It's ON! The Ultimate Squat Circuit Challenge

Starting tomorrow, Saturday April 25th I am doing this! I just saw it posted on the BodyRockTV FB Page and the timing could not have been more perfect! 4,000 squats in 30 days. It sounds insane but it's doable. After having done other 30 Day leg/glute challenges that increase quicker and with less rest time, I know this can be done. It's only 120 squats by day 30, that's a piece of cake! So who's with me? I will be checking in here and on my FB timeline so if you want to make the commitment and take the challenge and need some motivation then let's do this!

All you have to do is 1) commit to doing the challenge EVERY DAY and 2) check in EVERY DAY. You can check-in on your own page or with me or both, but I know a lot of my friends don't like to post these things on their own wall, so I'm making it easy by giving you the opportunity to do the challenge but not having to advertise it to all your friends. You can post in response to my check ins (here of FB). Comment below or on my FB post (if we're friends) if you're in.

MY 5 Fit Tips To Get my Fitness Back

I follow 30 Day Challenge Series on FB and last week she posted an article titled

5 Fit Tips To Getting Your Fitness Back, and after reading it it got me thinking that I need to not only do it, but put it out there. If we're FB friends then you have seen my fitness check-ins. You may be annoyed by them (I don't care), you may be inspired by them (glad I can help!), or you may be indifferent. Either way, if you pay even an inkling of attention, then you've noticed that they have kinda disappeared for a bit. And from past blogging experience while trying to lose weight, making the commitment to put it out there holds me accountable. 

The reason for the decreased FB posts has been a combination of frustration with my sudden halt in progress and another injury. You see, aside from dance I was never very active. I did yoga and dance, that was pretty much it. Occasionally I'd try the gym but it was never my thing so it didn't do much. It wasn't until about 3 or 4 years ago that I discovered the Jillian Michael's DVDs and began my love/hate relationship with her workouts. 

I love them because when I stick to them I totally see results and quickly and the majority of them are only 30 minutes. I hate them because she is an evil sadistic bitch that makes me want to reach through the TV and punch her in the throat, but I have no energy because I'm trying keep up with her results producing insanity so all I can do is yell obscenities at the TV while my fat cries and I practically drown from sweat dripping into my nose. I feel amazing and accomplished afterwards, but during those heinous 30 minutes I wonder at what point does someone just fall over and feign death from lack of oxygen or some weird muscle cramp? Once I stick with it and see results I feel awesome and want to do more, so after completing 30 Day Shred (I always start with this one because I'm convinced it's magic and I see results in 2 weeks), I move on to something a bit more challenging. And sure enough, without a doubt I always hurt myself. You name it, I've done it (at least it feels that way) and it's always from pushing myself too hard too soon because of course after 30 days hate combined with results I start feeling a little cocky and am sure I can do anything, regardless if it includes a muscle group that is totally weak or I didn't even know existed until I injure it. And every fucking time it happens I go to my PT and get it fixed and am told to take it easy for a few weeks. And during those few weeks I start to slip and the vicious cycle begins. 

The most recent injury is my neck/shoulder. After 5 months of feeling like a bad ass I decided I needed a heavier kettle bell (15lb) and it was time to start using the 5 and 10lb weights for everything (it's a lot when you have little to no arm strength so shut up!). I also decided to do another crazy 30 day challenge that was 30 push-ups EVERY day for 30 days. The problem was that I did feel a little pain but I convinced myself that it was due to weak muscles so I had to power through and build some semblance of muscle to strengthen the weak area, but really all I did was hurt myself and now the once weak area is probably even weaker. So between the push-ups and a harder Jillian DVD, heavier weights and my heavyass mufasa hair and sleeping funny and ignoring some pretty obvious signs, I managed to aggravate an OLD injury and now after over a month I'm still having issues using my left arm because the neck is responsible for so much more than just supporting my big head. 

