If I Ruled the World and 11 Things About Me

 

Tiffany over at Knot Chocolate tagged me with a very deep question.  If I ruled the world....fill in the blank with three statements.  You can check out her post on this here.  This is a really hard question.  How could I possibly narrow it down to just three things?  Then I realized I was thinking way too much.  Duh, this is never going to happen and so I came up with this.

If I ruled the world.............
1. There would be no mean evil people doing mean evil things to others and hating others for things like race, sexual orientation or religion.  So much energy is spent on hating people for no reason at all and I'm so tired of seeing senseless crimes and murders on the news.  It is so sad that humans are capable of such cruelty and I want it stopped.   This is the modified version of total world peace.  I'm trying to be somewhat realistic.

2.  The standard work week would be four consecutive days instead of five.  Every weekend would be a 3 day weekend.  Even if it meant tacking on just one extra hour per day to the four work days out of the week to compensate a bit this would be huge for overall quality of life.  Two weekend days are simply not enough to have time for yourself and relax.  I'm sure everyone can agree with me on this one. 

3.  There would be no more terminal illness or disease (or murder based on rule #1).  The only way to die is by accident, injury or old age.  Period.  If I could get rid of all death I would but again...being realistic here and when I think about I'm really not so sure I want to live forever anyways.


I was also tagged by another blogger Abs to state Eleven things about myself, answer Eleven questions that she came up with and come with eleven questions to ask another blogger.  Whew....that's a lot of Q & A.  So since I have a tendency to make up my own rules on these things I decided to post the 11 things she stated about herself and answer the questions she passed onto me.  No one is getting tagged and I'm not making up new questions.   It's been going around quite a bit so I'm sure everyone has already done it right?  Right?

Eleven questions and answers about me:   
1. What was your favorite cartoon growing up?  The only cartoons I can remember watching are The Smurf's, Scooby Dooby Doo and Inspector Gadget.

2. Do you think kids had it easier back in the day (when you were a kid) or now and why?  Yes.  The internet and even texting is a game changer in terms of bullying and overall mischief that kids can get themselves mixed up in.  Kids seem to have gotten taller and meaner!  Things weren't perfect when I was a kid but everything just seemed simpler and less complicated.  I'm sure every generations says that.

3. In one sentence, what do you think makes a good mommy?  A good mommy is someone who is supportive, kind and knows when to put her foot down.  Just like my mom who has been the best mommy I could ever ask for.

4. Is the glass half full or half empty?  If I were asked this question 5 years ago I would have said half empty but now I say half full.  There are too many good things in life to only see half empty.

5. What makes you smile when you are feeling upset?  Thinking about my wonderful husband, what a good thing we have going on and how much happier I am since he's been in my life.

6. What is your absolute favorite food in the world?  Pizza.  I wish it were something more sophisticated but it's not.

7. What was your favorite 2011 Christmas gift?  My brown leather jacket from H & M.  I picked it out myself but it was a gift from my husband.  And my tan Uggs; also a gift from Mj.  I adore them both so I can't just pick one.

8. If you were given a shopping cart and 1 minute in your local supermarket, what would you put in your cart?  Tons of meat and cheese.  That seems to be the most expensive thing we buy at the grocery store.  I wouldn't overdo it on the fruit though.  It is also expensive but spoils...and I don't know how well it freezes.

9. What is your absolute favorite dream car?  I wrote a whole post about  my dream cars of years past.  I'd have to say my favorite dream car is the one I have now.  It's a Honda Civic that I'm hoping to keep forever.  I only care about what matters most and that is quality, reliability and gas mileage.

10. Are you a dreamer or a “go-getter”?  I'd like to say I'm a go getter.  Who wouldn't?  But I'm thinking I am more of a dreamer. 

11. What is your dream holiday destination and why?  Europe!!!  Particularly Greece.  Because I've never been and I hear it's beautiful.  I want to see all of those age old buildings and monuments that I've only seen on TV in person.  It's the kind of place you might get to go to only once in a lifetime and I hope I get to go.


