HoLLa: Update on Life vol.11

happy sunday ya’ll!

well things seem to be getting back to *normal* here at casa de goddess…
although the week started like this…
lots of jammies (lalaloopsy jammies i might add) & snuggies (my grandmother bought me the zebra snuggie for xmas & skylar LOVES it).
and letting my daughter eat whatever she wants – case in point; her beloved funyons!!!

but things got better – more smiles & less fussiness.
and lemme tell ya – miss skylar brought fussiness to a whole NEW level! even though she was on the mend she was definitely just worn down from being SO sick for a week. she spent one whole day crying, screaming, and throwing temper tantrums over everything from what to eat to what to wear. it was not the best day ever but we survived & thankfully she is back to eating pretty normally (for her at least as she is the pickiest eater ever), sleeping better, & her usual chipper self.
then yesterday we saw these @ our local wally world & seeing how skylar’s world revolves around lalaloopsy – we had to buy them! ($6.00 and oh-so-cute plus this mama doesn’t bake so it was a steal!)


happiness = eating a lalaloopsy cupcake!
ohhh & because miss thing refuses to get icing on her fingers she eats them like a dog… heh! yeah, it makes no sense to us either – but skylar is without a doubt one-of-a-kind!!

so yay for my little skylar rockets getting better & being her usual crazy daisy self!

on a side note:
the wedding plans are back on!
yeah i know i have said this before & i have been draggin’ my feet & all that jazz. i haven’t even mentioned it on this blog since LAST april – wow! i had even bought my dress! and finally i admitted the real reason i was stalling – wrote about it here on my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

well after dropping 26+ lbs. i can FINALLY not only get the dress over my ass but i can zip it up too! woohoo!
so yeah – i am a vain as hell but i want to feel & look my best on my special day.
and i am back into the *wedding plans* frame of mind – even though i COMPLETELY lack the bride gene. no dates have been set – i am still trying to digest the fact that I CAN FIT INTO MY DRESS!!!

my sons are pretty much mia most of the time. they have mutual friends (which i am SO happy about) so they are always off at this one or that one’s house. i can distinctly remember being their age & wanting to be anywhere but home – i guess it’s just a teenage thing? but i do insist that every tuesday & thursday night they are home for dinner & we have a SIT DOWN meal where we can all converse & interact as a family. they do it willingly & it’s one of the highlights of my week at least! and skylar’s – she loves her big brothers SO much!

i think that about sums up life as we know it…
♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, progress photos & exercise regimen?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess. (warning: this blog does contain abundant profanity & a no hold’s bar look @ my journey!)

HoLLa: Update on Life vol.10

so it’s been awhile since i posted a HOLLA update. i have been so busy with the holidays (and the downer aftermath), my weight loss blog, kids, bri, life in general, & trying to stay motivated on my quest to get fit!
it hasn’t been easy – ain’t even gonna lie!
but it’s been a good week nonetheless…
skylar has been a little crazy – but i think it’s a combo of the crazies leftover from xmas & just being a precocious 2 ½ year old little diva girl. (everyone told me how different girls are from boys – i am now coming to realize just how different they meant!)
(she looks SO big here… wowies!)
(sky could live on funyons –sadly)
(the many silly faces of skylar!)
all considering – she is still sucha good girl – she just has her moments – but don’t we all?

then on thursday this happened outta the blue…
(got the flu but still gorgeous as always)
sky got some sorta stomach bug & lemme tell ya it was no fun for any of us – especially her. add to the fact that the only thing this child eats faithfully is yogurt & the doctor said no dairy – life is just increasingly peachy keen… heh!
i feel like the world’s worst mama letting my daughter survive on pringles & ginger ale for the past two days but at least she is eating & drinking!

despite the flu invading our home & taking my poor little gal captive – there have been some happier moments this week.
at my weight watcher weigh-in yesterday i lost 2.8lbs bringing me to 26lbs lost total & i got this beauty…
my 25lb. charm to go with my 10% keychain & 16 week charm!
kinda silly but for us weight watcher junkies – this thing means the world! just like the little stickers we get @ meetings!

my journey since september 5th has truly been a transformation. tomorrow marks 90 days of consequetive exercise & i am eating vegan 99% (minus the eggs in holiday cookies) of the time. but i think the biggest change is that i am passionate about this & it has transcended into so many other facets of my life.
i want to be this passionate about EVERYTHING!
and it was so nice not to have *lose weight* at the top of my resolutions this year – i am already doing it!
finally!
i feel like i spent so much time trying to get HERE & it feels so freakin’ good to finally feel in control of my life & my body again!
i know i have said this before but…
life just gets better & better day by day!


