What's Your Sign?

Linking up with Nadine and Laura!

In true Gemini fashion, here I am linking up a few days late.  I've always been interested in astrology and the like and while some days my horoscope is off, mostly I agree with my sign as far as personality traits and tendencies go.

Geminis are represented by the Twins, which means we have two different personalities (arguably more) and see both sides of every situation which attributes to our indecisiveness.  This is probably why Joey will never get a straight answer when he asks me "what do you feel like eating?"  (Sorry, honey.)

Strengths:  Gentle, affectionate, curious, adaptable, ability to learn quickly and exchange ideas, imaginative, witty

Weaknesses:  Nervous, inconsistent, indecisive, impulsive, devious, restless

We shine in chaotic situations and multi-tasking is one of our best skills but even though our personality is split, our body is not and we can only keep up with things for so long before we burn out.  Story of my fucking life.

Those born under the Gemini sign are very social and have a need to communicate with others.  Without a stimulating conversation or steady flow of communication, Geminis will get bored or frustrated.  Honestly, the main reason I blog is for constant communication and conversation with others, especially crazy/witty/give-no-fucks bloggers like me.  Just having an email or comment string with someone is exciting for me.

Geminis tend to take on more than they can handle.  Since we're interested in so many different things we get distracted easily and have a hard time following through with things even though our heart is in a good place.  And, true to form, I'm going to have to stop this post here because I've got a Legal Ethics Project that I was supposed to finish like last month that I'm still working on.  Oh, plus I want to read more of my book (The Goldfinch), start cutting fabric for another bikini, take photos of stuff I'll be posting about next week, clear up the living room, figure out what to wear tomorrow, brush my teeth, read more blogs...

Now you go - what's your sign?

32 Things That Make Me Happy ^_^

It should come as no shock to you that I'm late on this blog post trend.  I mean, c'mon.  I just started a planner and we're already 4 months into the year.

Anyway, since both Kai and Gina's post inspired me yesterday, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and join in on the fun.  Bring on the happy!

1 //  This guy.

2 //  These kids.

 3 //  All of us together.

4 //  Beach days.

5 //  Sunshine.

6 //  Coffee.

 7 //  Fine-point pens.

8 //  Comments and messages.

9 //  Glitter.

10 //  Bubble baths.

11 //  Handwritten notes.

12 //  Packages in the mail.

13 //  Christmas.

14 //  French fries.

15 //  Afternoon tea time.

16 //  Discovering new blogs.

17 //  Creating things.

18 //  Date nights.

19 //  Comfy pillows.

20 //  Scented candles.

21 //  Karaoke.

22 //  Jell-O shots.

23 //  BBFFS.

 

24 //  Bikinis.

25 //  Good surprises.

26 //  Laughter.

27 //  BBQs.

28 //  Vacations.

29 //  Cooking great food.

30 //  Dressing up.

31 //  Goofy photos.

32 //  Sister.

And there you have it folks, my happy list!  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  Now it's your turn, what's on your happy list??

Charlie Brown.

I've been feeling a little uninspired and overwhelmed the past few days because I've got a lot on my mind.  I wasn't much in the mood to post today but I love linking up for the Style Sessions so I figured I should get it done now and then nap for a bit after.

 

Necklace: c/o Keena  //  Bracelets:  Sunglasses Etc. Guam  //  Bag:  Louis Vuitton  //  Top:  Target  //  Cardigan:  La Fleur Guam  //  Faux Leather Snakeskin Leggings:  c/o Christy  //  Shoes:  SM Guam

 Since baseball season has started again here, you'll probably be seeing more pictures of the stadium in my upcoming outfit posts.  This is pretty much the only time I really go anywhere so just bear with me for now.

I'm ready for my nap now.  I have to get energized for a night full of baking because it's Chloe's turn to bring something to her school's bake sale this month. Yay.  -_-

♥ Duckie.

#backthatazzup

Whitney's new linkup, #backthatazzup Friday!

Just so we can all get in the weekend mood.

♥ Duckie.

What I Wore: Sashay Chambray!

Hey girl, HEY!

So remember that sad excuse of an outfit post last Wednesday?

Well as promised, I'm making up for it!