Eleven things about Abs
If you want to learn even more about her check out her blog at Nabstural.
1. I absolutely love Jesus Christ – he is my “bestest” friend
2. I am a first born and honoured by my siblings respect of my role
3. I have 2 brothers
4. I have a weakness for chips (French fries) and crisps (chips)
5. I have never had a cavity
6. If I could re-decorate every week I would be one super happy girl – I love love love it
7. I am gifted in event planning
8. I am an internet surf-aholic
9. Bargain is my second name and I can smell it from a mile away especially on the internet
10. I am a lover of Mary Kay products and have been using them for 13+ years
11. My favourite shop in the whole wide world so far is “Bed bath and beyond”

Reality TV Randoms

I started watching house hunters back in 2009 when we were first starting to look for houses.  I thought maybe it was a phase because I was in house hunting mode but nope.  I'm still addicted.  I just watched an episode about a couple looking for a house in Hendersonville, TN and got to thinking that maybe we should up move there.  With a $350,000 budget you can get a large mansion like 4200 square foot 4 bedroom 3 bath move in ready home with hard wood floors throughout and sky high ceilings.  Granite counter tops included.  Oh, and an office.  Did I mention the 1200 square foot finished basement with a wet bar?  We don't ever want or need a place bigger then 2,500 square feet so just Imagine how little we would have to spend on the house of our dreams there.  I love So Cal but the Sunshine tax is such a high price to pay.   You can't get anything close to that here for that price.   But...on the other hand when I think about the perfect weather we have here it's worth it.  I guess.

There is Basketball Wives, Baseball Wives and House Wives of:  Atlanta, New Jersey, New York, Orange County and Beverly Hills.  Did I leave any out?  Well, the other night I stumbled upon Prison Wives.  Let's just say it's way different then those other shows.  There is nothing glamorous about this one.  Annika Powell; a single mom with three kids decides to marry Anthony who is a convicted murderer serving time in a maximum security prison.  She was hooked up by the fiance of one of his cell mates.  Her and her kids have moved 5 times in 3 years to follow Anthony when he gets transferred to different prisons.  She's sort of like a military wife except when Anthony gets transferred it's certainly not for a new job and he never brings home a paycheck.  In fact, he never comes home.  Ever.  And he never will because he is a lifer with no chance of parole.  She survives on food stamps.  Anthony has stepped in from behind the walls of prison to be a much loved step dad to her kids.  She even wants Anthony to legally adopt the kids and have them change their last name to his.  That would require a man who is not imprisoned, albeit a dead beat, to give up his parental rights so I can't imagine any court in the country allowing this.  Annika's mom even got in on the inmate action.  Anthony found a pen pal for grandma who promptly fell in love as well.  When he got transferred to a different prison grandma moved out of Annika's house to move closer to him.

Photo Source and Video of Mia's mom behaving badly

I tried so hard to give up Toddler's and Tiaras.  I removed it from my DVR and basically quit it for a couple seasons.  There is something so wrong yet so enjoyable about watching these little girls and their moms go out to compete and kick butt in the cut throat world of pageants.  The next thing I knew I was watching it again.  There are kids who are so sweet and hard working in spite of their awful parents and kids who have some major behavioral issues and drive their poor parents nuts.  Last Week's episode featured precious little 4 year old Mia who competed her heart out. Her music ended before she left the stage in the Beauty competition so her mom was ranting and raving that she better forget about winning and that the judges hated her when she hadn't even finished the competition.  What kind of parent discourages their young child that way?  Then, when she won  $500 bucks and the second biggest title mom says that is nothing to her.  She wanted the $10,000 prize and now her dreams and her life are ruined because Mia didn't win it.  Okay...how is this pageant her life and how is her 4 year old daughter responsible for it?  One mom spent $1,200 bucks on a dress and her daughter didn't even get a crown.  Mia's mom says she is Russian therefore very competitive but that's no excuse.  Not that this has anything to do with anything but incidentally, she is a mail order bride.  She met her husband on the internet while she was still in Russia then she came out and got married.  Some parents take it way too far and push their kids way too hard.  I don't agree with packing on all of that make up and the concept of little girls being judged on their "facial beauty."  Regardless, I remain fascinated by the show and can't stop watching.  Please tell me I'm not alone.

