2013 Resolutions

Resolutions for 2013

I make resolutions every year, some I keep and some I break. I wonder sometimes if I should make them because of the pressure to complete them. My husband calls them goals, and maybe if I looked at them that way I would achieve more of them.

So my goals for 2013 are as follows:

1. Health – every year, every month, every week I say I am going to eat better, exercise more….and for a short time I do but then I fall right back into the bad eating and laziness of not exercising. It is stupid cause I feel better when I eat better and exercise but it is easier to do and be the other way. Now with having diabetes my health is really a factor. So, my first goal for 2013 is to get healthy, all of us…no excuses, no laziness.

2. Family – Spend more time with my family instead of sitting on the couch on a Saturday or Sunday, I want to take more time to get out and do things with my kids and husband. Which leads me to my next one…

3. Parks – Visit every state park in Florida this year I want to visit every state park in Florida with the kids. Some I have been to but it has been a long time.

4. Faith – this year I will incorporate faith, God and church into our life more. I don’t want to be an occasional church goer anymore, and I want to instill faith in my children.

5. Organization – I say I am going to be better organized and stay less cluttered and 2013 is going to be the year it happens.

6. Friends – I will make more time for my friends this year. I live back in my hometown where a lot of people I grew up with still live yet I don’t take the time to make plans with them. That will change this year.

7. Charity – I will be more giving this year, and teach my kids this as well. I will help random people as well as give to my charities of choice in 2013.

8. Football – I love professional football. I know quite a bit but would like to know more and understand the game better. I’d also like to do fantasy this year, more then just the Perfect Challenge the NFL offers. And I would like to go to both a Miami Dolphin and Houston Texans game when the 2013 season starts.

9. Save – I will save more money this year. I will put myself on a budget, stick to it and put money in savings and away for retirement. I will get my kids to save more. I want to reestablish the envelope system and have them put money in for spend, short term goal, long term goal, save and charity.

10. Complete – this year I will start something and complete it. I will start 30 day challenges and not complete them. I will complete things this year.

Music Monday – Music Obsession

The following songs I am completely addicted to and listen to them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over (ok, I think you get it) again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music Mondays – Work Out Playlist

I was working out today at the YMCA and usually I just let whatever movie they are playing in the background dictate my workout. I realized today that I have to stop doing that. Depending on who is the “floor” person determines if we listen to Top 40 or Easy Listening…and let’s just face it, easy listening doesn’t suit well for a workout.

So my current “Work Out” playlist consists of the following:

1. Jessie J – Domino
2. Gotye/Kimbra – Somebody That I Used To Know
3. David Guetta/Nicki Minaj – Turn Me On
4. Kelly Clarkson – What Doesn’t Kill You
5. One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
6. Calvin Harris – Feel So Close
7. Breathe Carolina – Blackout
8. Gym Class Heroes – Back Home
9. Chris Brown – Beautiful People
10. Outasight – Tonight is The Night
11. LMFAO – Sorry For Party Rocking
12. Train – Drive By
13. Maroon 5/Wiz Khalifa – Payphone
14. HOt Chelle Rae/New Boyz – I Like It Like That
15. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
16. Jennifer Lopez/Pitbull – Dance Again
17. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
18. Maroon 5/Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger
19. Britney Spears – Toxic
20. Gym Class Heros/Adam Levine – Stereo Hearts
21. Foster The People – Don’t Stop
22. Yolanda Be Cool/Dcup – We No Speak Americano
23. Estelle/Kanye West – American Boy
24. Cobra Starship/Leighton Meester – Good Girls Go Bad
25. Dev – In The Dark
26. Havana Brown/Pitbull – We Run The Night
27. Alexandra Stan – Mr. Saxo Beat
28. Afrojack – Take Over Control
29. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
30. Cee Lo Green – Forget You
31. Chris Brown – Turn Up The Music
32. Hot Chelle Rae – Tonight Tonight
33. Cobra Starship/Sabi – You Make Me Feel…
34. Kanye West – All Of The Lights
35. Luke Bryan – Country Girl (Shake It For Me)
36. Neon Trees – Animal
37. Get Cool – Shawty Got Moves
38. Marianas Trench – Cross My Heart
39. K’naan/Adam Levine – Bang Bang
40. Animotion – Obsession
41. Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
42. Jason Derulo – It Girl
43. Chris Trousdale/Nevermind – Not Too Young
44. Groove Armada – I See You Baby
45. Tina Parol – Who’s Got Your Money

So, I ask you….what do you work out to?  What should I add to my Work Out playlist?

