Happy Birthday ... to me! (Part 1ish)

I believe that birthdays are a big deal. I've always felt that way. Having a summer birthday, I kind of got the shaft on parties because everyone was always on vacation. I got used to just going to dinner with my family, enjoying a cookie cake (Broussard birthday tradition), and opening a few gifts. Once I joined the working world, I've always believed that you should get your birthday off. Birthdays should be spent doing something you enjoy. B.C. (Before Child) I usually took a roadtrip to a different ballpark and enjoyed some baseball. This year, I decided to stay home and spend the day with kiddo. 

 Last night before I went to bed my parents jokingly told me, "Go enjoy your last night of being 30 because tomorrow you'll officially be old." If you're only as old as you feel, then I'll always be around 12-15 (except for those times when I'm overly sore from a workout, then I'll feel my age!) I slept in for me (so, until 6:30am) before hitting the shower. Kiddo had school today (she goes for a half day, twice a week in the summers), so I wanted to be able to take her for a change. I went into kiddo's room and she kicked me out. Then she ran in my room because she wanted to watch Alice in Wonderland (the old school Disney one ... slowly inching it's way to her current favorite movie). After a while, I heard my mom tell her to bring me my birthday cards. She came in my room, dropped them on my bed, and said, "We followed the cards and found Mommy's birthday!" That made up for her kicking me out. 

When it came time to go to school, kiddo was ok with me riding in the car with them, however, she was not ok with me walking her into the building. (Shunned, AGAIN!) While kiddo was in school, I went to Party City and went a little crazy on buying stuff for her birthday party. (It's going to be the dopest Thomas the Tank Engine party Texas has ever seen! Not really...but I'll think so.) While enjoying the excellent early 2000s pop hits that Party City was playing, I got distracted by the 1D birthday party items. My mom told me she wasn't buying any, but she changed her a tune a little later. :) 

Horrible picture, but I was THAT excited! 

After picking kiddo up from school, I asked if she wanted to go to Dairy Queen or Chicken Express for my birthday lunch. I figured this would be  a no brainer and kiddo would easily pick DQ. THAT TRAITOR PICKED CHICKEN EXPRESS! I enjoyed my chicken, without a blizzard, and then it was time for cake. Cookie cakes have always been the birthday cake of choice in the Broussard household. In fact, the only other time I can remember having them is for our high school and college graduations. This year, my mom made me a cake and we let kiddo decorate it. Here's how that went...

 First, there was the brief icing of the cake before she got bored...

Next, there was the dumping of the sprinkles...

Finally, there was the eating of the sprinkles.

After we enjoyed some cake, kiddo and I went swimming in the big pool. She and my dad played while my mom and I went to shop at Target and I bought my own birthday present. 

Birthdays are about buying things you wouldn't normally buy for yourself. 

For dinner, we did some make your own pizzas, and then kiddo and I watched a little Barney before she hit the sack. I wore her out, so she went to bed early and I got to get in my workout before 9pm! As for the special surprise from my mom...

ONE DIRECTION CAKE NAPKINS!!!

This is the first of a few blog posts dedicated to my birthday. Coming up, a post on all of my birthday freebies and the birthday bucket list that my friends helped create. 

"Extreme" Couponing

I love the show Extreme Couponing. I don't have the patience to look at the deals and compare sale papers and match them to coupons, so I am completely in awe of these people. I decided this month that I would make an effort to be more conscious sale papers, the items on my list and matching them to my coupons. None of my finds would qualify as extreme, but for me they were accomplishments.

CVS ROUND 1

I was running out of granola bars at the office, and I waned to try these new Nutri-Grain crunch bars. They were on sale at CVS , plus I had a coupon for them. Deodorant is an office essential when you work in sports, and CVS had this one on sale for $2.99. I had a coupon for $2 off, so I got my office deodorant for under a dollar! 

Total Price: $16.36

After Coupons: $5.98

Total Savings: 63%

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WALGREENS

This month my menu called for lots of pasta. I saw that Walgreens had these on sale, as well as the pasta sauces. I was a little too excited about seeing the Pringles on sale (and having a coupon), and the Crystal Light got me some Balance Rewards points. 

