Man, I really do suck at blogging!

 Oh well, you'll have to take what you can get! LOL  At this point, I'm not making any promises!
What is there to say...

Still going to gym, although I'll admit it isn't as often as I should!  I started doing 5 days but that quickly dropped to (usually) 3.  Still more than the 0 I was doing a few months back!  I swore to myself that I'd go to at least 1 Zumba class each week... and I'm happy to say that I've kept up with that!

My oldest, who moved out a couple of months ago, came home for Thanksgiving and never really left again.  Looks like he's back to stay... at least for now.  This should be fun!

I added another year to my life last month... and had a blast doing it!  Dinner with family and friends, then some drinks and dancing!  Had a great time and this year is looking to be a great one!  Next year will begin a new decade for me, but I'm going full steam ahead... turning 30 was such a turning-point in my life... 40 is gonna be even better!

Christmas is quickly approaching!  I can't believe it's just 2 weeks away!  14 days!  That snuck right up on me!  Not sure how the holiday festivities will be this year, with it being the 1st without vavo, but she loved the holiday and having the family together, so we've gotta press on!  On the plus side... I'm almost done shopping!  I hate shopping and usually wait til the last minute.  This time around, online shopping and gift cards made this chore more bearable. Still a few odds and ends to pick up, but they should be quick, easy and almost painless.

Healthier me... take 100

It's like a vicious cycle... eat better, move more, lose weight... then give up.  It's happened more times then I care to think about.  That being said, I've started back at the gym!  I refuse to say I'm dieting.  I think that is just an invitation for me to fail.  I'm exercising more, being a little more careful about what I put in my mouth, and actually enjoying myself doing it!  Maybe that's the key to making this work this time around... HMMM

I suckered (I mean convinced) two friends to join the gym with me.  Misery loves company and all that.... We're having fun, pushing each other to keep going, laughing at our own craziness, and supporting each other if one wants to give up.

We've started going to a Zumba class.. now that was FUN!  I couldn't keep up with the instructor, but we spent so much of the class laughing and dancing that it was so worth it.  If you haven't ever tried it, go find a class NOW!  It is an hour of non-stop jumping, dancing, hip-swaying and sweating!

This most recent journey has only just begun, but maybe I'll start tracking my progress on here... hopefully, I'll have good progress to track!  I'm enjoying life right now... and it just took a little soul searching and being real with myself to get me here!

Til next time...

Help me Save Becka

Hello Fellow Bloggers!

I could use your help! Well, actually, my friend Becka could use your help!  Becka and I went to high school together more years ago then I care to admit... and she's in the fight of her life, literally!

You see, Becka suffers from a rare disease called Devic's Disease.  It is so rare that any treatments available to her are considered experimental, since there aren't enough patients out there for clinical trials.  The problem is that the common practice of medical insurance companies is automatic denial for any experimental procedure or medications.  Becka's treatments run about $10,000 monthly and she's been fighting to get insurance companies to change their policies.  She's been to our State House and presented the bill there... but she doesn't want to stop at the state level... Those living with rare diseases are all over the country, not just our little state.  She's created a petition to bring this to light on a National level.

This petition is listed on the White House website and if we're able to get 5,000 signatures by October 27th, it will be officially reviewed by the powers that be!  That is the goal and is still within reach, with your help!

www.wh.gov/4n0

Please consider going to this site and signing her petition... the only requirements are that you be a US Citizen and at least 13 years of age... so tell your kids, your family, your friends... Feel free to share this info on your spots or any other social media you use.  You have to create an account, which really only takes a few minutes.. but this law (if passed) would help so many across our country.  Who knows, maybe it'll even save the life of yourself or someone you love one day.  Please help!

You can also read her story and follow her progress at www.facebook.com/savebecka

I Promise To Try Harder

A professional blogger, I am not!  I've been pretty bad at it since I started.  Things have been a little crazy and this took a bit of a backseat... not that it was ever actually in the front seat.  The last few months have been riddled with ups and downs... I got sick and tired of the downs, so I decided to suck it up and make things happen.

