How Important is it… Really?

Soooo…. here it is.  4:17 am on a Monday morning.  What am I doing?  Trolling the internet looking for networking and business building ideas in and around town this week.  I always start with my notifications and then the things going on in the Events section of Facebook.  It never fails that I always find myself lost in some article that I found from clicking on a link somewhere on Facebook.  I have learned some pretty amazing things and added a billion things to my useless knowledge bank from these clickable links.  However, I have also wasted several…. hours (ahem) minutes, reading through these articles.  Today I was lucky enough to stumble upon a gem… I think.

The link that I saw said, “7 Surprising Signs You’re Not Getting Enough…”  So, I clicked on it to find out what I may or may not be getting enough of.  This took me to an article at healthissues.pw about not getting enough… WATER!  At this point, I figured I had taken the time to click the link so I might as well see if I had any of the signs.

One of the first things it states is that your body is mostly water and even goes so far as to give percentages of water that different body parts are.  Percentages like, Your brain and heart are 73% water and even, bones are 31% water.  I’m not sure where they got that information or if it is even true.  However, I did find several websites that stated the same facts like water.usgs.gov, factslides.com and reference.com.  I generally hate to read things on the internet that force me to click 72.3 billion pages to get all of the information, but this one only had a few pages and also had already grabbed my attention with the opening, so I was willing to click each page to read the full article.

Here are the 7 signs they list as common symptoms you may be suffering from but not associating them with dehydration:

1. Sleepiness. – WHAT?!  That’s like my middle name!  I have lengths of time where I only sleep 3 hours a night for weeks and then there are sometimes that I sleep an entire day away (and then hate myself for wasting such valuable time.)   It said that water allows your brain to focus and when it can’t it shuts down by inducing sleep.  That explains a lot!  Ok, now they really have my attention.  I definitely suffer from this symptom.
2. Hunger. – WHAT?!  Do you even know me?  Food is like my favorite thing ever!!  Especially if it rhymes with paco, saco, maco… you get the idea.  But seriously – I am ALWAYS hungry!  So things like hunger and cravings for sweets can mean your body is actually craving water.  Hmmm, interesting.
3. Blood Pressure Spikes. – Okay, so I don’t really struggle with this ailment, that I know of.  There have been times where I showed signs of high blood pressure and have checked it only to find I was normal.  Well… as normal as the kiosk in Walmart said I was.  Just incase though, I think I’ll try drinking a glass or two of water next time I have those symptoms.
4. Headaches. – Everyday since I was 18.  Seriously.  Except for that one year when I went to the chiropractor 3 times a week.  Which seriously helped the headaches go away.  However, I quit going because it was quite pricey and also I was honestly terrified he was going to snap my neck.  Seriously, it terrified me.  Maybe I’ve watched a little too many crime dramas with people getting their necks snapped, but still.  The “crack-a-lack-a-lack” in the neck region really scares the poo out of me!  So as soon as I stopped my appointments the headaches came back and I get at least 3-5 every week.
5. Constipation. – Maybe a little TMI, but my guess is everyone suffers from some type of bathroom issue from time to time.  So I can’t discount this as a possible symptom of not getting enough water.
6. Bad Breath. – According to this article, saliva has antibacterial properties and dehydration prevents your body from making enough for it.  This leads to a virtual playground in your mouth and according to my 5 year old, who doesn’t mean to be rude and just speaks the truth – I may have a little issue with bacteria causing bad breath.
7. Dry Skin. – Ok… well it is winter so I do suffer from dry skin a bit here and there, but I wouldn’t say it’s a chronic issue.  But, maybe it isn’t a winter ailment after all.  Maybe it’s because I’m not drinking enough water!

So after reading the entire article, identifying with most of the symptoms listed, and looking to see if the “facts” were listed on other websites – I’m self diagnosing myself with persistent dehydration.  As for the cure… water, of course.  So for the next 30 days I am going to drink nothing but water.  No sodas, no tea, and no…. sigh… Monster’s.  Starting today, Monday February 20th, 2017 and going through Wednesday March 22, 2017 – I will drink nothing but water.

On an average day I drink 1 glass or bottle (probably about 10-12 ounces) of water, one or two sodas or glasses of tea (usually Starbucks – because it is sooooooo yummy), 1-2 cans of Monster if I need the pick me up and every now and then a cup of hot tea from my trusty Kuerig.  But, for the next 30 days it will be only water.  The only exception I will make is to flavor the water from time to time with Kool-Aid Liquid Drink Mix, like these:

They offer a flavored water with zero calories, carbs or caffeine!  So I feel justified in adding this to my water while completing this challenge.

