2018 wrap up, looking ahead to 2019, and "resolutions"

Hey Nerds, there's a few days left to 2018 and it's time to think of those "new years resolutions".
There are the typical resolutions we all make, like, lose weight and get fit, etc.  And those are on my list too... I start every year off strong with exercising from January to May, then things fall apart for a few months, and then September to November I try again.  I feel like I never make major progress and by December, I'm back to where I was last December.
BUT, this post about resolutions is going to go beyond the "get fit" resolution, let's explore...

DIY Movie Night Snack Gift Basket

Hey Nerds,
Every year I put together several DIY gift baskets with a theme.  This year I am going with a movie snack night theme.  It will have popcorn, candy, chocolate, popcorn boxes, and... wine... yes, everyone needs a little help to get through the holidays *.  If you need to make a bunch of gifts for the holidays that are under $20 each, then keep reading.  The prices below are in relation to 1 basket.

Christmas House Decorating ... Frugally

Hey Nerds,
Want to know what I loath?  Christmas music starting on November 1st, and Christmas decorations out while I haven't even bought Halloween candy.  But alas, that is the way things seem to be going.  We're bombarded with Christmas so early.  I for one, don't like it, and don't like decorating early.  To me it just feels like clutter.  Yes, this is where you question if I have a soul and if mean-spirited.  I'm actually so sweet, that I'll give you cavities... unless you get on my bad side...

Nerdy Girl goes Girly Girl, and me vs. Dwayne getting ready.

Hey Nerds,
You know, being a girly-girl is a lot of effort when you're a nerdy-girl.  Actually, I like getting dressed in skirts and dresses, but the rest of me is low-key.  This past weekend, Dwayne and I attended my company's formal Christmas dinner party.  I tend to go every other year and when I do, I like to put extra effort into my look: nails, party dress, jewelry, maybe a little extra eye make up, etc.  But, it's not easy to be super girly-girl and it takes more time for me to figure out what to do.

What I eat in a day...

Hey Nerds,
"It's been a hot minute since I posted".  Anyway...
I tend to watch a lot of fitness and health YouTubers, and one of the recurring themes is "What I Eat in a Day", so I figured I would join the party train and do a post about what I at in a day (along with Weight Watcher Smart Points).  I was a little more careful with this day's eating because I would be sharing it, but typically my day might include a handful (or two, or three) of chips, and some of the kid's Halloween chocolate bars, but I've been trying to be more careful in the last week.

Once upon a time I played Candy Crush

Hey Nerds,
I have a confession... several years ago I had to uninstall Candy Crush because it was affecting my life!  I actually had it on my smartphone at two separate times, and each time I had to uninstall it, but I haven't gone back to it.  I never got very far... maybe just a bit past level 100 or so.  I haven't played it in probably 5 years.
So how could a simple little ridiculous game affect me?  let me tell you...

Weight Watchers Freestyle - focus on whole foods

Hey Nerds,
As I mentioned in my post about my journey to be healthier, I mentioned that I've had success with following Weight Watchers.  However when I mention Weight Watchers, some people's immediate reaction is "it's not healthy", "you can't continue on like that", "they don't promote a healthy lifestyle".  I assume they may not be aware of how the program works, or don't know the recent changes to the program.  Also, the program is what you make of it.  If you think Weight Watchers is all about eating packaged frozen meals with a points value on them, and eating their pre-packaged treats, then you should learn more about the program! 

Y'all may find this information lengthy.  Well, too bad.

Dia de los Muertos Halloween Costume

Hey Nerds,

So, first, can I start by saying that it's ironic my kids can't dress up for Halloween at school, but, I, as an adult can dress up for Halloween at work? and there's a costume contest?  OK, just wanted to get that out of the way.

Every year for Halloween, I'll either participate in a group Halloween costume with co-workers, or, I'll just dress up in costume on my own.  I was on the fence about what to do this year,

Running? huh? me? ... oh boy, read on!

Hey Nerds,
Back in September I was boasting about trying out running, and how I led Matthew to have confidence to push himself.  And now it's time for an update on that...

Did I stick to doing running in the last 5 weeks?

So, as I said in one post, I held Matthew's hand all the way around the track to show him that, yes, he can keep running the whole track!  Can you believe that after JUST that one time doing that with him, he skyrocketed with his endurance?  Just a couple practices after that day we went running at Malden Park.   I set a specific point on the path where we would take a break, ....

September Bike Ride at Holiday Beach and Oven 360

Hey Nerds,
This was a post I had drafted in September, but then I had other posts to share with you.  However, I still wanted to come back and share the pictures.  In early September we went to Holiday Beach for a family bike ride.  I really like Holiday Beach for a few reasons:

Outfit for the Office on a Crisp Fall Day

Hey Nerds,
I wouldn't consider myself to be fashionable --or a fashionista.  Some days I struggle to show up with ironed cloths, or someone points out there's a food stain on my cloths, which I immediately retort that I've got kids and they did it.   In fact, I don't really enjoy cloths shopping because I find it frustrating; either the cloths are not cut to fit my shape, or the material looks like it has no structure and will look like a rag after one or two washes. 

