of my better health journey!

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Last April:

This March:

It was actually last week, but I’m always a day late and a dollar short around these blog parts, you know?

So…last year on April 8th, 2021 I finally knew it was time. I was unhappy, uncomfortable, I had just eaten my weight in Easter honeybaked ham, Sister Schubert’s rolls, potato casserole, and red velvet cake, and I had been having horrible back spasms. Also, I was returning to in-person teaching for the first time in over a year. I was scared. My main motivation was really not vanity, but health. I swear!

I knew that packing my lunches again was going to be on my side. I had had full reign of the food in the house for over a year while I was virtual teaching. I also baked a lot of bread – and then ate it. And, I was also depressed. I was more isolated than I had ever been as a new empty nester and a virtual teacher. There was no reason to put on real pants. Leggings were my friends – until they weren’t.

There are two types of people:

1. Those who got in the best shape of their lives during the pandemic.
2. Those who drank and ate their feelings during the pandemic.

I will let you guess which one I was.

So, I finally told my blog readers about this new health journey in July here. I waited for a long time because I was afraid of failure. I mean, it wouldn’t have been the first time I told the blogosphere that I was getting healthy. Hang head.

Since then, I have updated you about once a month on my progress and the foods that have kept me satisfied.

Are you ready to hear my one year stats? I wish I had taken measurements, but I didn’t.

I have lost 60 pounds!

I have gone down at least 3 pant sizes and 3 blouse sizes, too.

I have not really sacrificed fun, etiher. As you have seen from my posts, I still enjoy treats quite often. In fact, I probably could have lost a lot quicker, but I knew that I wanted a balanced and sustainable lifestyle.

I have done this primarily through diet. I really do believe that it is 80% diet and 20% exercise or something like that. I love and standby WW and think it is the most sustainable plan out there. It teaches you to plan your meals around foods that are better for you and to use the other things more sparingly.

I do not do intermittent fasting. I do try to end my eating around 7 at night, but I eat my breakfast around 8 a.m.

I have learned that I love ground turkey, ground chicken, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and so much more!

I really don’t miss all of the cheese, bread, and chips I used to eat. But, if I am craving something I do have it.

I am learning to listen to my hunger cues more.

There are no good or bad foods. There is just food.

I don’t like the term “cheat” day. I’m not cheating by giving my body a treat that it may need.

I am trying to prioritize protein. I aim for 30 grams per meal. I have learned that this is important for making me feel full.

I really try to not do too many processed foods. No, I’m not perfect in this regard, but I am trying.

I try not to do too many artificial sweeteners, but I do use some.

If you are thinking of starting your own journey, you can do this! Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can. If you are wondering about the cost to do WW, they are always running specials. I am paying about $20 a month for the app (which I think is really worth it) and I look at it like this – it is less than $1 a day. I used to spend at least $20 a month on drive through coffee drinks or treats. You are worth it.

Amy

Monday, April 11, 2022

Today is a sad, sad day – Spring Break is over! Lol! I am happy to link up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday and the ladies at Not Just a Mom for their What’s for Lunch link up!

Let’s start the weekend recap with Thursday. I ran some errands and had the opportunity finally to sit in the sun and read on my porch!

Then, Tom and I went to try a new NY style pizza place called Goodfellas. Great bar and amazing cocktails and…

look how pretty my drink is!

You can either pick a slice of NY style pizza from the case (like Sbarro!) or order your own. We ordered our own because Tom is the kind of person that needs at least 6 pizza toppings. It was extremely mediocre pizza and I was wishing I had gotten the thinner slices in the case.

There is a “secret” speakeasy room that is really cool looking. The prices on both the pizza and the cocktails were very reasonable so I plan to go back maybe with some of my friends.

Then, we got to hear Jack’s spring choral concert. He only told us two days before and this is the advantage of being so close. We could go!

It was held in a church near the campus:

It was really nice to get to see this!

Friday I ran to Whole Foods because I’ve been curious. I was super impressed with my experience. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been there. I feel that the prices are more in line with regular grocery prices now and there were several healthier products I’ve been wanting to try.

Here is my errand fit:

Then, Tom wanted to see this movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. It was probably the weirdest movie I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen Salvador Dali’s video works of art.

