I'm finally THERE

I have always been the almost girl.  In HS I was in theater and speech, getting great roles in plays where I was never quite the star but almost.  Cast as Glenda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, the "pretty one" in Prime of Ms Jean Brodie, and understudy to "Madge" in Picnic.  I never considered myself to be beautiful by any means but apparently I had a look that the director liked.  I was also the mascot.  Acting a fool on the sidelines, embarrassing the cheerleaders, and not quite being "popular".  Sure, I was known by EVERYONE.  Finalist for most humorous, once again ALMOST, my good friends were the ones winning the awards.

Then I get to college.  I still remember my mom telling me, "This is going to be your time!"  Oh, how I hoped she was right.  I joined a sorority, where I was great at recruiting, and always well known, but never elected to officer.  Once again I mascotted, but never felt like I fit in with the cheerleaders.  And once again, my closest friends were winning Homecoming Queen and Miss HBU.  So close!!!  I graduated, got married, and began my life as a "coach's wife."

Fast-forward to now.  Wow!  I feel like I have finally made it.  When I began my job as an LBC with Juice in the City in January, never in a million years did I know where this would go.  Now here I am, 6 months later, blessed beyond belief.  People KNOW me!  People talk about me, and it's not bad.  I am one of the top producers in our company with sourcing and my market is growing my leaps and bounds.  Twice this week, I was stopped by people in the parking lot at VBS who told me how much they LOVE JITC and the great deals we offer.

Finally, I made it.  I have found my niche.  It only took me 30 years, but I'm here.  And I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

Speaking of JITC, check out our awesome deal I found today, for Fun Tiki in Missouri City.  Have I mentioned how much I love my job???

Why I run

If you would have asked me a year ago if I considered myself a "runner" I would have laughed in your face.  Sure, I ran errands, ran to the mailbox, ran after my kids, but that was the extent of my running.  I had never been a runner, not even when I was younger.  I was always that kid in gym class that tied my shoes numerous times when having to run, and I think the furthest I had ever run in my life was maybe a mile in college.  All that being said, it wasn't much, I didn't like to run.  I didn't like to diet either, but that's a whole other post.

In January, a friend of mine, as well as some of my closest internet friends, challenged me to train for my first 5K.  Never to turn down a challenge, and wanting to lose those last 40 post-baby pounds, I accepted and on January 3 started running.  Fast-forward to today and I have successfully completed 3 5K's and started training for my very first half-marathon today (Ahhhhh!).  During my run tonight I started thinking about why I run.  What is it that makes me now enjoy something that I used to despise?  Why do I look forward to my evening runs and miss it when I can't do it?  Well, now you will know.  I hope you will read this and be encouraged, and feel free to comment and add your own.  :)

I run because:
-  it is the only hour of the day where NO ONE touches me
-  I get to pick the music
-  The sense of accomplishment I feel when I cross the finish line at a race
-  To teach my girls the value of being fit
-  No matter how slow I run, the kids can't catch me
-  I don't have to listen to anyone whining
-  For the first time in my life, I can set a goal and accomplish it in real time.

Why do you run??

Family time away

It's been a busy few months, as I said in my last post, things have been a little crazy.  Last week, the hubs got an AWESOME email.  Sea World has launched a teacher appreciation.  Until June 30, teachers can receive a free fun card.  We quickly took advantage of this and booked a room for the weekend.  How could I resist?  With his free ticket, a great deal on tickets for the big one and myself, and a great $50 credit on expedia.  I just couldn't pass it up.  

Saturday morning bright and early we headed west in the JuiceMOBILE to San Antonio.  Of course, as always, it was an adventure.  When we got to the hotel, we realized we had gotten the last room they had available and the a/c was broken.  Thankfully, it had black-out shades so it wasn't THAT bad.  :)

Sunday morning we grabbed the free breakfast buffet in the lobby and headed to the park.  

First stop, dolphins:

The little one wasn't so sure about this.  

