Christmas slump!!

I'm hiding out for Christmas :)
I've enjoyed some time in the country with my grandma and sister. Now I'm home and repacking to head to Austin for New Years soot soot :) of course when I get back I'll have to devote myself to all things classroom so I can accomplish everything I had planned!!
Check out the pic of the present I made for my sister!! She LOVED it and I was pretty proud of myself I must say ;)

Hope everyone had a MERRY Christmas and a very safe New Year!!!

P.S. I'm trying out the blogger app for the first time...hope if works :)


Christmas Relaxin'

This week has been CRAZY busy!!!
Here's a little outline...Monday-Parent teacher conference and prep for the Christmas Program (I was in charge with another teacher)
Tuesday-More program prep and practice and keeping the books at the basketball game
Wednesday-Christmas Program (YAY :)
The stress of the program literally kept me up at night. Not only was I in charge but I still had to coordinate my class in two songs. Somehow Mrs. Garcia and I managed to get all the work done and pull a wonderful program off!!

Today has turned out to be amazing!! I took my pretest for the PPR and I passed!!! Which means I'm able to take the real PPR the FINAL step in be completely certified!! I'm so excited its been a long process and I've already been teaching for two years ;) so I'm ready!! I also got paid with a little Christmas bonus....which could make anyone happy :D
To top it off I've spent the evening relaxing with pizza and Friends. Of course I had to through Pinterest in the mix and I found What the Teacher Wants. She has the cutest reader's theater post up! I definitely want to use it tomorrow. I might even see if we can do it for the Pre-K kids. I also found this site Classroom Jr with cute Mad Libs for different holidays. My kids are crazy for Mad Libs!!!

I hate to say I'm ready for Christmas break but I'm really going to use my time to organize,  clean, and make more detailed lesson plans. One of my biggest resolutions for the new year is going to be a better teacher and blog at least once a week and share all my experience with the world!!

Ok gonna get back to relaxing!!

It Must Be Christmas!!!

I've had a great weekend filled with a bachelorette party Friday, a lazy Saturday and lots of work for my Sunday funday :)

My work today helped me discover something that I think may have just changed my life as a teacher!!!
Its a wonderful site where you can share your resources and find all kinds of resources to help you in the classroom....its a serious goldmine for a second year teacher like me!!!
Oh yes and I forgot last night I discovered I had won the contest for a Readers Notebook from Becky at Lesson Plans and Lattes. Seriously!?!?!? I never win stuff like this I am SOOO excited!! Check her out she has lots of great posts and resources. I'm so excited to have some insight like hers :*)

To wrap up my evening I spent my time making my Christmas Cards for my fellow teachers. Instead of the traditional cards I decided to do a remake of something I found on pinterest (seriously what did we do without it???)

I made Grinch Pills!!!
 I found multiple ways to do it with tic tacs etc. but of course I had to do m&m's because everyone needs a little chocolate around this time of year :) And I had to style it up around my personality and budget.
^ Here's my wonderful mess!!

And the finished products (sorry they're upside down so the glue could dry)
I can't wait to stuff the boxes tomorrow with the goodies....giving is why I love this time of the year!!!


Christmas is a Coming!!

This time of the year is the most hectic and busy...for me at least!! I feel like a barely have time to check my email!! The few weeks between Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break are filled with craziness around BV. Part of the busy-ness was preparing my kids for UIL. 
This year was tougher than last year because I had 5th & 6th grade. So there even more events to juggle. But somehow I managed to get them all ready!! They competed in Wink on Thursday and even though we didn't win the kids did their best and had some fun :)
 
And Wink....OMG!! I think I belong there!! They were FULL of school spirit and every door was decorated for Christmas. I mean the outstanding craftiness and creativity....oh man I would fit right in!!!
I snapped some pictures so I could re-create in the future ;) 
(sorry they're so blurry)





 This one isn't Christmas but look at it.....TOO CUTE!!!
 