I made it through 2 hours of the movie and left to go to Kohl’s while Tom finished the last 30 minutes. He almost left, too, but he has more discipline than I do.

I had been curious about the Draper James for Kohl’s stuff. Meh. The materials are not very soft but there are some cute designs. It’s just not my style, really. I think I would like the real Draper James better.

I bought a clearance paper planner that is blank so that you can put your own dates in it. It was $3. It was less than the horrible movie!

Even though we were experiencing Second Winter, I read outside for a bit until it started raining. I am in deep with my book Wish you Were Here by Jodi Piccoult.

Then, the college kids came home and we didn’t know they were going to. We had already eaten dinner but I had enough for them leftover. We watched an episode of The Great and then later they watched a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with me.

Saturday I was super lazy but finished up odds and ends of cleaning and projects. I ran to Target to get a couple of necessities. Mason went to a Comic Con and Jack hung out with me for a bit. Then, we got Mexican for dinner. We watched another episode of The Great and then the kids and I watched another Mrs. Maisel.

Sunday morning and back to meal prep! I took a week off and it was good for me, but I was also ready to get back on it.

The kids left early to head back to campus because they are in the busy homestretch.

The last few Sundays, I have wanted to do one more fun thing to end my weekend. Tom and I went to Captain’s Quarters because it was finally warmer and sunny! I had a spiked lemonade and we shared some…

spinach queso dip!

We stopped at Kroger and got a few things and then I read before dinner.

Ahhh – where was this weather all week? Ha!

What’s For Lunch:

As you may know, Erica, my fellow Spanish teacher, and I do meal prep lunches together. This is my week to make three lunches. We are both on WW.

Erica and I have been on a big buffalo kick. We love all things buffalo sauce!

Lunch 1) Buffalo chicken bowl: I will have a bed of cauliflower rice, grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, celery sticks on the side, and homemade ranch on the side. I am using Primal kitchens buffalo sauce, but buffalo is low in WW points.

Homemade ranch:

I cup Greek non-fat yogurt

1/2 cup lite mayo (I think I used a bit less to save on calories)

1 cup skim milk (I used less and added water)

I ranch seasoning packet

1/2 tsp. each of onion powder, salt, and pepper

Add some sriracha if you want a spicy ranch (not needed with buffalo but you could do this for veggies)

Lunch 2) Greek bowls here – I use the same cauliflower rice that I used for the buffalo bowls. I am obsessed with caulflower rice. If you don’t think you like it – here is my tip for making it better. Do not use fresh. I hate fresh! Use the frozen and let it completely thaw on your countertop. When thawed, spray some Pam into a skillet, add a bit of olive oil, then add the cauli rice. Add seasonings. I add garlic, salt, peppr, and cajun sometimes.

Lunch 3) Skinny Chicken Enchiladas – I will use cut up grilled chicken and add salsa and a laughing cow wedge for the inside. I will use La Banderita low carb wraps and wrap mixture up burrito style and place in a baking dish. I am using this enchilada sauce recipe, but leaving out some of the flour I think. I will put a bit of sauce on the bottom and on the tops of the enchiladas and then top with some lite Mexican shredded cheese. I will serve some Mexican corn (frozen) on side and some fat free sour cream.

We both prefer a hot lunch and I feel sometimes that salads are too high maintenance and take longer to eat and we only have 20 minutes. We both try to get 30 grams of protein in our meal prep lunches.

We both say we have never eaten better!

What’s for lunch in your world? I love new ideas!

Amy

Friday, April 8, 2022

Happy Friday to all! I know many of you are on the struggle bus with the last 6-8 weeks of school. Also, this tends to be such a busy time for moms with all.the.things. If I could offer any piece of advice it would be to keep it simple these last weeks – simple meals – rely on some freezer products, outsource as much as possible – ask hub for more help, do grocery pick up, delegate more tasks to your kids (they have probably grown a lot in what they are capable of doing since August!) – heck this is probably a blog post in and of itself. I wasn’t always the best at any of this advice!

Please, please know that I am now an empty nester so many things are easier for me now. And, still, I struggle. Maybe stay off of Instagram these last weeks of school because you may get the idea that everyone else has a perfectly curated life! Not true! Lol!

It is time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share the things that were our favorites this week.