Shirt:  Ross [$15.00]  //  Skirt:  Selena Gomez's line @ Kmart [old]  //  Necklace:  Forever21 [gifted]  //  Bracelets:  Sunglasses, etc. Guam

I got this shirt at Ross for about $15!  I had been scouring the island looking for the perfect chambray top and the fashion gods have blessed me with this beauty!  I seriously wear this top at LEAST once a week now.  It's sooooo comfy!

This skirt hasn't really seen much wear.  I bought it last year or so and only wore it about 3 times because it's so short.  Buuuttt, since I'm just sitting around the house all day now it allows me to move around and stay cool during the hot and humid Guam afternoons.

Anyway, linking up again this Wednesday with Lauren over at Style Elixir for the weekly Style Sessions Link Up.  This is seriously one of the best linkups EVER.  Why didn't I think of it??

Also, I've got big plans in store for the upcoming months.  Been taking this little blog more seriously and I've been working hard behind the scenes to bring you guys more awesome content so stay tuned for updates!

♥ Duckie.

P.S. What do you think of the collage?  Do you prefer stand alone pictures instead?

Fitness Friday: Body Image

So I've been contemplating this post for a while now and after a recent beach session I figured I may as well get on with it.

Most of you should already know that I'm a mother to three crazy/awesome/wonderful kids.  Some of you may also know that I dabbled in modeling and gogo dancing in my prime.  But here's something that none of  you know:

I've struggled with my body image issues through it all.

Let's take a look back, shall we?  And please excuse the excess of skin, facial expressions, and vulgar hand gestures.

2003:

Skinnocent = skinny + innocent

2004:

A little thicker

2005:

Still uncomfortable in my skin

2006:

April - A little thinner

June - Gained a lot of weight

2007:

Pregnant

2008:

2009:

2010:

2011:

2012:

2013:

Sorry if I just made you throw up.  Lol.  Anyway, as you can see, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit throughout the years.  It's been like that since the 8th grade but it still bothers me when I notice myself gaining weight.

Since having kids, I've gotten a little more of a belly than I used to have.  I'm sure there are a LOT of other moms who will tell you - that pouch is damn near impossible to get rid of!  At first I was disgusted with my body.  Every time I saw myself in the mirror I would get depressed.  I would cover up as much as possible and would be ashamed to wear a bathing suit in public.

It wasn't until I went back home to Hawaii and saw everyone and their mothers baring it all that I regained my confidence.  I got back my "idgaf" attitude and started wearing monokinis, then got back into two piece bikinis.
 
No, I don't have a flat stomach and tiny waist, and yes, I do have some stretch marks - so what?   I've never been a healthy eater (I love my bacon) and I'm not really an athletic person (is blogging a sport yet?) but I'm working on it!

Moral of the story:  love yourself, no matter what.  Body image isn't everything.

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♥ Duckie.

Fitness Friday: And the Bass Keeps Runnin' Runnin'

Let's get it started!

HAH!

Let's get it started!

In here!

-------------------------------------------------

Sooooooooo...sorry for the lack of a fitness post last week!  You should know by now that our house has been down with the sickness.  And if you don't know, you better READ UP!

Anyway, I've actually been really proud of myself lately because I've been running!  Yes, ME!  The non-runner!  Yup, this is cause for celebration.

Okay so I only ran about 4 times in these past two weeks but hey, that's something right?  Baby steps, remember!

So, you wanna know the secret to my running success?  You do?!  Okay, here it is:

  Run after your kids.

Trust me.

Take your kids and their bikes with you and run after them while they ride.  You CANNOT get lazy chasing after kids on a bike!  You have to keep up with them in case they crash, get too far ahead, go into a dark area, etc.

This is the best type of training system EVER.

Some of you may be saying, "What about me?  I don't have kids."

Borrow some.

Did you know that there are some crazy folks out there who will pay you to borrow their kids?  It's this weird thing called babysitting.  Go figure, huh?!  So you single, non-parents can get paid to work out!  Genius.

So what about you?  Do you have any workout secrets??  Spill it!

Don't forget to grab the button and link up below!

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♥ Duckie.

