CH CH CH CHANGES.....

2015, what are you bringing to the table?  Well, so far this year has brought some exciting changes to my life and with that, this little ole blog is going to make some changes too.

Two major things are going on in my world and I know that all of you will spread the word and be super excited for me!

Change #1:  I am a brand spanking new BEACHBODY COACH!  Yes, you read that correctly...this chubby girl from Miami has decided to change her outlook on what it means to "look good".  I would rather FEEL good and then the looks will definitely follow.  I have been making slow changes and adding Shakeology to my daily healthy lifestyle is one of them.  
As the days pass, I am going to be blogging about my adventure (the good, the bad, and the ugly) right here on PInksMyInk.  I hope you follow along with me and tell your friends because this is going to be the down and dirty of what I love, hate, and everything in between about getting healthy.  There is sure to be some comedy relief, so check in often for a good laugh and a healthy dose of nutrition.  Of course any good coach would want you on their team, so for now, no pressure but if you would like to join me in on the journey and add Shakeology or any other Beachbody stuff to your daily grind, just click here and I will help you in anyway I can!

You are going to have to wait for change #2 because it is to awesome to post now and I don't want to take away form the healthiness of this post, lol.

I leave you with this video about Shakeology and why you should join this revolution.

Popping In...Just for a Minute

Hi there my pink peeps!  I am just popping in to let you know that all is well in my little part of the world.  We are winding down the school year and then summer will be upon us with all her glory.  I cannot wait!  I will be away for most of June while I am training some very lucky teachers who will be learning all about Thinking Math, so my summer will officially begin on July 4th.  What a great way to celebrate our independence!  I plan to be beachy keen most days and pajama clad on most nights.  Little Miss is gearing up for her final dance competition of her life and she is so sad... I know great dancing things are on the horizon, but convincing her is not going well.  Big Miss is working away at her internship and getting ready to graduate next spring!  Can you believe it? Didn't I just drop her off at college?  I know you remember that heartache I felt when I had to leave my little, yet big, girl all the way over there in far far away college land.  Who knew time would fly so quickly!  Well that's it for now.  I hope to update at least once a month, if not twice.  Fingers crossed!  Just because I can, here is a picture of my cute pup, Shelby:

Jesus Christ is Risen

Today's News

What's going on everyone?  I am sure everyone is busy, busy, busy.  I so wanted to keep up on posting, but I have just overwhelmed myself with stuff (at work, at home, and in life) so my little family blog has taken the biggest hit.  

This week I am flying to Tallahassee for a training with CPALMS and FSU.  I am looking forward to the trip, but not to the flight.  I am terribly, devastatingly afraid of flying.  I have no choice, they want me there and the pay is needed, plus I love learning new stuff to share with my colleagues.  I wanted to drive, but nope, not happening.  So wish me luck because I am not happy about this.

Little Miss is doing her thing in college, but I am so glad she decided to do it here, in our home town.  It has been an adjustment from high schooler to college girl, especially since I have to treat her as an adult who makes her own decisions.  In retrospect, it was easier when Big Miss left to college, even though at the time, I mourned that move.  Not knowing what she is doing at every minute is much better than my heart hurting every single time Little Miss leaves the house.  Parties will be the death of me.  I hate that she has to drive to these damn parties and I know what's going on there.  I just have to pray that she makes the right choices and that God is with her at every moment.

She is still dancing, so we do spend a lot of time together going to competitions and such.  This is her last year, boohoo...  Big Miss is working at her second awesome internship, she is just doing amazing things.  She has one year left!  I can't even imagine what will come next for her.  I don't think she will come home, there is just so much for her to accomplish out there and coming home might hinder her progress.  The boyfriend also adds into the mix, so that is part of her decision making as well.  We love boyfriend, he is such a good kid and knowing that he takes care of her and protects her while she is away from home, helps me sleep each night.  

What else... Oh, I have gained so much weight.  So I ordered the 21 Day Fix.  I start in two weeks.  Let's see what happens.  I lost all that weight 5 years ago and swore I would never get back to this place, but who counts calories when you are having fun at life?  Exercise is key, so I will bite the bullet and exercise.  What about you?  How do you maintain weight after a big loss?

