Don't You. Forget About Me...

Hey y'all!! I hope you guys are having a fantastic week so far. I've been a little M.I.A. from the blog for almost two weeks. As much as I miss blogging, life happens. Hubby and I are gearing up to purchase a home!! It's a very exciting time for our family! It's also nerve wracking at the same damn time. There's just so much to do and it can be emotionally draining.

But in the words of Jada Kiss, We. Gone. Make it. Thanks to everyone who has wished me well in the Twitter-verse and on IG. It really means a lot.

One of the homes we've seen so far. Nice, right?

This is my "so over the process" face. 

Through it all, I've still been making time for the gym at least four days a week and going strong with changing most of my eating habits. I'm hanging in there! I know some of you have fitness goals and are working towards them. How's it going??

Bathroom photo shoots are the norm (as if you didn't know). I love this dress though! It's so comfy!

And don't get me started on this necklace! 

This one is just for fun. Hubby "made my face" with the iMadeFace app. I tried to make my own, and when I did, he told me I had no idea what I look like. This is what he came up with. LOL! What do you think? Is it me?

Until next time…

PS. Don't forget to check out my YouTube Channel! My next video regarding my workout routine will be posted soon!! Thanks for watching! ;)

YouTube Debut… Rambles and Tangents

Hey peeps!! I'm so excited and nervous to be showing my very first YouTube vlog video! I didn't have a particular topic, so I was all over the place. I'll do better in my next video. #dontjudgeme lol! I have one note to make to my fellow #BLMGirl Britton of My Big, Beautiful Life. I said your name incorrectly in the video, and I am so sorry. I was super nervous, and just messed up. I hope you can forgive me ;)

Y'all go easy on me, as I'm sure the videos will get better with time and experience. Feel free to subscribe to my channel, and email me at shanticka@gmail.com with any constructive/helpful feedback that you may have, as I am always open to learning. Also, email me with any questions and/or topics that you may have or want me to talk about in the future. Thanks for watching!!

Until next time...

All Compliments Are Not Created Equal...

Hey peeps!! I've been MIA for a lil bit on the blog, but I have good reason. Hubby and I are searching for a home!! It's exciting, nerve wrecking and scary all at the same time. It's keeping us busy though. Please hang out/connect with me on Twitter & Instagram. I'm there on a regular basis with my antics and random pics. With that said… Blog Family, I have something on my mind.

The few faces of yours truly ;)

Attention: This is a small rant. It'll be over soon, I promise.

I may be a part of a small percentage of plus or straight sized women who feel this way, and you might not agree with me. But if I can't let it all out here, then where, right??!!

Whenever I see articles or blogs about body types, our shapes are compared to the rectangle, the hourglass, the pear and the apple.

All of the advice for dressing said shapes is geared towards making us appear to look like the hourglass. Everything from the A-line skirts/dresses to cinched waisted tops, belts and a host of other items. God forbid an "apple" actually be alright with her wonderfully made round top portion. Would it be so bad if the "rectangle" loved her straight muscular build? And what about the "pear"? Would the world end if she was fine with the fact that her bottom half is larger than her top half and didn't try to "trick the eye" into thinking there was balance?

As I continue on my health/fitness journey, I've found that I'm not concerned about what patterns or pieces of clothing make me look slim. I joked on FB that I'm an "hour JUG", cause ain't no glass over here!! LOL! I'm here, in all of my glory. Bumps, curves, lumps and all. Granted, I'm doing things these days to decrease said bumps, curves and lumps, but I'm more concerned about what I feel good in. That's what works for me. I wear belts over shirts and things like that to accentuate certain parts of my body, but I'm never trying to pass my frame off as something it's not. Here's one of the comments that I don't like, "That pattern is really slimming on you." Not my concern. And contrary to what some people think, feeling and looking good does not equal looking or feeling thin... for me anyways.

Yes, my hair looks a mess, but hey. It's not a beauty contest. That elliptical don't play! 

I said all of that to say this. Wear what you wear because YOU want to wear it. Not because someone said this is how you should present yourself. If you are into A-Line or pencil skirts because you love the look, then by all means, do you. But if you're an "apple" shape and damn near passing out because you have a tight belt around your waist because someone told you it's needed... Please re-evaluate. Or if you're a "pear", and you're running around in a hot blazer with shoulder pads in the summertime because someone told you that you need to create balance... Please re-evaluate. In the words of Sweet Brown, ain't nobody got time for that!!

My outfit on Valentines Day. I loved the J's with the skirt.

Last but certainly not least, I am your link-up host for this weeks #BLMgetFit Challenge. The IG and TwitPic challenge is #LBSGone. Find some way to show us how many pounds you've lost throughout the week through pictures. Be sure to use the hashtags #BLMGetFit and #LBSGone so your pic will be counted!! LINK UP with your fitness/motivational inspired posts!!

What's My Motivation…?

Hi everyone!! I'm a day late on my weekly posts that I'm trying to keep up with, but I'm here now. Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week ahead!!

Unless you haven't been checking in on me lately (shame on you), you already know about the #BLMgetFit Challenge that I'm a part of. Since starting the challenge, I've been discussing things that are going on with me along the way of this challenge.

This week, I want to talk motivation. Motivation is essentially the reason to act a certain way or do a particular thing. What makes you do the things you do. Good or bad, right or wrong. In the words of the ever so eloquent 2 Chainz, "They ask me what I do and who I do it fah!"

One of my workout jams. Feel free to judge. It gets worse, believe me. Ha! ;)

The initial reason for my interest in starting and maintaining a healthier, more active lifestyle was the number on the scale. I swear, if you guys could have seen my face back in June when I stepped on the scale at a health fair I attended, you would have thought I'd seen a ghost. Everyone always says, stuff like, "Don't worry about the number on the scale", or "You're more than just a number when it comes to beauty", which is all true… But it was daunting to me.

As I've started to decrease that number, my reasons have started to shift a little bit.  I'm now more concerned with my overall health as far as blood pressure, diabetes and heart health. Certain things run deep within my family on both my mother and fathers sides, and I want to be on the preventative end of these conditions as I get older. I want to make sure that I can move freely without feeling tired. I want to continue to keep up with my soon to be 8 year old son, who runs me raggedy every chance he gets.

As you can see, Oatmeal & fruit is my go-to breakfast. It keeps me full throughout the morning.

And last, but certainly not least, I want to make sure that I'm keeping it right and tight for that man of mine. Don't get me wrong, I've always thought that I was/am the sexiest thing on God's green earth to him, and he's never made me feel any different. I just want to ensure that those wonderfully handsome eyes of his remain fixated on this here. POW!!

Messing around in the Old Navy dressing room this past weekend. I got the camel one, and the purple wrap dress.

Bathroom shots are as good as it gets these days :(

The above may not be motivation for some people to get going with fitness and health, but they are MY reasons, and that's good enough for me.

Until next time…

Tell me, what's your motivation?

**Don't forget!! The weekly challenge information, as well as the link up for this week is over at Brittons spot My Big, Beautiful Life, so head on over and LINK UP!!! **