Oh...is it Monday Again?

Hi.

I'm Whitney.

I blog here occasionally...

It is Monday...again.

For some reason I'm attempting this no complaining for 24 hours thing. I'm pretty sure I've already messed up...I'm not sure though...so I'm going to bravely carry on.

So let's catch up shall we? Its been...awhile.

This weekend was the annual carnival that my company does. It was pretty awesome,as it was last year. I ate my funnel cake, shaved ice, cotton candy, ice cream, veggie burger...oh and fries! I'm pretty sure JJ had 3 of the Italian sausage things. YUM!

We had a blast! Boomer was so excited she didn't sleep until about midnight, which was fine because we had all day Sunday to sleep in.

We woke up and I was craving Starbucks, and it turns out that was a good thing because after that short drive I realized...hey, there is stuff leaking from my car.

Coolant. Yay.

Poured in some leak fixing....stuff. Hopefully that cuts it.

I'll be back with some more meaningful posts this week. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

My Live Music Addiction : Bruno Mars Edition

Over the past two years, I've been learning about myself. As detailed in the post Rachel shared on her blog today. Go check her out by the way. Sweet girl!

Anyway, one thing I've learned about me, is that I LOVE live music. I love music anyway. I'm always singing. I studied voice in college. I teach voice lessons now. Always have music on. Music music music. A dear friend of mine was always traveling to concerts and festivals and I found myself reading his blog and looking at his instagram feed and feeling INSANELY jealous.

But why be jealous Whit? Just start going to concerts yourself! It started out small. I went to a Maroon 5 concert a few summers back. It was amazing. Then I started adding more and more.

This past 12 months has been The Year of Concerts....

Bruno Mars
Under the Sun Tour
Ariana Grande (This was for Boomer...)
Arctic Monkeys
Demi Lovato
Bruno Mars

Oh yeah....he was so amazing...I paid to see him twice.

This past weekend I drove up to Cleveland with a girl friend of mine from high school and her husband to see Mr. Mars and his band rock the house. He did not disappoint.

* Side note- No one was in Columbus this past weekend. As I scrolled through my feed I realized that all my friends were either in Cincinnati for Beyonce and Jay Z or Cleveland for Bruno! *

Anyway I was literally on my feet all night. His opening act was Aloe Blacc (from I'm The Man fame) and he was great too. I'm going to have to check out more of his music for sure! Then out came Bruno and I did not stop shaking it, and singing all night long!

I confess. I would search for tickets to his Pennsylvania show...but I need to move in a few months so its time to chill out.

However, the Under the Sun tour is coming back in a few weeks. Then Lorde...Ed Sheeran....

Music, Music, Music!!!!!!!!!!

On Self Improvement...Or 'Oh Sh*t...I'm almost 30!'

I currently sit on the board of the alumni association for my high school, the school that Boomer currently attends. We are in the midst of planning our all class reunion that will take place in August. Yes, all class. We are a very small school so it makes no sense to do reunions for individual classes.

Anyway, thinking on this, I asked a friend 'On a scale from 'meh' to 'Oh wow!' how great of shape do you think I can get in in 60 days?' Then we went on to discuss outfits, hair, and makeup.

This morning however, I took a long naked gaze at myself in the mirror. I'm really not unhappy with what I see. Could I have a little more muscle here and there? Sure! Do my clothes from high school still fit? Yes.

 I do find myself thinking about things differently though lately. With this most recent health scare I realize I HAVE to take better care of myself. Not just to look hot in bathing suits and at reunions, but also to make sure that I'm healthy and available to Boomer for the next 20 years. I need to eat healthier. I need to exercise. I need to drink less coffee and more water. I need to take care of my skin, not so I can look perfect in instagram selfies, but so I can look as awesome and ageless as my mother and grandmother in real life.

In a few weeks I'll be 29. This is the last year of my 20s. Most people dread the big 3-0, but the past couple of years have made me excited for my 30s. Yes, you read that right. Excited. I've learned so much about me. Who I am. What drives me. What I will accept in my life from friendships, relationships. What I have to offer. As I have learned all this, it makes me so excited for the next 10 years!

I guess the point of all this is, here's to self improvement for self improvements sake.

Although it won't hurt to be a hot mom at the reunion so I need to find a dress.

