What I learned in 2014. . .

A new year is peeking around the corner. .yeah 2015 is coming soon. It's the time of year many reflect on the past year. I am usually not one of those. Okay. .yeah I might spend a brief few moments reflecting but not something I spend much time on but for some reason I have spent a lot of time in the past 24 hours reflecting on 2014 and what I have learned. Here goes:

1. I've learned not to get attached to people. 2014 has brought me a lot of heartache in that department. I have lost people in my life that I thought would be dear friends for this crazy journey. How disappointing that has been! I have also lost people who I thought had become permanent fixtures in my children's life only to find that wasn't true either and to learn later on they weren't who I thought them to be. How disappointing and hurtful this can all be. So I have learned not to get attached to people. Real friends are extremely hard to come by!

2. Cherish your coworkers! I spend more time during the week with my coworkers than I do my family. Think about it! You see your coworkers more hours a week than you do your family. You might as well like them. It was a hard learning year in that department but I found out that my coworkers really do have my back and our relationships go way beyond the office. I am blessed to work with so many great woman who create no drama! It's amazing!

3. Parenting is just as hard when your children are adults as it is when they are three. Learning to let go to a point. .learning to parent twentysomethings is fun, interesting, challenging, strainful, exhausting and joyful. .just like when they are 3! I've learned parenting is the same no matter what the age!

4. Shoot. I don't even know what point number 4 is! Maybe I'll just stop here and add on when I figure out what all I learned in 2014. . maybe I learned that nobody read my blog! LOL!

Hello?

Hello. Hi. Hey. Howdy. Anyone out there?

Is wasted time really wasted time?I

"Hey! Stop watching tv! You are wasting time"

"Oh facebook is a waste of time!"

"Why are reading that? You are just wasting time!"

"Don't waste your time with that movie!"

We've all heard it. Stop wasting time! You only have so much of it! Well I keep wondering. .if I am doing what I want to do be doing is it really wasted time?

I enjoy a good television show. Is that wasted time if it's something I want to be doing? I'm not being lazy sitting there watching it. I'm usually folding laundry or working my mind on how I would handle the situation I'm watching. Sometimes I am even baking or working on a project. So if I enjoy watching tv does it make it wasted time?

So that brings me to Facebook. Yes I enjoy facebook! I enjoy seeing people's pictures and their status of life. Sure people make it look glamours or fun filled but if you are in touch with reality you know nobody has a life like that. I enjoy seeing my family and friends children grow up and grandbabies come along and new homes. It makes me feel in touch with the world and when I do see someone with a heartache I like to reach out to them in prayer or with a card or just something to make them smile. So yeah. .if I am on facebook and it's what I want to be doing. .is it really wasted time?

I enjoy a good book! Oh how I love to read! I don't get to do it as much as I use to so it's a treat when I find the time to do it. I like to read romances and biographies. I like to reach religious self help style books. I'm not a huge fan of mysteries though. I find reading lets me relax and go off into another world. Is that wrong? If I enjoy treating myself to a glass of wine or iced tea and a lawn chair and reading for an hour is that wasted time?

Movies! I guess those could fall into the same category as television. I don't go to the theater very often to see a movie. I do like doing it but it is way to expensive! But a few times a year a movie comes a long that I want to see on the big screen with a crowd of people and big tub of popcorn. Yeah sometimes it's not about the movie. .it's the experience! A dark cold room in the summer time when it is 100 degrees outside. .a diet coke and some popcorn can take the edge off the grumpies and relax me! It's not always about the movie but the experience so if I am enjoying it and it is what I want to do is it wasted time?

I'm not saying that I bypass things that I need to do. .laundry, housework, time spent with my family and friends, work among other things but really please don't tell me I am wasting my time because it's my time to decide how I spend it and if these are things I enjoy doing it then I'm not wasting it! I hope you enjoy not wasting your time the next time you do something YOU want to do!

I hate chocolate!

I HATE chocolate! . . .snicker. .snicker. . :)  Snicker? Did I say Snicker. .as in Snicker Candy bar? Oh my!!! I hate chocolate!!! I hate it because it taste so good! I hate it because it makes my clothes fit tighter! I hate it because it calls my name when I go through the check out at the store and there is a a Hersey or Dove bar just whispering my name.. yes I hate chocolate! 

My chocolate doesn't have to be a fancy chocolate. Just milk chocolate please! I don't care for dark chocolate. I know it's "healthier" but it does nothing for me. White chocolate is okay. It doesn't get me excited either. But ohhhh the smooth taste of milk chocolate. .oh the slow melt of creaminess is just the perfect taste. .but oh I hate that stuff!!! It melts in the summer time faster than I can enjoy it. ..it makes the scales go up instead of down and it is so tempting. .so yes I hate chocolate! Simple as that. .I hate it!

She has legs!

She has legs!
As many of you know from some of my previous blog post I am a BzzAgent. It's a great program! You fill out surveys that take just a few minutes and they match you with companies who needs people to review their products and your mailbox starts filling up with products.

I'm currently reviewing the Schick Hydro Silk Sensitive Care Razor. I received a razor, 3 refill cartridges and a travel case. They also asked us to review shaving cream as well. They included coupons for a free can Skintimates.

See the little yellow bee on the right background? That is the tape on the outside of the box! So cute!

