Coupons

Good morning!

It's Monday again. And it's a rainy one. I'm sitting in my office enjoying my coffee before the little monkey wakes up. I'm almost scared to type too loud. This peacefulness is all too good.

Today also means it's time to hop aboard the strict fitness train again. Yesterday, I found myself browsing the Victoria's Secret swim catalog and well...it was pretty scary. No, not the actual catalog. Those girls and swimsuits are lovely. But the thoughts of the efforts I'll need to put forth to actually buy anything from there are quite frightening. I did it last summer though. I reckon I can do it again.

Last night, I finally got started on another resolution. Actually, I've been meaning to grab a couple papers for the past 3 or 4 Sundays and kept forgetting until yesterday. But one of my resolutions is to save lots of money this year. Darren drove me around after church until I found a newspaper stand I liked. Coupons are kinda crazy here. It's hard to find a non-empty newspaper machine if you don't go first thing Sunday morning. And I wasn't allowing him to stop at any sketchy-feeling gas stations. I'm skeered. What can I say?

After possibly cursing out one machine for taking my $4 and driving all the way into the next town, I finally scored myself 2 newspapers with all of the coupon inserts still in them. (People sometimes take several inserts when they pay once to open the machine. Cheaters!)

I started clipping and organizing as soon as we got home. It literally took me over 3 hours to get everything finished. There were a ton of coupons in the inserts yesterday!

...Oh, how did that beer get there? Oops.

I'm not aspiring to be on "Extreme Couponing" or anything. That show gives me anxiety. There's no way I could take $500 worth of groceries up to the register in hopes that my delicate planning gets me down to $5. I just clip the coupons I think I will/could use. Then I'll check websites such as "Money Saving Mom" and "Southern Savers" to find what stores will have the best deals and what coupons to pair with them. You won't catch me with extra shelves in my living room housing 500 rolls of paper towels or a freezer full of free junk food. But I might buy 5 razors or so if I can catch a good sale. Those things are crazy expensive!

Trash bags, coffee, juice.. the necessities. 

So, do you coupon? What are some of your best tricks? Some of the lingo and rules still confuse me a little bit. 

Have a great week!

-Jennifer

Short and Sweet

Today I just felt like sharing something short and sweet. No pun intended. Okay, maybe I did intend it. After all, one of them is short and sweet. It's 3 of my favorite things; My daughter, my beautiful grandmother, and frozen yogurt. Although I'm really not sure who loves frozen yogurt more.. myself, Mackenna, or my grandmother. Maybe you can figure it out. I think it's actually pretty obvious! 

Happy Saturday, y'all!

New Year's Resolutions

Hey y'all.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's Day! I got in my traditional New Year's meal, so 2014 should entail lots of pennies, dollars, and good health. Lets hope! I also got in two of my most favorite casseroles once more before hopping back aboard the fitness train; corn and pineapple. 

I've been thinking about resolutions. This year I'm thinking to just keep one big one. And it's to just be a better version I myself. Stereotypical, maybe. But I think it'll make things a lot easier. 

Instead of really focusing on a weight loss  number of pounds, I want to just become   healthier. I want to make working out part of my daily routine because it's good me; not just good for my bikini body. 

I also want to be a better wife, mother, and housekeeper. I've seemed to have gotten lazy in the last 6 months, y'all. I've let laundry and dishes pile up like nobody's business. (As it shouldn't be. It's gross!) As far as being a better wife and mother goes, I know I'm not bad at either. But there's always areas in both I could improve in. Like, spending more one-on-one time with Mackenna and making it a priority to do the same with Darren. 

And lastly, but surely not least. In fact, this may be the most important. I want to strengthen my faith. 2013 held some

pretty big triumphs and struggles for me. I truly believe that if it wasn't for The Lord, they either wouldn't have happened or I wouldn't have made it through. Last year I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to bring me closer to him. (And for his help with a few specific things.) I feel like he definitely did that for me and I do feel closer to him. Now I need to do my part in thanking him and living my life how I think he wants me to. 

