I love a good sale!

To know me is to know that I love to shop! My true passions are shoes & accessories, but let's face it, it doesn't really matter. I can get the same high from shopping at the grocery store or CVS that I get at the Macy's one day sale, as long as the items are on sale. Now if I have a coupon, all bets are off because I am in overdrive. Recently I have decided to channel my love of retail into something positive, like saving money for my family. So yes, I have become one of those crazy coupon Moms and I am damn proud of it! Anytime you can go into the supermarket and buy chicken, pork chops, bacon, cereal, milk, bread, fruits, veggies, miscellaneous snacks and spend less than $50.00!!! Yes I am a coupon clipping MOFO! Since I started doing this I have been able to reduce our weekly grocery bill from $100.00+ per week to less than $60.00 per week. Hey, in this economy it adds up. I love it. I come home from the supermarket and put my register reciept on the refrigerator right next to my son's art projects from daycare. These are my gold-stars for the week.

Now I can't lie, my next big sale target will be at Parisian this week. They have the Goodwill sale going on right now, which means for every donated item of clothing they will give you a 20% off coupon. I have already been to the sale and maximized my old clothing inventory. However, I just found out that for the next 3 days they are offering double coupons on all purchases!!! (THANK YOU SUE FOR HOOKING ME UP WITH THE INFO). So I am taking back all of my receipts from last week's shopping binge to see if I can get an additional 20% off all my purchases. I added up all of my receipts and if they give me the additional 20% that is a nice little chunk of change that could send me back to the shoe and accessory departments again! :) Pray for me!

Flip Flops...Not Appropriate

Okay so this is a continuation of my earlier Cultural Anthropolgy blog, sort of. As I have been walking around Washington DC, I have been struck by the number of women who think that flip flops are appropriate footwear that go with all outfits. Let me be the first to say, they are not! I get the whole comfort thing, especially when you live in a walking city, being comfortable is key. And lord knows I don't support the whole sneakers and power suit look, (Think the movie Working Girl) but at least sneakers have support for your feet! Being a person who is sort obssessed with bad feet, I am amazed that more women have not realized that the lack of support and cushioning in a flip flop, will lead to corrective foot surgery in their later years. I am not a medical professional but I have common sense enough to know that a 2 mile walk in flip flops is going to make my feet hurt worse than if I wore sneakers or flats! And don't even get me started on the whole hygiene thing! Don't get me wrong, I love the flip flop, I own at least 5 pairs but I don't think they are acceptable for all purpose use.

I guess I just don't understand, there are so many cute styles of flats, that wearing flips is just a cop out. Anybody who knows me knows that I never met a high heel I didn't like. I not crazy, no 5-6 inch heels, mostly 2-4 inches. (I look thinner when I am taller!) But even I have given in sort of to the whole flat/ballet slipper craze. Well sort of...I just bought two pairs both have a little bit of heel (approximately 1/2") but that is flat for me.

I would also like to give a shout out to the crazy women trying to walk around in 4-6 stilletto heels! These even more than flips, were not made for walking around a city! These are shoes that go from home to the car, to the bar, where you promptly sit down, cross your legs and allow everyone to admire your shoes from a seated position! Again I say why, when there are so many cute flats!

Fallen arches, bunions, calluses, split/cracked heels, etc. this could be your future.

By the way, after random comments from people, I am going to start carrying my digital camera with me so that I can post more photos and random pics. It should definitely liven up the blog! :)

Our Nation's Capital

So I am in Washington DC for the next few days attending a conference for work. While here I decided to take advantage of the alone time and power walk through the city. I have been here countless other times but I dont know that I have ever been here by myself. This city is wonderful! It is truly awe-inspiring...from the monuments to the park greens that populate the city this place showcases all that is good about city living. I love the fact that the downtown area is designed as a walking city. Everywhere you look there are people walking...old, young, tourists, city residents. Not having an actual city in Detroit really makes you appreciate a real city when you visit one. What is really cool is that cars actually respect/defer to pedestrians here! They wait for you to cross the street!! Being from the New York/New Jersey area, I am used to a survival of the fittest contest when it comes to crossing city streets, so this is a definite change of pace.

Back on-line....

