the flu and you

so, the flu has over taken my home and workplace. keith and i both have it, the other teacher in my classroom has it, and countless children have been out of school with it. plus, who knows how many of them have it undiagnosed. being sick with the flu is a whole new level of sick. it's not something you can manage to struggle through a of work with [very well]. it makes you feel delirious. sensory perception is wayyyyy off. not to mention body aches and fatigues, to name a few. so, i'd like to share with you guys our journey with the flu. listed below are some of the things we've experienced, and it's not even over yet. flu, get on up outta here!

#fluandyou

extreme sleeping. sleeping 40 of 48 hours has become the norm. 

sleep has now become a full-time job. this is because we are so exhausted we can hardly move. keeping our eyes open truly is work. 

food is no longer a priority. it all is disgusting. saltines and soup. that's it, if at all. however, if i could get an IV drip of fluids, i'd be in heaven. I'M SO THRISTY. 

a shower after 3 days without one feels magical. 

heating up tea, then forgetting about it leads to the ceramic tea pot bursting. thanks flu, for increasing my scatterbrainedness. as if i needed that. 

creating a swimming pool in your bed because you sweated ALL NIGHT LONG because your fever finally broke. yay! but now all the sheets, blankets, everything must be thrown out.

still sleeping in separate beds because one of us is still way sicker than the other. 

life with a puppy is now truly the most exhausting life ever. JUST LET ME SLEEP. 

binge watching on netflix has a whole new meaning. i started watching "hard time", a nat geo documentary. i was half way through it before i realized it is five years old. whatever. and then highly disappointed when the series ended after only six shows. SIX. what am i to watch now?! that is no binge watching...six shows. pssshh.

activity of the day: making kale soup, which was literally the easily thing to do. ingredients, get them and throw them in a pot. and done. this activity was also the most exhausting. 

did i mention the exhaustion? 

thinking you are on the mend and then the flu just laughs in your face.

deciding to go to work only because you haven't been all week. you go because you feel "you should" not really because "you can".

your spouse shows concern about the amount of weight you've lost. you know, because now you are so thin you look sickly. thanks, flu!

snot, phlegm, hacking, clogged head [just to name a few] have become accepted as part of the daily routine.

new household uniform: PAJAMAS and HOODIES with a blanket in tow.


i am happy to say, we are on the mend [finally!], and only minor symptoms are hanging around [stuffy head, fatigue]. i was fortunate to have a "mild" case of the flu, but i saw it's true effects on keith and my co-workers and i wouldn't wish that on anyone.

stay healthy this winter!!

xoxo,
ks

a new year, a new you!

it's january!

that means it's time to get right. there are new workout plans. new fad diets. new, crazy "lose weight fast" plans. i've gotten plenty of fliers requesting me to join their gym for a nominal fee. i've also seen plenty of "runners" out on the street. and don't forget about those weight watches and jenny craig commericals.

i am happy for anyone who wants to make their body right. but it's hard work. it's a commitment and a lifestyle change. there is nothing "fast" about it. i've been doing what i've been doing for almost two years now and i still tweak it and change it to keep improving myself.

i have no huge goals for january or this year, other than to keep kicking ass [pretty great goal, eh?]. although, here are a few things i will be working on.

my strict workout plan:
i still do bodyrock.tv everyday. currently they are doing "HIITMAX" each day they post a video that is at least 12 minutes long. you start with workout 1 on monday. then on tuesday you will do workout 1 again and add the new video, workout 2. then on wednesday you will do workout 1, workout 2, and add workout 3....and so on until friday. it's really tough. i haven't been able to complete all five videos at one time, if that tells you anything.

here is the link for the first HIITMAX: workout 1 [if you'd like to check it out]
that post will explain the format in greater detail.

here is a link for the current "season". each "season" is 4/5 weeks long.
HIITMAX - season 3: workout 51 [start with fit test] and workout 52

in addition, each month bodyrock posts a calendar challenge, such as situps and pushups, or burpees. each day [or week] it progressively gets harder/more intense. i never choose to do them. well, this month i am. it is a combination of burpees, pushups, squats, and skipping [jumping rope].
check it out here: dailyhiit blog - january "just go" challenge

food:
for the most part, i've always maintained a good eating regime. almost all homemade, organic, and clean diet. this month i want to eat as clean as possible. that means packaged foods. no pretzels, no tortilla chips. no beer [gasp!]. no eating out [although, we have a few farm-to-table restaurants that i could probably eat at].
the few things i kept: vanilla yogurt, whole milk, and coffee.

