5 for Five

Hi Friends! It has been a hot minute (does anyone still say that?) since I've written a post but I'm excited to start writing again! What a better day, than a Monday, and link up with Jenn & Jess!

1) Workout Monday, Thursday, Friday-Sunday- I'm hoping that if I write down specific days then this will help motivate me more. I'm not doing it on Tuesday because those are long days for me, and on Wednesday I work at Old Navy.

2) Pack my lunch every day this week- This may seem easy to do but when you get busy it is easier to just go out and grab something. Not this week! To reward myself I will go out Friday night for dinner :)

3) Blog AT LEAST 3x this week! Please hold me accountable to this! Lately it's been so easy to just tell myself "no one reads your posts so they won't notice if you don't blog". Also, if you have any topics you want me to post about, let me know!

4) Catch Up/Keep Up with grading!- This is a never ending goal. I always start the week out well but by Thursday my work bag is filled with papers and I procrastinate. (Shocker I know!)

5) Go Shopping for my Flip-Flop Swap Buddy! I have the best partner in the world for this (ahem, Jenn) and am so excited to get her stuff... now to get paid on Wednesday...

That's all for today folks! (Thank you Hulu Cartoons!)

Sweetheart VoxBox Review!

When I first got into blogging it was simply to read other blogs. Then it developed into me posting my own, but never did I think that I would get to do reviews on products!

Thanks to my sweet friend, Jenn, I became part of the Influenster Program. This program is awesome because you go to their website (www.influenster.com), post reviews about different products that YOU TRY and then you get FREE PRODUCTS sent to you to review! My first shot at this was the SweetHeart VoxBox.

Picture by: Kristen

When I opened the box I was SO EXCITED to see the full size products. Plus they were products that I would use in my every day life. In the box there was Skinnygirl On the Go bar, Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant, Olay Fresh Effects System, and Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Spray.

Product #1: The Olay Va-Va Vivid Fresh Effects System.

I have to be honest, I was hesitant to try this product. I have really sensitive skin and I have a Clarisonic which I absolutely love. HOWEVER, this product is great! It is sensitive to my skin, easy to use, and AFFORDABLE! It averages about $13.00 for the starter kit (the 2 products below) and the rest of the line ranges $5-$10 depending on the product. The one negative is there isn't a timer like the Clarisonic. I can see someone using it too long on a spot and damaging their skin.

Recommendation: Get this product if you can't afford a Clarisonic!

Product #2: Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Spray

I was really excited to see this product because I love how my hair looks after I'm at the beach. Weird, right? My hair looks SO GOOD at the beach though, it has just a little wave but isn't curly. I was hoping this product would give my hair the same result. Wah, Wah, Wah, it didn't. I mean, it wasn't terrible but it didn't have the holding power. My hair was flat within the hour. I've heard from others that it really doesn't work if you have naturally straight hair. My hair is naturally wavy so this product enhanced the wave but it didn't last :( The redeeming spot? The smell! It smells so much better than other sea-salt sprays I've tried. Price: $5.

Recommendation: Not worth your money, but go to Sephora and ask for a free sample.

 

Product #3: SkinnyGirl On-the-Go Bar

I used to be a sucker for protein bars. I would have one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for a snack. They were easy and quick. Then I got into Clean Eating and realized how horrible a bunch of them are for you. Most are loaded with strange ingredients you can't pronounce and have weird tastes and textures. NOT SKINNY GIRL! The first thing I did was look at the ingredients. I can read all the ingredients and they are mostly good for you! I had this bar right before a workout and it kept me satisfied. The best part? The TASTE! It tasted like a candy bar and not cardboard. Price: $13 for 5 bars.

Recommendation: If you have the money to buy these, do. If not, treat yourself. They are delicious!

Product #4: Secret Clinical Strength Stress-Response 

Hi all. My name is Elle and I have stress-sweat. (Cue "Hi Elle" AA style). Yes it's true, you know I'm in  a stressful situation when I suddenly have sweaty pits, and dark spots under my shirt. It doesn't help that I live in Las Vegas, one of the warmer cities. I've been using this deodorant since I received it and I will not be going back. It goes on smooth, moisturizes my underarms, doesn't leave white marks, and has helped with that gross pit smell. It lasts all day teaching, AND through my workouts! It's lasted being outside and walking in 85 degree heat. Secret got this one right. Price: $8

Recommendation: Buy, Buy, Buy. There are many scents to choose from!