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I'm working on a decent little overhaul for the blog too. I want to add a specific spot for my photography as well as a few other things. I like to talk too much to only focus on one topic! I can't wait to connect with some new blog friends! Have a great rest of the week!

-Jenn

Purse Party Link Up

Since I haven't done a link up in a hot minute, I've apparently, forgotten how to copy a HTML, so my purse picture looks all fat and stretched. Whatever.

I'm linking up with Erin and Mel for a purse party today. Thank goodness someone hosts these awesome link ups, because otherwise bloggers people like me wouldn't have anything to talk about!

I'm pretty boring when it comes to purses. For some reason, that's one accessory I can pass up. Jewelry and shoes on the other hand... yikes. I don't even want to try to figure how much I've spent on those.

I'll buy one nice (to me) purse and carry it for at least a season. I've never owned a Coach. I have had a knock-off Louis Vuitton someone bought me off of the street in New York. That piece of crap lasted about 2 weeks!

This is my current purse. It's big. It's practical. It's neutral. It goes with everything. I got it from a friend (who IS a purse freak) at our yard sale last summer. It's a Big Buddha, hardly used, and I think I gave her $40 for it. This actually is only my purse IF I'm going somewhere without Mackenna or somewhere I don't need to carry the other 34598340583 things I usually do. I used to carry a purse AND a diaper bag. That got old...real quick.

That's where this bag comes in. It's a Thirty-One bag. I know I've told y'all how I'm a sucker for all things direct sells. Plus, it has 7 pockets and is monogrammed. We all know us southern women love our monograms.

I always stay strapped. With water and apple juice. I'm so hood.

Here we have the contents. So very boring, I know. Wallet, 2 things of wipes, a pull-up, lotion, shades, gum, a granola bar, fruit chews, tampons, lipstick, and hand sanitizer. Usually, I have a change of clothes in here too, for Mackenna. We're still newly potty trained.

And last but not least...these would be my "cosmetics." I've never been one to carry my makeup with me. Except for maybe some lip gloss or powder if I get sweaty, I put makeup on one time a day. If that ain't good enough, oh well.  Our neighbors got Mackenna her own Dora lip gloss. It's full of glitter, so needless to say, she's only put it on once. Honestly, I forgot we even had it until now.

Then, hand sanitizer. Where would I be with you? I am a totally germ-a-phobe. I've heard it's not good for kids to use, but I think I'll take my chances. After all, bacteria from touching a public toilet paper dispenser isn't good for kids either.

PS- I swear before I ever saw any blogs today, I decided to throw all the random papers and receipts in here away. The past few days my hubby has been referring to my purse as my "trash can." Perfect timing!




 
Okay, off to go see what kinda junk everyone else carries around!

My First 5k

Recap of my first 5k...almost 2 weeks later? Sure, why not!

In the middle of February, I finally gave in and decided I would try this thing called running. I downloaded the C25k app, got myself some running shoes, signed up for my 5k, and prayed I wouldn't kill myself trying to complete it. Before then, I didn't run. Like...at all. Okay, maybe I've been walking for a few months. But, other than that, my big ole booty could barely run a whole minute a time.

That's where the C25K app came in. It really does work, y'all. I thought there was no in hell I'd be able to run longer than 5 minutes at a time when I started. I did 7 weeks of the program in 3 weeks and I was ready as I could be before The Green Run 5k.

The night and morning before (the race started at 4pm..I know, strange!) I was SO nervous. I'm pretty sure I drove Darren crazy saying "I'm scared!"..over..and over. I really wasn't scared about the actual running part. I was more afraid I would pass out, puke, or just make a complete fool of myself. I also get crazy anxiety when I don't know what to expect of something. I've never even been to a race, so I had no idea how it worked.

