Life Update – 8 Months Later. Pregnancy and more! 26.01.2022

It’s been the longest time! I haven’t blogged since May 2021 and I’ve even made my blog private at some point. As always, I’ve missed it terribly and decided today was the day I’d get some blogging done. I feel super rusty so please bear with me.

One

I’m pregnant! We’re expecting our first child, a baby girl, in May. I’m currently 24 weeks and can’t wait to meet her. I feel very lucky because I’ve had the easiest pregnancy so far. I think I might post a general pregnancy update soon.

Two

I’ve finally finished my Bachelor’s degree! Back in June 2021, actually. I had been putting it off for YEARS and kept telling myself I didn’t even need it. I almost decided not to finish it at all but it didn’t seem like a very wise decision after wasting so much time and money and having only TWO credits left to complete. So I did the only thing I could do which was enrolling back in school, studying hard and finishing those two credits. Let me tell you, it’s a huge relief and it feels wonderful.

Three

I’m FINALLY getting my driver’s license. After over TEN years of sort of putting it off – not actually intentionally, but still – It had to be done. It was one of my husband’s “conditions” for us to start trying for a baby because, obviously, he can’t be the only parent who’s able to drive, and so I’m trying very hard to be done by the time our baby girl is born.

It hasn’t been super easy because driving schools are not very reliable and they keep cancelling lessons, which is not very nice in general but especially if you’re on a “deadline”. Still, I’m trying to be chill about it. Worst case scenario daddy will be watching a newborn by himself while mommy goes to a few driving lessons, which is obviously fine because he’s her father and quite capable of taking care of his own daughter by himself.

I need to add that the whole thing – driving, I mean – has not been very gentle on my nerves because I’m somewhat afraid of driving or being in a car in general, which means I get VERY anxious before each lesson. So far I haven’t killed anybody so I guess I’m not doing so bad.

Four

I got teeth aligners. I’ve been wanting (and needing) to get braces for many, many years but, as you probably know, it’s NOT cheap. Turns out, it’s no longer super expensive either so, in a way, I’m glad I waited as it cost about half of what it would have cost a few years ago.

Best surprise ever: I will have to wear them for only 5-7 months. I always thought I’d have to wear them for over two years but, apparently, that would be the case for regular braces and not the clear aligners I got. They’re just like invisalign but a much cheaper brand.

I’ve been wearing them for about 2 months now and it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. They’re not exactly painful or uncomfortable and I’ve gotten to a point where I actually forget I’m wearing them. They’re a bit of nuisance, though, as I have to take them off every time I want to eat or drink something that’s not plain water. Still, definitely worth it.

Five

I’m on pregnancy leave. I have been off work since September as my doctor thinks I shouldn’t be working while pregnant, mostly due to my line of work, which involves round the clock shifts and dealing with brutal/traumatic videos as a content moderator for a social media platform.

I’ll be on medical leave until my baby is born and then I’ll have 5 months of paid maternity leave, so I don’t expect to be back to work until late 2022, early 2023.

Six

I’m now a Certified Nursing Assistant! Or I will be, once I’m done with my internship, which I had to postpone due to being pregnant. I’ve been wanting to change my career path to healthcare for many years and so last year I finally decided I should just start working on it. I enrolled in this course/program back in April 2021 and was finished by late Summer.

Being a working student meant I had to work the night shift for about 5 months, which was not easy at all. Working 10 p.m to 7 a.m and going to bed at 8 a.m is not the best for your body or mind. Plus, I absolutely hated going to bed after my husband had to be up for work and working the night away while he was sleeping.

Seven

I’ve just realized today is my Blog Anniversary! WHAT ARE THE ODDS? I woke up feeling this huge need to blog and it turns out my blog is 5 years old today! HALF A DECADE! Unfortunately, I’m not the best blogger and I have neglected this little space for most of those years but I still love everything about it.

Eight

I read a total of 91 books in 2021! This is not an actual update, just something I need to brag about somewhere. I’m still bummed I didn’t meet my goal of 100 books but 91 is a pretty good number and I’m very proud of myself for it.