And because of the limitation instead of just working on core and lower body like I'm sure any "normal" person would probably do, I've become frustrated and haven't done shit aside from continuing dance class, and I even have to take it easy there. I also started to notice a halt in my progress which caused more frustration. I was working out and dancing even more than last Fall and instead of shrinking more like I thought I should be, I stopped seeing any results. I racked my brain to figure out what I was doing wrong, and instead of stopping and really dissecting it I decided I needed to try and workout even more and push harder, and that's when my shoulder/neck really said "NO MORE!" And then my brain said "fuck it!" So I stopped the Jillian workouts thinking another squat challenge and dance would suffice while trying to fix my neck. Nothing, I felt the fatness coming back. My jeans were tight again and I got pissed and instead of binging/emotional eating like I know a lot of people do, I go the other way and cut back. I am an emotional NON-eater and that is equally bad for your body and made everything worse.

So as I sat on the couch feeling the fatness take over I decided to utilize the on-site nutritionist at work to do a metabolic analysis and check my body fat % to see WTF was going on. Sure enough she confirmed what I thought, but I'm the type of person that likes to see things in black and white and even though I had an idea of what was going wrong I needed someone else to reconfirm. I have basically screwed myself and undone all of my hard work. All the inches I had lost are back, the 3% body fat lost is back. My weight however, exactly the same. WTF?! That was the wake up call. I had lost inches and body fat from building muscle. And muscle takes up less room that fat but it DOES NOT weigh more. A pound is a pound is a pound, meaning 1 pound of feathers will weigh the same as 1 pound of bricks, but visually they take up different amounts of space, but they still weigh the same. 

 

A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle, but the fat takes up more space. It spreads out like Jabba the Hutt, while muscle is more compact like Princess Leia (not the best comparison but it works for me). 

So while the scale never really budged in 5 months I had gotten smaller because of gaining muscle, and now all of that is gone and I am back to square 1. How did I do this you ask? Not eating enough, even though I was eating and attempting to track calories, I wasn't making up for all the calories I was burning during dance and home workouts. I was causing too much of a deficit and made my body go into starvation mode. So by not eating enough my body decided to hold on to everything and feed off the little muscle I had gained and suddenly the muffin top was back. 

So while all of my fitness gadgets (FitBit and Heart Rate Monitor) were telling me I was burning off hundreds of calories I wasn't making up for it with food to meet my minimum caloric intake. So on days that I would burn 1,000 calories at rehearsal but only eat 1600 calories, it wasn't enough. So here I am late April with 2 performances coming up and NO WHERE near where I had planned to be. Talk about frustration! So last week went back to using SparkPeople yet again and started tracking all my food as well as actually paying attention to what I was burning and trying my best to make up for it and not freak out on days I need to eat 2,000 or more calories. So far so good. I still haven't done any additional workouts aside from dance classes, but I figure I need to get a handle on the food and be okay with that first before jumping into more challenges or anything else. So after that long-ass diatribe I am going to utilize the above referenced article and list out MY 5 tips and get my ass in gear so that just MAYBE I'll get back on track and not feel so gross come May and I have to bear the mid-section on stage. 

Fit Tip #1. Define your motivation?

My motivation is appearance based. I want to lose a few pounds; 7-10, I want a smaller waist, some muscle tone, a flatter tummy and over all I want to feel good in a bathing suit and my dance costumes. Clothes hide a lot but those 2 things don't. 

Fit Tip # 2. Set small, short term goals. Not longer than 30 days.

I was doing this, but I was also mentally jumping ahead and after like 5 days I was trying to plan out the next 30. So starting April 25th it's going to be 30 days at a time until Tahiti. I'll start with 30 Day Shred again (minus arms) because I really am convinced it's magical and I'll pick no more than 2 30 Day challenges. And hopefully I'll lose an inch overall. The article mentions to decide on a reward. Really my reward will be looking and feeling better, I can't think of anything else right now. 

