Pamper Yo'Self

The past few years, the self-care revolution has been picking up steam.  As a society always on the go, overworked, tightly wound and pressured to watch every friggin' word that comes out of their word hole (or typed), it's no wonder articles on how to take time for yourself are so popular.  But how often do you actually take the time to put true pampering at the top of your list?

I'm cheap frugal so while I'd love to indulge in a facial, massage or foot bath, all I see are dollar signs, and in the end, I value money available for other indulgences than on myself.  However, I can't deny that when I have made the time to really pamper myself or be pampered, I do feel SO much better.  It instantly changes my mindset.  The hamster in my brain gets off the wheel and takes a nap for the rest of the night, and I can have a mental break I so desperately need sometimes.  These are the things I love to use when I need some pampering.

The following are affiliate links to products I actually use.  (As always!)  I get a nominal commission to help with blog expenses should you buy through them at no cost to you.

I love at home spa treatments.  Korean sheet masks are the big thing right now, and besides making you look like Michael Myers while wearing them, they also leave you feeling relaxed if you find the right one.  (I got one once, and I don't know what's in it but both of us actually, felt burning sensations after two minutes, and those babies were ripped off.  Yes, I made the Mr do one even though half of his face is covered in scruff.)  It's important to find a brand that gels well with you especially if you have sensitive skin.  I like to go as natural as possible, so these are my faves:

(via Amazon)

Just drape the mask onto your face and lie back and try not to fall asleep!  (We did the first time we used them!)  When you're done, just rub the goodness into your face and feel the relaxation!  There are all kinds of great Korean sheet masks out there.  This pack has 39 of them for under $25, so you could treat yo'self once a week for the better part of the year!  Or if you're having a pampering girls night or bachelorette party, these would be perfect!  If you're silly like me or want to get the kids or grandkids in on the action, these have animal faces on the front!  I'll take the otter, please.

How about a relaxing foot soak?  I thought I would never buy the stuff to do this but after doing a foot soak/massage at a place in Portland, Maine I was hooked!  I got this tub:

(via Amazon)

I didn't want anything fancy or something I had to plug in.  I wanted to be able to soak my tootsies, ankles and lower calves especially if I'd gone snowshoeing, walked a lot and had sore feet or just flat out wanted a little pampering.  I haven't used it quite as much as I'd like but more than I thought I would.  I use this Epsom salt blend, and I'm in heaven.

(via Amazon)

I can't tell you how good this feels on your feet.  Peppermint has always been used on the feet for that tingle sensation, but the rosemary adds something extra.

You might as well go all out and set the mood with some aromatherapy.  This is the exact diffuser sitting beside me right now.

(via Amazon)

I have a smaller one by my bed, but this bigger one puts out a lot of mist, is very quiet and I've had no issues with it.  I like to add lavender essential oil or a blend when I'm in pamper mode.  It's also nice to put something like orange and/or lemongrass in the morning to help wake me up.  We've also used it during the winter to put some moisture back into our seating area.  It's not a humidifier, but it seems to have made the winter a little more comfortable.

If you have puffy eyes, allergies or sinus issues, you'll want to make this bad boy part of your spa night:

(via Amazon)

An ugly cry from a romcom (or a deodorant commercial depending on the time of the month) can leave me with what I refer to as "bagel eyes."  I always keep this mask in the freezer (in a baggie), so if a cry headache has rendered me puffy, I can get to taking care of it.  This is also super soothing for eye allergies like I have and would be yet another way to take care of yourself.


This last thing was a total splurge, but I asked for it for my birthday.

(via Amazon)

It's a bamboo/terry cloth robe, and it's friggin' luxurious.  They are available in plus size for a reasonable price and aren't flimsy.  When we went away for a weekend, there were robes at the cabin we stayed at that actually fit me, and I felt spoiled, so of course, when I got home, I immediately added it to my wish list.  I don't use it quite as much as I should, but if you're going all out, you should just go for it.  Plus it's nice to just cozy up in the cool spring mornings or after a shower when you're damp and putting on your favorite lotion.

So those are my spa day favorites.  If you bought all of these things one time, you would spend the same at a fancy pants spa for ONE treatment but have them for multiple treatments!  It would pay for itself in two uses!

What's your favorite way to pamper yourself at home?

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When You're Bored

No weekend recap today.  Instead, I'm going to help you tackle boredom when you should be working.  Does anyone else go to type something into Google when they're bored and then just look in amazement at the stuff people are looking up?

Oh, just me?

Well, enjoy these and remember that when you're bored a shake of the head, a roll of the eyes or gasp to snap you out of it is just one Google search away!

Even a simple word can give you some interesting results.

If farting burned calories, I would be Behati Prinsloo.  The look of shock on the Mr's face sometimes quickly reminds him he did not marry a dainty one.

My favorite was the ones I saw suggested a few years ago where you type in your first name and "needs" after it.

What do you do when you're bored at work to pass the time?