I would like to challenge YOU to play along!  Start today, start tomorrow – just give it a try.  Follow my journey on the Facebook page I created: 30 Day Water Challenge – Is H₂O the Answer? or type in http://fb.me/H2Ofor30days in your browser page.  I’ll be posting anything I notice – or don’t notice – changing over the next 30 days.  I’ll also include a few healthy recipe’s and exercises throughout the journey – please feel free to do the same.

Look forward to seeing you out there and seeing if I notice a difference in things when only drinking water.  Now I’m off to finish my Yeti full of ice water, go potty for the 3rd time since I began writing this post, finish this episode of Smallville and maybe getting a few hours of sleep.  I’m starting our kitchen makeover this week and need the rest!

BIG Texas hugs,

 

The Grandma Tag!!

Hi Guys!

I have been so sick since the beginning of December, but I am going to caught up on my Social Media Challenge.  I am finally starting to feel better and thing I have a good plan in place to get all caught up. 🙂  So here I go….

This is the 42nd day of #365smc!!  If you don’t know what that is – check out THIS LINK – which will tell you all about it and how to play along if you wanna. 🙂

Today I am thankful for something that everyone has at least 2 of….well, biologically speaking.  I’m talking about grandmothers!!  Some of us have foster grandmas (I mean that both literally and figuratively), adoptive grandmas, bonus grandmas, etc. I have 2 grandmas and decided to create a grandma tag.

Grandma #1 – Mamaw.  She is my father’s mother.  She passed away on February 11, 1979.  I was three years old.  I don’t remember much about her, but she did pass her red hair down to be and I am super grateful for that. 🙂  I remember the date she passed, because unfortunately it was also my fathers birthday. 😦  I feel like I have some kind of connection with her though… even know that she is gone… must be the red hair.  We redheads tend to stick together like that.   However, because I don’t know a ton about her or have really any memories with her, I can’t do the grandma tag on her, but felt like she absolutely deserved telling you about. 🙂

Grandma #2 – Granny.  Man do I miss my granny.  She is my mother’s mother.  She passed away on May 5, 2011…I remember that date for a whole other – kind of comical reason.  My granny lived in the Northside of our town for most of my life.  They Northside was predominantly Hispanic.  My granny wasn’t prejudice at all, but she complained a lot about her neighbors that were not so nice and usually spoke little or no English.  So the fact that she passed on Cinco de Mayo is just kind of funny to us.  We think it was her way of sending us one more little haha.  Also, I had my son in 2011 and I was prego when she passed.  So… her passing date is pretty easy to remember.  I sure do miss my granny.  I think about her all the time and try and talk to my mom as much as possible.  My granny had a long life and we had lots of laughs, I was very lucky to have known her. 🙂

THE GRANDMA TAG

1. What do you call your grandma and why?

I call my grandma: Granny.  Not sure why!  My cousin (one of my very best friends now) calls her Nanny… I don’t know where that came from either!

2. What does your grandmas house smell like?

My granny’s house always smelled like food!!  She was always cooking something!!  She would find the best recipes in magazines and make new things all the time!!  I LOVED her skillet meatloaf!!  I can’t share that one with you.  Family secret. 😉

3.  Can you name something specific or interesting that your grandma always wears?

Scrubs!!  My granny loved to wear scrubs! Mostly scrub tops with cute little animals. 🙂  I love that I get to wear scrubs to work now.  When I shop for scrubs it reminds me of my granny. 🙂

4. What is something you enjoy doing with your grandma?

I loved to go thrift shopping with my granny when she was still alive.   I remember one time we were shopping in one of our favorite thrift stores and my granny wanted some new flip flops…  She kept scooting along in her wheel chair – pushing herself around from isle to isle yelling out: ” I sure do need some new thongs!  Do you see any thongs over there that will fit me?  I nearly peed my pants from laughing so hard. And she just thought I was nuts. 

5. What is something that your grandma has or passed on to you?

That’s easy!  Her love of Avon and a good book!…and a good bargain!!…and her love for food!!! 🙂  And hopefully if I’m lucky in my old age… her sweet sweet spirit.

Take a second to hop over and check out my VLOG this weekend.  I’ll be posting a video called “The Grandma Tag”.  It’ll have a little clip of my granny in it, just a few weeks before she passed away.  It is a memory I will chericsh and it makes me so thankful for the technology we have today.

That’s it for me guys!  Sweet dreams and I’ll see ya’ll tomorrow!

Love, Cat

Day 7 – My Roof and Ravioli

Hi ya peeps!!  On this 7th day of my social media challenge, Wednesday December 3rd, I am thankful for #ARoofOverMyHead, #CrazyNationalHolidays and #Ravioli!!  How does that all tie in?

