Foster Day 1

So we have officially been okayed to foster a dog for a nearby shelter.  After a long discussion, much time, and a chance for our current dog to get to know the dogs that were possible fosters for us, we found a match, and we are meeting her at our house in a few hours.

In the meantime, we've had to 'set up home'.  I forgot how much you have to prepare for a new dog: crate, leash, bowls, food, towels, blankets for the crate, and determining what you need to bathe the dog (as that's the first thing we'll do once she arrives from the shelter.)  So in preparing, our current dog has been running around the house, following us, all confused.  He's been in and out of her crate more times now than I can count, and is moping around the house.  (if you don't have a dog or have seen a dog mope around, it's actually quite sad).   However, we know he likes her, because when they met yesterday they just had a great time, so we are sure that once she arrives he'll be excited instead of uncertain.

Again, it's day one, but we are excited.  If you feel fostering is a part of something you want to do, it's always good to reach out to a shelter and see if you would be a good fit or a good fit for a dog in need.  After all, a more well-adjusted dog makes for a happier adoptee.  However, understand that the foster dog needs you and will be a dependent whom you need to care for constantly is of the utmost importance.  This isn't a toy, it's truly an animal in need, and we cannot wait to help our little Cinder out!

Adopt A Dog

My husband and I today found a dog in a shelter we thought we really might like, so we made the trip out to the shelter to meet this pup.  We have a corgi, as some of you know, and sometimes we're perfectly contented being a fun little family of three.  Other times, it's almost as if Ein is sad or wants to play but just not with us and we wonder if he'd love having a sister.

We've toyed with the idea for about a year now, and I just keep an eye out.  Knowing how he is with other dogs, we know he gets along with them and isn't super pushy or alpha-y, but we also know he can get annoyed by overly hyper dogs (as he's the biggest couch potato ever) and we also know with his super short reach a really big dog won't be a good fit for him.  So I have been looking.

About six months ago our breeder had another litter of puppies (yes we got Ein from a breeder.  Please please PLEASE do your homework on a breeder if you are, in fact, going to purchase a dog from a breeder instead of adopting from a shelter.  Just because the person's a 'breeder' doesn't mean they should be breeding dogs or that the dogs are kept in good conditions. Please just be smart.  Don't feed the fire of irresponsible breeding).  Anyway, back to the point - our breeder knew we were toying with the idea and called to let us know she and another breeder on the list had female 4 mo. old puppies who would be a good fit with Ein.  My husband and I thought about it, but I had just started a new job and couldn't take the 2 weeks to Work From Home to acclimate the new puppy and work on training...and, to be honest, we couldn't food the $1200 bill for the new puppy plus the $300 a month dog-walking bill we knew would be needed until the puppy was about 10-12 months old and could hold it for a full day.

Therefore, we reluctantly turned the puppy down and hoped another family could be happily blessed. Still, we've been looking, and we've really had an eye out for a corgi.  About three weeks ago a shelter I check in with had a corgi mix that still wasn't adopted so we went to visit.  After learning more about the dog and her needs, we just knew it we weren't a good fit for the dog.  Then another shelter had a corgi mix pop up last week.  I called this morning and she was still available, so we headed over to take a look.

Adorable.  So sweet, totally a snuggle-bug, and absolutely loved my husband.  We visited for a little and also met with another dog we noticed while we were there.  She was also a cutie, but a much bigger dog, albeit just as sweet.

If you haven't thought hard, and I mean really considered, adopting from a shelter, you should.  I worked at one in college, and I'm not just saying that to justify why I think adopting is so great.  These dogs, you guys, are wonderful.  The majority of them just had really stupid or horrible humans who shouldn't have been given a dog in the first place because they either couldn't handle them or didn't believe dogs should be 'adopted for life' / 'through thick and thin' like every other dependent you have.  So it's sad- these sweet, amazing, lovable creatures who just want to run up to you and remind you that you are the absolute most important thing in their life - are waiting for a new owner who can see them for the amazing beings they are.  And they are truly amazing.  If I could foster dogs and had a huge back yard that was fenced in I absolutely would.  They deserve it, and the owners who come to adopt them should be able to adopt dogs who have been helped through their trauma by being fostered.  I think it's the greatest thing people do for animals.

Anyway - we still don't know if it's a fit yet.  Again, adopting and owning a pet isn't a 'cool' thing or a 'fun' thing - it's a real responsibility, and you need to take it as such.  And while the two girls we saw were adorable and if we didn't already have Ein I would have taken them both, we have to consider our current baby when looking at others, so we are still unsure of what we're doing.  However, and in the meantime, I truly hope that you look into adoption.  Yes, you are saving a life, but I promise they will actually bless yours more.