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What I'm Reading This Week #17

Howdy do all?  It's Friday and you know what that means:

(Friday Happy Dance brought to you by Wham! and GIPHY.com)

It also means we're beboppin' right into...

10 Trendy Superfoods Nutritionists Say You Can Skip   (Don't take my bone broth yo.)

Eat These 3 Nutrients Daily To Protect Your Eyes & Brain From Screen Time  (Good to know, we're all at risk.)

Your Biggest Hydration Questions—Answered!  (Water.  Yay.)

Your Lettuce Says It's "Triple Washed and Ready to Eat," but Is It Really Safe?   (Good info in time for salad season.)

The Best Stretches You Can Do With a Resistance Band  (Nothing better than that hamstring stretch!)

50 Science-Backed Health Facts That Will Blow Your Mind   (#6...thanks a lot mom.)

Never Take a Bath in a Hotel Tub—and 5 Other Vacation Don'ts  (You couldn't PAY me enough to bathe in a hotel bathtub.  Those things are nasty!)

Hate Thick, Goopy Sunscreens? Powder SPF Will Be Your New Best Friend  (Some good choices for yo face.)

15 pro travel tips no one ever tells you  (Definitely some helpful info)

You Can Now Live Out Your Fantasies ‘Under the Sea’ With Mermaid Lessons at Disney World  (Let out your inner Ariel)

Joyful Video of a Dog Getting a New Puppy  (Black Dog:  "I will love him and squeeze him and pet him and call him George!"  Box Puppy:  "Put the lid back on!!!!  Ahhhhhhh!!!!!")

We've got a bunch of stuff to get done tonight and tomorrow shall be a happy day because we're off to see my bestie!  Can't wait to have lunch and shoot da chit for a little bit, we're gonna need it!

What's on your agenda for the weekend?

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Food Review: Tex Mex Jackfruit

We are carnivores.  We like our meats, yo but we're also down with switching things up from time to time.  There's this vlogger I've followed for a few years, and she went vegan about a year or two after I started watching her.  I always like watching her videos on what she eats because I'll take those ideas and see if they're something I can incorporate for us.  I saw her make these jackfruit tacos and rave about them so when I saw them in the store, I thought why not.

I have seen jackfruit many times in Hawaii but never actually tried it for some reason.  Oh yeah, it's expensive there.  I went into this with very neutral expectations because I'm a realist.  Here's a peek at the nutritional info.

The thought of having basically 1/3 cup of jackfruit instead of actual meat in tacos after the workouts we were doing, made me a bit skeptical.   How was this going to keep us full with less than 3g of protein?

Here are the heat and serving instructions.

It was easy enough to throw into the microwave all seasoned up and ready to roll.

I put it in a bowl and used two forks to shred it so it would be more like shredded chicken when I used it.  It's a little chunky if you don't.

I grilled up a few yellow corn tortillas and laid down some chipotle hummus, spinach, red onion, and the jackfruit.

I paired it up with some fresh salsa, and we dug in.  So how did it taste?

It was surprisingly meaty and had the mouthfeel of shredded meat.  The seasoning was pretty good, but it felt like it was missing something.  I don't know what it is but nothing I can't doctor up slightly.  What totally floored us is how full it kept us the rest of the night.  I mean just as long as meat does and I almost didn't want it to because I wanted to be like "HA!  SEE!!"

I would totally recommend trying them to see if you like it too.  One package is enough for two if you've got a nice healthy side to go with it or for one if you want to just do tacos alone.  We might try some other flavors too.  I don't know if it'll be in the weekly rotation, but it's sure nice to know we have another option when we want one.

Have you ever had jackfruit?

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Hump Day Poll: You Eat WHAT!?!

People like weird food combos.  Always have, always will.  Some are happy accidents like a ketchup touching your mac and cheese and suddenly mac and cheese doesn't taste right without ketchup.  Stares at hipster restaurants be damned.

Then there are combos you eat in the dark corners of your house where no one can see.  This is mine:

That is A1 steak sauce on cottage cheese.

I know, sounds heinous, tastes delicious.  I probably have it a few times a year but cottage cheese doesn't taste like cottage cheese without it to me thanks to my aunt.  I used to love A1 so much as a kid that Grandma bought me a 6 pack of it as a side gift for graduation.  (Her bottles would always get lower after a visit from me.)  Like the Mr said, you don't appreciate how expensive A1 is until you had to start paying for it yourself!  😂

What is your favorite "weird" to others food combo?

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I Did It Myself!

In the 10 years we've been working out regularly, we've had a small TV to do our workouts.  I'm talking for the majority of it, it's been a 19" TV because we just have one of those MDF shelves drilled into the studs.  It's worked but one irritating thing is when we're on the floor doing core work or chest presses and such, the screen on the tv darkens from the angle and you can't see.  I don't know if the Mr has that problem from his angle but I do from mine.  As we've cut live TV out of our lives the past 3 years, the 37" tv in the bedroom has gotten zero use.  I've always wanted to flip flop the two TV's so we have a big one in the place we actually use it almost daily.  I mentioned it once to see if the Mr was on board and he seemed to be but we never did it.  I wanted to do it myself and surprise the Mr but wasn't sure if I could get the zillion different plugs done the same way.  This is the Mr's domain and I was pretty sure I would get the TV's swapped out, try to get everything duplicated right and then the Beachbody on Demand wouldn't play and I'd have to have his help to finish it.

