Y3W - Keep Calm and....

Link up with Jenni From The Blog here!!

 

Music make the world go round.....

Music means so much to many people around the world. Music is used in celebration, mourning, relaxation, nostalgia, to show love, to ease pain and many, many more situations. 

I, like many people, use music for all facets of my life. There is never a day that goes by when i don't listen to music and the type of music depends on my mood at any given time of the day. I have a very eclectic taste in music. On my iPod you can find country, rock, pop, reggae, classical, bluegrass and christian. I don't think I could ever say I have one taste in music, there is WAY too much great music out there to stick to one genre. I would have to say that I LOVE the Beatles! Their music is so transcendent and timeless. I also LOVE classical music, Mozart is my very favorite composer. There are many days when you can pass by my desk at work and hear Mozart playing so smoothly from my iPod. 

When I want music to exercise to, which let's face it is not very often, I tend to put on Brittany Spears or Byonce. I love the energy I get from their music. 

I know that we all have music that makes up the "soundtrack of our life" and at any point of the day when we hear a song it can take us back to our first love, prom, college, nights in the club, your wedding, late nights singing to your child, fun road trips, lazy days at home.

I began playing instruments at age 9 in the 4th grade and was in band and/or choir all the way through college. I have a deep affection for music and a fantastic appreciation for all the wonderful musicians out there that play in the soundtrack to my life.

Whatever is going on in you life, you can always count on music to be there for you. Let me know what music is on your "soundtrack" and take the challenge to try a new genre, you never know when you might fall in love with that music.

 

Wordless Wednesday - Fabulous Fall

McFatty Monday Update

Now that we are really in to fall, and it is finally beginning to feel like fall in Denver, I am very ready for some fall comfort food. While these foods are undoubtedly delicious, they are not always the best food for us. I find myself craving the flavors of fall, this includes more beef dishes (pot roast, beef stew) and some very yummy soups. Not to mention the great desserts that come a long with fall. I have this urge to bake all sorts of things, cakes, pies, cobbles (before the fruit goes out of season). These are not things I need to be baking and keeping in my house because I always over indulge on this yummy goodness.

Today, while shopping with my mom, I found these oh so yummy new nuts from Planters. They are Pumpkin Spice Almonds. They are very similar to cinnamon almonds. THEY ARE SO YUMMY! They taste like pumpkin pie but they are SO much better for you. In one serving you get 22 almonds which only costs me 4 points plus for Weight Watchers. They are so much more satisfying than most other snacks that cost me 4 points plus. I have to say that these nuts are a must try for anyone who likes the taste of pumpkin pie. If you have tried them or you plan to try them, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Have a happy, healthy week!

My New Lifesaver

My husband found this new (at least to us) website that is now changing the way we manage our family. Cozi, which can be found here, is a total family management system. You get to set up your whole family, including pets, as members of your family. The most useful part of this website is the shared calendar. If I put an appointment or activity on the calendar everyone can see it on the calendar with their own private username and password. When putting items on the calendar you can also assign who needs to attend that activity. Everything is color coded and you can print out your calendar by day, week or month.

You also have a place to make shopping lists and everyone can add items to the lists. I currently have 4 shopping lists going based on the stores we shop at each month. There is also a place you can make To-Do lists. You can make as many lists as you want including a shared to-do list for the whole family. 

There is a place to make a journal of fun events, funny quotes and memorable times with your family. You can download the app for your iPhone and carry this information with you everywhere you go. You can sync this information with your Outlook calendar too. This website seems to have everything any family needs to manage their time. and one last fun thing, in the downloads section, they have the Cozi Family Cookbook with fast, family friendly recipes. 

Take just a moment to take the tour of this website and you will think "how did we live without this site?"

Very Pinteresting....

This is a new topic that I am adopting. Each week I will write a blog about something I have pinned on Pinterest. If you do not know what Pinterest is, please send me an email and I will send you an invitation to join the obsession.

This weeks pin is about procrastination. We all do it, some much better than others. I happen to be an expert procrastinator.  I do just what the picture above says, I wait for the perfect conditions. I have missed out on many opportunities because of this waiting for the "perfect" time. 

I think it is human nature to procrastinate. The things we tend to put off are the things that are not fun.....going to the dentist.....taking your car for maintenance....cleaning the house....We never say "I think I'll wait to  have that massage until the time is right" We always make time in our lives for the things we love to do. I think now is the time to step back and think about all the non-fun things we have to do and make time in our lives for them. Put them on the calendar....in ink....and make them a priority. 

I often find myself putting things for Ethan down on my list and making them a higher priority than anything that is on the list for me. I know as mothers we all do this but we all have to stop and remember that if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of them.  This week, try to make one of those not so fun activities a priority in your schedule and don't put it off until the timing is perfect!

Wordless Wednesday - My Silly Son

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is here and we all know what that means….Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This cause is very near and dear to my heart, not only because I have breasts and want to keep them healthy but because I know and have known some wonderful ladies that have been affected by this disease.

When I met my husband I learned that his sister, Sharon, is a breast cancer survivor. Sharon was the first person I had personally known that had breast cancer. We are all so glad she is a survivor and she is one of the strongest women I know!

Ethan with his Aunt Sharon at Denver's Race for the Cure 2006

I also had a friend named Susan that had breast cancer twice and lost her battle the second time. She was a volunteer fire fighter and EMT and an all around good person.

My co-worker Kathy is also a breast cancer survivor, she is a great friend and mentor  and also one of the strongest ladies out there.

I hope all the ladies out there remember to do their breast self-exams! Lets all make sure we do our part to keep ourselves healthy. 

McFatty Monday Update

Whoa! What a week....

Last week was my birthday and it was another hard week to get through. It started on Saturday when we celebrated with my mom at Texas Roadhouse then it continued on Tuesday, my actual birthday. First I was greeted at work by a co-worker with a yummy Pumpkin Spice Latte, then I was treated to lunch and a cupcake by a group of co-workers. That night my boys treated me to a great dinner at Applebee's. The fun did not seem to stop and I went out for happy hour with a group of girls for Martinis and Manicure....so much fun!! All this excitement was matched by a lot of stress from work. We had a wonderful Tea Party for our girls and event on Saturday that was a lot of my stress. 

 

I know these all seem like pretty lame excuses but, it was enough to make me nervous going into my weigh-in on Saturday and I decided to "skip the scale". However, I did stay for my meeting which is the most important part of this journey. The meeting topic was about "Why do you want to lose weight?" Paris my leader asked us to come up with some very specific reasons why we want to lose weight. Below are my top 5 reasons why I want to lose weight:

5. I want to be able to shop in any store in the mall. When I go shopping with my girlfriends I want to be able to shop in all the stores they shop in and not have to go to a special section or just stand by and watch them shop.

4. I don't want my son to ask me why I am fatter than his other friend's moms. I know this is totally innocent and he is just curious but I sure does not make me feel good when he asks it.

3. I want to look HOT. My husband tells me all the time that I am hot to him, however; I am a bit shallow and would love to be hot to more people than my husband. I want his friends to think, "damn, your wife is hot"

2. I want to get off my medications.  If I were to get off my medications I would save around $800/year. There are so many more things I would rather buy with that money....clothes, shoes, purses.

And the Number One Reason I want to lose weight

1. I want to weigh less than my husband. I have never, in the 10 years we have been together, been lighter than him. I could be 2 pounds lighter than him and happy for the rest of my life. I simply want to weigh less than he does.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and healthy week!!