Trust me, there are still those downers sitting in the corner, just waiting for the perfect moment to trip me as I walk by... but I'm gonna do all I can to make sure they never find that moment!

Let's see... what have I been doing since the last blog...

• Well, I decided that a second job isn't the answer.  I just needed to learn to budget what I have better. This means that I had to find more quick and easy dinner ideas to make at home after working all day, rather than picking something up on the way.  Not hard to do, just had to get it done.
• I've learned that as much as my kids hate me when I say no (which happens more and more often as they get older), they always come back around.
•   Rather than waste away my time sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I've found constructive things to do with that time.  
• I've started speaking my mind more often, rather than biting my tongue, regardless of what others may think. This is huge for me, cuz I've always been one to avoid conflict.
• My whole 'out with the old, in with the new' mindset has extended to my home.  I've been able to declutter more in the last few months then I every thought possible!  It wasn't messy.  I just held onto things that really had no business being held onto.
• I finally, after a couple of years, started back at the gym.  I think this is helping my overall outlook on life more than everything else combined.

So those are my last few months in a nutshell!  Now, if I can only update regularly, we can avoid the cliffs notes version of my life!  LOL

Til next time!

I'm the mother of an adult! OUCH!

Just the title hurts to type!  LOL
I can't believe my oldest son turned 18!  I'm not old enough to have an 18 year old!  But alas, my son is now a legal adult and I can't deny the fact that I gave birth to him all those years ago... now if he would just grow up, we'd be all set!  He's not a 'bad' kid, but just not a 'motivated' kid.  If it's not related to music, he's not interested... he didn't finish school, he doesn't have a regular job (he books concerts and tours, which is fine, when it earns him cash... which isn't often enough to live on)... he just prefers to sleep all day and stay up all night.  That last part sucks for me, cuz I work in the morning, so sleep is a bit essential for me!

Well, he's a LOT like his dad, so I guess I only have myself to blame!  I picked him.. the dad I mean.  Worst thing I ever did (but that's for another post!)  Anyway... my baby is 18, an adult according to the state of MA, and I just have to hope and pray that he grows up someday to become a responsible adult... Anyone wanna put a wager on it?

Death sucks

My grandmother passed away just over a month ago and it seems that tings have just been going downhill.  Before she went into the hospital, my days consisted of going to work all day, then going to her house and helping her with chores and getting ready for bed.  Once she went into the hospital, I would go straight from work to the hospital for a bit.  Now it's like I don't have a clue what to do with myself!  I go to the cemetary sometimes, but it's such a one sided conversation that I just don't always see the point.  I could talk to her just as easily from home!

I guess I feel lost... and a bit.. I dunno... depressed?  I was her PCA, so I was making money.  Then she went to the hospital and I lost that money.  And I feel so selfish when I think that way!  It makes me feel rotten to say I wish I still had that job.  I do wish my grandmother was still here, and I wish she hadn't gotten sick.  But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking... if she hasn't gotten sick and passed, I'd still have that job.  See, I'm terrible!

But I can't help the truth.  That loss of income hurts!  I live paycheck to paycheck like many folks do, and it's been near impossible making up that loss!  I need a job... another job!  I dunno what I'm gonna do, but I gotta figure something out!

Just the basics

I am by no means a writer, so bear with me folks!

Lately, I've found myself, more often than not, in a position where I'm biting my tongue.  Not at all a pleasant experience, but at times necessary to avoid an all-out war.
Be the bigger person.
Don't stoop to their level.
Think before you speak.

All these are well and good, but sometimes you just HAVE to expel what is going through your mind before you explode.  Don't be surprised to read my 'expellings' from time to time...better to blog it than to speak it!

Don't get me wrong, it won't all be catfights and brawls... there will be a sprinkling of unicorns and glitter from time to time..  Maybe even a laugh or chuckle.  Guess it will depend on the type of day/week/month I'm having.  I'm not sure at this point how often I'll be posting, but I'll try to get on a regular schedule...

My first couple of posts will probably be back story.... gotta know what's been going on to understand what happens next!  I'll start telling my tale in the AM...  I'm sure you're all dying to hear what I have to say!

Follow me as I vent, ponder and live
Til next time....