Small Business Bliss - Direct Sales

Have you ever sat around and thought either fleetingly or long and hard about owning your own business? I wouldn't be surprised, since something like 70% of Americans do.  There's this dream of owning something that is romaticised and understood as the way to truly own one's life.  Having a J.O.B (or 'just over broke') will keep you perpetually, well, just over broke.  Being employed makes few people wealthy.  It keeps the majority downtrodden and living a life that is a paycheck to paycheck existence.

I don't think you sit around and fleetingly think (and definitely not think long and hard) about how you want to live a paycheck to paycheck life.  That's not exactly what most people dream about.

No, they dream about freedom, about ownership and earning themselves a life that gives them options.  That also means that most people have one of two options: they can open a business that is brick and mortar, or open a business that is electronic.  Obviously, if you're logical, you would instantly realize that the latter is more lucrative, as it takes the need for paying rent and electricity and  the other steadfast expenses associated with brick and mortar locations out of the equation.  Many of these options lie in Direct Sales.  Still, hundreds of people scoff at these businesses.  Instead, they believe franchises and brick and mortar are superior to their DS brothers.  How, they wonder, could you ever get involved in one of those?  Maybe a better question is, how is it you believe $100,000 investment for a store or franchise is a good bargain?  You'll be married to it 24/7 if you don't have the people to work for you, and you already start severely in the hole.  Direct Sales requires an investment, yes, and you need to be mindful of the company with whom you start...but wouldn't you want to do that same research if you bought a franchise?

So, if you're wishing to open your own business, and you haven't really taken a good, close, hard look at direct sales, I'm certain you should take the extra minute and do so.  Being personally involved in one, I can tell you it has blown all my expectations.  Treat it like a business, and you will be rewarded as such.  Treat it like a hobby, and, well, like any hobby brink and mortar you'll have to 'shut your doors', so to speak.  But with the same small business perks, if you incorporate yourself correctly, and tax season next year will give you some happy write offs for things you need in your everyday life anyway.

Make the investment in yourself.  It's worth it.

Rethinking Beauty

I want to revisit and earlier post I wrote about how the industry needs to start seeing beauty as something more than "perfect" curves and a size 0-2.  In that light, today I saw a post on Yahoo! about a plus size 16 model.  She was curvy and beautiful, but not unhealthy, and that's the best part.  I believe there is still this dichotomy in people's minds about size and health, that somehow a size 0-6 is healthy and a size above 10 is not.  That's not true.  Having been a size 12 since I was 18, whether I was dancing/working out 3-4 days a week, following a vegan diet, or just existing, I've always been within a 10 pound flux, and those 10 pounds always put be at a size 12.  Now, sometimes the size fit a little nicer than others, and aside from the temporary gain of 15-20 pounds after my mom died, I've really hovered in this 10 pound flux consistently.

And after battling myself for more than those 10 years, I'm finally getting it: that's JUST my body.  My husband can't believe it, often commenting "for someone who eats as well as you do, you should be so much thinner"...and the true part is he doesn't mean it maliciously, he means it in the way the rest of the world views sizes like mine: that we must be doing something wrong.

Now, if I get on a scale it says my BMI is 33...not going to lie, that's not a super awesome number.  Ever.  For anyone.  So I got a trainer for a while, and he even noted that after a certain point I stop losing and start bulking (not in a bad way, but in a way a really solid pit bull is stocky....and the way he'll never be as thin as a greyhound).

So I've learned to try loving myself more.  And it's freeing.  REALLY freeing!  And when I see this picture of this size 16 model on Yahoo!, my hope is that other people see what I see when they look at it...not the initial "omg, is that really beautiful?" or "her stomach is so not Jennifer Aniston's", but rather, "she is solid, and beautiful, and not fat and roll-y".  Because people like us aren't - we try and we work at it and we make the right choices, but we will never become the size 2s and 4s we have been taught to aspire to for so long.

AND THAT'S OK.  It's time to start teaching people that HEALTHY is BEAUTIFUL.  Choosing what's GOOD for your body is BEAUTIFUL, and whatever size that leads you to as an equilibrium, is YOUR beautiful.

Demand Reality

I believe it's time.  It's time the fashion, movie, advertisement, {insert here} industry to start believing that women who are not a size 0,2, 4 are beautiful.

When I was in college I decided I wanted to be the first designer to have a runway full of only size 6s and above.  I felt so strongly about it my bones ached.  Only, problem?  I don't actually make clothes. Nope, not a designer.  Just someone who is so obsessed with Project Runway in a previously life I must have designed for royalty or something.  