On with the review! I'm totally in love with this razor! Until now I've used the Venus razor for several several years and was always happy with it but after trying this one I'll be switching! First of all I love the way the handle fits in my hand. It has a nice grip and it's just the right size to fit in the underarms.

I was also impressed with closeness of the shave. Very smooth and I didn't have any red bumps or  nicks on my legs.  They were summer ready in the  middle of winter! The blade pivoted well around the ankles and knees without snagging. The moisture strips would allow you to shave with just water if necessary. Most of the time I just use soap to shave with anyway which leads me to the Skintimates. Although it had a nice fragrance and worked well I'm not sold on the fact of having to use a shaving cream. Soap or shower gel seems to work just fine for me. I'm sure there are ladies who need to use for whatever reason but my shower gel lathers just as well.

The little travel case the came with the razor was also a nice touch. I don't travel much but it is nice to store the razor in and will be handy for an upcoming spring break trip.

I have not checked the price of the razor to compare it to others but if you have sensitive skin I would highly recommend giving this razor a try. It is worth it!

Self Esteem Struggles

We all go through it as some point in life. We all have different ways of dealing with it. We all struggle with self-esteem at times in our lives. I struggled in school with it. Was I pretty enough to get a date? No because I didn't get asked to the dance. Am I smart enough? No because everyone else got an A on the test and I got a B. I have no talent because I didn't make the show choir. A few years later I struggled as a new wife. Is the house clean enough? No there is a spot on the kitchen window that my best friend pointed out. Is my laundry sparkling white and clean? No there is a hole is my husbands sock. Does dinner taste okay? No there is to much salt in the potato's. And then again I struggled with self esteem as a new mother. Can I lose the baby fat fast enough? No I never did. Is the baby sleeping through the night right away? No because I really have no idea what I am doing. Is the baby healthy? No because I'm not breast feeding. We all go through it in life. Maybe once, maybe twice, maybe several times. .or all the time. Self doubting ourselves or do we doubt ourselves because of what someone said to us?

Right now I'm in self doubting self esteem low spot. I know it won't last forever because I've been through it before. I'm questioning if I am smart enough for my job or not. Some of this comes from suddenly become one of the oldest members of the team and not the youngest. I am not getting respect with my seniority. It's aggravating. I'm constantly being shoved here or there and things being questioned. Starts working on your self esteem eventually. I know I am good at my job. Not great but good. I love my job but it gets harder and harder to deal with every day. The tears and frustration come daily instead of occasionally.

I'm feeling low self esteem in the friend department. So many friends that I thought were very close friends are no long friends. Not because something has happened. I've just realized that I am the one putting in all the work to the relationship. I backed off and found out just how good of friends I thought these people were. Another low blow to the self esteem. Guess they really weren't my friends. They only contact me when they need something from me. Not to just be my friend.

There is always the self image in the mirror self esteem. yeah so I'm pushing 50. . .I'm over weight but I eat healthy and work out. So I can't wear size 6 jeans like some of my friends. Wait? Friends? What friends? (see above paragraph) I don't feel like I need to wear the latest trends or be dressing like my 23 year old daughter. I feel I dress okay for my age. Not 23 or 73. But there is always that question when you look in the mirror? Do I look okay? No. . this doesn't match this or my shoes are scuffy or I wore this last week will anyone notice? Is my hair okay? No it's not. It's not straight like everyone is wearing it. I still rock the 80's poof. Why? Because I have cowlick and that makes my hair stand up. .might as well go with it instead of fighting it. Much easier. I think I'm aging pretty good. Not many wrinkles. A few fine lines forming here and there but not as  clean looking as other people I know. Why can't have their skin?

I am rereading my list of self esteem issues. Can I do something about them? Sure I can. I can keep doing what I am doing because I am me! I'm not everyone else. I can ignore the mirror. I can do my job the best that I know how. I can make new friends. I can continue to eat healthy and work out. I am reminded of the video that circulated a few months ago of the little girl in the mirror in the morning. Jessica's Daily Affirmation. I LIKE ME!


http://youtu.be/qR3rK0kZFkg

BzzAgent Reporting In Sir!

Bzz Agent Arthur reporting in on Cure'l Intensive Healing Lotion! I was pretty excited to get ask to review this product. I have a horrible dry cracked feet and are always looking for something to try on them to make them less lizardy looking. Lizardy? Is that a real word? I guess it is in my vocabulary!

Bzz Agent sent me some sample jars of this lotion and I've used 3 so far. Now I'm not a big lotion person. I don't like to use lotions because it takes forever to soak in and who has time for that when getting ready for work? So since I was going to try using this on my feet I decided I'd do the white cotton sock with the lotion at bedtime routine. Slather my feet in the Curel, pull on some white cotton socks and head off to snoozeville and let it do it's magic!

So far I'm not extremely impressed it. It's doing an okay job. About like other lotions I've used. My feet are not soaking the lotion up and it's staying on my feet all night. My feet are a little softer but nothing to major. Now I have also put one of the jars on my desk at work. My hands are constantly dry from handling so much paper and using the keyboard all day. I'm not super impressed with it here either. It's a bit thick for hand lotion and an hour later I'm still rubbing my hands together to get it to soak in. e

I'm going to continue using the product and see how it goes for a few more weeks. I'll report back in with a final evaluation!

This is Bzz Agent Arthur signing out!