The new Bay of Play was definitely a favorite of the princesses:

The little one and I rode the carousel

 While Daddy and the big one ride the Shamu coaster

 The big one loved the water, but OMG look at all those people

If you plan on visiting Sea World SA anytime soon, I definitely recommend Rosita's Cafe for lunch.  It was an all you can eat Pizza, pasta and salad buffet, drinks included.  It was less than $30 for all of us to eat and we got PLENTY!! 

The little one had a nap while Daddy and the big one sat in the splash zone for the Believe show

 Rio Loco!!  (in case you don't speak spanish that means Crazy River ;) )

One last time on the carousel before we head back to the hotel.  I'm so excited I can't even stand it

Fine, I guess I'll smile

Overall it was a GREAT weekend, just the four of us.  I think my favorite part of the weekend was the last night when the little one didn't want to go to sleep.  She called for mama, she called for daddy and when neither one of us would come, she gave in and started yelling "Sissser!  Sissser!"  <3 Love!

It's hard to be so mamalicious

I have been a terrible blogger.  I admit it, I suck at it.  There are weeks when I am GREAT, and I blog all the time, and then.....Nada, zip, zilch.  I would love to say it is because I have been out saving the world a wad of cash one deal at a time, and this is somewhat true, but honestly, I have just been a crazy person.

Between, the 2 princesses, my Uh-MAZE-Ing job, the hubster, running, and playing dress up, I just haven't taken much time to blog.  I promise all my faithful readers, all 7 of you, I will be making more of an effort soon.  How you ask?  Well, it's almost summer in the Mamalicious home and that means a few things, the best of all being, DADDY'S HOME!!!  There are times, like around October, that I find being married to a football coach downright annoying, but come June, it all pays off.

But in the meantime, here are a few things that I have been up to in recent weeks.

I did run the Sprint for Life, with a PR of 31:29  WooHoo!!

I also won a contest that my awesome company Juice in the City put on, and they wrapped my car!  Introducing the Juice Mobile!!

And finally, my greatest accomplishment of the week.  I have lost enough weight that I can now fit back into my wedding gown:

Sorry for the crappy quality.  It was hard enough to get the hubs to take the pic with the cell phone.  :)

Like I said, I promise I will start blogging more regularly again soon.  I may even start sharing some recipes again.  

Sprint for Life

This week I'm running for EGGS.  That's right, eggs, as in, Ovum.  Since I finished the Scope 5K back in March, I have been chomping at the bit for this next race.  I set a goal for myself to try to do one at least every other month, if not every month.  Well, since I obviously didn't run one in April, I'm running one in May.  I am super stoked about this week's race and know I will be crying through the whole thing.

Sprint4Life is the race put on by MD Anderson cancer center to raise money and awareness for Ovarian Cancer.  This is a cause I am super passionate about.  My sophomore year of college my BFF Shannon (who happened to be one of my roommates) was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.  She fought HARD and beat it, after months of chemo.  Here we are shaving her head:

If you can't tell those are some FAKE smiles.  This was probably one of the hardest things I've done in my life.  A 19 year old girl should not have to go through chemo and a 20 yr old should not have to shave her best friend's head.  

As I said before, she beat it with grace and beauty and was by my side when I said "I do" to the hubs.  

There's the real smiles

Her sister Shawna, another college roommate, also is an Ovarian cancer survivor and their beautiful Grandmother unfortunately was lost to the disease in January.  This weekend, I run for them.  In honor of the two beautiful women, who beat this silent killer, and in memory of their beautiful grandmother.  To make it even better, I am running with Shawna and their family.  

If you are not in the Houston area and would like to join our team, "SAVE THE EGGS", you can always Sprint in Spirit.  I am hoping for a great time this weekend, along with running for these women and those like them.  

Everyone is always worrying about their boobs, and yes, the tatas are important.  But let's think about our insides as well.  I've included some info, read it and pass it along.

What every woman should know...
 

Ovarian cancer is a serious and under-recognized threat to women's health.

• Ovarian cancer kills more women than all the Gynecologic Oncology combined.
  
• Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.
  
• Ovarian cancer occurs in 1 in 57 women, up from 1 in 70 several years ago.
  
