Vodka and Soda

going green

 

 

did you know that every 5 to 7 years, your body goes through a major (hormonal) change?  

well, this is my year....and i found out through my skin.   one day, it decided to freak the fuck out and decided that freaking out was the best way to call attention to it so hasn't stopped freaking out for months.  it's actually being a real pain in the ass (and in my wallet - boohoo!).

it also didn't help that i put expired yeast infection primer on my skin that just made everything worse  and these days, my skin is so fucking sensitive it drives me bananas.  this means i can't use the majority if my skin and makeup products without my skin reacting (read: red, sensitive inflamed welts) which really sucks because that's just tons of money wasted and everyone knows i spare no expense when it comes to skin care and makeup.

after my skin recovered from that crazy primer mishap, my most recent struggle is with super dry, tight, flakey skin.  now, i've always had dry skin but thanks to my fantastic research skills resulting in an army of fabulous skin care products, i was able to keep my skin supple and smooth - despite my weeping wallet - until recently.  after weeks of trying to figure out what could possibly be causing my skin to look and feel like 100 years old, going through a slow and painful process of product elimination, i finally discovered the culprit:   sunscreen - only the second most important skin product you need.  the one product that protects me from the harmful rays of the sun is one product causing me grief.   

my two most (previously) cherised brands for sunscreen are clarins and shiseido.  in all the years i've used them, they have never failed me.  i thought maybe my clarins had expired so i tossed that out (despite the fact that the expiry date was december 2012), shelled out $55 for a new shiseido and again - tight, dry painful skin.  i thought i may not be wearing enough moisturizer so i slathered that on, applied a skin barrier protector on top and then applied the sunscreen... only to be greeted mid-day with those awesome welts again.  i went one day without sunscreen and welts remained at bay, skin remained supple and hydrated.  

that's when i realized it was my sunscreen.  fuck! what's a girl, who is deathly afriad of wrinkles and skin cancer, to do?!  i need to wear sunscreen but my skin hates it!                                         

realizing it must be all those chemicals that's making my skin react, after much research i decided to try all-natural sunscreens.   i landed on these two - both organic, both all-natural, chemical-free sunscreens and both had  rave reviews all over the internet.  i was very skeptical at first because they're not specifically formulated for the face and they're only $15 per tube which even increased my skepticism more since i have never applied any skin product under $50 on my face.  while i know that price doesn't determine the quality of a product, i'm so used to dishing out top dollar for high-end brand names that it's brain-washed me to equate price with quality.

while i'm happy that these products are all-natural and 100% certified organic, i'm not thrilled about how greasy they are.   it sort of felt like i was applying olive oil on my face and i couldn't apply my makeup right away;  i had to wait for at least 10 minutes.  i had to use more setting powder to avoid looking like an oil slick and it made my powder brush gross and sticky but if it means that i have to add more time to my morning routine and wash my brushes after every use in order to have protected, non-painful skin, then so be it.

at 9am yesterday - which was normally the time when my skin started to react from the sunscreen - my skin didn't feel tight.  smiles from me.

at 12pm - which is about the time when my skin is super tight and hurting - i looked in the mirror and didn't see any red welts nor did my skin feel irritated.  getting excited/getting my hopes up.

at 2pm - which is about the time when my skin is at def-con 5 and the only thing that will calm it down is by washing everything off - my skin felt great, felt normal  and i wasn't an oil slick (i didn't even have to apply more powder).   ecstatic!

i'm so happy that i found a product that works - and for more than half the price i paid for any of those other products.   my next step is to find all-natural replacements for my makeup and skin products; i've already found an all-natural vitamin E + sugar exfoliator from one of my fav beauty blogs, ellesees.  

what all-natural skin or makeup products to you use?

 

summa, summa, summa time... time to kick back and unwind

 

[photo:  GETTY]

 

it's official - my last day of work is june 15 which is less than 4 weeks away.  can someone please give me a frigging high-five because you have no idea how excited i am!   this picture pretty much sums up what i hope to do for the majority of my time off - relax and enjoy it because come september 15, i'll be back in the office (again).

i previously posted about my time off and while i hope to relax as much as possible, i also have some things lined up to keep me busy. some are things that i've put off because i was too lazy or never had the time; other things are just to avoid getting bored during the day:

• we're finally getting our house painted.  for almost 5 years, we've lived in a  house that had screaming white walls and with all the nicks and bumps that come when you have a kid running around, it was time.  we just got a quote to have the entire house painted so now we're just choosing the colors
• join a gym for 3 months.  i haven't stepped foot in a gym since 2002 but i've decided to do this to increase my strength training and get my arm definition back.  maybe i'll join a few classes too
• continue my fitness challenge --> jogging is starting to look more appealing....
• finally organize my closet - and this time i MEAN it.  i posted about organizing my closet sometime last year and i'm so embarassed to say that i had every intention of doing it, bought the baskets to prove it .... and the baskets are still sitting on my closet floor with the tags still on them.  now that i have 3 whole months, i can finally dedicate the many hours it will take to make it right
• plan kayla's 4th birthday party.  that's right folks, my monkey is turning 4.  i can't believe how grown up she is WAH!
• i'm thinking about taking a course in web design; i'm always up for learning new ways to dress up my blog/new ways to code
• finally update my phone to ice cream sandwich v4.0.4.  since my phone is rogue on my network, i don't receive OS updates so i'll have to flash it myself