POS work laptop crapped out on me this week. I didn't realize how dependent I was on my work computer until it crashed. I am definitely going to have to invest in a new laptop and I already know what I want...now I just need the cash. Which unfortunately is in short supply right now...hmmm...I will figure it out, I always do. Which brings me to my newest endeavor, I am starting my own business! I think??? It's all very murky right now, without a clear direction, but I do know this..I will never have the freedom financially and emotionally that I need if I continue to work for others. I have to take control...find my own path.

Losin It

So that is the name of the company weight loss challenge. By company I mean, a contest run byt he sales guys to see who can lose the greater percentage of weight by the National Sales Meeting in December. It's a $50.00 buy in and the grand prize is almost a $1000.00! So of course, I wanted in. Getting in this thing means that I had to publicly disclose my weight to everyone in the contest...a prickly endeavor for any woman. But I rationalized to myself that the momentary embarassment that I would face for broadcasting my weight would be worth the money if/when I won. So four days into this contest I am having buyer's remorse. Men can take a crap and lose 5 pounds! Me, I am going to have to starve and work out like a dog for 2-3 weeks to lose 5 pounds...what was I thinking??? I was blinded by the thought of using the prize money to buy a new MacBook Pro laptop that I became a little delusional. What I have on my side is that this contest lasts 3 1/2 months and the men like most men, will start out hard and strong in the beginning and by the end they will limp weakly to the finish line. At least now I have a reason to get refocused. I fell off the wagon so to speak in July and have had a hard time getting back into gear. The thing about the wagon is, it is very slippery. Apparently mine has been coated in french fry grease :) So here it is, a new day in my blogging as a write down for all to see that my starting weight is 173 pounds...God that hurt. But hopefully that will be the last time I ever see that number unless there is a baby growing inside of me...though at almost 41 I don't know that, that will happen again either....but that is a topic for another day. Wish me luck and stay tuned! Something tells me that the next 3 months will be interesting.

New family photos

Cultural Anthropology

Airports are a crash course in cultural anthropolgy. Even though I hate the constant travel, I love sitting at the airport watching people. Not regional airports, for good people watching you have to go to a large international airport, where you get people from all over the world! I have to tell you, foreign women are getting it done! Latin, Asian and Italian women are pimping when they travel. I mean 5" stillettos, fantastic outfit, hair, make-up all done as if Tyra Banks is doing a casting call for ANTM at the airport. I see these women and I have a true appreciation for the presentation, especially when you compare them to the throngs of American women who have opted for extreme comfort sweatpants, flip-flops, hair in a top knot with no make-up. Jackie O, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, we have failed you! Now I am not crazy enough to wear stillettos in the airport when travelling, that is just madness especially if you have to run for a plane. But I do make sure to look extra cute when travelling, even in flats....Another observation, women from ethiopa/somalia are stunning. I watched an entire deplane of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Everybody looked like Iman or Zahara Pitt, definitely not good for the ego when you have been up for 12 hours and you look like you have been beaten with a stick.

Crusin for a Bruisin

Uggh! Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise...for those of us who are not from Detroit and who are not "gear heads", dream cruise is nothing but a self-induced traffic jam that lasts for days! I honestly don't get it. People sit on the side of the road to watch traffic! Sure there are some cool custom cars, but couldn't they just rent a parking lot and make them all go there? No, instead they choose to clog the main artery through multiple towns for this hillbilly fest! So in an effort to miss this "Extravaganza" we went north and took Benjamin to Huckleberry Railroad. Huckleberry Railroad is a "historical" village that you can tour to see what life was like at the turn of the century. They have rides for the kids, carousel, ferris wheel, river boats, etc. but all of that is an additional cost! By the way did I mention that Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder were both there yesterday? Benjamin was jacked through the roof! Between the rides, games and Thomas, I think yesterday migth have been the best day of his life. We spent a small fortune up there, but Ben was so happy, it was worth it. I am kind of tired today, butI will definitely post pictures tomorrow of the trip.

I kill myself

I just read my last entry, I crack myself up! But here is what is so crazy, still on the exercise band wagon and still no sign of muscle tone! I think the new problem is that regular TV ended! You know summer hiatus when all of your favorite shows go into repeats for the summer. So I have had no choice but to watch cable shows. I am now officially addicted to th food network! Which might be why I have no muscle tone! The funniest thing is that I think after watching the food network for 2 months that I am gourmet chef...I critique Michael's cooking and even worse I have started cooking. But I am only into cooking desserts right now...hmm the trials and tribulations of a fat girl...in any case at least I am having a good summer. Lots of fun with Ben and Mike, which all that matters.

