I'm woman enough to admit that I wear plus size. Haha! "Woman enough" get it? Ok, seriously though, I don't have a lot of weird hang ups about my body. I don't spend my days crying over it or being disgusted by the mirror. I spent way too much time in my teens and twenties worried about how "fat" I was (I totally wasn't fat!) and letting it hold me back. I'm not sure what changed my thinking, but it's changed, and let me tell you that it's liberating to be comfortable in your own skin.

 That being said, I have some weight that needs to come off. It's not about looks, it's about health. I need all the energy that I can get. We're doing another Biggest Loser competition at work starting this week, and I'm pretty excited for it. I lost 16lbs during our last one. Of course it ended right before the holidays, and I gained about 4 of it back. That's ok though, it means that I'm still down 12lbs. My goal is to get under 200 lbs. Yup, I said it! My name is Shannon, and I weigh over 200 lbs. Anyway, I'm generally a healthy eater, but I have definitely been indulging in the sweets since the holidays and I look forward to getting back on track. The sweets taste ohh so good, but boy do they make you feel ohhhh so bad. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel a huge difference in my health when I make sure that I eat a balanced diet and get in all my veggies and fruit.

So what's my point in all of this? Well, since I am getting back on the wagon, that means I'll be making the effort to cook a lot more. I love to cook, but really it's very time consuming for a busy mom. It beats takeout though, and usually my cooking is better anyway. So be prepared for me to post some of my favorite recipes or new recipes that I'll be trying out. I recently got a few new cookbooks, and have spied some yummy stuff in them. Can't wait to get started!

It's a season of trying new things for me. So recently I signed up for Birchbox. For $10 a month, they send you 4-5 deluxe beauty samples every month. I was so excited when I got home from work and saw my first box sitting on the counter. It was like Christmas all over again! Couldn't wait to see what goodies were hiding in there. I can honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. I got some lip gloss, and some nail polish (not sold on the color of the polish though). A small Larabar- love those! A sample of Juicy Couture perfume which I'm considering buying now. I really like it! Then there was a small bottle of eye firming cream. I'm not calling that a sample- I'm calling it a small bottle, since it's going to last me forever. If you love beauty products, and really what girl doesn't, I recommend trying Birchbox. So much fun!

BUT, my big recommendation in the beauty product department is Blinc mascara. Holy crap is this stuff awesome! I spotted it at a spa that I went to for a Thai massage (oh, there's something else that I recommend!), and the massage therapist couldn't stop raving about it. It's on the pricey side, I won't lie, but it's so worth every one of those 25 dollars.

What makes it different from other mascaras is that it forms tubes around each of your lashes. You apply it just like a normal mascara. That being said, it does take a little bit of practice to get it right. The mascara is wetter than other mascaras that I've used, so I have to be careful because the tips of my lashes hit the top of my eye near my eyebrow and leave mascara smudges. The brush also separates the lashes a bit, and I tend to like the fuller look- I have found that if I put the layers on very lightly I can achieve the fullness that I like. So yes, I recommend more than one coat, but each coat also adds length- noticeable length! The instructions are included, but make sure that the lashes don't dry in between each layer.

Once it's dry and the tubes have formed, it doesn't come off. Meaning you can rub your eyes, you can go swimming or work out, and it doesn't flake. It only comes off with the combination of warm water and slight pressure. Then they slide right off! It looks like your lashes coming off, but it's just the tubes. So cool. I'm kind of like a kid and honestly find that taking them off is part of the fun of using the mascara. Well that and the fact that they make my eyelashes look a mile long......

I have to thank my friend Kelly for getting me totally addicted to the Pinterest website. Seriously addicted. Checking my iPhone app multiple times a day kind of addicted! Never heard of it, neither had I until Kelly brought it to my attention. It's basically an online pinboard, a place to collect and organize all the things you love. Come across a cute craft- pin it, an awesome recipe- pin it! The cool thing is that it's not just your pinboards, you get to view everybodys pins. So the website is loaded with awesome ideas, recipes, fashions, crafts, you name it.

Now, a lot of people spend a lot of time just pinning and looking at the site, but I'm proud to say that I've actually made some of the crafts that I pinned. So much fun. I'm feeling newly inspired and very crafty lately. There are also a bunch of very yummy looking recipes that I plan on trying out very soon as well.