Total Price: $21.68

After Coupons: $11.15

Total Savings: 49%

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CVS ROUND 2

I was MAJORLY stoked when my newspaper had a coupon for $4.00 off of 2 of my favorite deodorants. I was even MORE stoked when I saw CVS had them on sale for BOGO Half off. I also had a great coupon on the toothpaste, so I figured I would stock up. The play doh was a last minute addition. I had a coupon from CVS, and I decided those would make great favors for kiddo's birthday party. The orange slices were a treat for me, plus I had a coupon. :) 

Total Price: $28.13

After Coupons: $9.88

Total Savings: 65%

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TARGET 

Target had their baby sale last week, and I decided it was time to take advantage of the deals and stock up on some pull-ups. I also got a car seat (not pictured as it's in my car). Target had a coupon in the paper for $20 off of of a $100 purchase. The car seat was on sale for $40. I got a $10 gift card for buying two of the boxes of pull-ups. Instead of redeeming a $5 giftcard I had, the cashier put $5 dollars on it, but I didn't sweat it because my parents can use it to buy kiddo a car seat for their car. 

Total Price: $140.72

After Coupons: $90.75

Total Savings: 55%

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I know that none of these are overly extreme, but I began to understand the process better on how to match coupons to sales to my grocery list. I hope to build on this and use my savings to help pay down my student loans and be able to put a little more into savings each month. 

Friday Funday?

Well, today I ended up with an unexpected day off. The weather was very bad this morning, but I thought it was just some bad rain. I decided that I would leave for work a little after 7am to make sure that I got there on time. I learned pretty quickly that there were flash flood warnings in our area, and once I finally made it to the exit for work, I knew my small car would not make it through that water to get to the office. So, I turned my car around and headed back home. When I got back home at 7:45 (the weather made my normal 20 minute round trip drive ALOT longer), I got the call that campus was closed due to the weather. I was slightly frustrated, but at least I'm home and safe!

I don't do well with unexpected days off, so I figured I'd give you the five fun things that I plan to do with my impromptu day off:

FRIDAY FUNDAY FIVES

(1) Get my reality tv on!
(Binge watch 19 Kids and Counting.) I've NEVER seen this show! (I know! A reality show that I've never seen!) I just finished reading their book 20 and Counting, and noticed that some of the seasons are on Netflix. I figured since I had some extra time off today, I may as well get a little binge watching on, starting with season 1.

(2) Get my craft-y on!
(Pinterest ideas for kiddo's birthday party.) Kiddo's birthday is in September, and her party will be in October. The theme is going to be Thomas the Tank Engine. (Her favorite!) Since my life is about to get really busy with our sports seasons starting up next fall, so I want to make a least of things I need to get and ideas in advance so I can pull this off. :)

(3) Get my read on!
With getting a library card and getting rid of cable, I've spent most of my time reading. In fact, today is the first day I've indulged in some TV watching in a long time. I do plan to take a break and crack open my last two library books, one from Dave Ramsey and one on ways to use Twitter.

(4) Get my sweat on!
I'm going to try and get an extra workout in if I can. If not, I'll at least get in my workout that I had planned for today. Today is flexibility training, but maybe I'll add in an extra cardio session to help fill my time.

(5) Get my planning on!
I'm going to use this time to finalize my menu plan for August, and also plan my goals for the month of August. I'm a major planner, so I find things like this relaxing.

Hope everything has their own Friday Funday!

Music Monday

Last week was pretty stressful for me. At one point my competence to do my job was questioned by clients because of a coworkers mistake. Why was it me questioned and not this coworker? Because my office's name and number was the contact on the document. The document was never sent to my office for review, nor was the mailout list sent for us to double-check. Since I've been the only one in the office for the last three weeks, the hiccup fell on my professional reputation. This was brought to my attention at a time when I was dealing with a difficult coach, trying to balance the financials from the five camps that were going on last week, and after I had accidentally refunded someone the full amount instead of a partial amount. By 3pm, I was nearly in tears in my office.

The next day at work, I slowly started to have songs brought to my mind that calmed me and/or just made me happy. I decided to get out of my funk and start writing down what I labelled as my "bad day playlist." I've taped this inside the cabinet above my computer so when situations like this arise (and working in sports, these situations are always guaranteed to come out of nowhere and bite you in the butt!). Since it's Monday, I figured I would share my playlist with y'all. (Not because Mondays are bad, but because I'm going for the alliteration on this one.) If you're ever having a bad day, or just need a quick pick me up, feel free to steal!

