to accomplish this year.  Of course the first thing D-Boy came up with was to be able to play games one night during the week since we only let him play his video games on the weekend. And even then he doesn't play very many. So we made a deal if he finished his homework on the weekend to turn in Monday he would get 1 hour on Monday nights to play a game.  Our first goal, No Extras January. We buy a bunch of stuff and I honestly couldn't tell you what exactly. We might just go to TJ Maxx, leave the store with a receipt of $55. I look in the bag and really wonder how we got to $55. My new yoga clothing isn't exactly inexpensive but I reason that if I can get out of the store for less than $100 I'm doing good (however I don't think about how many times I've gone to that store in a month). I might get a pedicure or manicure. Its not that we can't afford these things, we would just like to be more aware of what we are spending. We also agreed no going out to eat. So what do we do? I think this will help us do more things together as a family. We can play board games together, go to the library,  watch the movies we have at home, take walks, foster dogs, make meals at home, visit with our friends (I did warn one of my friends we might be visiting her quite a bit this month).

Learn something new in February. Our plan is to go to a cooking class or even try something we've never done before. Trying to think outside of our comfort zone. Travel March, for our spring break vacation we are flying to California and doing a 400 mile road trip up the coast. We already have our route planned and fun places to stay & visit. 

Our mini goals are to spend less time on our computer (this one is really for the pilot ;-) I get bored pretty quickly on the internet. However I will say I'm just a tad bit addicted to Facebook. I wouldn't call it an obsession but I may need to spend less time on it. Doing a 6 am workout once a week, now you need to realize this will be a hard one for me. I don't usually get out of bed before 7:15 am or later. 

We are good at making financial goals every year but I never really considered making life goals. I enjoyed spending our evening figuring out the things we want to accomplish this year. We wrote on each month of our calendar as a reminder. We have the rest of the year planned but I think you get the idea. Please realize that usually I'm a no goals type of gal, but I think this really will enhance our lives together as a family. And at some point I need to grow up and realize that goals aren't a bad thing. 

Whats on your agenda for 2014??

2013: Looking Back

Every year when we are putting the tree away the pilot and I write down 2 lists. One is looking back on the previous year and another looking forward. When we put the tree up again the following year its fun to see if we predicted correctly what we would do.
This morning I started thinking about what an incredible 2013 we had and thought I would share.
I feel like it was a "yes" year.  In March my sister-in-law got married and at the last minute a bridesmaid bailed, so I volunteered to be in the wedding. D-boy danced to every single song during the reception. In April the pilot had a 24 hour layover in St. Lucia and invited us to go. After flying close to 9 hours, it was an amazing 24 hour trip. My first major celebrity sighting was on the flight back, Matt Damon and Stanley Tucci. It just happened to be the same weekend that Matt Damon renewed his wedding vows in St Lucia. In May I bought a Groupon to try a new gym that is literally one mile from my house. And I finally discovered a workout I truly enjoy and have fun. Also in May we spent 3 days in the mountains with my sister-in-law and her family.  July the pilot has another 24 hour layover in St Lucia and we say yes again. We also signed up for the local swim club and spent most of our summer at the pool. D-boy takes swim lessons and jumps off a diving board for the first time. In September we took an epic trip to Kona and enjoyed every minute we were there. I loved watching D-boy snorkel for the first time, swim with dolphins & sea turtles, and watch a volcano. In October we dressed up as a team for Halloween and won a costume contest (Cat woman, Batman, and Commissioner Gordon). In November we bought D-boy skis for our next adventure, all of us going skiing together. And December we decided to do thoughtful Christmas gifts by being creative (don't want to give this away since we haven't sent them out yet).
On the days I feel ordinary I have to remind myself of this amazing life I have, a wonderful family that I adore and I am blessed with the sweetest boy.
How bout you? What are you going to remember about 2013? And looking forward what are the plans you have for 2014?

Being Thankful

D-boy asked me today if on Thanksgiving we get to say what we are thankful for and I said yes. He said he couldn't wait to talk about what he is thankful for, and that made me very happy. I've tried to teach him that we should always be thankful for what we've been blessed with, our home, our family, our friends, our life. This time of year reminds me how thankful I am for my friend who gave my husband a kidney 3 years ago. Its something that on a day to day basis I might take for granted. The other day the pilot, myself, D-boy and our dog Bailey were all dancing together in our living room. Such a precious moment. Rather than the pilot being hooked up to a machine every night for dialysis, he is able to sleep peacefully through the night. And the biggest blessing is he can be a pilot again. Sometimes its easy to take our health for granted but the truth is there are so many people who don't have that basic need meet, health.
My father has been working in Malawi, Africa since 2004 helping orphans, widows, and the poor. As well as providing education for children. I am incredibly thankful for my dad and the work that God has put on his heart to help so many people.
I'm thankful for the family and friends that have enhanced my life and remind me that each day is precious. I love that we can talk about what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving but I don't want to forget to be thankful all year round.
Please take a moment to think about what you are thankful for this week and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