So 4:00 finally came. My best friend, her son (Mackenna's BFF), Darren, and Mackenna all got in their places to cheer us on. My mom, stepdad, and I got in line for the race. I thought "Well..this is it!" And we were off!

There were no mile markers or anything, but I felt like a rockstar the first mile or so. I was passing people left and right, but at the same time, not using up all of my steam right off the bat. I got a little ahead of my mom. At that point, my stepdad was long gone ahead of us.

Probably half way through, I started to walk. There was a group of girls handing out cups of water so I grabbed a cup, chugged it down, and started running again. I had no idea how hilly the route would be. Ugh. Some of those hills were TOUGH. The route also had us going on the sidewalk along a pretty busy road. I thought it was kinda funny and motivating that people riding by would yell and cheer for us. That, God, and my "Pop, Lock, and Drop it" pandora station got me up those big hills!

When I started getting the sense that I should be almost done, I saw this crazy man running the wrong direction back towards me. He didn't have a bib on, so I thought "Does this idiot not realize he's running through a middle of a race?!" Well, wouldn't you know that would be my stepdad, Jason. He finished his race in like 20 minutes and was now showing off coming back to meet me and my mom. He stayed with me the last 2 or 3 blocks and ran up to the finish line with me. He rocks! My mama was only about 30 seconds behind me, which I thought was amazing. She doesn't run, but she works out hard in the gym with Jason.

I was SO excited when I crossed the finish line, all I could do was smile at Mackenna and Darren. I didn't even think/care to look up at the time when I crossed the finish line. After hugs and high fives, I realized I didn't even know my time. So, I started walking around like a crazy person trying to figure out where/when I could see it. Finally, I found out I finished in 32 minutes! I thought that was great! I was really wanting to be less than 35, so that time was perfectly acceptable for me.

After the 5k, they had a 1 mile fun run. It was for mostly kids and the children with disabilities that the race was put on for. It was really awesome to watch!

Then it was time for awards. I didn't expect to win anything..like at all. But guess what? I freaking won for my age group! And my mom even won for hers! Rockstar runner, Jason, got 3rd in the entire race! I was/am so happy to be their daughter! Jason told me after the race "I never thought I'd be doing THIS with you!" Me either. Like I said, 2 years ago, I would have NEVER thought I'd run a race. Or actually just run period.

But I did it! I did it! We're doing another one next month and now I'm crazy enough to think about signing up for a 10k, then eventually a half marathon at some point.

Yay!!

*Weigh-In Wednesday* and *SO WHAT! Wednesday*

Can I do that? 2 link-ups in the same day? Don't call the blog police on me. Besides, my "Weigh-In Wednesday" link-up just isn't all that exciting this week.

First up, weighing in with Erin and Alex. Well..I'm up a pound. See my last post for that reason. But I did a 5k today, so I'm feeling great. I really didn't do an official 5k, but that feels so much cooler than just saying I ran 3.1 miles.

Also, speaking of Erin, she's hosting a diet bet starting on March 4th, running for 4 weeks. All you have to do is pay $15 and lose 4% of your body weight. Easy friggin' peasy, right? Well, let's hope I don't eat those words in 4 weeks. I love eating.  It doesn't get any better though.. than doing what you're already doing and winning some money for it. So, if a dollar makes YOU holler, you can sign up to play along here.


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I recently found Shannon and her blog "Life After I Dew". She's hosting "SO WHAT! Wednesday." I was immediately on board for this idea, because well...sometimes you just say...SO WHAT!

-So what... if I leave clothes in the washing machine to spend nap time blogging instead of getting stuff done.
-So what... if I bribe my toddler with trips to Chuck E. Cheese if she'll poop in the potty.
-So what... if I'm making sure each of these little "So what..." do-hickies are perfectly aligned.
-So what... if I'm excited for a date night with the hubs this weekend because "terrible twos" are running rampant in my household.
-So what... if I'm ready to book a summer vacation for an extra kick in the rear!
-So what... if all I want to do this time of year is SHOP. (It's not warm enough to stay outside a lot yet and I'm tired of being cooped up in the damn house.)
-So what... if we're eating leftover spaghetti-squash-spaghetti again tonight because I made way too much last night.
-So what... if I took my little photo and "blurb" down the other day because I thought it was ridiculous and have yet to add anything in it's place.
-So what... if now, I'm looking around the room for more "So whats."