#MOTY2014 BAD DAY PLAYLIST

Almost guaranteed to get a smile on your face and your toes tapping

1. Best Song Ever - One Direction (got to have a solid lead off!)
2. A Drop in the Ocean - Ron Pope
3. Me and My Broken Heart - Rixton
4. For the First Time - The Script
5. I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys
6. Timber - Ke$ha and Pitbull (don't judge me!)
7. The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy
8. Only The Good Die Young - Billy Joel
9. Fancy - Reba
10. Lightening - The Wanted
11. Take It On the Run - REO Speedwagon
12. Viva la Vida - Coldplay
13. Bobbie Ann Mason - Rick Trevino
14. Money, Money, Money - ABBA
15. Forever (acoustic) - Dropkick Murphys

    BONUS TRACKS

    16.  One More Night - Marron 5

    17.  Drunk Last Night - Eli Young Band

    18.  Sweet Jane - Lou Reed

    19.  Captain Jack - Billy Joel

    20.  Miss Missing You - Fall Out Boy  

Why I Gave Up On The Astros...and Why I Came Back

After a game a few weeks ago at Minute Maid Park, E was making fun of how much I love Orbit, the Houston Astros mascot. He made a comment about Orbit being well received for a new mascot and I quickly corrected him that Orbit was not a new mascot. Orbit was there when I went to Astros games as a kid. When the Astros moved from the Astrodome to MMP and changed their entire image, they also changed mascots and Orbit went away and Junction Jack came on the scene. He seemed a little shocked at this information, and it made me think of why I stopped following the Astros in the first place. 

I grew up in Louisiana, and we have no professional baseball team. In fact, the only professional teams we had growing up were the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Jazz (who were taken away before the NBA gave us the Hornets, now Pelicans). Growing up in Southwest Louisiana, I never had a hometown team. Our family vacations were split between going to Astros games in Houston or Rangers games in Arlington. The Astros would offer free tickets to kids who made honor roll and banner roll, and our school was one of the ones that participated in this program. I jokingly tell people that the Astros are what made me try in school, not my school teacher parents. Going to Astros games in the Astrodome are some of my fondest childhood memories. The blue and orange seats, the amazing rainbow jerseys, Orbit the mascot, the ice cream in the mini-helmets, learning how to keep score, and the quality time that my family spent together are the highlights of my childhood. But something happened that made me stop following the Astros. 

In 1993, the team decided on blue and gold as the official colors, which didn't sit to well with me, but I accepted it. However, in 2000, the Astros left the Astrodome and moved to Enron Field (now MMP). When they moved, that decided to revamp the team image. The team colors were now a brick red, black and sand. They also did away with Orbit and brought in Junction Jack. Everything changed. 

That was the moment I stopped following the Astros because they weren't the team that I grew up with. I felt as if they had taken all of my childhood memories and tossed them on I-10 and ran over them with semi-truck. I felt as if the Astros had betrayed my childhood and the happy memories that I had. I couldn't watch the team that I loved try to be someone else. I understood that change is a part of life, but I wasn't ready for them to completely get rid of everything that had made me love the Astros in the first place. 

Eventually, the Astros decided to bring back everything I loved (except the Astrodome...RIP). It just so happened that around that same time, I accepted a job in Texas, an hour and a half from Houston. It was the first time in my life that I've lived close enough to an MLB team to consider one my hometown team. As corny as it sounds, I like to think that it wasn't a coincidence, but divine intervention that brought all of my childhood favorites back around the same time I moved to Texas. For a cajun girl from SWLA, the thought of living in Texas was a difficult one. I spent many nights crying myself to sleep because I didn't want to be a Texan. The first few months were emotionally draining on me. 

To get through the emotional mess of my heart, I did the only thing I know how to do when I'm feeling confused and upset, I began going to Astros games. Sports have always been what I turn to help me get through the tough times. Being at a ballpark, racetrack, arena, stadium, etc. brings back memories with the most important and influential people in my life and it helps me get a clear head. The Astros were there when I needed them be. Not just the Astros, the Astros of my childhood...even if they were in a different location. Having my favorites back has made the transition of becoming a Texan much easier. 

Thanks Astros for all of the memories of the past and all the memories we will make together in the future. 

July Goals

So, I'm a little tardy to the party on this post, but I figured I'd go ahead and pound it out anyway. (It'll be a quick one.) I've decided for the second half of 2014, to set a few goals each month. Some will be similar, but I want to strive for 3-5 mini-goals per month. I figured this was easier than half-year goals because once our sports seasons start, my life can get way too hectic to focus on big picture tasks. So, to hold myself accountable, I'm posting these goals here. Even if not many people see them, the thought that someone MAY see them makes me more inclined to do them. (Hopefully...I'm really bad about remembering to update this thing...)