Tuesday Truths – Resolutions

We are four months into the year and my resolutions have both been kept and broken.  Here is where I stand now with them. My resolutions for 2012:

1.  Blog More – Well you all know how this one has gone….basically it hasn’t gone well. I say all the time I would honestly like to blog more and then I don’t. I am the only one to blame for that. There is plenty I could blog about to fill up at least four to five of the seven days of the week if not all seven.

2. Be better to myself – this is another one I have broke and I am paying for it. I take weight off, I put it on, I take it off, I put it on. I get active, I get lazy. I feel good about myself, I fall into depression.

3. Priorities - I am going to blame this one partially for why blogging more has fallen off my list. I have been trying to spend more time with my family, and have been. I have not kept up on some of the other priorities on my list such as being good to myself and incorporating faith and God more into our lives.

4. Give Back More – I have done some volunteering but not as much as I would like to.

5. Make new friends and reconnect with old ones – Reconnecting with old friends just seems to keep happening and reoccurring constantly for me. I am reconnecting with people I haven’t seen or spoken to in years and it feels good. Now to work on the making new friends part.

6. Take a family trip/vacation – I am working out a family trip (plans, budget, saving) for a trip to Hawaii in the summer of 2013. I am hoping it will all work out so that I we can go, looks good for now.

7. Put myself on a budget and STICK TO IT!!! – Still saving and investing, still not on a budget!

8. Be more organized and efficient – This has not been an easy one for me. I have become more efficient and organized at work but not at home or in my own life.

9. Date Night – Still keeping with weekly (or as often as we possibly can) lunches with one friend. Have spent time out with my girls. Try to go out with my husband (just us) or go out as a family for dinner. Sometimes we go to dinner as a family then the boys go to one movie and the girls go to another.

Tuesday Truths – Following Up On Resolutions

My resolutions for 2012:

1.  Blog More – this is one I say I am going to do all the time and then fall behind on it. This year I would honestly like to blog more and want to make an active effort to do so. I enjoy blogging even if I don’t do it that well. – Well, let’s see…..I certainly have not stuck to this one. I honestly do want to blog more and would like to make the effort to do so.  But I know I can say that and until I do it is nothing but words.  Maybe I am still afraid of what people will think of what I write and I need to just stop that.  

2. Be better to myself – how I feel, the way I eat, how much I exercise, taking care of myself, making an effort in my apperience (nails, clothes, hair). – I have made a small effort at this one.  I did change my eating habits for a while but fell back into eating junk cause it’s just easier and let’s face it, it does taste good. This needs to be an effort that I put more into because if I don’t my health will pay for it.

3. Priorities - Get my priorities in order: God, Family, Myself, my friends, etc. – I can honestly say that I have done the most with this resolution, aside from taking better care of myself. I am making an effort to spend more time with my friends and family, and enjoy myself while doing so. I am not dealing with people’s drama, and instead avoiding people who bring drama into my life. I have a great family, a great set of friends who are like family and I have God in my life.

4. Give Back More – Volunteering, donating – I have not done anything on this resolution.

5. Make new friends and reconnect with old ones – Being back in Sebring has helped me to reconnect with my old friends and through them I have met some fantastic new people. I have also reconnected with a great group of girls that I love even though we are all in different parts of the U.S., I feel like they are my soul at times.

6. Take a family trip/vacation – A trip with Richard, the kids and myself to Hawaii? NY? Texas? California? – This might not happen till next year because of saving money to do so; however we are spending more time together as a family. 

7. Put myself on a budget and STICK TO IT!!! – Set a weekly/monthly budget for myself to stick to, invest more and prepare for the future. – I am actively putting money away for retirement, however I have not put myself on a budget yet so I have yet to stick to anything. 

8. Be more organized and efficient – in my life, at work, at home – The procrastinator in me will not allow this to happen for what ever reason and it is both sad and sickening. I need to be more organized, my stress would be so much less if I was.

9. Date Night – make regular “Date Nights” with my hubby and my girls, even if only once a month. - This is probably one of the only resolutions I have done anything with. My hubby and I have taken time to go out together. I have a friend who we try to do lunch every week. Now I just need to get a girls night together with my girls here in town and this resolution will be almost perfect.

Resolutions for 2012

Ok, so maybe I behind the norm….waiting till the 8th day of the new year to post what my resolutions will be for that year but I wrote the list in December of 2011 so it still counts right?

This was meant to be posted on the first of January but nothing ever happens when it is supposed to in my life. There is a reason I am known as a procrastinator. I’d say that is one thing I would like to change but I know honestly that it probably never will.