Fit Tip #3. Track your progress and results.

I need to make some sort of tracker. Aside from posting on FB and my HRM that tracks all workouts as long as I remember to wear it and turn on the app. I think I need another visual log that I can keep in front of me at all times. I used to have a weight one years ago when I was doing Weight Watchers. Maybe it's time to dig that up again, but instead of weight I'll log inches as well as literally check off days worked out. 

Fit Tip #4. Try something new.

My something new will simply be focusing on eating more so that I continue my progress and don't unintentionally starve myself. This also means more regular grocery shopping, actually planning out meals and cooking/prepping more meals in advance so on the nights I get home late we can eat dinner right away instead of wasting time trying to figure out what to eat. 

Fit Tip #5. Make it social.

The article suggests doing stuff with friends which doesn't really work for me, but I will make it social by blogging about it more and getting back to our "weekend walkabouts" instead of just sitting on the couch crocheting for hours on end (which is very productive but doesn't burn nearly the number of calories that I think it should) while we binge watch a new series. I'm going to make D commit to walking again too because it's no fun walking alone, and really who am I kidding, I won't go for a walk on my own. 

If you'd like to join me but aren't one to put all your business out there on FB please feel free to comment on my posts here. Different things work for different people, do what works for you and motivates you to keep you accountable. Just make sure you do it. And you can hold me accountable too, if you don't see something here or on FB then please ask me WTF is going on, I won't get mad, I need that kick in the ass sometimes.

11 Years Cancer Free!

If we have been friends for a while then you know that I rarely talk about being a cancer survivor. If we've become friends since last March then now you know something new about me. Every year on this day I post a little something about making it through another year cancer free. I was very fortunate and never had to undergo chemo or radiation. My cancer was caught early enough that I was able to have surgery to remove the cancer and it hadn't spread so I didn't need any further treatment. 

11 years ago today, March 12th, I had a Laparoscopic Radical Trachelectomy. While the surgery removed the cancer and the lymph node removal showed that it hadn't spread, and I was told the next day (or maybe 2 days later) that I was officially "cancer free," I was not out of the woods. What was supposed to be a 4 hour surgery turned into a 7 hour surgery with many unforeseen complications that I still live with today.

If you have ever had surgery then you are familiar with the recovery room and process; you slowly wake up, slightly confused, and a little groggy. Or if you're like me and the video One by Metallica is permanently imprinted in your memory (it might seem overly dramatic but this was seriously my first thought, because I could not move, and I didn't have my glasses so I couldn't see either), you start to wiggle your toes, legs and arms to make sure all your parts move. Well aside from being hopped up on morphine and coming off all the anesthesia, I was still fairly lucid. Once I realized I needed my glasses to see I also realized that I couldn't move my legs. I could feel them but they did not move. Talk about a freak out. Of course I told the nurses and they assured me that it was just a residual affect from the anesthesia and the mobility would come back shortly. WRONG! Eventually my left leg was okay but my right leg never regained full mobility, in fact I couldn't move it from the knee down at all and it was cold. Needless to say I was pissed and scared, but that's when it dawned on me, I had just painted my toes the night before surgery because I knew I wouldn't be able to bend for weeks. Luckily I had chose one of those "mood changing" polishes; Toma Toma in a purple shade to be exact. 

You see the thing about those polishes wasn't about mood, but they in fact changed color based on body temperature. Cold caused the polish to become dark and opaque and heat or warmth caused the polish to become light and almost sheer. Luckily Dan knew this since I had shared this magical knowledge with him in the past and that's when I asked him to look at my toes! BAM that was all the proof we needed! My left leg and foot were regular warm and so those toes were a light lavender color and my right toes were completely dark purple and opaque. And since Dan was not on pain killers he was able to explain this to the doctors in a way that sounded way more sane that I did.  So after hours of complaining to every doctor and nurse and then our new scientific realization, they finally listened and after a few different tests, found that I had a blocked femoral artery.

