One of the things I have been trying to deal with since last November/December is time management. You see when my immediate supervisor quit on us I was propelled into her position/responsibilities. The hardest thing has been supervising 4 people under me and then keeping all of our audit projects moving forward via client meetings, manager meetings, and then my own reviewing over work that has been performed. Often times I’m either buried under a stack of papers at my desk (I prefer to see everything hard copy rather than review by soft copy) or I have a to-do list that is a mile long. So not fun!
So since I am a paper reviewer I’ve been trying to figure out a quick and easy way to mark things as I look them over and are done with them. As auditors, we keep everything we work with until we file the audit then whatever doesn’t make the official hard copy file - either was scanned into our databases or was just copies of spreadsheets kept electronically- gets tossed. So I tonight I was thinking maybe a couple of customized rubber stamps that say reviewed, completed, and for follow-up. I thought this could be a really easy way for me to keep track of all my papers and things I need to do. Anyone have any good tips/suggestions that you use to stay on track and organized at work?
Well another week has come and go. This week I had high hopes for. I had all my meals planned out and ingredients ready to go but somewhere along the way I realized I was missing a can of pineapple and got too lazy to hit the grocery store. Then I had a few late nights at work and well you know where this is heading. Yup derailed by the weekend - hit up our favorite Mexican Restaurant (Chuy’s) after our Relay for Life Walk on Friday and then Buffalo Wild Wings Saturday night for UFC Fight Night. Yeah no healthy choices at either. Its ok though.
I’m not letting that stop me. I hit the grocery store last night and picked up the can of pineapple I was missing and am cooking my fruited pork chops right now as I type. These should last till Thursday as the value pack of chops had 10 large chops in there before we get tired and try something new. :) I’m also plugging away with my workout routine. I’m trying to keep things fresh so I’ve decided to retry the new cardio machine at work. It is a cross between a stair stepper and an elliptical machine. Last time I tried it I only made it for 10 minutes but that was when I first started working out. I’m hoping I can make it a little longer this time around. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
So at the end of week 6 I weighed in at the same as last week which I consider a victory especially with my falling off the wagon so hard last week. This week I’m vowing to be better and healthier.
I swear it seems like it is always hurricane season here in the south. While the usual season stretches June - November, the past few years we have been seeing hurricanes in May and December which stretches the season even further. Mike and I have started to keep a hurricane cooler in my apartment. We have it filled up with essentials such as Spaghetti O’s, batteries, flashlights, pack of poker cards, and a case of water. There are a few more things I want to try and work into our emergency kit such as a weather resistant radio and a larger lantern/flood light as those give more light than a normal flashlight. I was looking at DeWalt tools and noticed they had both items and were at a reasonable price so I think Mike and I will just plan on adding the radio this year and the flood light next year to our kit so that we are adequately prepared.
Another favorite crockpot recipe and it is really simple to make and uses ingredients that most of us have in our pantry and refrigerator already. I actually cut 3 chicken breasts in halves to make 6 chicken breast pieces that the recipe called for below and to lower the points value. I don’t know about your local grocery stores but mine are making 3 packs 2 pounds each! I know I don’t eat that much chicken in one sitting! For the onions I have been purchasing prediced in the freezer section to save money (1 pound = $1!) and so that I can same time and keep from crying. It is definitely a life saver.
Spicy Italian Chicken - 4 WW points per serving
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1/2 c fat free Italian Dressing
1/2 c water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp cold water
1. Spray the inside of a slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray (or use a liner ). Combine all ingredients except chicken, cornstarch, and cold water in slow cooker.
2. Add chicken. Turn to coat.
3. Cover. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove chicken and keep warm.
5. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water.
6. Add cooking juices gradually. Stir and bring to a boil until thickened.
7. Pour sauce over chicken and then serve over noodles or rice.
There are times when stubbornness in my family is good and there are many times when it is bad. Right now is one of those bad stubbornness times. My dad will be heading back to England next week to try and pin down a start date for the project he’s been assigned to. This whole project has turned into a much larger ordeal than any of us have imagined but it is dependent on another company who is building a plant in England so nothing my dad or his company can really do.
Now to the stubborn part that is driving Mike and I up the wall. My dad refuses to think about what he will need once he moves over there for his assignment. He does not understand that our US cell phones will not work over there and if they do he will incur a large roaming charge. So we have tried a few different suggestions: internet service, VoIP, local phone landlines. Nothing seems to work. So we are just going with the obvious: phone cards and hoping for the best.
After the experience of trying to use a regular AT&T phone card from Wal-Mart in Belgium (disaster), I did some Googling and found a website that specializes in international phone cards. I have a feeling that my dad could use these much more easier if we got a specific one that works with outgoing calls from England to the US. The rates I found are comparable to other cards - some are even cheaper - so I think this could be a good alternative. I think my game plan will be to go ahead and order one now so that it will come in time before he has to go on his next visit/meeting so he can try the card out and see if it is a good answer to this dilemma we are facing for 6 months while he is overseas. Everything else has huge fees for setup and cancellation so it seems silly to try something “permanent” for a temporary time period. The more I think about it the more I think these phone cards might be the way to go. Does anyone have any personal experience with this? Any advice to share?
As noted in a previous entry, Adventures with my exercise ball, I recently purchased an exercise ball so that I can do ab exercises at home. I’ve been finding some helpful videos online with different ways to use the exercise ball so that you can work all the different muscles in your stomach without worrying about hurting yourself. The video I’m highlighting today not only works out your upper and lower abs, but it also works out your thighs which tend to be another trouble area for people. For this exercise you will need 1 exercise ball and 1 floor mat or towel to lay on. I hope you enjoy as this is another quick and easy move to add to your workout routine.