Mike and Ben at the Berkely Fire Department!

I Am Lance Armstrong...Not Really

So about 4-5 years ago I bought a bike at WalMart. Nothing fancy just your average mountain bike, which I thought would be good for riding around town. For the past few years I have ridden that bike intermittently, basically whenever I decided that I needed to lose weight. Well this year I decided to get serious about geting into shape, so I have been riding with reckless abandonment. I took the bike in to the bike shop to get serviced, I bought a helmet (finally), I actually adjusted the bike to fit me! So I get out there, all geared up and I ride like I am in the Tour de France. I pedal my little heart and I have actually built up to 10-14 miles! I vary my routes like all the health magazines say to do so that my muscles don't have a chance to adapt to the workout. (Oh yes I am reading health magazines now, but I'll get to that later) I am doing all of this regularly, 3-4 times a week and I have come to 2 conclusions....1. After 3 months of riding I still have no discernable muscle tone and 2. I think I got lapped yesterday by a senior citizen! I don't know if I was truly lapped, because I don't know when he started his ride, but I do know that he passed me and he looked pretty spry! Obviously, I need to kick my training up a notch to say the least. The goal is to wake up at 5 and ride in the morning. It is going to be almost 90 degrees in the D and that is just too damn hot to be out there! Wish me luck

Who knew people were reading

So I go through these phases where I write, because I think I have something interesting or funny to say. Then I stop writing because I don't get any feedback...then a few days ago I posted a random note on my facebook page about trying to figure out Twitter and people actually posted that they enjoyed the blog more than the potential 140 character posting! Well back by popular demand I will start writing again! I have been on facebook and now Twittering instead of blogging. All of uit has led me to wonder is all of this really necessary? Do we really need 3 different ways to tell people what is going on in your life? I don't know, but it did feel good to know that people were reading.

Zumba!..That's Spanish for there's a cramp in my butt!

So I went to Zumba class tonite. I absolutely love it but it is a crazy work out. For those of you who have never taken a Zumba class, picture an aerobic class set to latin dance music. It is kind of like being held hostage in Baja Fresh and being told to dance your way out. It is totally fun except that it makes you feel completely uncoordinated. Now I have rhythym and in my own mind I could be a back up dancer for Janet Jackson at any moment and this class makes me feel like a klutz! Maybe if I paid more attention in class I would be better at it!

What is really distracting is that you take this class in a dance room so one wall is fully mirrored from the ceiling to the floor. I get distracted looking at myself in the mirror, critiquing my choice of workout outfit (note it is never the right choice), watching what my hair is doing or obsessing over how much I am sweating! Fretting about all of these things is much better than acknowledging the reality that when I Zumba I look like a cross between Oprah (the fat one with no make up) and Rerun from What's Happening! Neither is an attractive option...What is funny is that when you don't dance in front of a mirror you think you are Janet Jackson or Beyonce and then when you see yourself you realize that it is more like Mo'Nique imitating Janet Jackson & Beyonce. If I cared, I would probably never dance in public again! But let's face it, I will dance again and what is worse I will do it while I am drunk! Which means Elaine from Seinfeld will envy my cool dance moves!...

I know many of you are too "young" to remember What's Happening so here is a video post, illustrating my shame! All I need is beret and suspenders! Viva La Zumba!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myLpUAmFYsY

Fun in the Snow

So it snowed in Michigan...again. We are in for a long winter. I don't know the last time it snowed this much in Michigan! Just before Christmas we got hammered with 8-12 inches and it has snowed off an on since. We got another 6-8 inches on Friday night. The only good thing is that Ben got a snow suit and sled for Christmas, so yesterday was his first time out in the snow! As you can tell from the picture, he had a ball yesterday! We wanted to go out again today, but the temperature din't get above 20 degrees this morning and then we had plans. By we, I mean Ben and I. Mike is down at the Auto Show, still. For those of you outside of Detroit, Auto Show is the biggest event that happens in Michigan. It is crazy and Mike is really busy. Can't bitch about it though, because my work schedule tends to be way crazier than his. And in this economy, I am just grateful we both have our jobs, long hours and all!