Less than 24 hours after my initial surgery they had to perform emergency surgery to unblock the artery. Since I had just had major surgery they could not administer TPA. I remember the doctors were shocked that I even knew what that was, but like I said, I was still fairly lucid even with the drugs. Plus at the time I was working for the company that made TPA so it was fresh in my mind. I also remember telling them that just because I was on drugs didn't mean they could fuck with me and they better tell me what was going on and WHY they couldn't give me TPA. I've always had a potty mouth but pain meds seem to bring it out even more lol. I also remember laying on the gurney and telling them to stop hurting me because I had just had major surgery. You think I'm bossy now, imagine when I'm in major pain and on hardcore drugs. I think I even told one doctor that I didn't like him because he was too mean. I later found out he also happened to be one of the top surgeons in his field and the one who essentially saved my life. Good thing they are used to belligerent patients. 

Due to the circumstances and the urgency of everything they had to immediately put me out, cut me open and perform yet another major surgery. Of course not without more arguing over who would essentially sign the consent form since I wasn't able to do so myself. That's when I found out that "domestic partner" didn't mean shit, but the title of "fiance'" did. So after the surgeon flat out telling me that if I said Dan was my fiance then he could sign the consent form, otherwise the only other person at the hospital at midnight was my then 19 year old sister, who I love dearly, but I couldn't trust a 19 year old to sign for my life. So we lied and Dan went along with the lie that we were engaged (we did actually get engaged later that year). Another successful surgery but this time apparently I lost a lot of blood so when I woke up from that surgery I was connected to a shit load of tubes and I had a central line. Imagine my reaction when I woke up still unable to move my leg and had a tube sticking out of my neck. It was like a never ending house of horrors and it hadn't even been a full 2 days yet. 

The good thing is the clot was a complete fluke, because prior to surgery I was not at risk for a clot, but due to being in an inverted position for 7 hours, it happened. I've been to the vascular surgeon since and each time he says that he doesn't want to see me again till I'm 80. I'll take that as a good thing. 

So within 24 hours I had 2 major surgeries, got temporarily pretend engaged, became cancer free, had a blood transfusion, got 6 brand new scars and was unable to walk, not to mention the horrific amount of pain I was in. And technically, had I not bitched so much about not being able to move my leg I probably wouldn't be here today, but I try not to dwell on that part. 

And just when I thought that was the end of it I had more complications that lead to 3 more procedures, another major surgery 2 months later and 3 more scars, and still a gimp leg, oh and I almost forgot, permanent nerve damage in my right leg, aka my bad leg or my bandy leg.

I had to use a walker for a while, then I graduated to a cane and eventually moved on to a bit of a slow drag leg walk because I refused to let cancer win, because even though my leg had nothing to do with the cancer itself, it was because of the surgery to remove the cancer that all of this happened. At one point, after my last surgery I remember laying in my hospital bed talking to my oncologist, who was awesome and didn't mince words at all, and she told me very candidly that that I would be lucky to walk again, that I may never walk normal again (meaning without assistance or some kind of limp), to start looking at flats that I liked because I could forget about ever wearing heels again and that I wouldn't ever dance again. Talk about a crushing blow. Not only had I already been through hell and back, but when everything started I was teaching belly dance and of course wearing heels (only up to 3" back then) and simply living life. This was all supposed to be a somewhat simple 6 weeks off and then back to the grind. I had already quit my dance troupe but teaching kept me active and happy and still doing what I loved and there was no way in hell I was letting cancer take that away from me, not after everything I had been through. She may as well have punched me in my incision and broken my gimp leg at that point because aside from fighting to heal, there was no way in hell I was going to let her be right. I was too young, too stubborn, too strong and too determined to prove the doctors and statistics right. At this point the cancer was gone, I was cancer free dammit and if I beat that, then a little nerve damage wasn't going to get the best of me!

