90210…nanny style??

Ok, so I’ll admit it– Beverly Hills nannies premiered on ABC family channel last Wednesday night and I just HAD to watch it. Several reasons why:

1) I LOVE reality TV shows (its almost like a car wreck, you wanna look away, but you just have to see it)

2) I like seeing mansions and lifestyles that I can no way afford or even affordlic one day (unless I miraculously win the lottery without even purchasing a ticket)

and 3) I’m a nanny

Before we moved to Texas, I was a pharmacy technician. I liked the job responsibilities overall, just not really the work environment that my former company possessed. After I got word that we would be moving to Texas, I learned that my out-of-state pharmacy technician license couldn’t be transferred — (and found out that my company currently had one of the better working environments for pharmacy work around) — I nixed the idea of trying to obtain my current job in my new state. I have always loved working with children, taking care of babies and children of all ages, etc. I even did childcare work for free for a few families as a favor. I remember distinctly waking up in the middle of the night one evening with the thought “I wanna be a nanny!”. The next day I then created an account on http://www.care.com for a nanny position, found a family in my area in Texas, had a phone interview, then had a real interview once we moved here — and ta da! A couple weeks later I became a nanny to a wonderful family. This week will hit the one month mark with this nanny position and I must say I absolutely love it. I love this little girl that I take care of and I can’t wait for the mom to have baby #2 (due in January).

Needless to say, after I saw the preview for this new TV show, I knew instantly I had to watch. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this new show, a camera crew follows around the lives of several nannies in which they work for a family in Beverly Hills, CA. In addition to all the families being LOADED with their mansions, personal chefs, sports car, and overall fancy lifestyle, nearly ALL the mom’s are stay-at-home mothers. I think, really??, you are a stay-at-home mother (some with only one child too!) and you are seeking full-time nanny help? I guess between all their hair, nail, and tanning bed appointments, SOMEONE has to take care/raise their child(ren).

I see this and I think, “man, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with all of those crazy parents and an overwhelming chore list in addition to raising their children”. THEN I find out how much these nannies make… between $35-40 an HOUR! So then, I mentally retract my statement by thinking “okay, I could deal with all of that craziness for those big bucks”. I relay all of this to my husband who then states, “ok, well keep that in mind in case the Army sends us to California”. Today at work, as I’m playing with the most wonderful, sweetest, cutest 10 month old I’ve ever laid eyes on, my new mental statement “I wouldn’t change a thing!”.

So (for now, until the Army sends us to CA) I may not be bringing in big bucks doing my job, but the satisfaction I receive is priceless.

Goodnight from the southern heart!

P.S. — please check out Beverly hills nannies Wednesday evenings on ABC family!

Everything’s bigger in……the US?

Today while scrolling through tweets posted by who I follow on twitter, @FactUP caught my eye by stating that “Boobs are getting bigger! The most popular American bra size is currently a 36C, up from 1991 when it was a 34B.” Since I was only in first grade in 1991 and I wasn’t really noticing women’s breast sizes at the time, I decided to do a little research about this statement.  According to a lingerie expert, ten years ago the average breast size was 36C and reported that today the new average breast size is a 36DD. Confused, I try to find another article to get a true answer, according to USA today from April 9th, 2012 — the average size is indeed a 36DD and the demand for larger bra sizes is increasing!

So what’s the culprit? We all know that the obesity and obese rate in the US is increasing as well, could this increase our boobs? Certainly can since women’s breasts are made up of fat in addition to mammary glands.  Is plastic surgery rates increasing? The guardian US version website states that plastic surgery rates are climbing despite the economy in it’s current state.  However, the most popular plastic surgery procedure is stated to be chin lifts — not breast enlargements.  Chin lift plastic surgery is up 71% since 2010 — really?? I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of a person getting a “chin lift” (except for maybe Heidi Montag). Breast enhancement surgery is up only 4% since last year.  Is this mere 4% the cause of the sudden increase in bra sizes? I certainly doubt it.

Is bigger ALWAYS better when it comes to boobs? What about those women who crave for a breast reduction in order to cure their back problems? Which type of women is more attractive (given that there aren’t a lot of women with the perfect combo –naturally– of a thin waist, thighs, hips with a well endowed breast size) a skinny woman with small breasts or an obese woman with enormous breasts?