Nine

My husband and I met 9 years ago today! (I swear I didn’t make this update number 9 on purpose, though). It’s always fun to remember how we met and how far we’ve come since then. We were 21 and 22 which sounds like we were barely out of diapers now that we’re 30 and 31.

That’s it, that’s the update. This is pretty much all that has been going on for the past 8 months. I’m sure there’s more that I can’t recall because I’m pregnant and pregnancy brain is a very real thing.

I wish I could say I’ll be blogging more regularly now but that’s definitely not something I can promise myself. Hopefully, I’ll be back soon.

Wishing you all a very happy, very safe 2022.

Love,

Cheila

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Question of the Day 24.01.2020: On Self-Hosted

Self-hosted: Yes or No?

Those of who that have gone self hosted, do you recommend it?

What would you like to share about your experience?

What advice do you have on being self-hosted?

Blog Anniversary! Pink for Days is 3 years old today!

Woo-hoo! Happy birthday dear blog!

3 years is a long time.

I know I haven’t dedicated as much time and attention to my blog as I’d like to, but I can still vividly remember writing that first post. My thoughts were something along the lines of “I hope my English is good enough”, “I hope no one makes fun of me” and “I’ll be super happy if get 10 followers”. Well, no one has ever complained about my language skills, I’ve had no issues with trolls and I managed to get 2000+ followers, though I have no idea how. But the best of it all: friends. I made beautiful friends. That is what makes it all worth it.

What about you? How old is your blog?

Bonus – my first post:

https://pinkfordays.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/oscar-nominees-and-more/

Have a lovely day,

Chey

Things I Don’t Buy or Spend Money On – Part I

Good morning everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well and ready for Easter, if you celebrate it. If not, I hope you’re ready for the weekend, after all, it’s Friday eve.

I’ve been seeing this topic a lot, both on blogs and YouTube channels and I thought I’d write about myself. I thought long and hard about the things I don’t spend money on (for different reasons) and I think I came up with a decent list.

Paper Towels

They’re too convenient, meaning I’d use them too much. They’re extremely wasteful and so I stopped buying them years ago because I’d never use something like a kitchen towel or cloth because the paper towels were right there and I could just toss them after using them.

Bottled Water

We drink tap water. I only buy bottled water if I’m out and about and forgot to bring water with me, which is stupid and wasteful. We do buy bottled water when we have guests because my mom and sister don’t like tap water. We also buy sparkling water because I drink it every day and you can’t get that from the tap, unfortunately.

Books

I own a few books, I’d say about 50, which isn’t much at all. I used to buy books all the time when I was younger but I don’t anymore. I’d love to have a huge library and I might someday but for now, I try not to spend money on something I can borrow from the library. Also, books take space and need to be dusted and I’m trying to keep less stuff. I used to be one of those “e-books are a crime” people but not anymore. I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription for which I pay about 10 dollars a month and I do use it a lot. I’ve read 42 books in less than 5 months, meaning about 9 books a month which makes those 10 bucks worth it for me.

TV Subscriptions/Movies/TV Shows

We don’t pay for Netflix or Hulu or HBO or whatever is out there these days. We download stuff illegally, like we’ve been doing for the past 10/12 years. We know it’s not the most ethical thing to do but we would end up doing it anyway. Those subscriptions are extremely limited and you may not find anything you like or the one show you want to watch and which you proceed to download anyway. Don’t call the cops on us, please. We do have cable, which is quite cheap in our country and we only have it because your internet is cheaper if you have cable and because Rui does watch TV.

 Music*

We don’t buy CD’s or anything on iTunes or any music at all. *Instead, we have a Spotify family subscription.

Pre cut fruit or veggies

No way. Not even a bag of chopped lettuce or salad mix.

Gym Clothes

Rui does because he runs and so he needs a few specific things. As for me, on the rare occasions I move my ass, I wear old leggings and an old T-shirt. I only buy gym bras and swimming gear.

