- I ended up dropping two of my courses. I received an e-mail on Wednesday saying that if my tuition wasn’t paid in full, I would be dropped. I called the cashier’s office and was told I may or may not be dropped if I didn’t pay the whole thing. All in all, it came down to money. My books for the semester were going to cost close to $200. And on top of that, tuition was going to be $1,600. To be quite honest, I don’t have that kind of money. My mom is not rolling in dough and I need to help her out with bills as much as I can. So I’m back to square one: learning Spanish myself. Any tips?
- My hours were cut slightly at work. Our numbers are usually low in the summer and they’ve really been dropping like flies in the past week. We lost three toddlers in one week. The classroom I was in now only has five toddlers on roll, so I’m not needed in there. My boss has found things for me to do, though, and I’ve actually gotten a lot of hours this week due to people calling in. Yay for that?
- Honestly, the comments on my last post were the best ever. I was worried I would get a lot, “BUT YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!” and people would think I was being self-pitying and looking for comments. I wasn’t. I think it’s something every girl struggles, or has struggled, with. Also, as a side note, I did not mean to take a boob pic. It was supposed to show my non-collarbones and I really didn’t think as I posted that picture. But thanks for the sweet comments.
- Today, I start Level 3 of The 30-Day Shred challenge. I am proud to admit that I’ve done this challenge for 20 days straight. I’m surprised at this fact and that I’ve stuck with it. Honestly, the video is only 28 minutes long and I cannot understand how Biggest Loser contestants deal with her for hours and hours for four straight months! (Well, I do. And believe me, Jillian is good at pushing people to accomplish things they never thought they could.) I plan on giving a full report on the workouts, pounds/inches lost, and how I liked this when May is up. I will say that now every time I see Jillian outside of this video, I want to punch her in the face.
- Lately, I’ve been struggling with lunch. Luckily, my schedule permits so I can go home for lunch but I have such a tough time thinking of what to eat. I did the sandwich thing for a while (tuna, PB&J, turkey with lettuce) but it got old. Then I did the salad thing for a while but honestly, I can only have so much salad before it makes me want to vomit. I’m at a loss. Blog friends, or real life friends if you’re reading this, what do you eat for lunch? It doesn’t have to be quick and easy but I need some ideas!
- This post title and idea was stolen from Ashley. That is all.
The only thing that ever helped me with Spanish was watching Telemundo. ALL the time. And watching Disney Movies in Spanish. For some reason, that helped. Your library probably has rosetta stone. Having no need to speak spanish for the last 7 years, the five years I spent learning it may as well not exist, but my friend Lauren is fluent, I can ask her what she to help her remember stuff.
I've started buying a lot of vegetarian products (veggie burgers, stuff like that), which taste good, but have a lot less fat and calories in them than regular stuff. You could try that for a change.
I watched Telemundo too, and downloaded all the popular Spanish music in the charts – even Christina Aguilera songs in Spanish, "Genio Atrapado" remains ingrained in my head forever! I also found I wasn't good with books on my own – but you can get audiotapes, one called "Paul Daniels Magic Spanish" or something and it relies on you coming up with an image that sounds like the word. Like "cow" he'd say "imagine a cow with a vacuum cleaner" because it's "vaca" or cat, "a cat eating a cake" = "gato" etc. Good luck!!
After 5 years of Spanish in high school I was luckily able to test out of all the Spanish I needed but to this day all I can remember is, "You quiero Taco Bell."
I had a friend that needed to learn German well and relatively quick and he used Rosetta Stone. He SWEARS BY IT. So maybe try to check that out?
And good lucky with level 3 of the shred, I never made it past level 1. Oops!
I think the advice of watching TV is a good one. My dad always says watching Sesame Street with me really helped him with his English.
I did the Shred for about 3 days before I got my wisdom teeth out and had to put the challenge on hold for awhile. I thought it was hard, but I found Jillian quite motivating and encouraging. I suppose after dealing with her for 30 days and with the increase in intensity, it might get old though!
Also, I eat Lean Cuisines for lunch when I'm at work. They are tasty, easy, and quick, but eventually I want to get away from eating processed food so I'm not exactly recommending them.
Lunch is one thing I really struggle with, too. Maybe it's that I don't know what to eat, but I've started this trend of completely skipping it, which I know is so unhealthy. So, I started making a little extra food at dinnertime and putting it in two containers for my and my husband's lunches the next day. I got sick of sandwiches, too, so I picked up some bagels and crackers to eat with cheese or lunchmeat. My friend also gave me this really great recipe for black bean enchiladas, and it made a GREAT lunch and lasted for days. I've made it twice so far, once with black beans and once with chicken. Making a meal ahead of time that will last you a few lunches may make it easier since you won't have to worry about what to have!
I took many years of spanish, and I'd suggest anything with a book and audio. My college-level Spanish courses came with books and CDs, and I actually gave them to my mom because she wants to learn the language. I've never tried Rosetta Stone, but I've heard it works well, too.
Oh, and I'm a bit nervous to start Level 3!!
You're really inspiring me with your dedication to The Shred. I have it and have never actually done it, let alone for the 30 days. You're doing great!