It took about a year before I could walk without visible signs of any disability, and maybe a year and a half before I stopped falling and hurting myself even more (well at least due to my bad leg), but eventually with the help of physical therapy and yoga and a chiropractor, my leg got stronger. I continued to see my army of doctors all the time and here we are 11 years later and I am still cancer free and wearing crazy ass 4"-6" heels and doing what I love most, DANCING! 

About 2 years after my surgery my oncologist moved back to Canada and I was passed on to another amazing oncologist who I saw at least 3 times a year for many years and finally a few years ago he told me that while my case was one of the most interesting he has ever been involved in and that they are still writing journals of everything that occurred and that he liked chatting and hearing good news, that he didn't want to see me again unless I was bored and wanted to stop in and say hi or if the cancer returned. That was probably the best news ever. About 3 years ago I saw another one of my surgeons for a follow up and he didn't even recognize me, until he saw the nails (apparently its one of my trademarks). He was shocked at how far I'd come and how good I looked which made me think 2 things; 1) how bad was I that he was so shocked, and 2) fuck yeah, I beat it all and here I am stronger than before and clearly looking pretty damn good after all these years and the hell I went through. 

Not a day goes by that there isn't a constant reminder of what I have been through; whether its the physical scars that I see every morning, 9 to be exact, the teal ribbon that I have tattooed on my forearm, trying to do something in dance class and my leg decides that it doesn't want to cooperate, when it's too cold out and my right calf and foot cramp up on me so bad that I can barely move or that I see my current physical therapist/acupuncturist on what seems to be a monthly basis because of some residual affect of my bandy leg and being unable to do anything for so long. And yes sometimes it sucks and I get angry but most of the time I try and remember how far I've come, that I proved all the doctors wrong and that I'm still here and healthy and my own best advocate and that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. 

And if for some reason you're wondering why I'm putting all this out there now, it's because it's about time. I've struggled for years to "put it on paper" in hopes to help another woman struggling with their diagnosis and while I did leave a lot out, at least it's a start. 

So fuck cancer, and ladies get your annual EVERY YEAR!!! Not every 2 or 3 years like some doctors tell you, but every single fucking year even if you have to pay out of pocket! One important thing I almost left out... Prior to the cancer diagnosis I had never had an abnormal PAP. I went to the gyno every year like clockwork and was always healthy and my life literally changed in 12 months. And I never had any symptoms. So while that may not be the norm, it can happen and it happened to me!

My "healing" Chicken Soup

Anytime either of us gets a cold or allergies I make soup. I put so much garlic, onion, ginger and chili in it that it it is not only good for you but it will make you sweat out whatever is making you feel crappy.

We normally eat all of our food ridiculously spicy, which is why you see so many different chilies listed below. Remember this is what works for us. This recipe is just as good without the all the crazy spice so don't let it scare you.

This is my own made up recipe. I do not measure and I usually just go from memory when I make soup, which means it never tastes the same twice (you can tell by all the pictures). I also don't know how to make soup for just 2 people so be prepared to eat a lot of soup or have some company. Use this as a foundation and play with the ingredients so that it suits your tastes and make it your own.

Cooking & Prep time: 1-3 hours (I work slowly so it takes me at least 2 hours)
Servings: 10-12 (we literally eat soup 2x a day for 4-5 days).

Tools:

• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Food processor
• Bowl to hold chopped ingredients
• Large soup pot
• Small pot
• Ladle
• Tasting spoon

Ingredients:

• 8-16oz Boneless/Skinless Chicken breast
• 1 pound Ground turkey
• 1 can green enchilada or other green chili sauce
• 1 can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 can Hernandez Salsa Casera
• 2-4 large jalapenos
• 3-4  large seranos
• Any other chilies you can find in the store if you like spice
• 1 large red or white onion - or both (half chopped for the soup and the other half goes in the food processor)
• 8 cloves of garlic 
• Lots of fresh ginger (put in the food processor)
• 4 green onions 
• 1 Shallot
• 3-4 medium zucchini chopped
• Green beans
• A few handfuls of Spinach
• Any other veggies you like
• Approximately 1/2 C Quinoa 
• Approximately 1/4-1/2 C Barley 
• Approximately 48oz Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth 