Yesterday I went to my nieces bridal shower, and it's the first time that I've ever been excited about my gift. I couldn't wait for her to see it. I copied these ideas, and made them my own. With a little help from a friend, I did the framed picture. I thought it would be nice with a pretty quote, so I added that to mine. With the wedding invite, I put hers in a small glass bottle instead of the ornament. I couldn't find any ornaments at the craft stores and I didn't have time to order them online. The bottle actually worked nicely, and I also tied the matching bow around the top. That is one of the quickest and easiest gifts I've done, but it got a ton of ooohs and ahhhhhhs.




Right now I'm working on Valentines for Griffins class. It's another easy, but very cute craft involving crayons. You could use, the broken loose ones that are just laying all around the house. If you don't have those, it's still cheap enough to buy a new pack. Aren't these adorable? I did ours star shaped instead- more appropriate for my boy.

Happy New Year!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Ours was great. This is the first year that Griffin REALLY understood the whole thing, and boy was he excited. It just made the whole thing so awesome for us. Of course all 3 of us got totally spoiled. Usually Ryan and I don't get each other gifts, but this year I thought it would be good to get each other a little something. I set a limit (no more than 100-150) and I think that we both got some great goodies! I'm actually kind of sad that the holidays are over. I'm totally dragging my feet taking my tree down. I want to enjoy it for as long a possible.

The holiday eating needs to stop though. The food was just soooo yummy this year. Maybe it was just my imagination, but oh, it was just so good. My favorite was the coconut cream pie that my mother-in-law made for Christmas. I scooped that recipe right up! If I get a chance, I'll post it. I gained back 3 lbs of the 16 that I lost before the holidays. I know it could be worse, but I worked hard for that 16. So, we're starting up our Biggest Loser challenge at work, and I'm getting right back on that wagon!

Speaking of work, this year I'm hitting my 15 year anniversary. That means, I gain another week of vacation, which I chose to take this week. Everyone thinks I'm odd for taking a winter vacation, but I'm really excited for it. I scheduled a facial on Thursday. On Friday, it's an hour long Thai massage, with a 20 minute foot massage. Who wouldn't want to start out their year this way??

Because of the snow the other day, I got stuck in my neighbors driveway. It was the first time that I've driven my new car in the snow......and that's the story that I'm sticking with. Of course, Griffin was with me since I was dropping him off there.

Forward 4 hours later and Ryan shows up to pick him up.

Griffin: Daddy, can you drive in the snow?
Ryan: Of course I can, why?
Griffin: Because Mommy can't!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so excited that for once, I don't have to do a thing tomorrow. My brother and his wife have decided to do the whole thing themselves. All I have to do is show up with my family and eat! Why can't every day be like that?

This year I contemplated doing some Black Friday shopping. I've never actually never gone out and done it, and thought for once I'd like to experience it. Then I remembered that I don't actually like a lot of people, and that I hate crowds, and more importantly, I hate stupid people in crowds. So again this year, I'll be shopping from my computer, from my nice quiet house! Ahhh! Besides, I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. Sick right?!

Wow, have I been totally MIA on here! It's amazing how busy life has been lately. Griffin turned 4 a couple of days ago. It's hard to believe that my teeny little baby is such a big boy. I don't dare call him my "baby" anymore, or I get quickly corrected. "I'm a big boy, Mommy!" We had a party at Chuck E Cheese, with 17 kids in attendance. Chuck E Cheese is a total hell for parents, but the kids just love it! Plus they do it all for you, so I can't complain.

Because I'm Mom of the Year, I scheduled Griff's 4 yr check up on his birthday. It may not have been such a big deal if he wasn't due for 5 shots! Who makes their kid endure 5 shots on their birthday, and then sends him to school.....me, me! In my defense, I didn't know he was due for that many, and as far as the school thing, I had Christmas shopping to do (shopping for him, mind you). He took it all very well though, and I let him have a sleep over that night. I totally earned some Mom Points for that.

Anyway, I've been thinking about his check-up and wondering- do kids that age have muscles? I mean, obviously I know that they have muscle, but do they have muscles? He measures 38.75 inches tall and he's 38lbs. His BMI is 17.8 and that puts him in the 94th percentile. The 94th percentile is considered overweight and bordering on obese! Holy Crap! The Dr didn't even bring it up, but when I studied the numbers today, I was shocked. To look at him, he looks like he's on the small side actually. He's a very healthy eater, and he's very active. I mentioned it to Ryan who said "the kids has no fat on him, he's all muscle". He was serious, so it got me wondering if kids have muscles like that. It bothers me so much that I even called my babysitter (who is a nurse) and asked her. She was equally shocked, and insists that the BMI chart has to be wrong! I don't know, if he's overweight, then all those fat kids have got to be dead man walking. Mean, I know, but it's true!