Shameless (but not really if you think about it) Plug

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Ok, so this blog entry is kind of going to be a shameless plug for a project I am working on. BUT, before you click away and stop reading, let me preface this entire entry by saying that this project is charity driven...that this entire project is fueled by my desire to help others.  Sooo, maybe stick with me?  Thanks!

If any of you have read my other stuff or even know me, you know that I am a school counselor.  I love my job.  I know people say that all of the time, just to save face....but, no, really...I LOVE my job.  I work with 11th and 12th graders on the daily and I adore each and every one of them -- even the ones who make me freakin INSANE.

With that being said, many of these students have needs...basic needs...that are not being met.   It is heartbreaking to sit with a student knowing that they don't have a coat in the winter or enough food to get them through the week and the only meals they eat are the one provided at school.   Sometimes I work with students who have a chronic health problem that they are not getting addressed because they cannot afford the medical care...especially when it is something like vision or dental care.  It is, as I said, heartbreaking.

I work for an awesome school district who recognizes the diverse needs of its students.  So, as a result a foundation was started in order to help provide for the student needs detailed above.  This foundation is entirely funded by donations.  These funds have helped us provide hope and support to dozens of students just this past school year.  It is truly a blessing.

Because I have been inspired by this, I decided I needed a project to help raise funds on a continuing basis that I can accumulate and donate to the foundation.  I kind of saw it as a win-win because it would give me a project (something a busy-body like me desperately needs) and the result would be contributing to a cause I believe in.

So, what did I do?  I became a Perfectly Posh representative.  I went this route because I love the products and I wanted to use it as an opportunity to go out and meet new people in my community.  I also knew I would have fun with it.   I could have gone around and just asked for cash donations, but I wanted to go a different route.  People can buy products that they need (who doesn't need soap?) and want while knowing that the profit I make (25%) will get donated to the foundation I so love.  

Sooooo, if you are in the market for....

• High quality pampering products (soap, lotions, lip balms, moisturizers, scrubs, face masks, the list goes on and on) that are naturally based. (No harmful chemicals in these suckers!)
• Products that are cruelty free
• Products that are made in the USA
• AFFORDABLE products (nothing over $25)

Please peruse my consultant website and consider placing an order.  I have raised about $100 so far and would love to continue to donate regularly.

Shameless plug concluded.   Thank you!

Diving in to Summer

Before I delve into the topic of the day, I would like to explain a daily feature I am going to start adding at the beginning of each blog entry.  I am going to reflect on the day before and make an effort to pinpoint things I did well and also things that I need to improve upon.  Soooo...here is my reflection for yesterday.

What about you?  How was your Monday?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer!  There could not be a better time for me to take back my health.  As a school counselor, I have most of the summer of, so I will have ample time to jumpstart my healthier lifestyle.  I am blessed with this time and I am going to use it!

Summer Time Goals:

Get Active!

Summer lends itself to being active by nature, but I can finally get to work fitness-wise without the "I am too busy" or "I am too tired" excuses.  I want to create tried and true habits that can carry over into my routine when I resume work at the beginning of August.

Fitness Ideas:  Take walks with the kids (include some fun nature scavenger hunts), walk the dog, run in the neighborhood or at the local school track, resistance bands during down time with the kids, elliptical training, rowing machine, Cize (dance workouts), T25 workouts, SWIMMING!!

Try New Recipes!

During the work week, it is difficult to be adventurous and test out new, healthy recipes.  It is MUCH easier to fall back into the old stand-by recipes that are in my regular rotation because I know they are good and I can whip them up in no time.  My summer goal?  Make some of the new dishes I have been meaning to try and hold on to my favorites, so they too can become a part of the regular work week rotation.  

Here are a couple examples of recipes I would like to try. Thank you, Pinterest!

Who doesn't love nachos?  I think adding nacho toppings to some peppers and broiling them in the oven is a brilliant idea!   Find this recipe here. 

One of my favorite frozen treats ever is the Dole Whip dessert found at Disney World.  Well, hey, let's face it.  I like frozen treats like ice cream and sorbet, period.  This particular homemade frozen treat only has two ingredients:  Frozen Pinepple and coconut milk!  I will definitely be adding this to my repertoire for when I get an ice cream craving.  It is simple enough that you likely don't really need a recipe, but you can find it here. 

Have Fun!

I plan to enjoy myself and my time off.  I am blessed to have the summers off with my kids.  Having this time to regroup is exactly what I need.  Being happy and being under a little less stress will surely help me maintain the positive attitude I need in order to make great strides with my goals.  

Choices

It's interesting how when things become challenging in our lives, we tend to deprive ourselves of the things we enjoy.  It becomes easy to say, "I stopped (insert activity here), because life got too hard. Doesn't that seem counterproductive?  Shouldn't we gravitate towards the things we enjoy in order to better cope with the challenge?  Why do we punish ourselves?

