Has it been five weeks of fitness already? This has got to be some kind of personal record for me. Especially the time I’ve spent all aboard the healthy eating train. A train with limited carbs and raw almonds as my most appealing snack option.

Although I do give myself weekends off. I’m happy to announce that this weekend was filled with crispy beef taco plates, fajitas, queso, and guacamole. And the people said AMEN.

And I think that’s the key. I can make myself mind over matter the junk food addict who enjoys Gummie Sours Lifesavers and Sonic tater tots during the weekdays because I know that I get to take a break on the weekends and eat the foods of my ancestors. Assuming my ancestors ate a lot of Mexican food. Which is really highly unlikely since they were Sicilian and you never hear anyone talk about visiting Sicily for the guacamole.

As for working out, I keep waiting to LOVE it and feel all those endorphins and all that other fitness propaganda that people spew. And it hasn’t happened. I love my playlist. I love the way I feel AFTER a workout is over. But the actual running part? Not a huge fan.

But I’ve found a lot of good workouts on Pinterest that I can do in the comfort of my living room on the days I just can’t get out the door because it’s too cold or too warm or too rainy. Can anyone tell me what we used to do before Pinterest? How did I find recipes or cute clothes or obsessively daydream about all the ways I’d like to redecorate my living room.

It’s a wealth of workout suggestions that I’ve incorporated to mix things up a little bit.

Source: iowagirleats.com via Melanie on Pinterest

Because man (or woman) cannot live by running alone.

I think that’s in the Bible.

And here’s the other gem I found on Pinterest that I look at every time I start to lose my motivation and gaze longingly at the couch.

Source: via Melanie on Pinteres

Just last week someone told me my face looked a little thinner and I wanted to give them a prolonged hug. It was a good reminder that just because I don’t see results doesn’t mean things aren’t changing. I just see myself everyday and so it’s hard to tell.

But I know I feel better and isn’t that what really matters? Just wait until I’m sitting by the pool this summer and everyone comments on how healthy my heart looks.

It will be totally worth all the sacrifices.

* Don’t forget to check out the Best Buy “Buyer’s Guide” and leave a comment for a chance to win!

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I just finished watching the Super Bowl. And by “watching the Super Bowl”, I mean that I just finished checking Twitter to read about Madonna’s halftime performance and commentary on all the commercials while I occasionally looked up to see the game because I really didn’t care at all if the Giants of New York beat the Patriots of New England.

In my opinion, real football ended for the season after college football wrapped up.

Also, Madonna has an incredible amount of energy for someone who’s 94 years old. Good gracious. She must take her One A Day plus iron without fail.

And now I’m going to write something quick because Downton Abbey is waiting for me on the DVR and I have to watch it tonight or I’ll never get to sleep for wondering if Lady Mary helps Matthew Crawley find the will to live again.

Speaking of DVRS, we got a new one on Thursday. We finally replaced our old T.V. with a nicer one. It wasn’t very hard to do considering that our former T.V. was a 20 inch Sony with a picture that had become so blurry that it was hard to tell what the score was when you watched a sporting event. Of course maybe the problem is with my eyes. I choose not to examine that too closely.

The upside of the 20 inch Sony was that we never had to worry about anyone stealing it because it weighed about 450 pounds. And, well, it was a ten-year-old twenty inch T.V. We could have left it out on the curb with a sign that read FREE and no one would have taken it.

But we’d put off getting a new T.V. Mainly because I am the technological person in our home. And that’s like saying that Debra Winger as Sissy was the classiest character in Urban Cowboy. Sure, maybe compared to Bud, but you weren’t going to find her at any debutante balls.

And part of the reason I didn’t want to get a new T.V was because I knew it would mean unplugging things and figuring out where wires go and how remotes work and the whole thing just seemed exhausting. So I wasn’t surprised at all when I called Dish Network and found out they needed to come replace our old DVR with a high definition DVR. And they could be at our house in two weeks with a ten hour time frame for the appointment.