That's all folks! Happy HUMP day!


Oh wait! Don't forget a picture!

Cheese!

A whole year!

It's officially been 1 year since I became serious about wanting to lose weight.

A year ago, I finally talked myself into going to a Weight Watchers meeting. If it wasn't $42 a month, I would probably still go. (For anyone wondering, the $42 IS worth it...especially to get started on your weight loss.) I loved going to the meetings and hearing everyone else's troubles and triumphs for the week. It was so inspiring to see ladies who had already lost 75 pounds and still going. Ever since I stopped going to the meetings, my weight has pretty much been at a standstill. (up, down, up, down) Weight Watchers definitely does work!

My life before Weight Watchers, was so different. It was quite sad, honestly. I hated the way I looked and felt. I've said before, it was a miracle if I actually changed out of my pajamas and fixed my hair. To me, no matter what I did to "fix up" really made that much difference since I was a sloppy fatass already. I never went shopping. I wasn't even interested in what "trends" were in because I didn't think I could pull them off anyway. I remember the summer before last. I bought 2 pairs of knee length cargo-ish style shorts. These 2 pairs of shorts and a big t-shirt are what I lived in that summer. For some reason, I just assumed my life in cute clothes was over. That wasn't like me at all..before I was a fatty anyway. I used to try to convince myself to "just be happy" eating crap food and barely moving my body at all from the couch. My happiness came from eating a Tostino's pizza, potato chips, and watching TV while Mackenna napped. I've never doubted Darren's love for me. But, when I wasn't happy with myself, when he complimented me I was SURE he was just saying it to be nice. I mean...greasy hair and fat rolls overflowing from HIS sweatpants (on my body) was far from beautiful. I was so far from happy.

 

Around 175 lbs.  2 months before I decided to lose weight.

 

Mackenna was trying to help me. She's saying "Hey mama, lemme bite one of dem ROLLS offa dat quadruple chin!"

After about 3 or 4 months in Weight Watchers, I lost a noticeable amount of weight. When I went shopping for the first time again, I was so excited! I didn't look half bad in most things I tried on again! Slowly, my confidence came back; in how clothes fit me and every other aspect of my life. I started wanting to actually leave my house. That's when I also started selling Tastefully Simple. I would have never had the confidence before, to stand in front of 20 ladies, trying to sell them food, out of all things. It really is sad to admit that just being thin(er) has had so much influence on my life.

For anyone who has followed me since I started this boring blog, (all 5 of y'all!) those are the reasons I chose to name my blog "Thin Again Jenn" at first. Being fat completely made me a different person. Maybe that's a sad thing to admit, but it's so true.

Today, I've lost a little over 20 pounds. I know, I could have done so much better in a whole year's time. And maybe you're wondering why in the world 20 pounds would impact me so much, but it has. I actually have a pretty small frame. Yes, that's a good thing to most people. But... that just means when I have extra fat...I'm a lot more fluffy than most people. Does that make sense? Think of a big ball of slimy fat. The larger the surface area, the more thinly it could be squashed and spread out. With a small surface area, the same size ball of slimy fat will be more concentrated and pushed upwards (or outwards...however your visualization may be.)

But now, for the most part...I'm happy. Yes, I'd like to lose about 20 MORE..and I WILL before this summer. I guess I've just been so caught up in being happy again...I've just been okay with being at this weight. However, I am ECSTATIC that I've kept off the weight I did lose. FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR! (well...since I started, at least!) It's a great feeling to know I can do something. Something I've failed at a handful of times before.

YAY FOR THAT!