Weekend Plans: 02.03.18 “Raining All Weekend” Edition + How do you feel on Fridays? Do you work weekends?

Happy Friday Dear Blogging Family,

I’m not really sure if I’m super happy it’s Friday or if I’m having a hard day because I’m tired and I still have to get through many hours of work.

How do you usually feel by Friday? Ecstatic or dead? 

Does the day go by really fast or super slow because you cannot wait for the weekend to begin? Share your thoughts with me.

If you work weekends, which I have for so many years before, I hope work is good to you and that your day off comes soon enough. I didn’t mind Saturdays but I always hated working on Sundays. Imagine working 8 p.m to 1 a.m on a Sunday. Gosh, I’m tired just thinking about it.

Thankfully, I no longer work on weekends, which is great for other reasons too, as Rui used to be at home while I was working because he never worked weekends.

So Friday is here and I need to make some plans.

 

This weekend I’d like to:

• Watch the Oscars, obviously. This Sunday. I mean, for me it’s actually on Monday, since it does not start until 1 a.m. I really hope I don’t get sleepy and miss it like I did last year. #shameonme
• Watch the six nominees for best picture I haven’t seen yet. I’m hoping to get started on this tonight. How am I going to watch 6 movies in 2 days? Well, it’s raining so it’s not like I’m actually going anywhere. We had planed on doing some gardening but that is obviously not happening because of the bad weather.
• Laundry. When it’s raining, we use our indoor hanger combined with our dehumidifier and our space heater, sometimes. We don’t own a drier. I kind of thought about buying a washer/drying when we bought our washer a few months ago but it was twice as expensive, it’s a waste of energy, not environmentally friendly, and we don’t have a real need for it because we get so much sun in Portugal, which allows us to dry our clothes outside most of the time. It’s also easy to dry them inside when it’s raining. If we’re desperate or if it has been raining for a few weeks we just go to the wash station to dry our laundry. It’s not expensive and it only happens on occasion. I have a ton of laundry to put away too.
• Clean/Organize our bedroom (which doubles as my home office). This includes: Dusting, cleaning the surfaces, vacuuming the floor and rugs, mopping the floor, changing our sheets, cleaning the windows a bit. We have this table (that used to be Rui’s desk) that I’m using as a vanity but it’s huge (1.50 m long) and it’s taking way too much space so I’m definitely disassembling it and storing it in the garage because I don’t think we have a place for it anywhere in the house. Our bedroom is big enough but this table just takes too much space and I don’t want the room to look too cluttered.
• Clean our living room. We should definitely get our sofa covers washed. I feel like we’re always doing this but they’re whitish and we have a dog. She doesn’t think to clean her dirty paws before going inside, the bitch! I hate to throw a blanket on the sofa but I need to accept the fact that old people are right and it really saves the covers a lot of washed. If IKEA didn’t charge 60€ for covers for a 300€ couch I would have bough new covers by now. I feel like they’re too expensive and I’d be better off buying a new, used sofa. We need to dust, vacuum and mop the floor.
• Clean our kitchen. I really want to go through every single item in our kitchen and do a general de-clutter and deep cleaning. Let’s hope I’m not as lazy as last weekend.
• Work on my freelance work project for a few hours.
• Read blogs.
• Update my planner for next week.

What about you? Big plans for the weekend?

Let’s talk soon.

*Beautiful rainy pictures are from Pixabay

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Weekly + weekend + February update

Good afternoon 😃

Happy hump day!

(I just hate this expression. It sounds like something naughty. It’s like Spanish. It’s a beautiful, sexy language, so when I hear someone speak Spanish I immediately think about adult activities. It’s me, right? I’m troubled. I know.)

Enough of my dirty, crazy mind.

I haven’t posted since Friday and I totally owe you an update on my weekend, my to-do list, this half week and February in general. Here we go. I’ll start by telling you what I was up to last weekend.

Saturday – 24.02

I went to bed pretty late on Friday. We had dinner with friends and it was really nice. We had a lot of fun as usual and spent a long time throwing boy name suggestions at my pregnant friend. They have a name picked out for a girl but no name for a boy so we had fun sharing and hating each other’s ideas. By the way, they have just announced publicly so I can disclose more. One of my besties Patrícia is 13 weeks pregnant. She’s the first one to get pregnant in our group of friends and we’re just so excited. We keep referring to the baby as she but they have no idea if it’s boy or girl, which is really funny. Here’s the little cutie:

We’ve been friends for a very long time and are very, very close so our kids will be calling us auntie. I’m so happy and excited. You know how much I love a pregnant lady and how obsessed I am with babies. Congratulations mama! I love you and I love your baby already. ❤️

