Sometimes, ya gotta laugh!

Mornin' babes! 

What was that quote I posted yesterday from Bob Marley? Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be alright. I am singing that regularly right now. I know it will be alright and the reason I know this is because I am a positive, hard-working person. Also, my mother raised me right. 

Brief venting moment here. Bear with me! :) 
Last night around 9pm a state marshal came by to serve me papers for court because my ex-husband is asking to have his child support payments reduced. The marshal was going to come this morning at 8 am but asked to come last night because he felt bad about bothering me early in the morning. And he had a chagrined look on his face, said he was just doing his job and wished me luck. My ex-husband is going to school 30+ hours right now and doesn't want to work. He already has a college degree. And he's married and shares expenses with another person who doesn't seem to want to work much either. I just cannot fathom living that way and thinking it's OK. I have been working and doing my part to provide for my two boys and the exact opposite of taking advantage. I know for a fact if I were going to school he'd tell me to work nights or do something else. We live in a very expensive area of the country being in the suburbs of NYC. So here I am, really no words to express exactly how I'm feeling at this moment. I just have to keep on, keepin' on I guess and continue to set a good example for the boys. 

Lets talk endorphins and the power of positive thinking. Wow, now THAT was a most excellent segue! :) 

Thank God for the gym and endorphins! Its good to vent and get things out and then get back with the living a positive, healthy, happy life and not let the negativity drown you. There will always be those who try to bring you down and add stress. We just have to choose to go down a different route. I make that choice every day. 

Endorphins are our natural opiate. They can induce sleep and relieve pain and help us through stressful times. Did you know that when you pet an animal or smile you release subtle endorphins? For me, my "snuggle time on mommy's bed" with my boys does the same. It's our nightly ritual before bed and it's basically a mommy, J.T. and Sammy sandwich and it really is euphoric. 

You can get endorphins through foods like chocolate, high proteins which raise dopamine levels, spicy foods, and of course the comfort foods we gravitate to that are carb loaded. They contain serotonin which has a calming effect. Of all of these I'd probably focus on the chocolate, protein and spicy foods so we don't enhance our thighs along with the endorphins! haha!  There is this brand called Chuao...they have a website. I happened to come across one of their Spicy Maya bars at Marshall's and tried it. Holy moley! I think I'm addicted. It has cinnamon, pasilla chili and cayenne pepper in a dark chocolate bar. They also have a Spicy Maya hot chocolate. Of all the spicy chocolates I have tried, this might be my all time favorite. Check them out. They have a lot of products and it would make an excellent gift for anyone who is a chocolate lover. 
http://chuaochocolatier.com/spicy-maya.html

Well look at that! I figured out how to embed a link in here. Go me!! lol!! And go to the site. You will not be sorry. One thing I have learned over the years of weight loss and foods is that I like to use my calories on good quality things and those chocolates are good quality! :)............Pssst....there is a maple/bacon chocolate bar in there. Buy a few of those for the man or person in your life and I bet you get a massage or hell even diamonds out of it!! lol!

I also personally think guacamole and margaritas are worth it on occasion as well. Seriously, just give me a spoon and a bowl of quac! ;)

You can also release endorphins through dancing (which I did last weekend), massage, and pretty much any physical activity. I am thinking of taking my boys hiking tomorrow if the weather is decent enough for it. I love hiking! I grew up in Oregon so outdoor activities were in abundance. We'd go camping, kayaking, canoeing, hiking. I love being outside and away from it all when I have the opportunity. Fresh air!! It clears the mind. 

I do almost two full hours on the elliptical at the highest level. I just push through it and sweat and by the end any problems I had are gone with the calories burned. It can even help with headaches and cramps caused by menstruation. (Yes I went there but it's true!!) Plus a good calorie burn means extra food! I love food. Part of the reason I exercise so much is so I can eat. I figured out I can either exercise less and eat much less or exercise more and eat more. Since I'm a foodie, I chose food. Though I choose much more quality foods nowadays. To make the calorie burn worth it. 

Wow, just writing about these things has eased the stressed caused by you-know-who. I might refer to him as he-who-must-not-be-named. Sort Lord Voldomort-ish! You have no idea how hard I'm laughing right now. Hey we must see the humor in things!!! 

Enjoy your Saturday everyone. I work 10-5 today. Then off the next two days. See you all on the flip side. As Linda Richman from Cawfee Tawlk on SNL would say "Here's a tawpic...... I am thinking  about juicing and getting a juicer. I tried a juice yesterday made of apple, beet, carrot, ginger and ginseng. Pretty badass juice!! DISCUSS" 

I will leave you with a quote from one of my favorite 80's TV dads! Ahh, the 80's. What a time!!

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." - Bill Cosby


God Bless,
Tami