The School Experiment

I hate to say it but working full time and going to school is for the birds.  I can't even imagine if I was going full time or had kids or anything else.  I have so much respect for people who earn their degree as a full time working adult.  My husband is working on his B.A. right now and I'm really proud of him for persevering even though it's so hard.  Last semester I took 2 community college classes.  One fully online and the other partially online.  Some of those nights that I had to work from 8-5 then go to class from 6:30 to 9:50pm were pretty awful.   I started out good but by the last class I was so over it.  Online classes are no piece of cake either.  You really have to watch your deadlines and you don't have to go to class but you still put in a lot of time doing the assignments and discussion boards.  Trying to juggle work, the gym, house work, socializing and time to relax while fitting in class and homework is hard.  I was genuinely interested in my classes.  One of them was even to explore a possible new career option.  I found that I actually enjoyed the challenge of learning and being tested.  If I take a class I'm gunning for an A so it was frustrating to feel that I just didn't have the energy or time to put into it that I wanted to.  The day I took my last final I felt so free.  My time off from work became my own again and I really missed that.  I was worried that my mind had turned to mush after being out of school for so long but I got A's in both classes.  I'm taking two short term (hopefully easy!) 8 week courses this semester to get the 12 units I need to get my pay bump at work and then that's it.  I'm officially back in school as of today.  Not thrilled. 

Thank goodness I got my BA done when I was still a bright eyed fresh faced unemployed/part time working 21 year old because if I had waited who knows if it would have ever happened.  I'm glad I did this though.  This little school experiment affirms what I kind of already knew.  At this point in my life school is just not for me.  If money and time were no object maybe.  If I had my eye on a specific career goal that I was passionate about maybe.  If someone promised me a million bucks if I get my Masters degree...big maybe! But with my current life circumstances it's just not something I want to undertake and it's good to know that for sure now instead of having to wonder.

I Never Get Sick

Achoo!!  Don't get too close [Photo Credit:  Jupiter Images]
I never get sick, says the girl who is currently coughing up a storm, has a congested chest, runny nose and can literally feel the weight of heavy eye balls sitting inside her head.  How dare my immune system let me down.  I had a weird stomach bug for Christmas but aside from that I haven't had a cold since...well I can't remember but definitely not in 2011.  I'm pretty sure I've had the flu at some point but that was even longer ago to even remember.

Too bad there is too much going on at work for me to stay home right now.  I went to the gym anyways on Tuesday, came straight home yesterday and today I'm planning to stick with my Yoga class.  Unless you are seriously ill they say that physical activity can be helpful even when you just feel like putting your head under the covers and never coming out.  I have some NyQuil gel tabs to help me sleep at night.  I've also been drinking Emergen-C vitamin Drink Mix.  A co worker gave me a couple packets and I figured why not?  It's fruity and actually doesn't taste too bad.  I might be too far gone for it help but I could use the vitamins so it can't hurt. 

My usual swipes of blush and powder did not make it to my face this morning.  Feeling sick is my excuse to look like crap.  That's also my excuse for being a little bit late this morning and eating Nutter Butters for breakfast.  Anyhow, the plan is to feel better by Saturday so I can enjoy my weekend.

How to Get a Runway Body

Candice Swanepoel and Erin Heatherton tell us how it's done

Caution: Watching this video might turn you into a supermodel.  If only it were that easy right?  I don't doubt that these ladies work out to stay fit, toned and runway ready but I'm also pretty sure that most of what they got is the result of hitting the gene pool jackpot.  We all know that Victoria's Secret models are well done genetic aberrations who's likeness cannot be duplicated with mere boxing, Zumba or jump rope sessions.  No workout regime on the planet can stretch a body to 5'10", reformulate metabolism and totally rearrange the placement and dimensions of waist to hip ratio.  They can't exactly stand up there and admit that they are simply born that way.  I do agree with what they said at the end.  "If your body feels good you look good."

Victoria's Secret has a new line of workout wear.  VSX Sexy Sport.  They've got everything right down to a very sexy water bottle and yoga mat.  Such cute stuff.  I might have to get some...after it hits clearance.  I'm well aware that it won't magically turn me into a Victoria's Secret Angel but it'll make me feel good to look cute at the gym.