 

my latest update with my fitness challenge:

 

i'm almost at week 3 with insanity and omfg this shit is no motherfucking joke.  the warm-ups are still pretty tough but i can tell that my core is getting stronger because in the beginning, i could barely do any of his ab workouts for more than 20secs and now i can do almost all of it (booyah!).  i love this picture because i can actually see a glimpse of my abs.  i'm not quite there yet and i haven't hit my goal but the fact that i can see them just a little bit makes me so proud of how far i've come.  i've been at this for about 5 months now and i'm looking forward to completing this program even though i bitch and whine about it all the time.  i've been taking weekly pictures since i started insanity to track my progress.  i still haven't stepped on the scale or taken measurements but i think i'm doing something right so i don't think i need to.  besides, it's so liberating  not to obsess about numbers!

 

have a great weekend everyone!!  what are your plans for the weekend?  

balance

 

 

a couple of weeks ago, i was experiencing a blogging stump and was uninspired.  reaching out to the twittersphere for ideas, fantastic gal-pal, elisse, suggested i blog about how - as a mother with a demanding yet fulfilling career  - i'm able find that balance between work, life and family.  

here are my secrets:

know what's important.  understanding your priorities is the first step towards finding balance in your life.  whether you're single, married or married with children, knowing what's important - things that need attention vs. things that can wait - makes it easier to figure out what you need to do in order to get through your day.  in many ways, i employ the same tactics i use at work:  prioritize, set goals, accomplish, move on.   

for me, my priorities are:  family, friends, work.   remembering this helps me keep things in persepective when work is blowing up, when i'm feeling like there's never enough time in a day or when things are just all around frantic.  when i remember what's important during stressful times like these,  i'm able to breathe, step back, refocus on my priorities and figure out what can wait vs. what needs to get done now.

work mode vs. home mode.  my time at home is for my family.  while there are those rare times that i have to bring work home, i switch my brain from work-mode to home-mode as soon as it's time to leave the office.   

that work issue that's been a pain in my ass all day?  it'll be there tomorrow.   i always close off all of my daily tasks which means if that issue is still open by the time i leave, there's no sense in worrying about it since that same problem will be there to greet me first thing in the morning (oh joy).

that document that people need by "end of day"?   i'll send it tomorrow first thing; after all, this ain't my first rodeo and i know that people are not going to read anything i send to them at 5pm.    in corporate-speak, "end of day" is equivalent to "first thing in the morning" so yes, pestering work drone, you'll get that document as soon as i step into the office at 7:30am.  sheesh.

learning to turning off your brain (from work) isn't so easy; it's something that took me years to learn because my type A control freak self must account for every single detail.  because of this awesome acquired skill, i don't even think about work when i leave the office - no checking email, no answering calls, no thinking about anything work-related.   i don't even bring anything home with me - i just pick up my jacket, grab my purse and off i go.  sometimes i even forget to lock my computer.  oh, and another perk of being a consultant?  according to corporate security policies, i'm not allowed to have my work email sent to my phon so thank you, company, for liberating me from the corporate chains of wireless  technology.

i'm at peace with my somewhat disorganized, messy house.  when you have a child, your house vomits stuff every day - toys, clothes, pictures, paper, shoes, dolls, hair clips, random things and the list goes on - all over the place.   it's hard enough keeping a tidy, organized house on the regular but with 3 adults working full time and a child who seems to think that the entire house is her playground, sometimes i leave the mess where it is.  those dishes in the sink overnight?  it ain't gonna kill anyone.  those clothes in the hamper?  it's not hurting anything by just sitting there for one more day.  no one needs a completely spotless house and having that expectation in this day and age where there's not enough time in a day is unreal so instead of fretting over things that are unkempt, i kick back and enjoy time with my family.   

besides, that's what weekends are for.

i make time for me.     i love raising kayla and watching her grow into a beautiful, brilliant, hilarious person  however, being a mother is not my be all end all.   some may frown at this and judge me but i'm a happier person when i feel well-rounded and fulfilled.  and for real yo, when mama is happy, the family is happy.  this means that i make sure i carve out some "me" time - time to do what I want whether that be going to the spa, going out with friends, cultivating whatever happens to interest me or even just sitting down and reading a good book in peace and quiet.

what i refuse to do is put myself last.  sounds selfish?  perhaps, but when a you lose yourself; lose your individuality, lose sight of your own personal interests, goals and passions, i personally believe it'll eventually catch up to you and you'll wonder where the time has gone.  resentment and regret  may build and seriously, life is way too short for regrets.   believe me, i know how easy it is to get caught up in the whirlwind of child-rearing, keeping your marriage exciting, keeping up with the housework and a career and i know that we sometimes shove our own needs towards the backburner but doing that too many times will only come back to bite you in the ass.  