it takes a lot of planning to make sure there is enough food to feed this hungry face. especially when it all must be made from scratch. ALL OF IT. but it's fun to create new recipes and things to eat.

other thoughts...
i want to challenge myself more physically. so we will be looking to sign up for more 5k races, even if they are silly in nature. the first race? hopefully cupid's undie run in raleigh. and no, i am not kidding.

we also are going to join the gym [yes, even after i made the smart ass gym comment]. that probably won't happen for a couple of months due to other life events. we want to make sure we are using what we are paying for. so my best guess is april. we want to be a part of the gym for access to more things - variety of cardio machines, weights, classes, racquet ball, indoor pool, outdoor equipment [kayaks!]. this will also amp up our exercise regime and performance.

whew. that's a lot for just january. i'll follow up in february. but so far, so good. :)

do you have diet/exercise goals for this year?

xoxo,
ks

PET peeved.

how many of you have a pet? a pet that you take outdoors? well, do you have a neighbor/friend/family member that has a pet that goes outdoors?

i thought so.

these are just my thoughts on an unleashed issue...
if you don't have your own pet [typically a dog] that goes outside, you at least know someone who has one. i actually have two dogs that go outside. so now you know one person with an outdoor pet!
i take my two dogs outside multiple times a day to walk them and let them take care of their "doggie business." they both are on a leash, for a variety of reasons. aside from it being the law, i do it to protect them. they both listen very well, but after all, they are dogs. and who knows what will distract them in this great, exciting world. or what will heighten those animalistic instincts. i am not willing to take that risk.
however, a lot of other people in my neighborhood do not walk their dogs on leashes. this really bothers me. i find it unsafe, for many reasons. many times i have been outside with my dogs and leash-less dogs have come running up to us. this often scares them. so now they are on-guard and perhaps aren't as eager to meet this new dog who just startled them. aside from that, if your dog is off running around the neighborhood, aren't you worried about them getting hit by a car? gosh, i would be! there is plenty of fast traffic through our neighborhood and we live off of a major road. it is a dangerous world for a dog who could easily and quickly wonder away from home.

now, most of us live in a place that has a leash law. what exactly is a leash law? it is a law that explains the rule requirements of your pet wearing a leash.

this is the leash law for the town i live in:

"Greenville has a "leash law" that prohibits owners from letting their dogs run free at any time. Owners are required to keep dogs under control when walking and to have pets inoculated [vaccinated]. It is wise to consider the responsibility in having a pet. Please understand the cost and care involved BEFORE you adopt an animal. Consider and plan appropriately what you will do with a pet if you cannot take it with you when you move."
[however, this really could be very subjective because nowhere does it say that the dog has to be restrained. it just says cannot run free. so technically, the dog does not have to be on a leash.]

here are some other leash laws:

raleigh, nc:
"It is against the law for domesticated animals such as dogs and cats to run unrestrained within the City Limits. They must be confined to their guardian's property or walked on a leash. Guardians of dogs and cats can receive a misdemeanor citation for allowing their pets to run at large."

new york city:
"...all dogs must be restrained by a leash or chain not more than six feet in length when the animal is in a public place (except in designated off leash areas)."

chicago:
"The owner of a dog must restrain his or her animal by a leash, confined within a crate, cage or vehicle, or confined on the owner's premises."


leash laws exist for a reason. mostly for you and the dog's safety. here are some of the things that could go wrong during an unleashed doggie walk.