I Work Out


Over the last year I've been an elliptical junkie but I don't want to burn myself out.  I have started to add in the treadmill and I seriously need to venture over to those machines to work on muscle building.  I want to work out at home more too so I ordered some new exercise videos to add to my collection and mix things up a little.  I love ballet and my goals are to increase my flexibility and tone so I got a bunch of ballet inspired and yoga workouts.  I actually already had Time Saver Cardio and Balletone in VHS which was almost like not having them at all.  Who has the patience for VHS tapes?  Or a VCR for that matter!  Time Saver Cardio is so old school that it was only .50 cents and the shipping cost was more then the actual DVD!  Over this month I've got a package of classes I need to use up so I might not get to these right away but I'm looking forward to trying them out.  A good source for exercise videos is Collage Video.  They have tons to choose from.  There are lots reviews, sample clips and a detailed breakdown of every workout.  I ended up buying these on Amazon.com though because some were cheaper there.  


Kathy Smith Time Saver Cardio
Balletone:  The Dancers Work Out for Everybody
Xtend Barre: Lean & Chiseled with Andrea Rogers
Tracey Mallett-The Booty Barre-Total New Body
Element: Ballet Conditioning with Elise Gulan  
Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
Power Yoga - Total Body Workout with Rodney Yee
Elle Make Better Series:  Elle Workout Yoga with Brooklyn Decker (not pictured)

I've been watching TV during my elliptical work outs for a while now.  It's been a lifesaver keeping me entertained especially during the hour long sessions which sometimes feel like forever.  I'm usually lucky enough to get a machine with a TV attached but last night I didn't so thank goodness I updated my i Tunes.  My music was so stale.  It wasn't motivating me and I didn't even want to listen to it anymore.  I created one play list using the new ones and mixed in some songs that I already had.  Now my workout mix has 93 songs and they are all in one place so I can frantically navigate to that one song I need to get me through those last 5 minutes when I feel like I'm gonna die.  If anyone needs any ideas here they are.  Some of them might not be the newest....but again it's been a long time since I bought anything.


Give Me Everything (Tonight), Pitbull Ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine), Gym Class Heroes
Without You (feat. Usher), David Guetta & Usher
We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) [Calvin Harris Extended Mix], Rihanna
The Edge of Glory, Lady GaGa
Firework, Katy Perry
California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg), Katy Perry
Dynamite, Taio Cruz
Raise Your Glass, P!nk
Stereo Love, Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
Fly, Nicki Minaj & Rihanna 

Here is my exercise summary for the last two weeks.  No, I don't count my house cleaning as a workout but if I'm going to spend 2 hours slaving away you can bet I'm giving myself credit for calories burned.  Last year I started out slow committing to just 2 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes after not working out for over a year.  I figured doing something is better then doing nothing at all.  I didn't want to push it and it worked.  I've stuck with it and now exercise actually feels like part of my life again like it used to.  Having the time and energy to exercise during Christmas Break reminded me of how much I actually enjoy it.  It's hard fitting it in but once I just accepted the fact that going to the gym on a weekday often means barely having time to come home and eat and fall exhausted into bed it was all good.  Last year working out was a NYE resolution and this year it's a lifestyle.

Mj lost 3.5 pounds after the first week of his Beach Body Challenge.  He's following his meal plan and work out plan and is off to a great start.

Do you have any new workout plans or fitness goals for the new year? 


Monday Dec 26- Sunday Jan 1:  
Worked out every day except Tuesday and Friday
Exercise Summary Calories
Yoga 45 Min 110
Elliptical 280 30 Min 280
Yoga 1 Hour 220
Situps 5 Min 11
Elliptical 1 Hour 520
Stretching 10 Min 40
House Cleaning 2 Hours 214
Elliptical 30 Min 290
P90X2 Stretch & Recovery 55 Min 195
Elliptical 1 Hour 550
Total 2431

Monday Jan 2- Sunday Jan 8:
Worked out every day except Monday and Sunday

Exercise Summary Calories
Pilates 50 Min 130
Situps 10 Min 44
Mix Technique Class: Yoga, Pilates, Ballet, Cardio 1 Hour 330
Walking 30 Min 175
Elliptical 30 Min 250
Elliptical 30 Min 260
P90X2 Yoga 1 Hour 5 Min 190
Yoga 1 Hour 220
Total 1599