That's it for now.  There are other things going on, but I think I have caught you up on the gist of things.  Have a happy weekend!

It Has Been Too Long...

My little blog is still here, she has waited and waited patiently to hear from momma!  Patience is a virtue and time is of the essence, so here I am.  This first weekend of 2014 has promised a good year and to keep in step, I will post once a week to keep everyone (especially myself) up to date on our happenings in our little corner of the world.

Big Miss is back at school at Little Miss will start tomorrow.  Changes have been a happenin' here and we have taken them in stride.  It is good to have my little miss here at home, but it is also extremely stressful.  Here's what I'm talking about:  With big miss away at school, I worry, but I don't stay up at night waiting for her to come home with a pit in my stomach and an ache in my heart.  With little miss here, I die a little bit each time she steps out the door.  I worry to my heart's content and then some, driving my husband crazy and I think I am making myself nuts, to say the least.  We opted out of a curfew (home by 5 am, kill me now..) so she can be just like her big sister who doesn't have mommy and daddy breathing down her neck. The only problem is that I am breathing down her neck, my neck, and everyone else's neck.  What to do, what to do....

Tomorrow I go back to work after a glorious 2 weeks home with my little family.  Routines and deadlines will take over and we will see each other again on spring break, haha!  I am not kidding, people!  I have school and college (working on that PhD), little miss has work, dance, and college, hubby has work, work, work, and more work and big miss is doing her thing away at school.  She starts a new internship tomorrow, go big miss!  She has been doing great things in the world of engineering, this momma is proud!

My OLW for 2014:  PRAY.  That's it, enough said.

Keep smiling peeps, it gives your face something to do!  Until next week....

Wow, It Has Been Too Long

I have so much to say and so little at the same time.  I have let this little blog slip through my hands and I am sad.  This was my first attempt at blogging and I want to keep it, forever.  So, I will post when I can and I will post for me.  If my blogging peeps read along with me, I am happy.  I started this for me, so I will continue on for me.  The girls are wonderful young ladies, I love them to death.  Big Miss is doing well in college and she is in love, so all is well in her world.  Little Miss has started college here at home, so that made me happy.  She has two jobs that she loves and I love having her here with me.  I miss Big Miss all the time and she will be home next weekend, so we will be a happy family.  Hubby will be turning 50, so we will all celebrate and he will be pissy.  He has been pissy and I know it's the 50 thing, but he is denial.  It's ok, we will love him pissy or not!

Here is what happened to me this week


I am in pain, excruciating, mind-numbing pain.  

UTI they said, nope can't be, I don't have any symptoms.  Take the antibiotic, go back to work, you will be fine, they said.  Two days later, I cried the entire day at work.  My back was derailing and I couldn't do a thing about it. The cramps, they were back.  Everyone said kidney stones.  Ok, could be.

Come Monday, I had to be escorted out of work again and sent to the ER.  8 hours later, NOTHING!!!!  Sounds like kidney stones, your pain is indicative of kidney stones, but no stones.  Just infection, now in the bladder and the kidneys.  There might be sand in your kidneys.  Oh, good, that trip to the beach was well worth it.

One week later, I still cringe and cry.  I can't work until Monday and I can't do anything else.  I am writing this to get it off my chest and to ask for prayers from my blogging buddies.  

 Thanks for listening to the ramblings of a Percocet filled mind.  

Who looks like this when they have kidney pain?  Pretend this is me, this is what I look like right now, LOL.

Ups and Downs

Hi there friends, it has been a while.  I don't have any excuses, except that life always gets in the way, but I guess that is a good thing.  There have been ups and downs these past weeks, but I am hoping to eliminate some of the downs and continue facing the ups with a smile.  

Little Miss graduates in a few short weeks, this is both an up and down.  An up, because she is going to venture into the college and working world, while staying home with us.  See, definitely an up.  A down, because I have two women on my hands now.  I will never enter the halls of a high school again, unless I am there for someone else's child.  

