Friday, July 29, 2011

DIVA TIME !

There is nothing that soothes the soul more than doing something you love with like-minded women and having a lot of laughs and drinks along the way.


For me, girl’s weekend saves me a fortune in psychologist fees (Ha, Ha) and renews me in a way not possible with a family get-away! For most of us, getting away involves some logistics and more than one of us comes home to a house looking like a bomb hit it. I try to preset this notion that when I walk into my house after girl’s weekend, it’s okay if the house is a mess. It’s all worth it. It’s good for us women to step into something completely for us. Without this, it’s hard to renew and regenerate our body, mind and spirit!

Okay…… Ready, Set, Go!


Thursday, July 28, 2011

My Accomplishments

  • Physical Goals – So far 2 times this week.  But I have been walking more and the week isn't over yet. 
  •  Mental Goals - Learning to make some buttons and new gadgets
  •  Spiritual Activities – Reading "Heaven Is Real" 
  •  Creative actions or thoughts – I made a cute Cafe` sign for my shore home !  
  •  What am I thankful for? I am healthy....although I still have to accept the changes that menopause brings. :-(
  •  What action can I take to keep me healthy?  Drinking my homemade sugarless Ice Tea! I Love It!
  •  How can I enrich relationships with the people in my life?  I want my family to know how much I love them all, even when I know it's hard for me to express it. I <3 them!
Everyday is a winding road.
As my hubby always says......"tomorrow is another day!"








Tuesday, July 26, 2011

My Weekly Goals

• Physical Goals – Went to Gym and plan to go 4 days this week
• Mental Goals - Write to my congressman regarding the debt  (oh yea, we all need to do this)
• Emotional Goals – Remove negative thoughts and recycle them into positive thoughts
• Spiritual Activities – Pray for strength to make good choices.

• Creative actions or thoughts – I made 2 loafs of homemade Zucchini bread (recipe will be on my family fun blog)
• What am I thankful for?  Thankful that my right foot is feeling better thanks to a few Cortisone shots.

• What action can I take to keep me healthy? Eating lots of veggies from my garden 
• How can I enrich relationships with the people in my life? Listen closely to those closest to me.

I am trying to keep myself calm and focused this week. I started out the week by going to the gym. This was my first work out since breaking my foot and it felt good.

To Take Responsibility for
a Fulfilling Life
is to Choose How You Use
Each Day of Life.

Fresh Veggies From My Garden



Sunday, July 24, 2011

Making Monthly & Weekly Goals

I just got back from a wonderful vacation and I enjoyed it immensely, but this threw me off a bit as far as my healthy eating goes. Although, I sure did enjoy my food and drinks, and that’s okay, as long as I turn my downward vacation swing, back upward. This is why my” Diva’s for a Healthy Lifestyle” is a life plan, not a diet. We need our holidays, vacations and birthday parties. I know this not an excuse to go hog wild during these special occasions, but eating some special foods, drinks or a special cake should not sabotage our quest for a healthy life style. I just need to turn my swing back up again. Sometimes this can be challenging and that’s why I am going to set some very obtainable goals.

I am going to try to make a list of weekly goals. These will be short term goals that may be accomplished a few times a week. I will also make a set of monthly goals that I will list as well. Some I will share and some I will keep personal.

My monthly goals I will set next week but here are a set of goals for this week.

• Physical Goals –

• Mental Goals -

• Emotional Goals–

• Spiritual Activities –

• Creative actions or thoughts -

• What am I thankful for?

• What action can I take to keep me healthy?

• How can I enrich relationships with the people in my life?

I am setting these goals, so that I am aware of my ideas, thoughts and actions, with what I feel are important to me: as a wife, mom, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend as well as a child of god.

Here are a few pictures of my “Jersey Shore” vacation.


Wall Speedway

Dinner at Coconut Grove

Cape May Sunset

Barnegat Lighthouse

A Key West like atmosphere

Dinner at my place, Brawn Burgers and Shrimp Kabobs

My chocolate martini at "The Comedy Club"


Dessert i made


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Coupon-Crazy-Campbells Can Save You Some $$$$

In this uncertain economy, we are all looking for ways to save money. Come check out my friend’s Facebook page, "The Coupon Crazy Campbells".  Please click on her LIKE Button on her wall. As soon as she gets 200 Likes, she will be able to start to give a few give a ways and we all like getting, give a ways. The 'Coupon-Crazy-Campbells' will show you how and where to get your coupons, and where to get the best deals.

It’s amazing how she will show you how to get your grocery bill down, while still getting your favorite products at a lower cost. This is not about extreme couponing; it’s about real savings, while using your time efficiently. You don’t have to spend a lot of time searching for coupons, if you know the trick of the trade.