Technology. You make me sad.

So our nice technician shows up and asks if they’ve told me he’ll also need to replace our satellite dish. This is where I need to assure you that it’s a very small, hardly noticeable dish because I am just vain enough to care that y’all might think we have a huge satellite dish sitting in the front yard of our home on wheels. Right next to the sixteen stray dogs.

And the car up on cement blocks.

Of course no one mentioned that our entire system needed to be replaced, but I told him to go ahead and do what he needed to do. And about an hour later he came in and announced our old dish had been completely installed the wrong way. Which explains why we had to sometimes lean out of bed at a precarious angle to change the channel on the T.V. in our bedroom.

Then he brought in the bright, shiny DVR along with new remote controls. That’s when it dawned on me that he was taking the old DVR with all the episodes of Thirty Rock I haven’t watched yet this season. And a little part of me began to hurt because I had big plans to curl up and watch some Liz Lemon on Friday night.

I was kind of feeling a little bitter and resentful toward the new shiny DVR with its absence of Thirty Rock episodes until the Dish Network guy handed me the new remote control and explained that I can now record up to 450 hours of shows. 450 HOURS.

Well, that’s a game changer.

I can’t tell you how many times I would get so stressed when we got down to the 30 hour zone of recording time. I’d start figuring out what I could delete to make more room. It was like a weekly Sophie’s Choice.

(Although I’d usually solve the problem by deleting some of P’s shows because how many hunting shows or shows about catching monster fish does one person need?)

But now there is such freedom with 450 hours. I can keep every episode of Downton Abbey on there forever. And I can let The Bachelors pile up until I have enough that I can watch the entire season in one hour instead of subjecting myself to all the filler and “Stay tuned for the MOST DRAMATIC ROSE CEREMONY EVER” stuff.

And I can experience all this television freedom on a screen that’s big enough that I can actually see the picture from across the room.

It’s an abundance of riches.

Now I just need to figure out where we’re going to put the T.V. because it’s currently sitting on the church pew in our living room. I always loved having our T.V. in an armoire but these fancy new T.V.s don’t fit in an armoire. I’m thinking built-ins. Any thoughts on that?

Also, is anyone watching The Voice? And is anyone going to watch that new show Smash?

I was on the fence about it but I’m going to give it a whirl now that I can rest in the security that I can still record an additional 449 hours of other shows.

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Somehow Thursdays have ended up being a marathon day for us. Between homework, after school activities and basketball practice I usually end up wanting to cry by 8:00 p.m.

But I will not let my crazy Thursday stand in the way of Fashion Friday. It must go on. And I even tried to incorporate a new feature where I show y’all a few things and then show some Pinterest links to give you an idea of how to put those things together. It’s not an exact science, but I think it kind of worked.

So here’s what I found this week.

1. Old Navy colored rock star jeggings

Colored jeans are all the rage. ALL THE RAGE. And I think they look really cute. I’m just not sure I can go back there. I even found a pair of red skinny jeans on sale for $11.99 at Old Navy and couldn’t pull the trigger.

Mainly because the last time I wore red jeans they were from Express and it was 1991. I also had a perm in my hair. It was a dark time.

2. rugby stripe clean-stitch tee

I tried on these shirts at Gap the other day and really like them. They’re thin but not see-through and are a great length for layering. Plus they’re super soft.

3. Old Navy chambray shirt

See? 1991. Chambray shirt. I wore one with my red jeans. And a brown Brighton belt with a big silver clasp. And my perm.

But this is 2012. So I think this would look cute with the pink skinny jeans featured above. Maybe add some turquoise jewelry or a cute scarf or a jacket. Or wear it open with a tank underneath. And no one will think you’re just holding out for 1991.

4. gauzy gale peasant blouse

I think this is cute. Great top for spring. And it’s on sale.

5. charleston era ruffled coat

I adore this coat. It is just perfect with its ruffles.