 Definitely loved getting my first VoxBox and hopefully will get more :)

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes"-Thanks Influenster!

5 For Five

I cannot believe it has already been a week since my last post. This is cray, cray. Like that new slang I used? My students taught it to me today... they seriously are cray cray!

Ok, let's get down to the best link-up, hosted by the wonderful Jenn & Jess. Also, make sure you check out THIS great bracket tournament (Thanks Jenn!).

Let's review, Pink=Success, Blue= Fail


 1) Blog, Blog, Blog- Umm, yea.... sorry about this. Hopefully this week will be better!
2) Workout at least 3x this week
3) Go to bed early (9-10pm)
4) Stick to my Cleaning Schedule-This week was a mess to my schedule. My apartment shows it too
5) Finish my book- I didn't even touch it last week!

Alrighty, the week is behind me. I'm starting new. I need some motivation so hopefully this will help!

1) BLOG! There really shouldn't be any excuses, though I can think of a few!

2) No Eating Out (Except for Qdoba Tuesday)- I need to stick to my budget and not waste any food!

3) Be Productive at Work- This means keeping up on the grading, get the copies done, parent emails/newsletters, behavior charts & plans, and start thinking about next year. I want to get this done so I can enjoy my spring break (next week!). 

4) Organize My Life!- This sounds funny, I know. But I need to get my planners in shape, budget done, meal plans, bills, taxes, etc. I feel that if I do this my life will be much better.

5) Workout!- I like putting this one down every week because it helps hold me accountable and I like seeing the success :)

What are your goals for the week?

5 for Five + Promotion

It's Monday. This weekend went by WAY too fast. But you know what I'm ok with that. This week was so exciting for so many reasons. I can't share all of them yet BUT I can share this... I WAS PROMOTED AT OLD NAVY!

Now some may be wondering... "Aren't you a teacher?". Yes, I am. But being a new teacher making diddly squat and having to pay off loans, car payments, apartment, etc. I had to take another job back in October. I'm very lucky to have been hired at Old Navy because it's a wonderful company to work for, I love their clothes and my managers/staff are so much fun to work with. I'm so excited for this promotion because it is a next step and my managers are appreciating all the hard work I do there.

 The ONE good thing about Mondays is I get to link-up with Jess & Jenn. These girls are seriously amazing and if you don't want to link-up at least check out their blogs!

Pink=Success, Purple=Partial, & Yello= Fail.

1) I NEED to be more connected to my social media- I was connected to facebook and twitter a little bit and I scrolled through Instagram but I didn't have any "conversations" with people. I'm finding this a bit difficult.

2) Get caught up on grading- I got a lot done tonight. I still have a lot to go this week because the quarter ends on Friday and report cards are due next Friday.

3) Decide what I want next year-I didn't even get a chance to talk to my Principal about this.

4) Tackle my Apartment- Success! I loved this. It made my time more productive.

5) Clean Eat/Workout 5 days! - Eating clean was the easy part... now to get those workouts in!

Goals for this week

1) Blog, Blog, Blog- I have some great posts I want to share with you all! Including funny student stories, VoxBox reveal and how I do clean eating.

2) Workout at least 3x this week- I'm making this more realistic. With my crazy schedule right now I just can't do 5 days.

3) Go to bed early (9-10pm) This explains itself.

4) Stick to my Cleaning Schedule- This worked so well last week I want to keep it up!

5) Finish my book- I started reading "Conversations with a Fat Girl" and it's good but I want to finish it. 

I really hope you link-up and share you're goals!  
 

5 For Five

I really wish I could come up with a more catchy post title. You see all these awesome first sentences too. Oh well, I hope you'll settle with plain, old me and my linking abilities with Jess & Jenn.

Let's review. Red Means Fail. Green means Success. Yello means meh. 

1) Eat Clean 5/7 Days of the Week- I got 4 days of clean eating in...this week will be better.
2) Blog at least 3 Days-Haha this was a joke.
3) Workout 4 Days
4) Be Productive- I did do this at school! I had parent meetings, got copying done, etc. Didn't do it at home though.
5) Continue My Bible Study- This was a joke too. We didn't even do Bible Study last week, we just sat and talked (which was much needed). 