Thankful

Well thanksgiving is over...I'm sure I have 5 lbs or so to be thankful for :/
But on the bright side my ROAT gifts were a success!! RAOT you may ask...what's that?? Well I had been seeing so many people doing RAOK or Random Acts Of Kindness where they do random kind acts for people. One friend does this in celebration of her birthday. So my brain started turning and instead of doing the usual "days of thanks" that people post on their facebook or blog I decided to do RAOT or Random Acts Of Thanks.
 I found this awesome idea for everything in a jar on pinterest. I thought this was a perfect thanks for the people in my life who do so much for me!! 
Of course I had to tweak the idea a bit...but the result was AMAZING!!

I only did 4 jars and I did find out that after gathering all my items the jars were a little small =o but they were still cute!!
I did energy in a jar:
~white chocolate energy bar
~Taster's choice instant coffee
~Hershey's white chocolate hot cocoa
~Hershey's peppermint kisses

I also did pampering in a jar:
~Cocoa butter moisturizing lotion
~Vanilla bean body spray
~Blistex lip balm
~Cozy socks
~Hershey's peppermint kisses

Both of these jars fit the 4 people I wanted to thank the most!! The two energy in the jars were for my best friend Tara and my teacher's aide Patty. Tara goes and does everything in the school just like me. She is always there to listen and help me out whenever I need it in spite of all the work she has to do. And Patty certainly needs the energy because she is always there by my side helping me manage two grades!! The other two jars went to my best friend Lauren and the superintendent's secretary Paula. Paula has been there for me since I got the job. She always has a friendly smile on her face and lets me come into her office and vent my problems (and steal her candy :). Lauren is just the most giving person I've ever met. She's always willing to give her time and energy to help me out with anything. These two ladies deserved the extra pampering!!

All the ladies loved the jars and of course said I didn't have to...and I know that is why its fun. Giving thanks was never more fun!!

Now that Thanksgiving is over I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks before Christmas even though they will be CRAZY busy!! I'm working hard to better prepare my lesson plans with fun interactive ideas and activities. So of course I'm pinterest surfing ;) and I found an awesome site!!
This idea for readers notebooks is exactly what I need. I'm now a faithful follower and probably a shopper at her store :) All in the name of becoming a better teacher!!

So I better stop blogging and get back to planning!!


YUM-EEE!!!

Ok I'm not much in the kitchen but my latest addiction to has inspired me to try more in the kitchen. And today's venture was definitely a winner winner chicken dinner!!! I made BBQ-Beer Chicken.
 
Sound delish?? It is I'm full of it right now :)
And it was soooo easy!!! I used a bag of frozen chicken (approx 3lbs), a bottle of Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce and a 12 oz can of beer. 
 
You could probably use your favorite BBQ sauce and beer. I used a keystone (cringe) it was the only beer left in the fridge.
Anyway I put all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook for about 4 hours. I put the chicken in frozen (I love LOVE this because I'm always forgetting to defrost :P). I also added some garlic powder and cayenne pepper. (Next time I think I might season it more...I'm a spicy girl ;)

After the chicken was cooked I removed each breast and shredded them, then added them back to the sauce.

 I let the shredded chicken soak for another couple of hours. Then I was stumped on how to eat it. I knew I could do the traditional chicken but I wanted something different. So I decided to back a potato and add it with a little cheese on top.


Talk about YUM-EEEEE!!!
I poured the extra sauce on top and OMG it was uh-MAZ-ing!!! I even baked a few more potatoes and shared with my friend and her daughters. She LOVED it (I think mostly because she didn't have to cook).
 
I'm totally proud of my first cooking venture and it will definitely be a repeat dish at my house!!

tweetering....ahem twittering

So I am bouncing back with a vengeance. I have completely thrown myself into 5th & 6th grade. It hasn't been easy trust me!!! Balancing both grades is a definite work-out for the brain but I'm getting back into the groove and LOVING it!

So yesterday, I found the coolest post on pinterest about twitter in the classroom. I really liked the idea and couldn't wait to see the what's and why's of how the teacher was using it. I was a little bummed to find there wasn't much, but the more the idea sat in my head the more I liked it. 

I don't know how many 11 & 12 year olds you been around but they like to talk an give you all kinds of random information. So of course a twitter board seemed like the perfect place for them to get it all out! Plus, I talked to them about social media and the responsibility that comes with it. The world is changing and I want them to understand all the new advances out there and how to use them the right way. 