Alright, enough with the chit chat…

My resolutions for 2012:

1.  Blog More – this is one I say I am going to do all the time and then fall behind on it. This year I would honestly like to blog more and want to make an active effort to do so. I enjoy blogging even if I don’t do it that well.

2. Be better to myself – how I feel, the way I eat, how much I exercise, taking care of myself, making an effort in my apperience (nails, clothes, hair).

3. Priorities - Get my priorities in order: God, Family, Myself, my friends, etc.

4. Give Back More – Volunteering, donating

5. Make new friends and reconnect with old ones -

6. Take a family trip/vacation – A trip with Richard, the kids and myself to Hawaii? NY? Texas? California?

7. Put myself on a budget and STICK TO IT!!! – Set a weekly/monthly budget for myself to stick to, invest more and prepare for the future.

8. Be more organized and efficient – in my life, at work, at home

9. Date Night – make regular “Date Nights” with my hubby and my girls, even if only once a month.

 

Music Monday – Favorite Christmas Carols

The following are my favorite Christmas Carols:

“Angels We Have Heard On High” – 1862 – a French traditional carol “Les Anges dans nos Campagnes“

“Away in a Manger” – 1885 – first two stanzas attributed to unknown auther with the third stanza written by John McFarland in 1904

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” – 1962 – written by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne

“Joy to the World” – words by Isaac Watts based on Psalm 98; music arranged by Lowell Mason based on themes in Handel’s Messiah

“Noel nouvelet” – French Carol – 15th century – translated into English as “Sing We Now of Christmas“

“O Holy Night” – words by Placide Cappeau de Rouquemaure, translated by John Sullivan Dwight, music arranged by Adolphe Adam

“Silent Night” – “Stille Nacht! heilige Nacht!” – written by Franz Xaver Gruber and Josef Mohr, English translation by John Freeman Young

“We Three Kings of Orient Are” – 1863 – written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins – strictly an Ephiphany carol

2011 Christmas Wish List

My 2011 Christmas Wish List:

1.  Bath & Body Works Scents:

                        

Country Chic        Japanese Cherry Blossom           Paris Amour

2.  These Boots:

Women’s Merona® Kamischel Suede Lug Sole Boots – Grey

3.   This Camera, because who doesn’t want instant business card sized photos:

4.  A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree:

5.  This quilt, because it is Dolphin colors (GO PHINS!):

Actually that one should probably say anything Dolphins.

6.  Anything from here http://www.destinationdinners.com/:

7.  A trunk organizer (similar to this one):

8.  This USB drive:

9. This K and J stackable rings:

        

10.  These, because do you really need to ask?:

11. These bandages:

12.  Purse Hanger/Mirror (any one of these):

  

Item 2 is from Target, Items 4,8, 10 & 11 are from Urban Outfitters, Items 5, 7, & 12 are from Red Envelope and Item 1 is from Bath and Body Works.

Item 3 I found by googling cameras on the Fuji site.

Item 6 can be found on the website Destination Dinners, which is actually a pretty cool.

BLOG HOP: 25 things you might not know about me…

I had a completely different post in mind for tonight but upon reading this on Nicole’s blog, I decided to make this the topic.

1. I adore children’s shows and will watch things like Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, Good Luck Charlie, I’m in the Band, Big Time Rush, etc. even if my children aren’t home.
2. Although my favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast, my favorite Disney character is Alice.
3. I consider myself fairly versed in music and will listen to just about anything, though I don’t favor rap or heavy metal.
4. I still drink kool-aid, grape is my favorite.
5. I have a collection of music boxes that my great grandmother started for me.
6. I love to watch Audrey Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman movies.
7. I love cooking, but I despise baking.
8. I have a really hard time buying anything for myself, even if it is something I want or need. I find it selfish.
9. I cannot “roll” my tongue* and my children think it is hilarious. (All 3 of them can) *see illustration below*.
10. I love being outside (camping, biking, hiking, at the lake, etc.) and wish we did more things “outdoors”.
11. When I was in high school, I was a big Ag nerd, did my co-op at a citrus plant, was in FFA and raised a lamb for the county fair (which was best in show for his weight class).
12. My middle name is Jan which is my grandmother’s name, my mother’s middle name is Vivien which was her grandmother’s name and my daughter’s middle name is Carol which is my mother’s name.  The tradition goes back to my great grandmother’s great grandmother of using the grandmother’s name as the daughter’s middle name.  My poor daughter will have to figure out how to use Kelli if she continues the tradition.
13. I have read The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts 24 times.
14. I believe in Ghosts.
15. I have an unhealthy obsession with Dave Grohl and think my husband favors him slightly.
16. I play at least one of the six Guitar Hero games daily: Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III: Legands of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (all for xbox 360) and have owned ALL versions of Guitar Hero (Aerosmith, 80′s, etc.) at one time or another.
17. I have an electric guitar and would love to continue my lessons so I can learn to play it.
18. Although I want to learn to play guitar, I prefer drummers.
19. I don’t know a lot about social media, and as much as I want to be a part of things (facebook, twitter, etc.) it scares me.
20. I could eat crab, avocado and popcorn every day.
21. I loathe the black leather “media” theater seating couch that we own.  LOATE.IT.
22. I secretly want a cat, but can’t have one because my husband and son are severely allergic to them.
23. I had gestational diabetes with all three of my children and was insulin requiring with my daughter.
24. I wish my husband and I held hands more.
25. I met my husband online back in 1998; before meeting someone online was “cool” on Excite Chat program (way before eHarmony) and we used ICQ to talk to one another.