Magazines

I used to by a Cosmopolitan every month but I haven’t for years. We don’t buy newspapers either. I get a few free magazines with my Kindle Unlimited subscription and we can always read news online. I do feel guilty because I don’t support paper publications but it’s either that or the environment. And my wallet, let’s not be hypocrites.

What about you? Would you care to share your list?

Even better if you write your own post and link it back here.

I’m sure we can learn a lot from each other so…

What don’t you buy or spend money on?

 Love, Chey

If We Were Having Coffee – Part II

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that my hair is falling like crazy. I mean, I must have lost about 50% of my hair in the past year. I had some blood work done and it turns out I have an iron deficiency, meaning I’m close to being anemic. My doctor thought that might be the cause and that an iron supplement would stop my hair loss. Nope. Keeps falling. I have a dermatology appointment booked for this week and hopefully they’ll figure it out. Should I have gone about 6 months ago? Yes, but I procrastinate.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’m sort of suffering from adult acne. I never had any pimples as a teenager but I’ve been getting them for the past couple of months, mostly on my forehead. It’s not bad, just a few here and there (except for that one time a couple of months ago when it looked like I was having an allergic reaction which coincided with my first makeup trial for my wedding) but it bothers me that my skin is changing right now, at 27.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that my best friend and maid of honor (sort of, that’s not exactly what we call it here, it’s like you have a pair of godparents for the bride and another for the groom. She’s my “bridal godmother”) is coming here to visit in June (she lives in Vienna and I never get to see her) and I can’t wait. I’m so excited and wish June would just hurry up and get here. She’s one of my absolute favorite people in the whole world and I miss her so much.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you Rui and I are attending a wedding in May and are very exciting. We’ll be among his friends from high school whom we happen to be very close with right now (life is very funny because we all ended up living in the same city, which is about 300 km away from where they all went to high school) so it will be so much fun. I should say they’re my friends too, otherwise they get mad. It’s so nice that we’ll share the year we got married with that couple.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that it’s less than 6 months until our wedding. October 5th. We’re very excited. Everyone around us is very excited and looking forward to it. I’m so glad we decided to have a “big” wedding. I thought I’d be fine with a very small civil ceremony but I think I’d regret not doing something more traditional.

If we were having coffee…

I’d ask you if you’re married and then I’d ask about your wedding day and hopefully get some wedding advice 🙂

Love,

Chey

If We Were Having Coffee – Part I

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I wear glasses now. Not always, but I need them to watch TV, go to the movies, drive (I don’t drive but if I did), etc. I’m short sighted and it’s not that bad but the glasses make a huge difference. First couple of times I wore them I keep taking them off and putting them on to see the difference. Literally. I think I began to see there was an issue, again literally, about 6 months ago. I could have been before that. I was at the movies and kept asking Rui if the screen was blurry or unfocused. It looked fine to him. Then it started to get worse while watching a movie or a TV show at home. Everything was blurry, even faces. And God help me if any letters or signs came on the screen. Then I was at work and it was hard to focus someone’s face at a distance. I could see them but their face was a blur. Same for street signs. I could go on. A couple of weeks ago I finally got tested and they confirmed I needed glasses. What a HUGE difference it makes. Do I think I look good wearing glasses? I mean, I don’t know yet. It’s weird. They keep getting dirty and I’m kind of obsessed with them being spotless. Rui thinks I’m crazy and that I’m going to end up scratching them from cleaning them too much.