Now, I’m not going to give you a lecture about how skinny/thin/whatever is better than a curvacious figure. I believe in being HEALTHY! Healthy individual inside and out.  I’m not saying to run to your grocery store and spend your entire pay check in the produce aisle and forget putting anything slightly unhealthy/comfort food into your mouth ever again. I’m saying to find out what size/weight/goal weight/whatever that makes you FEEL the best. Which foods give you the best energy, mental boost, emotional joy, etc and eat those! I highly doubt it’ll be a double cheeseburger from McDonald’s menu. However, when you enjoy fast food/restaurants/comfort food/etc eat in moderation — and enjoy life! Don’t go on a crash diet saying things like “I can’t eat chocolate ever again” simply just eat one candy bar a week/month/year whatever you want and not a million of them in the same week.

Or you can sit around at home and eat your big bucket of chicken, a 2 liter of coke, and a bag of chocolate in one sitting and instead of enjoying life — you’ll be “enjoying” your obese weight, type two diabetes, and your 44 GGG bra size.

The decision is yours, and LOVE who you are as a person inside and out! Feel HEALTHY (not only in food selection, but also remember any habits — I.E. smoking, excessive drinking, drugs, etc). I truly believe that loving yourself as a person and feeling healthy about yourself most definitely coincide. And if you are of those lucky women who have a size 4-6 frame and a C cup size — consider yourself just that, LUCKY (but still love yourself and your eating habits too 🙂 )

Goodnight from the southern heart!

P.S. — What do you think could also be a reason for the rise in bra size?

It’s official — I’m a Texan resident

I’m officially a Texan resident and the process didn’t wanna make me kill myself, therefore Texas is now better than South Carolina.  When I was living in South Carolina, getting a drivers license at the DMV took at least 3 hours, vehicle registration took at least one hour, voter registration was another line, etc etc. It literally took ALL DAY! Last week, I went over to the DMV to get my Texas driver’s license — I went in, sat down, filled out the application for a new resident DL and my number was called about 30 minutes later. When my number was called, my response was “no way, what did I do wrong? I just got here.”  I was greatly satisfied that this was my number being called in order to give the clerk my birth certificate, social security card, proof of residence, and birth certificate — meaning that this was the whole process! I couldn’t believe it!! Twenty minutes later, I was walking out with my temporary driver’s license! 🙂 In South Carolina, it took at least two hours JUST for your number to be called! Let alone being addressed by someone who clearly didn’t want to work there, the clerk moving at the ultimate slow speed just for your patience to wear thin, then to wait AGAIN for your picture to be taken.

Today, I gear up to go to the county tax office to get my vehicle registered, license plates, and title transferred. I knew that THIS process would be sure take at least an hour or two. Low and behold, I went to the counter after waiting in NO line, with all of my paperwork, I stand there for a few minutes, write a check, and the receive my license plates and I’m told that my new title will be mailed to me in little as two to three weeks! This is incredible! I can’t believe how little time all of this took! (I was definitely procrastinating this process solely on the fact that it would take all afternoon).  Now, I get home and realize that I have NO clue how to put on a front license plate on my car. Oh well, good thing I have a loving husband to do this for me 🙂

P.S. — when I get my *real* driver’s license in the mail, my voter registration card will be with it. Really? Awesome.

Word from the wise, everyone move to Texas instead of South Carolina — it’ll be a painless process.

Good afternoon from the southern heart!

How old/young do I look really??

I’m settling in to my new home here in San Antonio, TX. Recently as I was vigorously unpacking boxes (as my in-laws are coming into town in a couple weeks), the doorbell rang. My husband and I looked right over to each other and made eye contact with the thoughts “who could be at the door?” We already met our neighbors (whom are truly nice by the way), we don’t have any friends yet, and we haven’t done anything wrong (that we know of). I skeptically answer, “hello” with a questioned-tone to my voice.