Herbs and seasonings: (all to taste)

• Spicy Indian cayenne powder
• Ground habanero powder 
• Cayenne powder
• Lawyr's seasoning salt
• Organic No Salt Seasoning
• Poultry seasoning
• Trader Joe's 21 Salute Seasoning
• Turmeric
• Fresh Cilantro
• Fresh Thyme
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Fenugreek 

*Put half the onion, garlic cloves, chillies, ginger and whole tomatoes from the Stewed tomatoes into the food processor. Pulse or chop until it looks like a thick salsa.

*Cook the Quinoa and Barley in a separate pot with Chicken broth using a 2 to 1 ratio. Once fully cooked set aside to add to soup later.

*Chop all the veggies either before starting the soup or while the chicken is cooking.

Chop the chicken breast into strips or small pieces to make it easier to shred later. Put chicken into large pot with enchilada sauce and some seasonings and let cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. I do this on Med/Hi on a gas stove, do what works for you. 

Once it is tender enough to shred, remove chicken and shred by hand or in a gently pulse in a food processor (or any other way that works for you). While you are shredding the chicken put the ground turkey in the enchilada sauce, break up and let cook for about 10 minutes or until it looks fully cooked. Add shredded chicken back into the pot and add 32oz Chicken Broth.

At this point I start adding more seasoning, dried herbs, the chopped onion, salsa and juice from the stewed tomatoes. Mix and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes, then add the mixture from the food processor and more Chicken Broth. Stir and cover while you prepare the fresh herbs.

Add the fresh Cilantro and Thyme - as much as you want. Just keep tasting it until you are happy with the flavor. Cover and let simmer on low for another 20-30 minutes.

**I try and use as many fresh herbs as possible but sometimes it's just easier to use dried. I do however always make sure that I use fresh Cilantro and Fresh Thyme because of their healing properties, and Thyme is amazing when you are sick or have bad allergies. 

Post any questions in the comments or if you try this recipe let me know how it worked for you and what adjustments you made. 

Etsy Treasuries

Sometime in 2013 I joined Etsy Kids Team. From their FB page "The EtsyKids Team is a diverse group of talented and dedicated Etsy sellers making items for babies, toddlers, and children. http://etsykids.com/."

One of the ways to give back to the team is to create Treasuries. A treasury is an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery showcasing unique items, as part of a theme. It took me a while to fully grasp what these were, but then one of my items was included in a Treasury and that gave me the nudge to do more research. It's really easy and actually quite fun. It just requires a bit of time. Since I love to shop, it came pretty easy because it was like creating a wish list.

So far I've created 3 Treasuries (they can be a bit addicting once you get the hang of it). And if you know me at all, they are are not only collections of some pretty awesome stuff, but definitely a reflection of me as well, which of course adds to my fun.

If you have a minute I encourage you to check them out!

Cancer Awareness This collection has a wide variety of items from jewelry to crochet booties to dog collars and wine charms and everything in between.

Unique Items for Children - This is a collection of some pretty cool toys and gadgets that I think are helpful for parents to have on hand. From keeping their little pants up to keeping them occupied while out and about.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
If I was a little girl or if I had one of my own, I would all of these items in their closet! Pretty, frilly, girly fun!

I've also created a new board on Pinterest to share all these awesome items! So if you're on there be sure to check it out!