and there ya have it dear bloggy peeps!
♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, progress photos & exercise regimen?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

saying goodbye to fall...

we have had an unseasonably warm fall here in rhode island...
it has lent us extra outside time which is where skylar loves to be the best.
here we are enjoying the last few days of fall 2011...
my beautiful daughter... she literally lights up outside!

me -- taken for my progress photos for my other blog: misadventures of a chunky goddess. i am down 16.2 lbs. & feeling better than i have in years!
i love when you can see the moon in the middle of the day -- sadly that is the only time i can get a decent shot of the moon. since seeing it this day skylar is obsessed wth the moon -- so much so she makes up songs about it... heh!
playing in the leaves is without a doubt one of the best rites of passage of childhood! skylar had so much fun this day!


goodbye fall of 2011 -- your memories will always make me smile!
♥cyn♥

ShOwInG oFF...

yes -- i totally realize that i have pretty much left my mama blog (that would be this one) in the dust in lieu of writing in my misadventures of a chunky goddess blog.
and i do feel bad about that because this blog is about my family whereas the other is solely about me...
but i need to be a wee bit selfish nowadays & am really focusing on getting fit.
BUT...
i will be posting tidbits here -- mostly photos & family updates.
if ya want the real dirt on life & all it encompasses -- gotta read the other blog.

but enough of that...
let's get to the showing off!
about to head out for a walk -- was a bit brisk that morning!
just miss sky being her adorable little self!
some new bedding -- she still l♥ves yo gabba gabba! has it made her sleep in her bed any better -- ummm no!
we hung out this past sunday @ my bestie's house & this is skylar & her daughter who is just 6 months older. i look @ them & instantly see angela & myself -- so odd; yet amazingly cool!
guitar hero playoff & hangin' out!
♥♥♥

happy hump day luvies!
♥cyn♥

HoLLa: Update on Life vol.8

once again i have let time lapse since writing... oops!
just too much on my plate & it seems like everyone in my house has passed around a pretty nasty flu bug to boot back & forth. today is the first day in a week that i feel semi-human.

so this past thursday i saw the new therapist & while i am trying really hard to keep an open mind about it all; it really amazes me that someone who has met me once -- for a little over an hour & basically got a quick synopsis of my 41 years (and i have lived a lot in my 41 years) -- can give me a *diagnosis*?
and a *diagnosis* that i am not sure i entirely agree with.
she has labeled me as having a *mood disorder* which is one miniscule step above bi-polar disorder.
ummm...
yeah i have my moments & in my past i have done so effed up stuff that could very easily be deemed as self-destructive but... i don't think my condition (whatever that may be) is as severe as she seems to think. nothing against anyone who is bi-polar as i am sure it is very misunderstood like all mental/emotional disorders are… but what the phuck?

but she has referred me to someone else to have a medicine evalutation to make sure i am on the right meds because she seems to think i am totally on the wrong meds & wants a second opinion.
sigh...
this is exactly where i don't wanna be.
flip-floppin between *professionals* who cannot decide what *disorder* i have & who wanna play medicine guinea pig with me.
nope not happenin!
but i will semi-play along. i will go to the referral and see what she has to say but i am not playing russian roulette with a bevy of meds that will do gawd knows what to me?
frig that noise!

and what irks me is that i thought i was on the right path with the wellbutrin? i thought this was a therapy session? not a mental evaluation!
have i mentioned how much i really distrust people in the mental health field before?!?!?!
grrrr… so irritating! but let’s move on!

weight watchers is goin great…
30 day shred is going amazing…
i am down 12.4 lbs total & feeling pretty damn good about that! i wanted to lose about 6 lbs a month & so far i am ahead of the game so that is a very good thing.
bri is great.
kids are great.
all is well… minus the snow we had over the weekend.
already? really?
ick! but there was a cool bday party to attend!
and i did run into two of my friends i havent seen in eons over the weekend – so all really is well! (the three redhead amigas ride again!)

and halloween cookies & dress-up always make life better as well!


and all the other random stuff in between...


because i most certainly cannot complain & despite what one random *therapist* says – i am very content with life & the path it is currently leading my on!

happy halloween peeps!
(you know i will be posting a buttload of photos from today at some point this week -- consider yourselves warned!)
♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, and/or my quest to complete jillian michaels 30 day shred?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

which reminds me – go enter my first evah chunky goddess giveaway so you can win TWO jillian michaels shred dvds! because who doesn’t like free shit?!?!
and even if you have already entered – you can tweet the giveaway daily for additional entries!

HoLLa: Update on Life vol.7

I know I have totally been ignoring this blog – I sucketh, what can I say?

