Caffeine Mom - Gettin' Through Life One Cup at a Time!

Disney Vacation!

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Well, in less than 6 months we will be heading to Walt Disney World! My best friend Cherie will be on the trip with us! Yay! I gotta say, I am freaking out because I should have lost some weight by now but I am lazy!

Cherie, on the other hand, dropped I swear 60 pounds! I keep asking her if she used a weight loss diet pill but she says no. Hmmmmmm

All I know is I better get off my rear and get motivated. I need to drop at least 40 pounds. Can I do that in 5 months????

No More Pimples!

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:12:00 +0000

I am ovulating (TMI, I know) but I have noticed that my face breaks out when I ovulate. It also breaks out when I have PMS - that means I have pimples on my face for oh, what, 2-3 weeks a month?! HELL NO! I think I have found best acne treatment - finally!

I have some Acnexus I am going to try. I will let you know how it goes! Hopefully my search for the best formula will come to an end!

I Need Wrinkle Cream

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:43:00 +0000

WOW - I don't know if it's because I've been sick with he dreaded flu for the last week or if it's just that I am suddenly showing my old age (36) but by the looks of my face, it seems it's time to invest in some wrinkle cream!

I always wondered when my skin would catch up with my age :[

A Surprise Birthday Party

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Olivia's best friend Mayzi moved away right after pre-K. Now, I know saying 'best friend' sounds odd but really, these two have a very strong bond. Cyndi, Mayzi's mom, informed me she is going to have a small birthday party for Mayzi next Sunday and it is going to be a surprise. We are so excited to go!

Now to think of a great gift. Mayzi has o pony, named 'Ponee' - how cute. I'm thinking we should get her some riding gear or clothes like a nice jacket or pair of breeches, something along those lines. Pictures will follow the party next week!

I Found Out His Secret Obsession

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:55:00 +0000

It's EBAY - CJ is addicted to EBAY and unfortunately it's not as a seller. It started out as online browsing for truck accessories and ended up with an EBAY obsession for car parts. Since he no longer has the truck he was going to use as a 'project' it's turned into all things Mustang related.

I am obsessed with Disney and he is obsessed with his car. What a pair we are!

Candle Sconces

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

This is the time of year I really love burning candles. It gets dark so early now and I love watching candle flames dance. Since I have 3 kids, safety is a concern. There is too much of a chance someone will knock a candle over or get curious and try to reach one.

I solved my problem - I got candle sconces to attach to the wall. I got the enclosed ones to be especially safe. This works out perfect! I can have candles burning, safely and my house looks pretty!

Apple Pie, Mmmm

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:59:00 +0000

I need to get something off my chest. I pigged out yesterday, big time. Clue me in on the best fat burner now, I need it! My grandma made an apple pie and gave me half of the pie - to share with the family after dinner. I had a few bites right away and then put the rest away, with full intentions of sharing it with CJ and the boys for dessert. This did not happen.

I forgot about it until long after dinner. The boys were playing in the family room and CJ was at the neighbor's and that is when I remembered the pie - and I ate it all. An entire half of an apple pie. Gone. Straight to my ass.

Fall is in Full Swing

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Wow - it's suddenly windy and chilly here. I do love this time of year but yet I feel like it just came out of nowhere, I mean, feel totally unprepared - we still have our air conditioners in!

Fall means we're getting close to the end of the year and that means big bills are due. Just got the yearly car insurance bill and the yearly bill for my life insurance. I have term life insurance but my 'term' is almost up. I honestly don't know what to do at this point in regards to life insurance :[

Being an independent contractor doesn't help because it's not like my job offers any type of life insurance, so I'm on my own to find the nest deal. There is a big debate on what's better, whole life insurance or term life insurance - I'd love some opinions please!

Another Weekend Gone

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:40:00 +0000

I cannot believe how fast these weekends are going! It's already close to noon on a Sunday! I have been up since about 7:30 am - that is sleeping in for me. I've already started laundry and every time I go downstairs to do the laundry I smile as finally have a 'laundry room' - it's been awesome now that the entire basement has been remodeled. Although, CJ really needs to find a better place to store all the industrial products he still has from when he built guitars. I don't like them stuffed in the corers of 'my' laundry room!

So today is laundry and then off to clean the bathroom and then think I will just enjoy the day, outside with the boys!

Well Hello Fall!

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Today is the first day I uttered those words, "it's cold out!" I think Fall has finally arrived. I'm guessing CJ can take out the air conditioners now, lol.