I stopped blogging.  I loved blogging.  I still love blogging.  Sure, I would pop up on occasion with the "I'm back" post and then never write after that...until the next "I'm back" post.  How silly!  While I would like to start posting daily entries again, I know I may need to ease back in.  I really enjoy blogging, so I will try to focus on it more.

I stopped caring about my health.  Well, I don't know if I stopped CARING, I just stopped taking care of it.  The effort just kind of went on the back burner.  While working on your health is not always fun, I liked who I was when I was working to get fit and actually seeing progress.  I actually HAD confidence!  Trust me, confidence is something  I have lacked for most of my life.  I felt healthy.  I felt pride in what I had become.  Yet, somehow, even though I was HAPPY, I left that part of me go. I let it go, Elsa.  I let it go!  I want to find that part of myself again.

I miss who I was...which is kind of silly when you think about it. I miss MYSELF?  I have always been here.  I am the one thing in my life that I have COMPLETE control over!  Why miss myself when I am right here!?!  It is time to reunite my former, healthier confident self with my current self who feels like Jabba the Hut on a daily basis.

I find myself back at square one -- because when you backslide enough, where else are you supposed to end up?  Certainly not ahead of the game...that is for sure.

Soooooo....I have two choices.

Choice #1:
I can mope and feel sorry for myself.  I can remain in the same rut I have been in for nearly 2 years now.  I can continue to loathe my choices.  I can hate myself and I can let the challenges in life get the best of me.   Sounds like a party, right?

Choice #2:
I can accept that I am back at square 1 and see it as an opportunity for positive change.  I can do the best I can to become the best version of myself.  While doing this, I will forgive myself when I make mistakes and learn from them.  I can accept them rather than feeling defeated by them.  I can allow myself to be human without completely giving up on my goals.

I don't know about you, but I think the choice is pretty obvious...

On another note I am going to start being MUCH more active on Instagram as well!  I plan to share photos of progress, food, anything that could be needed for inspiration.  One thing I love doing in life is helping others, and if I can inspire someone while I am trying to better myself, I hope to do that.  I just want others with the same struggle to know that we are in this together and that although we may be strangers, we can still lean on one another for support.  So, yeah, find me on Instagram!  There is a cute little icon you can click on within this blog OR you can look me up!  Search for me under courtsieannb!   Browse, like, comment, whatever!  

Valentines/President's Day Weekend Photo Dump

Soooo, my weekend are usually pretty predictable and sometimes boring.  Don't get me wrong...I am usually ok with that.  Saturdays are usually spent having some family time -- going out and about and doing whatever.  Sundays are reserved for grocery shopping, laundry, and house cleaning.  YIPPEE!

This weekend I actually had stuff to do!  Hell hath frozen over...well,it WAS freakin cold this weekend, afterall.

The kids spent the weekend with family and I was suddenly gifted with this rare commodity called free time.

Friday night was awesome!  For the first time in forever, I actually got to go on a date.  Say whaat?!
I was able to eat Italian food,drink wine slowly, and go see a completely inappropriate movie!  Woo hoo!!

I had to photograph the wine because it is such a rare occurrence...kind of like seeing a bald eagle in the wild.  You photograph that shit!

After dinner, was Deadpool!  This movie is just awesome.  I don't think I have seen a movie this funny in a long time.  It was really dirty though--joke wise.  I mean, hell, even the end credits had sex jokes.  It did not hurt that viewers were able to see Ryan Reynolds' butt on multiple occasions.  All kidding aside though, such a fun movie!  Go see it!  DO NOT take children!  I was appalled at the amount of children I saw leaving this movie when it was over.

No Valentine's gift for me -- which is not a huge deal.  It did, however, give me the perfect opportunity and excuse to buy some gifts from myself.  Charming Charlie was having BOGO on their clearance jewelry.  I got 4 new necklaces for under $20!!  Score.  If you haven't learned this about me already, I NEVER buy anything for full price.  I am a well-trained bargain shopper.  Thanks, mom!

All these new necklaces paired with the ones I had before, necessitated something to hang them on.  I just had this little basket I put them in where they got all tangled.  I intended to get all Pinteresty and make my own little jewelry hanging shelf, but a friend gave me a tip that Hobby Lobby had theirs at 50% off.  The bargain shopper strikes again!  Reality is that it was cheaper to just buy one at this price than make my own.

I also bought a journal for myself this weekend.  Sure, this blog counts as a type of journal, but there are just some things that I am not going to write about for anyone on the interwebs to see.  I have a private life.  I keep it private.  I also have a lot to say about said private life.  I have always meant to start journaling and Barnes and Noble had these journals, you guessed it, ON SALE!  I am two very long entries in so far.  I should have bought a few!

We got quite a bit of snow on Sunday afternoon/evening.  It was actually quite pleasant and peaceful to watch.  I like a good snow when I don't have anywhere I have to be.  I ran the snow blower for the first time on my own the next day.  Woo hoo!  