Anyway, I’m talking about Saturday, not Friday. But I do have a point. Because of dinner I went to bed late which means I took my pills pretty late and that plus being very tired resulted in me waking up at almost 3 p.m the next day. Oh yeah. We wanted to go out but I wasn’t feeling well (side effects from no longer taking some of my medication, which I don’t mind at all) so we decided we would only go out to buy dinner. We went to Aldi but there was nothing we wanted and it was almost closing so the security guard was giving us dirty looks. Feeling pressured, we decided to try a different store. I was about to pass out because of said side effects and hunger so I just picked my usual carbonara pizza. Rui picked something else. We tried a new drink and a new dessert (a new weekend challenge) and we weren’t impressed by either. Remember, when I say “drink” I mean “non-alcoholic beverage”. I don’t drink AND I take medication. We wanted to watch a movie but I was too sleepy, so we just went to bed.

Sunday: 25.02

We woke up earlier on Sunday and decided we definitely had to go out and get a few things. Rui needed new running gear (my man runs 12 km, 3 times a week, I’m so proud of him!), I needed some new underwear and socks and we definitely needed some groceries. My mom happened to call while we were having a very late breakfast. We bugged her so much to come with us that she eventually accepted her defeat and said she would come, after endlessly complains about “why am I going shopping with you? It’s boring enough to do my own grocery shopping.” I think it might have been the promise of ice cream. We picked her up an hour later and off we went. We do have lots of fun together, the three of us. I was too lazy to wash my hair so I wore a hat.

It was not cold at all and my mother said I looked very silly with mah beanie. She said I had tricked her because I mentioned I was going to take a shower when I hung up the phone earlier. I told her I hadn’t lied at all. I did, in fact, take a shower. I never said anything about washing my hair.

First, we went to this huge sports store where Rui got new running shoes, socks, shorts and a t-shirt. I got a new swimsuit and mom got bored. We stopped by H&M to see if they had the panties I like but they didn’t so I had to buy this jeans:

I mean, they’re pink and 9,99€. I had to have them. Does anyone like colored jeans? Not even this really nice pastel pink? Okay. Well, they do match about 50% of my closet, so.

Mom was way too bored at this point so we finally took her to McDonald’s. We chatted for a while and then we took poor Isabel home. My favorite grocery store is near my moms house and so I convinced Rui we HAD to shop there instead of going to a supermarket close to home. I found a few nice, cheap packs of panties (yes, I do buy my everyday panties in boring packs) and got about 10 pairs for 10€. I got a few pairs of socks too. We got 2 cute mugs but I forgot to take a picture of Rui’s. This is mine:

It says free but I totally had to pay for it. I promised I didn’t tell that stupid joke to the cashier. But only because I forgot. We got many things for a cheap price. That’s why I love this store so much – great variety and awesome prices. I thought I would take a picture of my shopping cart. Not that you can actually see much.

And then I got home and decided to take pictures of my kitchen shelves:

Two of them, anyway. I promise I have more food. Here’s our breakfast/coffee station:

And really bad picture of a lovely sign:

We made a big pot of rice and veggies for dinner, with some fish fingers. Easy and I could eat it every single day. Then, bed.

Monday: 26.02

I didn’t sleep well so I woke up late on Monday and didn’t do anything of what I intended to do. I worked from 5-7, got home and deep cleaned/de-cluttered the bathroom, while I made dinner. We had leftover rice with sautéed black beans, onions, peppers, green beans, sweet corn, mushrooms, olives and cherry tomatoes. It was yummy and healthy and no-meat which is always a win in my house.

Tuesday: 27.02

Again, I slept nothing.

I woke up way too late and had to take a taxi to work. It was raining so the kids were literally wet and wild. There were so many of them and they were crazy. It was a madhouse and there was nowhere to sit for 3 hours. I forgot we had this dinner with friends and to tell Rui I was off at 8 and not 7. But we made it to dinner on time. We met with his friends at this nice little restaurant and had a great time and a lovely meal. We got home late and I decided “Fuck no, I’m not going to wake up late again” so I didn’t take my sleeping pills. I didn’t sleep at all, obviously, so I spent all night listening to podcasts.

Wednesday – Today: 28.02

I got up at 7 a.m for coffee and breakfast and got ready to go to the pool for some hydro gymnastics class. While having coffee, I realized my pink and white pajamas kind of matched my pink and white mug:

Such is life. I might have issues. Either that or I own too much pink. So yeah, that’s it. I’m currently writing this post before work. It will be pretty crazy again. So excited.

