Our DAMN Tweets!
Happiness will never come to those who don't appreciate what they already have #quote #truth6 hours ago
RT @LoriMoreno: You cannot love what you do not appreciate, and FEAR MAKES APPRECIATION IMPOSSIBLE. ~ A Course in Miracles9 hours ago
@CathyWMDA Thanx for the follow! You can LIKE us on Facebook too 'Santa Clarita Info - http://t.co/rGJMpD7C'. Keep Up the Good Tweets!1 day ago
Dear #sacramento TU for supporting business in #california and making this state such a desirable to live #failure on so many levels :(1 day ago
Financial Fitness for 2011
Published January 4, 2011 | 2011 arrived with a bang!! I for one am glad that it is here as 2010 for myself as for many was not one of my most favorite years. Granted there were some wonderful things that happened I still had a heavy heart last year because so many of us were struggling.
Luckily from a very young age my Dad taught me a few things about finances and I believe that if it were not for those lessons I too would have been caught up in the credit / financial crisis that so many people are in.
Here are a few things that I learned very early and many things that he taught me as I got older.
Pay Cash… My Dad never had a credit card in his pocket if he could not pay for something right then and there he did not buy it. Of course that did not apply for big ticket items like cars or the house. I really stick to that today, while I don’t carry around a wad of cash with me I make sure there is enough in the bank to to cover the purchase.
Pay yourself first. Dad was a big fan of this one. He told me to try to take the first 10% and sock it away in a savings account. It is not always easy I must say but I do try to put something away for a rainy day every month. Sure makes the unexpected expenses that always come up much easier to deal with.
Try to kick the daily habits and make them a treat. Dad is a big big coffee guy so what he did is well simple make it yourself (hehe) believe it or not as simple as that sounds the $$ you can save over the course of the year will buy you one helluva treat!! This holds true with whatever your personal poison is!!
Pay off The Credit Cards right away… In the few instances I do use my credit card that is not attached to my bank account I make sure that I can cover the expense right when the statement comes in. I never never never carry a balance as I do not want what was a simple purchase to end of costing a lot more than it should.
Ask for discounts or specials… Every January I call some of the utility companies to see if over the past year they changed or revised some of their plans. Sometimes Yes sometimes No but it never hurts to ask. Even a few bucks a month can add up and it never hurts to ask and believe me these days they are used to it and DO NOT want to lose you as a customer.
Some have suggested shopping your home or auto… I am happy to do that then go back to my agent with what I have found but this is one area at least to me where the relationship matters. If there is a claim I want my agent to go to bat for me.
Contribute more to your 401K…If you are one of the lucky ones that still has a 401K try to boost the contribution as far as you are comfortable doing. There is nothing better than putting away those Pre-tax $$!! Of course get some advice from a certified financial person…
Take Care of YOU!!!! My Dad was a big fan of this one! He always told me to find a balance between being responsible and being extreme. He always felt is was so important to take care of YOU! Pay your bills and take care of your financial obligations but you cannot take it with you so enjoy (with in reason).
What other advice can you share!! We would love to hear your Financial Fit tips for 2011 
Posted in I deserve a Medal, If I ran the zoo ..., No clue where this fits | 
401k, Credit, debt, finances, Savings | 
1 CommentOf COURSE Jodycakes is HOT – DUH
Published June 16, 2010 | The Houston Press wrote about our very own Jodycakes this week. Click the photo to read the interview with her after she found out she was dubbed one of “Houston’s Hottest Chefs”. Be sure to leave her a comment on their page too 
.
We sure do miss you in Los Angeles Jody … but it makes me happy to see that you are thriving there (like I knew you would).
Jodycakes
Andy Rooney’s Ode to Women over 40
Published February 3, 2010 | Andy Rooney’s Ode to Women Over 40
I found this one over at merlot mom by info@merlotmom.com (merlotmom) and thought if you missed it on 60 minutes as I did, it was well worth sharing in a blog post:
60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)
As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:
A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, ‘What are you thinking?’ She doesn’t care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it’s usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it’s not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.
For all those men who say, ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’, here’s an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it’s not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!
GO ANDY! GO ANDY!
I am Being Challenged Like Never Before – RESULTS
Published October 28, 2009 | www
XBM Fitness Live the Challenge
Well I made it survived 8 weeks of Hell yes Hell… BUT incredible and amazing… I cannot belive that I survived although there were a couple times I was hoping someone would bring me oxygen! I cannot Thank Tony and Heather of www.xbmfitness.comenough for the support and encouragement these last 8 weeks. Truly I accomplished physically more than I thought this “43″ yr old body could.
The first week we ran a mile and the fact that I ran the whole was was an amazing feat in and of itself… Here I am 8 weeks later and I did it again. Not only did I make it but I shaved almost 2 minutes off of my first time. Not only that but I actually participated in a 5 Mile Mud Run, ran a 5 K and survived… HUGE for me and I managed to tackle the 5K in about 35 min.. I know to some that is a very long time for some of you fitness machines but as a former “chunker with 2 bad knees” this was DAMN impressive
So here are the results:
Weight Lost – 11 lbs
Body Fat Loss 5%
The best part is that I have found a new and much more “productive addiction” YES I am hooked and will continue. My goal is to lose about 10 – 12% body fat and hopefully will accomplish this by the end of the year!!
