Hi Friends! How’s your weekend so far? It’s 3am and I decided to publish my Saturday post. Nothing like a night out, and then coming home and blogging…hah! What a busy week I had! Aside from this day where I didn’t leave the house til 4pm I was on the go all week.
For those of you who have continued to email me or comment on my post about the Safety and Security Violations that my family has experienced, thank you. Your concern means the world to me and going forward, I am still going to post pictures of Skylar and be almost as open and honest and free-spirited as I was, but I am going to tone it down, just a wee bit to make sure my family is safe. Never know who’s reading and lurking.
Speaking of lurkers, and I thanked those of you who de-lurked and commented for the first time in this post and recently. For those of you who feel that you don’t have anything “interesting” to say or who feel it’s somehow intimidating to comment, well, I don’t bite. You have nothing to be intimidated about!
I pour my heart and soul out for the world, and I spend hours and hours each each day on my blog (see this post for What Blogging Really Entails), so after giving to others with my knowledge, time, insights, and information, it’s just nice to hear from someone “on the other end” who has reading along. It helps me continue to stay focused and centered and continue to blog. You don’t have to have any “deep thoughts”. Just pop in and say hi every once in awhile! Of course, I am grateful for all readers, lurkers and commenters alike. So no biggie if you are reading this in the shadows and don’t want to come out and play. haha!
Moving On..
Earlier this week I went to Ikea. I hadn’t been in one in about 10 years. I hate big box stores and the Ikea in San Diego shares a parking lot with a Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and with Costco. If that’s not enough to keep you away, I don’t know what is!
I went there with the intention of just looking around for a kid’s bedroom set. Skylar needs a big girl bed but with kids and sleeping, if they are sleeping well under the current set-up, don’t mess with it! That’s the rule! But I broke the rule.
Not only did we need to get a big girl bed, but we need to overhaul her whole room. It’s sort of pieced together from various specialty stores, Target, and random finds and nothing matches, things are breaking, and we just need to start fresh.
After realizing that there was no way I was going to find her a new bedframe, mattress and box spring, dresser, bookcases and toy organizer system for as cheaply as I could do it at Ikea, not to mention the one-stop-shopping, my “just looking” turned into a G-Note. Oh well. Kids, they suck your money. And you love them more than life itself.
The headboard/footboard are not in stock and that was a special order. Coordinating delivery and assembly on that, and delivery and assembly on the rest of the items, well, let’s just say my patience was tested. Not to mention, Ikea and the chaos as a whole is just….a lot. I hope I don’t go back there for 10 more years!
Wardrobe/Dresser
Toy & Book Organizer System
It should be here in about a week, and I will post pictures of the room makeover when everything’s in place. I am so excited!
Silly faces and all!
From my Last Post…
I’m glad the Coconut and Olive Oil Roasted Potato Sticks looked good!
And it was interesting to hear how many of you are not that into potatoes. Me neither as I mentioned! Of course tons of you are, but normally when I tell people I don’t really care that much about potatoes they are shocked so it was nice to know I am not alone.
Many of you did say that your idea of Comfort Food was something pretty warm and carby, like mac-n-cheese or pasta or bread.
Speaking of Mac-n-Cheese, have you seen this post with One-Pot Gluten Free Vegan Gluten Mac-n-Cheese?
Many of you don’t, won’t, or simply refuse to cook separately or be a short order cook and always eat what you make. Not me, Short Order is my middle name. Food allergies, dietary preferences, and actually liking to make things that I know will put a smile on others’ faces even if it’s not my thing, I don’t mind cooking separate dishes, usually.
Dessert Today: Raw Vegan Chocolate Donut Holes These are so easy, they take 5 minutes and use 4 ingredients!
Gym & Weights Workout Today From This Tab: Triceps/Biceps/Back and Abs.
Used my Home Gym/FreeWeights & Bowflex
Did Abs with my Exercise Balls from This Post
And time for some New Progress Pictures!
For the Rest of the Pictures, Please see my Gym Workouts Tab
Yes I will do another one, just not sure when. It boils down to geographical convenience! If there was one this weekend in San Diego, I would go get a spray tan and walk on stage. I am not going to change my diet or workout plans “just because” of a show. I lift and eat like every day is a Show. It’s called the Show of Life. And if my normal way of doing things, my current eating and lifting and working out protocol, is good enough to win something in a Show, great. If it’s not, oh well.
I know there’s a local show September 11th but I have plans to get a tattoo the following weekend and I can’t have the competition spray tan on my skin in advance of my tattoo. So not sure what show I will do. Something nearby. Pay my money, get up on stage and see what the judges have to say. Zero Stress and Zero Changes to my Current Lifestyle is how I plan to approach it! I will not diet, “cut”, carb cycle, take supplements, restrict food or water intake, none of that. It’s just not me and I won’t do it!
Speaking of doing shows, I want to wish the best of luck to Alyson, Naomi, (and hopefully April), in their upcoming shows!
Tip of the Day: My Give Away for 3 Boxes of Cereal
Questions
1. Best Thing You’ve Done or Ate so far this weekend?
Me = about to go to bed! haha!
2. Have you ever been to Ikea? Have you ever bought furniture from them?
As I said, it’s been about 10 years since I have bought anything from them, but before Scott and I were married, I bought plenty of things for my chick-pad. The furniture ranges in quality from junky to really awesome, depending on the piece. Sort of like my Forever 21 analogy the other day. Some diamonds in the rough, for sure.
3. Do Big Box Huge Retail Stores make you a little nutty? Overwhelmed, or cranky?
I hate the hugeness and vastness of them. Walking forever and a day to get from one side to the other. But what I hate most is that they are mostly employee-less. Self-service. Figure it out yourself. I am extremely resourceful but when I am designing and making over a room, in 2 hours no less on the fly…nothing like “planning” that one out…ha! But there are times when employees and some information, advice, and help are totally necessary! My biggest beef with Big Bog stores like Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, Ikea, etc are the lack of employees and help when you need it.
4. Would you ever change your diet or exercise program radically for a short term goal?
Everyone from brides-to-be to girls going to prom to fitness show competitors to finding out on Tuesday that you scored a hot date Friday night, let’s face it many women in those situations diet or exercise to a pretty extreme degree.
Short term, they see the results they want to see usually. But what happens longer term? Are there emotional or physical repercussions to this?
Are some people better equipped to handle the mental headgame of making these sacrifices whereas others are not?
I definitely believe this, yes. Some people are better wired to handle this and others can’t as easily.
Have you ever sacrificed or made pretty extreme changes to your diet or exercise regime? Why? How did it make you feel?
I am no stranger to Tough Love as it pertains to working out and one’s dietary choices, but I always believe in staying true to yourself and if that voice in the back of your head is saying, whoa, this doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right. For you. And everyone’s threshold and little voice is different. What do you think?
Stay Tuned For The Weekend Recap and a Reader Poll…
