LOVE Ahhh...

With Valentines day fast approaching I know a LOT of people are dreading it and a LOT of people are in LOVE with it.  I am honestly in love with love because it is such a strong emotion that it can make anyone do anything even if it is totally out of character for them which is in my opinion a superpower! 

I am not in favor of one day called Valentines day because it is money down the drain. With the strong economic down turn no matter how much money you make or have it is uncertain how much it will be worth from day to day therefore stressing out and going out to buy just the PERFECT gift to show someone you love them is NOT my type of romantic. Also, it does not make me happy to know my bank account has decreased with little return since flowers die within a week and chocolate around me doesn't last a day plus gives me gilt for a month or more.

Romance aside I also really wish that I could talk on the phone or visit several friends that I love everyday and in some way let my amazing family know... really know... how much I love them every millisecond.  Family and Friends are the VERY reason I am who I am plus without the real true long lasting bonds I'm not sure a person can be whole... so corny but in my mind so true! 

Right now with life being so fast I think we are too busy to have real interaction with people (I know I do not) because my best friend that I "talk" to everyday is actually my IPod yes it is so sad to say, but I connect with friends, family, shop, pay my bills, watch movies at 2AM, chat on facebook, and now I am using it to post quick blogs!  I feel ashamed when I think it has really come to this one device that it gets more face time than my own Mother, but it does let me chat with her at 1AM when we both are not going to bed.  This might be an entire post on it's own someday, but the point is I try to show my love through the web since my availability in real life is limited! 

My best friend :-(

Back on Track Here: 

I know for me the real deal is when someone does something so little just to let me know I crossed their mind. It speaks so loud that they really care anytime of year!! Some examples that get me:
-Sends me a facebook note just to tell me they are thinking about me and my family
-Writes a letter and mails it to me (that's now 45 cents but worth millions)
-Call me and even though I don't answer OR return a call within a month or two (shameful I know) they forget about it and talk with me as if we have talked everyday
-Surprises me even though it is difficult to surprise me. I do know how much thought goes into a surprise and it is amazing!
-Follow my dreams by showing support along the way even if it's just to ask how things are going and really listening

This list could seriously get WAY too long, but you get the point it doesn't take money and it really means more when it doesn't.  Plus I really feel bad when I do get something I know is very costly and feel like I need to repay you in some way for the burden it has placed on your wallet if you do get me something that is super expensive.  Around my house we have a budget for everything and you can ask my Husband I watch every red cent that comes in and goes out which is in my blood since I have worked in budget and finance my entire working life.  However, we do know how and when to spend and when to hold back just by researching options plus budgeting for the things we love.

Therefore the day of LOVE (aka Valentines Day) around here is not a display of roses or anything else that expires in a few days it is a day where we might go on a date to talk and eat some good food then come home to have dessert or just get some much needed R&R!!! :)

Happy Valentines Day though because like I said I'm in love with love so if you only show it one day a year at least you show it!!! :-). Hopefully you will find a way to show it more often - I know I'm trying to do better this year!!!

These are a few of my FAVORITE things

For everyone that knows me they know I have a BIG problem... hello my name is PRODUCT JUNKIE.  So I thought that I would share a few of my favorite things and if you have other products you love please comment below because I try tons of new products a year.  My thoughts are if you are going to put money into something put it into products that make you feel good about yourself that you can do at home anytime you need a boost!

Here are my Make-up picks thus far in life:

From top left to right UnPettroleum Jelly - This is part of my night cream I'm actually out of the night cream I use but I add this around areas that are looking dry or extra wrinkled, Supernatural tinted moisturizer great for when I do not have time or it is not the place for makeup, Makeup forever set powder no color but it sets the liquid foundation, Lola by Marc Jacobs perfume roller ball smells so fresh and light I wear it a lot, Loreal TruMatch liquid great French quality for contouring or if I know I just want a little day coverage, Makeup Forever HD BIG FAV best makeup foundation EVER in my opinion, Laura Mercier concealer great for around eyes, Mary Kay eye makeup remover love how it is just a little oily because I only use it at night, Infallible Loreal lipstick this stuff stays on 4EVER some nights I have to put a lip gloss on to take it off, Urban Decay potion eye primer great if you are not wanting your eye makeup to go anywhere, Laura Mercier multi stick it is great for lips/eyes/cheeks I use it for cheeks, Frizz Ease by John Freida should be in my hair section below I just REALLY love it so I stuck it here too!!

Bottom Left to right Crest Whitestrips Supreme that I buy from my dentist and one box will last forever because I only use it a few times a month, Cover FX Foundation great for under eyes,  Mascara waterproof false lashes, Naked (the first one) eyeshadow by Urban Decay, Urban Decay 24/7 waterproof eye liner, my Jane I. eye brush, Tweezerman tweezers BEST EVER, Venus Breeze shave razor, and makeup forever powder brush

Not in the makeup photo is night cream and day cream - I was doing this while everyone was asleep and I left all of that in the other room, but basically I use a lot of different types of products because I have been given a lot over the last year therefore I use what I have till it is gone unless I have a reaction. 