Posted in Check This Out, I deserve a Medal | 5K, Boot Camp, www.xbmchallenge.com, www.xbmfitness.com | 5 CommentsSoon it won’t be called GOING POSTAL anymore . . .
Published October 20, 2009 | Because it will be called GOING BANKING.
When did all the crazy people leave the postal service and get jobs at the banks? And if I have to hear one more time ‘We’re a bank, we’re not in the real estate business’ I might just have to, uh, write another post explaining how it felt when my head exploded.
Hey Banker Dudes, you ARE in the real estate business and have been for several years now. So stop whining, stop procrastinating, stop being unreasonable to work with on all aspects of a real estate transaction AND PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR . . . (ass) VAULT (big fat ass).
Can you tell we’ve been trying to buy a house? Yeah. It’s not pretty out there.
We are great buyers. We have excellent credit scores. We have 3o% to put down. We have a terrific rate locked in with our credit union. And we can’t find anyone to take our money. Because 90% of the real estate out there is owned by a bank or soon to be owned by a bank and the banks are COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE.
Take the last house we put an offer on. It was a short sale and we were the second offer in. After waiting three months (MONTHS) to even hear back from the bank, we were given a price that they would accept. By this time we were the only purchasing party still interested, so even though the bank was asking us to pay all their closing costs, we agreed. Evidently we agreed too fast. They raised the price by $30,000. What? Wait. WHAT? Ok. Deep breath. Oh, and they STILL wanted us to pay their costs. Another deep breath. This would stretch us to the limit, but it’s for Hubunit’s parents and they deserve a nice house. So we agreed.
Then the bank said they would consider our offer only if we immediately released $10,000 to them. Before we had a signed contract, an inspection or a title search. When THEIR realtor pointed out to them that this request was kind of redonkulous, their reply was simply ‘We don’t have to be reasonable.’
We refused, they forclosed and the house went back on the market. Yes, it sold for more than we offered, but the bank ended up netting much less because of all the foreclosure costs they incurred.
How many sales across the nation is this happening with? How skewed are all the foreclosure statistics due to this kind of blatant mismanagement by the banks?? How long will we, the paying public, allow this kind of egregious behaviour? Not only allow it, but support it with our tax dollars?
Now the new trend is for listing agents to require all offers being submitted on their listing to be pre-approved thru a specified lender. This means that even though we are already pre-approved thru our own credit union and have no intention of using another lender, we still have to fill out a gazillion page application, submit extensive documentation and let them run our credit again. Of course, every time someone runs our credit, that number goes down. Hours of my time just to submit an offer that probably won’t be accepted.
FUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK. I refuse to do it.
All that being said, at least I get to spend more time with the most amazing realtor in the whole world, truly, the awesome Peggy Veliz. Yes, I big puffy heart her. If you live in Southern California and need a realtor, she’s your chick.
OK, I’m exhausted now and must go eat. I wonder how Shredded Wheat would taste with Tequila instead of milK?
Mud Run.. AKA *ss Kicker
Published September 21, 2009 | As you all know by now a few weeks ago I challenged myself by joining an 8 week fitness boot camp called www.xbmchallenge.com and OH MY I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Its not crazy enough to roll my backside out of bed 3 mornings a week at 5:30 AM but A MUD RUN too.. Are you kidding me… A 5 Mile Mud Run, Crap what have I gotten myself into…. See for yourself what I looked like after crossing the finish line:
Me and Hubby
Boot-camp Partner!
Posted in Check This Out, I deserve a Medal | Castaic, Mud Run, www.xbmchallenge.com, www.xbmfitness.com | 6 CommentsI Am Being “Challenged” Like Never Before
Published August 14, 2009 |
XBM “LIVE THE CHALLENGE”
www.xbmfitness.com or www.xbmchallenge.com
Welcome to my new Hell AKA “Boot Camp” or ass kicking compliments of XBM Fitness located in the “661″ I signed up for this experience while under pressure and extreme duress from a couple of girlfriends that I was hanging with at a recent party. DAMN I knew I should have stayed home that night.
Actually this could not have come at a better time. As many of you know weight has been a struggle for me since birth and for the last 5 years I have had a pretty good handle on it. I had lost about 65 ish lbs and have managed to keep most of it off. {{This link is a preview of the “previous me” HERE }} Did you catch the word “most” seems that around 15 of them have managed to creep back in – Yeah “foodies” I am talking to you!
All these kick ass “foodies” in blog world with their off the charts amazing recipes are responsible for these 15 lbs… Come on I need to blame someone other than myself. In all reality, I am the guilty party and realized that while the clothes fit they were tighter than I would like… So therefore XBM was born in my world… Tony is amazing and is responsible for major and incredible transformations. I personally know 2 ladies who have lost lots of weight and actually won their respective sessions challenge. Not only did they lose the weight but they won $1,000.00.