When I got up yesterday, I was determined to do it, looked at the stuff that needed unplugged, walked right past it and started my day.  Around noon, I was like "you can do this, just go."  I went up and saw it was really just 3 things that needed unplugged so I did that and carried it down to the basement.  I grabbed a bin and cleared off the shelf and gave it a good dusting.  (I knew the dust allergy countdown clock had begun at that point.)  I took the small TV and turned it sideways and stuck the big TV sideways beside it to see if I could make sense of the layout.  Of course, they were nothing alike and the one I was switching to wasn't labeled at all, unlike the small one.  I switched the audio cables first since the colors showed a pretty clear transfer.  Then I screwed in the auxiliary cable and antenna (no cable down there and it's where we are for tornados.)  I flipped the two HDMI cables for Chromecast and Amazon Firestick and took the small tv off the shelf.  I flipped the TV forward and there was no signal.  I ran up and grabbed the remote for it and flipped it to HDMI1, hit BOD on the tablet and boom, there was Joel Freeman telling me to get to it!  I literally squealed out loud and did a happy dance.  I don't know if anything else works but we only use it for workouts down there.  When I saw it, I got down on the floor to do a sit up and saw this:

So I will be able to see all workouts from the floor completely clear so I don't have to watch the Mr for my cues.  Almost double the size both ways!  WOOOOT!

I sat it on top of the DVD player like our old one and didn't feel confident it wouldn't eventually crush it.  I went out to the garage and found a piece of scrap wood to hopefully take the weight off of it.  I cut two pieces with a hacksaw and went down.  They fit underneath but of course, didn't take on any of the weight.  I grabbed $2 worth of quarters I cleared off of the shelf and stuck $.50 worth underneath on each end and it took the weight off of the DVD player. I know, janky but it just needs to work for now until we fix it permanently.

(You know dang well 10 years from now, they'll still be there.) 

I know it's stupid to be so proud of doing something so simple especially if you are a perfectly capable single lady that doesn't have someone that usually does those things for you.  But I'm tired of just taking something that is "his" thing and not even trying.  If I tried and failed, so what but I actually did it and he didn't have to do anything so he could see I was capable too.  I felt like a little kid telling their parent "I did it myself!"  😂

What have you done that is typically a "dude" thing and did it all by yourself?  (Or vice versa if you're the dude.)

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Monday already, eh?

(via)

Happy Monday everyone!

This weekend went by quite fast.  Saturday we went to a store to get some money back on some shirts I bought.  The day after we got them, they went on sale.  Of course.  Sorry, $19.50 is better in my pocket than a store's.  We stopped by TJ's, and it was just way too crowded to justify going in there for something that wasn't a necessity.  We swung by a grocery store to grab some stuff for lunch then we pretty much did nothing all day.  I think we went out later but honestly, I don't remember where.  I made desserts for Easter.  I made sugar free banana cream pie for the diabetics to have a guilt-free choice, spice cake at my mom's request (though it turned out like crap- note to self: don't use a foil pan) and Grandma's traditional Easter candy platter.  I'm buying less Russell Stover eggs next year though since there were four of them left.

Sunday morning we started our Easter off with LIIFT 4 Back and Bi's with HIIT intervals.  We followed it up with a good PT, roll and stretch session.  (Today and Thursday we're previewing the Transform 20/LIIFT hybrid which should be interesting.)  We grabbed our showers then I made my Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese.  It's less sodium, and you can tell, but eh, no one needs a buttload of sodium.  I decided to bring some BBQ chicken for me because I wasn't feeling ham this year.  The thought of my ring getting lodged on my finger for three days wasn't on my to-do list.
We stopped by the cemetery and ate maple cream eggs (grandma's favorite) with her before heading over to the family gathering.  Half the family wasn't there which stunk because their kids are lively and it's fun to watch them on holidays like this.  There's a new person in the fold and the Mr, and I aren't impressed.  Next.  We were there longer than I intended so we didn't get to go to a few places I wanted to go.  We did stop by the pet cemetery and put some flags on our pup/fur sis's graves, and this super raggedy mutt came flying toward us as we pulled in.  I got out, and pet and sweet talked it while the Mr turned the car around and came back so we could be facing the right way.  This poor thing was so neglected in the dental department.  Its teeth were broken and brown, and I could smell the breath without getting close to its face.  Poor lil thing.  It was the sweetest pup and hung out with us and walked all over the top of the gravestones with it's wet, dirty paws which cracked us up.  When we left, it headed back home.  We came home, chilled and the Mr is head bobbing as I type. 

Sorry, it wasn't a super exciting recap!  😕

What did you do this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #16

'Sup y'all?  It's Fri-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!  Anyone else feeling the happy, happy, joy, joy?