I hate thinking about having to turn the heat on though - that means oil bills and oil bills run around $400-$500. Maybe it's time to invest in a heated blanket for everyone!

Got My Last Batch of Coffee

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:30:00 +0000

CJ didn't renew my coffee of the month club this year. He got me that for my birthday last year and I thought for sure he'd renew it but he didn't. Gone will be the days of drinking coffee all morning. That kept me from eating! Now I'll need to figure out what the best diet pill is so I can continue to restrict my food intake. I totally eat when I'm bored!

In the meantime I'll be enjoying this last shipment!

Have You Met Angus

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:08:00 +0000

Angus is our (almost) 4 year old Boxer. Angus has his own blog - 'From Angus With Love' and believe me, he loves to blog!

Angus also supports local and national animal shelters. He has been lucky enough to receive lots of mail from all kinds of fans too!

Recently he has been asked to try out different dog toys and other pet supplies as well. Stop by his blog and check out the reviews he has in store for everyone!

The Secret to Weight Loss

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Well, it could be weight loss supplements or it could just be that you need to lose your sense of smell/taste. Seriously, this house has been locked down - we've all been really sick. I had a wicked sinus infection and with that came the loss of smell/taste. I was hungry but hated eating because the food was just blah.

So, I either didn't bother eating or ate very small portions and 5 pounds gone! Ha! I must add, I am getting my sense of smell/taste back and umm, I am more than making up for the lack of food, LOL

From 3 Vacations to One

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +0000

Well, I thought I'd have 3 separate trips to take next year. One in March for the T-Mobile PEAK Award ceremony - CJ won that award but we turned down the Hawaii trip, so no need to go looking for tuxedo shirts and fancy dresses. Oh we're crazy for turning down a Hawaii trip? LOL - well these are our reasons

I also thought we'd be getting a trip to Vegas because CJ was in the running (top spot actually) for another T-Mobile award and that awards ceremony is held in Las Vegas but he has recently gotten a promotion and the promotion takes him out of the running for that particular award, so no Vegas trip.

We will, however, be going to Disney World again - as Disney Vacation Club members! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! We own 320 points at Bay Lake Tower!

Check out my Family Disney Vacations blog for all the fun!

Excellent Quailty Wholesale Maternity Jeans

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:44:00 +0000

I have found a really awesome website that sells wholesale maternity jeans at really good prices!

These maternity jeans are 100% made in Italy and are available online and they are also sold in stores world wide.

These maternity jeans are really stylish - if you're looking for decent maternity jeans, definitely check out www.maternityjean.co.uk

Bills and Changes

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Well, this last week has been crazy for our finances! Our electric bill was $250! You bet your butt the air conditioners have been turned off! Thank goodness for cooler weather.

Then we find out that our cable provider is going full on HD and we will HAVE to have a converter box for every tv in the house - that's $14 a month per box! Time to look into other options, bell tv looks like a good deal, too bad we're not in Canada.

Just been one of 'those' weeks.

We Almost Had a House Fire!

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:03:00 +0000

I am going to be using an aromatherapy diffuser from now on after what happened yesterday! They are MUCH safer! We had a candle accident yesterday that could have gotten really ugly had our smoke detector not worked! Everything is fine but a few more seconds and I'd be looking for a new pace to live.

Reed diffusers are awesome - they last a long time and the scents they give off are not overpowering. Health Freak Mommy actually has some good information about them on her blog. I've always believed in aromatherapy I just never took the time to really study it so I've been taking more time for that now.

I am certainly starting to tune into the more 'natural' aspect of myself. In fact, I recently came upon handmade natural soaps that make my skin feel so soft - I love them! The glycerine soap is my all time favorite! I hope I can find some the next time I go to the Fairie Festival - I've been missing that festival last 2 years because we've been in Disne World!

Molars Pulled - Follow Up

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:03:00 +0000

I was NOT looking forward to it. I mean, really who does look forward to having molars pulled? Trying to find an oral surgeon who wasn't too pricey was tougher than finding a Plano cosmetic dentist or something similar, LOL - However, that was back when I didn't have dental insurance.

Now that I have dental coverage, all I had to do was call the oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth years ago and viola, I made an appointment. It's been a little over a month now and I feel GREAT! I am so glad I had those molars pulled - no more pain and no more headaches! Yay!

Best Wishes to a Friend!