So here we are week one of the 8 week session and well truth be told I am dying. OMG the pain in my legs, stomach, arms and other body parts that I was not aware that could hurt – do. Gone are the days when I could walk up the stairs without wincing. I get my ass out of bed 3 days a week at 5:30 AM and LOVE IT… Do you hear me LOVE IT. I can honestly say that I have not felt this good in a very long time and look forward to this abuse. This is one hardcore group of dedicated fitness fans. What I really love is that everyone comes in all different shapes and sizes. Sure their are the superstars with rock hard kick ass bodies and well then there are the “normal” people like me. I feel so comfortable in the group and everyone really works to encourage each other. Tony is great about pushing you while still making sure you are not going to “die” on him. Puking though is perfectly acceptable! Luckily I have not done that…. {{yet}}
So here’s the drill: 3 days a week, 1 day at the gym, 1 day at the local college stadium that is filled with lots of stairs (get my drift) and the 3rd day is a field trip day (aka another place for him to draw sweat out of every pore in our bodies). The main session lasts for 8 weeks in which time it is pretty much “game on”. Everyone is working to meet their goals or in some cases maintain. There is no slacking in this group of about 20. In other words, if you cannot take the heat get out of the kitchen.
I say the hotter the better!!
I may not be able to do everything (bad knees from softball) but I will do a modified version as hard and as strong as I can and honestly I would never be able to do this on my own. I had no clue what “boot camp” was all about until now. I am so glad that the girls talked me into this one and I look forward to reporting to you all my success. That is of course depending on how I do… HA HA
“Pipe Dream” Goal: To be the same weight that my” drivers license says ::ya right::
Realistic Goal: Weight: Drop 15 lbs
Body fat: Drop 8 – 10%
Stay tuned….
For more information about the program or the man with the million dollar smile & body to match 
go to www.xbmfitness.com
** Please note that he flashes that smile while kicking your ASS!!
My journey has finally begun…
Published June 4, 2009 | And so it begins…I’m now on day 9 of the Bikram 60 Day Challenge.
Yes, I even attended yoga AFTER I went to the Waterford Crystal Food & Wine event in the Woodlands this weekend. And you know what, it was awesome.
Every day, my practice changes…and with the guidance and direction of my teachers, I move into a higher plain of self.
Yesterday, my teacher, Cherie said (in not so many words) that it doesn’t matter if it’s your first time doing it or your 10th year, you must accept you for you and where you are TODAY. That made a huge impact on me, as I find that we as humans tend to attach so much emotion to the things we do, without any breathing room for forgiveness, failure or growth. When I say failure, I don’t mean that in the hard sense of the word, but more like if we stumble and fall…we need to be good to ourselves, dust those knees off and get back up.
Another thing that she said was that in that room, and in those 90 minutes, focusing only on yourself…to check the negativity at the door. To let go.
That’s powerful. Our lives can be filled with negativity if we allow it to be…even if we are not the creators of the vibe, we can move towards it, just by association.
If you find that you are in a negative situation, just remember to breathe.
So, I’m THRILLED to be where I am TODAY in who I am and what I do…and I know, no matter what, there is NO ONE that can take that away from me.
Posted in I deserve a Medal | 60 Day Challenge, Bikram Yoga, negativity, self awareness | 5 CommentsWe have a WINNER!
Published April 14, 2009 | Last week we had this awesome giveaway. One of our lucky readers has won a copy of this book:
We selected a random comment from the giveaway post and here is the proof of the number we got back:
So going back to the giveaway entry :: counting comments :: our winner is Claire .
CONGRATULATIONS CLAIRE! You will be receiving an email from us requesting a shipping address.
Thank you to everyone who entered … we’ll be having another giveaway soon!!
100 day challenge: The Right Side of the Bed
Published November 24, 2008 | 27 days left. Have you ever noticed that some days you get up on the right side of the bed and everything goes well? You get a lot done. It is 12:30pm on Monday. Monday is a weekend day for me as I see clients on Saturday so I don’t schedule clients on Monday. Today is shaping up to be a really good and productive day. I’ve already: been to the gym and worked out with my trainer, taken a 45 minute walk with the dog, showered, cleaned up the dining room table which is the place I drop stuff when I come back into the house, changed the linens on my bed, done two loads of laundry, and am now sitting down to write. It feels good to get that much done in about 4 hours time!
What I’m trying to determine is why some days I can get up on the “right side of the bed” and get a lot accomplished in a little time and other days I get up on the “wrong side of the bed” and have a hard time getting anything done. I know one thing that I had going for me today was a good night’s sleep last night. I love this time of year in LA where the days are warm but the nights chilly. I sleep better when the bedroom is a little cool. I also know that getting the gym early in the day sets the tone of my day and gives me energy to get more done. But I realize there is something subtle in my attitude that is different on days when it feels like I’m in the flow. The thing I’m trying to figure out is how to replicate the good days and get up on the “right side of the bed” more often.
So do you know what helps you get up on the “right side of the bed” and be in the flow with what you want to accomplish in your day? What makes you feel like it is going to be a great day? I’m curious to hear what all the WMDA gals and readers have to say.
Remember people who post their comments here are eligible for Friday’s drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card.
xoxox
Carol
Recent Comments