Today is National Roof Over Your Head Day!!  I love to celebrate fun and wacky holidays!!  For instance – National Bacon Day!!  Oh yes!! It does exist!!  Today, the spirit of things is a little more sobering.  Bottom line – there are too many homeless people out there (young and old) that don’t have a roof over their head or much anything at all really.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot actually.  Homelessness….is a very controversial subject.  Some people think we shouldn’t help homeless people because they put themselves in the situation they are in.  Some people would take the shirt off their backs to warm the body of a homeless person.  We all have the rights to our own thoughts and beliefs…. here are my thoughts:

Regardless of their situation or happenstance: homeless people are humans. Period.  However, I personally often get irritated when someone approaches me on the street and asks for money.  It isn’t because of who they are, how they dress or what they look like.  It’s usually because I feel like I can’t trust them.  I work very hard to provide for my family and I don’t want to hand out my hard earned money to someone that isn’t trying to make a life for themselves.  Or worse, someone who is just taking our money – as an income?!  Ugh… I just get so frustrated.

However, it is the holiday season and I really hate to think of anyone suffering.  So on this day, that I am telling you I am so incredibly thankful for the roof over my head.  So much so that I really should stay up all night and scour it from top to bottom! Ok…realistically that isn’t going to happen….the key word there was should.  Sleep is going to win tonight, but Sunday… Mr. Magic Eraser, Mr. Scuncci Steam Cleaner and I have a hot date!! 🙂

Today – I challenge you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I challenge you to follow these steps:

1. Take the $5 you were going to spend at Taco Bell on lunch tomorrow…
2. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a can of Ravioli…
3. Go to Dollar Tree and buy 4 pairs of socks with your left over change from the Ravioli…
4. Drop off the socks at a local Homeless Shelter or Women’s Shelter (They need kid socks too!)
5. Enjoy your steaming bowl of ravioli with the huge side of basically being awesome. 😀

Today was another easy day to pick what I am thankful for.  I am 7 days – a whole week – in to my challenge.  Are you playing along??

QUESTION OF THE DAY: When was the last time you donated money, products or your time to a homeless or women’s shelter near you?  (Hint: If your answer is never…today is the day! – You can even do it anonymously…)

I can’t wait to hear/read/see your posts!!  If you guys play along on any social media sites please use the hashtag: #365smc That way I can follow along all year and give you guys some shout outs!!

Here is the link to my YouTube channel: Cat’s YouTube Channel: Obliviously Awesome.

Here is the link to my Day 7 (My Roof and Ravioli) video!! 🙂  Check it out!

Here is where you can find me:

VLOG: www.youtube.com/user/OblivioislyAwesome
BLOG: www.WAHMcat.wordpress.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/wahmcat
INSTAGRAM: www.Instagram.com/ObliviouslyAwesome
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Obliviously-Awesome/311528022376074
PINTEREST: www.Pinterest.com/wahmcat

See ya’ll tomorrow! 😀

Love ya lots, like tator tots!!

Love, Cat

#365smc

It’s my birthday!!!! I’m 29…..again!

Sooo….a few years ago my friends celebrated my birthday by decorating my “office” with “Cat is 29 AGAIN!!” banners. I was turning 31 that year and didn’t feel old at all. I decided that until I felt old I was going to celebrate being 29 every year on my birthday.

I love holidays! All of them!! Although I absolutely friggin LOVE birthdays!! Not just mine, everyone’s!! I think you’re birthday is what makes you…you! I mean whether we are talking astrologically or in regards to the time period you were born in…if you had any other birthday – you would be different. At least I think so. For me, my birthday is the single most important day of my year. Not “the” year – I’m not selfish. I enjoy everyone’s birthdays and other holidays. However, my birthday is the day I reflect on the past year. What I’ve learned, who I was on my last birthday and who I am now, what’s the difference and why. Then I make my resolutions for the following year. I know most people do that on January 1st…I do it on June 1st. It just seems like that is the day for me to make my plan on being a better person through the next year.

So, here I am…29 again. Later today I am getting together with friends throughout the day. I am having brunch with some of them at 11, catching a movie with some of them at 2, doing a Painting With a Twist party with some of them at 6 and then playing darts and singing karaoke until the wee hours of the morning. 🙂 I planned all of these events because my big resolution this year is to make more time for my friends. In this day and age of technology…it should be easy to keep up. Unfortunately, I think it is a little too easy. You read someone’s statuses on Facebook often enough and you feel like you are all caught up. I can’t even remember the last time I picked up a phone to call a friend to just chat. This year I plan to try and work on that. And on my special day today… I challenge you all to do the same. Pick a friend you haven’t talked to in ages today and just call. For no reason. Just to chat. I bet it will make their day…and yours.

What are some of your special birthday memories or traditions?

14,000 things to be happy about.