Let's jump right into...

Loosen Up Your Tight, Painful Calves With These 6 Simple, Expert-Approved Stretches   (Yes, please!)

10 Healthy Reasons to Eat a Banana Every Day  (Done and done!  They're little but still count)

This Personality Trait Has A Big Impact On Your Overall Life Satisfaction   (Totally agree.)

The Disease of More  (He's got a serious point.)

A Thank-You Letter to My Fake Running Buddy  (How terrifying!  I know I'll get crap but ANY runner, male or female, should consider the pros and cons of night running.)

The Biggest Mistakes Hikers Make When They Get Lost on a Trail  (Good info.)

How to Stop Catastrophizing: An Expert’s Guide  (Bookmark this)

Texas mom lost 90 pounds. Now neighbors flock to her house for 5 a.m. workouts 
(Courtesy of the Mr.  Let me tell you, if half the neighborhood were getting "barked at" doing 5am workouts, I'd be the old lady calling the cops due to constant sleep interruption.  That's not cool.)

Eating Garlic Could Boost Memory By Changing Your Gut  (Watch out, Drac!)

Shocked by your tax refund? Next year could be worse unless you act now (For those who got hosed this year.)

This Is How Often You Need to Back up Your Computer  (Start now.)

It's Easter weekend.  We've got a bunch of stuff to get done Saturday plus I have to make desserts for Easter lunch.  I want to get some cleaning done somewhere in there too, like big time.

What are you guys up to this weekend?


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Thankful Thursday

(via Pinterest)

I got my all clear from the doc for the mammogram.  I was 99.9% sure it was since the tech showed me the scans.  As someone who's gotten the "we need to do another one" call twice in four years, you can bet your sweet bippy I've looked at my share of what not so great mammogram films look like online.  One thing she did say when she was looking at the side view was "dang, look at those pec muscles girl!  You can tell you workout!" and you could.  Well defined muscle trying to hold onto what gravity is trying to reclaim.  Nice to know it's hiding under there somewhere!  I am irritated that they sent the results to my OLD doctor...who is no longer open...despite me giving them the new doctors name and address.  I've got a note in through the online system and I'm hoping someone fixes it.  I don't need one more thing on my plate to take care of someone else's incompetence.

My chicken pox localized outbreak is hopefully turning a corner.  Sunday and Monday the itching and swelling were unbearable.  I tried prescription cream we had which I don't like to use because it has five parabens in it...FIVE.  I didn't even know there were five until I read that.  That didn't work.  I tried ladies Anti-Monkey Butt, and the calamine did help calm it a bit but not for long.  The only thing that did work was Beekman 1802's unscented goat milk lotion.  The second I put it on, the itch was totally gone and lasted all day.  I put it on before bed and when I get up and haven't had a problem.  So if you have a case of the itchies for whatever reason, get that stuff fo' sho!

The Mr has been having a rough two weeks.  Work and home computer demands, doctors appointments, dealing with both mothers in one day, getting our cars innards in and out of appointments and generally having no downtime is weighing on him.  I'm hoping he can take a day and just do what he wants to clear his mind and refocus.  I've been frazzled myself trying to get a bunch of crap done by deadlines, and I'm so not feeling Easter Sunday.  I desperately want to say "remember how y'all took a pass last year?  I'm taking my pass this year, we've got too much stuff to get done" but I took a pass for Christmas so...  Is it wrong I was hoping the doc would tell me the pox were contagious and I couldn't go?  It's not that I don't want to see them, it's that we've got a long list and short window right now and the holiday couldn't have fallen at a worse time plus we just saw them all a month ago at Grandma's memorial.  At least there everyone had to be on their best behavior and now it'll be every man for himself.  I think we'll try to keep it to a 2-3 hour max.  One of the family members leaves 2 hours after the starting point for the airport so I might see if we can piggyback on that to get some shizz done.

We've had our butts handed to us by my Beachbody on Demand schedule.  The amount of hopping and modified burpees we're doing is insane.  We're using folding chairs to reduce the body weight percentage, and I can't imagine not modifying and having the full weight of this bod slamming down the way it does with those things.  I will be glad for tomorrow's lighter cardio session with Slim in 6's Cardio Sculpt Express.  I will probably be doing a review of BOD in July.  Our April/May calendars are already planned, and Joel Freeman and Shaun T released a LIIFT 4/Transform 20 hybrid calendar that we'll be doing for June.  It looks like we'll get our butts handed to us and somehow I'm oddly looking forward to it.  I'm sure I won't feel the same come day four.

What workout hands you your butt?

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Hump Day Poll: Basket case

It's almost Easter.  Why did it have to be so late this year!?  Yeesh.  The Mr and I were perusing the Easter candy aisle and we were talking about the kind of Easter candy we used to get as kids.  I went through a phase of only wanting a white "chocolate" bunny...thank God I outgrew that.  I still like white chocolate but yeah.  We saw those really cheap chocolate bunnies.  You know the ones I'm talking about...cheapest chocolate known to man with big meth eyes.