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:18:00 +0000

A friend of mine is finally moving out of the dinky little apartment she and her family have been cooped up in and into one of those new manufactured homes just put up in her area. She got a job with the best Public Relations Firm I have ever heard of.

It's so awesome to see someone go from living day to day doing whatever they need to to get by to getting their dream job and being able to actually live happily! Sometimes people don't realize their dreams until they are older in life - which is why I think having to know what your career choice is when you're 17 and still in high school is insane! I swear, retirement should come after high school and then when we're like 30 we should start careers, LOL

I am so excited for you, Chrissy! Enjoy your new place! Take lots of pictures too because I can't wait to see how you decorate your new home!

Rooster Decor

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:10:00 +0000

A friend of mine has been revamping the 'theme' of her kitchen and told me she was going with rooster decor this time. I had completely forgotten how popular this theme is, until I started looking online.

She recently started a volunteer type job that helps to teach people how to stop using drugs and I think that is very admirable! Why is that then when someone gets a new job there is all kinds of praise and celebration but when someone takes on a new volunteer program, no one seems to say a word? I think what she is doing is wonderful so I feel a gift is in order!

I thought a home gift would be a great way to tell her I think she is doing a wonderful service so I decided on this plate set (shown in photo) that I found at rooster-decor.com and I must confess, I think it's lovely. This theme fits her home perfectly as she lives in a very rural area.

Billing Is Not My Strong Point

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:42:00 +0000

In high school I had a saying, it was 'me and math do not get along' - that saying carried over to my college years and guess what, I still say it! I am NOT a numbers gal and I avoid doing math and dealing with anything that goes along with it.

When I worked as a customer service rep for T-Mobile I dreaded those billing issue calls. Now, working for myself, I have the same issue! Dealing with billing - but in a different way. Now I need to send statements to clients and well, many are recurring charges so I've been looking for a simple credit card recurring billing system that will make my life easier as well as my clients' life easier!

I've given Braintree Payment Solutions serious consideration - seems they can help make things simple even for someone like me who hates this aspect of having a business! Now this I like!

What's Up, Economy?

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Well, I have been hearing that we are already coming out of the recession and that the economy is looking better but I don't know, is it really? How are you doing?

I see more and more information online about how to make a few extra bucks here and there and I've been reading sites like Cash4Gold on how to sell gold for cash - that seems like a huge money maker right now for some people. It really is neat to learn who Cash4Gold really is. Visit their official website now to know more about this Florida-based refining company.

I just may have to give it a whirl. I actually took a bit of jewelry inventory the other day - man, I really don't have much, haha! However, with what I do have that I don't wear I a wondering if I'll be able to cash it in for a decent amount of money.

So, what are you doing? Are you making ends meet or barely getting by? Are you doing anything on the side to earn a little extra?

Negative Calorie Foods

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:02:00 +0000

Before you go looking for those fat burners to take while you chow down on your favorite foods, consider chowing on some negative calorie foods instead.

These are foods which use more calories to digest than the calories food actually contains. Calories from these foods are much harder for the body to use, so the body has to work hard in order to extract calories from these foods. This gives these foods a tremendous natural fat-burning advantage.

Think of this:

A piece of dessert consisting of 400 Calories (actually 400 kilocalories) may only require 150 Calorie (actually 150 kilocalories) to digest by our body, resulting in a net gain of 250 calories which is added to our body fat.
On the other hand, a 5 calorie raw piece of celery will require much more calories to chew and digest, so resulting in a net loss of calories from our body fat !! It implies that the more you eat, the more you lose weight.

Here's a chart of negative calorie foods:

Source: fatfreekitchen.com

Village Candles

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:18:00 +0000

I absolutely love candles and believe me, I've tried many many brands. One of my favorite brands is quite popular - Yankee Candle. Yankee Candles can be a bit pricey but I always thought they were worth the money and well, I can't say that I would never buy them again but I've found the next best thing!

I came across Village Candles and I must say, I am impressed! They smell wonderful and they last too! The best part, they're over 30% cheaper than Yankee Candles!

If you can't seem to find them at the store, you can get them online at TheLampStand.com

Yearly Vacations

unbalancedlibra@ymail.com (Unbalanced Libra) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Some families go to their beach house, some to their cabin in the woods or mountains and some just love to do mini weekend trips. This family - DISNEY WORLD! We think Florida vacations rock!

Going to Florida is a long trip for us - over 15 hours by car, but it's so worth it! It's far enough away that we feel as if we're going to a far off destination yet it's not too far from home.

Do you have a early vacation destination?