Ah, the weekend.

Another successful week of work is done, & I have 11 weeks left of training. It sounds like way too much, & trust me, I'm ready to know everything & be in production where I'm eligible for overtime & double time-and-a-half paid holidays. Ch'yeah! But, patience is a virtue, & I still have plenty to learn.

This weekend was great! Friday night Phil & I bought snacks, a few drinks, finished off the last season of Trailer Park Boys, & went to bed. Saturday we cleaned the apartment, which desperately needed it, & then my Ma & I went shopping. That night our friends Morgan & Jef came over with their son Baiden & we ate pizza & watched the movie, "The Crazies." Lame, lame movie.

Sunday Phil had sessions so Emmett & I hung around the apartment, & then we went over to his sister Maggie & brother-in-law Sean's house for their middle child Sloane's birthday. She turned 2! Then we came home, had a few more drinks, & watched a few seasons of Ghost Hunters. Super relaxing.

Just to remind you, Baiden is Emmett's first & bestest friend. They were born barely a day apart.

If you've never heard of Trailer Park Boys, it's a ridiculous Canadian comedy about 3 guys, Ricky, Julian, & Bubbles, & their never-ending stupid schemes at getting rich quick & retiring. It's absolutely hilarious & you should at least check out their website by clicking here.

Friday, during the night, Caesar decided to remind us of how dirty our apartment is. He chewed up 2 of Emmett's bottles, & Emmett's favorite binky. He also pooped in our living room & tore apart the trash. Sometimes I think he gets just as stressed about the mess & clutter as I do, but working 40+ hours a week makes it hard to balance time for work, time for Emmett, time for myself, & time for everything else. So, we finally scrubbed the place spotless. I can't guarantee it'll stay this way, but it's good enough for now. I can't wait until we get into our house, it'll be so much more inspiring to keep clean.

As far as baby bottles go, I can't stress enough to people that you don't have to buy the most expensive thing ever. Emmett spits up every now & then, but mostly he has no problems. & he has no issues using Walmart's Mothers Choice 97cent bottles. When you have a dog, are forgetful, & live in utter chaos like we do, it hurts a lot more losing a $13 bottle, compared to losing or accidentally destroying a 97cent one. But, its your call...

A few goals for this week are to keep this apartment clean, find something more interesting to write about, start reading the Great Gatsby, & to not eat any junk food all week.

In other news! Today marks Emmett's 4 month of being alive! & boy is he alive. He's perfected the art of rolling from his back to his tummy, & when he's feeling most enchanted, he'll also roll from his tummy back onto his back. Apparently that latter skill is something he shouldn't be doing for a few more months. Tomorrow is his 4 month appointment & I'm hoping they give us the go ahead on solid foods. I can't wait to experiment making my own baby food & seeing what he likes.

& now a glimpse @ his new trick:







That is all for now!

Question: What is your favorite coffee beverage from Starbucks?

My Answer: I always get a Venti Skinny Sugar-free Caramel Latte. Yum.

My first week of work!

This has been the busiest week ever, & if I weren't all nasty & sick I probably wouldn't be online typing this blog now. But, here I am, so I'll take advantage of Emmett's nap & me being sick & Phil being gone & write!

I started my new job on Monday, & so far I've liked every person who has walked into our training room. I've heard plenty of negative things about the place, & I have yet to experience any of it. I believe a person's perception of a place & a situation can definitely vary depending on how that person accepts the knowledge of what is happening around them. Myself, I have changed my shitty outlook & have completely renovated my attitude. I am now a huge believer in the positive policy.

But me saying that makes it sound like I am trying really hard to enjoy this new job, & that is not the idea at all. I really am truly liking everything. I don't mind the hours, or the criteria, or the expectations. I am fairly familiar with how a call center operates & it seems to me that AT&T's standard operating procedures make much more sense to me than ones I've dealt with before.

As much as I dislike admitting that yes, my new career is starting as a call center representative, I am extremely proud to bring up a few main points. 1.) AT&T is pretty much the largest communications companies in the entire world, & that leads to large opportunities. 2.) Call center work is not for everyone, so aside from people thinking just anyone can be successful in such a career is wrong. You have to fit for the type of work. It can be really hard & challenging. 3.) Because of this work not being for everyone, the turn over rate is large. Meaning making your way to management & higher is much easier if that's what I decide I want to do. I'm not 100% sure quite where I'm going yet, but I do know that I want to stay with this company. It's totally worth starting in the dirt job & working my way up.