(This truly creepy AF gif brought to you by GIPHY.com)

My mom was a single mom and those ended up in my basket one or two years in a row and when they got thrown away and all of the other candy eaten, I think she got the hint.  I would eat the ears, go up and retch then pretend I was saving it and it would end up in the trash.  I felt horrible but I would rather have one good chocolate bunny and no other candy than subpar chocolate.  I think when I was really little, I had some of those gross orange circus peanuts in my bag and took a bite and spit it out on the spot so the older adults ate them.  These days my favorites are the Lindt hollow bunny (so I don't go TOO overboard) and the Reese eggs that are done Cadbury style as far as the look.  They have a better chocolate to peanut butter ratio.  LOL

What were your favorite and least favorite treats in your Easter basket as a kid?

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Food Review: Daiya Supreme Pizza

A former Hawaii vlogger I watch went vegan a few years ago.  Her hubby decided to join her and is a little less strict than she is because she has a lot of things that will trigger acne and other symptoms for her.  We saw him eat the "meat" version of this brand and decided based on how much he loved it (and a sale going on) to give it a try.

Here's a peek at the nutritional info.  I was glad to see they used the Beyond Meat Italian Crumbles that we have had and liked.

Here's what it looks like frozen out of the box.

I cooked it for the suggested time and wasn't sure if faux cheese would melt or even look appetizing.  We were happy to see it looked pretty darn good.

We split the pizza (it's not very big) and you can see there's a bit of melt in the cut pieces.  It's not super stringy like real cheese but better than we thought it would be.

But how does it taste?

We went in with zero expectations, and I even had another freezer meal ready to roll in case this one tanked.  I'm happy to report it was really good.  The Mr said he couldn't tell it was faux cheese and meat on there.  I could tell it wasn't "regular" pizza, but it wasn't bad.  If we wanted pizza on a weeknight or even if we were trying to be better on the weekend, I could see getting this and being satisfied.  We definitely think we'll get this again, but for me, I need it to be on sale.  It's good, but it's not $9-10 good.  I know, I'm cheap.  We got this for $7, and that's a little better.  I paired it with a salad, and it was the perfect dinner.  I never keep a frozen pizza in the house, but if we get a hankerin' and want to be healthier about it, I'll be more than happy to fire up the oven for this again.

Have you had Daiya's frozen pizza before?

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Pasties, Pox and Six Grand

Hey y'all.  Happy Monday!  I hope the weekend treated you well and you're ready to kick butt and take names.

Friday was a day.  We got into the doc's office and since it was new to me (well, by 7 years), I had to register, and it took 15 minutes just for her to get my insurance entered in there.  I was jovial about it for the first 10 minutes but then the last five, I was over it because it was almost mammy time.  They took me back to change into an ill-fitting gown, and the cheery tech was waiting on me when I came out.  I immediately turned on my stand up comedy routine as I always do when in medical situations.  It's a 50/50 shot whether you have someone with a sense of humor or not.  I was lucky, and we were cracking up.  She put these nipple markers on me that looked like Hello Kitty pink background since they were "out of pasties."  I told her I should've just brought mine.    So that was different.  I told her that I was here because the specialty place I'd been going to for the past 4 years had a 50% callback rate for me and I have zero desire to go through two weeks of hell again and pay almost $400 for the pleasure.  I told her to squeeze 'em like she was mad at her mother in law and she said: "oh, I don't think you want me to do that!"  I assured her I did and I could take that over a callback from someone who didn't push hard enough in the first place.  I told her my callback last year used 26 lbs of pressure but go higher if she needed to.  30 lbs of pressure it is.  I don't have dense breasts so I could take it easily.  She even showed me the scans afterward and said: "look at all of that beautiful spread out tissue!"  The other place never showed me what they did, like a secret.  I was pleased with what I saw but won't get my results until later this week because they need to get my films from the other place.  The Mr and I went to our family doc, and the nurse gave us our measles, I got my chicken pox, and we also got a Hep A shot as there is an outbreak to two places we're traveling to and had her check with the doc.  She said she might as well.  We go back in 6 months for our booster for it.  Then we went to the grocery stores and were done with all of that by 4:30pm which was quite nice.  We went down and did LIIFT 4 Chest and Tri's and relaxed for the night.

Saturday morning we got up and around.  We watched The 1975's set at Coachella, I made burgers for lunch, and then we headed an hour away for a craft show.  It was the spring version of the fall one we went to in September with a friend, and it wasn't nearly as good.  It was nice to get out of the house though so it wasn't a total waste, I guess.  We did a little shopping then to some new furniture store that just opened, and one of the dudes was like "go try the massage chairs."  We did, and 30 minutes later, we were considering dropping six G's on the best one.  Since we had no intention of buying anything, I was getting turned off by the intense car dealer-like treatment we were being given with a 25% discount for "tonight only."  We said we'd risk it and the manager 'generously' gave us until Sunday to make a decision.  Well, after looking online, we can get it for $500 less even with their "discount" so pizzoff! 