Big Miss finished her Sophomore year of college, well, really her Junior year because of the credits she came into school with on her resume.  This is definitely an up because she knows the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching.  It is also a down because I know she will make the decision to continue her career away from home, so I will still have a long distance daughter.

Hubby has started a new venture, while continuing to work in his current (very stressful) job that he has held for 30+ years.  An up- he is doing something he loves... A down- he now hates the paying job and it scares me to think he may follow his dream.  Now, I am not against following dreams, but at our age, money isn't a dream, it is a reality.  So my prayer list is filled with requests of strength and determination, for hubby and for me.

All of these ups and downs (and so many unmentioned) have turned me into a thinking person of late.  I am thinking all of the time about everything, it seems my mind never stops.  This leads to endless internet searches trying to find spiritual sayings, prayers, good thoughts, etc.  One late night search led me to the Hello Morning Blog and now my inbox is filled with positive messages each morning.  This is definitely an up.  I love reading the uplifting advice and stories.  In fact, this is in addition to so many other great reads delivered to my inbox (Joel Osteen, to name one), so I am one positive girl!

That's the gist for now.  What have been some of your ups and downs?  How have you coped with them?  If you want to check out Hello Morning, click the pic below.  The site has not asked me to post about what they do, but I truly have enjoyed what I have read this past week, so this is my way of giving you an up of your very own.

Influenster Sugar n' Spice Vox Box 2013

I received my newest shipment from Influenster a few weeks ago and I have been loving the products!  This Vox Box was aptly named sugar and spice because the products are all to sweet and will spice up your life!

Here is everything that came in my shipment:

This shipment is filled with products that I love and some new products that I tried for the very first time.  Here are my thoughts on each product:

I am a sugar loving girl at heart, but my waistline would prefer and stay away from all things sweet!  Nectresse is an easy way to add the sweetness you love, without the calories.  Nectresse is made by the makers of Splenda and has ZERO calories!  Using the sweet extract from monk fruit, Nectresse is the best way I can sweeten up pretty much everything I put into my body.  If you want to read more about this amazing discovery, click the link and read on:  http://www.nectresse.com/.

I am really not a fan of eating first thing in the morning, but we all know that the more we fuel our bodies, the better off we are.  Belvita breakfast biscuits are a quick and easy way to start off your day.  The mix of grains are baked in a way to sustain energy over a period of time, which means you will be ready to go and will keep on going all morning long.  I was already a fan of Belvita and receiving it in a shipment from Influenster only confirmed that I am making the right choice for breakfast.  There are 5 flavors, with the newest flavor being chocolate!  I can't wait to pick that up on my next visit to the store.  Read more about Belvita and its nutritional qualities here:  http://www.belvitabreakfast.com/.

This isn't your grandma's witch hazel!  Dickinson's has been around since grandma was young, but their new skin care line has brought them into the 21st century.  The box of oil controlling towelettes are just the thing I needed after a workout.  The refreshing aloe and witch hazel mix removes impurities and the sweat of the day, while leaving behind soft, smooth skin.  I loved this product and I can't wait to try the entire line for sensitive, oily skin.  Read about the science behind the towelette: http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/products/towelettes.

Who doesn't want a white and bright smile?  I have tried lots of products and I haven't found that much of a difference in my smile.  I have been using all 3 of these products (Optic White toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouth rinse) from Colgate religiously for the past 3 weeks.  I still haven't noticed a change in the color of my teeth, but I will keep it up until I finish off the products.  The taste is not overwhelming and you can feel the peroxide working its way through your gums and teeth.  I do like knowing that my teeth and gums are getting what they need, but I can't attest to any changes in my smile.  To find out if this product is for you, Colgate has a video here:  http://www.colgate.com/app/ColgateOralCare/Whitening/ColgateOpticWhite/US/EN/HomePage.cwsp

I saved the best for last, because I LOVE this product!!!!  The spray was even and didn't get all goopy.  It was immediately absorbed into my skin without leaving a sticky feel.  You know what I mean, the feeling that you have after lotioning up and not being able to put clothes on, in fear they will stick to the lotion.  This didn't happen with Vaseline Spray and Go.  I will definitely keep on purchasing this product.  To learn more about this new line from Vaseline, click the link:  http://www.vaseline.us/spray-go/default.aspx.

