I just wanted to update you on the how I’m doing and what is up side of my life. I hope this finds you well and thriving!
Fall is upon us! Baby’s birthday & mine have passed, here are some family photos from the occasion
Savannah loved it when I lifted her up like this and plopped her down!My mother in law gifted me with one of those crazy huge birthday signs and Savannah loved playing in it!She’s so smiley!
It made quite the impression! A few of the neighbors even wished me a happy birthday!
Lately, for fun, I’ve been starting to get back into crafting- since fall and Christmas-themed crafts are my favorite ones to do! I started it off simple with a little bulletin board to get the ball rolling!
This is not the final place where this is going to live, but I am testing the string to make sure it will hold before I put it up high on a wall somewhere.
Next, I plan to make a Christmas wreath!
Fall is in full swing! Savannah is having the time of her life!
Grandma & Grandpa took the day off to take the baby to Jones Orchard
On a personal note, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on myself. I’m still working hard in therapy, and I recently started physical therapy for my neck and upper back & shoulders. Just working on a lot of stuff- still dealing with stuff about my dad, my grandma passed away in early September and of course, I continue to work on my anxiety. Recently, I’ve been having some trouble sleeping. Even with all that- I think my mental health is in a better place than it ever has been before and my anxiety levels are lower than usual. I am very proud of all the progress I’ve made this year. It’s a lot. I plan to talk about it more in the future, but that’s all I’ve got for now.
I hope you are having a wonderful day and look forward to hearing from you in the comments or on Twitter 🙂
So excited for the great weather coming! The baby loves to walk outside, and I am enjoying seeing her become more and more independent.
Springtime means springtime crafts- it’s a hobby I rediscovered during quarantine. When I was a little girl, I used to love making little crafts, but never really did any DIYs as an adult. It turns out, I still really enjoy being creative and working with my hands. Here are a couple of things I’ve made so far this Spring.
Mostly greenery from Michaels, vase filler from Dollar Tree and the tiny bath tub is from Michaels tooDoesn’t look like it but this basket is a plastic one from Dollar Tree, I wrapped it in twine several times, then put basic cotton fabric from Walmart inside and over the sides, it is glued in place. Then I hot glued the twine with the little leafs on the edges to hide the fact that they’re not finished. Then, I used a tool to punch holes and fit grommets in the fabric and add the little “towels” label. Then I added the hand towels which are from Walmart. It’s actually in my bathroom, but I took a pic in the living room.This is what I started with for the “Towels” basket- plus the fabric, not picturedThe bin is from Hobby Lobby, as well as the bunny. I used wooden letters from Dollar Tree that I painted pink. The greenery is a combination of Michaels, Dollar Tree and I think even some from Hobby Lobby. Tiny watering can from Dollar Tree. I have a purple one too that I plan to something similar to. Mostly Michaels greenery.This isn’t a craft. It’s just hot chocolate with bunny-shaped marshmallows I got from Target.
So, life is moving forward. I am getting ready to move. I will seriously miss my house, but we need more room, and the new neighborhood will be nice. I will share more once we close on the new house. I have even been thinking of making a comeback to YouTube 😯 just to share our new house/ adventures in mommy-hood.
So, now that I live in the South, I’ve become accustomed to certain creature comforts. One of these is a lack of snow and a general above zero temperature threshold. No ice- ever. However, once in a while- like maybe once every 5 years, something like today happens and we are officially iced. Schools are closed. Probably some businesses too but I am staying in so I am not checking for them. A friend of ours up the street has their power out. Whenever trees fall or large branches break off, that happens.
Iced “trees” over our fence from the neighbor’s yard.
Last time this happened I was stuck at home for 3 days. My car does not have snow tires and does not “do” ice. (Well, I am pretty sure it won’t- we never get ice here so I haven’t tried my new-to-me car on the ice at all ever.) I just hope this doesn’t last long. I like being able to go do groceries and get my morning Starbucks. I have no Starbucks and am subsisting on Diet Cherry Coke and Cream of Earl Grey tea from David’s Tea.