So I "borrowed" ;) some sentence strips from my old classroom and had each child make up a username on the top corner. Then I laminated them and posted them on my cabinet (which was the only available space for all of them)


Of course I made up a "terms of usage" that everyone had to sign before they could start "tweeting". Because they were warned that using the board for negative purposes would result in losing their twitter account. After all the terms were signed we were up and running for tweeting....


I'm still not sure all of them 100% understand what it is because they kept calling it the tweetering board lol....but they couldn't wait to get started and were having a good time posting :)

Hap-Hap HAPPY HALLOWEEN


It's Halloween!! I love halloween it truely is one of my favorite holidays!! (Prob because I'm just a big ol kid at heart :)

I know I said I was going to change my blog up before but I've recently found a new love.....Pinterest!! I know the rest of the world has been obsessed ALOT longer than me. But I think it just may be the cure to my ADD...well maybe not the cure but if definetely feeds my random curiousity :)

Anywho...I've been inspired by alot of what I've seen. I see so many blogs on what people are passionate about, most are just one or two things. But when I started blogging it was because I was passionate about so MANY things. Hence the Queen of Random ;)

I bounce around from thing to thing daily hourly....minute to minute. (Honestly you should see me in the classroom...sometimes I make myself dizzy)

So I'm gonna keep on blogging about my favorite random ideas because that's just who I am :)


Ran-dum Fashion(:

Look at me posting twice so close together woo hoo!!

Well I've recently decided that not many people even read my blog so why not mix it up just cause I wanna [:

Soooo not only am I gonna try to give my blog a makeover in appearance but I want to start blogging about different things. I want this blog to be about all things I'm passionate about and one of those things is fashion!! I know it seems totally crazy that a little small town girl would be so obsessed. But I have always had a thing for clothes and lately I've enjoyed dressing people. I've even played with the idea of styling for people. 

(Except for the fact that I live in a town of 400 ppl and there's nowhere to go and no one to dress :/ )

Anywho I figured my blog was a good place to get my ideas and thoughts out there. 

Now I do have to say I'm not a total trendsetter or big city fashion girl. My fashion is the epitomy of Texas girls fashion....comfortatble, affordable and unique ;)


So hopefully I'll be bloggin and attracting MORE people because this is something I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing!!!

So stay tuned for more makeover features (:

Lately

Uh oh here we go again!! Another post saying I'm sorry I haven't blogged followed by a promise to be better.....ya right...its not happening this time!! Let me just recap you on what's been happening lately and you'll know why I haven't and can't promise to blog.

So I started my second year of teaching. YAY!!
Well I thought yay until I found out I was going to have 19 four and five year olds!! YIKES!!!
I know to some you may be thinking no big deal but to me it is a HUGE deal. This is my first time to teach this grade, plus I have them combined which believe me is a struggle.

Anywho with that I am also balancing football season which is normally my favorite time of the year. However, this year it has been a bumpy ride because I am the only cheer coach. Now I am SO proud of my girls, both high school and junior high, they have come along way from try-outs. BUT its alot of work being the only person managing two squads and they are alot of drama hehe.

But things are bumping along as usual and hopefully....possibly....maybe....I will be better and post more often. 

Until next time :)

sUmMeR mAdNeSs

Shame on me!!

Its been months since my last blog. I could lie and say I was busy but honestly I've been having an amazingly crazy summer. Its been full of crazy fun and well self-discovery. Since my break up with "the love of my life" :/ I've been out in the world trying to figure out exactly what I want out of my life.

The result has been diving into my music head first. I haven't hit the bottom yet so I'd say things are going well :). I've played here and there for friends but my first real gig will be in a week and a half. I'm STOKED!! Yet I'm totally worried and freaked out too. But sometimes you just have to throw yourself out there and see if you can fly ;)

Too help with my self discovery I have been fixing things in my life and I owe a HUGE thank you to my friend Lauren Johnston for helping me get my classroom and personal affairs in order. She managed to do it in about a day and I know she'll stay on me to keep it squared away.
(THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!)