I LOVE doing my own makeup and watching tons of YouTube videos on how to put makeup on properly.  I also have been to several makeup artists which have helped me a lot too!

Hair Products: Fat Hair hair spray for those fly aways I really need to control, Tresemme heat tamer I use heat a lot and try to protect my hair with that, Got 2b high heat protectant for days I use my flat iron, catwalk curls rock for days I let my natural curly hair run wild, Frizz ease John Freida AMAZING use it all the time, Macadamia oil and leave in conditioner, Sei Bella shampoo/conditioner/mask this stuff is amazing love how it has helped my hair recover from years of coloring, then got 2b dry shampoo for the days in between washes I can still feel like I have clean hair, then my two go to brushes bore bristle round brush and wide toothed comb for when my hair is wet

I have terrible hair very curly and unruly so I always try different hair products but I have to be careful when I do that it doesn't dry out my scalp because that happens in the winter especially if the product is too harsh.  I try to at least use shampoo and conditioner that is free of harmful ingredients to your hair and scalp!

Nails - I am all about saving money and doing this type of thing at home!!  I LOVE OPI nail colors especially red hot gift shown here, any cuticle or just cream works with my little cuticle pusher, a nail file I use one that is super thick because my nails are very tuff, then I use nail life gripper and topcoat fast drying to make the stuff stay on through 1,000,000 hand washing times throughout the day!

MY FAV -- I love to brush my teeth and go to the dentist (WEIRD RIGHT?).  I use my new Christmas gift of a sonicare tooth brush which you really can feel a difference by using, Colgate total, I am not much of a flosser because it takes too much time so I need a little help with my reach flosser that I love, then last but certainly not least my crest whitestrips I love those things bet you cannot tell since I have it in two photos!!!  :)

My gym bag I got a FREE bag for running my first 8k back before Christmas LOVE it, love my healthy deodorant from Lavanilla, my Asics running shoes, my ipod shuffle with armband, and my dry shampoo so I don't leave the gym smelling too bad in case at 6:30AM after my workout is done I needed to run to the store for a item that hit me while running we needed to make dinner! :)

I think that does it for my fav things!  If you have any suggestions on other products please let me know and I will give them a try!!! :)

Tipping

Tipping THE SCALE that is. I have A LOT of discussions with others about the dreaded issue of weight AND I have a LOT of personal opinions about losing and gaining weight since I have done both in my life several times especially before and after having a baby AND I know at some point everyone thinks about their weight (I do a lot) BUT if you think about it too much the problem gets overwhelming which normally causes bad results.


First let me post a disclaimer I am not a weight management specialist nor a professional in personal training or any of that, but to give you some background on why I think LOTS of people talk with me about their weight is because they know I have been to personal trainers, nutrition specialists, and doctors to help me.  I at first had to gain weight (really Body Mass) before I could get pregnant because my BMI (Body Mass Index) was too low then I went a little over my goal and way out of the park when I did get pregnant then after our child was born I went back way down to 119 lbs and now I am back up again to a number that I am almost afraid to say but I am working hard on it.  Anyway that is my story!


My thought is that 1-There is NO such thing as a quick fix 2-the word diet should be eliminated from the dictionary because it is very misleading 3-Not everyone can do the same things to get more/less weight because it depends on the type of person you are, what stage in your life you are at, AND what results you intend on getting 4-You must EAT because you cannot starve your body forever without it lashing out at you in fact it is better to eat little snacks all day long (healthy ones of course) than to miss a mealtime 5-CHANGE dreaded but it must happen and you must be able to live with the change you cannot join a program or a gym or eat well for 60 days or whatever you MUST make a change that you can keep up 6-Be honest and open with those around you because they will support you if you lay it out that they might not think you need to gain/lose weight BUT it is your body and you DO 7-BE HAPPY - I read a quote that is so true once upon a time that stated something like no one can make you unhappy unless you allow them to do so which is SO true but so hard to really practice but to really obtain good results you must relax and be happy with what you are doing

Ok I am off the soapbox, as my family would say, on to the next topic....till then check out my FIRST 8k race I completed in 53 mins:

More information that I think helps get good results --- Make yourself SEEM thinner to give you a boost of self motivation I do it with my Spanx and have for YEARS check out this article from CNN for their advice on looking thinner:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/30/living/thinner-by-dinner-h/index.html?hpt=li_c1

Plus CNN also highlights other healthy things for women:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/13/health/secrets-worlds-healthiest-women/index.html?iref=obinsite

The Beginning

After using a spiral bound or a hard bound journal since I could write I decided to get with the program and go through the web to share my ideas and thoughts with all of you that enjoy reading about a little of this and a little of that.  I am going to try to touch on topics I think you can relate with and hopefully can find helpful.  I will start off my stating I am not a self help guru and I certainly do not think I know everything, but this might help clean out my head of all the ideas I have running around in there so I can get them out before I go to sleep at night.  Hope you enjoy and if you are my friend or family member please go easy on me after reading all of this and finding what IS in this brain of mine! Also, if I misspell a word or use bad grammar I am more of a numbers person than a writer so please cut me a little slack I am trying to do better!