• fido sees something exciting and chooses not to listen to firm commands of "leave it", "stay", "come" or whatever else is being yelled at him. he is off to the races. have fun chasing him. again.
• fido loves to greet new humans, but not all humans like to be greeted by fido. fido is so happy to see a new human, he jumps up on them [since he is not being restrained by a leash]. the human gets upset. ugly words ensue.
• fido has his walking route memorized. he runs ahead, while not paying attention to traffic....need i say more?
• fido meets new dogs, who are on leashes. they are not amused at being ambushed by some random dog. ugly words ensue. 

i am sure fido is a wonderful dog who always listens. or is always nice to new humans and other dogs.

but it only takes one time. one time of fido running away never to be found again. one time of fido trampling over an unsuspecting human. one time of fido chasing something he shouldn't. one time of fido greeting another dog by means of an ambush.

because after all, fido is animal. and no matter how well the humans think they have this animal trained, he will never lose his animalistic instincts to kill, protect, and chase.

woof.

xoxo,
ks

letter to a person on their first day here

#thekidsneedtoknow

kid president put out a new video yesterday. [what? you haven't heard of kid president!? check out his facebook page and youtube page and then come back.] the premise is that this 9 year old [maybe he is 10 now] and his brother-in-law film these funny and silly, yet extremely inspirational videos. i believe they made a video explaining who they are, how they got started, and why they do it.

anyway...yesterday's video is called a letter to a person on their first day here. basically it is an inspirational and instructional life manual for a newborn. kid president explains many things a person will see here, the people they will meet, and things they should do. here are the pieces i took away from it.

• lots of things that will happen here [singing, dancing, laughing, gross things, awesome things]. 
• there are plenty of reasons to dance, you just have to find them. 
• you will meet lots of people. some are nice and some are not. just because some people are not nice, doesn't mean they can't be. 
• we should give people high-5's just for getting out of bed.
• treat everybody like it's their birthday, even if they don't deserve it.
• the biggest mess-up is not forgiving each other's mess-ups.
• amazing things are going to happen every day.
• you are awesome. you were made that way.
• you were made from love, to be loved and to spread love.
• love is louder. let your life be loud.
• corn dogs rule.
• "we're really glad you're here." we don't say that enough to each other.
• you are going to be important and do a lot, but don't get too busy.
• you're awake. you're awesome. live like it.

at the end of the video kid president posed this question: what do you think the kids need to know?

that is a very difficult question to answer, especially after watching his video because he seemed to provide all the answers. it mentions the good stuff and some not so good stuff. there are many things kids need to know coming into this world about this world, but here are a few of my thoughts on what i think #thekidsneedtoknow.

1. ask lots of questions. this world is a huge place with so much to offer you. if you don't ask questions and inquire about the world you live in, you will never learn about it and never gain the opportunity to explore it. learn as much as you can.

2. people will support you. this world is filled with amazing people who already love you [mom, dad, brother, sister, grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousin, future friends]. value these relationships and allow them to offer you advice about this world. after all, they have been living in it a lot longer than you have.

3. be respectful. respect your environment, your community, your family and friends, your teachers, your school...basically everything in your life. show it respect. if you respect the things around you, it will honor you the same respect.

4. be ambitious. have big goals and big dreams. reach for the stars. never stop dreaming. dreaming allows to you be creative and provides motivation.

5. remember that disappointments happen. this big world is also a cruel world. bad things happen. remember that through all the bad and negative things, awesome things happen. life isn't always sunny. and even in the darkest of days, you can find sunshine. the gloomy days are valuable too. they teach you how to be strong and how to deal with adverse situations.

6. keep your cup half full. have a positive attitude and outlook on life. no matter what happens, find the good in any situation. life can get tough, but if you are always looking up and always trying to reach your goals - it can be difficult to slow down a positive and motivated person! and being happy makes this life worth the ride.

as kid president said, being a person is tough sometimes. we don't have all the answers, but we try our best. every day is a miracle. enjoy it. embrace it. love it.

i am really glad you are here :)


xoxo,
ks


what are you words of wisdom to the kids? what do you think #thekidsneedtoknow?

YEAR IN REVIEW

2013.

where the hell did you go? it was a crazy year for us. what did we do during 2013? let's look at the low-lights, highlights, and review those resolutions of 2013 [how did i do?].

low-lights [let's just get these out of the way...]:

• i had two seizures this year [february and november].
• keith and i both have struggled with family issues that we work really hard at resolving, but find it challenging some days.
• layla is getting older and this makes us sad. we see it in her movements as she struggles with daily activities. 
• and that is it. whew, we are so lucky and thankful for a wonderful year!

 highlights:

• keith got a job at ECU at a clinical instructor for the physical therapy department. he works in one of their out patient clinics and also is active in teaching, mentoring, and research. so therefore, we moved back to greenville [which has always felt like home to us].
• i started writing very semi-professionally. [this means yahoo! sometimes gives me money for the occasional articles i write. but hey, i am published!] 
• i now work at a montessori school as a teacher assistant in a primary classroom and i have fallen in love. 
• MY BROTHER GOT MARRIED!