Best for last!  This is my favorite picture because this is my favorite thing to do.  Since my dear son has taken permanent possession of my Kindle, I guess I am back to reading paper books.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading a good book in front of the fire while watching the snow fall outside. Perfection.  The best part is that I had my kiddos back home.  You can't see it in the picture, but my little Darcy (aka Derby) was snuggled up right next to me here.   As much as it is nice to have some kid-free time.  I always ALWAYS miss them to pieces.  

Getting to Know Me

I haven't written in awhile.  Honestly, things have been a little hectic in my life since, well, June.  I love to write, but got super stressed and just stopped.  I don't know what it is about human nature that causes us to stray from things we enjoy when we are at low point in life, but it happens.  Seems much more productive to gravitate towards those things, but that isn't the way it worked out.

Anyway, I have decided to make time.  I have also decided to begin being me without apologies.  I feel like I have lived life either apologizing for who I am or not showing who I am because of my fear of what people may think.  I am done with that.  It is going to take time, but I am working to stop hiding parts of myself in order to please or avoid criticism from others.  

Because of this, I have decided it is only appropriate to share some things about me that you may not know along with some fun facts, if you will.  So, yeah, this is me...

Music

• I love music -- all kinds.  My favorite band is The Arcade Fire,  I do love so many though.  It really isn't fair to ask my favorite song because my head would explode.  I have no idea.  I love hundreds of songs of different genres from different eras.  
• I actually have a really good singing voice.  I just never use it in public.  My dream is to one day sing in front of a group of people as well as I can sing when I am alone at home or in my car.  
• I am embarrassingly good at Beatles trivia.
• I love to dance...I just don't because I am too self-conscious.  If I had the body I wanted, I can picture myself dancing on tables or on bars and shit....well, maybe not.  
• I took piano lessons as a kid and one of my regrets in life is not taking it more seriously.  I cannot play and I know it is because I didn't practice enough.
• I really want to learn how to play guitar and have toyed with the notion of taking lessons.
• For a person as dorky as I am, I know the words and can rap along to a shockingly high number of rap songs.   As a matter of fact, I too can rap along with Nikki Minaj on Kanye West's Monster.  (I hate that I like some of Kanye's music because he is soooo not likeable)  Take that, Adele! 

Movies

• My favorite movie is Once.  The music in it is fantastic and the story is really beautiful.  If you have never seen it, it is about two people who become friends through their common interest in music.  You can see that they are falling for one another, but they never admit it to one another because the timing is just bad based on things going on in their lives.  The end tears me up and I cry like a baby every time I see it.  Yet, I still love it.  (Advice: Watch it with subtitles because their Irish accents are extremely thick and sometimes hard to understand.)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a close 2nd for my favorite movie.
• I love Star Wars and the new one rocked my socks!
• I love Martin Scorcese movies.
• Even though I should say that my favorite Tarantino movie is Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, it is actually Jackie Brown.
• I love chick flicks.  My fav is When Harry Met Sally.
• I love stupid comedies.  I really also like raunchy humor.  

TV

• I barely watch TV anymore.  I have Direct TV and barely know how to navigate the menu.
• When I do watch TV my favorite shows are The Walking Dead, Family Guy, and Louie.
• My favorite show ever was Breaking Bad.
• My guiltiest pleasures are the now gone True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and Once Upon a Time.  
• I think I have probably seen every episode of the Golden Girls a dozen times. 

Random Crap

• If I make fun of you or joke with you a lot, it means I love you.
• If I smile, nod, and say "that's great" or "ok" a lot, not so much...
• I cry when I am angry (I hate that about myself!).
• If I am pissed off I also tend to get silent and have noticed that I bite my lip.
• I can be socially awkward.  I HATE social events where I barely know anyone. 
• I strongly dislike escalators due to getting my shoelace caught in one as a child.  It was traumatic!!
• I am medicated for anxiety and also because without medical help, my serotonin levels are freakishly low. 
• If I could marry any celebrity it would be Seth MacFarlane because he is freaking hilarious. He can sing too!  A sense of humor is the most attractive quality a person could have, in my opinion. 
  
• Speaking of hilarious, I also am a huge fan of Louis C.K.  
• I love animals, but my favorite animal is orangutans.  I mean, look at this face!!!!
  
• I can understand coding enough to maintain this blog, but cannot understand how to properly and efficiently use Microsoft Excel.
• I am highly intuitive.  
• I believe in ghosts and have even seen a few.  
• I love cereal.  I eat it for dinner at least 4 nights per week.  My favorite is Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles.  I am trying to be all healthy and crap though...so my dinner cereals are less sugary. Booooo!
• I love being creative -- in a variety of ways

I could go on, but I won't cause, yikes!  Just wanted to reveal a little more about who I am because of the fact that I am normally kind of uncomfortable talking about myself.  Just thought it would be a more fun way of reintroducing myself to the bloggy universe.