My ultimate favorite was that I had some time to recharge my batteries during this more than a week off from work. I didn’t travel anywhere, but I really enjoyed the down time.

I sent Tom to work one day with a little snack charcuterie container:

Darn, he’s spoiled. Lol! I always get a sweet text saying he is enjoying it during the workday. I really enjoy doing little things like this when I think of it.

I also sent him to work with some special K peanut butter cookies to try to make him more likeable at work – just kidding! I also ate a few too many of these. They are delicious!

Tom thinks he is hilarious. He asked me if I had just made “no bake cookies” Monday night and when I said yes, he told me that was just lazy and laughed and laughed at his extremely low bar joke.

My coffee this week has made me happy! I have frothed together this cinnamon dolce syrup with my half and half (just like my mini moos but in a carton) and I have felt like I’m at a fancy coffee joint. I think I found this syrup at TJ Maxx?

I am still obsessed with cake batter delight flavor. I use the Trader Joe’s instant cold brew coffee crystals with a little water. I froth it up, add ice, and pour this in. Sometimes I only have half of the container.

This weekend Tom became a hipster. I made him his first avocado toast. He had resisted it up until now. The first time I just made it with bread, avocado, everything seasoning (do not skip this step!), and a soft yolk fried egg. The second time I made it I added smoked bourbon pepper and hot sauce and he is in love!

Are you on the avocado toast bandwagon yet?

I met my friend Victoria for lunch at the cutest little cafe that I hadn’t been to in years. It’s called Cheddar Box Too and they also have a carry out place called Cheddar Box. You can order things or pick up meals. Many people get boxed lunches for The Derby.

Look at their cool Louisville mural:

We both ordered the spinach salad with chicken and it was delicious!

I always enjoy my time with Victoria and we had lots of laughs.

I like to treat myself to a magazine when I see one!

I enjoyed reading Garden & Gun on my porch and it had two Louisville mentions. My former student started Clayton & Crume leather goods with his friend while in college and it also mentioned Logan Street Market’s La Pana Bakery’s cinnamon rolls. Stay tuned, because I visited the bakery!

I tried this the other day when I saw it at Fresh Market. It is really good! Also, let’s talk about Fresh Market. Do you have one? It is so pleasant to shop there! Tom is obsessed with their corn chowder and Waldorf chicken salad so I popped in to get that for him.

I went to Erica’s for a lovely happy hour and her sweet dog Bella gave me the grand tour of her new house.

We had aperol spritzes!

I finished this and it was deeper than I first thought it would be. This would make a great summer read!

Ok – major consignment score this week:

Brand new New Balances for $38. I had a $25 off coupon and brought these home for $13. It was destiny as I have wanted some white-ish more running style sneakers.

Another score from this week:

I popped into a little boutique called Monkee’s and these were in the sale room. They must have been last year’s model and were originally $100, but I brought them home for $25. Now I have a clear heel and a clear flat.

They are super comfortable!

I really loved this mani this week:

I used Essie’s Day Drift Away and an OPI glitter top coat, follwed by a normal top coat.

The secret to removing glitter is patience. I soak a cotton ball and let it rest on each nail for about a minute before trying to wipe.

Our grass is getting so green and Tom did the first mow of the season this week.

So, the weather this week has been less than desirable, but it was mild one afternoon and I read while listening to my rain chain.

Tom took a few days off to do fun things with me like…

go to Costco! Just kidding! But, we did have to go to get a few things we needed.

After Costco Tom was willing to do whatever I wanted to do.

So, we went to the bakery mentioned in the magazine.

This is the famous cinnamon roll:

We walked around Logan Street Market and…

I got a mimosa and…

we split chilaquiles from a Mexican stall inside the market:

It was raining and raining but we drove around a bit and checked out some new to us sights. Then, we went home and watched Deep Water. We couldn’t stop watching to find out what would happen. Anyone else watch it?

New favorite La Croix flavor:

The sun finally came out on Thursday and I could do some reading on my porch:

Oh my gosh – I am really getting into my next book, but it may be triggering for you. It starts on March 13, 2020 and a couple was supposed to take a trip to the Galapagos Islands but only the woman can go because the man is a hospital resident and COVID…

I am really enjoying the Spanish language peppered throughout and the cultural references and it is interesting to read about the beginning of the pandemic in NYC. It is hard to read, though, too. Beware of this if you are thinking about reading it.