 

• it was wonderful to return to dowdy-ficklen stadium for almost all of ECU's home games this fall. and we didn't mind the travel to a nearby foe [UNC] to watch a very decisive pirate victory. arrrghhhh!

• we traveled [as usual] to some of our favorite places:  

southport

OBX

asheville

• i started and manage a small online community [blog, facebook, twitter] in order to share my life and story, as well as, to create awareness and educate others about epilepsy. i hope to expand on this greatly in 2014.

• we finished the year with a 5k. probably the most fun 5k in the world. seriously. this has motivated me to run more races!
• and there is no shortage of hockey in our lives [as if!].
• 2013 ended with us already planning out and dreaming up our next big adventures for 2014 [trips, road races, business ventures, community involvement]. we are motivated for 2014!

2013 resolution review:

• stay right. smashed. the foundation of everything i do is centered around "staying right". i almost drive keith crazy with this i am sure. i obsess over our food, our exercise, our sleep - basically anything that is good for us, i want to do it!
• financial responsibility. this was a tough year because of our move and my not working for 5 months. but now that we are more stable, i think we can try this resolution again in 2014!!
• start our own business. you would think when i wasn't working, it would have been the perfect time for this. however, starting a business costs money, which is something we just didn't really have to spare. so again, this resolution wasn't forgotten, it was just put on the back-burner....until now!
• build on resolutions from 2012 [traveling, dreaming, and keep up with correspondence]. DONE. DONE. and kind of done. 2 out of 3 ain't bad? right? ;)

 2013 was a busy, crazy, and unique year for us. we loved it. it's made us stronger, healthier and happier individuals and a much stronger couple.

i am happy and thankful for 2014! it's a new year, time for new beginnings and clean slates. let's do this!

xoxo,
ks

crash and burn.

the title of this blog is is reference to our no spend month. gosh, we were doing so great. we had all the food we needed and gas in the cars. it started with something so simple. keith was invited to a "happy hour" with his co-workers. they don't do them often. so he felt obligated and wanted to go. there goes $17. and a few days later... pizza sounded sooooo yummy. and unfortunately we did not have the supplies to make our own. naturally, that just made us want it more. there goes another $15. then our friend phil was in town, so of course, we had to go out for drinks. there goes $28.
it really is difficult to be social on a minimal budget. yet, we've managed to do it. i mean, we have exceeded our $250 budget, for sure, but we are more aware of our spending choices. so if we do this again, which i think we should, i think the rules need to be changed just a bit.

the biggest thing is including gas in this experiment. we either need to know exactly how much money we spend a month on gas so that we can include a more accurate allotment for gas. or we need to take gas out of the no spend month budget. whereas gas is somewhat of a variable cost in that it changes slightly each month, it is also a cost that we must incur each month. unfortunately neither my nor keith's job's are within walking or biking distance to our home. so driving is our only option. so, next time i think we leave gas out of the no spend month.

by having $250 and not including gas. we can still be conservative with our grocery expenses, still have room to do other things and pick up any miscellaneous items. we only spent $140 on groceries this month. we did not pick up any miscellaneous items like shampoo, toothpaste or foods we are dying to eat. if we did this again, by only spending $140 on groceries, we'd have room to get random items and go out with friends.

it was a good month for us to try this experiment as we had many extra expenses: doctor visits, vet visits, tax bills, etc. so, unfortunately we did not get to save as much money as we would have liked, but do not feel as financially strapped as we would have otherwise.

if we learned nothing else from this, it made us both very aware of what money is going out. even when we went out with friends, we didn't eat as much food or have that extra drink because it costs more money. for example, i went with flo to watch the hockey game on tuesday. i had a $20 bill. i did not want to go over $20, including tip. so, i thought about that when i ordered my meal and my drinks. i think setting a price limit, for whatever you are doing, is helpful to saving a few dollars. whether it is at the grocery store or out to dinner. think about it, if you just go into the grocery store and buy what is on your list and whatever else you want: the delicious looking bottle of wine, a frozen pizza you didn't need and that bag of chips. that is easily an extra $15-20 out the window. for what? for nothing. that extra $20 spent every week adds up. now imagine if you were saving that money?

