HoLLa: Update on Life vol. 7

just sharing some photos from the week…
we have had the strangest weather here in new england…
snow one week, 70 degree weather the next, and always a rain shower in between…








i also finished jillian michaels 30 day shred on tuesday. i did it for 30 days consequetively with no days off & upped my level every 10 days. it was indeed a challenge but has really changed my entire outlook on my weight loss journey.
i only lost about 4.4 lbs in the 30 days but i lost 13.5 inches all over so i am highly impressed with that!
i started ripped in 30 on wednesday & am fully committed to daily movement/exercise.

i saw the new therapist – liked her a lot & she encouraged me to give the other gal a shot.
okay okay…
she thinks i am on the right meds & that i am not bi-polar (coulda told ya that) & that i probably had post-partum after skylar that escalated into a full blow depression for two+ long torturous years.
obviously i have had bouts of depression – or funks as i always called them – but nothing like this past one. i just couldn’t dig myself out; hence why i sought help.
so i am staying on the same meds & i will flip-flop between the two therapists every other week. i am willing to see how it works out & am still keeping an open mind.

i feel better both mentally & physically than i have since my early 30s & that makes me a wee bit sad to admit – but it’s true.
if i have learned one thing from this it is this – do not doubt yourself; if you don’t feel *right* get help. once you dig yourself out & things become so clear you will realize that you were right all along & wasted too much time trying to tell yourself that you will feel better tomorrow.
depression sucks but it can be helped!

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

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

HoLLa: Update on Life vol.9

happy saturday all!

can i tell you how freakin’ glad i am that this past week is over?
seriously – i am so obviously not ready for the hustle & bustle of the *holiday season* because one week of two b-day parties, a dinner party, halloween, & pms nearly took me out.
sigh

but it’s a new week & i woke up with the ability to breathe outta both nostrils (praise be!) – so life is def lookin’ up!

so what’s new?
well i think i covered the major happenings with my bajillion of photos i posted throughout the week. although i did spare ya’ll on dumb supper photos – which was great!
(me on the way – testing out camera settings on myself – heh)
and to fill ya in – dumb supper is a dinner eaten in silence where you reverse the courses (dessert first, main course, then salad) in honor of your ancestors & those who have passed. it is held in the evening of the day of the dead (or all saints day – depending on your beliefs) when the veil between the living & the dead is at its thinnest.
(a fun spooky photo of us @ dinner – see the plates full of food – those are our offerings of food for our ancestors & those who have passed – you take a little bit from your plate for each course for the ancestor plate.)
we also had a séance after dinner which is always fun – if you’re into that sort of thing – which i so am!
we had some interesting voices come through via the ghost box & i got some amazing orb photos.

moving along…
i am still kickin’ it on the jillian michaels 30 day shred – can ya believe that today is day 27 & this coming tuesday i will be done (with this part at least) ??? it blows my mind how fast this all went – and fyi – this workout kicks ass & truly works!
(yup – me showing off my mini-muscle! may not look like much but it is more muscle than this chick has ever had & i am pretty stinkin’ proud of the definition!)

i didn’t lose this week on w8 watchers – but i didn’t gain either – so i consider that super success after the food-a-palooza that happened last week. seriously, i think i ate non-stop from saturday – wednesday!
tsk! tsk!

i have my prescrition evaluation on tuesday – yay (insert extreme sarcasm). i am tryin not to be a debbie downer about it all but it still pisses me right the fuck off. but maybe this experience will be different than the last? who knows? hence why i am tryin to be positive…

well folks… that’s all I got!
happy saturday & lotsa bloggy love! so happy to see some of my faves back to bloggin!!!

♥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.

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: Weight Loss Update & Confessions

(Dontcha just L♥VE Betty???)

Ello Blog-o-sphere!

So I haven't written a weight loss update in a couple of weeks (busy, busy, STRESSED, busy gal) so I figured I best get to it.

So here goes…
At last Friday’s weigh-in I was down a total of 5.2 lbs since starting the 30 Day Shred on July 4th!!
*Cues “Can’t Touch This” and starts to break out her best MCHammer moves*

Of course I mentioned that I restarted it with my son last Thursday and we were off to a killer start – but then the weekend hit – I work a good portion of the weekend and the boys had a sleepover and a totally separate birthday party to attend.

Yeah…
Excuses – valid; but not good enough to skip our workout the past two days.

Tomorrow we are back in actions – NO EXCUSES!

Diet wise – I am doing good.
I am 100% Vegan and doing well with avoiding my nemesis – CANDY!

I feel good about my choices and certainly about losing 5.2 lbs!
I feel like I am on a roll… and will not let a couple of downer days derail me!

So a little confession of I sorts...
I am currently seeking help for anxiety. And by saying I am *seeking help* I mean I am seeking medical attention at the moment. Where that leads? Who knows?