Yes, I’m wearing pajamas. Don’t judge

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I quit sugar. I won’t eat anything with added sugar or add sugar to my coffee or tea. I do eat sweeteners because I’m not that good. I have a major sweet tooth. I’ve had a slip up or two but one of them was accidental. I had no idea my stevia had added sugar. WTF? It’s very hard to be sugar free, honestly. Not in the sense that I’m constantly craving it because it has been easier than I thought but it’s definitely harder to find food you can eat. Your options get pretty limited. EVERYTHING has sugar. Why does BREAD need sugar? We are lucky that our bread, Portuguese bread, is not that sweet so we can find a few varieties with no sugar added but in general, most bread contains sugar. I’ve been getting creative and trying to come up with sweets and desserts with no sugar, using vanilla extract, applesauce, ripe bananas, coconut milk and cinnamon to add flavor. Sometimes I do use some sweetener as a substitute for sugar because again, most recipes ask for sugar. I’ve actually been trying to cook a lot more lately. Would you like a list of recipes? Some of them I find online and adapt, others I kind of make up myself. I’ve discovered this very easy 2 ingredient pizza dough: Flour and plain Greek yogurt. The pizza (I made the sauce too) turned out pretty yummy.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I began having my eyebrows threaded and I’m never going back! It’s the perfect method for me. It’s relatively painless (definitely less painful than wax or tweezers), natural and they look so perfect and well defined. The lady I go to is awesome! She has being doing this for 10 years and she only charges 8€. I had never tried it before because I thought it would be too expensive but I’m so glad I did.

Awkward photo so I can show you my eyebrows…

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’ve been getting gel nails and it’s great. I bite my nails to the bone and they look so miserable all the time. Even when I paint them they still end up in my mouth. It’s a horrible habit and this seems to be the perfect solution for me. They last 3-4 weeks, they’re not terribly expensive and my hands look so much better. I instantly feel like a lady and more put together. I feel way more confident if my nails are done. It’s the third time I’ve got them done and they look more natural each time because my nails can grow freely since I’m not munching on them.

First time – I may or may not be sitting on the toilet here.

Second time – Looks kind of black but it is dark blue

Now – That’s my driver’s hand. I’m marrying him.

Now – The red is slightly sparkly but my shitty iPhone SE didn’t pick that up

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that we got our wedding bands last week. I absolutely love them!! I can’t wait to marry the love of my life so we can wear them together, even tough Rui has this phobia of getting a ring stuck on his finger and having to get his whole arm amputated. Or both arms. I’m serious, the guy can’t even try on a ring without asking “what if it doesn’t come off????” Now he’s gonna kill me because I’m sharing too much. Or maybe he won’t because if he tries I’ll put a very tight ring on each one of his fingers and watch him cry and call emergency services. Phobias are weird, aren’t they? I’m always afraid I’m gonna fall in the shower and die. I’m not 80 years old, but still. Don’t like to shower when I’m home alone.

I won’t show you our wedding rings yet so here, take a photo of our pupper begging for the hamburgers I was making for dinner.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that between November 27th and today, I’ve read 41 books. I’m currently reading book 42 and 43 (yes, at the same time). I’m so in love with reading right now. My goal for 2019 is 100 books and I’ve only read 24 so far. Better hurry. Do you follow me on Goodreads? https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/25856029-cheila-cruz 

A few favorites from the past couple of weeks:

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you about the movies I’ve watched lately and ask if  you’d seen any of them. If you’d like to check how I rated them you can follow me on Letterboxd: Chey23

Finally,

If we were having coffee…

I’d ask you to tell me all about you. What’s happening, what you’ve been doing, how’s life, what’s making you happy or sad. I’d ask all the things. I’d love it if you’d share what you’ve been up to in the comments.

This post is now longer than I intended. Anyways, if you do get to finish it, thank you for coming by and putting up with my randomness.

Love,

Chey

***All book and movie covers were stolen from google images***

***Spelling mistakes may be present because I don’t have glasses for my brain***

 

The longest Time

It has been 84 years…

Joking, but almost.

My last blog post was almost 4 months ago, which is insane.

I’ve even made my blog private for a while for reasons I won’t go over now but it’s back to being public.

I miss blogging and I miss you all.

This is just a general checking in post to let you know that I’m alive and well and that I miss you all.

I’ve changed jobs again, but it’s all good. I work for a startup now.

Our wedding is in 7 months away (October 5) and pretty much planned. I even have a dress.

