Influenster J'Adore VoxBox

Right after valentine's day I got the Influenster J'Adore VoxBox and well, the day went away from me and I forgot to blog about it, so here I am now! 

There were some very neat things in this box and even tho I didn't take pictures of things as I unpacked them, I still want to show you some of the products. 

Of course, the first thing to attract my attention is always the food stuff like the Hershey kisses decorated for Valentine's day!  

I've been pretty busy at work and these puppies were really handy in my drawer when I needed a pick-me-up or to give to my students as a motivation for a job well done! The next thing I tried was the Crème Caramel Red Rose Tea:

  

I had 2 sample bags and it was the perfect treat to relax at the end of a busy day. I each little bag there was a coupon for $1.00 off and this mama is going to get herself a big box of it! I loved it because it tastes sweet as a cake but without the calorie. A simple indulgence that doesn't ruin my waist line! I still have a sample for the decaffeinated Lemon Chiffon that I haven't tried yet, but I will soon! Little by little I count on tasting each of these awesome flavors! 

Also included in the box there was a set of Kiss Lashes. I'm not a fan of fake lashes, so I can express my opinion about them. This is the second set I receive and I feel bad having just laying them around, knowing that I will not use them. Anyone interested? I'd be willing to send them anywhere in the State for free: the only thing I will ask in exchange is pictures and an honest opinion, along with permission to post it on my blog. Contact me in interested!

Also included in the box and not used yet, were the John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair spray 

 

and Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask. Maybe now that I'm on Spring Break, I will have the chance to try both of them! 

Tips

Spring break is here even tho you can't really tell as we are having temperatures in the lows 30's here in Florida. Not complaining too much tho, I know that in the states up north it's snowing :/ 

How do I relax? Browsing the web and specifically Pinterest! 

 I found few interesting things worth sharing in my opinion! 

 Ready for some tips? Here we go! 

 My first tip regards internet and money, oh yes! 

I found this interesting article on how to make money while browsing and do the things that you will normally do on line and basically working from home. I implemented some of the tips....well, I already own a few online shops, used Craigslist to clean up the garage and used few survey sites, but this gal knows a lot of them, some I never heard from! I suggest you take a peak and find the right fit for yourself. I used this down time to join as many sites as I could and some I like a lot, some I don't care for very much. 

Not sure I can keep up with ALL of them once my work days will start again, but hey, every little bit helps! 

 Like couponing? I'm trying to be super frugal, so I definitely love them, specially coupons for FREE products! If you're like me, you will love this list of companies that will give out coupon if you ask REAAAAAAAAALLY nicely! XO 

This other recommendation is more like an health tip about the many uses of raw honey and cinnamon. 

Did you know that these 2 ingredients combined can help your body fight most illnesses and even improve weight loss? I didn't, but Suzy Homefaker certainly does! 

I already tried the cold remedy on my daughter, it really worked and very fast! She improved by the very first dose, didn't complain about the taste or made a mess, plus I felt really safe giving it to her rather than use an over the counter medicine as she was miserable and I wanted to help her feel better, but really didn't want to give her chemicals. I, myself, am trying the weight loss remedy. I started yesterday and will keep updated if it really works. 

As Suzy suggest, use fresh cinnamon, the ground one that you found at the grocery store makes my mouth full of mouth sores...ouch! 

 The same goes for cream soups often called into recipes...I love using them, but I hate the chemicals in it! This recipe really helps in making your own, with ingredients that you already have home!

Hope you enjoy the tips I've found! Please let me know if you're interested in reading more of them or if you have some of your own!

I'm going banana!

Do you remember when I posted about The One race almost a month ago? 

As it was to be expected, I had lots of muscle pain in the days following the race. 

Anticipating this, I bought my self a lots of bananas as I've read that it benefit muscles especially when they hurt from exercise. 

What I didn't know is that hubby had exactly the same thought and the day after the race he came home with even more bananas for me. 

 That meant that I had more bananas that I ever thought possible! 

And I also have a secret to share with all of you: I hate bananas! 

I don't really care for the taste, I can't stand the soggy texture and I really don't like the smell either. 

 Don't give me wrong, I know they are healthy (even tho among all the fruits they are the ones with more sugar in it) and I do occasionally even crave them, they come in handy as you don't need a knife to peel them, but there were way too many bananas around me now and I couldn't possibly eat them all. 

But I wasn't going to waste them, so I had to come up with a way to use them up and that's when I found a couple of recipe that helped me achieve this goal and I thought to share those recipes on here for future references. 

My go-to recipe when I need to eat bananas but I don't feel like it, it's definitely the chocolate and banana muffins from Handle the Heat

 

Here is how the muffin baked by me look like

 

I love this recipe as she used whole wheat flour instead of white flour and applesauce instead of butter and 3 whole bananas for a dozen of muffins. 

The muffin are very well sized and only 100 calories each! Perfect for breakfast or for a snack that doesn't add to my waist line. 

 The other recipe I love is a drink that used peanut butter too, another thing that I don't really eat often unless I have an hormonal surge. 

I don't have a picture of the drinks I gorged down, but I found the recipe on the Chichita website: just click on the picture and make one for yourself!

  

 Very handy to use up those jars of peanut butter and have a breakfast on the go for those busy morning. 

Thanks to these 2 recipes, I was able to accomplish my mission to use up all the bananas before they turned bad and eat a healthy amount of them. 

Do you have any banana recipe to share with me?

