Ah, weather.

As many of you can probably tell from looking out your window, it's raining! I was told there would be thunderstorms, but they haven't happened yet. I'm rather pouty about this. I love some good thunder.

Anyway it always cracks me up how the weather causes so many waves here in So Cal. All over the U.S. people are stuck in snow, ice, and worried about their homes. They've missed days and days of work, or school, but they're making it through. I talk to people who were without power for a week. A WEEK. That's crazy.

Guys, it's raining. There's no need to panic. Perhaps you might want to worry a bit about mudslides, or flooding, if you live in an area where that is an issue. Other than that? Enjoy the rain. Relish in the fact that it's coming down so hard. Love the thunder and lightning (if they ever show up) and praise the fact that crops are getting much needed water.

It's just rain. You won't melt.

I'm mobile!

Well lookie here, I've got a pretty nice looking app for blogging now! Up until recently every app I've tried has been awful. Buggy, hard to post pictures in, etc. This one? Looks pretty good!

Now I can blog no matter where I am. Dangerous. Expect further randomness! You've been warned.

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Nostalgia

If you're just joining this party (A.K.A., the madness that is Jessica's rambling thoughts), welcome! If you aren't a fan of utterly random musings, you might want to run now. You've been warned.

So last week was insanely tough. Work was intense, life was busy, and all I wanted to do this weekend was relax. However I was also in one of those modes where I just wanted to pamper myself. Do a little self-healing if you will. I went with my old standby from high school.

Nail polish.

Now see, when I was in high school I had shelves of nail polish. I used to love buying a new color, then painstakingly applying it just so. That, or I'd bug my spectacular mom into painting my fingernails for me :). I still remember sitting at the table and chatting with her while she made my nails shine.

Which is exactly what I did this weekend! My mom and I have an awesome relationship, and I love when she comes to visit. We went out, ate, laughed, and then I batted my eyelashes at her with a bottle of polish in my other hand. I mean, honestly. Who can resist my eyelash batting?

She can't!

Anyway the whole reason I popped in here was to say that nostalgia feels good. It's a good way to get out of a slump, to stop feeling stressed, or just to remind yourself that there's a lot of positives in your life too. If something as small as some time with my momma, and a $3.99 bottle of nail polish can make me feel like my life is on track? I'm a happy girl.

Yo.

So remember when I said I wanted to post in here like three times a week?

Ha.

That was so two months ago.

Now I'm just trying to post in here whenever I have enough down time to actually sit still and have a coherent (non-book-related) thought :). Lord knows that no matter how busy I get, I will never give up my book blog. It's my outlet. It's my passion. I don't get paid for it (okay I kind of get paid for it, just in books) but I love it just the same. I think I'll be 60 and still book blogging.

ANYWAY. Updates. Short and sweet.

- Exercising is going well! It's month two of our body makeover and, while we haven't seen a ton of results yet (because we shouldn't expect to), we're feeling good. It takes all my willpower not to crawl into bed at the end of the work day instead of heading to the gym, but the hubby keeps me honest.

- Healthy eating is kicking ass. You probably saw me gush about my Love With Food box earlier this week, and I'm still on the lookout for even more healthy snacks. Granted we still have our love of certain things, such as the burritos we had for dinner tonight, but overall we've improved. Paying attention to what you eat every day goes a long way in helping make better choices.

- Work is eating my life. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just the truth. I'm still not sure where my future is headed in terms of a long-term job, but for the moment things are good. I think that's all I can expect. Life has become a "live for the moment" type of thing, and I'm seizing it. Better than pouting and worrying about what I can't change.

- I need a vacation.

Love With Food Box Review!

Those of you who follow me on Facebook might have seen me jumping up and down with excitement over my Love With Food box shipping! Well, it arrived. And it was glorious.

What is Love With Food you ask? Here's a blurb straight from their website:

Love With Food helps you discover new organic, all-natural snacks delivered to your door every month. Our subscription membership starts as low as $10/month. Every month, Love With Food members will receive a curated box of unique, hard-to-find tasty snacks which varies based on seasonal themes.

For every box sold, we donate a meal to several food banks such as the Feeding America Network and Share Our Strength - No Kid Hungry. Join us to help end child hunger one meal at a time!

Say goodbye to boring grocery selections and start discovering your Love With Food experience!

