I Love Cyber Monday

I only attempted to do Black Friday shopping after Thanksgiving once and I promised myself it won't happen again. I just wasted my time circling around parking lots with less or almost no chance of getting any spot. And when I finally got a chance to get into the store, it's almost impossible to move. So thank goodness for Cyber Monday, shopping online is the most convenient way anyway for me to shop. I still get the best deals that were offered on Black Friday minus the inconvenience of finding parking space and getting into the store.

Getting Ready for Vacation

I'm busy getting ready for our short trip to NJ and PA. I put all the stuffs we need on the kitchen counter as I remember them. Though of course I always make a list of the things we need to bring, it always helps me to get things before I forget. I can forgetful sometimes. But since we're taking our SUV, it wouldn't hurt to bring extra of some stuffs. I was looking for my son's baby bag but I couldn't find it anywhere, I looked in all the closets even at the door hangers in each rooms but no baby bag. Finally while I was pulling the hamper in the master closet, there it was at the bottom shelf neatly put away. My son has his own small luggage and carry on [the baby bag] for his toiletries and bedtime pull-ups. There are still a lot to do, it's a bummer that this cold is bothering me right now.

Pots and Planters

I love working in the yard and get my hands dirty. I love tending to my beds of flowers and herbs. Spring and summer are two of the seasons that I love most because that is when I can enjoy looking at my fabulous flowers and appreciate the hard work I've done. I normally plant annuals and add more perennials to add vibrant colors to my flower beds.

I've always wanted to plant vegetables like tomatoes but I'm hesitant to do so. Though we have large backyard to accommodate vegetable patches, it is however rocky that it wouldn't be ideal to plant any vegetable. So my best solution to still enjoy fresh vegetables in the summer minus the large vegetable beds is planting them in outdoor planters. I have a large deck where I could put these planters which means I could have a variety of vegetables to plant.

I also have several indoor plants that I enjoy all year round. They need to be transferred to new indoor planters though as some of them are really thriving well. Speaking of indoor planter I found several pots and planters with elegant styles at eplanter.com that can also be used outdoor. I found these planters really good buys.

Food Friday - Crispy Calamari

CRISPY CALAMARI

One of the things that my hb and I enjoy doing together is try different cuisine and try new restaurants in and around our town. Our old time fave appetizer is Crispy Calamari. We've seen calamari prepared in lots of different ways, and this one is from Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse & Bars. It's really yummy.

Facial Care

The summer heat is my skin's greatest nemesis. Summer is the time of the year when I get the most adult acne breakouts. So I normally wash my face as often as I can to take off that 'grime' that stick to it during the day, especially so that I have an oily skin too. If I'm in a place where I can't wash my face, I just use the baby wipes to clean and refresh my face. And I never forget to use daytime moisturizer with sun protection that I apply religiously to protect my skin from the burning heat of the sun.

Lost Momentum

I haven't been in the gym for over two weeks now. When I had food poisoning about two weeks ago, I had that stabbing pain in my tummy for at least two days. I was afraid to take my usual food consumption, it was like I was on diets for quick weight loss for two days, only eating wheat toasts without any spread on, not even butter and hot green tea. When I moved I would feel pain in my tummy, it was like I had muscle spasm. Even when I felt better I opted not to attend the Zumba class in the gym so as not to jiggle my tummy. But it was a bad call because I kind of lost the momentum of going to the gym. I hope to hit the gym again next week while the little guy goes to summer camp. I need to get the lost drive back.

What Pregnant Women Should Know

Every pregnant women should know the importance of taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy not only to keep them healthy but most of all for the benefit of the unborn child in the womb. Prenatal vitamins help in preventing birth defects, abnormal growth, and other problems in unborn babies. So who wouldn't use prenatal vitamins, minerals and other forms of prenatal supplements as part of routine prenatal care?

I read that the eight most important prenatal nutrients are folic acid - reduce the risk of neural tube defects; calcium - decrease the risk of high blood pressure; DHA - suggested to decrease the incidence of post partum depression; Co-Enzyme Q10 - lower the incidence of pre-eclampsia; Probiotics - friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract that help reduce the incidence of gestational diabete; Choline - has the protective effect for preventing spinal cord defects; Ginger Root - effective in treating nausea and vomiting; and Inositol - protects against the development of neural tube defects.

Wordless Wednesday

SUPER DRAGON ROLL

I love Japanese food and I was glad that a resto called Kyoto Japanese Steak House finally opened in our town. This dish is just one of the fabulous dishes I love to order in the menu.

It's Worth Trying

Like I've said staying up so late at night gives me all this idea of resorting to diet pills to obtain a flat tummy. With all those paid programming shows about diet pills I've seen It sure hard to narrow down the one that will really work. But if I were to resort to diet pills I would choose the one that will suppress my appetite so I wouldn't have to pig out again, lol. From what I've read, an ingredient in diet pill called irvingia gabonensis not only aid in weight loss management but overall health as well. It is all natural and there have been no known serious side effect during clinical trials, so it is apparently safe to take. Also I read that it helps in cholesterol and sugar level management as well. I guess this kind of weight loss product is worth trying.

I Need the Time for My Drive

Have you noticed how many weight loss products are advertised late at night. I should know, because I always stay up late at night, it's a bad habit to break. I always wonder if they are as effective as what they promise to be, I'm so tempted to try them really. My weight loss regimen is kind of a see-saw. If I only get the drive and the time at the same time to do my workout I could have reached my goal of a flat tummy in no time. But usually time is not with me though the drive is really there. Hopefully when hb gets back from business trip then I can go back to the gym as regularly as I used to.

Regulate Sleeping Habits

Yesterday both my son and I slept past our usual waking time. So I had to hurriedly make breakfast, fix my son's snack for summer camp and get him and I ready to leave. I normally stay up very late at night regardless of whether or not I'm doing anything. My eyes are just programmed to sleep around 1-ish or 1-ish in the morning. It's not fun to always hurry through traffic to beat the clock. I'm considering taking the best sleeping pills sometimes to regulate my sleeping habits but I'm just afraid it would become a bad habit. Anyway, if I can only do my workout regularly, then it wouldn't be hard to fall asleep earlier.