Not a whole lot been going on here lately. Father-in-Law got vaccinated because he works in a hospital but my mother-in-law recently retired, so she is not yet vaccinated. We are remaining vigilant. 💪
I am starting my Spring and Easter-related crafts and plan to do another diorama soon! I am already excited! Got some new materials and planning to go shopping for more! I just have so much fun with this stuff. It is something I have always considered myself to be good at- even if I am not. 😆
I am continuing to write. My book has gone from 10K words to 14K in a week. I did 500, then 700, then 1200 one day when she took an epic nap (!) then another 700… etc… I am very proud of myself. One way I have gotten myself to do some extra writing is to tell myself that these things don’t need to be written in the exact order that the book is going to be read. Like I can write chapter 6 even if chapter 3 isn’t done yet and that’s okay. Sometimes I feel like writing about certain things and not about others. Some days I’d rather write about security than SEO. Some days I’d rather be writing a blog post. And that’s okay, as long as I am getting something done. Something is better than nothing!
Keeping track of the little one is harder now that she walks – and she’s pretty fast too! 😂
Anyways, that’s what’s up over here, let me know how your Winter is going in the comments or on Twitter! I am LululemonExpert everywhere.
T’is the season and I just want to say that I hope you are somewhere safe, cozy, warm and with someone you love. Whether that’s your spouse, child, furry family member, or anyone else- I just hope you are able to be there with each other this holiday season. Wherever you are, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season, even given the difficult circumstances. 2021 can’t come soon enough. Here’s to a Merry Christmas and a Happy, HAPPY New Year.
I hope you are having an amazing day so far! I just wanted to check in and tell you how everything is going. Last time I wrote we were planting our winter garden, and I was discovering my inner Martha Stewart (like, a super low budget version) and starting to work on some Christmas crafts. Well, I did finish them, so here’s a couple of photos!
We’ve also begun harvesting some turnips from the garden, but the brussel sprouts and cabbages… haven’t really been doing much. We’ll probably end up with more garlic than we could ever use though. Next year my mother-in-law will be mostly retired, so we’ll have even more time to perfect our gardening.
One of the cabbages decided to flower
Oh! I almost forgot: we’re thinking about moving! I genuinely love our house. I mean, we gutted the kitchen and the bathrooms, tore down two walls and put up another one, and built out a sunroom in the backyard. So, suffice it to say that we’ve done a lot to the place and we have thoroughly enjoyed all the renovations. Well, the results, anyways. The process is always messy. In any case, we’ve made our mark on our home and it will be sad to leave. But we really need a bigger place if we’re going to have another little one. No, I am not pregnant, we’re not even trying, but I will want an extra room (or even two) if we’re going to have more babies. I am already dreaming up how the new house will look! So excited, even though the move is probably not even going to happen until later next year.
The baby is growing up fast. She’s walking everywhere now. I am so so proud of her. She isn’t really talking much yet, but last week she said her second word “up.” (Her first word was “mama.”) It’s so cute because she has been saying it with an ‘h’ in front, like “Hup.” I thought for sure her next word would be “dog” or “daddy” or something else I am constantly repeating. I don’t really say ‘up’ that often. At least she’s found a useful word and didn’t learn penguin or stencil or something lol. Anyways, here are some pics of her because it’s my blog and I get to post whatever I want.
I also want to share some things with you about the pandemic, how I’m holding up, mental-health-wise, and how I’m doing with some of my goals.
So, with my weight loss: It’s stagnant- still at 165, so basically no news. I tried Noom and cancelled after a couple of months because it is basically just a calorie-counting app and I already have MyFitnessPal for that. The “Coaches” don’t really offer a lot of assistance (much of the time it sounds like they have a lot of pre-written responses) and there seems to be a lot of positivity in the group chat, which is great but it doesn’t really feel like people are being their authentic selves. Oh, and the group chats weren’t very active at all anyways. I actually felt bad because there was this one lady who would always respond to the prompts asked by the coaches and I almost never did and neither did anyone else, so it would always be just the one lady always replying to everything. I guess I just prefer the weight loss Facebook groups I belong to.
I had put the task of writing the book off for about two months. I was writing a ton, and then my computer started acting up, and life was happening (my baby was in some pivotal moments in her development and needed me more often), so I put off having my computer repaired (it is now), and I put off writing. I love to write. I miss it. I can’t wait to start back into getting my book out there. I am really over half-way through writing it. I was going to make a ton of YouTube tutorials to be published along-side it, but I am just going to work on writing the book and getting it out there because this is really important to me and even though I am scared- I am more passionate that every single person out there should have a blog than I am scared that someone won’t like my book.