The hubby and I are trying to eat healthier this year, but it's tough ponying up the money to try new "healthier" snacks since they come in such big bags. Buying a whole bag of soybean crisps, only to realize you hate the way they taste? Sad times. So I thought this would be a great way to try some new snacks in sample size!

With my new subscription, I was offered free shipping and $5 off my first box. So I only spent $5. Here's what I received.

Restaurant Style White Bean Chips by Beanitos 

Package Size: 1.5 oz - Value: $.50 

INGREDIENTS: Whole Navy Beans, Whole Grain Rice, Pure Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil, Guar Bean Gum, Sea Salt.

These chips are Gluten free, non-GMO and listed to be high in fiber! I haven't gotten around to eating them yet, but they sound quite tasty. I'm going to find some good salsa to pair with them before I dive in.

Snack Olives by Mario Camacho
Package Size: .7 oz - Value: $1.00
INGREDIENTS: Olives, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Lactic Acid, Chili Powder, and Thyme

I got the ones with a hint of savory pepper, but there is also a garlic variation. These are also listed as Gluten Free and look delicious! I love green olives, so I can't wait to try these. How cute is the snack pack?

PureNotes Dark "Chocolatey" by TCHO
Package Size: .28 oz - Value: $1.00
INGREDIENTS: Cacao Beans, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Beans

"Mokaccino" Serious Milk Chocolate + Blue Bottle Coffee by TCHO
Package Size: .28 oz - Value: $1.00
INGREDIENTS: Cane Sugar, Cacao Beans, Cocoa Butter, Whole Milk Powder, Non-Fat Milk Powder, Coffee Beans, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Beans

I refuse to eat these until last, because my huge affinity for chocolate will kill me if I devour them now. These little pieces of chocolate have Kosher stamp, along with being USDA Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified! Sign me up. I'll buy more if they taste good. I really will.

Dark Chocolate Crepe Dentelle by Gavotte
Package Size: ? - Value: Around $1?
INGREDIENTS: Extra-fine dark chocolate 43%, wheat flour, sugar, concentrated pastry butter, vegetable fats, lactose and milk proteins, salt, barley malt

It was really hard to find information on these delectable cookies, because they are manufactured in FRANCE! Yup. In France. It looks like you can buy them on Amazon, and at World Market though.  No food coloring, no preservatives, and non-GMO make this cookie a good choice for a snack. The taste though? I regret sharing. These were SO GOOD. I want a whole box. Now.

Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries by Emily's Chocolate
Package Size: 1 oz - Value: $1.10
INGREDIENTS: Dark Chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin added as an emulsifier, and vanilla), Dried Blueberries (blueberries, sugar, natural flavor, citric acid, and sunflower oil), Corn Syrup, Tapioca Dextrin, Confectioner's Glaze (refined lac.).

Scrumptious. That's what these are. I love dark chocolate, and the blueberry flavor pairs with it in a way that made me want to upend this entire package straight into my mouth. Yum. I loved how there was the perfect amount of chocolate on each one! These are also cerified Kosher.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti by Biscotti di Suzy

Package Size: .6oz - Value: $.50
INGREDIENTS: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter with added Lecithin Emulsifier, Pure Vanilla), Vanilla, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate)

I'm waiting for my morning tea tomorrow to try this lovely little biscotti. I loved visiting their website. They are so transparent about everything they use in their items. Best of all, their sales go through Amazon! You can go buy a whole bunch of biscotti right now. I just might.

Honey Graham Sticks by Back to Nature
Package Size: 1 oz - Value: $.60-$.75
INGREDIENTS: unbleached wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, safflower oil, graham flour (whole grain wheat flour), honey, brown rice syrup, leavening (baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), sea salt, natural flavor.

I can't wait to eat these! I've seen Back to Nature brand at both Whole Foods and Ralphs before. Their packaging always clearly states that they use no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, or hydrogenated oils. Now I know that they also don't use corn syrup! I hope they taste great, because these beat the pants off Honey Maid.

So there you have it!

I've only made it through the Gavottes and the Dark Chocolate Blueberries so far, but I'm already hooked.

I'll grant you the fact that these items don't quite add up to the total price of the box normally, but I also know I'm paying for the convenience of snack sized portions, the fact that these items are non-GMO/Kosher/Organic, plus I'm not paying the separate shipping fees for each item.