A Girl And Her Money : 5 Ways to Save Money Grocery Shopping

Recently, i.e. Sunday, I blew my grocery budget almost for the entire month in one trip. Whoops. However it's provided good material to share with all of my readers coming along with me on my journey to be financially savvy! Here are 5 tips to help you save!

1. Have A Plan

I ended up at the store, spur of the moment with Mom and Boomer. I had no plan and ended up just throwing things into my cart. Recipe for disaster. I'm not saying you need to have a complete meal plan (although it helps), but having a general idea of what meals you'd like to prepare and what you need to replenish is important.

2. Have Time

I didn't drive myself, and we had an overtired Boomer. Which means I was rushed. So once again this led to me throwing random things in my cart. I'm not saying you need to set aside 2 hours to grocery shop, just make sure you have the necessary time to prepare.

3. Eat first

I was so hungry when I was in the store Sunday, which means in addition to not having a plan, or time, my stomach was driving my choices. So I ended up with nacho fixings, and three boxes of instant oatmeal, but no idea what to make for dinner that night once I got home with all that crazy stuff! Also...the combination of feeling rushed and being hungry led to Hangry Whit. All bad.

4. Go for the off brand

Trust me. Kroger oaty-o's taste exactly like Cheerios. As does the instant oatmeal. I'll confess though. I will put nothing but Aunt Jemimah's Butter Lite syrup on my pancakes...so...cut back where you can.

5. Take advantage of coupons and store savings!

I am a loyal Kroger customer. So sometimes I get special coupons based on my shopping habits. Also I use digital coupons that I can load directly to my loyalty card, which in turn adds up to savings on gas too! Lots of different stores offer different programs, and there are a TON of blogs out there that tell you the best deals based on coupons and store sales.

So basically. Do the complete opposite of what I did Sunday, and you should be GOLDEN.

Any tips from you ladies on how to save the green when shopping for food?

While the Blog Was Sleeping

I have missed this blog.

I've missed writing and interacting with all the amazing people I've gotten to know across blog land.

Depression and anxiety make even the most basic things hard. So once Boomer was fed and taken care of, and I'd done my work that was it. That was all I had. When you see those ridiculous 'Depression hurts, but you don't have to' commercials...and there is like a shadow following the animated girl around? That was me.

Except less of a shadow and more like...invisible weights. Weights on your body and your spirit.

What's worse is the awareness that you are not yourself, but feeling incapable of affecting change.

I feel like now, I'm getting back to myself. I'm ready to make an effort to go out and be social, to do things that I enjoy, and be present in my own life.

This means actively making choices to not sit on my couch for an entire weekend. To not blow of social engagements and....well like I said just be present.

The post I wrote last week about the #OHBlogger's meetup? What I didn't write, was that I had to make myself get up, get dressed, put on makeup and go. The effort was worth it though, as you can tell from my post.

It's all about the journey right?

Dear Monday?

Remember when we all used to write Dear Friday letters?

It crossed my mind at about 4am this morning, when insomnia declared 'Whitney! I just can't quit you!, that it made a lot more sense to write letters on MONDAY. Kind of like an intentional start to the week. So here we go.

Dear Subconscious-

That nightmare in the wee hours of this morning. The one where Boomer and I were suddenly a part of Game of Thrones and there was a really scary group of people referred to as 'The Dancers'. If you could not do weird things like that to me it would be appreciated. I mean, what was that even about?!

Dear FB GOT quiz-

You made me a Lannister?!?!? Really?!?!? And then my cousin tells me....'yeah...I can see that.' WHAT?!?!

Dear Boomer-

Ok, 1 summer reading book down... 10 more to go! (I'm assuming these are 'recommendation and not requirements seeing as you are a third grader.) Come on kiddo. You've only got 6 more weeks!

Dear Grocery Budget-

Sorry I blew you almost for the whole month, in one trip.

Dear Blog-

That blown grocery budget = Wednesday's post so....winning?

Dear Bathroom-

You are so lovely and clean that I almost didn't want to use you this morning. I realize that's weird, but I imagine that's how all the people that pin their perfect rooms feel.

Dear Week-

I see nothing but great things in our future, because there was Indian food for lunch today, I'm seeing my man Bruno on Saturday and well...there will be happy, warm, fluffy things between now and then!