• Deaths from ovarian have risen. 2004 statistics released from the American Cancer Society show that ovarian cancer deaths have risen by close to 20% over 2003 statistics.
  
• More than 16,000 women will die this year alone and more than 25,500 will be diagnosed.

Ovarian cancer is very treatable when caught early; the vast majority of cases are not diagnosed until too late.

• When ovarian cancer is caught before it has spread outside the ovaries, 90+% will survive 5 years.
  
• Only 24% of ovarian cancer is caught early.
  
• When diagnosed after the disease has spread the chance of five-year survival drops to less than 25%.

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose

• There is no reliable screening test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. The Pap smear only checks for cervical cancer.
  
• Symptoms are often vague and easily confused with other diseases. However, new studies indicate that ovarian cancer has recognizable symptoms, even early stage disease. Knowing those symptoms can help save women's lives. See:
  
  • JAMA, June 09, 2004 --- Volume 291, No. 22
  • Goff et al. Cancer 89:2068-75, 2000 
  • Eltabbakh et al. Gynecol Oncol 75:476-9, 1999

Raise Your AwarenessEarly recognition of symptoms is the best way to save women's lives. Early symptoms include:

• Bloating, a feeling of fullness, gas
• Frequent or urgent urination
• Nausea, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea
• Menstrual disorders, pain during intercourse
• Fatigue, backaches.

Take action if any symptoms last more than 2-3 weeks.

If ovarian cancer is suspected, ask to see a gynecological oncologist. 



What You Should Ask Your DoctorWhile everyone has these symptoms from time to time, it is important to know your own body and know when something is not right.

If you have these symptoms and they are not normal for you neither you nor your doctor knows why you are having them,

Then ask to have these important tests to help you rule out ovarian cancer.

• Bimanual pelvic exam
• Ca125 blood test (If it comes back elevated, ask your doctor to repeat this test monthly for several months. If it comes back progressively more elevated each time, even if the values are low, this is an indication that the condition could very likely be serious.)
• Transvaginal ultrasound

Who Has the Greatest Risk?

• Have 2 or more relatives who have had ovarian cancer
• Have a family history of multiple cancers: ovarian, breast or colon cancer
• Were diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50
• Have a personal history of multiple exposures to fertility drugs
• Are of Ashkenazi Jewish decent
• Have had uninterrupted ovulation (never used birth control pills, or no pregnancies)
• Have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation
• Are over the age of 50

Most women experience one or more of these symptoms from time to time, and only rarely do they indicate ovarian cancer. And remember - if you have ovarian cancer, and it is caught early, survival chances are excellent. 


Raise the Awareness of All the Women You Know

Where is my creativity??

Handmade jewelry, belt buckles, hats, broaches, and more.  These were all things I saw yesterday while working the Home for the Holidays gift market for Juice in the City.  I am so envious of these women and their talents.  Why can't I be creative?  Why didn't I think of making a necklace with a picture of my kids?  Why can't I be a fabulous children's photographer?  These are all things that went through my mind.  Of course, after I wanted to buy all of their stuff.  I always tell people, the only things I can make are food and babies, and I'm not making anymore babies.  And since I've been on the weightloss kick, I'm not making much food either.

I can't even decorate my house by myself.  I am constantly asking my decorator friends for advice before buying anything or committing to paint colors.  I feel like I am missing some sort of my DNA, and then I remember where I am gifted.  I am GREAT at finding deals.  I love to tell my friends that my daughter's crocs only cost $8 on zulily. Or that I can get the same rug on overstock for less than what it would cost at target.  So, I guess even though I can't MAKE anything, I can make my money go further with a little creativity.

On that note, here are some of my favorite deal sites.

Of course, juice in the city

Living Social and has started featuring some local deals, every once in a while.

And for online deals for the house, check out The Foundary.

Living room...colors chosen (and love seat for sale)

I'm a busy busy bee!  Between working, the kids, the hubs, and trying to turn my house into a fabulous space, it seems I have been forgetting to blog.

Today I met with my wonderful decorator friend, who also happens to be another coach's wife, and she helped me pick paint colors.  She also helped me with ideas for moving around the furniture, I am so excited to get this started!!!!

