Walk-N-Roll to Cure SMA

So, I  wondered whether to post this or not, but I figured it was worth a shot. I signed up for the second year to participate in the the local Walk-N-Roll to Cure SMA 5k. Last year, I walked with a few friends. This year, my goal is to jog/run it with a friend and raise money for our team.

Some questions you might have....

What is SMA? SMA stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It robs people of physical strength by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, taking away their ability to walk, eat, or breath. It is the NUMBER ONE cause of genetic death for infants. You guys, this is scary shit.

What is Walk-N-Roll? The Walk-N-Roll is one of many events across the country that provide funding for critical research and important family support services such as sending care packages to newly diagnosed SMA families.

Why this 5k for me? Because I know someone that has been personally affected by it.  I am doing this with a person I consider to be a brave, inspiring individual that I admire greatly. I don't want to share too much of her personal info, but she has lived through SMA and I want to support her in any way that I can and this is one easy way to show my support.

Why I wondered whether to post this? Because I am asking people I know to donate to Cure SMA and my team and didn't want to seem like I was a mooch. Then, I realized even if people thought that, to was worth it to raise awareness (and potentially cash money!) So, to donate visit my donation site. I would love it and be incredibly proud and touched.

All information provided above about SMA and Walk-N-Roll was taken from Cure SMA.

Do you guys have any tips on fundraising? Have you done something like this before?

Humpday Confessions

It's time for another cofess sesh. I confess, I have no idea how to spell that, but it sounds so cool when I say it in my head. Either way, here you go with my confessions. If you want more, head over to Kathy.

I confess... that I stopped caring about our house updates a LONG time ago. I mean I can only sustain excitement for so long. But, we did get all new windows on Monday, so that is nice. 

I confess... that I admitted to a male teacher I wash my hair once, maybe twice a week, and he was super grossed out. In my defense, I was actually talking to a 2nd grade boy who had sniffed my hair and told me it smelled nice & in response I said "probably not, we're on day 4." That made no sense to the 2nd grader, but the teacher totally understand and called me out on it. Now, I'm probably known as that dirty lady. 

I confess... that I got my raise at work and was slightly pissed because it is barely keeping me at the same amount I was getting before due to the increase in our insurance premiums. WTF?! I have to get  a raise to make the same amount?!

I confess... that the Biggest Loser is usually my guilty pleasure, but with barely any Bob and no Jillian it sucks. Yes, Dolvett is still on there, but his beautiful smile can only go so far. 

I confess... I have already started my countdown to summer. I know, first world problems. Ya'll are sitting there thinking, "bitch you just got off summer break."  I just feel burnt out, partly due to all the extra duties and responsibilities I have at work so I have been in overdrive.

Dish your confessions! 

Fleurty and Fit End of Summer Challenge

So, in an effort to give myself a swift kick in the ass, when Jasmine  said that she was going to be hosting an end of summer challenge, I thought to myself why not? Well, why not indeed. We each needed to set 5 goals for ourself and try to do our best. Did I do the best? Nope, but I am ok with that and I'll share why below. 

Goals:

-Drink only 1 weekend night (I love my glass of wine with dinner): I did well with this, but was not 100%. Instead of saying no at events like tailgating, weddings, bachelorette parties, etc. I just tried to be more conscious and aware of the liquid calories I was consuming.

-Eat breakfast everyday: 100% done. This was a struggle for me, but not a huge one. Breakfast is usually the first thing to get cut from my morning to do list when I am running late. Then I am hangry at 10am. So, I stocked up on meal bars, yogurts, and pre-cut  apple slices so that I could throw them into my purse and run out the door. I also had no shame in eating at "unofficial" meetings.

-Run 3 days/week, workout 5 total:  I averaged 2 workouts per week, which for me is womp, womp since I knew this was my biggest struggle. I taught a night class for 4/5 weeks, which I didn't plan around and I should have and was sick for a week with a nasty sinus/chest congestion. The part I am most excited about is that I signed up for a 5k with 2 of my best work friends and this year I am going to run it with them, versus last year when I walked. I also am running with one of them 1/week, which is a big one for me, since she runs ALL THE TIME and the thought was intimidating.

-Bring lunch to work everyday: Done. Did it. Big struggle. I hate eating left overs, thing from boxes and icky tupper ware... I did this 100% and hated every. single. second.

-Incorporate new veggies into my diet/meals Incorporate new food/recipes into my meals:  I had to re-work this goal, as I didn't take into account my food allergies. I am allergic to a shit ton of things in life, food items being A LOT of them.  I made my own spice rubs, tried BONE IN chicken (!!), roasted said bone in chicken in the crock pot, tried an over night fresh peach crockpot cobbler (skinnified), made my own marinade, cooked pork chops for the first time... the list is endless! This was my favorite goal, honestly.