6. watermelon ice dress

This is the orange dress featured in one of the Pinterest links below. It’s pricey right now, but I bet you can find a cheaper version at TJ Maxx or Francescas or somewhere like that.

7. Target trench coat

I love a good trench coat. And check out how cute the trench coats are in the Pinterest links below. I adore that little girls cuffed jeans, flats and trench. I guess she doesn’t just want to wear running shorts to school every day.

8. leather statement cuff

I think I first saw these on my friend Paige’s blog. Of course I’ve never met Paige in real life but I still call her my friend because I believe we will meet someday in person because I kind of love her.

9. georgina ruffled shirt

Yes, it’s a white shirt. Yes, I have a problem. Yes, I believe white shirts are perfection. But look how cute it looks in the Pinterest link with that blazer.

10. denim blazer

And speaking of blazers, I love this denim one. Sure, black is probably my favorite but I like the denim. Especially with a cute skirt for spring. It’s a little dressier than just a normal jean jacket.

Okay.

See how cute the trench is? LOVE.

And look at this with the striped shirt and rainboots. So cute.

I love the coral with denim and turquoise. This would be cute with cowboy boots too.

This is a great look, too. Apparently I’m all about the coral color right now.

Here are the red skinny jeans. It kind of makes me wish I’d forked over the $11.99 for that pair at Old Navy. But then what if I put them on and channel 1991 and the next thing you know I’m standing on a table in a public place singing “Groove is in the Heart” by Dee-Lite?

Not that I ever did that kind of thing.

I’ll just say that a few bottles of Zima  can cause a person to lose some inhibitions.

The only thing that rivals coral for me at this point is a great yellow. I love the yellow skirt with the brown accessories and denim jacket. You could put the denim blazer with it for a look that’s a little more tailored if that’s your thing.

See how great the ruffled shirt looks with the blazer? Such a great look.

And that’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.

Okay I just feel like I need to say something.

Or write something.

Whatever.

I woke up yesterday morning feeling a little out of sorts. Partly because I had the same headache I’d gone to bed with the night before and partly because we were completely out of bread and I had to fabricate some semblance of a healthy lunch for Caroline without a sandwich option. And partly because sometimes it’s just a woman’s prerogative to be a little moody for no reason.

And then I got a few complaints, comments, etc. about the giveaway post I had up. Some people said they didn’t like the blog anymore because it has just turned into a marketing thing.

Y’all.

I promise I am not trying to indoctrinate anyone into any type of pyramid scheme. There is no Amway bubble bath for sale on my blog. (I’m not saying Amway is a pyramid scheme. I have no idea. Please do not email me if you sell Amway.)

But I’d mentioned at the beginning of January that I was going to be doing a giveaway every Wednesday until the end of February. And no one has to enter or read or anything on Wednesdays. Click away, my friends. CLICK AWAY.

The thing is that I’m under a lot of pressure to get my book finished. And, contrary to what P believes, I do occasionally run out of words. I knew there was going to be no way for me to post five days a week and get the book finished. So when the opportunity came up to review health-related products and give y’all a chance to win them, I figured that was a good solution and better than just writing nothing.

Anyway, I just wanted to state for the record that it’s a temporary thing. So I’m asking for a little grace. I didn’t mean to make anyone feel marketed to. I just thought the giveaways might be fun. And I don’t make one dime (or even a nickel) if you buy the product and have no vested interest in it at all. It was more of a HEY! POTENTIAL FREE STUFF! for my readers thing. And my intention was to do it because I appreciate y’all.

So enough about that.

Let’s talk about what’s going on around here. Because it has been a week chockfull of first world problems. Beginning with Monday when I went to Starbucks and someone was sitting in my chair. I’d never seen this person before and clearly she wasn’t a regular like Susie or David or the rest of my normal crowd. And she was in my chair. I realize she had no idea but it was like my brain short-circuited because I like the velvet chair with the nearby electrical outlet and the round table next to it.

But I sat in a different chair and every time she even shifted I got ready to jump up and reclaim my seat.