But, most days I do try to look put together and presentable.  Once in a while, I surprise myself and say "hey, this outfit looks pretty good".  I had one such occurrence this week, so I figured I would blog about it... plus I was having a #goodHairDay, so all the more reason to capture the moment before it's was gone.

A little bit about my journey to be healthier...

Hey Nerds,
This post should of probably been up from before but I've had trouble revising and deciding how much info is too much, and not wanting to bore you too much.
I've never had a weight issue, so I don't have any mind blowing pictures to show you a "before and after" (but there is a face-to-face photo at the bottom of the post).  For the most part I've been on the slimmer side, but not fit or toned.  I guess there's a name for it... "skinny fat", which I think is a bit insulting... first society will tell us it's not healthy to be over-weight, but then you're slim and it's still not good enough.  Not everyone can be (or has aspirations) to be super toned.

Note: Without disclosing my actual weight, I'm going to just say "X" lbs...

'Tis the season to... start falling off the wagon?

Hey Nerds,

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (Canadian) weekend.  I enjoyed mine very much, spending time with family and eating delicious meals… morning, noon, and night.  Homemade macaroni and cheese for breakfast anyone? 

Because of the holiday, there's only going to be one post this week (which you're reading).

Maybe you already know what the subject of this blog is going to be based on the title.  I know for myself and many others, it starts to become difficult to keep those healthy habits up when we start to get near the end of the year.  Think about it, we've got Thanksgiving, and then Halloween, then Christmas work dinners start in November, and more Christmas/Holiday get togethers, then Christmas itself, and the grand finale of New Year's, leaving you feeling like "oh good lawrd, I can’t pull up my pants no more!".

Chicken Tortilla soup in the Crock Pot

Hey Nerds,

I love this soup... it's filling and tasty, and fits the bill for being healthy with wholesome ingredients.  Each person can customize their soup bowl it when it comes time to serve it up.  I make a big pot of this on the weekend and then eat it throughout the week for my lunch.  This soup is family friendly, except for my family, go figure.
Here's what you're going to need:

Fall Inspired table decor from Dollarama

Hey Nerds,
So today I'm bringing you a 'decorating ideas' blog, and I'm not sure how it will be taken. Yes, this is using Dollarama items, but I think if you balance out what you're using from the dollar store with something timeless or more on the neutral side, you can make it work.  If you go to YouTube and search Dollarama/Dollar Tree hauls or decorating, you'll see I'm not making this up.  Let's get into it already.

Trying EXPENSIVE candy... is it worth it?

In our house gummy bears and candy are treats that have to be earned (or used for bribing, if we're being honest ).  My kids will tell me their friends get to eat a whole packet of gummy bears, and I tell them, "I don't care what your friends are doing"... That makes me sound like I'm becoming my mom,... whom is awesome, BTW, but didn't we all have those arguments: 'all my friends are doing it', and our parents said 'so what?!'.

I was at a local health/supplement/nutrition store the other day and came across these gummy candies called "Smart Sweets" that boast having only 1g-3g of sugar per serving, which is the whole baggie (50 g).  The little bag of candy cost $4.29.

What holding hands taught me about Leadership

Hey Nerds,

This post wasn't planned; it was inspired by a practice run I did with Matthew Saturday afternoon.

We weren't able to get out for a run until about 3:30pm, and quite frankly, I don't think either of us wanted to go.  We had been busy with some errands and house chores, but I told Matthew he needed to practice to condition his body.

We did our stretches, then started running... about 30 meters in, Matthew stops. 

Running... is it for me?

Hey Nerds,
When I was in high school (long time ago), I had the marks to make the Honour Roll list, but I was lacking one criteria: Sports.  Uhhhg... I am not good at sports... my lowest mark in my high school years was a C in PhysEd.... yes, it's possible to get a low mark in gym class (this is a Nerdy Girl's blog remember?)

So, I had to find a sport I could join and make the team, and not embarrass myself by getting hit in the head by a ball.  Enter: Cross Country Running... it's an individual sport, so I didn't have to co-ordinate passing or receiving a ball!

Pretending I know what I'm doing during a warm up

Welcome to Life as a Nerdy Girl...

I've been hesitant to finally hit "Publish" on this.  I've been sitting on this blog for years, ignored it, forgot about it, and then decided to start it up again recently, but still, it's been a couple of weeks since I started looking into it again.  There's a fear associated with putting yourself out there and trying something new.  I opened a fortune cookie the other day, I had to take a picture.  To me, putting myself out there is daring, so here we go!

This blog is going to be a little mix of everything... it's mostly geared towards trying to follow a healthy lifestyle of exercise and eating, but it will include much more.