Ahhh...A Good Smelling Man

When did men stop wearing cologne? I guess I never noticed that many men have stopped wearing cologne. I buy it for Mike at Christmas and Valentines Day, but he typically only wears it for special occaisions. When you don't smell it for awhile when you come into contact with someone wearing cologne, it hits you pretty strong. I had a business meeting today, and the customer that I met with was wearing cologne. I don't know what the scent was, but wow! It was the wonderful intoxicating scent, clean & musky, but not overpowering. Usually even if I like a cologne initially after a little while, it starts to annoy me. Not so in this case. It smelled better the longer I smelt it. I am going to have to go to the mall and annoy the fragrance lady to see if I can figure out what it is. It should be noted that a good smelling cologne can definitely make someone more attractive than they really are.

For that matter, why don't many women wear perfume anymore? (I would like to clarify at this point that I am specifically referring to perfume or cologne. I have no tolerance for the whole essential oil thing. I absolutely loathe the smell of Patchouli!!! Please stop wearing it.) I used to wear it everyday, and all of a sudden it has become relagated to something I only use when I am going out. I would love to say that I stopped wearing it because I was considerate of other people's sensitivity to scents, but let's face it, this is more about laziness and just letting one more thing slip. I think it is time to start using some of the bottles that decorate my dresser!

There's a hitch in my get up!

Holy crap! I have the worst muscle cramp in my butt! Which apparently happens when you start working out "balls to the wall" after sitting on the couch for a couple of months! I love my enthusiam though. It always starts out so positive, I am so in to the whole work out thing in the beginning. Maintaining that level of enthusiasm into week 2 will be te trick! The only down side is that I am working out at 7:30 at night, which means I dont eat dinner until oh right now. Really healthy. How did my mother and all of my friends mothers do it? They worked, took care of the house, kept the husbands happy and somehow managed to do it in the latest styles. Oh yeah and I forgot, they also managed to get dinner on the table at reasonable hour and they di it without a microwave! I know have a greater appreciation for just how hard my mother really worked. The only I am going to be able to do all that is if I a wife!

Back to the grind...

So today was my first day back to work in over 2 weeks! Wow, it took it least 2-3 hours to shake the cobwebs from my head. It is funny, 2 weeks ago I was wound like a top. I felt completely overwhelmed and sometimes even paralyzed. Now after 2 weeks away, I cannot remember what I was all fired up about!?! I didn't realize how much I needed the break until I took the break. Normally if I take a day off, I still answer email and phone calls. This time I truly took the time off, and I feel better for it.

Besides being my first day back to work, today was Ben's first day at his new daycare.
(For those of you who have discussed this subject with me in the past, then you know that I was not happy about his previous daycare.) So far so good. He seems to be acclimating to the new environment and it doesn't help that the head caregiver tends to dote on him. I think I was more traumatized by the change than he was. Thankfully, I really like the woman who runs the daycare. I have a good feeling about 2009.

Feel the Burn....

I am trying to be more diligent in my workouts, by diligent I mean I am actually trying to do them! What kills me is I was running late for a play date this morning so instead of putting in 45-60 minutes on the treadmill, I could only do 30 minutes. What is funny is that I almost tralked myself out of getting on the treadmill at all because I was only going to be able to work out for 30 minutes! I crack myself up...because a 30 minute workout isn't good enough. This coming from a woman with a normal workout of nothing!!! Like all of a sudden I'm hard core about the workout...I repeat, 2009 is going to be an interesting year.

New Year...New You???

Happy New Year! Every year I write down a list of resolutions, many of them the same each and every year...lose weight, read more, exercise regularly, blah, blah, blah. Instead of New Years resolutions this year I have decided to work on my "life list" that I created the month I turned 40. The list is the 40 things I want to do the year I turned 40! It is a very ambitious list, but hey, I've got time. I am not going to list them all at once, but rather as I complete them I will write about them in the blog.

What is weird is that as I have entered into the new year I have found myself reading all of the magazines that have piled up around the house. Mostly women's magazines, Essence, Self, Glamour, etc. What I have noticed is a disturbing trend, all have articles touting how to become a "New Person" in the new year. Which makes me ask the question, "What is so wrong with someone, that they need to become a new person?" I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I like the person I am. I don't want to become a new person! Hell, it has taken me 40 years to learn to love all the flaws I have and accept that they are a part of me. Why do I have to change? And if I do chane and become a "New Person", who am I going to hang out with? Everybody that I am are friends with now, likes who I am now. So I have decided not to become a new person, but instead I will try to improve the person I am. 2009 will definitely be interesting.