Now, it hasn't all been work, I've definetly played hard too!! There's something about being single after a long relationship that makes you need to get out there and party...ha! But school is right around the corner...2 weeks to be exact..yikes!! lol

I hope to blog more often this year about my adventures teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten for the first time!! I know I'll be extremely busy (with 17 4 and 5 year olds to wrangle) so it might not be as regular as I'd like but I'm going to try. I know its going to be a hilarious, fun, crazy ride!! Soon I'll be posting pictures of my classrooms (they are coming together soooo cute)! Teaching smaller children has its down-falls but it definetly has way cuter decorations :D

So I'm happy to be back in the blogging world I sure missed it ;)

Home SWEET SWEET Home

I'm home finally!! You know it really takes going away to realize how much you love your home!!

Of course I came home to realize how much I needed to clean :/ haha thats the way it goes I guess. I spent the last two days in a workshop and somehow managed to find the energy to clean tonight. These are the times that truely amaze me because I never used to be that way. Most of the time, I'd much rather lay around and be lazy.

Ohhh ouch yep I said it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to be lazy. But I guess with aga and maturity I've come to realize that their are sometimes things that aren't gonna do themselves :)

But now that the house is clean well semi-sorta close almost not quite all the way clean :). I'm takin a break to blog.

And I just have to get something off my chest. (disclaimer: my close personal friends have heard this rant before but man oh man I just hafta do it again :)

I absolutely, positively can NOT stand when people take those camera in the mirror pictures of themselves. Why do that? Seriously? Can someone please tell me????

You just look silly. Like you have no friends to take a picture of you :(
Now I have to admit I have taken one or two before but that was to send a friend of my potential outfit selections. I didn't post them on facebook, myspace or twitter. And I know people turn the camera and take pictures of themselves and I have beef with the ones that show your arms too.

But I digress....my biggest issue I guess is when guys and girls take them of...well when guys do it they're trying to show of their sexy six-pack. Which fyi guys just makes you look totally concieted. Because not only are you into takin pictures of yourself. Your into takin them of your half-naked body because obviously you think that you just look SOOOO damn good. Blah :P!!! I don't know maybe its just me but that is not attractive AT ALL!!!

Don't worry girls I have beef with you too!! The girls like to take the ones of there bums or turn the camera around so they can show off their tah-tahs. Yeah its usually the younger more skanky (in my opinion) girls. To me, as a fellow girl, it just makes us look bad. I mean seriously, not only does it make guys expect it from all of us. But it puts us in that box of a stereotypical girl. That just takes her clothes of and stuff. I know I know...not everyone thinks this way but really its hard enough being a girl in a guys world. And if you don't still believe its a guys world you need to look around!! When people believe they need to take off their clothes to be "sexy" we're still in a "guys world". (and again not all guys think like this but a huge majority) Pictures like the afore mentioned just make it easier for them to view us a pieces of meat instead of respecting us as equals.

Ok ok I'll get off the soap box I just needed to get that out because I've been seeing alot of it lately. So I'm done I promise :)


FOR-ever!!!

Oh my its been awhile since I've been in the blogging world. Things have been absolutely crazy in my "real" world for the last couple of months. But thank the Lord school is over and I'm hoping for a much needed break!!

So far the summer has been pretty busy. Right now, I'm spending time with my Grammy (grandmother :), who had eye surgery last week, so I can help her out. Being out here has allowed me to connect with an old friend from high school which is great too. I head back on Tuesday and go straight to a workshop on Wednesday and Thursday. With a little free weekend and then a 3 day workshop next week. Whew!!

So much for a relaxing summer! Ha!

Its ok, I will be busy getting my new classroom ready. Yep, I'm making the move to Pre-K and Kindergarten! I have the summer to get my new classrooms ready, get crackin on lesson plans, and learn how to teach Pre-K and Kinder... :/

I am excited but a little worried too. I'm still new enough that I should be able to handle this change. But I was comfortable with 4th grade and Pk-K is definetly going to be a change new adventure :)

Along with the big move I am now the cheerleading sponsor. By myself this time. I'm super SUPER excited about this!! I have found out it is major work but I love it and I have a GREAT group of girls this year. So with all the moving and planning I'll be running fundraisers and going to cheer camp.

Yep, this summer is going to be a fun, busy, exciting, crazy, non-restful break :)


Up Up Here We Go

That title is from the song I'm listening to right now lol. Random I know...

