Bang For Your Buck

Oh hello there!
Yep, it's me... I haven't posted in FOREVER. No worries though! I have TONS of legit excuses:
*I started school (again)
*We bought a house!
*I started a new job!
*I am lazy! (this one's probably my ALL time fav excuse!)

But in all honesty I've been incredibly busy but I do apologize for falling off the face of the earth!

I thought to myself: "Sexy thang (that's what I call myself of course), you need to return with a bang!"

Bang for your buck that is! I have been searching diligently for amazingly awesomely dirt cheap products that have really worked for me. From face wash, to makeup, to soap: I have finally set a routine and it's working beautifully.  So here goes ladies!

The start to a beautiful face:
I have had acne my whole life.  I mean it's just never gone away.  It's not atrocious but I can feel and see it.  I most definitely am that person who tries everything to cover it up (those tips to come!) but I started using these products and have most DEFINITELY seen a difference. 

1.) Neutrogena Oil Free Acne face wash (Pink Grapefruit) [$7.50 at Target] This product is so refreshing! I use it twice a day and bought mine in a duo pack for $5 at Target on sale!!  It's really clearing up my acne and leaves my face super soft and touchable.
2.) E.L.F. Zit Zapper: cheapest best thing ever! Doesn't smell, doesn't over dry. And works really well! I saw it on Pinterest and thought 'welp it's only $1!' best purchase yet! [$1 at Target].
3.) Neutrogena skin clearing oil free make-up [$12 at Target]  (worth the few extra bucks, I promise!) This product is not SUPER cheap, but comparitively to great skin care products it's definitely on the not killing side of your check book.  It matches my skin tone perfectly and has tons of colors to chose from! It also has an awesome powder that matches it as well.  Really love how much coverage I get without feeling cakey.  It never feels like I'm clogging my pores - super fantastic. 4.) E.L.F HD Powder: [$3 at Target] this powder seals the deal.  It keeps me from getting crazy greasy, and I constantly feel prepared for photos all day long! Fabulous.


Love at First Sight:
I love spicing up my eye routine! The issue: I am lazy (we know this), and I am cheap (we all know this too...).  So I am constantly looking for products that fit both these [best] qualities of mine but without sacrificing longevity of the product and glamour factor. So here are a few products that rock my world: 

1.) E.L.F cream eye liner: [$3 at Target] easier that you think to apply, smooth, long lasting, and ladies: CHEAP! {love my friends}. 2.) The Rocket Volum'Express mascara: [$8 at Target] This mascara seperates all my lashes really well. Now, not to make you jelly, but I have incredibly long lashes.  I really was just looking for something to make them a little fuller and this guy did the trick!  3.) Two Faced Eye Shadow: Natural Eye Pallet: [$30 at Ulta] I bought mine over a year ago (as you can see the dents made in all shadows...) and it's still going strong.  I wear at least one of these colors daily: eyebrows, highlight, night out on the town (also known as bowling night in our household...). It's so simple. Everything is picked out for you and in one place! They all blend and match very well and best of all: they last all day long. WONDERFUL!

There you have it! The start to great staples in your daily routine! It's been so great setting up a routine: school schedule varying from 9a-2p , work every day from 3p-6:30p, eating healthy, working out, and sleeping soundly.  I feel relief when products actually do what they claim.  To me it's some sort of peace of mind... I hope this kick starts your routine and helps you find products that fit your life! I am working on hair care products next {dreaming of long luscious locks} so I will update you on that as well! 

Peace and love my friends!
~Alexandria~

Show Up

I started P90X today.  Chest and Back.  And the Ab Ripper X.  It wasn't the worst or hardest workout of my life, but that is probably because I took it slow.  What I like about the workout is everyone on the screen has a different goal for each rep depending on the level they are at.  Tony (the host) emphasizes that you should pace yourself but also push yourself.  It is nice to be able to start the program at my own level and be able to work my way up without feeling like I've already failed for not being where everyone on the screen is at.