So, as I came to grips with the fact that I would never show with Versace, Gucci, and Chanel, I worked to calm my heart while I waited. waited for someone who saw the world in the same way I did to make the statement that things need to change.

I enjoy the rising awareness of the blond plus size model.  I love that Jennifer Lawrence loves the way she looks (and, yes, she is skinny!), and I love that the high school girl petitioned Seventeen magazine to only show women with real sized figures.

But then I turned on E! and saw Giuliana Rancic and just wanted to feed her a peanut butter sandwich through the TV on the spot.  Sweetheart, Holocaust-like bone structure is so not attractive.  Seriously, Bill, feed your woman something with some fat...and on a regular basis.  Seconds after I had that thought, I saw Kelly Osbourne.  She is gorgeous.  If we, the world, could work on celebrating real-size beauty (shape differences, size differences, healthy realities) we would be in such a much better place.  ...and I don't mean going to the "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" size either, which suggests to viewers you're either going to be skinny and happy or you can be super fat and heavy.  No.  I'm talking putting a spotlight on health, and sizes 6-12 that are represented by healthy, curvy, true-sized women.

That is all.

The Double Sided Edge of Procrastination

Sometimes you know what to do and do it.  Other times you don't have any clue what to do so you do nothing.  The one, though, that makes you walk on a very sharp edge is when you know what to do and you don't do it.

That, my friends, is procrastination.  And if you're not careful you can fall down the wrong end of that blade!

Procrastination is the voice that says, "Just check Facebook again" or "Maybe I should go get the mail" or "I should probably see if I have more emails..."  That, my friends, is procrastination, and it can be like the black hole of TV and just cause people to waste away.

Some will argue that procrastination can cause you to produce your best work.  I'm not disagreeing ... when you have a hard deadline.  Procrastinating on a paper knowing it's due Friday at 5 is different because you have to produce something by Friday at 5 or risk a zero, so whether you start it three weeks early or the night before.  Knowing there's a final day and time can sometimes make people who procrastinate produce their best work.

No, I'm not talking about that kind of procrastinating.  I'm talking about your WISH LIST.  The things you wanted to do with your life, or day, or month, or year....but had no hard deadline nor had to get done for any reason.  Those are the ones where procrastination can snatch your list and make it disappear while making you think you're enjoying your days.  These are the times when procrastination turns into regrets 10, 20, 30 years down the road.

Want to work on alleviating that regret and working to fight against procrastination?  Start by giving yourself just one item to accomplish today, big or small.  Then another, and another every few days.  When you can do them for a week, reward yourself!  Take yourself for another cup of coffee or a mani-pedi.  Just make sure it's a reward you don't usually treat yourself to "just because".  Otherwise it won't feel special and you won't feel like you really are taking your life back!

So here's to living for the now...not for the now and easy.  Because, let's face it, you're 10-year older self will love the new stories those life choices create.

Happy New Year! Happy Eating!

It's 2015!! WOOT!  Happy New Year all!

First I want to give a big THANK YOU to all my amazing readers out there.  You are the most amazing people, and I hope you know that you inspire me to continue writing.  I hope that your 2015 has started off full of smile, wonder, and laughter.

And, if you're in the midwest, sadly, a LOT of cold!

So, for those of you stuck in the cold, it's a bit more challenging to get your outside "workout" in.  I put it in quotes because it's always best to do your moving in normal clothes doing everyday things, like taking the stairs, going for a walk on your lunch break, parking further away, taking your dog an extra block, etc.  However, in the cold, if you're like me, your entire thought process is OMG GET BACK INSIDE! :)  Therefore, you may find yourself a little more sedentary than normal, and after the holidays, it's important to think about ways to stay healthy.

So where do you turn first when looking at your health?  Your FOOD!  Yes, your food is the majority of everything: weight, health, physique, emotions, energy.  You name it, it stems from the food you eat.  So how do you take back your life?  Take back your food choices.  Think clean, whole food options.  Think colorful.  Think NATURAL (i.e. the non-GMO version, the wild-caught, the organic fruits and veggies).  Opt for the whole food options such as an orange instead of orange juice, a full chicken breast with skin and bone vs slices of chicken "breast" deli meat, real asparagus vs anything from a can or freezer.  The more you can find it like it would come in the wild, the better it is for you.

And, as I like to fondly remember from a book-mentor of mine, 3 meals, only snack if you are so famished you'd literally eat your arm, and make sure you eat in a quiet area.  NO TV.  Pay attention to your food, and it'll reward you.

*hugs* and Happy New Year!

Bday Dinner Yumminess

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, so he came over and enjoyed a lovely home cooked meal, compliments of me, with the family.