At my door in a young gentleman, roughly 20-24 yr old range, and he responds “Good evening, my name is **** and I am your newspaper carrier.  Is your mother or father home?” I respond SHOCKED saying “ummm no, they live roughly 2000 miles away where I just moved from, is there something I can help you with?” As he continues on his memorized speech about how we can reduce our costs for subscribing to the newspaper on a daily basis, etc, etc, I’m thinking in my head “is this real? is this really happening right now? I know I look fairly young for my age, but come on I’m co-owner of this home!” I tune into his monologue by saying, “I’m sorry, but we are not interested” then acts surprised that I’m not buying into his newspaper selling motive! He asks “Are you the lady of the household? Or should I just come back another time to speak with one of your parents?” I am absolutely stunned that this is happening. I respond “Yes, I am the lady of the household and I live here with my husband. My parents live across the country and I have been married for almost five years. I know I look young for my age, but really…I look older than you.” I admit that this was not my finer moment (especially since normally I carry a southern charm), and in the midst of my ears steaming, I look over to my husband who happens to be snickering. Newspaper gentleman apologizes greatly and I genuinely feel bad for the guy, I mean, he’s just trying to sell newspapers! But on the other hand, how many times do I have to tell him that I am a responsible adult who was fully capable of purchasing a home with her spouse.

He leaves the front porch with his tail between his legs. I come inside the house, sweating profusely from unpacking, unpacking, and more unpacking/chores (not to mention it’s like 120 degrees here!) and my husband asks “hey honey, maybe you just should have shown him your drivers license?” I proceed to smile ear to ear and proclaim that we are having takeout for dinner. 🙂

Then he reminds me of how we went and saw “the hangover” in the movie theater when it came out and how funny it was that I was carded. He mutters under his breath “people must think I bought you off the internet”.

Oh, It’s a good thing I love him 🙂

and it’s a great thing that I love our new home and neighborhood.

Stay tuned for more Texan adventures and goodnight from the southern heart!

Welcome to Texas!

Okay, so I realize it’s been too long since I previously made a post.  In all honesty, I almost gave up on my whole “blog” idea. I know, I know, I only made two posts, and one of them was just a tester-post. Why give up so soon? Well, no one is following my blog, I’m not sure if I wanna spread the word (I prefer to keep it anonymous for the time being), and we didn’t have internet for awhile.

So since my last post, the LoseIt App, I no longer use. The reason being, it totally worked and I have reached my goal weight! I am now 15 pounds lighter than I was in the previous posting and I totally did it without starving myself, crash dieting, or killing myself at the gym. I simply became more aware of my food choices, exercised when I could (but didn’t beat myself up if I only worked out once a week), and stayed active! It also helped that my previous job resulted in a ton of stress, standing up/walking around all day during shifts, and barely had time to eat.

However, the last few months have been very life changing due to the following:

1) my husband and I moved to Texas

2) I sought and found a new job

3) we became homeowners

4) took a 27 hour road trip to get here

Okay, so the fourth one isn’t REALLY life-changing, it was just one hell of a long trip (not to mention this was with our cat). Did I mention all of these reasons happened within a week? Because they did. Now that we have semi-settled into our new home, I have completely my first full week of my new job, and we have internet again (yay!), I can begin blogging for real.

Texas. Everything’s bigger in Texas. Don’t mess with Texas. Etc etc. Everyone has heard these catch phrases, but only Texas has actually lived up to their motto(s). Everything is bigger in Texas!! (and I’m not just talking about belt buckles here) – I mean, the restaurants, the downtown area(s), the interstates, and even just the basic number of people living here. Everything is HUGE! (at least compared to my previous location) — we do love life here and are looking forward to the next few years to come. And Texas is still in the south right?? I mean, it’s south-west technically, but at least I don’t have to change my blog name 🙂

So my first drive out onto the interstate here, I literally went 4 miles before I saw a road sign that states “Don’t mess with Texas”… I’m thinking, okay, their motto is on a large sign right off interstate (and why am I reading this when I don’t really know where I’m going yet…) — I have yet to truly discover what they mean by this and hoping I don’t get involved in a bar fight anytime soon, but maybe I will become enlightened and I can return to the subject at a later time.

Needless to say, our first two weeks have been enjoyable and I figure if its this enjoyable when it’s 105 degrees out…then things can only look up from here right?

Stay tuned for my Texas adventures! and Goodnight from the southern heart!