Moving on. This week I want AT LEAST one Success!

1) I NEED to be more connected to my social media. I miss my bloggy friends like Kristen, Jenn & Leslie. 

2) Get caught up on grading. I recently had a meeting with someone who believes that homework is a waste of time. While I completely disagree, it would make my life a lot simpler! 

3) Decide what I want next year. I love the school I'm at. It's challenging, it makes me think and create lessons that will constantly engage my students. That being said, I can choose to stay at 3rd grade, move up to 4th or possibly 5th, or be a special ed teacher. I need to do some research and soul searching.

4) Tackle my Apartment. I'm going to follow in Elyse's footsteps on this one. I assigned a room/area for a day and am going to clean it. Not deep clean but vacume, dust, sweep, and make sure everything is tidy. 

5) Clean Eat/Workout 5 days! Lately I've been hating the way I feel, hating the way my clothes fit and even my skin is breaking out. I have a goal and I want to hit it.  

5 for Five

It's Monday. I'm not happy about this. I'm in a grouchy mood. So let's just get to the good side of this post 5 for Five Link-Up!!

Here are my goals from 2 weeks ago. Green is success & Red is failure
1) Stick to Clean Eating!
2) I HAVE to go to the gym at least 4 times this week!
3) Write at least 3 postcards.
4) Get ALL my grading done.
5) Do something fun with friends! 

So clearly it has been a rough month. I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything. I go to work, come home and grade, throw in bible study and work on the weekend. I need to get out of my rut... any suggestions?

Here are this weeks goals...

1) Eat Clean 5/7 Days of the Week- I can do this. I've planned out my meals. I have a post planned too so make sure you check back!

2) Blog at least 3 Days- I'm setting myself up for success- I hope! 

3) Workout 4 Days- I need to do this. I feel better when I workout. Even if I just go for a 30 minute walk.

4) Be Productive- Instead of tweedling about I'm going to be productive. Even if I'm sitting, enjoying a show, I can grade papers. My hope is that if I do this throughout the week then I can enjoy my weekend more.

5) Continue My Bible Study- I'm part of a weekly Bible study, which is amazing. However, when I was doing daily devotions, I felt better. I felt in charge. I felt more whole.

Make sure you link-up with Jenn & Jess for this amazing link-up! 

P.S Please, Please, Please check out My Thirty-One Party that I'm hosting! These products are amazing and if you spend over $30 you'll get the Keep It Caddy for only $5! But order soon because it is ending in a few days!

https://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E2806420&from=MYEVENTS 

5 For Five: Week 6

So last week I didn't post. At all. Not once. I didn't do my eating plan. Didn't do the gym as hard. I was unmotivated, unfocused, and not disciplined. I felt defeated and I gave into it. You see, I posted here about my weight struggles. This was a really hard post to write. I was hoping I'd get support, motivation, and realize that if others can do it, then I can too. This ideas was a FAIL. I received 2 encouraging comments. Now not that I need a ton of comments to inspire me, but it helps. It helps to know that others are out there going through the same things, and encouraging you. The worst part? I let it get to my head. I didn't overcome it.

Well no more... I'm back with fighting vengenance. I'm going to stick to my clean eating, follow through with my goals, and overcome my own thoughts and fears.

Here are my goals for the week. Make sure you link up with Jenn & Jess so we can all encourage each other!!

1) Stick to Clean Eating! I can not deviate from this. Even on Valentine's day when I'm celebrating with my students.

2) I HAVE to go to the gym at least 4 times this week! I can do this. I just have to go to bed early and get up early.

3) Write at least 3 postcards. Today I sent out mail. Sure it was only to my parents, but it was still fun. This is something easy I can do. If you want snail mail email me your address!

4) Get ALL my grading done. This may seem easy, but papers pile up fast! Progress reports are due on Thursday and then I have a long weekend. I want to enjoy it.

5) Do something fun with friends! I'm setting myself up for success on this one because I already have plans to go see Big Daddy Weave in concert. However, I frequently cancel fun things because I'm tired. Not this time!