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About my weekend to-do list:

• Deep clean/organized the bathroom; – Done on Monday!
• Deep clean one of our bedroom walls that is getting moldy (there’s this perfect detergent that cleans any trace of mold or humidity marks without any damage to the surface); – Done on Sunday.
• Deep clean/purge our kitchen;
• Laundry, always; – Some, obviously.
• Make a dental appointment; – I did, but then I had to miss it for work.
• Schedule a vet appointment;
• Force Rui to schedule an eye doctor appointment;
• Meal plan and prep for next week; – I have the plan on my head. It counts for something.
• Charge my power bank;
• Work on my freelance project;
• Clean living room;
• Clean bedroom; – Hoping to do this today. I hate cleaning during the week but it really needs to be cleaned and organized.
• Change bed sheets;
• Get two gym bags ready in advance;
• Get my clothes ready for the week;
• Do a little grocery shopping; – Done.
• Do some gardening;
• Watch a movie or two;
• Try making homemade granola/cereal bars;
• Get my eyebrows done;
• Write a few letters;
• Sell a few things online;
• Get something for my dry ends; – Done on Sunday.

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About February:

• Finish my big freelance work project and get maybe one more. Extra income is always welcome.
• Go to the pool 5 times a week. I’m really enjoying it. – No. I’ve been going twice or 3 times, which is weird for someone who has never actually done any regular exercise. I would really love to go every weekday. I love it, I sleep better, my back doesn’t hurt, my day runs smoothly, I’m in a better mood, etc. So many benefits.
• Keep on leaving my nails alone (not biting them) – Done!!!
• Keep on drinking 1.5 l of water every day. – Yes!!
• Blog every single day. – I don’t think so. But I’ve definitely got my groove on. I had lost in somewhere in August and am now getting back to my normal rhythm. 
• Read 3 books. – No, but I’ve been listening to so many podcasts. That counts for something? No?
• Read as many blog posts as I can every day. – Yes. I’ve been better at this.
• See/talk to family and friends as much as possible. – Yes, yes, yes!!
• Keep my de-cluttering/rearranging/reorganizing process. – Going!
• Remember my year 26 challenges. – Yes!

Well, I must confess I did/am doing better than I thought. Not such a bad month after all.

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Random photo dump:

See you, guys!!

A bunch of Random: Plans for the weekend, Guest Room, Ikea, Oscars, Amazon, Reading, working out

Happy Friday Everyone!!

I just love Fridays. Same reasons as everyone else, obviously.

For many years, I worked weekends, for Fridays were just regular days for me. It’s different now. I can go to bed late on Friday night because I know I can sleep in on Saturday and on Sunday. We get two whole days just for ourselves, family and friends. I also love to think of the weekend as a “reset button”. You forget about the weekend, get your things together, organized, take care of the house and prepare for the week ahead. It’s kind of exciting, isn’t it? LOL Can you tell I love weekends?

Anyway, I have a few things I want to talk about today, I guess I should follow the order of the tittle? Maybe it’s less confusing for you guys.

1. Plans for the weekend:

Things I must not forget:

• To drink my 1.5 to 2 l of water;
• To eat my fruits and veggies;
• To take my pills on time;
• To make sure I take at least 10.000 steps. (I only aim for 5.000 on the days when I work out)
• Remember to insert all of this information in my health app (including meals), which is the best thing I’ve been using ever. Lifesum
• Go and get my eyebrows done (for crying out loud)
• Cut my hair, my ends are very dry and thin.
• Shaving. I’m in a public pool several times a week, they don’t need to endure hairy legs, armpits and lady bits. (I rhymed)

Self-care things I would like to do:

• A green clay mask, as I haven’t done one in God knows how long.
• Take 2 big nature walks with the mister and the little four-legged lady. (Probably not gonna happen, being honest here)
• Do my favorite yoga routine before bed, I’ve been waking up about 3 times each night.
• Do some kind of foot scrub.
• Apply some clear nail polish on my nails so I won’t bite them.

Things we actually need to do:

• Finish tidying up the house. We have moved the furniture we intended to, which means Rui’s desk is in the living room and I have an office space in our bedroom. Our former office is now a “closet” (Our wardrobe, shoes, bags, coats are in there) and a guest bedroom. When you make such drastic changes, objects need to be moved as well, so there are lots of clothes and random objects that need to be put away.
• Laundry. Besides our regular laundry, we have a few blankets, pillows and clothes for my pregnant friend that need to be washed, as well as a few sheets. We also have a ton to put away.
• Clean the kitchen.
• Do some general cleaning around the house. (I’ll tell you what we got done when I do my update on Sunday)
• I need to move some of my plants inside because they don’t seem to like the cold and rain.
• Rosa NEEDS to go to the vet.
• We need to cook and prep for the week ahead.
• I want to read some blogs.
• I want to get my planner ready for the week (would you like to take a peek at my planner?)

