Wednesday Wishes: Husband Style

My wishes for today are for my husband.

He will be having surgery tomorrow to have his tonsils removed as well as to fix his deviated septum.

It’s not a huge surgery, but anytime you go under general anesthesia it can become a big deal (my sister was given too much and her heart stopped!). I took the day off work to accompany  him to the hospital (even though he said I didn’t need to). As long as everything goes well he should be released the same day. On Friday I’ll probably drop him off at his mom’s house in the morning so that she can look after him and then I’ll pick him up after work.

I’m not really nervous for the operation itself – more so for the recovery. You know how they say that women can stand more pain than men? Yea, this is what worries me. I’ve loaded up in soup, protein shakes, ice cream, and other things he’ll be able to tolerate. I’ve picked up his pain medication so we should be all set.

Still – help me wish that his operation goes smoothly and that his recovery is just as quick as the operation will be!

Blogger Men Tell All - Valentine Edition

Thomas doesn't particularly enjoy it when I ask him the questions but I definitely love asking him the questions. Sometimes he is even funny... let's see how tonight goes?

1. What is your favorite winter hobby?

Him: *Thinks* - playing video games. 

Me: What is your favorite summer hobby?

Him: *thinks* - playing video games

You can imagine what his answers for Spring and Fall would be.

2. Did you do anything special for your blogger on February 14th?

Him: Can't really remember. I guess I got a card and some other junk.

He got me a card and a heart shaped box of candy. I'll take it.

3. What's your favorite kind of candy?

Him: Hard candy.

4. Which Rom-Com would you choose to watch while you snuggle up with your Valentine?

Him: I don't know what a Rom-Com is?

Me: A romantic comedy.

Him: And You call it a Rom-Com?

Me: Yes, I call it that. 

Him: That's so cool.

Me: So answer the question. 

Him: What was the question?

I repeated the question.

Him: Ducktails... Woohoo. 

Me: I don't think that's a rom-com. 

*dog tries to make out with Thomas*

Him: Duck tails the movie, not the show. 

5. Who, in your opinion, is the best US president ever?

Him: George W. Bush. Greatest World Leader we've ever had. 

Me: Are you saying this just to annoy me?

Him: *laughs* He is the greatest world leader ever. We've had this conversation a bunch of times. 

So there you have it girls... funny this time around.

Earth Balance Reivew

It's okay that I chose something organic and delicious to cook! It's also okay that it was free! 

I received a coupon for a free Earth Balance product, however all opinions are mine alone. 

At Wal*Mart they had 4 different options in the butter section. I went back and forth over them. They had the Original, Soy, and Organic and then the Coconut spread.

I love coconut flavors. My mother-in-law always made a delicious onion mushroom combination using coconut oil and I loved it. Maybe I could replicate the taste with this one! I grabbed it off the shelf immediately.

I’ve been counting calories for weight loss lately and so what I usually eat as a side to my main dish is cut up onions and mushrooms – both are very low in calories. I usually sautee them with a little bit of olive oil, which is 120 calories per tablespoon. This spread is only 100! Score! (The original is only 80!). I used 1 – 1 ½  tablespoons to cook enough onions and mushrooms for 2 servings (at least).

I melted half the spread and then added the onions and finally the mushrooms. After cooking it for a couple of minutes I went ahead and added the other half of the spread on top and let it simmer for another 15 minutes or so (while I finished cooking the rest of my meal and my husbands’).

The verdict was that it was DELICIOUS! The onions and mushrooms had the perfect amount of coconut flavor. It added the extra oomph that the side dish needed to make me not grow tired of it. I will definitely use it again for my next batch.

I will try to cut the amount I use and see if it still tastes good so that I can cut down on the calories I eat. If there were any way for them to cut the calories by 10 or 20 it would make me happier, but I will definitely buy it again!

Grateful for Friends and Family

I recently discovered a hiking trail near my house that I hadn't realized was there. It's a gorgeous area with a lot of history. I'm a goner for local history! My work is doing a Biggest Loser challenge and so a hike is organized for every weekend. This past Saturday we headed to the local trail near me. 

A couple of my co-workers brought their small babies and strollers so, unfortunately, we weren't able to do as long a hike as I wanted to (but I'm planning on doing it next week!). 

The story behind this area is that there were American Indians that lived here. There is a point (further from where we went on Saturday) where there are grooves in the rock where the stagecoaches were lowered by the horses. 

A couple of months ago we went on a guided tour of the area that gave us a lot of information on the area - I hope to go on another one soon!