So there you have it, my thoughts on the products sent to me from Influenster.  If you would like to receive FREE stuff and then tell the world about it on your blog, click the link and see if you qualify for the next shipment.  

Bloglovin

I am trying out Bloglovin to see if this is where I want to start reading all of your posts once Reader leaves us.

If you use Bloglovin, please click the link below to follow me on Bloglovin.  If not, then click the link and start your own journey on Bloglovin.  I think I am making a good choice.  I checked some other reader type sources and I didn't like the interface.  I do like the one on Bloglovin.

What do you think?


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

On Losing Grandma

Grandma is gone.  There are no words to express how I feel, but I can hold on to her by sharing some of her life here on my little blog.  Grandma was born in 1920 and from the first day of her life, she fought to be heard.  It was ironic that in the past few years, her hearing was failing.  We would laugh and say she didn't have to hear what we have to say anyway, it was always her way and that was it.  She would go against the norm in every way and spoke her mind, no matter what.  She beat uterine cancer and within this past month, she survived a fall and hip surgery.  She passed away and fought till the end, but this was a fight where God would win and we would have to let her go.
She was the last of her generation.  My mother's generation is now in charge of our family and my poor mom doesn't even know how to fill the void that is left by her mommy.  The truth behind why my grandma is no longer with us will eventually come out, so I ask for your continued prayers because we have a long road of fighting ahead of us.  It seems that grandma is still fighting through us and we will try to win this one for her.  Her death will not be in vain.
I said a few words at the cemetery, so I leave you with my thoughts.

My dear grandma,

I can't believe you are gone.

As much as I prepared for this day, 

I thought you would live forever.

You fought so hard for everything.

I wish you had won this last fight.

You were a woman before her time and your legacy

lives on through the grandchildren and

great grandchildren you have left behind.  We will

try to take over where you left off, but nobody 

will ever fill your determined shoes.

I love you today, tomorrow, and always.

Grandma is...

My grandmother has taken a turn for the worse and the doctors say it is a matter of time.  She has lived the best 92 years anyone could imagine and if the time is near, then let it be.  God knows when He needs us and even though she will be missed, she will be at peace.  I will be back to blogging as soon as I can, but for now, please send up some prayers for grandma and a little extra prayer for my family.

I Should Sundays...

I should...put the huge pile of clothes that are on my bed into their respective drawers.

I should...take a shower to get ready for the Oscars!!

I should...give Shelby a bath, she is just too stinky.

I should...dye my grays, they are way out of hand.

I should...get my niece her birthday present (any chance someone can hook me up with Blue Cinderella curtains).

What should you be doing?

I Should Sundays (the return)

It has been long overdue and today is the day!  Every Sunday, you can hop on over and check out what I should be doing.  Hopefully, this will inspire you to figure out what you should be doing, too!  So here it is:

I Should...not have had that chocolate doughnut at 1:00 a.m this morning.
I Should...be paying bills instead of blog hopping.
I Should...go to the grocery store sometime today.
I Should...wash the clothes that have piled up (the jeans smell ok, lol).
I Should...exercise today (does walking back and forth from the washer count?).

So what should you be doing?

5 for Five

What a week!  I am so happy that we had 2 four day weeks at school and another one coming up the first week in February.  We spent the long weekend in Disney (post coming up), so let's see how I did on last weeks 5 for Five:


1.  Avoid the drama that is going on at work right now.  
I didn't feed into the drama, per se, but I did blog about it here:  http://faithfulinfirst.blogspot.com/2013/01/you-wont-believe-it.html.  This was my way of avoiding it at work and to help me find closure (I didn't, but I guess I can give myself half of a point...)

2.  Log what I eat 3 out of 5 days.
I used Fitness Pal for 4 days and then Disney took over.  So check this off!


3.  Hang out with my daughter one night this week.
We hung out 2 nights this week, so I am ahead of the game.  We had a great time and I am looking forward to hanging with my 18 year old many more times before she leaves this nest.

4.  Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day.
Done!

