Surviving Monday

Oh, hey!  Haven't been around these parts lately.  Sorry bout that.  Last week was pretty much our rest week to get over the craziness that was August.  The weather was crazy this weekend (extremely hot and sunny, then pouring rain, then hot again) and we had no plans so it was a sign for us to stay home and do nothing for once.  No cleaning, no events, just plain ol' laziness.  It was a nice little break, but now it's Monday again and we're back in action trying to get through the week.

A little while ago, I was contacted by a representative from ManCrates.com with a post idea about survival kits and I thought it'd be fun to give it a shot.  I also dragged Joey in on this because, well, why not?

Joey's Survival Kit by frikkenduckie featuring tech accessories

//  ESPN - He HAS to watch SportsCenter every single day.  He just HAS to.

//  Lighter - Joey smokes on and off, but more than that he's always burning something.  Leaves, cardboard boxes, dead snakes, etc.

//  Sports - Without sports he'd probably die.  Though baseball is his main thing, he also plays football, basketball, volleyball, and has also done a few fights in the ring.

//  Cellphone - He's always got his phone handy to call teammates, confirm game times, and to check the stats on his fantasy sports players.

//  Coffee - Royal Mills Iced Cappuccino is pretty much the only thing he drinks in the morning.  Once in a while he'll grab a bottle of Starbucks, but it's usually this brand or nothing else.

Duckie's Survival Kit by frikkenduckie on Polyvore

//  Cellphone - This is just a must for me.  I can't go a day without chatting with my sister or cousins.

//  Fiber Lashes - The Younique 3D FiberLash has just recently become a necessity for me.  This stuff is the shit.  I've always believed that lashes are the most important part of your beauty routine and have tried many different mascaras, false lashes, and even extensions.  NONE of that compares to this product.  I will go more into detail about it later, so be SURE to come back for that.  [Hint:  I'm going to be distributing it soon!]

//  Coffee - Fresh coffee.  Hot, iced, blended - it doesn't matter as long as its fresh.  I cannot do canned coffee.  It does not sit well with my stomach.

//  Planner - I always have my planner handy, even though sometimes I get too busy to jot things down in it.  Don't forget, you can download and print this planner for free here!

//  Internet - I just HAVE to have the internet to stay connected with everyone, find creative inspiration, and to blog - duh.

Now, this isn't a sponsored post or review or anything like that but I must say that I was HUGELY impressed when I hopped on over to ManCrates.com to see what they were all about.  I know I mentioned before that Joey and I aren't really the gift-giving type of couple.  We don't do anniversaries or Valentines (except for this year) or even birthdays but when I saw the kind of stuff that comes in the Man Crates, I had the urge to buy one (okay, more like three) for him just because.  Seriously, it's THAT good.

And just in case you don't believe me and think "no, I could never find the perfect gift for my _________ (hubby, brother, dad, uncle, son, etc.)" check out a few of these crates that have got you covered:

For the athletes:

For the gamers:

For the beer lovers (customizable):

For the zombie hunters:

Now tell me, because I'm curious and nosey:  What's in YOUR survival kit?  5 things that you absolutely cannot live without - GO!

"FML" is now banned from this blog.

I'm guilty of saying this all the time throughout my day.  In fact, it's become a habit that's been really hard to break.  I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this.

It's so much easier to say "f*ck my life" or "just shoot me already" when something goes wrong than to suck it up and deal with the problem.  We're already stressed out with the hustle and bustle of our daily lives that when something doesn't go our way we get overwhelmed and suddenly it feels like the end of the world.  But guess what?  It's not.

I know that I personally have been on my last nerve the past couple of weeks due to an extremely chaotic (and extremely hot & humid) summer.  The hubby's been home a lot while getting his business set up, the girls have been getting ready to go back to school, we've been renovating the house little by little, and the temperatures have been making Trace's nose bleed constantly.  All of these things have been stressing me out so much that I've been freaking out over the little things.  Crying over spilled milk?  More like screaming "F*CK MY LIFE!!" and having a meltdown over it.

But I'm putting all that behind me now.  I don't want to be the crazy frantic mother who freaks out over every little thing.  That's my mother...sometimes.  My sister and I jokingly call her "Manic Mary" or "Panicky  Patty" sometimes when she's in her freak-out mood.

My friend Mae wrote a post the other day that inspired me.  Her last lines were "Life is amazing. Just open your eyes a little. And if it’s not… change it."

Instead of sitting on my ass and complaining about everything that sucks, I'm going to get up and do something to change it and make it amazing.  This is part of the reason why I've been M.I.A. lately in my real life - I've been focusing on cleaning, rearranging, and redecorating the house because since this is where I spend most of my time, I want it to be a place that I love to be rather than just a place I have to be.

I've also mentioned in one of my previous posts that I've also started doing a little yoga at home and I really do want to take a real class one day soon.  This has helped me to relax a little more and has also showed me how valuable a little "me" time can be.  I just need to remind myself not to freak out when something goes wrong.

So from now on, "FML" will be a thing of the past.  I am going to to turn "f*ck my life" into "I f*cking love my life".  I hope this post inspires you to do the same.  Stay positive.