7 Whole Days – Day 1

Hello my lovelies!  While I’m soaking up the California sun (and smog) I’ve decided to post a tip a day which will hopefully lead to a happier healthier you. 

If you’re anything like me, you’ve fallen way off of your health/fitness routine and need a little encouragement to get back into the healthy swing of things.  I’ve already mentioned that I’ve gotten a little soft around the middle, and am working on remedying that.  No need to wait until January 1 – my resolution starts now!

So, without further ado…your tip and challenge for today.

Drink more water!  Today, I challenge you to put down the soda, stay away from the juice, avoid the coffee, put the cork back in the wine bottle and only consume water.

* The average adult needs between 8-12 glasses of water a day.  If you are overweight, it is recommended that you drink an extra glass for every 25 lbs. you are overweight.

* The best way to get water?  Drink it.  Don’t rely on the small amounts of water found in certain foods, juices, etc. to help you get to 8 glasses.  Go to the tap, the refrigerator, or grab a plastic bottle if you must, and get to guzzling. 

* If you don’t like the “taste” of water, add a slice of lemon, lime, cucumber, or fresh herbs from mint to parsley to enhance your water.

* Benefits of drinking water include:

• Aids in the loss of fat
• Combats ailments such as fatigue, headaches, and back pain
• Reduces hunger
• Hydrates the skin

* Signs that you may not be getting enough water:

• Tiredness
• Migraines
• Constipation
• Cramps
• Dry skin
• Thirst – if you’re thirsty, you’re already likely dehydrated to a degree

I get my water in by:  drinking a glass before I leave the house, one in the car on my way to work, 3 or 4 during my workday, one on the way home and at least one in the evening.  I use a 12 or 16 oz. travel cup.

(I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.  Use your good sense with this – and all of the tips/challenges I’m posting over the next few days.  That’s my disclaimer.  Pserendipity – am I good??  Oh, and I got some of this information off the internet -  plagiarism, covered.)

Let Me Count The Ways

5 – the number of outfits, including  plane wear, that I am taking to Cali

8 – the number of outfits, excluding plane wear, that I am packing for Lovegirl.

3 – the number of inches I estimate I shrunk after renting a sub-compact to drive up to Oxford, MS and back this weekend.  Not a good look!  Darn Chevy Aveo…

2 – the number of times I tried to talk Lovegirl out of wearing her frog rain boots to school today before I decided what the hell – we only go around once.  Picture it:  light blue uniform shirt, dark blue uniform shorts and green, knee high frog boots!

30 or 40 - the number of ducks that Lovegirl and Aidan attempted to feed this weekend.  Aidan is a duck-feeding pro, it took Lovegirl a minute to warm up to the idea (and stop crouching behind me) but once she warmed up, she had a ball.  She wants to go back today and feed them again.  Thanks a lot Pserendipity!!!

11 – the number of days standing between me and my 37th birthday.

4 – the number of places I need to stop by before I make it home – the beauty supply for beads for Lovegirl’s braids, the shoe dude (cobbler doesn’t sound right) to pick up shoes I had repaired, the cleaner’s to drop off the suit I plan to wear to my cousin’s wedding, WMart to get a prescription filled.

0 – the number of minutes I’ve spent actually working today.

Whatcha got??

Tri-fling

   (nooooo TM – I am NOT pg!)

So yesterday two work-friends and I hosted a lunch-time baby shower for another work-friend.  We decided to hold the shower at a Mexican restaurant not too far from campus – the e-vites were sent out last week.  I think we invited 14, 15 people.  We asked everyone to bring a gift and to chip in for the honoree’s lunch.

Yesterday at the shower we had 7  folks including the guest of honor.  4 people brought gifts – 2 people did not.  4 people chipped in on lunch – 2 did not.  Now, I am no M.artha Stewart, but damn.  That’s just rude.  One girl was like “oh, I don’t have any money to help with her lunch.”  Uh, you just sat here, shoveled chips and salsa down your gullet like there was no tomorrow, ordered and paid for your lunch and don’t have a measly dollar to put in on her lunch?  Really???  The other one didn’t know anybody at the table except for the girl who didn’t bring a gift or pay – she just came along because she wanted to go out to lunch.  WTH?  Who does this?  It’s not even the money – her lunch couldn’t have cost more than $8.  I just can’t believe someone would show up to a baby shower, not bring a gift, and claim to not have $1 for the meal.

Is it just me?

As an aside – I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I’m going to set up some healthy living-type posts for next week while I’m gone.