I have to admit, for me the this challenge was really hard. I didn't realize how much of a "loner" I am when it comes to my fitness/food. Which is so weird, because I blog and am super social in real life. It was a struggle for me to answer emails and texts, not because I am not interested, because I am, but just because. I can't even say why, truthfully. It was just harder than I thought it would be to share my struggles with others and ask for things in return. It was also more comfortable for me to email/text people individually rather than a mass text. It helped me to start a really stressful school year feeling like I have control and making me more aware of what my daily habits are.

What were your end of summer goals? Did you meet them?

Budget {{Makeup}} Beauty Faves

Last time, I gave you guys my favorite budget beauty buys for your hair. This week, it's all about the makeup! I have to admit, I am that person who wears makeup every single day. Usually even when hanging out at the house, I slap on concealer and mascara. It just makes me feel all good inside. Again, these are all items that you can find in any drugstore, Wal-Mart, Target.

The other great thing? Almost all of these brands have coupons in your weekly paper. I generally wait until there is a BOGO sale, use coupons, and get store points on my Walgreens Rewards card. Again, this is not an ad or sponsored anything. Just sharing how I do.

Wet n Wild Eye Shadow Trio: My favorite color is Sweet As Candy. These shadows go on very pigmented, don't crumble, and last all day! This specific color combo also looks great on any eye color. It does come with both a small brush and applicator. Cost: $2.99

Covergirl Professional Remarkable Mascara:  Ya'll just don't know. This mascara is legit. It is waterproof, sweat proof, and doesn't clump. It goes on easily and has great longevity. It is also suitable for sensitive eyes, which I have. Cost: $4.99

Covergirl Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation: This comes in 14 shades, provides build able coverage, and can be worn alone as it acts as a primer, foundation, and concealer. I have to admit, I do use this with other primers or BB creams and concealers on the average day. I have extremely dark circles, which require a little built more coverage. On no fuss days, this is my go to. I also have extremely dry skin and this doesn't irritate it at all. Cost: $12

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer:  I can't live without this. It comes in a variety of formulas, some specifically for dark spots/circles, some for highlighting. I've used them both. They both have extremely soft applicators and work to reduce the look of puffiness.  My preference? The dark circle corrector. It covers better for me and I use a different highlighter already. Cost: $7

These are my go to budget makeup picks. What are yours?

Tasty Tuesday: Pinterest Recipes I'm Loving

I am a certified pinterest addict. I love to find recipes and tweak and twist them to fit my and my boo thang's taste. Without further ado, here are some of my all time favorite pinterest recipes.

One Spoon Dry Rub from Self Proclaimed Foodie.  I love to make my own rubs and seasonings, so this is right up my alley! I can put as much or as little as I want, which is perfect since we eat a LOW sodium diet in my house.

Grilled Porkchops with Peach, Bourbon, Mustard Sauce from Bobbie's Kozi Kitchen. Ya'll this was my first time cooking pork chops on my own and they were amazeballs. This is more of a marinade/glaze than a sauce and anything with bourbon is going to be good. For me, this is also the perfect transition to fall grilling recipe.

Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers from Skinnytaste. I love the idea of this recipe, but I use ground turkey and canned pineapple. I love that she incorporates carrots into the burgers, they help keep the moistness and add a little veggie crunch.

20 Minute Shrimp Sausage Skillet from Paleo Newbie. Again, the simplicity of this recipe is what I love the most about it. I am allergic to a few of the ingredients, but I can swap out zucchini or squash for sweet potato and leeks. The possibility of combos is endless!

Apple Turkey Burger with Caramelized Onions and Brie from Once Upon a Cutting Board. OMG! This recipe is to die for. The melted brie and the crisp, tart granny smith-- YUM! This was a recipe where Hungry Man ate all the burgers before I could even sit down at the table. Just because I am me, I also love to add a little bit of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce to my bun.

What are some of your fave pinterest recipes right now?

Humpday Confessions

It's time to hump along with Kathy! If you don't know what I'm talking about, go check it out!

Has anyone else just had that one person who irks you? The one you just want to punch in the face? Yup, that person is a whole building for me. So much so, that I just hide away when I am in this building. Whatever, I don't even care.

When in meetings, I just want to yell "shut the f up!" to the people who ask questions that are specific to them and the others who yell out, "I figured it out" 5 minutes later. I'm sorry, but there is a group of 40 other people who do not care. At all. DO NOT CARE. I don't care that your outlook reminders pop up after you're meeting has started. I do not care that you can't figure out how to pin chrome to your dashboard. I do not care, Sam I am. 