Weight update #3

I'm not happy today, AT ALL!!!! 

 

I'm REALLY REALLY upset right now. 

I finally finished my steroids treatments and the damn pills made me hungry all the time. 

The result is that I gained all the wight I lost and then some 

GRRRRRR 

Those 4-5 lb felt really nice off of me, now I feel like a balloon ready to explode again :( 

I'm trying not to get discouraged and just forget the whole thing, but I really don't feel good with this weight on me, I have to work harder. 

 Since it's been a month that I measured myself, today is the day for that too. 

Really don't want to but here I go: 

Chest: 38" 

Waist: 34" 

Hips: 43" 

Thigh: 23" 

Arm: 12" 

Gained 1" in my waist and lost 1" in my thighs from last time I guess not too bad after all.

But I did exercise my arms with dumbbells every day and the no change there is really pissing me off...

Now off to convince my brain that I don't need to eat to get over the fact that I'm upset I go.

No soup for you!

Attention my readers: this post is a bit different that the ones I usually publish, it's not my usual positive and warm-and-fuzzy-kinda of post, it's more of an ugly rant. If you already are dealing with your owns issue and can't stand foul language, skip this one, I'll see you tomorrow. 

 I have to take something off my chest, it's been sitting there for a while like a burden that I've learned to carry on with my in my daily activities. But there is a limit to what I can take on me and still keep my head up on a smile, then there come a point when things start to pile up and pile up and pile up....and all hell break loose.

This post is about discrimination that my son (and me with him) is suffering because of his autism. And I'm not even sure he's aware of it, or of his condition for the matter. But I am. And while somethings sting, some others just plain hurt.

Last episode was hurtful, but mostly was unjust, unnecessary and could have turned in something every dangerous for my son's health. I need to share all this, so that it doesn't keep floating in my head, giving headache and affecting the way I see the world.

 Last week, Gabriel had a male issue. I'm his main care giver, but on this one I was a bit at loss. So I goggled the symptoms and decided that a visit to the doctor was in order. I would usually bring him to our local family doctor that knows him from years, but unfortunately he retired. Having to pick a new doc, I decided that probably was best to get a pediatrician for this one, so off I went to the closest pediatric studio to see if I can get an app ASAP. The lady at the reception was very helpful, listened to my concerns, took a very nice medical history and gave me an appointment first thing for the morning: I was very impressed. But it didn't last long. Upon arriving to the office for my appointment, I was informed that the doctor was running late and he wasn't sure he could keep the appointment. In the meanwhile, Gabriel had starting having a light bleeding on top of his symptoms, so I stress the importance to see a doctor immediately. The lady then proceed to call the doc on the phone and then tells me that he can't take our case on after all because of my son Autism as he isn't an expert on the matter. I tried to make a few funny jokes explaining the woman to tell the doctor that I wasn't asking him to check my son "real" brain, but was still a no go, the doctor wouldn't see us but suggested we'd go to the emergency room if thing worsen. At this point I became very alarmed, if it was such a serious matter that required the ER, I really needed the doc to check it out. Still he refused, but the best part was when they tried to change me for the "visit" than never happen. That's when I finally took my shit up and left the office telling them "Try to bill me!!"

My mom educated me very good, too good, because this is a situation when I really hope I could get the balls to say what I really think and what I think it should be said.

Anyway, I did get the help I needed for my son issue and he's on a treatment that is working and he will be just fine. Thank goodness for that. I'm grateful, I really am, the people that ended up helping us were awesome with me and him, I can't thank them enough.

But I'm also pissed off with the ones that didn't help, I'm hurt, I'm fed up with this shit and I'm not gonna take it any more. I'm not gonna be "the good guy" anymore just because mommy taught me so. Being good isn't gonna cut it to get my son the help he needs WHEN he needs it and I'm sorry mom, but you're not gonna read this anyway and if you do, you won't understand English anyway. Translate it with Google and if I upset you, I'm sorry, I'm trying to be a good mom, just like you are to me.

So, here is the thing: I'm gonna tell you the name of the doctor that turned us away.
Actually, I have a list of "bad guys" that are screwing with Gabriel business and have for a long time. I'm gonna publish their names and you can go ahead and call them and let them know that I did. I don't care. Actually, I do want you to go ahead and call them, and let them know that what their are doing to us is bull shit and they can kiss my ass.

The doctor that turned us away is Luis Gomez, from ABC pediatric here in my hole in Niceville. Have a child that is autistic and he's bleeding? Don't go there, he won't take you. Doesn't matter if the bleeding is on a foot, hand or whatever, he won't take you as he's not an expert in Autism. No Pediatrician for you because you have Autism.

Wanna know the name of the school that is rejecting students that have Autism? Bluewater elementary school, here in the "nice" Niceville. In particular, I want to thank the Guidance Counselor, Pat Licursi, for saying that sending Gabriel to a typical classroom will cause his to feel ridicule and we were bad parents for wanting to try, the staffing specialist Pat Dombrowsky to tell us that we have no clue to what it takes to teach a child with autism (I've only been doing it for 8 years after all!) and that if I didn't like the way the Okaloosa county was handling our situation I could go to private schools, and the county staffing specialist, Penny Mclean, that when I went to her to ask for help in my situation, did absolutely nothing, earning hard her salary (our tax $$$$). No school for you because you have Autism (you can only go to the closest school were the county decided that all the children with autism have to go!)

There, it's done, feeling so much better.......