If any bloggers in LA,CA want to try to get together while I’m in Cali, just send me an email.  That was my passive-aggressive version of socializing….

Peace out!

The Yard

~ My first Que party and my silly 16 year old self thinking Que punch really was just punch.

~ Driving from AR to MS for my first college football game – UAPB v Valley.  I don’t remember who won.

~ Realizing that my California casual dress-style was definitely not the norm in the south.

~ Spring Fling at Grambling.  Drive through daquiris.  Whaaat?!?!?

~ Making friendships I treasure to this day.

~ Getting put on blast by my English instructor for not saying “ma’am.” 

~ Outkast, UGK and 666 Mafia (as they were known back then!)

~ Walking all up and through the greek’s gardens.  I had no clue….

~ Spending the entire Spring Break week in the male dorm with one of my really good friend guys.  Get your mind out the gutter!  Nothing happened.  We were both from waaay out of town and our parents were not sending us any $ to come home.  So we chilled for a straight week.

~ a 1978 Honda Accord, monthly deposits in my account from my parents, and freedom, sweet freedom.

Just a few of my freshman year memories!  Got any you’d like to share??

Ebb and Flow

I love Smoochy. Sometimes in the day-to-day living that we do, I kinda lose track of that fact. I mean, in the recesses of my mind, I know I love him, but I don’t always operate with that at the front of my mind. I’m thinking about work, formulating a paper for school in my mind, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner, thinking about Bible study, wondering where Lovegirl’s uniform shirt is, and the list goes on…

And in the midst of all of that, I can treat my husband as something on my to-do list (not like that, but yeah, like that too) as opposed to being numero uno on my to-love list.

I need to just stop, remember all the reasons why I fell in love with and still love him, and work on being a better, more loving wife. I work on being a better mother, I work on my relationship with God, I work on my relationships with my friends, but somehow have failed to put any true work into working on myself as wife, and I don’t really know why.

No worries, everything is good at home. Just something I’ve been thinking about and am going to work on.

Do What? Twice in One Day?

Yep. 

Yesterday I took Lovegirl to the doctor for her annual check-up.  After being weighed and measured – she’s 3 ft 8 and weighs 43 45 pounds – the nurse did a finger stick to get blood. 

Lovegirl:  What are you going to do with that blood?
Nurse:  Send it to the lab for testing to make sure you are good and healthy.
Lovegirl:  How do you know it is my blood?
Nurse:  Honey, I just took it out your finger.  Remember?
Lovegirl:  Yeah well, how do you know it is not the blood of Jesus which has been applied to my heart?

Touche!

Rub a Dub Dub

I forgot to grub.

I haven’t had much of an appetite lately and have been eating very lightly.  I haven’t had any meat in about three weeks, eating mostly salads, an occasional grilled cheese sandwich, etc.

Last night I was unbelievably sleepy and grouchy.  I didn’t have the energy to do much of anything.  I went to the gym where Lovegirl promptly began to cry and beg me to stay with her.  I was so not in the mood, so I turned around, told her to come on, and left.  When we got home I got in the bed and stayed there until 7:45 when I combed her hair and told her to get in the bed.  I slept until 4:00 this morning when I woke up to do an assignment for school.  In the shower, I thought I was going to pass out.  Then it hit me.  I have not had a decent meal since Saturday when my friend girls and I went out for dinner.  And I had dinner last Thursday (?) when Pserendipity and I took the kiddos to J.ason’s Deli for dinner – I had a big salad.  I’ve had breakfast every day, and lunch a few times but that’s it.  Duh.  No wonder I’ve been in a beyond foul mood with the energy of a slug.

So, for the rest of the week I’m dedicated to doing two things – getting proper nutrition back into my body and donating some items to the canned food drive my church is having.  When the announcement about the food drive came on the screen on Sunday, I was like “I’m not driving halfway across town to drop off some canned goods.”  After 5 or 6 days of not eating properly – but being blessed with the ability to do so – I’ve changed my mind.

I encourage each of you to do something for someone less fortunate than yourself this week.

Have a good one!

Nerd Girl Is…

…quite obviously conflicted.  Last night I downloaded 7 new songs to my MP3 player – 3 by gospel artists (Mary Mary and Martha Munizzi) and 4 by rap artists (Too Short and Tupac).

…ready for fall and fall clothes.  I need a few pair of pants and a pair of boots and I’m good.