We got our Thank You cards in on Friday! Did I start writing them? Nope, I admired them and put them back in the box. They are so pretty though, thank you Shutterfly. But do you know when I did start writing them? In a training yesterday. While writing this post. I can multi-task like you wouldn't believe. 

I have thought about taking pictures of my super awesome outfits to post on here... but then I realized, I don't really have a clean full length mirror, and I don't want to clean it just for that. Or take one in the bathroom at work. Yuk. I'll stick with my headshot selfies. You're welcome.

Sunday Funday

Holy sunburn, Batman. In honor of football season officially starting, I went and got myself a pretty lobster-tastic sunburn on my arms while tailgating at the KC Chiefs game yesterday. The best part? The tan line. You can def tell where my short sleeves ended and where my watch was. The high of 72 seemed so innocent, yet it definitely was not.

Pre-sunburn selfie! 

We had some pretty awesome seats. We were 20 rows back, which is pretty perfect. You can see the entire field, yet are still close enough to heckle. 

I love watching the pre-show, it makes me excited to see the game! There were hundreds of balloons released, fireworks, and fire! Turns out, it's hard to take photos of fireworks and fire, so enjoy the balloons. 

My in-laws take us tailgating at the Chiefs and they always have AMAZING food. So, I decided to break out one of our wedding gifts and attempt to participate in the food. I have to recommend making an overnight cobbler. It was easy and everyone said it tasted good. 

Did any of you go to your season opener? What's your fave tailgate food to bring?

Budget {{Hair}} Beauty Faves

You guys I have to admit, I have a lot of beauty products. I like to try new things, which is why I have an ipsy subscription, but I also love finding good deals. One of the best places I find for deals on beauty products is Walgreens. They accept coupons, have BOGO deals, AND you get Walgreens Rewards points. These points add up, my friend. If you don't believe, go look at the hairdryer below and read how I bought it. Nope, this isn't an ad, sponsor, anything like that. I'm just a cheapo, deal finder.

L'oreal Paris Advanced Lock It Fine Control Hairspray : There are a couple of different options with this line, but my fave is the Fine Control spray. It has the perfect amount of grip and leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth, not crispy. Cost: $3.99

Conair Infiniti Pro Blow Dryer: You can find a variety of these blow dryers, all at a good price point. I love this one (the As Seen on TV one) because it has ion technology, which promotes less frizz, is ergonomically designed (i.e. not stick straight and unwieldy), and is quieter than other models I've owned (which Mr. Morning Cranky Pants appreciates). Average Cost: $29.99 (I got mine for free using my Walgreens rewards card!)

Conair Teasing/Backcomb Brush: This brush has mixed boar bristles, which distribute natural hair oils, and creates fullness without undue damage. Although, let's be honest, damage is going to happen when you backcomb/tease/rat your hair. It has a pointed tail end, which makes parting and separating hair easy. Cost: $3.99

Garnier Fructis Beach Chic Sea Salt Spray : For a budget buy this is totally worth it, but I do have to say it does leave my ends slightly crispy. I try to use it on days 3/4 of no washing, so that it absorbs some of the oil in my hair and gives body, so that I can braid or put my hair up and it still has texture. Cost: $3.49

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo: This is my all time favorite hair product. I use it every single day. I use it after blow drying my hair, then throughout the day for added body and fullness. It does leave a slight white residue, but that goes away quickly just by running my fingers through my hair or using my boar bristle brush. Cost: $4.00

What are your budget beauty favorites for your hair? 

Humpday Confessions

I'm easing back into blogging with my Humpday Confessions with Kathy. Hope you enjoy!

I haven't been around lately... and I am sorta ok with it. I love going and reading everyone else's blogs, but I also just want to sit and do nothing. So, I hope you enjoyed the barren wasteland that was my blog the last few weeks.

I got nominated for some Liebster Awards. Which is all well and good, thanks peeps! But, sorry I ain't doing them. I've done it already and just don't feel like doing it again. I know, bitch move. If you want to read my original response, feel free {{Liebster Award}} to go check it out. 

There is a teacher in one of my buildings that accosted me my very first time stepping foot in the building. My response? I'm sorry I have things to do.... and I legit walked off. Later that day, I found out that she works in the building. I don't even care. Today? She started talking at me as I was walking down the hall and I pretended like I had no idea she was talking AT me. I mean, it's a month in and bitch still hasn't asked or learned my name. Do like everyone else, introduce yourself. That's a good starting point. 

I sit in teacher training meetings and have no idea what is going on sometimes. I never ask, instead I sit and read blogs or look for funny gifs. I like to think of this as being paid to do me. #winning

What are your juicy confessions?