There’s one more thing that’s been keeping me from writing at all. I haven’t written here. I haven’t been writing on my Lululemon blog, and I haven’t been writing my book. I love to write. It is my passion. But there is one thing that’s kept me away. And I just want to tell you: It’s Okay to not be Okay.
And I haven’t been okay. All the stress of the pandemic. The hypervigilance, worrying if I am going to catch the virus and give it to my in-laws, who are in a high-risk category; not being able to see my mom for over a year, not being able to visit my grandma in the hospital, not being able to visit any of my brothers or sisters or cousins; not being able to help great-grandpa celebrate his 100th birthday… Not to mention not being able to visit my friends. On top of all this, I spent time worrying about the emotional well-being of my daughter and her development without being able to be around other children….All these things weighed heavily on my heart and mind the last few months. So much so that I noticed changes in my mood. I became sad, and was more anxious more often.
I decided it was time to do something about it. I usually use exercise to help manage my anxiety, but I can’t go to the gym. I had been going for walks, but the weather is getting cold and I have a young baby who can’t tell me if she is uncomfortable or not, so I am reluctant to take her out. I did a couple of days ago, when the weather was pleasant, but when it dips below freezing, I get apprehensive about taking her out with me.
I have been using HeadSpace more often. I really like this app for meditating during the day, stretching at night, stress during the day, their anxiety course is good too.
I also decided to go back to therapy. I had stopped at the beginning of the pandemic due to fear and also because I was uncomfortable with online therapy services. I also stopped because I felt like I wanted to reflect on the progress we had already made. I was going once or sometimes twice a week and I really felt like we had made a lot of progress. Regardless, I thought it would be a good idea to go back to therapy to continue to work on myself and to understand why I have been more anxious and how to better manage my anxiety. I’ve been to a couple of sessions and am already feeling better.
Anyways, I know this was kind of a long post, but that was the point. I am back at it. Writing will always be there for me when I need it. Thanks for reading 🙂
Hello friends! I just wanted to write a little post about life & how things are going.
So, we are okay over here, just living life. Baby spat up everywhere last night and kept us up late and woke me up at 6, so I am a sleepy mama today. I just went and got a coffee and she fell asleep in the backseat for a nap- as I am writing this waiting in the parking lot at Target for someone to bring out my online order.
Life is slow and steady. The uncertainty that marred the first couple of months of the pandemic is becoming routine and boredom is setting in. The hobbies I sought to placate myself with have lost their sheen and I am already seeking new ones.
I have given up on learning how to do my own nails at least for now and have changed my mind about acrylics. I think that when I do finally get back into it I’ll try to do the dip gels. The drill I want has been sold out for months with no sign of a restock. Once it is back in stock, I’ll get it and start working on that hobby again. I think it would be awesome to be able to do my own gel polish nails!
I am still working on the personal training course I signed up for but I gotta say: all this anatomy is getting tough to remember and I can’t seem to get past ‘week 6’. Also: in order to take my exam I need to pass a first aid course and I want to so an in-person one but they’re all cancelled until further notice, at least last time I checked. I think they do offer online ones, but I really want to do it in person because I want the physical experience. In any case: I need to get this course done. I have been signed up since May and it’s still not done. Ugh.
A while back I was working on losing weight. Well, I got to 163, and my weight was steady for months- and I couldn’t seem to get the last 15 pounds off. Well, since I put my gym membership on pause (due to the pandemic and no one wearing masks- not even my personal trainer), I have gained back 5 pounds. 🤦♀️ So, currently, I am at 168. I am starting a new program called “Noom,” and I will let you know how it goes. I will be cancelling my PNP Tribe membership to compensate since Noom is $45 a month.
I have been steadily working on my book. It is taking a long time but I am making lots of progress and it will be complete by November or December, I think. I am very passionate about blogging and I think that everyone should have a blog. If you want to learn more about blogging or keep up to date about my book release check out my blog by the same name as my soon-to-be published book:
I’ve taken up doing little crafty things too amd made this the other day:
It’s just dollar store flowers sitting in a dollar store bucket with a little seed trim from Hobby Lobby around the base but I think it came out good. Cute for fall.