#OHBloggers, Digfest, and Father's Day...Oh What a Weekend

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK.

Guys. This weekend. It was truly one for the record books. I had so so so so so much fun!

First, my weekend started early, because we have half day Friday's during the summer at my company. So I took little miss to go see Maleficent! The movie was great! The visuals, the costumes, set design....loved it. Nice to be reminded that Angelina is in fact, an actor. Although....the part where she loses her wings was a little...date rapey...and heavy even for me, let alone for my 8 year old.

BOOMER'S EIGHT YOU GUYS!!!! When did that happen!

Saturday I attended the Ohio Blogger meet up organized by Shane and Holly that took place at Zauber Brewing Co, which I will definitely be stopping by again.  Seriously this C-Boss drink was amazing!

This #OHBloggers meet up was fantastic. I got to meet so many new people and finally meet some folks in real life. Like this girl.

I love love love Erin's blog. I also love love love her and her husbands Sallie and Perkins student loan payoff series. I have a stupid amount of loans as we have talked about HERE, so anyone who talks about that in a real way appeals to me. Turns out she is super fun and such a sweetie in person! (Not a huge surprise there.)

Morgan, Amanda,  Kathy and Moi

I met Amanda, the lovely lady behind Girl About Columbus, whose instagram it turns out, I stalk. A lot. She's awesome.  Rachel, the lady behind The Rachel Way informed me via twitter that I was her new girl crush, which I'm not gonna lie pretty much made my whole Saturday. I met so so many amazing ladies, I'll try to put together a comprehensive list of the Ohio ladies so you can check out their blogs too!

We transitioned to Digfest after. Digfest is a local festival that takes place in Grandview (another adorable Columbus neighborhood) where they have local beers, wines, and spirits along with food and live music. I'm really making an effort to get out there and experience more of all the wonderful things this city has to offer. Now that I've connected with all these amazing, tapped in bloggers I don't think I'll have a problem in that area!

Holly, Katya, Jacqueline, Shane and Amanda 

Sunday...I nursed my hangover, which after 25 are NO joke.

 Once I recovered I hopped over to my mother's roof for her semi annual gutter clean out. I have been doing it for years, because I actually like climbing up there and I'm cheap labor.

Then we took JJ to his 4th annual Bj's Brewhouse Father's Day/Birthday dinner.

He and Boomer seriously crack me up!

To sum it up, my weekend was fantastic. I feel re-energized and ready to jump back into this here blog...and just life in general. Guys the funk may FINALLY be over! Just in time to enjoy an awesome summer!

Ebb and Flow

This year several of my friends have or will get married.
Several friends and acquaintances have had babies.
Two of my family members have died.

As I write this morning, I'm sitting in a hotel room getting ready with Momm and Boomer to go to a funeral.

And that is just life.

It's sad. It makes me take stock of my life and whether or not I'm where I want to be. If I've accomplished what I want/need to yet. Am I doing a good job with Boomer? Am I being a good daughter? A good friend? Am I being good to myself?

Its a long drive from Ohio to Tennessee, and while there are few quiet moments in a car with Boomer AND my mom, the ones that I grabbed found me deep in those thoughts.

I don't necessarily know all the answers yet. I think I'm doing decently well as a mother, daughter, friend, ect, but there is always room for improvement.

Just some early morning thoughts, on ebb and flow.

Where is the tide taking you?

That's One Way to Include the Baby in the Wedding...

So.....

This happened....

I mean...it was....

Ill advised.

Weird.

Not well thought out.

A little ridiculous.

I wouldn't call it 'SHOCKING', like most news outlets though. Nor would I be calling for child services to check on this woman for child abuse. She securely fastened her new born to the seemingly fluffy train of her dress and then walked a flat, smooth, carpeted walkway. She wasn't walking down a cobblestone street.

I mean...if this is worthy of child services...then so is

Pretty sure the second image is a little more dangerous in fact. I mean...it's not like she danced her whole reception with the baby tied on there. 

Basically. There are far more important things to talk about.

I mean...Kim Kardashian got married people!!!!

3 Years of Katy Goes Boom

Guys...

I missed it....

Yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of KGB!