Fitness Friday: Show Me Your Goals

Oh, hey girl, hey!

Welcome to the second Fitness Friday of 2013!

Have you been keeping on track with your fitness goals and resolutions so far?

I hope you got some inspiration and motivation from Nicole's post last week like I did!

It's still early in the year so don't stress if you haven't got the whole fitness thing down yet. Like Nicole said, start off with planning what you want to gain (or lose) from your fitness journey this year and write it down.

Here's a list of my fitness goals for this year:

>> Run - I've never been a huge runner but there are so many benefits to running and I'd like to be able to join a 5k or something during the year without embarrassing myself.

>> Drink More Water - Baby steps...I'm not about to swear off junk food just yet but drinking water will clean out my system a lot faster and fill me up so I shove less junk down my throat!

>> Get Active - Those who know me will tell you that I am in no way a gym rat or workout guru! I know just by watching those infomercials that I'll probably never fall into the P90x or Insanity routines. That just isn't me. I do like going for walks, hiking, jumping on the trampoline, Zumba, dancing, and water sports so doing the things I love more often will help me accomplish this goal and maybe motivate me to take on other things!

>> Don't Quit - This should be on everyone's list! Sticking to your goals throughout the year is tough, I know. But the best way to stay motivated is to find a support system, which Is what Nicole and I are here for!

Now its your turn! Did you finish your fitness goal list yet? 1. My fitness goals for this year are:_________________________________________.

2. I know I can accomplish this by:___________________________________________.

3. I'll keep myself motivated by:_____________________________________________.

4. The toughest goal on my list is:___________________________________________.

5. My motto this year is:__________________________________________________.


Copy and paste with your answers on your blog and link up below! And don't forget to grab our button too!

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♥ Duckie.

Hoppin' Along with GFC

This Tuesday I'm excited to be one of the co-hosts of the GFC Blog Hop! This blog hop is HUGE! Please feel free to join in and participate and meet some other AWESOME bloggers, myself included of course!

I'll let Melissa take it from here:

It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!

Last week we broke our record of 295 with 324 Link Ups!! AWESOME!! 

When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and it's nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 

One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!

If you are interested in co-hosting the next GFC Blog Hop send an email to Melissa at melissa@thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host via GFC

The First link below

2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC

The Next 8 links below

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 

and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

Tweet

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar! 

<a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/search/label/gfcbloghop"> <img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z237/melissaenault/gfcbloghop-1.gif" border="0" /></a>

See, sounds fun, right? WELL IT IS. Trust. So c'mon and link up! You know you want to meet new bloggers! And you know that blog friends are so much better than some friends in real life - so don't act like you don't already know that!

And I know I've been slacking on my posts lately. Still got that blog bug that's been going around. I think I need to take a dip in the ocean and bring that inspiration and motivation back. Oh, where is that "EASY" button when I need it??...

♥ Duckie.

Fitness Friday: Diet, shmiet.

I know.  Trust me, I KNOW.  You skimmed past this post when you saw the word "Diet", right?  But now you have nothing else to read so you came back.  Thank you.

If you know me, and I like to think you do, I hate diets.  Wait, let me stress that more:  I HATE DIETS.

I can't do diets.  I don't have the willpower to do them.  They just suck.  Period.

Don't get me wrong, I can do some major damage at Sizzler's Salad Bar (which they don't have here on Guam and I miss), but girrrrrrl, you know I'm ordering that steak and lobster too!  I think the only diet I've really tried and stuck with for a while was the South Beach Diet.  Any diet with meat is a good diet to me.

That being said, I stumbled upon a pretty cool diet that I'm planning on trying (maybe next month?) that I thought would be awesome to share with you all.  

So, I found out about this diet from Tiffany over at {{blabbering thoughts}} who found it from another blog called Justin & Ashley Refresh.

Basically all you eat for one week is fruits, veggies, and some chicken.  That's it.  All day.  For 7 whole days.  That's 168 hours of dieting.  Okay, if you aren't scared yet, here's a breakdown of the days:

Ya see?  You thought when I said "fruits, veggies, and some chicken" I meant each day, right?  Booyah!  If you need to take a moment to change the pants you just crapped in, go ahead, I'll wait.