so being aware of where our money is going and sticking to our budgets and price limits are the biggest things we'll take away from this. it will be helpful for us in the future as we begin to save for our future and the long-term. it's not to say that we now can't do things we like to do. it's just that we feel more aware of where our money is going. so we can now make better choices of where we choose to spend our money.

maybe next time we'll try this during a month that isn't 5 weeks long ;) we should have chosen february. teehee.

xoxo,
ks

no spend month

....well kinda.

this idea came from another blog and i wish i could find it to give the author their due credit. here is an example of one family's journey through no spend month. if you google "no spend month" TONS of blogs, articles and website come up. imagine that.

now, don't get all excited thinking "how can you go a month without paying your bills?!" i wish. do you know how much money we'd really save up!?!? we'll still pay our bills. you know, so we can keep our roof over our head.

here's how our no spend month works:
it consists of $250 cash for the essentials. for the month. that's it. simple rules. our essentials? food and gas. if we can't buy it within our budget, it will have to wait until next month. or walk to work.

we did make an error at the beginning of the month by failing to make sure both cars had full tanks of gas. so we were out $35 by day 3. ugh. not a good start. so tip #1, fill up your gas tank(s) before your no spend month starts.

initially we had a hard time figuring out the food piece of it. a typical week costs consists of $23 towards papa spuds and then $40-60 in other groceries. That amount would be far too high to be successful at no spend month. so this month we are not doing papa spuds. that eliminates $92 right there! also, we are new members of BJs wholesale club. we thought we could get a month's worth of groceries from BJ's all under $100. That would leave us some extra money for things we forgot or might want throughout the month and for gas. Well, in order to stockpile groceries, we had to plan out our meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. what a task! however, now that it's done...it's done! FOR A WHOLE MONTH. plus, i only spent $91 at BJ's today. it felt so good to spend only $91 and come home with SO MUCH STUFF.
the most beneficial part of my trip was that i had a list. i always do, but it was specific to our needs for the month. i couldn't deviate from it due to the budget. having a set budget was another great thing about my trip. i actually calculated my costs before i went to check out. by doing that i realized i was going to be over budget so i had to rethink buying some items. i had to be strategic in what i bought. i didn't just throw things in the cart because "it looked yummy" or because "i wanted it". everything i bought serves a purpose.

we have had 2 doctor visits this week totaling $65, including prescriptions. do we include this as part of our no spend month budget? in my opinion, no. our no spend month budget is for only food and gas, our essentials. however, each family can designate their budget to be larger or smaller and to include whatever they'd like. for example, we could have made our budget $400 and that would have also included doctor bills and drugs and other miscellaneous expenses. however, with our no spend month plan we simplified our costs and put them into three categories: food, gas, and bills. basically all of our fixed costs (meds, rent, utilities, etc) we considered a bill. a doctor visit and prescribed medication, whereas variable, does not fit really into the food or gas category. it most closely lines up with the bill category, sorta. for our purposes that is where it will go. for your no spend month you can designate your cost however it fits your budget best.

as we left the doctor's office today, we were hungry. we knew it would be easiest to stop and pick up something to eat. especially the deliciously smelling chic-fil-a that is located right next door to our doctor's office. and of course, we have the option to do that, we just have to deduct that cost from our remaining budget. after all, a fast food lunch definitely falls into the food category. however, we weren't willing to lose $12 of our budget to just one meal. so, as yummy as chic-fil-a sounded and smelled, we passed on by.

even though we are only 5 days into january, i will say we are off to a good start. we are really excited about it. also, having cash makes you very aware of how much you have to spend. when it's gone, it's gone. no spend month has also made us very aware of our spending choices. we can't just by things "willy-nilly". we actually think about what we are buying and why we are buying it. does it have a purpose? do we need it? can it wait? will i starve without it?

i think our next challenge for the month will be: being social without spending money. suggestions? friends and family, what would you like to do this month?!?!

xoxo,
ks