I know I haven't been blogging much lately, there has been a crap ton of life going on. This is a lifestyle blog at heart though, and I will do my best to get back to writing and sharing. I miss reading all about your lives and adventures too!

For people who have been reading along with Boomer and my adventures, thank you so much. Blogging has brought me some awesome real life and virtual friends and connections and I'm so blessed with that!

When You Watch Too Much CW and You're Single

Hi I'm Whitney. I used to blog here. Starting to again. So here goes.

Do you know what happens when you watch an entire season of the CWs Beauty & the Beast over a weekend? You start to get moony eyed over what is clearly a dysfunctional relationship.

I mean she has to lie to everyone she cares about. She commits illegal acts, like evidence tampering, and SHE IS A COP. She rationalizes her boyfriend killing people, because, well they are criminals. See! Dysfunction. And I was all....

Then I moved onto Hart of Dixie, because, well the CW is just hittin' 'em outta the park. (Don't judge me.) So...girl gives up life and career to live in a small town. Falls for engaged guy. Engaged guy leaves his evil fiance basically at the alter only for Zoe (main character) to tell him he needs time to heal...or whatever. (Then proceeds to be princess crazypants every time he dates someone.) She then falls for and dates the town screw up/sleeps with everyone and then is shocked and heart broken when he hurts her. (umm...duh) Once again I looked at all this relationship drama like so....

Which brings me to my point. I have CLEARLY been single too long. I'm staring to look longingly on dysfunction and drama. Hell, I read an old diary and looked fondly on an ex-boyfriend. (Just...no.) See! Single too long. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my 'me' time. (SEE HERE) But...its been well over a year since I even went on a date.

Here is my dilemma though.... How do you actually meet new guys at this point in life? I got to work and then I go home. I take care of Boomer pretty much 24/7. I don't really go out to bars and I'm passed the whole 'we met in college' phase of my life. I've hinted to my friends for a set up....but no dice.

Which lead me to staring at a Match.com profile I can't commit to. I hate my screen name, I have no clue what to write about myself, and pictures? Also...does it even work? Sigh...guess I'm dipping my toes into the dating pool again...stay tuned.

It was Kind of Like a Government Shut Down...

I really didn't mean to abandon KGB...

In times of high stress, I shut down. I do the minimum to survive. Eat, feed Boomer and the cat. Shower, bathe Boomer...well Jack washes himself religiously. Sleep, make sure Boomer sleeps. The basics.

It is a not so great part of my personality, that I really don't like. I don't talk to people. I avoid my phone. I just get so overwhelmed. The thing is, the way I react to stress is a flashing red light for the people around me who know me well.

I can't tell you how many 'What is WRONG with you?!?!?' texts I've gotten over the past month. 'Why are you being weird...and avoidy?' I even got a few emails from you lovely people that read my word vomit.

There was just a perfect storm of crap. Taxes that hadn't been filed (ain't divorce grand?), fees owed to school, forms to file for next school year, meetings, work, deadlines, and getting ready to go out of town for a friends wedding. All that added up to completely overwhelmed Whitney. Who did what she always does and shut down.

The four days away in Georgia though, seemed to be what I needed. I'm back and a little rested, refocused, and re-energized. My best friend had a a beautiful wedding, and I was there for it. My baby brother is doing some amazing things and I got an update. I also got to sleep in some really comfy hotel beds!

So a little look at somethings that have been happening while I've been on hiatus.

Boomer got to meet Fifth Harmony, one of her FAV pop groups.

I went to see this girl in concert!

She is amazing live. Simply amazing. Made me cry, goosebumps amazing.

Then I headed off to Georgia to watch my bestie walk down the aisle.

I also lent my vocal chords to her reception...hopefully there isn't video of that anywhere. I LOVE to sing, and wish it was a viable career option for me, but I HATE watching or listening to myself sing. Hearing my song on the radio would be equal parts awesome and torture.

Now its back to normal. I discovered a few things after my long weekend in Georgia. Columbus, I have wanderlust big time, but I'm not over you yet. We have some unfinished business. Boomer, you are a serious mommy's girl with separation issues. No overnight camps for you! Whit...sometimes you just need a break. You can't be all things to all people in all aspects of your life, and that is OK.