The primary color will be Sherwin Williams camelback

With Baguette in the art niche

And she talked me into Quietude for the dining room

I am so excited to get started!!!

And of course, before I can start buying things I have to get rid of some things.  So, I have a chocolate brown loveseat for sale if anyone is interested.  $100 or best offer.  :)

Public Service Announcement and a little comic relief

***WARNING-The following post contains graphic information pertaining to bodily functions, proceed with caution***

When I was a senior in high school, my mom and I decided we would try out the Atkins diet.  It was great, I didn't eat anything but meat, cheese, and coffee (and I'm sure the cigarettes I snuck helped too shhhh).  I lost about 10 lbs and thought I looked fabulous.  Unfortunately, once I reintroduced real food into my diet, you know CARBS, my stomach hated me.  I can remember on multiple occasions since then driving home from a chinese or mexican restaurant and having to stop at the nearest gas station.

Since then, I've continued to have issues.  The only difference is, as I've gotten older, my digestive system has SLLOOOOOWWED way down.  To combat this, last night I decided to drink some Super Dieters Tea

When I woke up this morning, I had a little bit of gas but nothing major was happening.  So, I drank my normal 2 cups of coffee and ate my fiber one bar.

After dropping the big one at school, the little one and I headed to run our errands.  As we drove through the bank, I started feeling some slight discomfort.  Then we went in Best Buy, little bit of gas, nothing dramatic.

As we got back in the car and headed to Target my stomach started rumbling.  You know the rumbling I'm talking about.  Remember the scene in Dumb and Dumber where Jeff Daniels stomach is growling.  Yeah, that's what I was hearing.

I pulled into a parking spot, basically ran around the car to get the little one out.  Put her in a cart and luckily they have that big family restroom that you can just push your whole cart into.  At this point, I had my cheeks clenched so tightly I was walking on my tip toes.  Thank GOD above I made it!!!  

The moral of this story, do not mix Super Dieters Tea, Fiber one bars, and coffee unless you will be near your own personal restroom for the entire morning.  

Welcome to the blogosphere!

Since I am trying to join the cool girl cult club of mommy-bloggers, I thought I would share with you some of the awesome blogs I have found recently.  Of course, most of them have been around a lot longer than me and have TONS of followers.  I'm still a little fish in their big pond.  But I strive to be like them.  You need to check them all out and follow them.

I Like it, I Love it! 

She has some FABULOUS decorating ideas and a little cutie to look at too

Eat, Live, Laugh, Shop 

 another Christian mommy is loves to share her faith and great shopping tips as well.

Kelley's breakroom 

when you need a break from LIFE :)

The Spoiled Mama's Guide 

another mommy blogger in the Houston area who helps me be fabulous

Team Giles

My workout inspiration

and of course, my daily sources for all the deals

Houston on the Cheap

Living on love and cents

Finding my "style"

As I've stated before, turning 30 has really helped me discover who I am.  Not just as a person, but as a mom, friend, woman, wife, etc.  I know what I want, and I know who I want to be.  Now, if I only I could figure out what I want my house to be.  Hahaha!!

My recent journey into employment, and the funds that come along with that, have now allowed us the opportunity to do things to our home that we had been putting off.  First and foremost, painting.  With this, I have realized I am VERY unhappy with my living room.

Here is another view:

I obviously took these pictures on a non-cleaning day.  LOL!!  Right now I am really drawn to blue and yellows.  I would love to do something in this room with blues and yellows.  But I have the HUGE brown couches to deal with.  I know for sure I am moving the bookshelf and possibly putting the TV on the large wall that the couch is on.

I want to get new draperies for sure and throw pillows.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this room:

But obviously, I cannot paint my walls that dark with such dark furniture.

I also really like this look

But I think THIS is the one I want to immulate:

  

How gorgeous is that?!?!?!  It also helps for me to see that the kitchen is connected just like in my house.  

