Invasion of the Green – A Geek Girl Mommie Makeover Entry

June 19, 2012 Leave a Comment

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a post about this Geek Girl Mommies makeover progress. Honestly it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post. I’ve been so busy trying to find a 9-5 job that posting just went right out the window. But now I’m back and ready to chatter about anything and everything. You poor poor people. You probably thought you’d gotten rid of me didn’t you?

Long ago and far away (okay, so it was only a year ago or so) I decided that it was time to really step up the campaign to get me fit, back on track and back to looking and feeling the way I did when I felt svelte and pretty. There was a couple of reasons for this: 1) I was sick of feeling like a frumpy mass of unsightly jiggle and 2) I didn’t want Little Lass to look back and remember me as a frumpy mass of unsightly jiggle. It’s been a stop and go process and the last month I’ve actually gained weight instead of losing it. My wardrobe project faltered. In other words, I fell off the wagon and watched it turn a corner without bothering to chase it down. Now I’m tracking it all over the country side, following the cryptic clues it’s been leaving at every stop it makes.

I keep reminding myself that I only fail if I never pick back up where I dropped off. On the plus side Flyboy has been passive aggressively supporting me on the journey. I say passively aggressively because what he does is mention he’d like something for dinner or a snack and it reminds me to actually eat healthier and stick of my commitment. One of those things is a Green Smoothie. Initially it was introduced to me on Facebook on a mommie group I was a part of at the time. I admit that I was a little unsure about it at first, it sounded so health foodie. And it is. Really health foodie. But just one a day makes so much of a difference and it’s become something that Flyboy looks forward to before he leaves for work.

What exactly is a Green Smoothie you ask? It’s a smoothie made with spinach and tofu at it’s base. Here is what I use:

1 cup (approx.) of spinach

1 medium banana

1/4 of a block of tofu

1 cup of chocolate almond milk (or soy milk)

That is my starting point, every one of my smoothies starts with those ingredients. To that I mix approximately a cup of whatever fruit we have on hand or in the freezer. Or a tablespoon of peanut butter. The peanut butter is really one I love but Flyboy could do without. If you love peanut butter and banana sandwiches you’ll love this addition.  Trust me.

I’ve got this smoothie making process down to an art. It even rivals my mad skills with deviled eggs and I’m finding more and more that it’s a welcome part of our evening. The making of the daily smoothie means that Little Lass is comfortably in bed for the rest of the night, that adult time has started. It pretty much heralds the end of the day for us. It’s a little blessing we look forward to.

Maybe, just maybe it will benefit you too.

Filed under Cooking, Creative Corner, Mommie Makeover, Rise to the Challenge Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Strengths Finder 2.0 or How Anna Found Out What She’s Really Like

April 20, 2012 4 Comments

So a week and a half ago The Tiny Twig posted a piece about discerning your strengths. (If you haven’t read her blog yet may I suggest you do? She’s incredibly inspiring.)

In it she suggested that her readers read Strengths Finder 2.0, take the test the whole book is about, and find what your talents are.

Now I’ve owned this book for over a year hoping that it would give me some insight into how I tick. Then I lost my job which was one of the reasons I bought the thing in the first place. Something clicked off inside me and it got put on the shelf and forgotten except for the few times that my eyes would run across my “To Be Read Someday” pile and I’d catch sight of it. Reading the previously mentioned post reminded me that I had been putting it off for longer than I really should have. If there was any time that I needed to know where I was strongest at it would be now don’t you think?

So I read the book and took the test and here are my top 5 strengths and what they equate to:

  1. Strategic – can spot the patterns and alternate paths to a given destination, is able to eliminate choices based on possible outcomes
  2. Communication – can put words to thoughts, make good presenters and writers, uses story telling as a tool
  3. Empathy – can easily see issues from all different perspectives even if they do not agree with them, senses the emotions of those around them
  4. Adaptability – rolls with the punches, can change ones path as obstacles appear, responds readily to demands and changes, accepts unforeseen events as expected
  5. Developer – enjoys helping others realize their potential, aids others in growth and success

That is, of course, only the tip of the iceberg. The descriptions are much more in depth and the ideas on how to build and grow those talents are numerous. The real question is did I learn anything?

The answer to that is, yes I most certainly did. At first I wasn’t so sure that the list was right but then I read out the descriptions to Flyboy and he was able to help point out where these were true and things began to fall a little more into place. Because isn’t it the ones that are around you often that see the things you don’t? I do think Strategically about just about every idea I have. My problem is once I narrow down my path I have a hard time implementing. The reason? I’m afraid that my chosen path is wrong even after I’ve looked at it from every angle I can think of. What if I’ve missed something. The fact that you’re reading this post? Absolute miracle. But you know what? I’ve got Adaptability. So why shouldn’t I implement, I can recover and move forward.

This has been a giant step forward in my understanding of myself that I can’t even tell you. Even with Communication on my side. But now I know that this blog is something I should be doing and there are other things I’ve been itching to do with it and other things and I can see it all starting to take some sort of form and working together. How much more exciting can this get?

I highly suggest that if you have questions about your goals and where you are and where you’re going that you read this book and take this test. Tell me how it goes. I love understanding people and maybe I can put my Developer to good use.

“It is true that we shall not be able to reach perfection, but in our struggle toward it we shall strengthen our characters and give stability to our ideas, so that, whilst ever advancing calmly in the same direction, we shall be rendered capable of applying the faculties with which we have been gifted to the best possible account.” - Confucius

Filed under Me, Myself, Mommie Makeover, Reviews

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