Anyway, I'm excited about this new form of identity, my new attitude, my new job, my new house, & everything else good that has come to us lately.

One minor downfall... Phil totaled his car & we are now a one car family. So far, it hasn't completely drove me crazy. But, I'll keep you updated.

That's all for now folks!


CHECK IT OUT! A new thing I want to do with my blogging to help reach out & get to know my readers. It's a random question! I'll ask it, answer it, and then I'd like YOU to answer the question in the comments!


Q: What is your phone's current ringtone?

MY A: I keep my phone permanently on vibrate. I've come to really hate loud obnoxious ringtones & the ones on the phone are never that great. That, & I like feeling like I have the freedom to check my phone when I want, instead of having it scream at me all day long. :)

Ah-WOO!

Lately Emmett has been exploring his vocal chords. I can tell this is going to be a very entertaining process. He's about 3 1/2 months old now.






When did your baby start talking? Or, has he/she yet?

Tag, I'm it!

I'd like to extend a thanks to Jill for tagging me for this blog!

It works like this... I answer 8 questions given be the tagger, I make up 8 questions, & then I tag 8 people to answer them! Here it goes!


1. do you have any nicknames? inappropriate = acceptable. Actually, I don't. & I'm more than upset about this because I've always wanted a nickname. Just don't call me Rach. It makes me throw up in my mouth a little.


2. what's the last book you read? (and would you recommend it?) The last book I read is Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I highly recommend reading the book & directly watching the movie afterward, because then you'll appreciate the entire experience.


3. martini. shaken or stirred? Shaken, always. Stirring is so boring.


4. if you could go on vacation anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? If I could go anywhere for a vacation & do anything, I'd want to go to Ireland w/ the Ghost Hunters International crew & investigate a really old & scary haunted castle. & then get drunk.


5. what is your biggest pet peeve? When people waste my time by asking a question seriously even though they are being a smart ass. "So, what do we do if we have to pee & we're on a phone call?" PISS YOUR FUCKING PANTS, what do you THINK you do? Ugh.

6. what is your favorite disney animated movie? (i.e. little mermaid, cinderella, etc.) Lion King, hands down. I used to stuff towels into my pants & pretend I was Nala. AS A CHILD, come on people.


7. what is your favorite little debbie? Honey Bunz. But I don't eat them often, at all.


8. who is your hero? Enrique Iglesias, but only because he offered.

& here are my questions...

1.) How did you get the career you have now, & why did you want it?
2.) What was the most awkward moment you've ever been through?
3.) What is your favorite movie, & why?
4.) What is the one food or meal you could eat everyday?
5.) What is the murder weapon, who did it, & where?
6.) Favorite article of clothing, & why?
7.) If you don't have it now, what is/was your dream job?
8.) Favorite game to play as a child?

& here is whom I tag...

Amanda my best internet friend EVER!
Brie my friend from PetSmart whom I promise to go to the Farmer's Market w/ soon!

& I could tag other people but 1.) I'm too lazy & 2.) I'm almost positive they'll do it!

The Duck Song

These are my absolute favorite, & I love showing them to Emmett & singing them to him.
I totally suggest showing these to your child, because they are bizarre, adorable, catchy, & fun!


The Duck Song part 1









The Duck Song part 2








The Duck Song part 3






Aren't they so cute? Check out the creator's YouTube for more videos & information.

What are some of your favorite weird bizarre YouTube videos?

Healthy "Italian Pasta & Veges" summer dish!

This weekend I worked really hard looking for recipes that I can pre-prepare & eat through out the week. The point of these dishes are to make me NOT feel like a huge fatty after eating them. Your body & bowls can only get so far eating frozen pizzas & canned pasta.

Today my first recipe experiment ended with nothing but delicious success. I call this my


Italian Pasta & Veges
What you'll need...
1 box of penne or rigatoni pasta
1 jar of fat free zesty Italian dressing
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
2 small green peppers
1 large red pepper
1 medium cucumber
1 can of black beans

Optional: a few tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

1. First, you'll want to cook your pasta by boiling the noodles for 5-10 minutes & drain without rinsing. Set the noodles to the side. (add a dash of salt & a few teaspoons of fat free olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other. fat free butter can also work.)
2. Next, you'll need to dice up the peppers & the cucumbers. Wash the cherry tomatoes. Open the can of black beans & drain the liquid from the can.
3. Now you'll need to heat your skillet. Add all of the vegetables to the skillet & let it cook for a few mintues. Next, add the entire jar of fat free Italian dressing. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. Last, add the noodles. Saute & mix the noodles & veges until the noodles are tender & the tomatoes are all slightly burnt.
4. Top w/ grated parmesan cheese, & enjoy!