You good?  Great.


Now I know I just said I hate diets, but 10+ lbs?  In one frikken week?  That's frikken amazing!  The fact that the bloggers who have done this masochistic thing actually did lose that much weight is motivation enough for me to give it a go!  But, you know, not right away.


I'm planning to try this in a couple weeks, maybe the 22nd or the 29th so please feel free to jump in and join me so I'm not alone.  And so that we can show off our skinnier selves to each other!


On another note, I started taking Sensa this week.  Okay, that's not a whole truth.  I've used it twice.  The first time I sprinkled some in my yogurt in the morning.  Then I scarfed down dinner that night without it because I forgot.  Then I sprinkled some in my food last night - after I was already halfway finished.


As you can see, its not going so well.  I'm not one of those people who remember things well.  Case in point: that time I forgot my age on my birthday.


Anyway, you know the drill:  copy, paste to your blog, fill in your own answers, and come back and linky dinky up!


This week I attempted to start Sensa.  Oh, we also went on a family walk last night.

The hardest part was remembering to use it.

My greatest accomplishment this week was not eating as much since I haven't had time to take lunch all week.

Okay, I felt guilty because I had some cake yesterday, but what kind of person would I be if I passed down a free cake?  It was a free sample cake, the ones they use to show you what the real deal cake will look/taste like, and it was delicious!

Next week I'm gonna try to remember to sprinkle Sensa on everything and work harder at working out.






Peace easy lemon squeezy!




♥ Duckie.

Fitness Friday: La-di-da-di, we like Pilates!

It's finally Fridayyyyyyyy!  Tuesday felt like a false Friday, and Wednesday was a false Sunday so I'm just glad that today is an actual Friday and I have 2 whole days off instead of just one.

Now, I don't know about you guys, but when it comes to working out and exercising, it's all about convenience.  If I have to go out of my way to set aside time and money to go to a gym or something to work out, I'm probably not going to do it most of the time - which is probably why I do not subscribe to a gym.

I work full time, Monday through Friday, from 8am to 5pm, usually without taking a lunch.  I also have 3 kids who need help with homework and need dinner to be made.  And lastly, I'm a full-time online student studying towards my Bachelor's degree.

All these things take up most of my time throughout the week so I really do enjoy my days off.  I would much rather take my kids to the park or to a beach to swim than to go to a class on a Saturday.  Its just not convenient for me to wake up early on a Saturday (or any day off for that matter), leave my kids, and drive to a studio for a class.  You have to agree that spending a day at the beach is much better than working out, right?  Right.  So let's do both.

I mentioned this printout in one of my previous posts and I've been doing these exercises sporadically since April.  They're easy to do when you're lounging around and working on your tan at the beach, pool, lake, park...you get the idea.

The beauty of Pilates is that it's not about how many reps you can do but how focused and precise you are with each exercise.  Quality over quantity.  The key to getting the most out of these exercises is to keep your mind concentrated, your body controlled, and your core centered - you know, focus on those lovely abs that you'll eventually have.  Just keep thinking to yourself:  "Concentrate, control, core...concentrate, control, core..."

Understand that Pilates is not a fat blasting, muscle bulking type of system but it will help tone your muscles, improve your flexibility, and increase your stamina (so have your guy to get in on it too).  I've done Pilates before and I noticed that I could run farther than I did before starting Pilates and I had much more energy throughout the day.

I encourage you to print this for yourself and carry it around with you (I keep mine in my purse) so you can use it when it's convenient for you!  And if you're at the beach, you'll be able to jump into the water and cool off once you're done!  Win/win, right!?


This week I did the vagina arm exercises I posted about last week, walked a mile, did some Pilates at the beach, and did some barre exercises while washing dishes.

The hardest part was the pushups and plank rows - OMG!

My greatest accomplishment this week was that my arms didn't fall off of my body and I've been drinking more water.

Okay, I felt guilty because I ate pasta four days in a row this week - holy crap.

Next week I'm gonna try to eat healthier and do some cardio!








You know the drill:  copy, paste, fill in your own answers and link up!  And if you're interested in doing a guest post here for an upcoming Fitness Friday, let me know!



♥ Duckie.