I also found a way to up-cycle all the baby food jars and am planning to make tiny sewing kits to give away and keep in a few places in my house and one in my car. Never know when something might fall apart on you!
Anyways, I have been feeling a little bored lately, I guess- even with all this stuff going on, but I felt like throwing a life update out there. How have y’all been lately? Let me know in the comments below!
Or, at least it feels like it. It feels like we’ve been in a state of hypervigilance for a long, long time. I wear a mask when I go out. I wear a mask when someone comes to fix my leaky pipe. I wear a mask when I go to see my physical therapist. Oh, that’s new, I guess. I was having some pain and numbness, so I got x-rays. Apparently, minor arthritis is very common, so I’m doing some work to remedy it. I’m supposed to stretch more and do this thing where I push my neck back and give myself many chins. Probably just practice for how I’ll look when this is all over. I’m kidding, but I have been snacking more. I only gained 2 pounds, but it feels like a lot since I’ve been working to lose weight this year. Gotta get back on that wagon. It’s hard to really focus on exercise when the gym is closed. If I have free time, and I’m home… I usually end up spending it writing, or filming or working on my new hobbies.
Speaking of which! I have a few new hobbies now. I have been into Magic: The Gathering for a year and a half-ish or more now, so I’ve been focusing more on it. I started a new YouTube channel– mostly for card box openings, and have posted a couple of videos. I have two more filmed that I need to edit! But organizing, making decks, and selling here and there is part of the hobby too.
My husband & I played a game on Friday night, here’s what that looks like:
I started a garden with my mother-in-law. We want to teach the baby how to grow things. We’re growing nasturtiums, marigolds, tomatoes, squash, peppers and a bunch of herbs! I am starting a little garden at home too- growing some of the same with the addition of some root vegetables. I’m really excited about it! I have planted some seeds, but I am still waiting for the soil we ordered to arrive. I need like 6 bags to fill my pots!
I have also started a hobby of trying to learn how to do acrylic nails. I had a hard time trying to decide between gel and acrylic, but at the end of the day, the fact that you can build a nail using acrylic, instead of glueing on a tip as is typically done with gel nails, was more appealing to me. Anyways, I did order a nail kit and a practice hand, so we’ll see how I do. I’ve heard that it’s smelly, so I’m gonna set up a card table outside. Note to self: buy a card table.
This is what a practice hand looks like for doing nails. This is really similar to the one I got. It’s not yet been delivered, but I hope it’s easy to work with!
We’re hoping to get the baby in the pool for the first time soon, so I just ordered this adorable water play set and baby bathing suit on Amazon. The bathing suit is so cute! It has flowers on it & it is made of UV-ray blocking fabric! Got some baby swim diapers too, which I did not realize were actually a thing, but I guess people feel the same way I do about poop in their pools.
Anyways, that’s what I’ve got for now. What are y’all doing lately? Do you find yourself with more time or less time? I would say I have a little more time, since my husband is working from home, so he can actually help take care of the baby more. Plus, I’m not going to the gym anymore, so I actually have a few extra hours a week from that. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Hey y’all! Days seem to be both running together and dragging on. I genuinely don’t know how long it has been and Math is for Blockers (comment if you know the reference!). I miss going to the gym- way more than I ever thought I would. I miss being able to go grocery shopping without worrying about the health and safety of myself and my family. However, I am adhering to my local government’s guidance and not going out without a face covering and/or just generally not going out at all. I do still go for a walk every day that it is not raining and it has been raining a ton the last few days.
So, I’ve been coming up with creative ways to entertain myself. I did my makeup a couple of times, I put magnetic sticker paper on my cabinet’s wall and magnets on the back of my MAC eyeshadows and now they’re sticking to the wall.
I have been doing my makeup more often and I tried a new look the other day.
I also found some time to film! (Yay!) and seeing as how I am a total masochist, I started a new YouTube channel to share my other favorite new (or old, depending on how you look at it) hobby: Magic: The Gathering. I filmed my first video about the “Fetchlands” Secret Lair product, which was basically a reaction to the price, YouTuber “Unsleeved Media,” and people on Twitter. I’m really excited about it.
I have been playing- apparently a lot?