So in order to make it special, I had to be sure to cook some truly yummy plates.

What did the menu include?  Let's take a look.

Potato Leek Soup:
Potatoes, Leeks, vegan chicken stock, garlic salt, water, rice milk

Pot Roast:
Pot roast, Cream of Mushroom soup, French onion Dip (slow cooker)

Mushroom Risotto:
Shitake mushrooms, kale, 1/3 onion, 3 cups vegan chicken stock, 1/4 cup vegan parmesean cheese, water, coconut oil, olive oil

Chocolate Cookie truffles
Oreo substitutes, vegan cream cheese, protein powder, cinnamon, dark chocolate

It was so delicious.  I highly recommend all of the above.  :)

Happy Dining!

Facebook Remembers

Now, I'm not the biggest proponent of Facebook, nor am I a big proponent on living in the past.  Neither focus you on the future and on creating the most of the here and now to build the accomplishments in life you want for yourself.  However, part of growing is reflecting.  In order to determine who you want to become you need to understand who you are now and from where you've come.  Given the fact that Facebook save well, everything, it's a good place to start.

I went through my last 4-year history when I asked myself, "Who was this girl four years ago?  Have I changed much into the person I thought I would be?"  It was a fun little exercise.  Some of the posts made me laugh, others brought me joy, some reminded me of things and events I had completely forgotten, and a few even reminded me to hope.  If you use Facebook strategically, and not as a platform to word-vomit all of your unhappinesses and complaints, then Facebook can be a tool for good and for informing those you don't see often about your life.

If you are said word-vomiter....maybe it's time to re-evaluate your life.  How is it going?  Are you bringing into your life that which you wanted?  (I'm going to guess probably not, since you output into the universe is negative).

So take a few minutes and browse through your own history.  See where you've been and if you're on the path you had set out for yourself originally.  It's okay if you're not, but this'll give you a chance to re-evaluate which path is the right one for you: the one you had envisioned a few years ago, or the one you are on now.  Reassessing can help you decide how to best realign yourself and create the life you want.

....so that when you look back again in another four years, you'll see the footprints of a person with a vision.  :)

Relationship Advice Sources

Have you ever vented to someone about relationship problems?  Of course!  We all have!  We've probably run to a friend or a co-worker and said "OMG.  You'll never believe what ______ did?" or "I'm so mad that s/he _______".

If you're a woman, you do it because you need to vent.  You need to get it off your chest and out into the universe so that it won't fester inside you.  That seems pretty normal too!  However, you have to remember to be careful.  Maybe you only vent to this co-worker.  How do you think they view your significant other?  Pretty badly, because that's all they hear!  So, part (1) is to remember that every time you say something about your other half, good or bad, that is how that person will always view him or her.  How do you want others to view your husband or wife?

I don't mean to create this ideal person who doesn't really exist because you only ever say the positive things or you pick and choose to create this story that isn't real.  But what I do mean is that he or she isn't there, only the stories you tell are, so heed how you speak about him or her.  Would you want to be negatively viewed by someone you had never met because your significant other only ever vented about you?

Part (2) is where you gain advice.  Let's say you are venting, because, after all, that's pretty normal.  Do you want advice?  If you don't BE SURE TO SAY THAT because everyone will think they have the "perfect" advice for you!  Suddenly you'll be bombarded with absolutely ludicrous "fixes".  If you DO want advice (because, let's face it, usually the venting is b/c we don't know what to do or what we're doing isn't working), be careful who you vent to.  If you want advice, here's the thought to always live by:

Only take advice from people whose ______________ you admire or wish to have.


Would you take financial advice from a broke person?  Of course not!! (but guess how many times you have!....think about that one)

So why would you take advice from someone who's relationship you don't admire or wish to emulate?  You shouldn't.

So next time you feel frustrated about something at home, remember pieces 1 & 2.  And I'm not fully advocating that you should hold things in, but what you speak about is what magnifies.  Do you really want this 'issue' to amplify?  If you don't, then why would you speak about it all day long?  Just be careful.  You deserve the best relationship.

A Big Reader THANK YOU!

I want to take this time to say THANK YOU to all of you.  You inspire me every day to be better, do better, and bring you information and pieces that have meaning and are empowering.  Your feedback means so much, and I love seeing it!

So when I saw on amazon.co.uk the brand new feedback for Quotes in Spanish that said "EXCELLENT", that was the greatest compliment I could have received.  Thank you, readers, for letting me know how much you appreciate the works you read.

I hope you and yours have the most amazing weekend and holiday season!

Great Healthy Dinner Ideas

Need a dinner idea that feeds a lot but doesn't require much prep?  And it should be healthy?  You've come to the right place.