If you subscribe for a year, each box is only $10. That's pretty great!

Plus **BONUS** items come too:

This month I received a cute little "Love With Food" chip clip, a coupon for a FREE Revolution Foods Meal Kit (up to $4.99) value, a 20% off coupon for 479degrees.com, and a 15% off coupon for Tcho.

Also, don't forget that every box you get donates a meal to a hungry child. That in itself is worth the $10 for me. The snacks are just a bonus.

Click here learn more!

Being "girly"

I'm making a .gif for someone, so I decided to mess around some animation. Fun!

Let's talk about being "girly", shall we?

I still don't even really understand what this word means to most people. It's always used to refer to things that are pink, sparkly, and quintessentially girl related. The question is, does this have a positive or negative lilt to it? I just don't know.

I've never really felt like I fit into what people consider to be "girly". As long as my hair is washed and combed, I don't usually style it. Ponytails and buns are my norm. I don't dress trendy. I just buy whatever is comfy and makes me happy. I also hate makeup. Seriously. HATE it. I'll wear it for nice occasions, but don't expect me to have shelves of it waiting on hand. If I have a blemish, I have a blemish. Oh well. That's life.

However I have felt lately that I need to work on looking more put together. That has much more to do with my age edging ever closer to 30, than the fact that I'm a girl. I just think it's time I up the ante. It's part a self-esteem thing, and part a "OMG I JUST NEED CHANGE" thing. I don't work with kids all day anymore. I don't run around like mad, ruining my pants and shoes in a matter of months. So why not?

This last weekend I went a got a haircut. It's the shortest my hair has ever been (right below my shoulders), and I have a lot more layers. I love it! Then, I realized I needed a hair dryer if I was going to maintain my new hair style. So...I went to ULTA. I browsed. I bought a hair dryer. Then I thought I'd need some hair products, so I bought those.

Now? I actually like doing my hair on the weekends. I enjoy washing and blow drying it before bed. I like the way my hair products smell, and I look forward to putting them in. I haven't gotten to the point where I care as much about doing my hair for work yet, but maybe. 4:40 in the morning is pretty damn early to want to care that much.

The point is, I'm trying. I don't care about being "girly", but I do care about feeling good. It's a step. 

Just don't ever expect me to love makeup. Okay? 

So how's it going?

It's day 11 of healthy eating over here, so I'm checking in with you all. I'm sure you're eager to hear how things are going, right? Well too bad. I'm going to tell you anyway ;).

Starting last Monday, I've been doing a combination of healthy choices with calorie tracking. Why calorie tracking you ask? Isn't that hard? Doesn't it make you insane? Calm down. I'm doing it mainly because I realized I that, although I am okay in the portion sizes department, I needed to teach myself how to make good choices. Seeing how many calories a fast food cheeseburger has vs. a whole bowl of yummy spaghetti with a few turkey meatballs? Trust me when I say it makes it way easier for me to want to come home and cook instead.

I've been eating more yogurt, and more whole grains. I picked up some soy milk (chocolate, yum!) because I'm not big on regular milk and tend not to drink it. I eat salad and at least one piece of fruit almost daily now (someday soon I'll have to tell you the story about when I used to DESPISE salad) and drink anywhere between 50-60oz of water a day. All easy things to change. All actually really delicious changes too!

In fact, today I got lazy and went to get chicken nuggets from McDonalds at lunch. I figured, what could it hurt?

You know what? They tasted AWFUL. Really, they did. I didn't even enjoy eating them. Then I put them into my calorie tracker and almost had a heart attack when I saw how much sodium they have in them. HOLY. So let's get this straight. They didn't taste good, I could have had a whole 12 inch sandwich instead of 10 nuggets, and they have 1,000 mg of sodium. Yeah, no thanks. The extra time to make lunch is worth it.

Trust me when I say that I'm just winging this as I go. I'm not sticking to any diet, or any plan, or anything. Just trying to make better choices. Trying to pay closer attention on what I put into my body everyday. Trying to find something that works for me, and that I can sustain. That's the biggest part. Sustainability.

Happy side effect? I've also lost 3.5 lbs in these 11 days. Now that's awesome. Onward and upward.