 

How do you find that balance between work/home life? 

a letter to my daughter

 

dear kayla,

by the time you're able to read this, i'll be older and you'll be wiser.   you'll be smarter, more mature and with a good head on your shoulders ready to take on the world with the zest and excitement you now exhibit as a toddler.

when i look at you now - an adventurous, loving, hilarious, head-strong, affectionate, brilliant and stubborn 3 year old - i can't believe that three years has already gone by.  it almost seems like yesterday that you were born; that we carried you home in a car seat that swallowed you up; that we held you as you cried while we frantically tried to figure you out; that we watched you grow, crawl, talk, walk, run.   i remember wondering with excitement how you would be when you grew older, how your voice would sound, what you would do, how you would act, what your personality would be like.  

now that you're approaching 4 years, i can't believe that you're no longer a toddler who is always needing her mommy.   i can see your independence growing; i can see that invisible string that's always tied us together getting longer and i can't help but think of the pending days when you will prefer to be with your friends rather than your parents.  while i will always want to be with you, to spend time with you, to hug you, to hold you, to kiss away the pain when you fall or scrape your knee, i know you soon won't need me to do those things anymore because you'll find that strength within yourself or turn to your friends for the support you need.   in some ways, it breaks my heart  simply because you are my universe and while i'm excited for you to learn the greatness within you, i'm also sad because as part of growing up,  that discovery will likely be done without me or at the very least, away from me.  

when i registered you for kindergarten in september, i nearly cried.  this was a day that nearly 4 years ago i couldn't even fathom, yet in only a few short months, you'll be at the beginning of your education; the beginning of new friends, new discoveries and with that, that invisible string gets a little bit longer.  

i look at you now and it's hard for me to believe that you were the tiny baby i held to sleep; how i spent endless nights fretting over you; those stressful days that i worried about you yet here you are, at the cusp of 4 years old - strong, awesome, funny and full of shining personality - and my heart hurts and swells with pride as i watch you grow.   

and no matter how old you are, how independent you are, how great you are, you will always be my little girl, my little baby, the center of my universe, my life.

OAL update - got shredded, partially ripped, now going insane

 

it's been 5 months since i started on my journey to a healthier me and i'm so happy with the results.   i've since hit two of my goals, my sleep has been incredible and hello, abs?  is that you?  that's right, bishes! i can actually see a glimpse of my abs.   i'm so fucking awesome, i can hardly stand it.

when i started out, i was close to, or at, a size 7/8 pants size (depending on the brand), my sleep sucked ass, i had no energy, i had a bad addiction to junk food,  my skin was horrible and i really didn't like the way i looked.  after completely overhauling my diet, completing an intense workout program and starting another crazy one i'm seeing awesome results.   the other day, hubs felt me up and then said "hey, your butt is smaller".  i swear, that was the sexiest thing i've ever heard and i almost mounted him right then and there.  

my health routine is very simple:  i eat healthy and i exercise.  when i start to get annoyed with something, i stop doing it so i knew that in order for me to stay on the wagon, it had to be easy and more importantly,  enjoyable.  this meant no calorie-counting (who has time for that?), no weighing myself (i hate the scale anyway, it's such a liar) and no measurement-taking either.  instead, i eat everything in moderation (just no bad foods, booo!) and judge my progress based on how my clothes fit and how i feel.  in my opinion, healthy living shouldn't feel like a chore;  it should be something that one enjoys doing which will motivate them to stick with it.  

 

after my gym-rat days were over many moons ago,  i packed away my workout clothes.  seeing that i was running out of workout gear - namely sports bras - hubs dug them out from the basement and when i opened the box,  not only was i attacked by the overwhelming layers of cobwebs but i swear i heard my clothes say "who the fuck are you?".   is it weird that i'm excited to put these clothes on again?

i decided that i was going to exercise 5 days a week with weekends off but last week was really busy because of work so i only got to workout 3 days.  to make up for it, i thought it would be a genius idea to combine a workout from ripped in 30 with a crazy ab workout from instanity at the same time.    omfg, my body was half-dead - my ass was on fire and every single muscle in my core was practically petrified. 

however, as ass-crazy as this was, i'm going to stick with it and do this twice a week just to give my body a jolt.  i like the fact that JM incorporates weights in her routines but i also like the crazy cardio that insanity provides.  

remember y'all:  my goal is june 30 to see how insanity transforms my body.  i've been taking pictures along the way and maybe i'll post the results at the end of june.  

i said maybe.