Friday Reads | Week 10

This weekend starts the high school's spring break in the county that I work in. That means that I also get a spring break. My Friday reads are going to be amazing this week (I hope) because I am hoping to make it through an entire series, hopefully. I started and finished reading the first book if the Lunar Chronicles this week. Today I started the second novel, Scarlet and I am so excited to hopefully cross off an entire series from my TBR list this week. Although the final book doesn't come out until this winter, I will be completely caught up with the series.

Project 1/3 | Eating Food...Or Your Feelings?

This week we were asked to write down a time we ate something but we weren't really hungry. I wrote down a time that happened just the day before. I am actually pretty ashamed of what I did but I should shared it with my meeting because my leader wanted to work through the exercises with actual events that have happened to us.

Guest Blogger | Please go check me out

I found an application to be a guest blogger on a website justmoogley.com and I filled it out thinking I would never get picked for this. I don't post on a great schedule (even though I try my hardest), I don't have very many readers at all but I don't have a few social media followers. To my shock I was chosen as the organization/planner blogger for the site. I am so excited to be apart of this team right now. I have a little introduction post over on the site that should be published on Friday sometime. You can find a link to the site in the blog list on the side of my blog. I would love it if you could take a moment to check it out and see what I will be doing.

Again, thank you Megan for picking me to write about planners and organization. I can't wait to get started on this adventure. It is going to be a great ride and I am so glad to be riding in the passenger seat with you.

Outfits of the Week | vol. 1

A post with pictures of all the cute outfits I wore this week. 

Project 1/3 | Who's Got Your Back?

This week's Weight Watchers meeting really hit home for me. It is a big area that I struggle with in my journey. We discussed who are the people we can turn to when we truly need help or encouragement. Unfortunately it usually means we want an nonjudgmental person we can turn to but many time we find that that person is judging us constantly. 

I think I am lucky that I have a friend that is doing Weight Watchers with me. She and I are able to share with each other the struggles we are having and we are honestly not judging each other because we know what each of us is going through.  I love that I am able to turn to her constantly. Unfortunately she doesn't go to the same meeting with me because our schedules are very different (i.e, she isn't a morning person at all). Love you Katie!

I am very family oriented so you would think that I could just turn to my family for support. There is no way I can truly turn to my family because it would be like the boy who cried wolf to them. My husband thinks he is helpful and supportive but many times it is not the right kind of support. I struggle with how I can tell him exactly the kind of support that I do need, but I know I need to just tell him. I would love to lean on my mother but like I said before, it is like the boy who cried wolf for her.She has seen me say one thing and do another that she can't be sure if I am going to stick with it this time or not. Usually it is the later, so she is right in her judgments. 

My action plan is to be honest with my husband and tell him exactly how he can help me. I also want to tell him what he does that hinders my journey either because of what he says or how he judges me. I think this will even bring us closer as a husband and wife because we will have that much more of a bond together. 

Friday Reads | week 9

This Friday I am still reading Ursula Le Guin's novel "The Word for World is Forest." I am enjoying the novel but I've slowed my reading down a bit due to working on my blog content. 

After I finish that book I plan to jump straight into Cinder by Marisa Meyer because I've heard so many great things about that series. It also helps that I already have all those books too. 

Looking at my shelf I know I won't be able to get my TBR shelf to #0by16 but I am going to try very hard. I can possibly get it #0by17 but we will see. No big deal. I am starting to be very selective on what books I want to purchase for my library. It is nice to feel that way about it. 

Happy reading this weekend. 

Project 1/3 | Danger Zones

This week at my weight watchers meeting I walked in expecting to have a major gain due to the stress and poor eating choices. Turns out I lost 1 pound! I was so happy for the loss.

At my meeting we discussed the danger zones and how to take control of our challenging spaces. The most common danger zones are the supermarket, the workplace, on the road, and at home.  These four are the biggest danger zones for me. Personally, the workplace and my house are the most dangerous for me. I have trouble at my work place because I help the students in the culinary program who make our soups and lunch on Fridays for a decent price. They make it really easy for me to not need to pack my lunch EVER. This is bad because most of the soups made are full of cream. Don't even get me started on what the Friday lunches are because they are the almost always too many points.

For me to take control over my workplace danger zone I need to plan out my lunches and bring something that is appropriate for my daily points of 29. I knows that doesn't seem like a lot but it is get 49 weekly points I can eat 7 extra points a day if I use them all throughout the week. I also get to eat my activity points that I earn daily. So i can have between 29 and 40 points a day theoretically.

My other danger zone is my own house. It is a danger zone because I am a snacker and a secret eater. I will eat my own sons snacks. I know I am terrible. I guess you could say my danger zone is really the grocery store but mostly it is my house. I can go into the grocery store and buy all the right, low points, foods that I need to eat for my snacks but most of the time I won't eat them. I know some people are cringing because they think I am very wasteful. #NOREGRETS

I am really great at making plans but I am terrible at keeping them. For example, I have an organizational plan for my pantry and I was always get it organized but I can never continue to use it for some reason. That is something that I should really work on because it will be a great habit to have and it will challenge me.

Dear Allie | vol. 15

You have survived a very exciting weekend and a completely stressful week to go along with it. You are golden right now. You have to start working to get back towards losing weight. You wanted to get prepared for this week with meal planning and prepping but I think you should save that for next weekend. This week you should focus on cleaning your house and getting rid of items you don't use or no longer want.

You have plans to start a couch to the 5k program but I don't think you should be starting that right now. You have been busy with your son's birthday party and your best friend's bridal shower, this week is the week to get relaxed and get your mind back on track. I wish you could take a day to catch up on some sleep, but that is not going to happen.

Do you this week and don't feel back for it either.

<3

Dear Allie | vol. 14

You are moving slowly through your weight loss journey but don't let that discourage you. You know you can do this because you have done it before. You have to be more aware of the food choices you are making. Instead of swinging into McDonalds for a quick breakfast whip up an omelet at home instead.

Your FitBit has been a huge encouragement for you. Although you have been having trouble reaching you step goal since you were sick last weekend you are going to begin to push yourself to get those 10,000 steps a day. I know you are. 

You can do this. 2015 is your year to be selfish and get your health under control. You want it so bad you just need to put a little more work into it and you will begin to see results. Once those results are being seen you will be unstoppable. 

[REVIEW] The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis:

In this ingenious and captivating re imagining of Rudyard Kipling's classic adventure The Jungle Book, Neil Gaiman tells the unforgettable story of Nobody Owens, a living, breathing boy whose home is a graveyard, raised by a guardian who belongs neither to the mortal world nor the realm of the dead. Among the mausoleums and headstones of his home, Bod experiences things most mortals can barely imagine. But real, flesh-and-blood danger waits just outside the cemetery walls: the man who murdered the infant Bod's family will not rest until he finds Nobody Owens and finishes the job he began many years ago.

A #1 New York Times bestseller and winner of many international awards, including the Hugo Award for best novel and the Locus Award, The Graveyard Book is a glorious meditation on love, loss, survival, and sacrifice . . . and what it means to truly be alive.