This probably explains why I’ve had to keep a thesaurus handy while writing my book so I can find alternate ways to say “neurotic”.

In non-OCD related news, Caroline announced a few weeks ago that she only wants to wear running shorts, t-shirts, and leggings to school. On cold mornings she also wears a zip-up hoodie that she wears zipped all the way up to the top because I think she secretly knows it drives me insane. And so I threatened to sell all her cute clothes that she never wears and she looked at me blankly and said, “Okay”.

Which didn’t do much for my blood pressure.

She also told me that she and her daddy could just shop at Academy from now on.

I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong.

The problem (other than the fact she chooses to dress like an athletic hobo) is she really needs a few new t-shirts to wear with her running shorts. But I think the t-shirts at Gap and Old Navy are kind of lame. And there is no way she’s going to wear a Hello Kitty shirt at this point. So I’d love any suggestions about where to find cute, funky t-shirts for girls.

We did a little shopping after school yesterday because I told her she could get some earrings that dangle. I meant a little stud earring with a very petite heart or something hanging down. Apparently she envisioned enormous peacock feathers hanging from her ears. Because that would really set off that whole running shorts look she has going.

Anyway, we didn’t find anything that I felt was appropriate for an eight-year-old girl and she sighed deeply as we got in the car and said, “Well, I will just have you know that I am REALLY DISAPPOINTED in Charming Charlie’s earring selection.”

But I think what she meant was she was really disappointed that her mother won’t let her wear earrings bigger than her head.

I know those of you with teenagers are going to laugh at me, but I feel like everything is an argument right now. The other night I was helping her with her homework and we were looking at two shapes trying to figure out what they had in common. I explained what parallel lines are and what right angles mean and helped her work out the entire problem. And then she looked at me and said, “Okay, but I’m going to go see what MY DAD says.”

Good. Go see what YOUR DAD says. And tell him Mama is in bed.

But then last night I tucked her into bed and she asked if I’d bring her a few storybooks to read. “Not chapter books, Mama. My old storybooks.” So I brought in several of her Little Golden books. And a few minutes later she came out of the room and walked over to me with tears shining in her eyes and said, “Those books made me kind of sad, Mama. They reminded me of my childhood.”

I resisted the urge to say, “You’re eight. This is your childhood.”

And instead I said, “What do you mean, Love?”

She said, “It just reminds me of the good times when I was really little and you’d read these books to me every night.”

And so I walked back into the room with her, tucked her back in and read one of the little books to her just like I did when she still fit into my lap in the rocking chair.

Because Mama may not know much about math and right angles and the proper size of dangling earrings, but she knows a lot about being sappy and sentimental.

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I think it was sometime a few years ago when I looked in a super-magnifying mirror for the first time in a long time. And I didn’t like what I saw.

Where did those wrinkles come from? What were all those dark, splotchy places on my face? Why was I an idiot who spent my high school summers teaching swim lessons and neglected to wear sunscreen because I wanted a nice, tan face?

The sun damage piper had come calling, and it was time to pay. Or time to find some products with a sufficient amount of retinol. It was also time to buy a large sunhat, SPF 150, and sunglasses that covered my entire face.

I can’t even talk about the summer after I had Caroline when hormones caused me to develop what appeared to be a mustache on my upper lip but was really just a series of dark patches from the sun. It was a dark time. Literally. A kid at the pool concession stand might have called me “Sir”.

Anyway, ever since those days I have been slightly obsessed with discovering the magic elixir of skin youth. I’m a sucker for anything that promises a glowing complexion and the ability to turn back the hands of time. Even though, let’s be honest, even Cher couldn’t figure out how to do that. I’ve tried the organic oil cleansing method. I’ve tried retinol. I’ve tried every brand you can imagine. I’ve tried petroleum jelly.