What were your favorites this week?

I hope you had many!

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Did you see my Fashion Files yesterday, my New Stuff Wednesday, and my AmazonLately Tuesday? If not, check them out!

Thursday, April 7, 2022

This was supposed to post last week, but something happened and I had no power, so it didn’t! I have added to last Thursday’s post and am linking up with Kellyann and Jill.

Ugh – we continue our streak of unseasonably cool spring weather. I am going to confess; I think it’s my fault. I bought a spray tan package for March and this is why the weather has been so cool. My plan was to start wearing skirts. Nope! Lol!

Let’s start with some school outfits. I have been trying to wear my spring tops to see what I still like and what still fits. I don’t have many spring pants options so I have been wearing jeans a lot lately. Also, I had the goal to wear jeans the whole week before spring break – low level goals, right? Our teacher dress style at my school has gotten so much more casual since the pandemic. Now I see teachers who are in jeans every day. I don’t want to go that far, but I am enjoying them during this crazy weather transition season.

Do you keep things that you only wear one way? I bought this Loft sleeveless swing blouse years ago. The tassels were what sold me. I only wear it with this kimono and I only wear this kimono with this top, but I love how they look together. On this day, I wore black jeans/jeggings and my new bow mules.

I love this old Old Navy butterfly blouse. I really like butterfly prints. I just threw on a soft knit cardigan and my gold star sneakers. I was comfortable!

I did another Old Navy blouse that is super old but paired it with my hot pink blazer, jeans, and my light green teacher discount Tieks I got back in the fall.

This was my Saturday night out to dinner with besties outfit. I tried my old consignment black pumps (Evan Piccone – so a good and classic brand) with my Loft wine and cheese sweater and my black blazer. The pumps are surprisingly comfortable.

Back to school and I wore my Target green blouse, light jeans, and old consignment gold Tieks.

I love this old navy tie dye from Kohl’s Chaps line but Erica told me it was too big and looked frumpy so it left my closet after wearing it. I wore jeans and my Madewell white leather sneakers.

I chose this photo because it was the most flattering of me (Erica is photo bombing us) and this is what I wore to Erica’s birthday dinner. This is the famous Amazon dress. I bought it before I knew how famous it was! I need the bust line to be down a bit lower and I think the dress is a little too big now, but I swooned when I saw the print. It is a very staticky dress and it is very thin so I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing it to school.

Sunday to go down to the river and wander through the marina and then go to Captain’s Quarters I wore my chambray popover with my black leggings, gold star sneakers, and my black purse with Gucci-esque strap.

Running errands this week I wore my light jeans, MIA black clogs, and Walmart lemon sweater.

Whew, that was a lot! Do you have a favorite? A few of the above items are featured in my New Stuff post from yesterday if you missed it.

What have you been wearing lately?

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

I have been having a lot of fun – yes, it is fun for me – going through my spring and summer clothing. This was one of my goals for Spring Break.

It’s funny because I have a lot of bottoms that fit multiple sizes. I have elastic waist palazzo/printed pants, linen drawstring shorts, elastic waisted skorts, and stretchy-waisted pencil skirts. So, all that will still fit me (and look better) with my weight loss. And, I still like all of it and I think all of it is still in style.

My blouses and tops, however, do not fit. Plus, I think most of them are several years old. So, I have taken a bunch of things to my favorite consignment stores.

I have been trying to slowly and deliberately add things that I fall in love with. I am really trying to only choose things that speak to me – a print, a color, a style. I think it’s better to add perfect 10s slowly than to feel that you are forced to buy things because you have gotten to the point of desperation.

I start thinking about spring clothing in February, I think. So, what you will see in this post I started purchasing in a couple of months ago. I also stop buying winter things unless it’s a really good deal.

I also keep a list in my phone memo of things I think I want to look for.

I shop at two consignment stores – Clothes Mentor and Sassy Fox, Target.com, Walmart.com (new to me as I was a former Walmart-hater), Loft.com, Old Navy (rarely now), and a couple of local boutiques – Tunie’s is probably my favorite for clothing.

