Thankful for.... Disney Days!

There are so many things that I am grateful for in my life that if I started a list, I'm not sure I would ever stop. But I've recently discovered one more thing to add to that list: Build A Bear's Disney Days sale!

I'm just going to go ahead and say this now: I, a childless adult, am the proud mama of not one, but two Build A Bear stuffed animals. Both were a gift from my boyfriend, so it's not like I'm walking into the store alone and stuffing these bears solo. Having those two bears wouldn't be so strange if I didn't also have so many outfits for them that my boyfriend had good reason to get me a Build A Bear armoire so I could better organize all the clothes I have for them. I have Halloween outfits, Christmas outfits, some nice casual outfits, and graduation robes representing the two different years that my boyfriend and I graduated from our undergraduate careers. I got this armoire back in September, and I haven't purchased a single thing from Build A Bear since, and my wardrobe is already chock full of clothes! The drawers are filled to the brim, the accessory door can't take many more accessories, and I have to do some serious shoving and squeezing to add more outfits on the hanging rod. Between my boyfriend and myself, we have made enough trips to Build A Bear that we decided to go ahead and become a Stuff Fur Stuff member. We've purchased so much stuff that we have earned several gift cards because of all the points we easily rack up. Then I got an email from Build A Bear telling me all about Disney Days, their two-day sale on select Disney merchandise. Typically, I'm pretty skeptical of sales like this because sales usually fall into one of two categories: 

1) The sale is only a couple bucks off, which really just saves me the amount I would have paid in tax for that item; OR 

2) The sale is on an item that I don't particularly care to have anyway.

But when the email promised up to 60% off Disney merchandise, I couldn't help but at least check it out! 

Boy, am I ever glad that I did! 

For a little under $50, I had purchased two dresses, a Mickey tuxedo outfit, a Disney princess tiara, and a bedding set. This was all including tax. I really did save a ton on these items! I think I saved at least 50% on each item, a little more on some other items. I did the math comparing the amount I paid versus the full price, and I saved $24! That doesn't sound like much, but that is enough to buy two outfits at full price! I was thrilled! 

PLUS I didn't have to pay for shipping because I spent enough to qualify for free shipping. That's not all! The cherry on top of this whole thing: I used a $50 gift card my boss had given me a while back, so this purchase didn't cost me a dime! Without the Disney Days sale, I would have had to shell out an extra 24 bucks to get all that stuff. You guys, I'm a believer. I will always at least look at the items when Build A Bear promises things like the Disney Days sale! 

Nothing Like A Sink Shower!

Listen. We are all pretty busy people. You know what that means? It means that sometimes things like showers often have to either be rushed or skipped entirely. I've definitely had days where I'm running a little late for school or work, realize my hair is embarrassingly greasy, but don't have time to hop in the shower. I also happen to live with my mother who gets up before teachers do to go to work, so she goes to bed very early to wake up refreshed in the morning. She's a light sleeper, so when her lights go out for the night, the shower can't be turned on at the risk of a sound scolding for waking my mother up.

I've tried various different ways to get a quick "shower" in. My hair is the hard part. It's usually pretty easy for me scrub myself down to get my body cleaned. I've done things from baby powder/cornstarch in my hair, baking soda in my hair, and styling my hair differently to hide the fact that I haven't showered in the past 24 hours (don't judge - my work and school schedules get pretty hectic!). But there's nothing that works as well as bending over a sink and washing my hair in the sink. Of course, this doesn't give it the thorough clean it needs, but at the very least, I get my roots, and honestly, that's the most important part in my opinion. I then make sure to get a nice long shower in later that day. 

So how does one shower over the sink? It's easier than you might think!

1. Wear a t-shirt you don't mind getting wet! 

Seriously. Since you're going to be showering over a sink, you will get wet, your sink will get wet, and the clothes that you're wearing will also get wet. Some people do this over the kitchen sink since they're usually bigger than a bathroom sink, but I prefer to use the bathroom sink anyway because I get more privacy that way. Plus I have long hair, so I prefer not to wash my hair in the same place that my family washes food and dirty dishes. 

2. Bend over the sink, flip your hair over, and start getting your hair wet!
I like to have a small bowl or container handy for this. My aunt used to teach me to just cup my hands under the water to use as a makeshift bowl, but I've found that I make more of a mess that way. I'm also a pretty clumsy person, though, so other people might have more luck that I do. I use the small bowl to carefully pour/splash water at the front and sides of my hair, making sure to really get my roots wet. 

3. Start shampooing

This can either be the tricky part or the easy part, depending on how small your sink is and how careful you are. I squeeze a small amount of shampoo in my palm and then start rubbing it in my roots like I normally would if I were taking a regular shower. Just remember not to actually get your whole head though (unless you have short hair). It'll be harder to rinse out that soap if you have to rinse it out from a full head of long hair. 

4. Rinse!

Grab that small bowl and start rinsing out the shampoo. This could easily be the most time-consuming part, but that's okay. It's better to make sure to really get that soap out or you'll regret it later as you're scratching your head (literally!) wondering why your scalp is suddenly so itchy. By the end of this, your hair should be drenched and dripping wet. 

5. Grab your towel and start towel drying

Like I said, your hair should be dripping wet at this point. Grab your towel (which you should always leave within easy reach) and towel dry your hair. Your hair will most likely look pretty wild at this point, but remember that you washed your hair upside down, so gravity wasn't exactly on your side. But after a good round of towel drying, your hair shouldn't look that bad - just wet, naturally. 

