1.5 lbs. lost, 33.5 to Go

Unfortunately I didn't lose any pounds this week and thankful I didn't put on a few! I had a sweet/salty tooth all week and today was the icing on the cake literally. I attended my teacher licensure class this morning and the program treats us to two scheduled snack breaks and lunch each time we meet. Lunch is usually fried chicken, roasted chicken, fish, bbq, turkey or ham sandwiches, etc. with all the trimmings. Snacks include endless amounts of chocolates, crackers, cheese, pretzels, rice krispies treats, muffins, fruit, just all sorts of stuff.

Well, I don't have much self control and felt like a kid in a candy store! Boy I ate today and topped things off by going to Community Bakery to get myself a cupcake! Guess I lost my mind there...oh well tomorrow will be a new day. I'm sure dreading going to the gym b/c I'm sooo tired. I went to bed after 1 a.m. and woke up at 5:30 a.m. Naptime now, gym later on....maybe.

On an unrelated note, I did the weekly grocery shopping today (so glad I got that out the way) and Mary J. Blige Essence Magazine Cover caught my eye! SHE LOOKS FANTABULOUS! She rocks!!

Moody Blues

I've been in a funk all week and regressed a bit. Don't know if it's because it's been raining all week, or that my house is a mess, pms, or that my weekend is jam packed with all work and no play. Well, I'm ready for this dark cloud to pass on b/c I've been showing out! I succumbed to the tempation of eating McDonalds french fries, salty pretzels, and.......double chocolate muffins. There's gotta be 700 calories in the Deli Express muffins I so love. Man....well I did manage to run two miles this morning. I heeded His voice and got out of this funk and worked out. If I can exercise one hour today and one hour after my Saturday teaching licensure class, I'll have my 5x a week/1 hr per day workout goal out the way. Weigh-in is tomorrow.

Gotta.Buy.Whitney.Houston.CD.This.Weekend

I rarely buy CDs, but I have a large collection of CDs I've purchased over the last 10 - 15 years. Nowadays, I may like a song or two from a CD and will just download the song from Amazon.com. I feel the urgent need to buy Whitney's new CD to add to my collection. I've always loved her through her ups and downs and feel so glad to hear about her making it through her struggles. I wish her success as she takes it one day at a time! My all time favorite artists are (no particular order):

Erykah Badu

Whitney Houston

India.Arie

Mary J. Blige

Sam Cooke

Best Friend and Worst Enemy

I'm definitely an Analog Girl in a Digital World when it comes recording all my appointments in my planner. My husband thinks I should convert all the contents to the planner/calender feature on my phone, but I just like the idea of looking at the information on the "month-at- a- glance " calendar page of the planner. Yeah it's bulky and yeah it's heavy, but it's the only way I can keep myself organized.

It's my best friend because it helps me remember all my activities , appointments, and track my workouts, BUT it's my worst enemy b/c looking at it sometimes stresses me out and makes me feel completely overwhelmed!!

Semi-Bonafide Product Junkie

I confess that I am a semi-bonafide hair product junkie, lol! I am always on the search for that perfect product to use on my natural hair. The catch is that I prefer products with natural ingredients and try to avoid products that contain sulfates and parabens (read here http://www.starflower.com/Dangers-of-Parabens_ep_32-1.html .

I have to give the title of the Bonafide Product Junkie to my girl Deb shown in the picture. She's been natural longer than I have and introduces me to ALOT of products, but I've done my fair share of introducing her to some as well. Well....I'm on the prowl for another product and I'm facing a challenge trying to get my hands on it! I absolutely love the products I'm using now but it's way too pricey for my budget.


I'm currently using Earthly Delights found at Whole Foods. The Tropical Rain Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Growth Stimulator Pomade is HEAVENLY but runs about $50 bucks for the three! The shampoo and conditioner bottles are 16 oz, but my husband has fallen in love with the products so we're going through it pretty fast! I also use extra virgin olive oil from time to time in my hair for nourishment as well.





The other product I like is Taliah Waajid's Black Earth. Great product but it contains both the good and unfortunately bad ingredients that I try to avoid. The price is moderate and it was a time that I could only order it online. Lo and behold I recieved an email from the owner and found that I could purchase it at ONE local beauty supply store in town!




NOW, I'm hearing rave reviews about a product found only at a store called Trader Joes. The shampoo and conditioner is called Spa Nourish and is very inexpensive. There are no stores here in my state. They claim to be old fashioned and won't ship online. I can't find any online retailers that carry the product either! The closest city and state where I can purchase is Nashville, TN!! There are stores in Chi-Town so I'm going to make a phone call to my college bud to see if she wouldn't mind picking some up and mailing it to me! I love her dearly and would do the same for her. I'm a junkie without a doubt...