I would say my style is colorful and a bit trendy. I have a few classic styles but I am not that tailored or conservative. I would choose a print over a solid any day, but I know that I do need some solids in my wardrobe. Gosh, it is really hard to describe one’s style.

I try to ask myself if something:

-fits me and looks flattering

-meets my clothing needs

-can be worn at the events I plan to attend

-matches/works with things I have

I also am realizing that I just don’t need as much stuff as my younger self might have thought I needed.

I need to clothes for:

-my high school teaching job where I dress up a little (I can wear my spring and summer stuff from now until the end of May and from August until October-ish)

-a few dressier things for church, weddings, graduations, and graduation parties, going out on the weekends

-casual outfits for going out to lunch and running errands or going to festivals

-workout clothes

-swimsuit and multiple coverups. I am a big fan of the coverup!

And, that’s about it. I think it’s important to know where you are going and how you want to present yourself.

Here we go:

I bought this Anthropologie blouse with the gift card my friend Beth gave me for my birthday. I think it’s gorgeous and it spoke to me.

I love a white blouse in the spring with jeans, especially. I chose this Loft blouse. I think this would look great with blue denim jeans and my red clogs or sandals!

This print jumped out at me in Target. The material is divine, too. It is from the Who What Wear line and comes in a few prints. I originally bought it for St. Patrick’s Day, but I think it will look so nice with white jeans.

This green A New Day sweater from Target was kind of an impulse purchase and I regret it. I bought this because it was so cold for the St. Patrick’s Day parade, but I will say it matched my green beer earrings perfectly.

I am so in love with my two Walmart.com Scoop blazers. I am wondering if I should have gone down a size, but I don’t know if that would have worked. I have worn the black the most, but…

the hot pink quite a bit, too. I think these will work in many seasons because of the amazing fabric. It’s called “scuba” and it is really cool to the touch. It keeps you warm as an added layer, but also keeps you cool. Weird, right?

I am thinking about looking for a white knit blazer, too.

This is probably my all time favorite print! I love palm leaves! And, the fact that it was on a pink background stopped me in my tracks. It was from an online boutique called Shop.Set.Apart.

This scarf-like kimono from a consignment store spoke to me. I am trying to not wear such voluminous items and so many kimonos, but this has sewn in sleeves and it is very lightweight, so I think it will be great.

This Loft blouse is so cute and also has the tiniest gold thread running through it. I think this is another great blouse for white jeans.

I really love cut offs. You may know that from my post here! I think they are such a closet workhorse. I did something crazy and ordered black and pink. I have really been wearing a lot of black and pink lately, by the way! These came from Walmart.com’s Time and Tru line. I sized up one to two sizes because they are high waisted.

I had two pairs of white jeans – one was non-distressed and the other was super distressed. I have been on the hunt for a replacement pair since those were too big. I went in to Old Navy and found these in tall on sale for $19.99. I was going to cut them anyway, so the tall issue did not matter one bit.

I love the cut hem jeans trend, but I am not into much distressing anymore. Also, I just want to say that I had ordered a few pairs of white jeans from Loft and the material was so uncomfortably thick and the legs were so wide both of my legs could have fit inside one leg. I still need a skinnier leg I think. The wider ones looked so bad on me. Also, I think you have to size up in white jeans.

True ballet flats were on my list in my phone memo and I saw these rose gold editions at my consignment store – brand new! The bow wouldn’t stay tied so I took them to my cobber and they stitched them down. So, I have invested $64 + the $15 to the cobbler, but…

I googled this new to me brand and they cost $229!

I wanted to try the clear trend and chose these from Target.com. After wearing them out, I think they are primarily a sitting at dinner shoe. They are not very comfortable for any amount of standing or walking, in my opinion.

If you are still here, what is your favorite of my new stuff? What have you purchased for spring and summer?

I am hoping to stop adding new things until summer – 6 more weeks of school. I want to try to wear everything I have that is school appropriate once. You think I can do it? I hope I can!

Amy

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

It is time to link up with Tanya here for Prime Purchases!

Here is what I bought in the month of March…

I am really enjoying wearing this necklace. I really only wear the charm part of it. That is also the nice thing about it; you can really have 3 necklaces because you can wear them together or separately. This would make a great gift and I think it looks like it cost much more.