5.  Smile at everyone I see in the hallway at work.
Done!  I even smiled at DRAMA!!!!

So here is what I have in store for this week:

1.  Start some sort of workout plan.  I am checking a few out, I will pick one of them this week.

2.  Log my food intake for 5 days.

3.  Unplug an hour before I go to bed.  This is hard for me.  I check email one more time, get in a game of solitaire, facebook, twitter, instagram, blog, oh boy!

4.  Do my homework in a timely manner.  I am a procrastinator extraordinaire!  This Master's Certificate in Math is killing me!

5.  Grade at work, not at home.  (Yes, I am that teacher.  Grading at home in front of the TV or while spending time with the family.  I.  will.  not.. do it.)

So that's it for this week.  What is your 5 for Five?  Link up below and let's motivate each other!

5 For Five

Another week of the year has gone by and it is time for a new 5 for Five.  First, here is how I did last week:



1.  Post my 5 for Five (cheated, I know, but check it off, nonetheless!)  

Done!

2.  Leave work at the end of the workday 4 out of 5 days.

I was able to achieve this 3 out 5, which made me mad.  This whole school year I haven't left late at all, so I thought this would be a given.  Wouldn't you know it, crap happened 2 days in a row and I had to stay to put out the fires!

3.  Eat healthy all 5 days.

Nope.  That's all I am saying.

4.  Work out 2 out of 5 days.

Double Nope

5.  Apparently I can't count and didn't have a number 5....

This week I will:

1.  Avoid the drama that is going on at work right now.  

2.  Log what I eat 3 out of 5 days.

3.  Hang out with my daughter one night this week.

4.  Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day.

5.  Smile at everyone I see in the hallway at work.

Let's see how I do!  Click the button below and link up:

5 for Five

I am linking up with the girls for 5 for Five.  I wasn't too good at linking up last year, so in order to keep the balance (OLW), this will be my Monday post.  5 for Five is a link up with Jessica at Fantastically Average and Jenn at Party of One.  You can click on the hyperlink to find out how it works.

So here is my 5 for Five for this week:

1.  Post my 5 for Five (cheated, I know, but check it off, nonetheless!)  

Since I wasn't good at all with this last week, I included it as part of my five for this week.  I might do this for a few weeks until it becomes a habit.

2.  Leave work at the end of the workday 4 out of 5 days.

I sometimes always stay about an hour after the final bell rings to get things done.  I end up talking to friends or dilly dallying most of the time.  I want to be one of those people that pick up and go when my contract says I can, so this week I am striving for this.  Maybe if I do it more often, I will start using my time wisely.

3.  Eat healthy all 5 days.

I already messed this up today, for sure.  For the sake of not cheating twice in the same post, I will keep the 5 day goal...  I figure I can't let myself down the rest of the week.  I really have to do this, chocolate has become a regular member of all of the food groups for a few months.  I love my chocolate, but I think it is time that I limit myself and get on the better eating track.

4.  Work out 2 out of 5 days.

This is going to be the hardest for me.  I know 3 days is the average, but I won't do it, I never do.  If I start with 2 days, I might go to the 3 (I won't, but it looks good in writing).  How do you motivate yourself to keep this promise?

So that's my 5 for Five this week.  I hope you comment and leave me some inspiration and that you link up.  Let's do this together, who knows, by the end of the year...52 posts later we might truly accomplish something together!


Click the button and shoot for your 5 for Five!

Influenster Holiday VoxBox

I am excited to talk about my first Influenster VoxBox shipment!  I was more than happy to use and review the items that were sent to me.  While Blog Hopping a few months ago, I came across a blog where the blogger reviewed items from Influenster (I can't remember the name of the blog, sorry...).  I went to www.influenster.com and applied and a few months later, BOOM, I got the acceptance email!  

Here is what I received in my Holiday VoxBox:

Goody Quick Style Brush:

This brush has microfiber inserts (the blue portion) to "dry" your hair as you brush.  The brush is quite large for me and I have very little hair, so drying isn't a problem.  I did like the way it spread the conditioner in my hair (I chose to use it in the shower, rather than on my wet after shower hair).  I don't think I would have purchased this on my own, but if you have long, hard to dry hair, you might want to check it out for yourself and see what it can do for you.