I'm glad to be home, and back to this little corner of the interwebs. I missed ya'll.

Songs of My Youth : Part 1

Hi Lovelies!

I don't know why I did it, but last week I made a Backstreet Boys Pandora, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand its pretty awesome actually. I've been belting out 90s bubble gum pop for days. Boomer thinks its beyond ridiculous. (Take THAT Beiber.) Anyway it got me to thinking how these songs were just so deep and meaningful back in the day. I would play them over and over and write in my diary about all my angst. Ah, so much angst. Degrassi had nothing on me. (Or so I thought.) It also got me to thinking how....things are a little different now. Take this gem for example.

This is absolute foolishness.

I used to sing this song at the top of my lungs whenever someone told me I was wrong for dating a particular boy. I LOVED him. No one understood our love. We were going to get married. We discussed how we would decorate our house. It involved a lot of black and gold, and looking back was slightly horrendous. Ok, a lot horrendous, and tacky. Let's call this gem of an ex-boyfriend....Mr. Pitt. Mr. Pitt, was something of a compulsive liar. Which was odd because we grew up together and I always caught these lies....but I LOVED him. He was also very controlling, and tried to get me to change. He was always trying to get me to go against the values I held dear and things I'd been taught. In fact you can trace about 75% of my teenage rebellion and issues with Momma Boom to this relationship. Sorry Mom. When friends and family would caution me about our relationship, this song was my mantra. They just didn't know him the way I did. He loved me. He was cute. He was a great kisser. At 15 I was a notorious virgin. There were bets on how long it would last. I found out later, he had gone around our entire church telling everyone I was BEGGING him to sleep with me. The other boys at church basically laughed in his face, and informed him 'Whit won't let anyone touch her with a 10 ft pole so we KNOW you're lying.' Then there was that rumor that got started about us having sex in the baptismal pool. There is a giant picture of Jesus above that thing for crying out loud! He's almost 30 now. In hind sight....he was an awful boyfriend, but I learned a lot.

Now I know. There is a lot that matters. I absolutely care who you are. Did you change your name, are you on the run? 

I care where you came from. People say opposites attract and that may be true, but opposites have a lot of trouble living together or agreeing on how to live and raise a family. Trust me on this one. Background matters.

Duh, of course I care what you've done in your life. Are you a compulsive liar, a cheater, are you bad with money, did you beat your ex? This is all NEED TO KNOW.

Saying you love me isn't the quick fix salve it was in high school. Shoot at this point in my life I want to know your credit score and debt to income ratio.

Bye Lovelies!

*This post originally appeared on KGB 2/15/12*

A Girl and Her Money : Well...How Do You Save?

Hey Guys!

Back with another installment of A Girl and Her Money!!

Awhile back, Alisha who blogs over at Alisha Nicole, left me a comment asking if I'd blogged about the ways I saved money. I promised her a post so here it is. These are the ways that I've been saving money so far on my money journey, and I'm no expert, but it seems to be working so far.

1. Track Your Spending

Image Via

For about two months, when I was using YNAB incorrectly, I basically just entered every transaction I made without setting a budget. Many online banking sites allow you to track your spending as well. After two months I realized I was spending A LOT of money on food. Fast food, impulse grocery shopping, snacks at work. I was also emotionally spending. Crappy day? New nail polish! Bad mood? Oooooh hair products!!

2. Stop the Bleeding
Once you know where you money is going and where you are overspending its easier to cut back and trim. I realized I was spending like crazy on food, so I knew I needed to start planning better. I go to the grocery store on Sunday armed with a loose meal plan for the week. Lunches for Boomer and I, plus dinner. (Breakfast is pretty simple in our house, and I don't feel the need to 'plan'.)

3.Cut The Cord

Image Via

This isn't for everyone, but I canceled cable. As much as we use Netflix, it just wasn't worth it, and it wasn't adding anything valuable to our home time. I also cut our land line. I'm not even sure why we had that dinosaur.

4. Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not. 
Loose Biblical paraphrase, but important. Nothing is ever set in stone. Negotiate. Ask if you're really getting the best deal. I got my cell phone plan lowered by $40 just by telling them I wasn't happy with my rate, and asking if there was anything they could do. Same with my cable before I decided to chuck it all together. You can also barter. Do you have a skill that's worth money? Look into what you can trade for it!