In addition to some tequila earrings from a local boutique and the beaded green beer earring for St. Patrick’s Day from another local boutique (Chick A D’s and The Prickly Pear if you are local), I ordered these for Erica’s birthday.

and the pink ones here. I kept the gold ones for myself. They came in a set here.

I gave her the green beer mug earrings early for St. Patrick’s Day and the pink champagne early for her photo shoot. On Saturday night I gave her the tequila and the pink cocktail. I went a bit overboard, but Erica graciously takes my outfit pictures every morning, so it was also a thank you gift. I knew she would enjoy the pink cocktail and the tequila on her Mexican resort vacation this week.

So, she is now part of the alcohol earring club. Lol! The Amazon ones look just as expensive as the boutique ones, by the way, but I like to support my local boutiques.

Ok, this is odd, but I took Lindsay’s rec on the candy cane Chapstick and it is amazing. I wish I had had this when I was a full time mask wearer. I also ordered the cake batter and I love it, too. The cake batter is way less calories than actual cake, too.

Shay mentioned on her podcast that her mom loves cinnamon Mentos and after looking at several stores with no luck, I ordered them! Oh man, these are good. I don’t think I can order these again because I liked them so much!

These sandals are really, really good. Amazon Essentials does it again. I believe they were a rec from Cassie of Hi Sugarplum blog. Now, if you have a wide foot I don’t think they will work for you. They are borderline too narrow for me, but I think they will stretch a bit. I love the minimalist look and they have a super cushy footbed.

So, that is what Amazon brought to my door this month. What about you? I can’t wait to read what others have purchased!

Amy

Monday, April 4, 2022

This is a special Monday because I’m on Spring Break! When we return to school in a week, we only have 6 weeks remaining. It’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday!

Spring Break actually started at the end of the day Thursday for me. Friday was a flex day for teachers – meaning we could have already worked it in the summer, which I did.

I woke up leisurely and hit the gym at a more civilized hour. I had missed the last two days due to tiredness and no electricity.

I had asked Mason if he wanted to do lunch. Jack had a choir trip on Friday. So, I met Mason and he picked a soup and sandwich place. I got an orzo chicken soup and a half of a sandwich and he got a French dip.

We had a nice time together and went to Trader Joe’s after lunch.

For dinner, I made Tom and I some healthy Chinese fake out.

And I had an indoor Peep S’more for dessert!

I watched Marry Me – or tried to. I was so tired. I think it was just ok.

I felt better Saturday morning and made myself a hashbrown egg mixture.

I also had my cake batter protein cold brew.

I am really enjoying this book.

Tom and I took Ernie to the river for a swim. It was chilly!

Then, I went home and showered and ate lunch and ran a couple of errands. I hadn’t been to this boutique in a while. I didn’t buy anything.

New to me consignment ballet flats I will tell you about soon:

I did this mani:

J and M came home to hang out and we watched some Marvelous Mrs. Maisel together, but then I had plans in the evening to go to Erica’s birthday dinner.

I ordered shrimp vodka pasta and it was good!

The cake was strawberry:

It was fun to help her celebrate this milestone birthday!

Sunday morning I had coffee, read, talked to J and M and they left for a movie that they’ve been wanting to see. It was in Japanese with subtitles.

Tom and I went down to the marina to see how many boats were still wrapped and to just look at the river.

Then, we shared some nachos at a Mexican restaurant.

Elote for Tom:

Then, I spent some time reading in the sun. Ah, that was exactly what I needed!

I made salmon, broccoli, and ranch potatoes for dinner:

It was a full weekend and is there anything better than having a Monday off?

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, April 1, 2022

It is April! And, today is my first day of Spring Break!

I had a post scheduled for yesterday and it didn’t post and I didn’t have any power. I will just save it for Fashion Files next week! Wednesday night it started storming at bedtime and we lost power around 10:30 p.m. I still didn’t have power in the morning so NO COFFEE! I took a shower by candlelight and went to Starbuck’s and then work at 6:00 a.m. It was a long day!

I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites, though!

Here are some things that made me happy this week:

I really like these eye patches and I do think they help.

I used them one morning this week when I looked extra tired.