At home, my husband and I are vegan.  I am also gluten free when we don't order out pizza.  (which also means we're not vegan when we order out pizza).  So how to do mend that technicality?  We have agreed to be vegetarian when we are out (fish, cheese, and eggs), but at home we're really good about being vegan.  This is going on year two!

So, sometimes, we are in a pinch to eat something that's not stale or redundant.  If we don't keep it interesting, the same flavors repeatedly can become very boring.  And after a weekend of vegetarian eating at a family's thanksgiving weekend affair, we really wanted to eat clean today!

So here was our list for today:

Fruit in the AM

Kale chips - baked in the oven for 30-40 min drizzled in olive oil with garlic and salt
Dolmas (from trader joes - they're g-free and vegan)

Cauliflower baked (tried to make the buffalo cauliflower recipe I've seen, by it was an utter failure!)

Almond butter spoonful

And then we got to dinner.  My husband and I, after eating clean finally all day, were definitely hungry by dinner time, so I wanted to ensure we had enough food in case my husband could eat dinner and his left arm.  So I made:

Sauteed whole onion and 2 bags of broccoli (get them from trader joes or whole foods in a pre-cut bag)
Baked Potato (4 large)

SO YUMMY!!!! lots of seasoning and some Earth Balance butter to finish off the potato!  Highly recommend it. Plus it could make a good "take to work lunch" meal!

Gift for Spanish Teachers!

Have a Spanish teacher on your list of teachers to buy for this holiday season?!  Here's a GREAT idea to give them a gift that they will love.  How do I know?  Because as a former Spanish teacher I used it regularly!!

http://www.amazon.com/Quotes-Spanish-Grammar-Stephanie-Caprini/dp/0615859909/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417040020&sr=8-3&keywords=stephanie+caprini is by Grammar Topic

http://www.amazon.com/Quotes-Spanish-Theme-Stephanie-Caprini/dp/0615859933/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1417040020&sr=8-4&keywords=stephanie+caprini is by Theme

Show your teachers they have helped you and give back to them what will help them.  They will remember how special it was.

Summarizing Movies

So recently I was having a discussion with a co-worker about movies, specifically, The Hunger Games, and he was convinced it's a critique of America after the 2007 recession.  We took that thought further and decided that it was also a marriage of 2007 and the Vietnam draft, being forced to send boys (albeit not actual children less than 18 years of age) to fight.  It was an interesting concept, to look at the bones of the movie and the social critique it may represent.

We also took that idea to Harry Potter, and it quickly went to an ID and EGO / Freudian take on relationships and marriage.  Nonetheless, it's a fun way to theorize about movies and could even be a great exercise for teaching students about thesis writing and finding proof to back up an opinion.

..just a thought ;)

Now on to seeing the newest Hunger Games!!  Can't wait to see how our Vietnam War / Recession America theory turns out!

A New Standard

I was talking with a few friends this weekend about models.  You see, I'm obsessed with Project Runway.  However, having been a former eating disorder sufferer, I have this abhorrence for the models...

That's a loaded statement I know.  And here's the thing: I get it!  I get that you want a skinny model so that the clothes stand out and the perfection of the vision is shown.  But that's also where I have a problem.  NO ONE LOOKS LIKE THAT!  And the eating disorder in me taunts and mocks and screams at me to work on looking like those girls.  that's where the clothes "look best" so that's, therefore, how I should look.

WRONG!  Clothes should look good ON ME or I should keep looking until I find something that does - not force myself into unhealthy habits just to fit an industry desired norm.  That's what I challenge.  I had this vision a few years ago that if I were to be a designer, my models would be a minimum size 4 and up to a size 8, because THAT's what people want to see.  They want to see clothes that reflect the curves of a healthy woman.  And those are standards that give hope and real reflection, not self-deprecating enhanced self-hatred.

The fashion industry would tell me I'm crazy and that if I want to see a "plus size model" I should look to plus sized fashion.  But why is it one or the other?  Why is it size 0-2 or size 12-14-16?  Why can't it be size 6 is a new norm and everyone can work to feel better about clothes and themselves upon seeing the clothes reflected in magazines?  How terrible of us as a society to say "well, if you're not the size 2 then you better start reflecting yourself in the plus sized people."  Shame on you, fashion industry.  That's not how women's bodies exist. 

And is it the fashion industry's responsibility to promote good self-images?  There are those who would say "No, far from it.  That's on you," but I challenge that and say "Yes, yes it is."  It's not SOLELY their responsibility, but it's wrong to think it should play no part.

So here's to the real-woman, who knows how to be healthy and loves herself for it.  You are beautiful.