Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Summer Wardrobe – A Plan

May 31, 2014

Yesterday I posted about my spa-like plans for next week and eating plans for…well forever. Today’s post is about the wardrobe plans I had scrawled at the top of that piece of paper. It went like this:

12 Piece Summer Wardrobe
1 pair jeans
1 pair shorts
2 pair capris – 1 khaki, 1 denim
2 skirts – 1 denim, 1 print
2 button down shirts – 1 print, 1 solid
2 tee shirts
1 cardigan

Well, that seems like a good start and I do have some of those items now. I also remembered what Clinton Kelly had said as well, “Neutrals on the bottom, colors and prints on the top.” That makes it easier doesn’t it! So I looked the list over and revamped it thusly:

10-12 piece summer wardrobe
1 pair jeans (check)
~~1 pair shorts~~
2 pair capris – 1 khaki, 1 ~~denim~~ navy or black
1 skirt – 1 denim, ~~1 print~~
2 ~~button down shirts~~ shirts/blouses – 1 print, 1 solid (white)
2 tees
1 cardigan (check)

As you can see I got rid of the shorts (I am a woman of a certain age after all), and decided on different colors instead of denim on the bottoms. I also thought of places to shop: CJ Banks, JC Penney (I’ve seen a lot of great separates there), and Dillards (Westbound).

I already have the jeans, tees, and cardigan, but I still need the capris, the skirt, and the blouses. One thing I have found is that classic, tailored clothing never goes out of style so that’s what I’m after.

The capsule wardrobe concept is really making a comeback these days and it is truly a good thing. A few coordinated pieces can yield days of possibilities by mixing and matching them. And it works for all budgets. However, I will say that spending more money on a few quality pieces can really extend the life of your wardrobe, make it easier to add to it, and all that will save you money in the long run.

I found a couple of places that have good visuals of the capsule concept: Fifty Plus – the link will take you directly to the capsule wardrobe info. Then there’s this blog: Wardrobe Oxygen – this link takes you directly to the posts about capsule wardrobes, but I think her blog has a lot to offer in the way of planning your wardrobes in general.

Well, I could go on about all this stuff for awhile, but I’ll let it rest here for now. I’m feeling good about the summer and the challenge – I hope that not only the feeling lasts but that it IS a good summer this year because I could really use one.

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A Plan For My Health Challenge

May 30, 2014

I was looking through a book the other day and I found a piece of paper that I had stowed away in it. It was a plan – a summer wardrobe plan and a “spa” weekend either at home or away. As I looked this information over I realized that it is just what I need to jump start my Summer Health Challenge!

Here’s what I had originally written down:

*Water – Lots of it
*Good food – not complicated, fresh
*Lotion every day – weekly body scrub
*Pedicure
*Manicure
*Get hair done (including brows)
*Spend time outdoors soaking in nature
*Reading books and magazines
*Yoga and quiet for the spirit

A good start, but I went ahead and tweaked it just a bit in the food area so I have a definite plan of eating. Here’s what I put down tonight:

*Whole grains – brown rice, oatmeal, best wheat bread, whole grain tortillas and flatbreads, whole wheat pasta
*Fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables – no canned (except for tomato sauce)
*Yogurt (regular or Greek), almond milk, organic butter/Earth Balance spread
*Chicken breast, lean beef, lean pork, salmon, beans (I will allow canned here – easier)
*Olive oil, honey, nuts & seeds, dried fruits
*Herbal tea, water, juices (best quality)

Those foods will be the basis for meals for awhile. Tomorrow I’ll do grocery shopping and then I’ll make a meal plan from there. I’m excited and scared all at the same time. Oh, and yes, the beauty things are part of this health challenge too. It all goes together and I need some of those pampering things right now.

One more thing – the exercise part will be under the getting outside in nature (I can go on walks) and doing yoga for the quiet for my spirit. Goals are supposed to be specific and this list really hit that just right.

So, that’s the plan. Tomorrow I’ll talk about the summer wardrobe part – I’m trying to go with the capsule wardrobe concept. Apparently there has been a huge amount of interest in this of late and I feel good to know that I was in on that when it started back in the 80’s. :-)

So, tune in tomorrow for that and in the meantime wish me luck. I have lots of good ideas that always sound great, but then I’m terrified to actually do them sometimes. However, this time needs to be THE time to change. I won’t get healthier by doing nothing.

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Summer Health Challenge

May 28, 2014

Last week my husband Mike had a health workup as part of the company’s wellness program. He’s in far better shape than I am – I left the room when he started talking about how all those sit ups had helped. :-/ Me? I struggle on a daily basis with eating healthy, with stress and stress eating, with being overweight. I already watch things like salt and cholesterol, and my last cholesterol test was good. But lately, I’ve fallen off that wagon and need to get back on and make more changes. I go back to the doctor at the end of July for another blood workup so I need to get back on. In a big way!