…looking forward to hanging out with my parents, all three brothers, and my niece and nephew in October when we all head to Houston for my cousin’s wedding.  We haven’t all been together in about three years.

…so excited that UAPB has won two games so far this season!  We beat Langston (non-conference) and MS Valley (SWAC).  Hoping we can keep it up and have a winning season.

…not sure why so many people in the Jackson, MS area don’t know what to do when the traffic lights go out.  Did everybody miss the same question on the driver’s test?  4 way stop sign people ~ keep it moving!

…tired of going to eat for girl’s night out.  We need something else to do – stat!

…thinking (again) that dudes are usually so much easier to get along with than women.

…contemplating becoming a personal trainer.  I would like to get involved in our church’s health ministry~ but beyond health fairs and blood drives.  I’m thinking free exercise classes once or twice a week.

…going to try to post every day this week.

…so glad you stopped by!  What “are” you today???

Whatcha got?

‘Cause I’ve got a whole lotta nothing.  Life has been a little dull, a bit routine.  Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn’t provide much blog fodder either.   Let’s see….

*AR Gal - I haven’t forgotten that I owe you something.  I told you I’m a wee  bit trifling when it comes to actually going to the post office….

* Last night in class this dude starts talking about Afro-American this, Afro-American that.  I was like man, who still says Afro-American?  He was like, I call flip-flops thongs and capri pants culottes(sp?) - I guess there’s something wrong with that too?  Umm, there is something wrong with you equating inanimate objects and human beings.  He was .38 hot.  Started yelling about my being offended, etc. etc.  Dear angry little man, I did not say I was offended.  You cannot offend me.  I said you are using an antiquated term to describe a group of people and that as a professor at an institution which is not homogenous in ethnic or gender make-up, you might want to move into the 21st century – that is what I said.  I don’t think we’ll be partnered up for any class projects soon.

* I do not care for plaid and am sorry that it dominates the fashion landscape this fall.  Especially that buffalo plaid.  Hah!  Listen to me – I almost sound like I know what I’m talking about – don’t believe the hype.

* JSU plays Grambling this weekend in Jxn – if it doesn’t rain, I think Lovegirl and I will go. I love SWAC football!  However, my days of sitting in a stadium watching a game during a torrential downpour are over!  I did it when Smoochy was playing, then when he was coaching.  I’ve paid my dues.

* Speaking of football, did anyone watch the games on Monday night?  Man, I fell asleep and apparently missed huge portions of not one, but two good games!  I really (foolishly) thought the Raiders were going to win. 

* I am ridiculously excited to be headed to Cali in exactly 2 weeks!  I have decided that Lovegirl and I will not be spending ducats at the franchise that is D.isneyland.  We will instead roll to the LA County fair for just as much fun at a mere fraction of the price!  

* Speaking of the CA, I broke down and told Lovegirl that we were going.  She is all kinds of excited, but also worried that Matu and Batu (my parents) don’t have enough “stuff” to properly accommodate us.  Every day she asks me if they have enough towels, blankets, food, beds, etc.  I’m not sure why she thinks they’re deprived, but she does!

Okay, that’s it.  What’s going on in your neck of the woods??

Viernes, Sabado, Domingo, Lunes

Or, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.  I am on an Espanol roll…

How was your weekend?  Mine was fantabulous!  I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to this weekend, but I did get a lot done (see Friday’s post for accomplishments) and was able to get in some relaxation with Smoochy and Lovegirl.  About as awesome a weekend as I could’ve hoped for.  And the weather!  I feel like my Grandma, always getting excited about good weather, but we really did have beautiful weather.  Lovegirl and I spent a good bit of time Monday at the park, gazing at the clear sky and playing the cloud game.  She cheated and kept “taking” all the good clouds!

A few Monday randoms:

*One of my dreadlocks is very thin in the middle and about to break.  This freaks me out even though I have a head full of hair and no one – including me – will be able to tell when it breaks.  I had one break last week while I was retwisting and about died!  Am making a concerted effort to do a better job of moisturizing.

*My kid got an MP3 player from my parents for her birthday.  Riding to school this morning, I got a glimpse of her at 16.  “Mom, please.  Can you wait just a minute to talk – my favorite song is on.”  Alrighty then!  I should know not to come between any child of mine and her music.  She had her serious, music-listening face on…

That's my girl!

*I won!  Brown Girl Gumbo did a give-away for Queen Latifah’s new perfume and yours truly gets to check it out for nada, nathan, nil.  Love it!

That’s all!  Hope you have a great Tuesday!