I think this is my hang up a lot of times in life.  I get excited about doing something for my health, whether is be nutrition, or exercise, or whatever, and when I can't do what is expected, or I fail at it, or I forget to do it one day, or I cheat on my diet, I throw up my hands and just say "forget it. I've already failed." And then I continue to fail every day because I quit trying.

I hate to quote Tony Horton (because that is just so cheesy), but during the work out he said the most important part is to "just show up."  Just start the workout.  Just press play.  Do your best, and move on.  It's actually really great advise.

So just show up.  Whatever it is that you are working on in your life.  Fitness.  Health.  Being a better parent or spouse.  Reaching goals at work.  The first and most important step is to just show up!

Happy Veteran's Day.

Feel Good on Friday

I find that I am more motivated to take care of myself physically when I feel good about myself emotionally and spiritually.

Here is a list of five things I did today to feel good about myself and about life.

1. Take ten minutes to clean and organize a spot in my house that typically goes ignored.  Today, it was my food storage.
2.  Sit down with a notebook and a pencil.  Daydream, scheme, plot, and plan things that I would like to do someday.  It may never happen, but I will get excited just thinking about it.  And why not get excited?  You never know!
3. Put on really good music.  Like Shakira.  Or Taylor Swift. Or Michael Buble.
4. Send a text, email, facebook message, or old fashioned letter with stamp if you have the time/energy, to someone I've been thinking about recently, but haven't talked to in a while.  I'll say "Hi, I hope you're doing well!"
5. Pay my bills and organize my finances.

Phew! 

What small things do you do to un-clutter your mind and soul?

Pumpkin!

PUMPKINS!

Am I right?

They are fun to carve, fun to decorate with, and fun to eat.

Here is a quick and easy favorite recipe from our house.  Best part?  You can practically think of it as a health food.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 box vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, cloves, allspice*

* You could probably use pumpkin pie spice in place of all the individual spices I mention here, but I'm not sure how much of that you would put in in that case, maybe 1 tsp? a little less? Give it a try.

Also, did you know that you can look up what nutrients any food has in it?  For example, when I wanted to know just how healthy pumpkins really are, and I asked Devin, he told me to go look it up.  Like that information is just dangling from tree branches or something.

Nutrient Database    Check it out.


When you search for pumpkin you get the option of canned or not canned, salt or no salt, etc.  so you can really pinpoint what you are looking for, down to a pretty close match.

Pumpkins!

You know I'm right.

Hello World!

Hello Readers of This Blog!!

I am friends with Alison. And I have thoughts.  Thoughts on fitness and body image and all sorts of other things which do occasionally include bacon and that's ok.

I just wanted to introduce myself, so I won't scare you if you see a post from me in the coming days.

So, to introduce myself.

I am Amy.  I live in the middle of nowhere, I have three tiny adorable children, I have a husband who is standing to my right RIGHT NOW building a wall in my basement.

My girls are ages 4, 2, and 8 months.  My husband is a professor at a University, in the Food Science and Technologies department.  He teaches carbohydrate chemistry, sensory analysis, and product development.  So, he knows things about food.

Also, he is a marathon runner.  As in, he runs marathons. Frequently.  For fun.

As for myself, I like the Piano Guys, and bacon, really comfortable jeans, Purdue, Girl Scouts' thin mints, and

I'm excited to be here with Alex and Alison, and I hope I can bring something fun to the discussion.

Sometimes I dream

about those girls all dressed up in magazines and on tv that look...just perfect.  Their hair is perfect.  Their complexion is perfect.  Their outfit has been crafted from sheer genius.

Sometimes I just want to look like them.  I have seen women who can sometimes pull this off.  I also know they put a lot, a lot, of time into making themselves look like that.  Something I am rarely ever willing to do.  But I do still dream sometimes.

That my hair looked like this...

ahhhh...the perfect side braid

 I know she is a cartoon, but I am seriously jealous of her red locks!

 And if I could pull off this look. I would do it EVERY DAY!

I also wish my clothes could come together like this...

 ...or I could be this cute.  (love her boots)

...Or I owned THESE SHOOOOOOOOOOES!!!

But really they are just dreams. :)

Alison

Tricky Tricky

First, let me tell you a story.