Lunches are hard. (I usually end up eating peanut butter and jelly because it's easy.) But sometimes I get slightly more creative and make…
Fruit salad. Maybe it would be a nice break from vegetable salad for you? I like to sprinkle strawberries, apple, bananas and nuts over vanilla yogurt or cottage cheese. Add honey and cinnamon.
Another favorite is cheese, tomato, and avocado sandwiches.
Sadly this is all I can think of…. except for soup. And in 90 degree heat, soup is not always a good option!
I have that exact same lunch problem, seriously. Being at work 5 days a week and often missing either breakfast or dinner is really, really tough. I used to just eat whatever my mom bought but then I started looking at the ingredients on the frozen dinners and freaked. I choose some healthy frozen choices and I often bring food that is made from home. If you buy a good cookbook and take a few hours once a week to make really good meals, you can be set for the whole week!
Rosetta Stone isn't a bad idea for learning language…I've been using it for Turkish. You just have to have self-discipline in sitting down and actually DOING it, cause there is no teacher to give you deadlines. But it's not a bad program at all, and it costs about $300.
oh, and about lunch: HUMMUS all the way!!!!
Sorry to hear that you had to drop some classes, but I'm sure everything will work out and maybe God is trying to say "Hey, you need some time to do other things, right now". So who knows what could happen this summer? As for lunches, I'm not the best eater because I'm usually not eating to lose weight but to have energy for running and working out for long periods of time, but but but I will agree with Stacie's comment in that Veggie Burgers are actually really good, even for meat-eaters.. and they are better for you. I used to always make them on my George Foreman.
As far as Spanish, maybe download some podcasts from iTunes…I know that helped when I needed to brush up on French! And for lunches, I honestly usually have left overs from dinner before, and make sure I have enough for leftovers.
I left a challenge for you on my blog!
Congrats on the shred!! Have you tried Rosetta Stone for the Spanish, it can be expensive but it's much less expensive than those classes. Some schools get discounts on it as well. Good luck with the Spanish.
No thanks needed for the comment, honest! But you are more than welcome! And great job with this 30-Day Shred. I'm not sure I would've lasted (I still haven't even attempted it, gah).
As for lunch… Obviously you're still working on fitness and losing weight, so have you tried Lean Cuisines? Check and see if they are on sale somewhere and pick up a few. I thought they'd be disgusting diet food, but so many are absolutely delicious.
So sorry to hear about school, dear. That must be so frustrating! Ugh. My 15 year old cousin takes spanish, she was struggling with it so she found some online tutorials. They seem to be helping.
I often find myself in a similar quandary for lunch. I often cook on the weekends then have leftovers for the week — things like soup, veggie mixes etc. Or if all else fails I throw a baked potato into the microwave.
I'm sorry you had to drop some classes. I'm sure everything will work out. There might be some online language classes that aren't as expensive.
When I was losing weight, I did the Weight Watcher's Core plan diet. Pretty much all healthy whole foods. No processed stuff. GardenBurger Veggie Burgers with a side of sliced tomatoes, Yummy!! Pinto beans heated up with some onion and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Boneless skinless chicken breast topped with some salsa and fat-free mozzarella cheese! Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce(really easy to do), delicious!!! Just a few ideas. 😉
When I was losing weight, I did the Weight Watcher's Core plan diet. Pretty much all healthy whole foods. No processed stuff. GardenBurger Veggie Burgers with a side of sliced tomatoes, Yummy!! Pinto beans heated up with some onion and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Boneless skinless chicken breast topped with some salsa and fat-free mozzarella cheese! Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce(really easy to do), delicious!!! Just a few ideas. 😉
When I was losing weight, I did the Weight Watcher's Core plan diet. Pretty much all healthy whole foods. No processed stuff. GardenBurger Veggie Burgers with a side of sliced tomatoes, Yummy!! Pinto beans heated up with some onion and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Boneless skinless chicken breast topped with some salsa and fat-free mozzarella cheese! Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce(really easy to do), delicious!!! Just a few ideas. 😉
When I was losing weight, I did the Weight Watcher's Core plan diet. Pretty much all healthy whole foods. No processed stuff. GardenBurger Veggie Burgers with a side of sliced tomatoes, Yummy!! Pinto beans heated up with some onion and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Boneless skinless chicken breast topped with some salsa and fat-free mozzarella cheese! Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce(really easy to do), delicious!!! Just a few ideas. 😉
When I was losing weight, I did the Weight Watcher's Core plan diet. Pretty much all healthy whole foods. No processed stuff. GardenBurger Veggie Burgers with a side of sliced tomatoes, Yummy!! Pinto beans heated up with some onion and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Boneless skinless chicken breast topped with some salsa and fat-free mozzarella cheese! Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce(really easy to do), delicious!!! Just a few ideas. 😉
When I was losing weight, I did the Weight Watcher's Core plan diet. Pretty much all healthy whole foods. No processed stuff. GardenBurger Veggie Burgers with a side of sliced tomatoes, Yummy!! Pinto beans heated up with some onion and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Boneless skinless chicken breast topped with some salsa and fat-free mozzarella cheese! Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce(really easy to do), delicious!!! Just a few ideas. 😉