I was never one for decorating sophistically. Rather, all the way through high school I did the magazine pages stickied to my walls in no rhyme or reasoning. I am still pulling a picture here or there off my bedroom walls when I go home for holidays and cringe at the oil marks. How my parents didn’t say anything I don’t know but seeing what I do now they probably should have said something. In college I actually did the reverse. I had shelves in every dorm room I lived in so I framed every picture it seemed that I ever took in order to display them. As you can tell, my decorating was not something that was going to land me a job on TLC or HGTV.
So once I moved to my apartment, I vowed not to decorate it as I have done in the past. I have actually framed a few pictures together for the bedroom, and purchased an art print for the kitchen making sure each thing coordinated with the rooms they are placed in. What I seem to be having problems with though is the living room (den) and the bedroom. I just can’t seem to find calming pictures that go with either room. I think I might search through my photo albums from vacation again and try turning them into canvas photos to hang on the wall. I haven’t given much thought into it until recently but the price seems right and I do have some pretty scenery pictures from the beach and Mike and I will be doing the special PhotoPass session at Disney that I wrote about on my blog last week. Maybe I can coordinate/plan a picture then to use for decorating. Anyone have experience doing this? It seems like a neat, personalized way to decorate.
One of the Harry Potter movies was on this past Saturday night. Its been a while since I’ve read books 1-5 so I can’t tell you exactly which one it was. I love the Harry Potter books though can’t get around to book 6 and don’t want to read 7 because it will end it all and then there will be no more. I just haven’t been able to get into the movies. I think its because I like imagining the characters and the things they do my own way not the way that Hollywood has interpreted them.
On the way to Wendy’s tonight Mike was telling me about how he had heard online about Muggles playing Quidditch. I swore he was talking about something he saw in one of the movies since I couldn’t remember the books very closely but then he explained. Apparently, some College kids came up with rules on how to play the game which includes “riding” around on brooms and actually compete against one another in the Quidditch World Cup Games last November. It was hard picturing it until I found in on YouTube and now it all fits together. Its amazing not only that they were able to make this game a reality but that they are able to get so many people at so many colleges to play and compete in a championship tournament. Pretty awesome. Here is the video I found on YouTube. There are more but this one explains what they are actually doing instead of trying to listen and watch a play by play of a game.
I have a love-hate relationship with vitamins. I realize I need to take them to stay healthy but making myself take them is another story. I will say that I was very bad about it growing up and all through college due to the size of these pills. Actually, it wasn’t until last year when I noticed how unbalanced my diet was that I decided that I needed to take a multivitamin each day. Now I’m even more worried because I don’t think I am getting enough folic acid each day nor enough B-vitamins as my energy level has been at all-time lows. I just don’t have fond memories of B-vitamins from growing up. I took them in middle school at the recommendation of my dermatologist who suggested them as an acne treatment. The memory of the taste still sticks with me.
But while I was searching for information about my lightly swollen eye (turns out to be a clogged oil gland), I did research B-vitamins and folic acid and learned that it is very important for me to ensure that I am getting enough in each day to meet the recommended minimums for both my health and for reproductive aspects. I still have a while to worry about reproductive aspects but it is never too early to prepare with taking vitamins. I found a website that sells tablets of B-vitamins and folic acid which dissolve under your tongue. This looked real promising because it would have to taste decent if it dissolves rather than swallowing like a pill plus it would enter my blood stream (via my gums) much more quickly than if I let it go through the digestive track and all that it entails. I am going to give these tablets a try by ordering a box and seeing how they taste and see if I notice an improvement in my energy levels. If you need to include more folic acid or B-vitamins to your diet visit the TriVita website to get your sublingual B12 here.
I can’t believe I forgot to post this yesterday! I just finished Week 6 of my Weight Watchers lifestyle change (ie diet). I can tell you its getting harder and easier at the same time. Let me explain. One of the hardest things for me to incorporate into this lifestyle change is getting in the right amount of fruits, veggies, and water. By week 6 of this diet you are eating so much of those items that you don’t have any issues meeting the recommended servings. What I do start having problems with is staying on track.
By the beginning of Week 6 I had lost 5 pounds. I was super excited but then I got a little cocky diet wise. I started thinking well I’m doing everything right and losing weight so I don’t need to monitor my food intake. I also can skip the gym tonight if I just stick to my points. Not a good attitude to have with oneself. Sorta like self sabotage. So I tried really hard this week to overcome that. Monday - Friday absolutely no problems. Hit the gym, ate healthy, tracked my food intake. By Saturday though I was getting bored with my set menu and cranky. Mike and I turned in our Free night card and headed to Wendy’s for my favorite meal - jr. bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a frosty (for dipping the fries). So no point counting then nor on Sunday when Mike and I turned in the card again to unwind after his CPA exam test.
So this week I’m aiming to start tracking points again (and correctly) as well as going back to the gym. I have roughly 5 months before our vacation and I would like to be at least the same size I was 2 years ago if not a tad smaller so my capris don’t suffocate me. We are continuing our meal plan and are finishing up the pork tenderloin and will move onto pork chops tomorrow. I’m super excited over that one.
So as of the end of Week 6 I have lost another pound bringing the total to 6 pounds in 6 weeks!
