Change

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May is proving to be all sorts of challenging. I have an incredible amount of work to do, decisions to make, and sugar to avoid. This past week was not blog worthy, unless you enjoy complaining about migraines and sleepless nights. Oh and don't forget the never ending parade of sweets being offered around school every day. (Insert guilty face) FUN!

I will try harder this week. Stick to my goals. Accomplish more. Nap less. 

How are you?

Monday Motivation: Hurdles

Happy Monday!

I just wrapped up Week 2 of Revolt! 

Week two had some hurdles (aka chips and salsa) that tripped me up a couple of times, but in general I'm feeling like this guy!

Seriously,  after a week of being nauseated at the sight of food, I am really trying hard to stick with the plan.  When there were social situations that were off plan, I just nibbled and ate as much salad or fruits/veggies as I could.  

I have to share my proudest moment. I managed to only take three bites of homemade, fire pit roasted smores! My inner chocoholic resisted eating anymore!

All you non-sweet tooth people may not understand, but this was a big step! It was even on my official cheat day. 

I loved this week's workouts. I admit to wimping out on some of the upper body strength training and using my baby weights, but this is still better than my usual routine. I really believe the workout videos alone are worth the subscription so far. I love the quick pace and that it doesn't require too much equipment. Nichole also uses great music. 

I'm encouraged by the # on the scales, though I wouldn't say I've visually made progress. We shall see how running goes this week as well as finally have some fruity smoothies! :)

What are you working on this week?

Out of Order

Day 10: Your Most Embarrassing Moment

To this day my most memorable embarrassing moment happened in middle school.  I went into the women's restroom during a basketball game even though there was a sign taped to the door that said Out of Order. 

I had just a few minutes between quarters (I was cheerleading) and I couldn't wait. I went in thinking surely there would be one stall working. I quickly realized the problem was a leak and there was standing water on the floor. No worries, I'll just tiptoe in right?

As I sat down in the stall, I suddenly heard mens voices.  It was my principal and someone who I can only assume was a custodian. Then I heard him say, "It's this one right here." and I see the door to my stall swing open. He screamed, I screamed, we all screamed for...oh wait, we were both just shocked and embarrassed. I could never really look that poor man in the eye again after that. 

I've done plenty of stupid and embarrassing things since, but those are all too painfully fresh to rehash on the blog today.

What is your most embarrassing moment?  Why does the word embarrass have to have two r's? grrrrr

One Moment

Day 9: A moment in your day.

One of my sweet students brought me these beautiful sunflowers before school started. They cheered me all day. Moments like this are what make difficult weeks better. They are rare, but lovely.

May is kicking my tail. It is GT testing season which means I sit and watch kids test all day and read, "move your place marker under the banana" at least ten times a day.

I shared this on Twitter but it is blog worthy. A first grader today asked me if I wanted to smell his "hairy pits." I replied I did not. He then pulled his sleeve down anyways and shoved his underarm towards me. He was not joking-it was hairy!!! What the?  I am not exaggerating when I say I am scarred for life.

Speaking of underarms, thank you school nurse for the travel-size deodorant you gave me the last time I forgot to wear any deodorant to work. It came in very handy today once I made it to school and realized I was bare down there.

Can you tell I'm tired? This post wins the award for most pointless post of the month.

:) Do you keep backup deodorant at work? lol

Not Just a Teacher

 "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question 'what do you do?'"

I arrive at my "office" before the sun comes up, sleepily turning on my computer and checking for any important messages.

I stand at my door and greet kiddos as they too stumble in sleepily. Can we not begin our day a little later please?

I share myths, poetry, and puzzles that all kids deserve but few receive. 

I ask lots of questions and refuse to accept easy answers.

I give children time to discuss and then to create. 

I inspire kids to think divergently and not be afraid to fail. 

I listen, smile knowingly, and sometimes give my 2 cents when co-workers are exhausted with the woes of our job.

I make people laugh with my often ridiculous humour. When all else fails, I'll probably make a joke. This is both good and bad.

I give hugs and pep talks to little ones who struggle with managing impulsivity and are frequently in trouble. 

I worry every time I hear cries in the hallway, knowing one of my littles is having a difficult day.

I hoard all types of recyclables and crafty goods because it can surely be turned into an Instant Challenge!

I do paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. Lots of paperwork no one ever sees.

I travel between two schools that could not be more different not only in size but in climate. I am flexible therefore I do my best to fit in at both places, but neither feels like home anymore. Regardless I love them both equally. They are both good places to be filled with kind and caring people.

I'm a brain hugger. 

I teach. 

When I'm not teaching I'm hanging out with the Sherms, chatting with my family and friends, cooking with Farm Boy, walking or wogging around the neighborhood, blogging about my adventures, spending more money one makeup, dreaming of a beach vacation. :)




Happy Teacher Appreciation Week :) I hope you get some GIFT CARDS! 

When My Stomach Revolts!

DETOX Week with Revolt Fitness is done.  There were ups and downs and some cheats, but overall I am excited. It was such a wake up call for me and I am pumped to share.