40 Random Donations in 365 Days

Anyone who knows me well knows how I feel about my birthday so I won't go into that here. I will say that this "big" birthday has taken a while to come to grips with, but fortunately I have a lot of great friends who are older and have not only proven that 40 now is NOT the 40 of our parents, and really, it is just another year, another number. Granted it is not a number you will likely hear me mention again. Fortunately for me I have good genetics on my side and most people are pretty surprised when I tell them my age. I also take pretty good care of myself because good genes are only a foundation, you can't take advantage of that shit.

With that said it's my birthday, and I'm not mentioning it because I like the attention. Quite the contrary, I don't like a fuss being made, I like presents, but no fuss. Nothing new to those who know me. I have been thinking a lot about this birthday though. I mean, assuming I live till I'm 80, today means I've officially made it half way through my life. That's pretty intense. I remember being like 10 and thinking 40 was ancient, I mean my mom wasn't even 40 yet and regardless of age, at 10 everyone thinks their mom is "old" right? Shit at my age my mom had 2 children under 10 and a teenager. My grandmother was 43 when I was born. There is no way in hell I could ever picture myself as a grandmother. "Ain't no one got time for that!"

Of course a lot of friends have asked what I am planning for my "big birthday." And then of course we all hear the "you only turn ___ once." Well no shit, you only turn every age once, so really why do certain numbers/ages get special treatment?

Of course you have the ages that signify something "meaningful" (at least in my opinion); 10 because suddenly you are in the double digits, 13, because you're no longer a "kid" and now you're a teenager. At 16 you get your license, or at least you can get your license. At 18 you can vote and you are legally an adult, although I can't think of any 18 year old that I've ever known that was an "adult." At 21 you can "legally" buy alcohol and get into bars and drink. But then what? 25? Because it's a quarter of a century? After that it seems that we only really make a big deal about the decades. But why? Why not make a big deal about 17 or 24 or 33 or 42 or 57 and a half? Or not put so much pressure on certain numbers and treat them all the same? Party like its 1999 every year, or not, whatever. Where am I going with this?

Well, since I have chosen to remain 29 for the past 10 years, I've contemplated this new number. Will I accept 40 or will I be 29+11? We are not doing anything "BIG" because I'm a weirdo and don't like the attention and don't want to have a party. My husband would love to be able to throw me a party but fortunately for me, he gets me, and even though we could not be more opposite when it comes to birthday celebrations, he respects my eccentricities, and plans a great weekend for just the 2 of us. One of these years we'll go on a big trip, again just the 2 of us, because that's how I like it. I do feel like I should do something "grown-up" though, because even though age is just a # and I truly feel and live by "you are only as old as you act and feel," (and look, but that's a different post). I don't feel old, I don't act old - well no older than I ever did, I have always been an "old soul" and had viejita tendencies, and I know I don't look old, but I have lived 29+11 years and that's kind of a big deal. So what to do, that would mean something to ME that would be kind of a cool way to celebrate this new decade?

In 2010 I remember coming across a blog post about this woman who decided to celebrate her 38th birthday by doing 38 random acts of kindness in a day. Totally not something I could/would do, (too much human stranger danger interaction) but I thought it was pretty awesome that she took the time to do it. In addition to the fact that I pretty much remember everything, it is no surprise that I still remember this story 3 years later, but there was something about it that stuck with me. Could I do something cool with the number 40? Of course I could! But it would have to be something that wasn't putting too much pressure on myself, because that doesn't work with me, not with something like this. That instantly rules out anything done all in one a day. Hmmm... What to do that would be meaningful to me?
Why not make it a goal to donate 40 of my crochet/knit items before my next birthday? I know I already donate hats to little kids but so far it's been in conjunction with a sale. Like a BOGO but instead it's been a BODO. I've also donated a few hats to raffles/auctions for pet shelters, but again its kinda random. I think I've donated a total of about 10 items this year, maybe 12. So 40, in addition to what I already make for Miss FartyPants and whatever I sell, is a lot. It might not seem like a lot to some, but if you know me, then you know how anal retentive/type A/perfectionist I am when it comes to anything I do, which means I take twice as long as the "average" person to do anything. Maybe 3 times as long.