In my defense – I have had a lot of my plate lately.
• Defiant teenagers who are trying to either drive me to the brink of insanity or make me an alcoholic.
• An over-active precocious two year old who needs constant stimulation.
• Never-ending tedious stuff – laundry, dishes, grocery shopping.
• Trying to keep myself on track with Weight Watchers & working out – which is a HUGE priority for me.
• Making Brian & Cyn time – because he needs me as much as anyone else in my house. And I need him too of course!
• My social life which is coming back from the dead – funny how feeling good about yourself again can make you want to get back into the world.
• My spiritual side which I left dormant @ the wayside months ago – I have missed my candles, meditations, & spellwork. It grounds me & I need grounding!

I know there are others out in the world who probably have ten times the amount of things on their plates – but keep in mind that my plate has been so cracked & half-broken for so long with me being in the depths of depression & I am just now getting back to mending the plate & being able to juggle more than a few things without completely melting down!
So yay for that much at least.
Chaos is actually progress for me!!!

Speaking of progress – I see my new therapist next week.
I am trying to be positive – but ack! I haven’t had the best luck with therapy in the past.
Once had a therapist try to *save* me by telling me I needed Jesus in my life.
True effin’ story.
Can you believe that shit? If I wasn’t 20-something (oh yeah I have been messed up for a long time… heh) I probably would have reported her -- to where or whom – who knows?
Did I mention that I am trying to stay positive?

Okay let’s jump to another topic – because I am so obviously all over the place today.
Skylar has her library reading/play group every Wednesday & it is the one thing she looks forward to. And it is such a cute program – the librarian is wonderful & they do the cutest craft project at the end of story time.
Well this year there is a new kid in the group & normally I never refer to kiddos (other than my own of course – heh) to *spawn of satan* but if this child was a robot her (yes, it’s a little girl) name would be DESTRUCTOR!
And really it isn’t her fault – it is her dumbass mother’s who sits there while she tears up the play area, library, and reading room and says NOTHING. It is her who sits there while she literally lays on other children & terrorizes the two mothers who come with infants in tow and says NOTHING. It is her who sits there while the librarian asks the little demon girl to sit down over and over because she is disrupting the reading time & tears things right out of the librarian’s hands and says NOTHING.
Seriously I keep hoping Mute Mom & DESTRUCTOR won’t show – but sure as shit they are ALWAYS there.
And what do you do in this situation? Are you THAT parent who complains & puts the librarian in the position to have to *talk* to Mute Mom?
Parents who let their children be little buttheads just piss me off.
And it isn’t fair to the kids like my daughter who really want to enjoy the experience & interact.
Mute Mom sucks!

Moving along…
We are just NOW finally getting some fall weather.
Goddess Group ghost hunt happened last night but I had to miss it – car/ride issues.
So bummed.
I will get in on another ghost hunt because apparently they had sucha great time that they are planning another.

I have been doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred – on day 10 – and it is an ass-kicking killer workout. I highly recommend it!

Well to end this crazy post on a high note…
Skylar is NUTSO about La La Loopsy.
(Doncha l♥ve her shit – got it @ Kmart for $7!)

La La Loopsy was #1 on her Xmas list to Santa last year – and this year it is the La La Loopsy treehouse & bus.
Never enough La La Loopsy in Skylar’s world…

There ya have it – sorry this is sucha schiztoid post!

Happy HuMp DaY!
♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, and/or my quest to complete jillian michaels 30 day shred?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

blogfest

TGIF Bloggywood!

So today is the Pay it Forward Blogfest!
Here is the original post by The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment, one of the two hosts – check it out as it has all of the details & such!
But basically the idea of this blogfest is to introduce everyone on the linky to three of your favorite bloggers who might fall under the radar and not receive the recognition you think they deserve. Or you can totally just shout out to three blogs ya love. Either way – the hosts are encouraging everyone to take a little time and really peruse a blog or two (or 225 – wow lotta peeps linked up!).
I read a pretty diversified list of blogs regularly – but am always looking for someone new to lurk upon!

So with that being said… lemme introduce you to the three blogs/bloggers who I must give mad props to… and some are actually peeps I have met via my other blog (yeah that diet one I am yappin’ about all the time) misadventures of a chunky goddess.

1. Nicole @ 4 Boys and 2 Divas. She is a newer blogger and I just adore how she blogs & vlogs. She rocks & is kind enough to be doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred with me & being so real & honest about the process. You cannot help but l♥ve her!
2. Foxy Coxy & Hot Coco @ (Victorious Secret) From Flab to Fab. These two fellow Weight Watcher junkies cover it all – the trials, tribulations & highs of the Weight Watcher journey along with ah-may-zing healthy recipes & their take on life. Go check ‘em out fo’ sho’!
3. And last but never least – my dearest bloggy friend Ms. Marie @ The Dancing Paralegal. We met on the Weight Watcher site via their blogs & honestly I cannot remember who traveled over to blogger first? I wanna say it was her because she wanted to swear and Weight Watchers online won’t even let you say beaver (in the animal context) without censoring your ass. Anywho… we both migrated over to the Land of Adult Blogging & have been giving each other the bloggy l♥ve ever since. Her blog rocks & her series on her recent trip to Europe is just amazing & gives me major world traveler envy!