My goal for week 1: Eliminate opportunities for failure.  These are Nichole's words of advice and she couldn't be more right. That meant no food detours for me this week! I am the world's worst about stopping on the way home for a snack or a treat after work. Early morning trips to Starbucks were limited to coffee only (I already drink my coffee black, but no more banana walnut bread for me!).

Image via immatureentreprenuer.com

Detox Diet: Someone get me a trashcan! I felt nauseated all week from eating. The VERY clean eating meal plan was refined sugar and processed food free = a big change for my system.

Image via bakedbree.com

I cannot eat hard boiled eggs and bananas every morning, so I opted for scrambled some mornings and other mornings I felt so bleh I made plain oatmeal and fruit. I was not a saint. I forgot the chicken for my salad on Thursday so I drove to Chick Fil A and ordered grilled nuggets. They gave me the regular ones and I ate them with my salad anyways. Ooops. We had a fun Friday breakfast at work Friday morning. I had pigs in a blanket, except I peeled off half of the "blanket" and made it more like a pig in a hammock, but it was still bread. I ate dried fruit in my oatmeal a few times. Oatmeal isn't supposed to be until week 2 of the plan, but as I mentioned earlier I became so sick at the site of eggs I had to go to plan B.

I am being honest in admitting I don't know how well I will be able to follow the Revolt meal plan. There isn't enough variety for my foodie tastes. I know the goal is to lose weight and build lean muscle, but I have looked more closely at the Whole 30 plan and will likely stick with their food list and stick with the Revolt schedule and calories. If anything, Whole 30 is more restrictive and clean, which can only help at this point!

 Another con is that I am not interested in supplements or whey protein shakes. I will save that for another post, but this has been an issue for me starting the plan. I'd love to hear your experience or thoughts on protein shakes. (bleh)

Our cheat day was Saturday, but I opted to have mine Friday night for a little early Cinco de Mayo margaritas! I took it easy and stayed closely on plan the rest of the weekend, but I did cheat with some Brazilian cheese and crackers.

Thanks a lot Central Market for tempting me with all your goodies!

Workouts: I loved the cardio and strength workouts! Nichole's circuit and strength training was fun and the music kept it flowing.

Look how cute she is!

Nichole's workouts are 100% the reason why I'm sticking with Revolt for six weeks! I love that she demonstrates and explains all the moves BEFORE you begin the actual workout. This was so helpful on day 1. By Wednesday you can easily fast forward to the actual workout and go! I typically walked the dog when I was done for a bit more cardio. In the future I plan to try to run afterwards or later in the day.

My only issue was my dog trying to kill me by putting his toys at my feet while trying to workout. This is bound to end with me falling on my face at some point. I also developed quite the pain in the neck after doing 4 sets of Superman ab work. I am looking forward to new videos this week and pushing myself a little harder.

That is my wrap up for week 1! I encourage you to try something crazy this week (like not eating pasta or skipping the sugar in your coffee) and see how it goes. :)

Blogger Adoration: Pretty Shiny Sparkly

Day 5 of our May Challenge is to share all about a blogger you love. I immediately thought of Emily from Today's Letters. She is my favorite. She is the macaroni to my blogging cheese. She writes letters for her blog (lucky). I love reading and writing letters which means I naturally love her. She is a twinner, fisher, and a doggy momma aka AWESOME.

Though Today's Letters is my favorite blog of all time, I have a new blogger love/crush that I want to share with you. Beware. If you don't like makeup and sparkles you should stop reading now.

Kristina from Pretty Shiny Sparkly is my new favorite beauty blogger/vlogger. She has the wardrobe and makeup bag I've always wanted. She has the Chanel bag many people have always wanted. (Not me...can't get into that chain look.) AND she lives in Texas oh and she is a physician. I'd nickname her McCutie if she were on Grey's.  

Seriously though, someone who has fair skin like me has a hard time finding products that work well. I feel like she is my own personal make-up specialist because if it looks good on her, there is a much better chance it will look good on me!

However, I have officially blown my budget on a regular basis since finding her blog. What used to be only occasional stroll down the makeup aisle in Target, has turned into weekly trips or actual stops at Walgreens, CVS, or ULTA.  I have somehow managed to refrain from hitting up department store cosmetics counters, but just like any addict, I'm still in the gateway phase. lol Ok, I know I shouldn't joke about gateway drugs (also known as Revlon Lip Butters).

Just look at my birthday photo. Every product on my face is a result of Kristina's recs. I'm cray cray about lipstick now!

So bloggy hugs to Kristina who has no idea who I am. ;). Be sure to go by and check out some of her videos if you are a product junkie like me!

My Favorite Quote

This has been my favorite quote since I was a teenager. I think I even campaigned to have it be my senior class quote. Anything to beat my friend's nomination of, "Only shooting stars break the mo oh wold."  Who was that band anyways?

I love many quotes by Eleanor (I realize her name is spelling incorrectly above, but it was the only pretty version I could find) and it is worth a Pinterest search just to read a few more good ones.  This one touches on my love of having big dreams and believing in accomplishing them. A person who has no dream is a person who is stuck. I hate feeling stuck. Dreams, no matter how far fetched keep you going, reminding you the future has all sorts of things in store. Hopefully great things.