Do you see why I don't know what my style is??  And we're just talking about decorating.  Don't even get me started on clothing.....Stay tuned as we begin this journey together.  You know there will be some deals to be found.  I don't do anything retail.  :)

The state of education and other ramblings

Let's just say, when you are married to a coach, every February-April seems to be about the same.  If you have a great football season, they are looking for a new job because they want to go out on top.  If you had a bad football season, they are looking for a job because they don't want to suck anymore.  It's a vicious cycle that is never-ending.  More than once a week I seem to hear, "What would you think about living HERE?"  or  "What if we moved HERE?"  It seems that everytime I get comfortable we move.  I know I signed up for this 9 years ago but it's still something you never get used to.  This year, I don't seem to mind as much.  I used to tell myself, "I don't worry about the economy, I'm married to a teacher.  There will always be jobs for teachers."  Boy, have my thoughts changed.

FBISD has had to let go hundreds of teachers.  Luckily, hubs has been safe so far, but I just feel like there are no guarantees.  It is very frustrating and stressful considering he is the sole breadwinner of our household.  Then from the parent stand-point, what does this mean for my oldest princess when she starts kindergarten next year? Will there be 40 kids in her kindergarten class?  Will music and fine arts be cut?  What about sports?  All of these things are going through my mind tonight.

PLUS, I got ANOTHER job.  (I know mom, I need to slow down).  But it's going to be great!!  I am getting paid to blog for Katy magazine.  I am super excited about this new venture.  Only problem is, I have NO IDEA what to write about.  I know I only have 7 fans, but I would love it if you would give me some ideas.  Oh, and refer me to your friends.  I think everyone should have a little bit of mamalicious in their lives.  ;)

My latest obsession...Greek Yogurt

My weakness used to be Ice cream.  I contribute my excessive weight gain over the last 5 years to the bowl of ice cream I ate every at 9pm.  I do not like to share and the only time of the day when I didn't have to share with a little person was 9:00.  As I'm sure you know, the food you eat late at night, mostly turns to fat.  So, eating ice cream is not the most dietetic of decisions.

I gave up the ice cream January 3 (well, not completely it's just not every night :)) and now for a sweet treat at night I eat yogurt.  I'm sure if there is a nutritionist reading this they will tell me I shouldn't be eating it at night anyway, but a tiger doesn't change his stripes overnight.  LOL!!  I recently discovered Chobani Greek yogurt

If you haven't discovered it, run don't walk to Randall's right now.  They are 10 for $10.  I sent the hubs over there last night to grab some.  Non-fat, high in protein, and tastes great!!  From the Chobani website, "Chobani Greek Yogurt is a naturally good for you food. The straining process we use to make it gives it two times more protein—34% of your daily value-than regular yogurts. Plus it's has 50% less sodium and is naturally lower in carbohydrates.

You'll also find five types of live and active cultures including three strains of probiotics in Chobani. Plus, it’s deliciously thick, rich and creamy so it’s an ideal way to satisfy your cravings without derailing your diet."  

The flavor of the day today, Pineapple!!  So good, I don't even miss the ice cream.  

Turtle Club

My mom called me today and said she had spoken to some OOOOLLLLLDDDD family friend's of ours.  I mean, back in the DAY!  She mentioned they had blogs, so the cyber-stalker that I am I had to look them up.

I stumbled across Lauren's blog.  Lauren was just a few years younger than me, and I can remember us riding bikes and playing together when we were younger.  I do not recall her being this fit and fabulous.  I was snooping around her blog and found that she, like me, has recently started running and doing 5Ks.  She even has a club!  How awesome is that??  Of course, I had to join.

She encourages you to write about why you run.  I started running as a challenge to myself.  I wanted to lose 30-40lbs and I love food, so I figured I needed to figure out a way to do this without giving up food.  As my motto has always been, "I like to eat too much to diet."  As all runners will tell you, I got hooked.  I now run to clear my head, to escape from the madness of my house for 30 minutes, and because I'm addicted.  I will continue to run 5K's because I love the feeling I got when I crossed that finish line.  So, I will proudly join the turtle club, because even when I KNOW I'm going as slow as a turtle, I push through to the end.

Party Planning on a budget

Since we know that I love all things CHEAP, I wanted to share my wonderful friend Krystin's new blog.