Kiss Nail Dress:

I  have been wanting to try these for quite some time, so I was excited to see this in the box.  I am not a leopard girl, but it was the holiday season, so I went all out!  Here is a pic of what my nails looked like after application:

Application was very easy, since you just file away the excess.  The only down side is that they do not last.  Two days later, they were already coming off after washing my hands a few times.  If you want something for a special night, I would suggest purchasing these.

Quaker Real Medleys:

I am already a big fan of these, so this was a perfect product for me.  I make this before work and eat it in the car on the way to work.  All of the flavors are tasty and very filling.  This is a great way to add to your diet without wasting calories or flavor!

NYC Lip Shine:

The color "Nude York City" is a staple and matches any skin color, so since I am PALE, it was a good match.  It does wear off quickly, but at such a low price, reapplying it isn't a problem.  Many lip glosses are sticky, but this one felt great and I received compliments on having the "natural" look.

Sole Society:

There was a $25 coupon off my first order of shoes from Sole Society and I get to share it with you!  Just enter INFLUENSTER25 at checkout and the discount will be given.  I haven't used mine yet, but there are a myriad of shoes that I love on this site!

EBOOST:

I was looking for a way to increase energy without getting jittery and this was just the ticket.  I loved the pink lemonade flavor and I was feeling good for about 4 hours after I drank it.  I am definitely going to make this purchase on a regular basis.

Disclaimer:
These items were received complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

One Little Word

I can't believe it is 2013!  I remember when I first started working at a bank many years ago and one of my older (wiser) clients told me that as we get older, the years go  by faster and faster.  At 20, I laughed because it didn't hold true for me at that time.  Now at 44, I think about him and I no longer laugh, because now I am older and wiser and know that he was right on the money.  We blink...and the years have passed.

Last year, my OLW was, release.  I released, a lot.  I still have a lot that I am holding on to and I still need to release, but I didn't want to be a poor sport and keep the same word (I need to release the word, as well).

So, with that in mind, my OLW is:

BALANCE

I figured it goes with release, so I can still release in order to find balance.  I need to balance my work life, my mommy life, my wife life, and my "me" life so all 4 of them have enough time to evolve and grow.  I haven't come up with a plan, so part of the balance will be planning to balance!

I also am in desperate need of balancing our finances.  We are not in a good place right now and I cringe to think of what would happen if we had a true financial emergency...

My diet is in need of a good healthy balancing act, so that is on the books for this Monday, the 7th, along with the dreaded...exercise.  

So, I will balance all of this and more.  I will definitely be balancing my blogging, since it falls into the "me" life.  Here's to a balanced life!

Here is the graphic that will keep me balanced:

What is your OLW this year?

Happy New Year

Laughter, Tears, and Grandma

Christmas has come and gone... the new year is upon us in just a few short days.  This past week has brought both laughter and tears our way.  We laughed when my grandmother started reciting an old poem from her memory, out of nowhere.  She even spoke using intonation and a little girl voice, so innocent from years gone by.  She isn't the same at 92, let's face it, she isn't the same from just a week ago.  I see my grandmother in front of me, but I know that inside she has changed.  She speaks about seeing my grandfather soon and she keeps passing out jewelry to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  We take the pieces and we cherish them, just as she has done her whole life.  This is why we laugh through the tears, she is letting go, hoping that we too will be able to send her on her way.  I don't know if I am ready, but my prayers keep me safe at night and give me hope that acceptance will come.

My girls laugh when grandma talks about her youth.  It is hard to believe that she lived through 2 world wars and a  multitude of other events.  Things my girls and I have only learned about in books.  While we were waiting for Santa to come, she told us that women are always waiting.  Women sit and wait while the men are away at war.  We will never know if she is in our moment or in hers, so we go along for the ride.  And oh what a ride this is!

I love her to pieces and I fear that every passing day might be her last one with us.  Did I do everything I needed to do for her?  Have I told her that I love her?  I do, I do love her so very much.  Getting old has changed her, but inside I know my grandma is there.  We just have to look past the tears, the laughter, and the fear to see Grandma.