JULY GOALS:

1. Complete the Burn phase of Chalean Extreme. 

Chalean Extreme is my new workout project. Mixed in with the three weekly weight workouts, I've added one day of flexibility training, 2 days of cardio, and one day of a few Pop Pilates challenges (just for some fun!) For the next 3 months, I'll be going through the program, so here goes the beginning phase!

2. Begin and complete Bible study in Philippians. 

I opted out of the Proverbs 31 study for the next 6 weeks, although I did finish reading the book it will be going through last week. I wanted to shake things up, and found a study through Philippians. 

3. Read 3 books. 

I figure that I can probably read one book a week, but just in case I get into a lengthy one, or get bogged down in finding a good book, 3 seems doable. (Wow, that run-on sentence was MAJOR!)

4. Blog once a week. 

I'm going to make an effort to post here once a week. This one will be my biggest challenge, so fingers crossed I can begin to make this a habit. 

Summer Shape Up AKA I Heart Jessica Smith

One day while I was scrolling through YouTube for something to shake up my workout routines, I found Jessica Smith's Cardio Ballet video. If I was thinking clearly, I would have kept scrolling, but I wasn't. I felt like I needed to challenge myself with something that I normally wouldn't do, and I decided to give it a try. I completely sucked at it, but loved every minute of it. I'm not sure if it was the workout so much, or Jessica's infectious energy, but I decided to toss it in the mix once a week.

About halfway through May, I noticed that she was tweeting about this Summer Shape Up Challenge. 30 workouts in 30 days. Since it was halfway over, I decided to make it my goal for the month of June. After all, there are 30 days in June so it seemed perfect! This workout playlist was amazing! Not only did it help me build up my strength, it provided the shakeup in my routine that I needed to make me excited about trying the workouts each day. It also taught me a few personal lessons that were probably more valuable not just to my fitness journey, but to my life overall.

WHAT JESSICA SMITH TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE

(1) Variety really is the spice of life. 
These 30 workouts have everything from intense cardio sessions, to strength training, to moderate cardio sessions, to yoga, to general flexibility training, to quiet meditation. You name it, it was probably included somewhere in these 30 workouts. Being the single mom of a toddler, my workout time is slated for after kiddo goes to bed, which has made sticking to exercise difficult. I would always get demotivated and just let myself go to bed. With the constant variety and wonder of "I wonder what exactly this workout is all about", I found myself more excited for bedtime than normal because it meant I got to workout!

(2) Rest is a good thing, mentally and physically. 
You'll notice that I did not immediately post this after the month of June ended. That's because I didn't finish the 30 workouts until July 3rd. Was my goal to do all of them in 30 days, yes. However, there were some days that I needed a mental break and/or physical break. There was one day that after attempting to start, my body just wasn't into it. I decided it was best to stop the workout and pick it up again the next day. I also took a couple of days off for a weekend getaway with my boyfriend. Our schedules are both so busy that finding time that we can just spend together and not focus on any obligations was a needed break to help me finish this workout series strong. I've never liked rest days because I always felt that showed I couldn't hang, but this series made me realize that some days my body NEEDS that break to become a better body. (And let's face it, allowing myself the rest that I need allows me to be a better employee, better friend, better daughter, better sister and most importantly, a better mother.)

(3) Not all workouts are for me, and that's ok. 
There was one workout during this series (the meditation-y one) that I knew was going to be a struggle. However, instead of skipping it, like I normally would, I made myself try it. I told myself that I wasn't allowed to stop until I completed at least one third of it (10 minutes, anyone can do any workout for 10 minutes, right?). I surpassed my goal and managed to do half of it before I finally cried Uncle. This workout just wasn't for me, and for the first time in my life (including all the years of workouts for tournament and college softball), I felt like it was ok to admit that. Once I allowed myself to admit that it was ok in one area of my life (be it as small as a fitness routine) it was amazing how much more I began to accept it in other areas of my life as well.

So maybe it wasn't Jessica Smith exactly who taught me these life lessons, but I do know that her workout series helped lead to these revelations. As I embark on a new fitness journey for the month of July, I'll carry these lessons with me and maybe bring back my old friend when I get bogged down and just need the reminder of what I've accomplished.

Since everyone wants to know not so life altering accomplishments that came out of this workout experience, I will tell you that I am now back in my pre-pregnancy clothes. The bonus to that? THEY ARE GETTING TOO BIG! I've stopped looking at a scale, so I can't tell you how much weight I lost, but the inches that I've lost are pretty amazing. Check it out here!