Sunday we slept in since it was rainy out in the morning.  I asked the Mr if he wanted to get our workout done early, so we did Beachbody's Hard Corps Cardio 1 and did our rolling and stretching afterward.  I was happy with my 630 calorie burn.  I went up and took a shower, and when I was done, I happened to catch the back of my arm in the mirror where they gave me my chicken pox vaccine.  Holy crap!  There was a HUGE 6"x2" swollen, red patch under the injection site.  The fat there is a bit hard, and it scared the crap out of me.  The redness cleared a bit as the day progressed.  The Mr did some car cleaning while I poured over the LIIFT 4/Transform 20 hybrid calendar they sent people that signed up for the email.  I transferred it over to be our June workout schedule since I already have April and May planned.  We did a little more shopping to get out of the house, and it was nice to not have to come home and workout.  WOOT!

What did you do this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #15

Happy Friday all!  I hope you're all ready for the weekend and those of you in the path of the storm are digging/drying out okay. 

Let's dig into...

Do Supplements Cause Cancer? Here's What a New Study Says  (For those taking them)

The Best And Worst Health Fad Foods, According To Nutritionists  (Good to know)

Hormel Lawsuit Reveals What ‘Natural’ Meat Really Means  (It means the word natural means absolutely nothing and you should read a label more carefully.  Those same "natural" pigs are apparently going into your Spam too.)

3 Important Life Skills Nobody Ever Taught You  (...but you should totally know!)

How to Save Important Voicemails for Both iPhone and Android  (I'm so glad I have so many from my grandma.)

9 Tricks to Keep Your Metabolism Revving   (Vroom vrrroooom!)

5 Ways You Can Unclog a Toilet Bowl Without a Plunger  (I had to laugh and this is TMI but I swear the first thing I do on a vacay is put down the suitcase and wreck a toilet.  It's not even like I pass a Buick either!  The Mr has had to call maintenance on more than one occasion while I hid in shame.  Niagara Falls has a friggin' natural cistern out front but no water pressure in damn hotel rooms across the street!)

6 signs you're a better person than you think you are   (Getting there.)

‘Carol Burnett’ star Tim Conway ‘unable to make his own health care decisions’ as family settles dispute  (This breaks my heart, he was my favorite.  This is also why I have spoken about how important it is for the family to be on the same page regarding the care of the patient.  When a stepparent is involved, the adult children often feel like they must go along with what the spouse wants even if it's not in the best interest of the patient or they could be denied access to their parent.  Speaking from experience.)

German chocolate factory spill makes for sweet street  (Not ashamed to say I would probably rocket down this slip and slide style with my mouth open the whole way.)

Live your National Lampoon movie dreams with the Family Truckster   (That's today!  We all know it's not a true replica unless "honky lips" is spray painted on the back fender.  If you're offended by that, you're at the wrong blog.)

It's our last full weekend with nothing specifically planned.  Since we're going to our docs late morning/early afternoon, the Mr is taking 1/2 day off today so I think we're going to Trader Joe's and Target early.  It'll be nice to have it done early since TJ's seems to be a popular hangout for douches on Friday night.  (Us excluded, of course.) 

Whatchu got on tap this weekend?

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Med week and PSA

Well, it's been med week around these parts, not to be confused with Club Med.  We had our annual physicals/bloodwork done on Tuesday.  We've only been to this doctor once before for physicals, and it was more just to establish a relationship with a doctor since ours had a stroke and had to close her practice.  I was searching for a DO over an MD.  What's the difference?  Basically, a DO takes an additional 200 hours of coursework to cover holistic/manipulation treatments instead of just throwing pain meds at a problem that an MD might be more apt to do.  For a more in-depth look, click here if you're looking to make a switch.  Ours wasn't my first choice but had an opening, and I keep checking back with the chick I really want who gets a ton of awards for patient advocacy and bedside manner.  Must keep my fingers crossed a family moves away, so we get an opening at some point.

The nurse who took our info was nice and had a calming but jovial demeanor which I appreciate because sourpusses tend to spike my blood pressure.  Then you have to explain that you are nervous and not just fat.  (They always assume you're going to have high blood pressure.)  Mine was 122/70 which she said was excellent and I said that was actually a little high for me, I'm usually 116/70.   My resting heart rate was 64 even after having just run in from the scale and being ticked that theirs is so different from ours.  It's usually 60, but I won't balk at that.  The doc came in, did the big breaths through the stethoscope, asked if I wanted to have measles immunity checked since the Mr asked about it in his appointment even though we were both vaccinated as kids.  She said it was just checking an extra box so I said go for it.  She also asked if I wanted to check for chicken pox immunity and I agreed because I had the vaccine in 2012 since I never had chicken pox as a kid but wanted to make sure it was doing its job. 