Anywho..this week has been filled with craziness.
FYI I'm writing this as I'm looking at three different websites, listening to music and prepping myself for my daily lessons...whew

I'm back at school after my quarantine due to strep and all my fears of leaving my students in the hands of a sub were eased when I found them all fine and still acting normal. Don't ask me why but I figured they would have totally forgotten how I run things. It may sound crazy to you but sometimes they come in from a weekend and look at me like "What's school?" "I have no idea who you are or why I'm here!"
SERIOUSLY!!
But they were great and I'm like a proud mama!!

Last night I got to watch their little dribbler games and let me tell you HILARIOUS!! I watched both age groups (the smaller kids and my kids age) and the parents are sooooo intense. They were yellin at them like they do at high school games (which by the way sad to report but more ppl show up to a little dribblers game than a high school game). I mean come on, they're just learning! The parents don't seem to realize that how they treat the sport now will forever stay with they're child. If they make it "not fun" it will always be "not fun" to the child. Anways, I had fun yelling for my kiddos and all the kiddos.

The rest of my week will be just as busy. Tonight I finally get to celebrate Valentines Day with Clint. (Such a loooong story but we are just now getting the chance :) Friday night we're getting together for a going away party for our Coach/Friends. Saturday I'm spending a girls day with my best friend Lacey. Sunday I have work in the classroom and One Act Play practice (yes I'm the OAP director...I wear many hats around here).

GEEEZ now that I see it all I'm wondering when I'm going to rest ha!

But that's ok I love being busy and when the busy-ness comes with great friends I'm always happy!!

Hope y'all have a great rest of the week!!


Teach-tabulous

So I've put my boredom to good use today :)

I woke feeling about 95% (still a lil blah but a way better than before)

So along with tidying up the house I have been researching online different teaching "things". I know that sounds silly. Most people think you went to school for teaching aren't you done? Well not quite.

Teaching changes just like any other profession. But one of the biggest lessons you learn in teaching is how to adapt to your students.

This can be kinda difficult because you get new students each year (duh!) but sometimes you might not get accustomed to them until halfway through the year. This is very true for me this year. I've learned a valuable lesson with my students....

If you call it fun it will be.

If I introduce any activity with "I've planned something fun" or "I've planned something special" the kids eat it up. It automatically puts them in the mindset to have a blast. Which helps the activity itself to be fun.

So getting back on topic....for those who don't know I teach 4th grade and a big change is coming :) I started out overwhelmed and nervous by it but now I'm excited and determined to be the best ________ teacher I can.

(Sorry can't tell ya til its official)

I will say today I got inspired by the Ooey Gooey Lady (Check her out she's hilarious) and I hope to somewhat be like her. I want to inspire and change the way my students feel about school.

We're going to get dirty, creative, excited, smarter and anything else we can get into! I know it can't make sense to most people but being a teacher is such a fufilling profession and its my goal to make myself the best for my kids :)

This video pretty much sums up my teaching philosophy 


Bore....du du du dummmm!!!

Well I'm spending my second day at home and I'm extremely bored!!!!

Let me start at the beginning. It all started Tuesday morning when I woke up feeling a lil crumy with some pain in my throat and glands. I didn't think much of it just took my vitamins and went on my merry way to school. I decided in my new healthy way to run with my best friend Tara. Everything seemed good except for me being totally out of shape :)

Then after the run I felt my morning symptoms come back. Still I didn't want to believe I was getting sick again! I spent last semester in and out of being sick every two weeks or so. And this far this semester nothing. That was until I woke Wednesday morning with an awful sore throat. I still believed it was nothing else because besides feeling a little tired I felt fine. So hoping after a good night sleep I would feel back to normal.

Then I woke Thursday morning feeling like total $h!T!!! So I took my first day off from school (which by the way having a subbing one of the scariest most confusing things ever!!).

I headed to Odessa to the doctor to fix my sickness. That is until I got there to find out I have...du du dunnnn

STREP THROAT!!

I've never had it before and let me tell you I hope I never do. Not being able to swallow and the constant pain is very irratating but it also makes you tired and blah.

So now I'm on my second (mandatory) day off from school and I'm soo bored. Sickness and I don't mix...I'm not very good at just laying around. I know I should be grateful for the 2 days off but really I just wanna be back in my classroom!!