Go give my girls some much deserved bloggy l♥ve!

There ya have it… hop ‘til ya drop!



♥cyn♥

the power of girlfriends -- meet ciao mama

day: 35
bloggerhood!

so last monday i was graciously asked to write a post about women and our friendships for ms. daffy @ batcrap crazy in conjuction with friends you l♥ve -- a month long blog celebrating & empowering women and other women closest to us.

friends you l♥ve hosts a blog hop every monday where you select a friend from the blogosphere to guest post at your place and come on back and link up to the blog hop! all blog hop participants (guest posters included) are eligible to win prizes from eyedews!
(this is just one of many really cool events they have going on this entire month!)


okay phew – with all that being said, you guys know i am all about spreading the bloggy l♥ve & what better way than to pass the torch on. without a thought i asked ciao mama from the fabulous blog mommy bags to guest post and what follows is simply lovely and the perfect example of why i chose her…
she is real, raw, hysterical, sincere, stylish, and if we weren’t on opposite ends of this country – i can guarantee we would be besties and having some mad misadventures of our own!
without further adieu … ms. mommy bags herself!


It was set up to be just another week until I received an email from Cyn over at Misadventures of a Chunky Goddess one of my favorite all time blogs. Besides being a kick ass gal the girl is just friggin funny and has quickly become a really great bloggy friend.
Ms. Cyn asked me to do a guest post and I was what the f*** are you serious? Like…. I am about to gag ova here…I was so stoked and so honored the first thing I did was freak out…What would I post…how about if I sucked donkey balls and would have to hide my pitiful self from the bloggy world forever? I snapped out of it and I decided I would just be me and just write the way I write. The post was supposed to be about women and friendships this is all in conjunction with friends you love - a month long blog/site that celebrates & empowers women through discussing our bonds with other women. Again, thank you so much for the honor Cyn.

Quality over quantity any day. I used to be vice versa just a few years ago. I felt the more “friends” I had around me the better. I felt I needed a bunch of people around me in order to feel accepted. It was so high school it was ridiculous. As you grow up and get older you realize what the meaning of true friendship is. I discovered who I thought were friends of mine {and ours} were just really “acquaintances” at best. I discovered that women I thought were sisters were actually just fakes – I know you’re like…… this is supposed to be about great friendships between women - I am getting to the point I swear.

I saw the true colors of these friends when the shit hit the fan – when my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer I saw the light. I saw women who told me they would always be there for me and I thought were best friends run for the hills. No phone calls to see how my mom was doing, no support calls and just no calls. I will always remember the hurt I felt, here I am going through the most painful thing ever and there was no one around. In a way it destroyed the little trust I had for women. My first emotion was to go after them with fists flying but after calming down I decided they were just not worth the trouble and jail time. Through all this dark “muck” I was going through at the time quite a few bright lights of hope flashed through and showed me what true friendship is supposed to be. I received phone calls from friends that I had lost contact with because of all the BS of hanging out with certain members of the “group”. These women checked on me and my well-being and they called to see if they could do anything for me and my fam. They were there when my mom passed away. They showed up at the wake they showed up when I placed mom in her resting place. They were there when I cried myself to sleep for months straight and refused to leave the house because I felt so lost. They were there when I picked up the phone every day to call my mom and realized she was no longer here. They took me out, they helped me out and finally I started to feel better. One of my friends helped me build the crib and get the nursery ready when my hubby was too busy at work and I too prego to work the drill. These friends gave me a baby shower and sent many welcomes when baby was born. These friends have been around when I just needed a hug a glass of wine and a shoulder to cry on. These to me are true friends, friends that are in your life that make you feel special and loved and that you matter. There is only a handful in my life right now because I choose it to be that way. I would rather have a handful of really good jelly beans in a jar than a jar of so so jelly beans.
I love all of mine to pieces and you know who you are! I have learned allot during my 41 years and the one thing I did learn is that truly good friends are hard to find…Show them some love and let them know how special they are. Peace!



told ya see is fabulous… please stop by her blog -- mommy bags -- and give her a shout out!
she rocks!
thanks mb!

spread the bloggy l♥ve, eat your veggies, and love yourself!
xxoo
cyn