So, I decided to have a Summer Health Challenge just for me. Here are some of the things I will be working on:

Eat healthier – I need to be very specific here and I know that increased fruit and vegetable intake will play a big role.
Exercise – This means actually doing something like walking for 15 minutes, or a dvd each day.
Limiting sugar and caffeine – I’m on a coffee kick again and also have been under extra stress so candy has been making it’s way into my home again as well. While I won’t kick out sweeteners altogether, the extras will need to go.
More Water – I struggle with this most days so I bought some really pretty tumblers to make it more attractive.
Journaling – I plan to track what I eat to find where my weaknesses are (although I pretty much know) and to help keep me going. Moods and feelings will go here too.

That’s what I have so far. I haven’t set any goals yet, but I need to probably set a goal for each week to give me something to shoot for. It is supposed to be a throwdown of sorts to once and for all get on the path to better health. It’s not going to just happen. Also, because right now giving up and eating whatever sounds really tempting and I really can’t do that. My health coaching calls ended yesterday as well, so now I’m really on my own.

So, my first goal will be to make a goal for each week of the summer – June through August – and challenge myself to meet them. Maybe I should have a reward system as well for meeting those goals. We all need an incentive right? Although you’d think better health would BE the incentive. *rolling eyes”

Okay, I’ll leave it at that. Here’s to the Summer Health Challenge of 2014!
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Music Monday – Summer Albums

May 27, 2014

Okay, so it’s not Monday, but it feels like one because of the holiday weekend and that means I can still post a Music Monday!

Last week I posted what I put on my Summer Mix 2014 cd and it really isn’t a complete summer mix, but for me it’s perfect this year. I seemed to have pulled out the songs that identify the summers of ’83 and ’84 the most for me. However, some of you were wondering where the REO songs were and of course Duran Duran and the Go-Go’s as well. This post explains that.

Those groups have albums that were complete in and of themselves as summer music goes. I could not pick and choose just one song (well, with the exception of “Vacation” and “Holiday”) from any of them – especially not the two REO albums. So, I’m giving them the honor that belongs to them as my summer album picks of all time. Well – my time. :-)

1. Hi Infidelity – REO Speedwagon – One of the best albums ever! And, despite the title, cleaner than a lot of the junk out now.
2. Good Trouble – REO Speedwagon – I want to note that these two REO albums really go together. Even the cover art was a tie in.
3. Madonna – Madonna – Her first album and probably the best. The one thing I realized though, that two songs of hers that aren’t on here really belong to the summer mix group – “Into the Groove” and “Crazy For You”. Sounds like a trip to the Amazon MP3 store is in order.
4. Rio – Duran Duran – All summer, all the time in my opinion. Even the videos, which were shot in exotic, tropical places, screamed summer. Loved the Rio video especially – so much fun. Favorite song – “Save A Prayer”.
5. Vacation – The Go-Go’s – And no summer would be complete without this music to listen to. What I love about this one is the 60’s retro feel to it. Every song on here is summery and makes you think of going to the beach and hanging out with your friends. Love it!
6. Make It Big – Wham – Again – very summery, very retro. Although this is more 70’s while Vacation is more 60’s. I devoted an entire Music Monday back in 2011 and you can read that here…if you dare.

And there you have it – my summer album tribute. If you want to see my really long list of summer songs go here.

I doubt I will ever have a “complete” summer mix cd but, you never know. It could happen.

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Music Monday – Summer Mix 2014

May 19, 2014

That’s right folks – it’s almost Memorial Day which is the unofficial official start of summer! And, as I’ve probably shared before, my musical tastes are seasonal for some odd reason. And it’s been awhile since I’ve made a summer mix cd so I made one yesterday and I’m loving it already! Of course I already loved the songs anyway so…ahem… In case you’re wondering where the Go-Go’s, Duran Duran, or Madonna are, I have albums with all their great summery stuff so I didn’t want to duplicate. Not to mention I only had so much space. I know, I know, I could burn the cd in audio, but was just too freakin’ lazy. Maybe another day.

Anywho – here’s what I put on the disc – see if any of your favorites are here. :-)

Stand and Deliver – Adam Ant
Everybody Wants To Rule the World – Tears For Fears
White Wedding – Billy Idol
Cuts Like A Knife – Bryan Adams
Drive – The Cars
Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
Photograph – Def Leppard
The Boys of Summer – Don Henley
Wishing (If I Had A Photograph of You) – Flock of Seagulls
The One Thing – INXS
Everytime You Go Away – Paul Young
Sara – Starship
Oh Sherrie – Steve Perry
Panama – Van Halen
Only In My Dreams – Debbie Gibson
Rock Lobster – B52’s

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