**November Daily Blog Self-Challenge**

Friday, November 1st, 2013 (Better late than never?!)

To begin my challenge I thought it would be nice to do a post about the things I am thankful for – since this is the month that lots of people celebrate the very same.  Everything that I am thankful for also makes me very happy – so I decided to take inspiration from this great little book I found at the Half Price Bookstore.

Every now and then when I am having a rough day I pick up this book and go to a random page and find something new to be thankful for.  Some days it gets really funny… like on page 546 when it says “kitties licking” and “blue light bulbs”…sure I guess those things might make someone happy.  What makes my day is when I flip open to things like on page 209 – “low, rolling thunder in late fall” and “extra kisses” on page 208. 🙂

While flitting through Google to find other bits of happiness I came across the neatest little website.  http://www.thingstobehappyabout.com/  Apparently, this website took motivation from the same book and started a website where others can leave things that make them happy that aren’t already on the list. (What a BRILLIANT idea!)  As of today it lists 146,047 things to be happy about!!

There is also a special link for kids to find something to be happy about too!  Things like “earning a scholarship”, “asking about someone’s day and caring about the answer”, and “biking undisturbed by thought”.  What lovely ideas!

Take a moment and check out the site – it might make your day.

I’m going to leave you with 30 things that make me happy.

1. My first will just be my life.  This is all inclusive of my family, friends and everything and everyone that makes me…me.  The next 29 things will be things that I have picked from the book that this blog post is titled for. I hope you enjoy. 🙂
2. “a new canvas” – I have a new love for painting and I really enjoy starting with a new blank canvas and making it what I want.
3. “sexy music” – I love, love, love me some saxophone.
4. “leaves becoming a restless golden drift, a wine-red flurry in the wind” – I absolutely love Fall and this little ditty makes me want to sit in the falling leaves and write a poem about why it makes me happy.
5. “strawberry champagne” – yum.  Just yum.
6. “peaceful countryside” – nothing sweeter on a Fall afternoon than a drive down a country road.
7. “Thanksgiving dinners” – my absolute favorite day of the year to eat. everything. in. sight. Period.
8. “hearthside” – could be very romantic or just relaxing with a good book and a glass of wine.
9. “a yummy gourmet shop” – yes.  I like to eat. 🙂 …and yummy is good.
10. “3-D movies” – Love it!!  We have a 3D TV at home and we love it!  Saves a ton of movie from the theater fees and makes a great – inexpensive date night! 😉
11. “Coca-Cola commercials” – Yes!  Just thinking about it makes me want a coke right now – and I’m a Dr. Pepper kinda gal!
12. “the purr of a kitten” – I am allergic, but I love kitties!  I would have one tomorrow if the Mister would let me!
13. “opening a nearby window to let in sounds and smells of spring” – I’m all about the nature.  Good tunes and a nice breeze and sounds of nature – nice afternoon.
14. “fresh flowers at work” – or anywhere for that matter.  I’m actually considering to add buying fresh flowers for the kitchen every week to my to-do list!
15. “pre-Christmas hustle and bustle” – I know lots of people hate it…but I love it!  There is just enough people left in the world that enjoy the Spirit of Christmas that makes me feel all jolly. 🙂
16. “the color, scent, and deliciousness of strawberries” – they can be used for so many things.
17. “the sweet and simple indulgence of an afternoon nap” – especially outdoors!
18. “watching it snow” – nothing else need be said about that.
19. “tickling and silly songs and cookies and hot chocolate in bed” – just a lovely way to make memories.
20. “the perfect outdoor café where you can hang out with a newspaper, sip, nibble, people-watch” – I don’t really have one of these that I know of – but I can’t wait to find one. 🙂
21. “this thing called love” – indeed.
22. “accepting a compliment” – and really mean it when you accept it.
23. “places to go antiquing” – especially the ones with little tea rooms.
24. “gentlemen rising when a lady enters or leaves a room” – doesn’t happen much anymore
25. “recreation and leisure” – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…and that is just no fun.
26. “A word to the wise is sufficient” – makes me happy and is a lovely piece of advice!!
27. “your best friend and a good bottle of wine” – yes ma’am!
28. “not just seizing the day but making the day” – absolutely!
29. “your signature” – who doesn’t practice to make their signature the best?
30. “photographing children” – seriously the most fun

And that is just a tiny little bit of what makes me happy…there is oh so much more!!
I challenge you to come up with your own list of 30 random things to be happy about and thankful for and link back to this post so your friends and followers can do it too.  When you look for those small things in life it just perks you up.

I wish you all a lovely day! 🙂

It is 3:55 am and I have to be up at 6:30 so I’m hopping in bed for a little nappy poo. After the kids are up and off to school I’ll hop on and get my other blogs on here to catch up to my challenge.