I have to admit that I am not the world’s best consumer, but I am trying to change. Anywhere I can save money is a help to both my business, as well as with my family finances. Now I make sure I check out the Sunday newspaper‘s coupon section. It takes about 10 minutes to thumb through the newspaper and find the coupons I need. I you want, you can buy several copies of the Sunday newspaper – the savings from the coupons will make up for the extra money needed to buy multiple copies of the newspaper.

 Before you purchase anything, search for coupons on the Internet for that particular product. If you’re about to purchase new sneakers, visit the manufacturer’s website to see if there are any coupons – this only takes a few minutes and can save you money! This is something new to me but I started doing this for my favorite products as well as checking out the restaurant coupons for my favorite places I like to eat. There are plenty of ways to find coupons, whether through the traditional newspaper or online or on your mobile phone. Spend 10 minutes a day looking for coupons. You’ll be surprised at how much money you will save! So, Please hop on over to “The Coupon-Crazy-Campbells” for some valuable coupons and don’t forget to click the LIKE button.
I


One of my favorite Steak Houses.  Guess where I am going for my birthday?


I will use all of these coupons

Happy Couponing !

Monday, July 11, 2011

Time With My Girls

When you run a family business it's very hard to get away from it, even when you're business isn't open or you're on vacation. My family noticed that most of our conversations and actions are based around the business.  On the weekends or while we are on vacation, we actually have to say to each other....."No Shop Talk".   It's a very difficult habit to break, to say the least.

My daughter and I got to a  point where we felt like the only thing we talked about was our family business.  After a while, this wears thin on any relationship. With that said, we recently spent the weekend together (at the Jersey Shore) along with my beautiful granddaughter.  A few times work came up, but we quickly shut it down.  We had lots of girl fun.  We swam, went to the beach, went out to dinner and we also went to dinner at my sister's shore home.  Plus, we got to spend some time with some old cheerleading friends.  We had a very relaxing weekend. I had a blast watching my granddaughter play and swim. She is so much fun.

You know, being healthy isn't only about your physical and mental  health, it's also about being healthy in your heart and soul. My time with my daughter and granddaughter surely made my heart and soul happy.  So, sometimes you just have to plan quality time together. It will make your heart and soul smile.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

These days I jump back when I see my reflection in a store window or when I take a quick glance at myself in a mirror. I think to myself, oh my god, that’s not, me. What the hell is going on? I am still finding it difficult dealing with my ageing body and the fact that my brain still thinks I am 30. When I rationalize it, I know this is a normal process of life. I know I live a healthy lifestyle, yet I still get surprised and perplexed by the changes in my body or any woman’s body for that matter. I have to admit, I dislike this very much.

I asked my sister if she had a tough time when she was getting ready to turn @# years old (lol). She is only five years older than me, but she understands what I am going through. She told me, "you get to a point where you are at peace with the changes we woman go through." That sucks….just the fact that we woman have to get to a point, where, “We are at peace”. It just sucks! So, how do I to come to terms with it all? I don’t know………but getting to a point where I am at peace with it?  Maybe I will get to that point at one time or another, but for now, I need to try to figure something else out.  I need to get my head to learn to accept me for who I am.  It's just difficult!

I came across this article and I am going to try to apply some of it.


Change how you feel

The key to feeling better about yourself is not to change your body, as the diet industry would have you believe, but rather to change the way you feel about your body. The best way to do this is not intellectually, but on your body's terms, through the senses:

When you feel bad, instead of shopping around for the latest tips on how to get flat abs or reading a magazine regarding diets and fashion tips, sit down with a good book, go see an art show at your local gallery, take a walk, take a class, or read over your favorite inspiring quotes.

Change What You Say

When you look in the mirror, chances are you give yourself a running commentary. "My legs are too fat, my stomach's too round, my breasts are too saggy, and my face is too lumpy..." Sound familiar? Instead of focusing on the negatives, try your hand at some self-affirmations. Find the things you like about yourself, and hone in on them. When you get dressed, concentrate on emphasizing your strengths, rather than covering up your "weak spots."

Change What You Do

In marriage counseling, a common exercise given to couples who have "lost the spark" is to have each person write a list of things that make them feel loved, and the other is responsible for doing at least one of those things every day. Your body is your life partner. It's important to treat it well, so that it can return the favor.

Appreciate what your body does for you. When you find yourself bogged down in negative self-talk, remind yourself what part each organ and extremity plays in helping you live a full life.

Count Your Blessings, Not Your Calories

If you do need to lose weight for medical reasons (and bad body image doesn't count as one), there are healthy ways to do so, but unless your doctor tells you to, you're better off without diets. Recent studies have shown that dieting takes a huge toll on both your mental and physical health, and that you can make significant improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and activity levels without shedding a pound.

Well, with all this said I decided to pamper myself with a Mani and a Pedi. I am currently eating some organic yogurt with fresh blueberries and enjoying a delicious cup of coffee. Plus, I am going to go out and buy myself a new lipstick. After all, I have to take care of my life partner.