I’ve finally come to love the combination of facial cleanser with electric face brush and some retinol. It’s removed a lot of the dark places on my skin and helps it have more of a glow. But I was so excited when Best Buy sent me the PMD- Home Microderm Abrasion Device. This microdermabrasion device features body and facial caps for wide-ranging use, suction that promotes blood flow to help renewal, and recovery creams (not included) that penetrate your skin. I’ve always wanted to try microdermabrasion but didn’t know if it would be worth the money, and so I couldn’t wait to try this. Unfortunately I had to wait a few days because you can’t use it within 48 hours of using retinol or alpha-hydroxy on your face. I use a lot of both of those things.

I tried it last week and loved it. My face felt so smooth and soft, and it easily absorbed the face cream I put on afterwards. I’m not sure what improvements I will see over time, but it looks promising based on my first use. I’ll let you know.

The good news is you can win one for yourself. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post letting me know what skin care products you love the most and whether or not you’ve ever tried microdermabrasion. Here are the rules.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 2/1 – 2/7.

Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also roll over the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!

Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

_____________________________________

Today the LifeWay Women are doing a special webcast with Kelly Minter at 11:00 a.m. (central time) to celebrate her new Bible study on Nehemiah. You can click here for the link. Rumor has it there will be special guests, music, cooking, prizes, and more.

So last week I mentioned that my playlist is what’s getting me through my workouts.

But I didn’t know that Caroline was going to be sick last week and miss three days of school. So those days turned out to be completely unproductive. And I think that’s one of the hardest things about working out. It seems like something always comes up that changes up your schedule. I’m sure more disciplined people press on through, but I’ve never pretended to be one of those people.

The good thing is I’m motivated to get right back on the horse or the pavement or whatever this week. It just goes back to how much better I feel after a good workout. I can tell a difference in my mood and outlook. And hopefully I’ll eventually feel a difference in my jeans.

Here are the songs that are getting me through right now:

1. Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift

2. Stronger by Mandisa

3. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson

4. Gunpowder and Lead by Miranda Lambert

5. Tokyo by Imagine Dragons

6. All My Fountains by Chris Tomlin

7. Breathe by Michelle Branch

8. P.Y.T. by Michael Jackson

9. Love on Top by Beyonce

10. Walk this Way by Run D.M.C.

So those are my songs. Some of them are old standbys that I’ve had on various workout playlists over the years and some of them are new additions that I might hate in the next month.

But, for now, they keep me moving. And, in the words of Martha Stewart, that’s a good thing.

What about y’all? Any good workout songs you’re loving right now?

I’ve also decided I need some better running socks. I’m thinking about getting these from Lululemon.

Or does anyone have a better sock suggestion?

Socks and music. This is what my life has become.

Have you entered my Perfect Portions Scale giveaway yet?

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I’m sitting on the couch next to P while he watches Avatar. We’ve never seen it before. He probably hasn’t seen it because he never goes to the movies. I haven’t seen it because I don’t enjoy movies with blue alien people that take place in fake worlds.

I prefer dramas about British aristocracy with women wearing beautiful dresses and singing songs by the piano to soldiers. But I’ll have to wait until P goes to bed to enjoy Downton Abbey. That is my cross to bear.

I’m also sad to report that the non-picking of my shellac nails hasn’t gone so well. They started to drive me crazy on Saturday because they were separating from my nail so bad, but then I spent most of Sunday cleaning out cabinets and closets and I guess it just fed my general OCD and I couldn’t stand my nails ONE MORE MINUTE. And so I have picked at the majority of them. I KNOW. It’s TERRIBLE for my nails. But I had bad nails to begin with so I’m not really concerned.

Anyway, I wish I had something exciting to share from the weekend but that would require that something exciting happened around here. And I assure you that was not the case.

Caroline’s friend Gabi came home from school with her on Friday and spent the night with us. I took the girls to one of those yogurt places where you make your own concoction and then weigh it to determine how much you owe. Apparently I was in the mood to throw money in the toilet on Friday because that’s what happens every time I take Caroline there. She spoons all that stuff into her cup and then takes about four bites before declaring “I’M THE FULLEST I’VE EVER BEEN” and I’m left with a cup of inedible yogurt because only a very discerning palate enjoys a mix of lemon pie with chocolate grooms’ cake topped with gummy worms, sprinkles and butterfingers.