I also filmed my next Lululemon haul video, featuring basically everything I got since the last haul! I have not yet edited it. I plan to do so as soon as I have a few free hours! Free hours, however, being difficult to come by, I might not get to it for a few days.
Anyways, in addition to decluttering my makeup and t-shirt drawers, I have been spending most of my time with my baby. She is adorable, in my opinion, of course, and she sort of says “hi,” when people walk in the room. It’s funny. It sound like “ah,” but it is an intentional greeting and the closest she comes to saying anything at all. I can’t wait til she starts talking for real!
I hope y’all are taking care of you & yours. Tell me how you’re doing in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter @LululemonExpert , always happy to have a chat!
Been a week for us, officially. And Memphis, TN is issuing a “Safer At Home” ???? order for all citizens beginning tomorrow at 6pm.
I think this is a prudent move given that there is proof of community spread.
It’s almost bedtime, and I’m just enjoying a cup of “Nightly Calm” tea, before I turn in. Today was pretty uneventful. As it should be! I spent the day with my baby, took her for a walk in the stroller, which she loves. Came home, she took a long nap, so I relaxed for a bit and did some journaling. Then, she woke up, ate dinner, then I made a sandwich for my husband and I. He took over and I went out to get a jog in before the sun went down.
Not much goin on, so here’s a cute pic of baby for reasons.
It’s day 4 of my #StayHome journey. Currently enjoying an adult beverage, trying to relax in my sunroom with my doggy.
Just had a late lunch- leftover bean burger- and ate some M&M’s. Watching Meet Kevin on YouTube. I love his & Graham Stephan’s videos.
I have been paying close attention to what is happening in NY and SF and even though there aren’t many cases in my area (10), I am worried about the future. I am trying to take it easy to quell my anxiety, so I’ll move on from that.
The baby is with nana and papa, and the husband is still working – at home, but still getting some stuff done. I took a drive around town today and saw really busy supermarkets and Walmarts. I decided to stay in my car. I could use a few staples, but it’s not worth it, I’ll get milk later. Maybe it won’t be as busy this evening. The bread maker comes in tomorrow, so if I really need bread- I can make some! Very excited for that.
Anyways, I just wanted to check in. How are y’all doing?
Hello friends! Shannon here, writing to you from the insulated castle that is my home in Memphis, TN.
It is day 3 of my official #StayHome campaign. I am doing everything I can to avoid all unnecessary outings. Yesterday, I did go to therapy as I continue to work on ways to manage my anxiety- which, as I’ve said many times is peaking. This epidemic has me reeling- I hope it is over soon, but I imagine it will go on until at least August, which seems to be what the news is reporting. Hubby is working from home again, and I am sitting with the baby and the dog as I write here.
So, like I said, yesterday I did go to therapy- it was just me & her in the building, I think. It was after 5pm and everything else was closed. I washed my hands before I walked in, used hand sanitizer as I left and then went and washed my hands again once I reached the restroom. I have been trying so hard to practice good hand hygiene and I am doing my absolute best to be especially cautious nowadays.
I haven’t been sleeping very well lately, so she recommended some Melatonin. I will have to try that. I am still working on “feeling my feelings,” and being mindful, living in the moment without worrying unnecessarily about the future- which is basically impossible right now with the virus going around and causing my city being in a State of Emergency since yesterday. My mind is running a mile a minute.
I am proud of myself for keeping up my exercise regime by going for a walk everyday. Yesterday, I walked to my therapy appointment and today, I took a walk around the block with the baby. I’ll probably do it again before the day is done, since “around the block” is only a 15 minute walk or so.
Trying to maintain positive vibes here by watching stand-up. Watched Bert Kreischler’s latest special “Big Boy” this morning, and I’m gonna watch something else fun tonight. Gotta keep my spirits up. Apart from that, I did have to go get an x-ray today- unfortunately, it really couldn’t wait, but I only had to talk to 3 people: two secretaries and the x-ray tech. Plus they assured me that they wiped down the clip boards and the pens before handing them out to patients. I had a super quick and socially distanced visit, imo.
Trying to keep supporting local businesses whenever possible, and ordered Uber Eats from a local midtown burger joint. It’s almost here! I’m having her leave it at the door 🙂 TTYL!