I did my own Essie manicure called “Ripple Reflect”.

Erica, my colleague and meal prep partner, is turning 40 soon and she had a photo shoot:

She had a lot of fun doing it!

My twin niece and nephew sent me these pictures from their Spanish teacher. She has a special sombrero and they have to stand up and be sung to!

I sing to all the people with birthdays in that month on the first day of the month and give them a birthday sticker in Spanish. I might steal her sombrero idea, though!

I made it to the gym just twice this week if you don’t count Sunday.

Creeping on Tom:

We played Spanish Scrabble at the end of class one day:

I hit 1000 posts! Who knew I had that much to say?

I ordered Peeps in my Kroger pick up for S’mores that I hope to make soon!

I also ordered this and it might just be my new favorite hard seltzer!

We didn’t plan this, but yesterday we both wore t-shirts with the same vibe:

Erica’s says “Nope Not Today” and mine says “Fiesta like there’s no mañana”.

After school yesterday, even though it felt like winter break, we had to celebrate the start of Spring Break with martinis at Martini’s.

Espresso martini:

And fries, zucchini fries, and focacia bread!

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many!

Amy

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Thank you for your kind responses to my Mental Health post yesterday! I think we are all in the same boat – constantly working to do the things we know we NEED to do to be mentally healthy.

As I’m writing this on Tuesday afternoon, it is still so cold! But, my mind is on spring fashion…

Do you have a pair of cut-off jean shorts? Jorts? Daisy Dukes?

They are the jeans of summer – duh; they are jeans! Anything you wear with jeans now can be put with cut-offs during the weather transition period and you can even wear them into fall. Everyone needs a pair. Calm down; I will give some options for different ages and different body types.

I think they can work for errands, picnics, concerts, festivals, flea markets, farmer’s markets, a casual dinner out, and more. They are just so easy to throw on and I was reaching for mine so much last summer!

If you aren’t comfortable with a true cut-off, what about these? Target has lots of affordable options. I personally love the Universal Thread line. There is way more on the Target.com site than in the store. Order a few sizes and styles and do returns in store for the ones you don’t like.

Also, there are so many types of denim – you can find ones with more stretch than others. If you want to wear this trend, shop around and don’t give up.

Also, I have a pair of denim drawstring shorts that might be more your style. You could look for something like that.

This needs to be said again and again: It is worth it to try them on in your own home with your own clothes and your better lighting. I forget this from time to time!

But, wait! Do a bit of self tanner a few days before so that pasty white legs don’t make you sad. It really does help.

I am 5’4 and I like a 3.5 inch inseam. You may have to try on different lengths to see what works best for your style and your body type.

Here’s the sad truth:

You probably need to go up at least one size – maybe two – in cut-offs. The size is just a number, remember. They will hang better if you go up, I think. And, if you are doing anything that says “high rise”, I definitely think you have to go up a size.

I ordered a pink and black pair from Walmart.com. I know; I will eat my words. Walmart.com isn’t so bad. In fact, it’s pretty darn good. I apologize.

Now I have blue denim, white denim cut-offs, and pink and black denim cut-offs. I go all in.

If you aren’t sure how much you will wear cut-offs in 2022, it makes sense to buy a cheaper “starter” pair as many in the blog world have coined it.

Now, what about shoes?

Of course you can go the sneaker of flip flop route.

If you want to look a bit less casual, Birkenstocks are the perfect shoe for cut-offs. You can see in the above photos that I usually chose my gold Birks.

I also love the look of my lace up flat sandals with my cut offs.

I really like a long sleeve with cut-offs for some reason.

Do you wear cut-offs?

What’s your preferred brand and style?

Amy

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Now, don’t get too scared by my blog post title. I’m not going to go too deep; rather, I’m going to share some things that have greatly improved my mental health over the last few months. And, don’t think I have this “mental health” thing down. I most certainly do not. I don’t always do the things that I know would make me mentally healthy.

-I have limited my news intake. Now, I’m not saying that I bury my head in the sand. I read the news rather than watch it or talk to my husband for updates. He takes in so much news and I have told him that I think it is deeply affecting him. Yes, it’s good to be aware, but you also need to protect yourself and know yourself and what you are sensitive about. Tom seems like a stoic person on the outside, but he is sensitive on the inside.