It was January 2011. Mid January, that is.  And a Sunday.  My good friend Alex and I were in line waiting to get food at the potluck after church.  We were discussing how we hadn't made any New Year's resolutions yet.  And how we should have.  I don't remember exactly how the conversation went down, she might remember better, but I probably said something smart like, "you should give up french fries", which then caused her to give me a death glare that would scare anyone.  Because she is serious about her french fries.  Especially if they are from McDonald's and you are dipping them in ranch.  And don't EVEN get her started on those waffle fries from Chic-fil-a.  I can even attest that those are "slap yo mama good!!!" With some Chic-fil-a sauce.........................

.............................yeah...i may have just drooled.

Moving on.

So she came back at me with, "well you should give up soda" to which i probably gasped.  Because, I am addicted to soda.  All kinds.  But especially diet coke.  Shut up it is so good! haha.  (I know I shouldn't be addicted to anything...but the first step is admitting it, right?) So we laughed for a minute and then we joked back and forth that the other couldn't do it.

And then a bet was made.

And the prize.  $100

$100!!!!!!! Yeah, i said one hundred dollars!

(Which we probably shouldn't be betting either.  And certainly not in church.  But Alex and I are a little unruly. And you are getting me off topic. lol)

We shook on it.  I remember thinking that this was the dumbest thing I could be doing.  How the heck was I going to stop drinking soda cold turkey??? So we decided to start like 2 days later. You better believe I drank as much soda as I could get my hands on that next day.  I was probably drinking it until 11:59.  For real.  I am kind of surprised I didn't go into sugar shock or something.

Tuesday it began.  And it was hard but every time I wanted to get a soda from the gas station or when I was in line at a fast food place, I thought about giving Alex a hundred dollar bill, and that Hi-C orange crap started to look better and better.  haha

Just so you know Alex and I made it until June or July which is pretty good for us.  We never exchanged money because by the time we told the other it was well past the time we had both caved.

My point in telling this story is that sometimes it really hard to give up food or drink things that we loooooooove so much.  And are (maybe) addicted to.  So, you could make a deal with your friends for a hundred bucks.  Or I have come up with some other handy ways to trick yourself out of indulging.  (And when I say that "I" came up with them, I really mean that I came up with some of them and stole the others)

1. Eat baby carrots.  I know that sounds really random, but it works for me.  I don't mind carrots.  It's not my vegetable of choice though.  And i find that if i am eating them plain, I just get so bored with eating.  Like, it just takes so long to chew each carrot.  I wouldn't mind so much if they tasted like cake, but they don't.  And it can just get tiresome.  And then I get full on carrots and I tired of eating.  Problem solved (for the next few hours).

2. Drink water.  I know everyone says that but it does help.  And its so good for you.

3. Herbal Tea.  I like to sip tea because it is something that I get to put in my mouth and it tastes pretty good, but also my belly feels satisfied because it is hot and it takes so long to drink the whole thing, that i have distracted myself for quite some time. (That was the worst run-on sentence.  I'm not fixing it.  Get over it.)

4. Crystal Light.  I freaking love that stuff.  And only 5 calories.  Done.  I actually prefer it watered down too, i end up drinking a lot of water but it tastes great.  Awesome!

5. Chew gum.  At least my mouth is moving.  That sometimes helps.

6. Eat lean protein.  It fills you up, keeps you full longer, and is good for you.  :)

7. Seltzer Water.  I learned this from Bob Harper. As in the trainer from The Biggest Loser.  Not that he came over and personally told me this.  Although, I wouldn't mind.  He is pretty :).  I am reading his book "The Skinny Rules." I usually add lemon to my water at restaurants.  So I tried his suggestion and bought some carbonized water (seltzer water) and squeezed some fresh lemon into it.  It doesn't taste amazing, but its not bad, and it gives me the satisfaction of drinking soda.  And there is nothing in it besides water and lemon.  No aspartame, no sugar, no carbs.  Nothing.

There are tons more suggestions out there.  Google it.  Try it.  Let me know what you think!

Love ya!