In this next picture you can see an old truck that has basically melted into the ground. Since it's been there for more than 50 years they are unable to release it under state law (the area is a state park and is also designated as a historical area).

Nonetheless it was a nice 2 miles hike. Afterwards a coworker, my husband, and the kids headed to another local park where there are grapefruit and orange trees. They were having and open house of sorts where we could go and pick fruit for a small free ($5 for a big bag). I was a bad blogger and didn't get pictures (but my friend took a few).

After we were done picking fruit I went to see the Spongebob movie with the kids, their dad and my dad. We stopped for frozen yogurt afterward. 

My Saturday ended with a nice dinner out with Thomas...

On Sunday I did my usual weekend morning shopping trip with my mom and Nikki (my brother joined us this week). We went to Ralphs (Kroger), Wal*Mart, Big Lots, Costco, and Bed, Bath & Beyond and were home by 1:30pm! (This definitely helped me on the step goal, as of my writing of this on Sunday night, I have 15,811 steps for the day!). 

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up my house. It's not a dump, but things gets left in places week after week. My husbands' cousin and his wife (and 2 kids) were coming to dinner on Sunday night so I wanted to make sure to have the house cleaned up (and it was also an excuse to get Thomas to help me get things in order). I should take pictures now that the house is all clean! 

We had a great time with the his family. Thomas grilled steaks, I made broccoli, and they brought some mashed potatoes. After dinner we played a round of Quirkle before they headed out for the night. 

So this Monday I am thankful for my family, Thomas' family and for our friends. I had a great busy weekend and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Stand Up Sunday - Week 5

1.      How many pounds did you gain or lose?

I started the week at 158lbs. I ended at 158.8lbs. A total gain of .8 ounces.

2.      How many inches did you gain or lose?

I still haven’t measured myself… so nothing to add here!

3.      Your weekly exercise or step goal, and did you meet it?

I bought a FitBit Charge Sunday night and have reached 10,000 steps every day since, so definitely an increase of steps from last week. I hope that the FitBit keeps inspiring me to get out there and get to my goal daily.

I walked a total of 76,376 steps. (I got Sunday's steps from my Samsung app, but the rest were from the FitBit)

4.      What was your biggest challenge this week?

Wings. Have you guys had Buffalo Wild Wings? They are delicious. You can order wings and have them put whatever flavor you want on them. They have a vast array from not spicy to extremely spicy. They have one that tastes like a Christmas Tree. They are amazing. They had MAPLE flavored ones as a special this week. I went to lunch there on Tuesday with my supervisor. On Tuesdays the wings are 69 cents each. $10 for lunch and leftovers! So I had them for lunch 2 days in a row. Each wing is about 90 calories. I still stayed under my calorie goal because of all the walking, but NOT eating them would’ve been better.

5.      What is your favorite healthy snack or meal?

I bought some plums this week. They are not quite ripe yet, but at about 30-40 calories each, they are a good snack. Last summer peaches were super cheap (.49/lb) so I ate peaches ALL the time. Finally I got tired of them, but it was about 3 or 4 months of only peaches (and sometimes pears mixed in).

6.      Do you have any advice or tips for the rest of us?

Try fresh fruit! It’s delicious and most of the time available year round at the supermarket (or is that just here in CA?) and farmer’s markets. Most of the time they are low in calorie (watch out for bananas, avocados, grapefruit, and apples) and delicious!

Happy Blogiversary To Him & Me!

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY

TO HIM & ME!

Meagan - Kerri - Amanda H - Lora Ashley - Anne - Tabitha - Melissa
Cassie - Becca - Cherie - Emelia - Amanda W.

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Wednesday Wishes - BSB style

(yes, another BSB post... but from the comments I take many of you love them like I do!)

I love the Backstreet Boys and I’m not ashamed to say it.

I went to a movie in the summer of 1998 with a friend and a song was playing in the theater she told me who it belonged to and that was it. My dad took me to 3 different stores that same day to find the CD. I went to my sisters’ house for a couple of weeks that summer. Coincidently they were doing a show in a nearby city and my brother-in-law offered to take me and see if we could get tickets.  Someone was selling lawn seats for $19 each. Score.

I’ve lost count of how many concerts I’ve been to. I know I went 4 times in one tour, so I’m guessing I’ve seen them in concert at least 10 times, the most recent back in 2013.  Some of you around my age will remember the MTV show FANatic. My best friend from high school and I submitted a video way back when. We became friends with the local DJ (who ended up joining the band for a 100 hour trip around the world many years ago) and slept outside the Jay Leno show to see them.