6. Enjoy your clean(er) hair!

It's not the most thorough of methods to wash your hair, but it gets the job done. Personally, I think this is the most effective method of washing your hair when you're pressed for time. I feel cleaner and unlike when I use baby powder or cornstarch, I don't look like a granny from putting white powder in my black hair. 

Hope this helps!

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Just Another Person Complaining About Work

Alright, full disclosure: This post is 100% me complaining about my day at work yesterday because unfortunately for me, when I came home, my usual sources of listening ears were either busy or asleep.

That being said...

I am the last person to get all high and mighty about how qualified I am for any job. I completely understand that there are thousands of other people my age who hold degrees from far more impressive universities and who have significantly more experience in the field than me. I get it. I get that you don't just magically get to the top. You have to start from the bottom and work yourself there.

However...

I have recently just come out of the era of my constant underestimating how valuable I am and how much I can contribute to the field. Previously, I firmly believed that I am not worth more than being paid minimum wage to do very demanding work that I would continue to moan and groan about. However, now that I have a solid two years of experience under my belt, I'm starting to see things a little differently. I was fortunate enough that I landed myself a second job, and they offered a starting salary on the higher end of their pay spectrum. Obviously, this isn't quite enough to get a big head about, but it also reaffirmed that I am more valuable than I have let myself believe - and what I have allowed my employer to believe.

That's why I was particularly annoyed yesterday when I was yanked out of the middle of one of my classes to make coffee. Yes, I, a teacher of little toddlers, was asked to step out of my classroom so that I could make coffee for a potential customer so that the customer would leave happy. As annoyed as I was, I set up the coffee maker and had a pot brewing within minutes. I then returned to my class where mayhem was just starting to break out. I had just brought things back under control when my boss popped in my classroom again and asked, "I'm sorry, but is that coffee ready yet, or...?" Yes, that coffee was done brewing -- all she had to do was literally pour the coffee into a cup and add some creamer to it, then stir and give it to the customer. But no, because she's a boss, that kind of work is somehow beneath her. The disrespect that this company has shown me is appalling. It's why after I recommended one friend to work there, I quickly realized my mistake and have since refused to recommend the company to anyone.

New Year, New Me! (Again)

I know, I know. You, me, and the rest of the world has either heard it or said it a thousand times before -- New year, new me! And each time, we promise ourselves that we mean it this time. For me, I mean it for a maximum of two weeks before I decide that "new me" is just too hard to work on when I have to go through real life at the same time. Generally, my "new me" that I resolve to work on is a new and fitter me. Like many other people out there, I've got a bit more belly than I'd like. However, getting rid of all that extra belly is pretty tough when I have so many other life obligations.

That's why this year, I consulted the help of technology. More specifically, an app on my phone. That's right. When it comes to a fitness-themed (and other-themed, too, I'm sure) resolution of 'new year, new me,' there's an app for that!

Before I get into that, though, let me tell you all the try-and-fails that I attempted before turning to the app for help.

For the past year or so, I've been paying a gym membership fee. I think in the entire time that I've been a member at that gym, I actually visited the gym a total of five times. That basically means I've been giving the gym free money for the better part of the past year. This year, I wanted to change that. Sure, I could just cancel the membership and save myself a lot of money, but I figured it would be more worth it to just use the gym more frequently. So I went to the gym to get my run in. I ran a mile, did some half-hearted workouts, and then headed home. Honestly, it was incredibly unsatisfactory. Not only did I not really feel winded in the slightest by my gym time, but I didn't feel like I got anything out of my time there. The next day, I went back, ran an even faster mile, did a more thorough and vigorous workout, and felt a little more satisfied than I did the day before. Still, something was lacking. I was a little winded, but not enough to motivate me to go back. At the risk of sounding cocky, I can handle a pretty rigorous workout for someone who doesn't do much exercising. Of course, I've trained with Army soldiers before for three months. Then I got lazy and quit exercising. That's when things started to go downhill.

Then, I discovered this app. After years of not exercising, I downloaded the 30 Day Fitness Challenge App for Android. The nice thing about this app is that it has workouts for several different areas, including abs, butt, and arms. It also throws in cardio workouts, squat workouts, and push-up workouts. If that wasn't good enough, it also offers various levels of workouts, from beginner level 1 to advanced. Since I haven't worked out in a while, I started with a beginner level 1 workout for abs, arms, squats, and cardio. Everything can be done from the comfort of my own home, so I fired up my Netflix account, hit play on one of my shows, and got to work.

I was a little apprehensive about the beginner level 1 at first. I thought it'd be too easy, but boy, was I wrong. The workouts are deceptively short and easy, but after doing them, they prove to be quite the workout. My ab workout required me to do just 15 sit ups, 5 crunches, 5 leg raises, and a 10 second plank. By the end of it, I was definitely feeling it! Throughout the rest of my day, I definitely felt a little sore. The soreness was barely noticeable, but it was there. I don't know about you, but physically feeling the results of my workout (aka being sore) motivates me to continue.

I just completed my day 2 workout for the day, and I'm feeling my abs and legs more than ever. My arms are tingling a little, too, but the pain is mostly targeted in my abs and legs as of right now. Definitely looking forward to seeing results at the end of the 30 days!

Chao for now!

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