That time of Year

Victoria Secret Fashion show! You might find it surprising that I look forward to this every year. I believe I've watched every year. I'm a girl, of course I love a good fashion show. The themes are amazing to me and what they can do with underwear just blows my mind. However over the years I've also noticed the price of their merchandise has gone up and up and up. So now I know who is paying for this extravaganza, the consumers. The first time I purchased a bra at Victoria Secret it was $30 and I thought that was a bit over priced but it fit and I didn't want to look anywhere else. Now you can get  a bra for the low, low price of $52!! What?? It is a pretty store, the sales people are very helpful but not sure I want to spend $100 on 2 bras, oh and don't forget the underwear. Special price of 3 for $30. $10 each? I will keep watching the show but I just can't contribute to the outrageous prices. Victoria Secret is smart, they put this show out right before Christmas. Then us ladies see the commercials and let our significant others know what we want for Christmas. Guess what? All that stuff goes on sale the day after Christmas. At 1/2 the price even less sometimes.
This morning I just read that one of the "angels" said Taylor Swift was not the right performer for the show. She felt Taylor was young and a little inexperienced. My 2 cents is that I think she was jealous Taylor out shined all the models. Taylor Swift is a beautiful young woman who I admire and adore. This year my support will go to Taylor in purchasing her music, Victoria Secret can make their money off of another woman.

1 year later

A couple months ago I finally reached my goal of 135 pounds. I started October 30th of last year and their were many times I wanted to quit because it felt like it was taking forever. When I stopped focusing on the scale and more on how I felt, it got easier. The pilot asked me a very good question the day I told him I weighed 135 -
"Now What?"
To be honest I don't think any one plan will work for everyone. You have to figure out what works for you and what you want to do the rest of your life. For me it was cutting out red meat and pork. I exercise 5 days a week and I still have ice cream and chocolate cupcakes when I want.  I finally found workouts that I truly enjoy, the classes are small, I meet new people, and I enjoy a paid friendship with the instructors.  I eat healthy 95% of the time and have cut down on going out to eat. We still go but are more informed about calorie content and sodium. I weigh myself every other day but only to make sure I stay on track. The key for me was to find a balance. I want to eat healthy, I want to be able to run around with my son and feel good about myself. I think each person finds what that is for them self, as long as your happy thats really what matters. Making time to be healthy and fit is important to me and when I do that I've noticed I'm happier and more confident. I don't beat myself up if I have greasy pizza or ice cream, I enjoy them for the treats they are and move on.
So Now What? Well I keep working out which I enjoy. I keep eating healthy and teach my son healthy habits. And I still go to our favorite ice cream shop Sweet Cow on occasion to enjoy my favorite strawberry ice cream.
Whats your first step?

Blendtastic

I have to admit this is by far the best appliance purchase we have ever made. I bought this online from Costco 2 weeks ago and have used it 60 times. Thats about an average of 4 times a day. Several years ago when we saw a representative trying to sell a Vitamix Blender, I told the pilot that it was just an overpriced blender. Boy was I completely wrong. This blender is a blender on steroids!! We can make soups, smoothies, ice cream, pancakes, syrup, hummus, mocha frapuccinos, almond butter, sauces, spreads, marinades, whole juice, and the list goes on and on. Yesterday for breakfast we had a smoothie with orange, pineapple, carrot, spinach, pineapple juice and ice. My son loved it and he didn't even know he was drinking vegetables. At dinner time we had broccoli cheddar soup that took 90 seconds to make and for dessert we made blueberry soft serve ice cream. What I really love about this blender is I know all the ingredients that are going into my meals. No preservatives, very low in sodium and low in calories, but incredibly delicious.
What changed my mind is one day my friend came over and mentioned it. Since the pilot was home that day we spent an entire day on youtube watching blenderdude. He demonstrates the uses of the Blend tec and Vitamix. He doesn't say which is better he just shows that they make the same things. Its really based on your preference which one you like better. You can also make your own blizzards with the twister jar, we discovered we could make our own s'mores blizzards with vanilla ice cream, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Not the healthiest option but it was AWESOME!!
If you are thinking at all that this is something you'd use, check it out at Costco online. We saved $170 over the retail price. It is definitely the most we've spent on this type of appliance, but it was worth it.