So there you have it, 25 things you might not know about me; but now you do.

P.S. For those of you who don’t know what I mean by “roll” my tongue THIS is what I mean:

1. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My 10 Summer Must Haves

I was prompted on the idea for this thanks to the lovely, and wonderful Nicole and her post about ‘Summer Must Haves‘.  I have seen a few other lists as well on blogs, websites and in magazines.  Here is my ‘ 10 Summer Must Haves’ List:

1.  Sun Block – We currently favorite the following in our house and use them on every outing that involves the sun, especially our boating excursions.  We have been lucky enough this summer to only have a few occasions were sun burns happen, when in other years it was a constant during the summer.  However, thankfully in the process, we are all developing ‘Florida tans’.  I use a trick I was told in Hawaii of putting on the SPF for protection and then tanning lotion for enhancement.  It seems to work, or at least I think it does.

Coppertone Waterbabies SPF 50 – for protection

Neutrogena For Faces SPF 70 – for the face

Australian Gold Tanning Lotion SPF 15 – over top of the SPF 50

2.  Flip Flops – A must have every summer I think in every state….but especially in Florida were you can wear them almost year round.  I currently own more flip flops then other type of shoe and in many different styles and colors.  I would love to own a pair of these

Fish flip flops

 Or these:

Hello Kitty Flip Flops

3.  First Aid Kit – These are also a must, at any time.  We have one in the truck, one in my car, one in the boat and a travel one that is usually in my purse or whatever bag I happen to be carrying at the time.

4.  Bags – I have an assortment of canvas and cinch bags I put things in and carry with us.  I have a bag for the boat (titled ‘The Boat Bag’).  I also carry plastic grocery bags as well, especially on the boat and to the beach to put wet items in.

5.  After Sun Lotion – Ok so maybe this should have been up with or closer to sun block but a must have in my household during the summer is Banana Boat After Sun Lotion with Aloe.  It helps to take the sting out of burns as well as moisturize the skin and allow tanning to last longer with out peeling.

6.  Nail Polish – although I might not get regular pedicures (because of time & price constraints) I do regularly work on my feet at home and keep my toes painted.  I love colors and love to change colors, sometimes weekly.  My favorites right now are:

Sally Hansen – Hard As Nails – Xtreme Wear – #42 Gunmetal

Sally Hansen – Hard As Nails – Xtreme Wear – #140 Rockstar Pink

OPI – Texas Collection – Houston We Have A Purple

OPI – Texas Collection – Austin-tatious Turquoise

OPI – Pirates of the Caribbean Collection – Mermaid’s Tears

OPI – Pirates of the Caribbean Collection – Skull and Glossbones

OPI – Pirates of the Caribbean Collection – Steady As She Rose

OPI – Hong Kong Collection – Jade Is The New Black

OPI – Alice In Wonderland Collection – Thanks So Muchnesa

7.  Fruit – Gotta love summer fruits….grapes, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, watermelon….all so good.

8.  Bathing Suit – I recently found a full piece that is perfect for me.  It fits me well, covers enough but also shows enough – if ya know what I mean.  It is black with design and has a ‘boy-short’ type bottom even though it is a full piece.

9.  Hair stuff – I always have a ouchless pony tail holder in my bag or around my wrist.  I try to buy ones that are brown in color to match my brunette color so they aren’t as noticeable but I also have ones in colors to match different clothing I have.  Also, my hair is naturally curly and living somewhere like Florida, humidity is a problem and so is frizz.  My current frizz product of choice is Agadir Argan Oil Treatment.  Plus it smells really good.

10.  iPod – got to have your tunes while relaxing by the pool or on the beach.  My playlist changes quite frequently depending on my mood or where I am going.  The iPod is also good for long car rides to get to the destinations.