On Saturday morning the girls were awake by 6:15. P and I woke up to the sound of them squealing loudly in the living room and I threw on my robe and did my best impression of the wicked witch of the west by 6:30 a.m. I’m almost positive they made fun of me the minute I left the room because I threw out a lecture about the absurdity of being awake before dark on a Saturday and threatened to put them in separate rooms if they didn’t PIPE DOWN and play quietly.

I climbed back in bed and attempted to go back to sleep, but P got up about thirty minutes after my wicked witch warning and discovered they’d helped themselves to a nutritious breakfast of IBC Cream Soda, Frosted Flakes and a banana.

I’m so proud.

Later that morning P took Caroline to a soccer fun day thing that was going on and I took that time to sit on the couch and enjoy the quiet. I also caught up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because I was dying to see Pandora’s wedding and it didn’t disappoint.

They made it back to the house around noon and then we headed to Caroline’s basketball game at 2:00. She had a great game and even made two baskets and got a few rebounds. She’s not the tallest girl out there but she’s a little scrappy.

Their coach told them he’d treat them to Sonic if they won so we spent the rest of Saturday afternoon sitting outside at Sonic while the girls on the team tried their best to sustain a major injury on the old-fashioned merry go round. You know what I’m talking about? One of those kind they used to have on playgrounds where one poor kid would run next to it trying to get it to go super fast while praying she didn’t get sucked under or trip and fall?

It would appear our Sonic isn’t concerned about lawsuits and liability because that thing seems like a big spinning death trap to me. But the girls loved it and I guess we just live in an age of being completely paranoid because I spent plenty of hours on those things and lived to tell the tale.

As for the rest of Saturday, I felt like I was coming down with Caroline’s cold. My throat was scratchy and I just felt blah. But I slept in on Sunday and felt much better after a good night’s sleep. I even cleaned out my bathroom cabinet and threw away all manner of expired medicines.

(This is just fascinating, isn’t it?)

Now I’m sitting here watching a blue man fight off a giant bird-like creature and wondering if Anna and Mr. Bates are going to ever get to be together and live happily ever after and sit on their couch not watching movies about blue people because television hasn’t been invented yet.

And that’s our weekend in a 830 word nutshell.

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I wanted to give y’all a brief update on the shellac manicure.  Because I know you’ve all been losing sleep wondering about it.

Here’s the deal.  The polish still looks shiny.  And it hasn’t chipped at all.  Which is amazing considering that I have done nothing to protect my nails at all.

BUT I have noticed that the polish has kind of started to separate from where my cuticles meet the nail.  Does that make sense?  I really notice it whenever I’m doing anything that involves running my fingers through my hair.  It kind of creates some kind of icky sensation that is the hand equivalent of how I feel when I accidentally bite into a water chestnut.

So I don’t know if that’s an application error or just a side effect of the shellac manicure.  I will tell you that it has taken everything in me not to pick at it and peel it off.  But I have shown a resolve of steel and resisted.  It’s so uncharacteristic of me.

Anyway, on a fashion note, I wish I could tell you that I had all kinds of cute things to show you.  But you know what I’ve done this week?  Sat on the couch with a sick child.  The only fashion I know about right now involves a pair of yoga pants and my cleanest dirty shirt.

I will tell you that this is a great time to find boots on sale if you’re in the market for boots.  I’d go with a brown pair because they go with everything.  Even black.  Also, this is the last week to take advantage of the 30% discount at Francescas when you use the code MAMA at checkout.

Lastly, I decided to only link to five things today.  And then I found five cute outfit ideas on Pinterest.  So it’s a mixed bag.

(I wanted to include pics but it just didn’t happen.  Sorry.)