This recipe can make enough servings for you to enjoy for either lunch or dinner for about a week. The pasta will give you the right amount of carbs to keep you moving (NO carbs ARE NOT BAD as long as you are using them for ENERGY! come on people, get educated. Don't listen to these one sided dietitians!) & the black beans will give you the protein you need to get through the day. The mixture of the veges give you enough flavor that you literally do not need to add any more kinds of ingredients or spices that could compensate the low-calories & low-fat dish!

One more awesome thing about this dish? Don't cook it at all! After chopping up your veges, add all of it together without the skillet, add the dressing, & you have a tasty pasta salad for a hot summers day!

Easy & delicious!

What are some of your favorite low-fat recipes?

Au Naturale

So lately I've decided that I need to be more conscious of what goes in & on my body. Lately I've been struggling w/ the IN part, so right now I'm working w/ the ON. Baby steps...

The first product I want to talk about is Dr. Bronner's Magic soap. It comes in all different forms, scents, & styles. What I've tried to far is his liquid soap in the almond scent. This is supposed to be an "All-In-One Use" type of product. Dilute it w/ a gallon of hot water, & you can mop your floors. It's a body wash, face wash, shampoo, & can even be used as a tooth paste! You can also use it on sensitive skin, & for your laundry. I just use it as as my shower face/body wash. I plan on getting either getting the matching shampoo, otherwise go w/ another natural brand. I love it's almond scent, & this product actually leaves you feeling squeaky clean. & it's made w/ 100% natural organic oils. It's always packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. However, I absolutely love this product, & the only complaint I have is that I wish it would lather easier! Read more about this magical soap by clicking here.

The 2nd product I've started using is from one of my favorite brands, Burt's Bees. Right now I'm using a 100% natural facial cleanser & a 98.2% natural body lotion. The one thing you'll find w/ this brand is that almost everything smells delicious. I am highly considering switching from the light baby shampoo I'm using now to something made by this brand. The face wash is made w/ an orange oil extract, & it smells amazing. I use it once a day, every night before I go to bed & nothing is more refreshing & relaxing than a clean face w/ an awesome scent. It does NOT leave you face feeling taught, or tight, like most cleansers. With most products like these, the key to make sure you are spending loads of money is to remember that a lot can go a long way. You don't need a huge glob to completely clean your face. A small dime sized portion will be just fine. Check out more awesome yummy smelling Burt's Bees products by clicking here.

Ugh. It was so hard choosing between this & the Tom's deodorant. But let me tell you why I chose this one. First off, it's about $4 cheaper. Second off, it goes on clear, doesn't mess up your shirts, & is aluminum free. I'm recently researched what ingredients really help keep you fresh smelling. During this researched I learned that aluminum, sadly a leading ingredient in most deodorants, is really bad for your sweat ducts (pores). Your body needs to sweat. This is the way you body gets rid of toxins. So sweating is a good thing. Smelling bad, however. This product smells good literally all day. I spent the entire day today in the heat & by the time I got home, I still smelled aloe fresh. I highly recommend this inexpensive 100% natural product.

I LOVE THIS TOOTHPASTE! Ugh, it's 100% natural & it leaves your breath smelling better for longer than the leading chemical brands. It tastes like minty ass, I will admit, but afterward you don't regret it. There are a ton of other Tom's products I'm considering, but it's pretty expensive stuff. Check out their products by clicking here.

Right now I'm hunting to shave gel (which I am positive come in Dr. Bronner's, but I might have to find it online), & all new make-up. I want to find natural make-up, but I'm sure it's going to be a hard & expensive feat. I'm hoping that using this all natural products will make me feel like I'm treating myself better. I can already tell the difference in how I feel, & how my skin looks & feels. I know I can't convert Phil, but maybe I can still get Emmett to use all natural products?

Do you use all natural products? Any recommendations?

P.S. 1 week until I start my new job & 3 months until we move into our new home!