I was an avid fan throughout my high school years, then, around the time I went to college they sort of slowed down. Kevin left the group and the other guys released a couple of albums without him which I thought were okay, with some good songs, but mostly I wasn’t impressed. I did go to their shows – and had alcohol as I was over 21 by that time.

I never stopped liking them, but life changed and so my music listening habits changed. Other than listening to them I don’t generally listen to anyone. Talk radio is the setting in my car.

Then they came back in a big way with their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a free show relatively close to me (which Thomas took me to along with Nikki) and then their tour (which I went to with Nikki) – it all came rushing back. Their latest CD, In A World Like This, is amazing. It’s the first one they produced themselves and they wrote or co-wrote many of the songs on the album. It made a difference. They sound great and it makes me feel like I did when I was a teen.

Somewhere in between something great happened. My eldest niece, Mika, started being a fan. She became obsessed with them like I was at her age (I was about a year or two older actually). I didn’t even instigate it (although my sister does blame me). I think it’s great, though, because now I can share this with her. When I visited her in January we spent the entire weekend watching their videos on YouTube (something that wasn’t as readily available back in my day). Her dad took me to my first BSB concert and took her to her first last year. And now we get to text each other about our loves.

The guys released a documentary about their rise to fame as well as their private lives growing up in January and Mika went to see it that night with her dad. I got to see it later on in the weekend – I took Nikki since Thomas would not go with me (how rude!). The documentary was great. Not only was it enjoyable to watch the movie and see their lives, but it was great to see it among other women who still love the guys as much as I do.

I can’t wait for the next 20 years of their careers!

Blog Dates - Monthly Link Up

As you might have guessed from previous posts – I’m not too much of a social person. I want to be, but I’m socially awkward so I tend to stick to family.

But if I were to have the opportunity to have a blate (and I welcome them – so if you live in Los Angeles let me know!) there are a few places I’d love to go to that my husband Is not too fond of. These are also places to go and things to do for visiting Bloggers.

O N E: Santa Monica Promenade and Pier: I’ve been here with him in the past, but I wanted to do the touristy thing. I want to ride the rides and eat the food. I also want to go in and out of the shops. Not to mention the drinks!

T W O: Malibu: It’s always beach time around here. I’m writing this on February 13^th at around 1pmand it’s currently 90* outside. Yea. Always beach time here. I never go to the beach because I have no one to go with (other than the kids) so this would be perfect for a Blate.

T H R E E:  Hollywood Tour  There is no lack of Hollywood tours out here. I did one with my parents-in-law a year or two ago and it was pretty fun. It showed us current homes and movie stars and also those of stars that are no longer around. They all start along Hollywood Blvd so either before or after we can take a walk down the boulevard and check out the stars (on the ground, that is) and visit a landmark or two.

F O U R: Universal City Walk  I don’t think you can leave LA without taking a look at City Walk and then possibly also Universal Studios. We have plenty of theme parks here, but Universal Studios is probably my favorite. Has rides for everyone and isn’t nearly as packed as Disneyland. City Walk is a nice experience and the stores are nifty. It also has a great Brazilian place to try and have drinks and then there is always the movie theater to catch a flick!

F I V E: Drinks No Blate would be complete without some drinks! There are tons of places to have some drinks in Los Angeles, but the one I think would be the most fun would be at the Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown LA. It has a spinning dining room so you can enjoy some appetizers and some drinks while enjoy the view of the city in 365*!

Gratefully A Year Old - Him & Me's Anniversary

   No, not our wedding anniversary, but this here blog’s anniversary!

I started this blog a year ago because I was stressing out so badly over the upcoming wedding. I was doing everything myself (mostly because I was (am) very anal about how I want things done) and it was driving me nuts. Writing has always been an outlet for it, so why not re-start my blogging ways?

It’s been an amazing year! I’ve made some great friends and am getting to know more and more people daily.

I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve made in the last 12 months. I know that I’ve met some life-long friends. Who said our friends have to live in the same town, right?

I’m linking up today to thank all of you for your support, love, and so many kind words. Please know that I appreciate every comment and thought that you have all sent my way!

To celebrate my 1^st year I am having a giveaway (what a surprise, right?)

It’s going to be a good one! Cash! Gift Cards! Even a free blog design by the amazing Amanda!

Stay tuned – I’ll be making it live!