1. marina port pocket coat

I love the neutral tones and the stripes in this jacket. It’s a great transition piece for warmer weather and would look so cute with even just a simple white tank under it, a pair of rolled up jeans and a some sandals.

2. terry sweatshirt

I bought a similar sweatshirt to this a while back and I essentially live in it. There’s something about the terry that makes it irresistible.

3. on the wharf striped top

The whole navy-striped thing is so in for spring and I love the sleeves on this top. They transcend an ordinary t-shirt.

What am I talking about? Transcend? It’s a shirt.

4. cairo embroidered top

I love this top because I’m a little infatuated with orange right now. I love the idea of it paired with turquoise and cowboy boots. Plus, it’s on sale.

There’s a beautiful orange shirt at Sundance right now that Gulley and I both love but, like I told her, it’s RARE that things at Sundance ever go on sale. I think she thought I was being a little harsh, but I was just trying to speak the truth in love.

5. mohair cardigan in leopard

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this, but then I saw the cute outfit I featured below on Pinterest and loved the animal-print cardigan. And this one is on sale.

But if animal print isn’t for you, then you could go with the jackie cardigan. It comes in an array of colors. AN ARRAY.

You can also find cute cardigans at Old Navy for just tens of dollars.

And now here are some outfit ideas that I found while obsessively spending time on Pinterest this week.

Source: polyvore.com via Melanie on Pinterest

Source: farmerstrophywife.com via Melanie on Pinterest

Source: longislandprep.tumblr.com via Anna on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Susan on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Susan on Pinterest

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.

]]> http://thebigmamablog.com/11441/fashion-friday-edition-ive-been-a-shut-in-all-week/feed/ 38 http://thebigmamablog.com/11441/fashion-friday-edition-ive-been-a-shut-in-all-week/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigMama/~3/VlUoUpjMBhI/ http://thebigmamablog.com/11430/hair-is-what-weve-been-up-to/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:14:59 +0000 Big Mama http://thebigmamablog.com/?p=11430

Well this week hasn’t really gone as planned.

I kept Caroline home from school on Monday because she seemed tired and congested and just wasn’t acting like herself. Which is to say that she was content to just lay in bed and do absolutely nothing. And then Tuesday morning she woke up and announced that her throat still felt “googly” and “scritchy” and so she stayed home again.

On Wednesday morning she was still complaining of a sore throat but didn’t have fever and I was a little suspicious that she might just be enjoying her ill-health and repeated viewings of Mr. Popper’s Penguins while I waited on her hand and foot and fetched her additional ice cubes because “this orange juice isn’t quite as cold as I like it, Mama”. So I sent her to school but told her she could go to the nurse if she didn’t feel good.

Which is why my phone rang at 9:24. It was the school nurse. And so I went and picked Caroline up from school and immediately called the pediatrician to make an appointment to find out if she had strep.

The strep test came back negative but she was diagnosed with a sinus infection and we left with a prescription for an antibiotic.

And so that’s what we’ve been doing for the last three days.

In fact, I’ll go ahead and admit that I hadn’t worn anything but pajama pants until I had to go to school and pick her up yesterday. Three days in pajama pants might be some kind of record. But if you combine the fact that I’m trying to meet a book deadline with a sick child and rainy weather? Well, that’s just a pure laziness trifecta.

P ended up being home most of the day Tuesday because the weather was wet and rainy. (It’s so odd how rain is wet. Wet and rainy? Lamest description ever. I blame too many viewings of Mr. Popper’s Penguins.) We spent some of the day reading a few chapters of Harry Potter and ate a lot of soup.

(We could talk or not talk for hours and we both enjoy soup.)

(So many bowls of soup have been consumed at our house over the last three days that I went to serve chili tonight and discovered we’d completely run out of clean bowls.)

(I ate my chili in a plastic Tony the Tiger bowl.)

(None of that is important. I don’t know why I’m talking about our bowl shortage.)

Anyway, we were all slightly stir crazy by late afternoon and sitting in the kitchen when P called to reschedule an appointment he had to get his hair cut.