-I have been trying to walk Ernie with Tom before dinner, instead of continuing to prepare dinner like I did in the past. This gives me an extra few steps and I think Tom really likes debriefing his day with me like this. I have found that getting outside one more time is really good for me. I try to have dinner plated and then we just warm it up. Bonus points for me if I already have the dinner pots and pans washed, too.

-I have really stopped checking work email at home. I just check it one last time at work before leaving after school and then I wait until I arrive the next morning. I used to check work email on my phone before getting out of bed. Why? Nothing is urgent in my line of work.

-My principal sends a video of him talking about the week ahead with a power point at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. This video is anywhere from 8-15 minutes long. He even says “Happy Sunday!” like he expects us to watch it right then. I now watch it on Monday morning. I just change it to “Happy Monday” in my head and all is good. I have heard from many colleagues that they don’t watch it at all. I’m too much of a rule follower to go that far, plus I do want to be informed! Many of my colleagues say they just wish he would put the video content in an email form because watching a video seems “extra”.

-Making lists – sometimes just getting something out of my brain and on paper really helps.

-Getting outside! I think we all know how good this is. I even had the chance last week to sit in a chair in the grass by the river and take my shoes off and touch the ground with my bare feet. This is supposed to be really good for you. It can’t hurt, unless you put your foot on a nail or dog doo doo.

-Exercising! Yes, it really does help. Tom is so cranky when he doesn’t exercise. He goes to the gym 6-7 days a week on top of lots of walking with Ernie and bike riding when it gets warmer. He also paddleboards on the river. I will never be on that level, but I love starting my day with a workout now and it really does positively affect my mood all day.

-I am outsourcing or not doing some things that stress me out. I love strolling through a grocery store leisurely to see what new products are out and to get inspiration for meals, but right now I don’t have that kind of time. I use my Kroger app to order the following week’s groceries on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings these days and then do my pick up immediately after school on Wednesday or Thursday. I feel like I have given myself the gift of time back on the weekends. It feels great to be fully stocked! If I forget something, running in to get a couple of items seems easy.

-I make it a point to either see or talk on the phone and to hear a voice of at least one friend a week.

-I treat myself with love and kindness. I give myself the good smells that I enjoy, the fabrics that feel good, the hot drinks I enjoy, the rest I need, etc. You must treat yourself well.

-I do less. Erica had maybe 5 errands to run after school one day. I made the comment that she was doing more in one day than I do in a week. Sometimes you just can’t do less, but by being organized and planning ahead you can often “bundle” your errands or make do with things you already have. I think this is especially important right now with high gas prices. I go to the library and Trader Joe’s at the same time because they are close, for example.

-I try to laugh everyday. I’m lucky that my job provides lots of laughs. I can also be assured of laughter when I listen to my favorite podcast Watch What Crappens. The hosts recap and make fun of shows on Bravo.

-I stopped wearing a mask to school! I have noticed in the almost 3 weeks without the mask mandate that more and more kids are feeling comfortable and taking theirs off. I don’t know of any kids who are currently positive and quarantining. We still provide weekly testing for those involved in sports and activities and those that just want to be tested. I still have maybe 1/4 to 1/3 wearing masks in each class.

Quick Story:

I played a silly game on Friday in my Spanish 3 classes. They have never played this game before, but my AP class has played it and loves it.

I divide the class into teams of 4-5 students and each team has a “runner”. I shout out an object in Spanish and the teams have to figure out what that object is and see who on their team has it and the first team to “run” the item to my front table gets a point. I shout things like “paraguas” which means umbrella or “un examen con una nota de U” which means a test with a grade of a U (which means failing).

You also need to know that our students can have lockers, but no one uses them anymore. They carry their worldly posessions in backpacks to 7 classes each day. When I was in high school, we went to our lockers between each class, and only took a notebook and a book to class. Things have changed since the 80s!

There were so many genuine smiles during this game. They laughed and laughed at the crazy things people carry around in their backpacks. I don’t think I caught anyone looking at their phone during the game. It really warmed my heart. I am still thinking about seeing all of those smiling faces. Man, it was good for soul and my mental health!

How are you doing right now with your mental health?

What do you do to stay mentally healthy?

Amy