Cellulitic Bliss

There was a major accident on the freeway this weekend.  It was terrible — head on collision between one of those cute mini-coopers and a huge SUV.  The SUV was upside down and you could see all the airbags activated.  Not sure if there was a second passenger in the front seat but all I saw was one person on the ground — he was laid out on a stretcher surrounded by a lot of EMT’s.  I really hope no one died.  That or those involved had the chance to at least look at some term life insurance rates and sign up for coverage.  Get insured if you aren’t already.  You’ll be glad you did!

Last week, we had so much rain that I felt I had no choice but to purchase rain boots for myself.  Well, I take that back — I got jealous of the little girl’s hello kitty rain boots so I went out and found a pair of boots that would be fun to wear.  And with my height, I had to make sure it wasn’t one of those pairs that went up to my knees.  While researching the best hair loss treatment, I found these:

Days after I ordered these, I also saw these:

FUN!!!!  Me like, me like!  They kinda remind me of Kate Spade wannabe’s but so what.  They’re green, they’re polka dots and I’d much rather be walking around with these than those please-not-another-UGG-face boots.  Sadly, overdue karma came and bit me in the arse because I had to return the boots because they were tight on my calves!  So sad — on so many different levels!  But whatever, I’m still not motivated to get workin’ on my weight loss goals this year.  I’m having too much fun.

PS.  You can’t see it but the purple ones have this ohsosoft thick, silky lining inside of the boot that keeps your toes nice and warm.  Divine!

Full-time school?  Half-time school?  I’ve been back and forth on this for a few days now.  If I go full-time school, we’re talking major sacrifices at home and the little girl.  If I go half-time, my heart will break.  How do you choose?  When I started all this school stuff, it was under the condition that my girl comes first and everything else second.  Now, however, my focus has shifted and it saddens me.  Do I put myself first this time?  Or continue putting my girl first?  What’s a happy medium?  That when she’s in first grade, I’ll have the whole day to continue with school but in the meantime, I can only do half-time?

I know.. there are bigger problems in the world right now.  Trivial or not, I foresee some really good wrinkle cream in my future.

One more pic of food (and then I’ll start thinking about weight loss products).  This was taken during the holidays in Vegas.  M Buffet, baby!  They say this is currently the best buffet in Vegas and I have to agree — CREME BRULEE!!!!

I’m not so much of a dessert whore but when creme brulee is involved, I can’t resist but get my game on.  And M buffet does not disappoint.  Definitely got my money’s worth!  Can’t remember whose plate this was (mine or my sister’s) but rest assured, I didn’t eat everything on this plate.  My attention was simply on the creme brulee.  After 2, I think I went back and got 3 more but sadly, ended up wasting some of it.  Eyes were bigger than my tummy, unfortunately.  Sorry, didn’t take any pictures of their actual food/food stations but I have to give special mention to their bbq pork.  It was the best I’d ever had in my life, swear.  And this is coming from someone who doesn’t eat that stuff because it’s just nasty everywhere else I’ve seen it.  Note I said “seen.”  M buffet’s bbq pork screams at you to try it when you walk by.  And when you do walk into the place, it’s like you’re in a dining hall of a cruise ship. Here’s a pic of their dessert bar and the long line the day we went:

 M buffet, that’s all I have to say.  Don’t miss it when you head to Vegas.

Can you smell that wonderful aroma?  The husband’s in class and I’m starving.  Doesn’t pizza just sound so good right now?  Ate at this local pizza joint when we were in Monterey last weekend and boy, was it yummy.  Definitely have to go back there again (only a little more than a 1.5 hour drive away!).  We ordered half pepperoni and supreme something (the little girl doesn’t like to eat “complicated” pizza).

Might look like “blah” pizza but here, let’s get up close and personal so I can drool some more:

Pair this baby with a nice ice cold soda of your choice and it’s so on.  Whoever said anything about a diet?  Uh uh,  diet pill reviews were the last thing on my mind that night.

How’s your new year coming along?  Thought I’d be different this year and not make any resolutions that I’m bound to break and/or not even follow through with.  Who am I kidding anyways?  I’ve broken so many resolutions in the past — why state them?  JUST DO IT.  But even that sometimes is easier said than done.  I rest my case.