The chick who came in to take the blood was a bit pissy.  We were late appointments so we'd been fasting for 18 hours at that point and I drank some water but not a ton.  I pointed to the arm they're usually able to get blood from because, you know, "deep veins."  (Nurse code for 'bitch is fat, yo')  She looked at it and was like "they get blood from THIS one!?" in a snippy tone.  I showed the right one and said: "good luck getting it from here but you're welcome to try."  There was no visible vein because 20 years ago a lot of medical tests collapsed it.  She's like "did you even drink water today!?!"  Sister, I'm on the hormonal week before Aunt Flo, you need to back off.  She got it from the arm I told her with the butterfly needle and then griped for 2 minutes about how slow my blood was because I didn't drink water. 

The next day we got the callback on our lab results.  We were both surprised that neither of us had measles immunity despite being vaccinated and I do not have chicken pox immunity despite having the vaccination 7 years ago.  There are cluster measles outbreaks in different places right now, my PSA is to ask your doc to check that box to test for measles immunity regardless if you were vaccinated as a kid.  It apparently doesn't last forever.  Also, if you had the chickenpox vaccination, do the same thing and have it checked.  If you don't have an immunity despite getting the vaccine, they just revaccinate you, or if you're like me with the measles, both are mixed into one MMRV shot.  Neither of us had any other issues except my overall cholesterol is borderline, but it always has been.  I'm nowhere near having to go on meds and was instructed to keep up what I'm doing.  We have to go in Friday to get our shots then follow up in two months with bloodwork to recheck immunity.

I decided when I got home from our appointment to just make my mammogram appointment at a new place and was surprised they had an opening this week.  I made it for tomorrow at 11:30 am.  I'm not going back to the "specialty" mammogram place I've been going for the past 4 years because they have a 50% callback rate for me and I'm not down with freaking out for 2 weeks and going to the dark places because they refuse to push hard enough.  I'm going to tell these people "look, squish them like you're taking out a diss from your mother in law or your boss passed you over for a promotion.  I want them FLAT and if you're unsure, squeeze them again."  I'm over this crap and if that place can't do it right then maybe a center five minutes from my house instead of across town can.  So we'll go there first, squish da boobs then go to the other place and get stuck with needles.   In June, I'll get to go to the gynie and be done for the year hopefully.

When was your last annual/mammy?  Did you have chicken pox as a kid?

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Hump Day Poll: Waterworks

I was talking with a friend yesterday about being told I'm an "emotional" person.  I've always known I'm an empath before I even knew there was a term for it.  I can cry at a commercial or even being told a story that pulls at the heartstrings.  It's why I had to stop watching the news three years ago, and I've been much happier for it.  So that got me wondering...

Are you are cryer?  Was crying perceived as weak when you were growing up or were you encouraged to have "a good cry?"

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Walking Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend and you were able to get out and about.  We had a very active weekend.  We went to lunch on Saturday, and it was right next to a park, so we walked for about 20 minutes to get the digestion rollin'.  Then off to a newly reopened vintage store and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this: 

Given we visited Billings Farm in Woodstock, VT in December, I knew I had to have this.  I was getting tired of my logs wrecking the wall in my coal bucket, and this works a little better.  I put felt on the bottom so the metal wouldn't scrape the floor.  It's so surreal to think this large bottled milk crate came from the very creamery we visited.  We went shopping for some tops for me for vacation, but they all look like stuff for fat old women.  Don't think I don't see the irony and though I may BE a fat, getting old woman, I have zero desire to dress like it.  After several places and fitting rooms, I was done and came out with nothin'.   Oh well.  We perused the video store and couldn't find anything new we were in the mood to see when I spied Porky's.  We were both too young when it came out to see it in its heyday and saw bits and pieces on TV so decided to rent it since every T&A movie is compared to it.  Wow...super tame given the ones that came out inspired by it in the following 5-7 years!  

Sunday was supposed to be rainy all day, but it looked like it was holding off, so I suggested we go on a walk.  We left around 10am and walked the historic district for almost 4 miles.  Then I wanted to see if some of these trees at another park I liked were in bloom, but they weren't.  We still enjoyed walking it anyway.

We saw seven deer that were all pretty skittish and these two little girls came running up to us with their mom afterward to tell us all about it.  Pretty cute.  We weren't the only ones in love with being out in nature.

We grabbed some groceries then headed back to the house where I made turkey and sprout sammies with pineapple spears and a salad.  We had to go back out to Home Depot for a few things, so we ended up getting in over 6 miles.  That wasn't what we had on the workout schedule, but I didn't think we could incorporate leg day in there too so we'll just bump the schedule by a day. 

What did you guys do this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #14

Nothing like it being 11:20pm on Thursday, you're all zenned out from a new book you're reading on getting zen then realizing you forgot to do your post. 

*facepalm*

So let's hop right into...

40 Ways to Lose Your Gut by Summer  (Mmm hmm.)

10 Ways Your Body Changes When You Start Drinking Enough Water  (Let's hope so!)

7 healthy lifestyle habits that can add more than a decade to your life  (#1.  90 seconds, y'all!)