It is something I have known has been an issue for me for quite awhile but also something I was hoping I could handle on my own. It has become apparent to me that I cannot.
I wonder if I am not suffering from a bit of depression – maybe even post partum? I am not sure… but the fact is that I haven’t felt like ME in a very long time and I think I need some help.
Either way – I can only rise up from here.
I am trying to not overthink the process until I know exactly what is wrong – all I know right now is that something is definitely wrong.
And it is amazing how just saying that much has helped me.
I feel good about the path I am on...
Updates to follow!

So to end this post on a high note – here are some photos of Skylar at the pool and her just being the cutest little nudist in the world.
*BIG SMILES*

♥cyn♥

THinGs I am L♥VIN' Thursday

HaPPy L♥VEfest!

OMGosh what a crazy week it has been! Seriously I still have to look at the calendar to know what day it is…
Please tell me I am NOT the only one.

Anywho…

I have to start the L♥Vedom with my new workout/walking partner – my 14 (soon-to-be 15) year old son Peyton.

My sweet kiddo deserves a medal for being so determined to get healthy that he is willing to workout with his old Mom. But he has in fact agreed to do the 30 Day Shred (I started over at Day One yesterday to do it with him) and to walk with me as well as hit the gym when the time comes.
GO PEYTON!
(I am so stinkin’ proud of him!!!)

Getting his walk on…


Let’s continue with some amazing features from a couple of my fellow KICKASS bloggers…






I have posted items from Lesley (of Fabulously Flawed fame) before – because – well she rocks – enough said. But this par-tay she is hosting EVERY Thursday is just coolio and makes me SO wish I was the crafty sort. I do covet it all – check her out!








Destiny aka ★Rockin’ Mama ★ & her multi-media hop – I love one-stop-hopping – cause I am lazy as doo-dah. Well not really, but kinda.
*smirk*
Anywho – her blog is fun and her current 10 Days of BS challenge is one I am participating in and L♥Vin’!

L♥VE this little girl’s room – and look – it’s already monogrammed for Skylar! *heh*

This FABULOUS room was made possible by feltsocute via tip junkie. I L♥VE her – check out her Facebook page as well – I L♥VE the daily feeds!

L♥VE my new bamboo plant!

Believed to bring prosperity – I will keep ya updated – as it has yet to happen!

Oddly enough I am L♥Vin Lauren Conrad’s rainbow hair…

It’s fun and if I were a wee bit (okay A LOT) younger I would so rock this look ALL summerlong!

L♥VE L♥VE L♥VE this trend!

Talk about channeling your inner Wonder Woman!

L♥VE shoulder tatts…

Must.have.one.soon!

L♥VE potty training!

Okay blatant lie – but I do L♥VE my darling Skylar and how hard she is trying. She had it nailed and decided yesterday this whole potty thing just wasn’t for her.
Who am I to tell her otherwise?
So we give it some time and try again soon!

Last but not least...
I L♥VE Brian…

My soulmate and the best Daddy I have ever known.
You are wonderful!

There ya have it -- and I promise to be a better blogger -- holidays totally screw me up!

xxoo
♥cyn♥

THinGs I am L♥VIN' Thursday

HaPPy L♥VEfest!

Ya know what I am L♥VIN'?
Well...
The Photo Challenge!
I am L♥VIN' that today finishes this challenge only for me to restart it tomorrow with some fellow photogs from the company (Lifetouch) I work for. Curious? Check out the *a-photo-a-day* tab above. Care to join? Start tomorrow with Day One and let the fun commense!

I also...
L♥VE JiLLian

And I L♥VE her 30 Day Shred! I am currently on Day Four and going strong! (Detailed progress under my tab titled *shred*)

The Little White Dress = L♥VE

The Little Black Dress's long lost underrated cousin and the *new* go-to look and even MORE reasons to do the 30 Day Shred -- no more hiding behind black clothes!

L♥VE this photo...

I just wanna be this little girl -- so innocent and just happy to be with her Daddy in her Supergirl suit. Too stinkin' cute!!!

Chalkboard backsplash? Ummm yes -- L♥VE!!!

I swear whomever invented chalkboard spray paint is a GENIUS!!!

Ponytails?
I L♥VE them -- especially Skylar's 1st BIG GIRL ponytail!
*beams with pride*

Shia LaBeouf...yeah, total jailbait but he looks so dirty good in his Details Magazine spread!

L♥VE me some Transformers too -- heard AWESOME things about the 3rd installment!

Can I live here?
You can come visit anytime!

SUPER DUPER L♥VE!!!

Purple Goddess Nails?

What's not to L♥VE???

And finally...
I L♥VE my pool and how happy it makes my family!!!
And look at our littlest fish -- she is doing SUPERB with swimming!!!

What are you L♥Vin'????

♥cyn♥

And a VERY happy 83rd Birthday to my Grandmother who has given so much to our family. May ALL your wishes come true and your day be extra special!