My mom is in Manila right now (accompanying my uncle who went and did some medical checkups such as a colon cleanse) and will only be back at the end of February.  Our home is so much more quieter without her — she doesn’t live with us but she is only a few doors away so I miss her loud voice coming through the door when Erynne’s napping and I have to tell her to keep it down.  Or when she’s taking calls on her cell and she’s talking so loud, I’m not sure if she wants the neighbors to hear her or not.  Little things, ya know?  She’s probably so bored out of her mind as I type this.  If there’s one thing you must know about my mom, she can’t sit still.  She HAS to be doing something ALL.THE.TIME.  As in some type of work — whether that’s around the house, the garden, a project, her business, the grocery, paperwork, etc.  Her idea of relaxing, I believe, is working.  (Imagine what she must think of me for being a SAHM, ha!).  But for what it’s worth, I hope that she’s at some nice, posh salon right now as I type this, doing her nails, her hair and getting a lovely body massage and shopping the day away.  My mom needs to learn how to play hard.  FOR REALS.

Hee, bet she’s missing me too :D.

Yep, Erynne and I.  As well as the husband.  Yep, we’re all students once again.  The only difference is that E goes to night school.  He’s now looking at a degree in the medical field.  Quite a shift from his original degree in Engineering, isn’t it?  Well, with the way life is these days, there’s only one thing we can be at this point:  1) flexible and 2) open to change.  So here we are.  These changes will take a few hurdles but something I’m positive the three of us can overcome.  The husband did contemplate an online degree so that his evenings wouldn’t be sacrificed but in the end, he decided he’d go the other route — a real school setting.  Besides, the degree he wants isn’t being offered online.  If he was seeking an online teaching degree, it would have been perfect.  With the times as difficult as they are now and with unemployment rates rising as I type this, check out Western Governor’s University if you or someone you know someone is looking to change or further their careers.  They have a wide range of courses and degrees available for everyone — never leave home!

I’m in the middle of finishing my last final exam (it was a take-home exam that was decided last minute by the professor, woohoo!) but here I am, getting distracted by not only plasma mounts but surfing for other things that I really shouldn’t be doing right now.  Had a final this morning and had every intention of buckling down someplace quiet to make sure my evening would be free to work on another paper, but my head started pounding right after I took my final.  Change of plans ~ ended up at home, in bed.  Information overload, you think?

Lovely how I wait last minute on things when I could have easily done this last final last week (when it was distributed).  Old habits are indeed hard to break.  Christmas shopping?  Who?  Are you kidding me–not one person.  I plan to do all that when I get to Vegas as I’ll have less than a week to go before our Christmas party.  3 more days and we’re outta hea!

It is so brrrrr outside.  Bet it would be great to have heated mattress pads.  Especially since it seems my body is having a hard time trying to shake off this bug that wants to invade my system.  My voice isn’t quite back to normal yet and I have this constant itchy throat.  Been drinking ginger/lemon/honey tea for the past week and religiously downing my vitamins but this bug just doesn’t want to take a hint.  Getting sick right now is the last thing I need.  I think whatever I have all started when I was drowning in stress over some writing assignments that I procrastinated on last minute (I had since the beginning of the semester to complete my work but instead, I waited til last minute — gee, so typical of me).  It also doesn’t help that it is just so flippin’ cold.

Looking forward to heading to Vegas for a holiday break.  But before that happens, I have a major paper to write, some chapters to reread in time for my final essay exam and more studying.  Still luckier than most because I’m only taking 2 classes this semester.  Christmas shopping will have to take a backseat for now.  Keeping house and being mommy and wifey on top of school is enough for me to handle right now.

Fingers crossed my body doesn’t shut down.  Afterall, us mommies don’t have a call-in-sick option.

No school today.  No kid.  No hubby.  Just silence.  Well, except for the pork that’s boiling for sinigang.  It’s sooo cold out there, there’s nothing like hot and sour soup to rescue the day.  Heh, funny how I’m talking about how cold it is — I’m in California, for crying out loud.

Anyways.

Since I had some time on my hand, thought I’d research this online university called Western Governors University (WGU).  It was founded by the governors of 19 U.S. States and offers nationally and regionally accredited online bachelor’s and master’s degrees for busy adults like you and me.  I love the flexibility of an online education but wonder if my lack of discipline would hurt me in the end.  I guess I won’t know ’til I try, eh?  Graduate school is definitely a part of my plans — just not sure which direction I’d like to go, whether that’s to stick with education (I want to follow my kid around, see *lol*) or pursue an online mba.

Don’t worry,  WGU is nationally, regionally, NCATE, and CCNE accredited.  Tuition is very affordable — they don’t charge you per course or per credit, only a flat rate every term.  Need financial aid?  Not to worry, the Department of Education has approved WGU in offering financial aid assistance to its students.  That’s music to my ears — I’ve got bad enough loans from my undergrad work as it is!