5. Plan!
This is huge. Do you know that you have bigger expenses coming up. Start saving now. I put aside money every month for my quarterly renters insurance. I have a rough estimate of how much Boomer's summer camp will cost, so I set aside some of my tax refund NOW to pay for it LATER.

6. Save a little room for fun...
If you follow me on IG, then you know I haven't given up my love of beauty products or eating out. Each time I'm paid and I work on my budget I set aside a little fun money. I have found that for myself, if I cut out EVERYTHING, I am much more likely to just give up on trying to budget and save.

What about you guys? Any helpful tips, or things that have worked for you? I'd love to hear about it!

That Time I Looked Like Quasimodo...

Good Monday Morning All!

As much as I love the extra sunshine that day light savings imparts to us...this morning was...a struggle.

So let's talk about the weekend I spent looking like this dude!

I know...ick right?

I woke up Saturday morning, and my eyelid was sore. Sore to the point that blinking hurt. I thought maybe I rubbed it too hard in my sleep, or maybe I got something in it. Who knows. Got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to check myself out, and actually yelped when I saw my eye. It was not pretty. It didn't help that I hadn't removed my mascara completely the night before, so I really looked like I'd gone a few rounds. You know you look rough when your seven year old takes one sleepy eyed look at you and shoots straight up in bed asking 'Momma!!! What happened to your face?!?!?'

So I called my mom to let her know church was out of the question, got a cold compress and laid back down. Later that afternoon I looked human enough to risk human contact, so I slipped a contact in my good eye and drove a few minutes away to visit my grandma. We took Jack to meet her, and I forgot that they keep birds at her nursing home. Yes. Live birds. Live cat. Whitney with battle wounds. Its not Jacks fault. Poor thing just wanted to eat the pretty yellow canary. Yes, a yellow canary.

So, what does one do with one working eyeball, and canceled plans for the weekend? Well you read three books in two days that's what!! This weekend I read:

Terry McMillan Getting to Happy.

This is the sequel to Waiting To Exhale. I'm not sure why I read this. I generally do NOT like her books. I couldn't stand Waiting To Exhale. In fact the only book of hers that I KIND of like, is Disappearing Acts. I didn't like Getting Happy either, but at least it was a quick fluff read. I don't feel like I invested/wasted time reading it.

Reza Aslan Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.

This one was actually really fascinating. I've mentioned on the blog several times that I studied History in college, so this book appealed to me on that level. It talks about the actual historical events going on at the time of Jesus of Nazareth. It isn't questioning his divinity or existence (because historically speaking everyone agrees there WAS a guy named Jesus who preached and died around this time), but deals more with the political climate of Palestine, and how it may have affected Jesus' ministry and also why he was remembered more than other 'messianic' figures of the time. It also deals with how and why the religion was shaped in the first centuries following his death. This is something I'll definitely be researching further, it left me with some interesting questions. The guy that wrote this book ISN'T a historian though, which is why I feel the need for further research.

Janette Oak and T. Davis Bunn The Damascus Way.

Clearly, I was feeling some kind of way about faith and religion the last time I was at the library. This is third book in the Act of Faith series, that follows believers in and around Jerusalem following the death of Jesus. My mom used to get me books written by Janette Oak when I was younger and I would read them in a day. This book was an easy, sweet read.

I grabbed all three of these because I needed a break from young adult fiction. The Hunger Games and Divergent are great and all but I needed something with a little more meat. I think Zealot is the only one I would call...meaty though.

Anyway, after all of that reading I did get myself to the eye doctor. They checked me out and I'm fine. Just fluid accumulating under the eyelid. Because I'm allergic to EVERYTHING that grows in this state, and well it warmed up 10 degrees so a few plants decided to grow a bit I guess.

Once the swelling went down....

I also decided to bite the bullet and purchase some new specs which I posted on Insta last night. I'm not really feeling them, but Lenscrafters has a 90 day return policy, and Boomer is getting her eyes checked on Wednesday so I may be swapping them out. I dig the frames, but I don't think the color is right for me. I need just a plain old tortoise shell...not...red. Hopefully the attractive Dr. who checked my eyes will be there when we get back!

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!