Stand Up Sunday - Week 4

1. How many pounds did you gain or lose?

I started the week at 159.8lbs. I ended at 158.4. A total loss of 1.4lbs.

2.      How many inches did you gain or lose?

I still haven’t measured myself… so nothing to add here!

3.      Your weekly exercise or step goal, and did you meet it?

Last week I INCREASED the number of steps I took from the week before. This week I walked 11,375 more steps than last week. I walked a total of 66,201 steps. This is mostly because I went for a hike with co-workers on Saturday morning which gave me over 15k steps for the day. We're doing another hike next week, so I'm sure I'll do well next week, too! 

4.      What was your biggest challenge this week?

Can I talk about periods here? We all okay with that? Good. Well, I started mine this week and it brought the mental weakness of “well that means I can snack on yummy treats!” with it. On Tuesday I ended up eating more than I wanted to and dined with cereal (French Toast Crunch to be exact) – however on Wednesday I woke up weighing the same as Tuesday morning… so yay! Also crap is going on at work so it definitely made me want to treat myself with sweets. Also the Cutie’s I bought this week were not very good so I was not too interested in eating them.

5.      What is your favorite healthy snack or meal?

With the clementine’s not being too sweet I didn’t really find an alternative snack. However, I went back to an oldie but goodie… fruit cups! Only 60 calories each! I put same Tajin in it (if you don’t know what it is you should look it up… adds some flavor!) and it is delicious.

6.      Do you have any advice or tips for the rest of us?

I’m not the one to say it since I fell but I guess this advice is as much for myself as it is for anyone reading this. Don’t let hard times in other aspects of your life make you want to ruin your goals. Sure, I enjoyed the extra sweets I had, but will I when I step on the scale and the number went up? I was lucky this time, but maybe next time I won’t be.

5 Types of Callers - Things That Annoy Me Thursday

I work at a call center (it’s just as glamorous as you think!) and I take anywhere between 15-30 calls a day. You can imagine that I get to talk to many different personalities during the day so I thought I would share with you the different types of callers that we see daily.

1.      Know It All’s: You know these people. We’ve all met them. In my case they tend to be the people who call, presumably because they need help or have a question, but then start telling ME what’s the situation is as though they were teaching me. They don’t let you talk or help them. You tend to have to cut them off so that you can get a word in and actually help them. Which leads to the asshole callers…

2.      Assholes: Not long after I started working, when I was still raw and not completely sure of what I was doing I got a call from a lady who was not happy (but very few are). She was talking to me about her problem and I was trying to help her and telling her that I was going to send a message to the proper person. When I told her to give me a moment to write she said “you aren't done?” I told her that I was waiting for us to stop talking to write it and her reply was “what? You can’t walk and chew gum at the same time”. That is the worst one I've had, but luckily we are able to hang up on callers (After warning them) if they are rude to us.

3.      Repeaters: These are the people who will repeat themselves over and over. They will tell you their story many times even though you've already resolved their issue. I will listen to them, I will fix the problem and I will tell them what I did, and then they will say something like “okay because (repeat problem here)”. These are some of the worst and you definitely have to interrupt them or you will be on the phone forever.

4.      Entitled: Oh, goodness. These I think are just as bad as the assholes. These people feel like they are entitled to the services we provide. They are not grateful for what we give them, but instead think that it is their God given right to them and heaven forbid they don’t get them on time. You can hear them saying: “I want to know where MY benefits are and when are YOU going to give them to ME?” Which leads me to…

5.      Grateful: These are the ones I like the most. They are so thankful for getting the benefits we provide. They continuously say thank you or God bless you. They tend to ask for a supervisor to let them know what a good job you are doing. They acknowledge that they are being helped and sometimes seem to feel ashamed or embarrassed for needing the help. 

I take Spanish calls and 95% of the time my callers fall into the grateful category. A grateful caller can also be a repeater, though. They sometimes are Know-it-All’s, but not generally.

My Daddy's Getting Old

I’m sorry if I ramble and things are not completely cohesive. I just needed to write and I was drinking a very strong airplane cranberry and vodka drink while writing it. 

I have travelled with my dad before, I went with him to Argentina a few years back - just him and I. But this trip was different. I noticed things that I was hoping I wouldn’t have to encounter for several more years. 

But it makes sense. My dad is getting old (some will say he already is). 

My dad turned 80 last year (I threw him a party, you can read about it HERE). But because I’m only 30 (yes, I was born on his 50th birthday), it’s hitting me hard. 