Perfection....sorta :)

Well I got the blog worked out...kinda ha!

Its not exactly how I want it but its made by me so I'll take it...imperfection and all :)

I recently made this sign for my students to hang in our classroom and I think it fits my life (and theirs) perfectly!




Cold, Cold, COLD

I would love to lie and say I have had alot goin on but mostly I've just been trying to stay warm!! For the past couple of days it has been in the teens!! Anyone who knows west Texas thisi isn't normal weather for us. Up until now it hasn't even dipped lower that the 40's. I could honestly kick evey person who complained about the 80 degree weather we were having in Dec. and Jan. REALLY?!?! It was amazing compared to this!! Seriously, late starts for school, frozen pipes ect.

Its AWFUL!!

On a lighter (less complaining) note. I have been obsessed with creating a new blog. I finally went out and found my own way to do it. I couln't wait anymore for outside help. I have a very cute start and I'm just trying to get everything worked out before I strip this one down. So I guess I should give warning I'll be under construction soon!!

My other latest obsession is making flower hair clips. I've always been a jewelry maker so I'm using my store of supplies and help from blogs I've been on a flower clip kick :) I am hoping to start my business up again and I've gotten positive feedback so here's some teasers tell me what you think.






Great Start!!

I'm so excited to report I finally started my food adventure successfully!!
It started with a venture to H.E.B. to stock up on food. Anyone in this area should know that H.E.B. has the best produce EVER!! Although I made it a very quick trip to get back to Imperial for an ahem...social gathering :)

I do have to admit I didn't toss all my old habits out. I know just by knowing myself that if I strip myself of everything I'll be dooming myself right away! Some personal tips when hitting the grocery aisles:

*Remember your favs (chips, ice cream, pop corn etc.) but look for low calorie options

*Try to stock up on your favorite veggies...studies have shown that starting meals with vegetables will help you to feel more full and eat less.

*If you are busy and on the go check out the freezer section for good low cal meals (I like Lean Cuisine...plus I can get pizza without the hassle of making it myself)

*When eating and snacking remember portions, PORTIONS, PORTIONS

So today was my first offical attempt at my weight-loss goals. To help myself out I baked 3 chicken breasts on Sunday so I would have easy meals for lunch. I cut them and stored them in the fridge so I could use them on salads or make chicken salad mixtures.

My Monday meals:
Breakfast- 2 jalepeno & cheese kolaches (low fat of course)
Lunch- Salad with Chicken, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, cheese and french dressing
Supper: Slow cooked Italian Chicken & Zuchinni

I am super proud of myself! I'm just hoping this lasts because I usually start out strong but fade with time. (I also hafta brag because this was my first meal I've cooked in my new crockpot :)

My Monday workout:
Zumba for the wii-40 minutes

Another tip is try to drink lots of water!! Especially after working out.

Ok so I'm off to grade papers and get ready for day 2 of my food adventure :)


HEEEEELLLPPPP!!!!


I'm sure tons of people out there in blog world can help me!! I want to come up with a new look for my blog. I am a member of the FABULOUS Heritage Makers so I can design something awesome. However I'm a total dunce when it comes to putting on the blog.

I need help with html, placement, buttons, pages etc. If there is anyone out there who can help me PLEASE let me know. I'm sure there are sites that can help too and I welcome those as well as long as they're simple.



I know I could just get a layout from someone but I really want to try making my own. Plus I really like individualizing things :)

I really appreciate your help!!
 

love Love LOVE!!


As we move toward Valentines day people begin to think about love, stores become covered in hearts and red. Its a fun time of year

Buuuuut this blog is not about that stuff! Ha gotcha :)

This blog is about my two newest loves for my new body journey!!

I haven't had the chance to truly grocery shop and try my new recipes but I did make a quick trip to the store to buy some things that would help get me started.

As I did this I tried to keep in mind that I wanted less calories and fat in my snack aaaannndd not so many processed foods!!