Doctors Kept Dismissing My Back Pain—Until I Was Finally Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer  (What a load of shit!  This is why it is SO critical to be your own advocate!  Read EVERY test result, ask ALL of the questions and if it doesn't feel right, move on to the next one.)

What Exactly Is Metabolism—and Can You Speed Yours Up?  (Good info)

Lace Them Up: How to Stop Pain With Shoelaces  (I need to do the last one with my workout shoes.)

Raising the American Weakling  (Both fascinating and terrifying)

How Stress Hits Women’s Brain’s Harder—and Why Men Don’t Always Get It  (Mars and Venus)

Smart talking: are our devices threatening our privacy?   (Barbie's listening, yo)

The untold story of the artist who created the shrieking Pet Sematary book cover   (Courtesy of the Mr.)

Pet Sematary exhumed: Stephen King looks back at his most disturbing story   (For the Mr...and you guys too.)

Aaaand it's 11:55pm, and I'm whooped.  The rain is coming down and some nice whipping wind to send me off to bed.  I don't think we have plans this weekend which is fine with me.  We've got some planning we need to get done anyway.

What are y'all into this weekend?  Anyone planning on eventually seeing the Pet Sematary remake?

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Hump Day Poll: Dreamin' of the Road

Spring gets me in the mood for road trips big and small.  Planning out the best route, going to Roadtrippers.com to see if there are any weird roadside attractions along the way, scouting how much you can cram in to get the most for your time.  It's both stressful and fun.

So that brings us to today's Hump Day Poll.

What are the most memorable road trips you've taken?  What is your ultimate road trip?

(For me it was our road trip to New England for the first time in 2014.  Ultimate would probably be either Yellowstone or Route 66 even though I have zero ideas of what there is to actually see!)

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No Foolin' Weekend Recap

If you're anything like me, I stay off the internet as much as possible on April Fools Day so I figured I'd continue that tradition and not post yesterday.  There's nothing more aggravating to me than wasting your time reading an article only to get to the end and read "April Fools!"

We went to the Mr's hometown Saturday and it was a crappy weather day.  We knew that going in but we were still hoping for a break somewhere but it was varying degrees of drizzle to hammering downpour.  We went to our favorite local pizza place and it was a bit of a miss this time.  The big disappointment was they changed their breadsticks which used to be pillowy and delicious into knots which are hard and look like poop emojis.  We get this once a year (maybe twice) and it stinks when you've been saving up for it and it's not great.  Even my dessert place tanked so it's off my list permanently because I'm not wasting calories on something that isn't worth it.  Thankfully, the Mr's places didn't let him down and that's all I cared about anyway.  We visited his dad and it was pretty squishy at the cemetery from the rain and it started picking up and temps dropped so it was a short visit.  I asked for a ton of guidance and protection from him for the Mr.  We drove by the usual haunts and his old high school had a full parking lot so I suggested we try to get in.  Unfortunately, none of the doors were open but I figured it was worth a try.  The trip home was awful, it was driving rain pretty much the whole way.

Sunday we slept in because we had a pretty bad night's sleep plus with all of the clouds still hanging around, it didn't invite us to rise and shine.  I was glad I had some leftover lasagna with my low sodium pasta sauce from the previous weekend in the freezer.  It was nice to be able to heat it up and throw together a quick salad for lunch.  We headed over to the cemetery to see Grandma since it'd been a year since we laid her to rest there.  Her flowers were looking a little worse for wear with all of the whipping wind the previous three days.  As I straightened them and wound them together for a tighter composition between the three bouquets, the sun came out for a brief second as if to say hello and give her approval.  She'd been very active the day before and that day with signs galore so we knew she was there.  I'm still going to have to find a double sided garden flag stand because the one-sided just does not stay put the way I want it to.  Then we headed over to the grave of a friend of mine who was killed our freshman year.  I found a note from her that we passed in class in middle school where she was talking about cutting her sister's hair and how bad of a job she did.  I made copies of it for the mom and sister and put a note in with it and triple bagged it and tied it to the vase on her grave.  I knew they'd been there recently because they always bring parts of a tree from her childhood home so I'm hoping they come back soon.  Then it was off to the final grocery store.  We went to a different location closer to the cemetery hoping that our disdain for the place was maybe due to the people.  Nope, sucks regardless of location.  I'm pretty sure we forgot stuff since the layout is totally different and all you want to do is get the heck outta there but we got the main stuff.

When we got home, we needed to work out.  As I was getting changed, the 2 hours sleep I got was catching up to me and the Mr said he felt it too.  We laid down on the workout mats for 15 minutes and while he napped a little, I just couldn't.  I popped up and we did the Core De Force Power Sculpt with modifications.  Dinner was a Beyond Meat burger and a small potato.  We settled in and watched some episodes of Hot Ones and our last Bill Burr stand up special.  It tanked badly.  We both agreed that if we'd started with that one of the four we've watched over the past few weeks, we probably wouldn't have gotten through the whole thing.  When the audience is nervously laughing or not laughing at all, you know it's bad.

How was your weekend?

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