LoseIt! app

So my best friend and I have decided to use the app “lose it” in order to help us lose weight.  In addition to helping keep track of your personal progress, you can “add friends” and keep each other accountable (which is our biggest problem when dieting/exercising).  Today is day two of using the new app and I am trying to get swimsuit ready for our spring break trip to Mexico. I’m truly liking the app and would encourage anyone to use it as well. As I update my blog, I can update my loseit progess as well. My goal weight is 125 from the current 140 and the app tells me that I should hit my goal weight the second week of April if I stick with the program.

My husband is currently out of town this week and has helped kick start my loseit program by me not having to cook yummy homecooked meals (hence…hopefully weight loss)! I also scrolling through my current OnDemand network channels in order to find the perfect chick flick for me to enjoy by myself. Yes, alone. Why you ask? Well I have plenty of family and friends in the area since we have yet to move, however, I am sick.  I went to the doctor yesterday and was told that I have strep throat and a sinus infection. The sinus infection I predicted, however, not so much the strep throat. Oh well, at least at this rate I should be in the clear for Valentine’s day(evening), and hopefully at 2 pounds lighter according to LoseIT.

My newest project = crafting. As you can see, I’m trying to fill up my time schedule with my hubby out of town and having to be quarantined due to recent illness.  My latest discovery = PINTEREST. Whoever came up with this website, is clearly a genius! Not only have I started my account, but I have 9 boards and a couple hundred pins. For those of ya’ll that are on this wonderful website, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  For those who haven’t joined pinterest, I suggest you do. Not only will you develop TONS of ideas for cooking, baking, crafting, and shopping, but you can also follow my pinterest lingo talk (which I’m sure I will continue to use PLENTY of due to my recent obsession).  Sunday evening (before my illness) I made a trip to TJ Maxx and Michaels where I planned to buy a few things to begin my new crafting experience.  300 dollars later, I think I have severals idea for home decor crafting ahead of me. Yes, I said several because TJ Maxx sells more than just home goods items…clothes, shoes, etc… (hey my husband IS graduating this May.. a new dress and shoe ensemble was required!).  So not only does pinterest serve as a wonderful website for ideas, it also targets the fellow shopper at heart. Oh well, at least in addition to spending excess money, I will hopefully aquire some new home decor for our condo (then moving it all to our new home).

Whether you are Southern, Northern, Mid-West, or from the Hills… Pinterest and LoseIt are for you! This is unless you are already a size 6 or under or already have a home filled with beautiful homemade creations!  Maybe I can be hired to be a spokesperson? Well, first I need to use my LoseIT app for a few more weeks, then maybe I can be hired (hey it worked for Jennifer Hudson, right?).

Goodnight from the southern heart! Happy exercising and crafting!

Starting a blog

Having a blog is always something that has been on the back of my mind. I finally decided to do it. Why? Well my husband is currently busy and I’m trying to find a portal to hold my thoughts. I wish to remain anonymous. I do not want fame or fortune, simply an outlet to fellow bloggers.

I decided on “southern speaks” because, I’m sure you realize that I am from the south. I do say “ya’ll” on a daily basis, I eat shrimp and grits, and I usually end my answers with “yes/no ma’m/sir.”

I realize that my southern roots will stay with me as we are moving fairly soon. The location has yet to be determined and will find out shortly. Maybe this is a way to keep a bit of myself with me wherever we go as I will have to find a new home, job, friends, hangouts, etc. Will my southern antics be made fun of as I travel? Possibly. Do I care? Not really.

Southern speaks will be a way for me to discuss a variety of topics that I hope to share soon. This blog will not be of any topic specifically but my southern personality will always shine. I realize some of the stereotypes about southerners are that we are slow moving, slow talking, inbred, and racist. However, in most cases you will find that southerners are friendly, polite, open minded, and great cooks.  Who said you can’t drink sweet tea and eat grits everyday?

My inspiration to create a blog came from the one and only Jen Lancaster, of jennslyvania blog and the author of many memoirs. I can only hope most of ya’ll are familiar with her work. If not, you are truly missing out. She probably remains as one of the funniest women I have ever heard of or encountered.  The way her humor slips in her blog and books are truly of genius.