Almonds was one thing I had read was very good for eating right. I do like them but not in a way that I can snack on them any time. Not until I found these:

They are UH-MAZING!!
When I bought them I wasn't sure if I would really like them. It turns out I had actually tried them at my friend Lauren's bunco gathering. They're the perfect combination of sweet and salty (which is a definite fav of mine :)

They're only 160 calories for about 24 nuts which fits perfectly into a healthy diet. A good snack to munch on or a sweet treat after a meal :D

On my adventure out I also bought this:

I'm sure most people have heard of or even taken a zumba class. But if you haven't its a latin dance inspired work-out that is a TOTAL BLAST!!

I was kind of skeptical when they came out with the version for the wii (and playstation and connect in case you were curious :) But as I bought it the lady checking me out said it was great, so I was super excited to try it out.

It turns out I'm hooked!! Its a very fun way to work out and very simple. They also include a belt to wear the wii control so you can do it hands-free!! In fact I've got to wrap this up so I can get my work out on!!

Until next time :)


HELP HELP HELP!!


I'm sure tons of people out there in blog world can help me!! I want to come up with a new look for my blog. I am a member of the FABULOUS Heritage Makers so I can design something awesome. However I'm a total dunce when it comes to putting on the blog.

I need help with html, placement, buttons, pages etc. If there is anyone out there who can help me PLEASE let me know. I'm sure there are sites that can help too and I welcome those as well as long as they're simple.



I know I could just get a layout from someone but I really want to try making my own. Plus I really like individualizing things :)

I really appreciate your help!!

Food Adventures

The New Year usually brings resolutions for all except me. I hate setting myself up to fail things. Of course I start each new year hoping I will accomplish new things but I feel setting resolutions can make them feel unattainable. So this year I'm going on a food adventure!

For several years I have been struggling with some extra poundage. My weight seems to go up but never come back down. I've tried so many different things and I have learned that DIET should be a curse word! Who agrees?

When you start a diet you feel penned into a tiny box. With so many rules on what you can and can't eat it can get exhausting!!

So I have rejuvenated my thinking to a food adventure!!

You may have heard me mention that I do NOT cook! Well I don't but this year I'm hoping to start. My adversion to cooking mostly comes from time. I usually have no time to cook so I grab something quick. Now when I lived in a larger town this usually meant fast food. Which as we all know is the devil worst thing for you when you're trying to shed the lbs. But lucky for me I live in a town with absolutely no fast food!! (I know crazy right :) But its actually been great for me I've already lost about 10 lbs just from the absence of junk. However now I want to loose some more so I can get ready to strut this summer. Ha! Jk kinda

I just want to be a better, healthier me!

So my mission is to start with eating better and excercising. I'm not putting any insane limitations on myself though. Because I know me, as soon as I tell myself I can't have something I want it!!

To jumpstart I signed up for Self.com 's Jumpstart Diet. Eck! I know they used the dirty word ;) To help monitor my progress and give me helpful hints along the way. Plus they have some amazing recipes and excersizes.

Next I made recipe cards of some of their recipes that sounded best to me. The best thing is they give you The Skinny where they tell you the calorie count , carbs, protein, etc. Now even though I refuse to diet or count carbs and calories these things are nice to know especially when I'm trying to get a certain amount of something or other.

So now all I need to do is hit the grocery store to stock up on all the yummy ingredients! I can't wait actually :) Which is unusual when it comes to me and the kitchen but a positive attitude is half the battle!

I'm also starting my excercise plan with just some basic running. My wonderful sporty boyfriend has given me some tips on how to start out so I won't get frustrated with my extremely out of shape self!! ;) I'm really excited about this because I have always loved running. Since it is still west Texas winter (aka sometimes the sun shines sometimes its FREEZING) I will run outside as much as possible and do workout dvds inside on other days. I'm also hunting for a reasonably price used treadmill or eliptical (if you know where I can find one let me know) to help me out as well.

I know this will be a struggle in the beginning because with me its all about time. I never seem to have the time to fit in a work-out or cook a meal. I just cop out with whatever is fast and easy. But I'm motivated to make it all work and not beat myself up if it doesn't always happen. After all I'm only human :D

I will keep you updated with my progress, share all my tips and favorite recipes. Wish me luck with my new adventure, hopefully I can come out the other side with new skills and a new bod :)

 PS I'm not sure why the top is highlighted but I couldn't fix it :P