His memory is going, his hearing is not so good (I’m trying to get him in to see an audiologist), and he is becoming more stubborn and grumpy than ever before. 

I write this here knowing that he will most likely never read it and because I need to get it out, I need to speak it, but I don’t want to cry in front of anyone. I cry too much already. 

My mom, who is 10 years younger than him, is always complaining to me about how he treats her. This isn’t anything new, but it has become more frequent lately to the point that I can see it is really bothering my mom now. She cried during a walk one day. It made me cry. My mom used to never cry, now it’s often since my sister passed last year. But since my mom always complained about my dad I didn’t really pay close attention. I know my dad, but I also know my mom. She is hard headed and very frustrated with having to do all the household chores herself - but that’s not new. I know she provokes him. 

This trip has made me realize my dad is very grumpy, stubborn, and has qualities that I just don’t like. He tells old man jokes - the racist kind - that make me uncomfortable even when it’s just him and I, but when it’s around others I try to hide. He has also reached the point where he will start making up stories, especially to tell strangers. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. I’m afraid of what he will say to strangers (and my strangers I just mean the people we encounter at restaurants and the like, not random people on the street). 

I’m hoping that a lot of the not understanding has to do with his hearing. I’ve been telling him to go to an audiologist for a long time, he is finally recognizing that he is having issues hearing. I noticed it at restaurants where I had to translate what the waiters would ask or say to him, but now it’s becoming an issue of me having to yell at him or just speak very slowly of him to hear. Which in turn gets him upset because he thinks we are talking down to him, which is not the case. 

I am glad that my dad is still here and that for the most part he is healthy and there is no reason for me not to think that he will be around for another decade (his family tends to live for a long time) but it’s hard learning to be around this new person. Even though he is my dad, he is changing. I guess that I am too. 

(I’ll pause to say that the flight attendant just came to ask if we wanted peanuts or pretzels, I told him this, and he then re-asked the question to her - this is what I mean). 

Maybe this sounds shallow? Rude? Disrespectful? I’m not trying to be. I just feel like I’m losing the dad I remember, the one who played with me and took me places. (damn it, the tears are coming and he’s sitting next to me on the plane) I feel that I should be older when this happens. 

This is why I want to be young when I have kids. Being a child of older parents is not the same as being one of younger parents. They have less energy and you have a bigger risk of losing them at a younger age (your age that is). 

How do I learn to be with this person who is not the same one I’ve had all my life? It feels that the change was so quick. Like yesterday he was the guy who was picking me up from girl scouts and now he is the one I need to help.

DIY Valentines Day Gift - Cheap & Easy

Anne from Love the Here & Now came up with these Valentine Day blogging prompts and it reminded me of this DIY gift that I gave my husband (then boyfriend) a few years ago. Check out her prompts HERE. 

I actually made this for my husband (boyfriend at the time) for… well, it must have been our 1^st anniversary of dating in 2012. I wanted something cheap and creative and meaningful. I don’t remember where I got the idea, but it was fun and easy to make.

52 Weeks of Love

This is pretty self-explanatory, but why not do the whole process?

Supplies:

Deck of cards

Paper (of whatever color you want)

Shaped scissors

Sharpie(s)

Glue stick

Single hole puncher

Book ring

O N E // Come up with 52 things you love about your significant other. I know, 52 can be hard or at least daunting – but you can come up with that many. Get silly. I think I put something like about loving the way he dresses. Get creative!

T W O // Write the 52 things on paper – whichever colors you want. Make sure you write it in a way that when you cut the paper you can paste it onto the cards (so don’t make it too big). I used a black sharpie, but you may want to use different colors. It’s totally up to you.

T H R E E // Try your best to line up as many of the cards as possible and make a hole in the top left of the cards. Try to get the hole in the same place on each card so that it looks better in the end.

F O U R // Decide if there is an order to the things you wrote down. The only order I did was to not have the same color come up twice. Other than that I just put it together randomly.

F I V E // Cut out what you wrote using the shaped scissors.

S I X //  Glue them down on each card. I did this on the side with the numbers, but you can totally glue them on the back of the card. I found that glue sticks work the best – but make sure it’s Elmer’s and not a store brand – those tend to un-stick.

S E V E N // After they are dry go ahead and put each card into the book ring.

E I G H T // Last step for me was to write something on the top card and add the date.

My husband is not the most emotional person and he doesn’t necessarily appreciate these gestures, but I loved the way it turned out. He did end up reading through it, though.

Let me know if you make one!