Affordable Party Planner

She has just started so there is only one post so far but I know she will have many more in the upcoming days and weeks.  This girl knows how to throw a party on a budget since she has the same Caviar taste, beer budget mindset as me.  I hope you will all go check it out and follow away!!!

Today's AWESOME Deal

As I mentioned in my ramblings yesterday, I am going to be posting some great deals.  Well, today's is an AWESOME one.  My wonderful employer, www.juiceinthecity.com, is featuring a deal for the Houston Museum of Natural Science - Sugar Land.  For only $12 you will receive 1 adult and 1 child entrance into the museum.  What a great deal to save for this summer when it is blazing hot and the kids are bouncing off the walls.

I am so excited because it's such a great deal it is featured on some well-known Houston area blogs!!  Go JITC!!!

Houston on the Cheap

Macaroni Kid - Katy

Frugal Reality

Family Friendly Frugality

My first 5K and other random musings

So, originally I started this blog as a way to share great deals that I found and fabulous recipes.  Then I got bored with that so I stopped blogging.  Then I got a really awesome job finding great deals in my area and I thought, I really need to blog again.  Then I got promoted and didn't have the time to blog anymore.  It really has been a vicious cycle.  I constantly have thoughts pop in my head that I think, "Man, I should blog about that, but I have a couponing blog, it's not relevant."  So, I have decided that even though my blog is a couponing/deal blog, I am going to post random things as well.  I apologize if you've stumbled across my blog expecting simply deals, but I promise there will be some fabulous ones coming.  :)

Yesterday I ran my very first 5K.  Let me just tell you, before January 3 I had never run in my life.  I was that kid in PE that had to tie their shoe every 100 yards.  I think the fastest I had ever run a mile was somewhere around 16-18 minutes.  On January 3 I started training with my friend Lisa.  We trained telecommutely (used the same training schedule but never actually trained togther) using a schedule made by a friend of her's that does IronMan competitions.  On January 3, I ran 9 minutes without stopping, and actually didn't die.  I felt pretty good about myself.  Over the next 3 months I gradually increased my running until I was running for 30 minutes straight and on March 26, 2011, I ran 5K in 33 minutes and 20 seconds.  I have never been so proud of myself in my entire life.  I have graduated from college and had 2 children and still running for those 33 minutes seemed like the greatest achievement of my life.  I actually did something by myself, with no help from anyone.  It felt AMAZING!!!!!

Here is the picture of me crossing the finish line:

I cannot wait for my next one!!!!

Go vote for my niece

She's so cute!!!!

Check out this entry I found on Say Cutie!.

Earn $5 off AWESOME Local Deals

Drum roll please…I just started working with a hot new company named Juice in the City, and I want to let you know how you can get in on the amazing local deals they are about to offer families in the <insert area> area! JITC is not just another deal a day site. We are truly on a mission to Save Local and empower women like myself to earn from home and make a difference in our local business communities.

So what’s in it for you? Sign up THROUGH THIS LINK to receive deals via email and JITC will start you off with $5 off your next deal. 

Lucky you, lucky me, lucky us - Save Local!

And you especially don't want to miss today's deal!!!


$12 for 2 dozen cupcakes at Sugar Shack bakery!  YUM!!!!

$1 for a Coach Purse????

I have found my new obsession....Penny purses.  This website is phenomenal!!  You buy bids and then you can bid on fabulous bags for mere dollars.  It is awesome!  You get 5 bids just for signing up, then more when your friends sign up.  You know I am all about FREE so here you go:

Sign up here

And get to bidding!!

Just make sure you don't outbid me.  ;)

Back in the blogospere

When I started this blog, I thought to myself, "I wish I could get paid for this."  Well, I found the perfect job.  This week I was hired as a Local Business Consultant for Juice in the City.  It is the most AWESOME deal site around, because it is local and focused on Moms.  I LOVE IT!!  So, now I have to blog my deals.  Ha!!

If you want to check it out go here and subscribe:

www.juiceinthecity.com

You can also check us out on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/juiceinthecityhouston?ref=ts