I deleted all my social media 4 months ago and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

On Deleting Social Media

I’ve read about 30 books in the meantime, which is more than I read in the past 2 years combined. Some of my favorites include:

Paper Wife

The Little Orphan Girl

The Lost Letter

All She Left Behind

My Heart Remembers

Yellow Crocus

Mustard Seed

Say Goodbye for Now

Waiting for Summer’s Return

The Widow of Larkspur Inn

The Wedding Dress

Some of them have been really cheesy regency novels. Would you like a full list and reviews? That could be fun.

And that is it for my little update.

Hope to talk to you all soon.

Love, Chey.

 

 

 

 

 

On Deleting Social Media

Good morning everyone!

I know I haven’t written in the longest time. Some of you might not even remember or follow me anymore. I want you to know that I miss you and think about blogging every single day. So much has happened. I’ve changed jobs again, not by choice, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. We have set a wedding date too. I want to tell you all about it, all of it. But there’s just so much to say and I’m both busy and lazy and overwhelmed by how long it has been and all the changes. I’m also embarrassed because I haven’t been following your blogs at all, shame on me.

Anyway, I’m off topic here. I came to tell you about a decision I made yesterday, while in bed, before I fell asleep. I currently work in a PCI environment, meaning no phones or paper or anything that could potentially mean an information leak. Being without my phone for 8 hours feels extremely liberating. Honestly. I know some people can’t do it or get anxiety over it but I love it. I find myself not even bothering to check it at breaks or paying that much attention to it during lunchtime. When I do, however, there’s a ton of Facebook and Instagram scrolling to be done. I’ve realized I am spending a lot of my downtime just lurking around social media, because I don’t even post that much anymore. That is precious time I could spend reading blogs or books or news or doing anything but looking at pictures I even forget to like. Also, I’m no longer particularly fond of the attention nor do I need the validation of likes or selfies or filters. That’s not how I want to live my life.

I’ve only temporarily deactivated Facebook and Instagram because there’s memories there and I could change my mind eventually. I’ve permanently deleting Snapchat. As for Twitter, I’ve just realized I forgot about it. I haven’t gone there in a long time but I might just temporarily deactivate it as well. Do I want people to remember my birthday because Facebook tells them to? No. Those who matter, know my birthday. As for events, I told my friends and coworkers that they have to invite me personally or through messenger or WhatsApp (which I’m obviously keeping).

Keep in mind I’m not saying this is the right way to live. This is what’s right for me, right now. It feels awesome. But I might learn that I cannot live without social media or miss it terribly. I know for sure I’ll learn something.

Rui says I’m now on some list because it looks like I’m trying to disappear so my FBI agent and Mark Zuckerberg are now trying to understand what I might have done haha.

I would love for you to share your thoughts on social media. What’s your relationship with it right now?

Do you have any posts on this topic? If so, please leave your links in the comment section so we can all read it and discuss different views and opinions.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Love, Cheila.

Major Life Changes

Hey everyone,

I’ve been MIA for a few weeks now as I haven’t feel like blogging and didn’t want to push it or do it because I feel that I need to. It has never been a task or a job and I really want to keep it that way.

I DO miss you all so much!

I’ve also been absent because I’ve had A LOT going on. I’ve been kind of working on a major 360. My life is about to change and I cannot wait to tell you about it. No, I’m not pregnant. People always assume that from women and I just wanted to get it out of the way. I’ll share very very soon, as soon as things are final and settled.

In the meantime, please remember me and maybe miss me a little?

Oh, and watch the Eurovision Song Contest. We’re hosting this year, which is really big for us. Go Portugal!

Love you all, always.

Chey.

❤️❤️❤️

Sorry I’m not there!

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking about myself as a blogger. A lot actually.

I know I’ve been absent. For a long time too. I miss you. I miss the time when I used to know you all so well and talk to you daily. I miss reading every post and comment as much as I could. I feel like things still go on but I’m no longer a part of them. I really miss everyone and my blogger family. I really want to be more present.

I really just want to say how sorry I am and how much I miss everyone.

Love,

Cheila.

P.S. Because it gets so overwhelming and I might miss most things, leave me the links to your most recent posts down below. Anything you might want to share, really.