So here are my rules for myself (I LOVE rules!)

1. Donate 40 individual items between now and my next 29th birthday to an oncology center and/or animal shelter. 
2. Must be something I make, not monetary or bought.

That's it, just 2 rules. I'm not setting a "goal per month" or picking a specific item or even a specific organization. Instead of 40 Random Acts of Kindness, I'm calling it 40 Random Donations. It might be beanies to kidlets battling childhood cancer, it might be hats to an oncology center for teens/adults. It might be items for a raffle for an animal shelter or even pet beds. Again, no pressure. I put enough pressure on myself on a daily basis, I want this to be something fun and meaningful to ME. If I manage to donate more than 40, AWESOME, but no less than 40. And I will stay accountable by posting it here, kinda like I do with my workouts. I may even post pics of whatever I make to donate each month on FB and IG, just to add to the accountability. 

So that's it. 40 Random Donations in my 40th year.  So if you read this and know of a children's oncology center or oncology center or animal shelter then post it in the comments. I already have a list of a few but I know there are more out there. Do you make stuff too? Wanna join me? (you would do your own #/age).

Oh and I plan to continue and step up the workouts because I WILL wear a bikini next Summer dammit. Even if its just once. I don't have 40 lbs to lose or even 40 inches, but if I could lose 4 inches in my waist, that would be amazing. I think that's pretty doable, don't you? 

So that's it, my monumental birthday post. Time for me to go work out and make some shit! But before I do that...

It's time for some useless trivia...

December 4, 1973 is the 338^th day of the year 1973 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 27 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. So 40 years ago I was born yesterday. 

A person born on this day will be 40 years old today. If that same person saved a Dime every day starting at age 7, then by now that person has accumulated $1,205.30 today. (I should make my niece start saving a a dime a day, shit a quarter and then she can thank me later).

All About My Birthday is a cool site to find out random info about your birthday. In reading all the amazing things that happened on my birthday, this stuck out to me the most. 

What is the birthstone for December 4, 1973?
Turquoise is the modern birthstone for the month of December while Onyx is the mystical birth stone (based on Tibetan origin). The zodiac gemstone for Sagittarius is topaz. Lastly, the birthday stone for the day of the week ‘Tuesday’ is ruby.

I've always loved gems/semi-precious gems and believe in the properties they posses and their energy. During my teen years I wore lots of Turquoise and I still have most of it. I've always loved and been drawn to Onyx because its a beautiful stone and now it makes more sense. The most interesting part in all this though, is that according to this site the birthday stone is ruby. Well if you know me personally then you know that D and I got engaged on my birthday 9 years ago AND guess what stone is in my engagement ring? A RUBY! He chose the stone, I just said that I didn't want the typical cliche diamond. It's like he knew, even though he didn't know.
That's it.

I will sign off with a random picture of my namesake in 1973.

November Workout Wrap-Up

I started on Nov. 12, got 9 days in and took almost the entire week of Thanksgiving off minus the "day 9 Hula. Not quite half the month but considering how September and October were I say not a bad start! I can  definitely say that while squats still kill, busting out 100-200 each workout has gotten way easier. If I keep this up maybe, just maybe, I'll have some semblance of an ass by next year. We shall see.

Day 9 - Hula. I had planned on adding to it but it didn't happen. Still a good workout though so I'm not complaining.

Day 8 - Hula and the Drop 10 Workout

Day 7 - 1 set of the 100 Workout and 1 set of the "Every time You See This" plus 50 regular squats and 50 Sumo squats.

Day 6 - Another 200 squats (no split squats and no 1 leg squats). My legs were trembling during the last set of Sumo Squats. And 1 set each of the ab exercises shown. I swear that 60 sec plank is the longest minute ever! Surprisingly my arms aren't as sore as I thought, but I am definitely aware of all the muscles between my shoulder and elbow.