He hung up the phone and lamented changing the appointment and said he couldn’t stand one more day with his hair so long. (He’s been growing it out since early December at Caroline’s request. It was a mass of gray cowlicks.) I jokingly said, “I’ll cut it for you.” And Caroline piped in and said, “Me too! Let me cut it, Daddy!”.

And he said, “Okay”.

Really?

You’re going to let our eight year old cut your hair?

Yes. Yes he was.

And so Caroline began to cut his hair while she occasionally said things like, “OOOH! HERE’S A BIG PIECE RIGHT HERE, DADDY! I’M GOING TO CHOP IT!” with just a little too much enthusiasm in her voice.

His reasoning in allowing her to do it was that you can’t really screw up his hair.

But he was wrong.

It seems that the person who was supposed to be supervising the haircut got caught up in the new Boden spring catalog and might have forgotten to pay attention to the child with the scissors.

The good news is it looked pretty good from the front. Good being a relative term. And assuming you’re nearsighted.

The best news is he got it cut by a professional yesterday. And she managed to even the whole thing up. Although he said there were a few times she would remark, “Oh, you’re kind of missing a chunk right here.”

Of course the lesson I’ve learned from all this is I have two people in my house who should never be left alone with scissors when they’re bored.

Or maybe the lesson is the Boden catalog can wait until after your daughter finishes cutting your husband’s hair.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012]]> http://thebigmamablog.com/11430/hair-is-what-weve-been-up-to/feed/ 51 http://thebigmamablog.com/11430/hair-is-what-weve-been-up-to/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigMama/~3/9jb5RswBoqQ/ http://thebigmamablog.com/11425/an-ounce-of-prevention-perfect-portions-scale-giveaway/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:32:56 +0000 Big Mama http://thebigmamablog.com/?p=11425

So here’s the hardest thing about trying to eat healthy. Well, not the hardest thing because that would be all the not eating of the cookies and the chips and the bowls of queso and fresh flour tortillas that are an inch thick, but it’s all relative these days.

My biggest issue has always been all these recipe sites or Weight Watcher guidelines that tell you to eat 4 oz of lunch meat or a 6 oz chicken breast. How am I supposed to know that? Am I some sort of food mathematician? Am I supposed to have some kind of unagi that helps me sense the weight of four slices of ham?

Because I don’t have that.

That’s why I was thrilled to get the Perfect Portions – Food Scale with Nutritional Calculator from Best Buy. It instantly adjusts your food’s nutritional facts to your portion size with its food scale and nutritional calculator in one. A touch of a button shows you how many calories are in food and also tracks the sugar content.

See? It does all the hard work for you. Then all you have to do is enjoy those three delicious and totally filling slices of turkey breast with a side of four carrots and an apple.

Maybe for fun I’ll make a big bowl of queso and put that on it or a cheeseburger from Whataburger. It might cause the thing to blow a fuse, but I wouldn’t really do that because I am committed to healthy eating.

The Perfect Portions Scale has helped me so much because it gives me an accurate count of the calories I’m consuming and the nutritional content of all my meals. For someone like me†who doesn’t like to think about those things or use some kind of old-fashioned weighted scale, it is SOLID GOLD. †If you’re trying to make some healthy lifestyle changes, this scale may be just the thing for you.

While you’re at it, take the pledge!

The good news is that you have a chance to win†a Perfect Portions – Food Scale with Nutritional Calculator†for yourself.

To be entered for a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post letting me know how much thought you put into portion size and what you eat during the day. Do you measure? Do you obsess? Or do you eat an entire sleeve of cookies and call it a serving size? Not that I’ve ever done that.

Anyway, here are the rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
The sweepstakes runs from 1/25 – 1/31.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.†

Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win!† You can also click on the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!

Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

_________________________________

On a different note, I wrote a post about some of my favorite quotes from books over on Pioneer Woman’s Entertainment section. You can check it out here if you want to.

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