• ---

• 2. Guest Room/IKEA

• So I’ve told you we decided we definitely needed to turn our office into a guest room, with an actual bed. Every time we had guests they had to sleep on the sofa or air mattress on the living room floor. I have nothing again the sofa or air mattress, except that the living room is the center of the house. If we need to go to the bathroom or kitchen we need to go through the living room. Our bedroom door leads directly to the living room, which means there’s no privacy.

We have this guest bed which is not so good but it’ll have to do for now:

It’s as shitty as it looks and too small for any sheets to properly fit. We’ll obviously keep it as an extra, as well as the air mattress, but I’m thinking we should get this one, which turns into a double bed if needed:

It’s pretty cheap too, only 169€. What do you think?

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3. Oscars

So I had this crazy idea that we could all watch the Oscars together. What? I know. But hear me out: I would write a post named: Oscars 2018 and we’d all be watching the Oscars at the same time and commenting on said post, like we’re actually talking while watching it. So who’s with me? We can have a long distance, blogging, Oscar-viewing party!!

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4. Amazon/Reading

This morning I heard on the radio that Amazon might finally come to Portugal. I was immediately excited and praying for it to happen. Every time I want to order something from Amazon, well, I can’t. For every 100 products, only about 1 ships to Portugal and the shipping cost is never lower than 20€. It’s really bad. Imagine having the option of Amazon Prime… Gosh, I need it.

I’ve been looking into getting a used kindle reader. You cannot really find kindles to buy here and when you do, they’re really expensive, so I’m looking for a used one. I might save about 100€ if I buy a used one.

I have been reading lots using kindle on my iPhone and Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. My free-trial ended and I was pretty sad but then Rui surprised me by saying he wouldn’t mind if we paid the monthly subscription, so I’ll have it forever, woo-ooh.

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Finally, I want to tell you I hadn’t worked out as much as I did this week in years!! I took two 2.3 km walks and I went to water aerobics twice and swimming class once! Just need to brag about it.

That’s it everyone!!

What are you plans for the weekend??

Love you all.

xx

Plans For the weekend – 20/21 January (update)

• Remember to drink water (1.5 l)

Not quite. I did remember to drink more but I’m not sure I got to 1.5 l.

• Remember to take my medication on time

Done.

• Remember to eat fruits and veggies

Did eat plenty of fruit (mostly pears) but not veggies.

• Make the changes we’ve been meaning to make around the house (bedroom will double as office, office will become closet and guest bedroom), we’ve been talking about it for weeks and postponing every time. We need to do it together as it involves moving heavy furniture.

Oh yes!! It took us 2 days but we got a lot done.

• Take Rosa to the vet, she might have some ear infection. It’s a nightmare. She turns into a pit bull with the strength of a friggin horse and it takes 3 people to hold her. Those three people end up being bit, scratched and traumatized. Gosh, I’m nervous just thinking about it. My sweet god turns into hulk when she goes to the vet.

Didn’t happen but we’re scheduling for this week.

• Eat whatever we have in the fridge, I think there’s some frozen soup. Maybe try to meal plan for the week? We haven’t done it in ages, Rui would be pretty happy.

We have found a way to use some leftover chicken, Rui is cooking some fish.

• Sleep.

Yes. We took about 2 naps together as well.

• Read. I haven’t been reading at all since Christmas.

I didn’t.

• Maybe watch a show? I’m behind on a few.

We began watching American Crime Story but I wasn’t very interested because I’m familiar with the “O.J. Simpson probably killing Nicole Brown Simpson and getting away with it” case and the outcome so…

• If we have time, Rui and I can watch a couple of the movies I’ve been meaning to watch (Oscar nominees predictions), light the fireplace and have popcorn.

There was fireplace for the show but no movie.

• I tried flannel sheets for the first time (Rui’s grandma Christmas present) and I’m in love, so I think I want to wash them and put them back on the bed as soon as they’re dry, instead of some of our other sets. They’re so comfortable and warm.

They took longer than I thought to dry 😔

• Cut my hair. Literally. I do cut my own hair and it needs a trim.

Nope.

• Go and get my eyebrows done.

No. Caveman it is.Plan what I’m going to wear next week, as I’ve been doing for a few weeks.

Nope, but can do it tomorrow. It takes me 10 minutes to pick 5 outfits.Do a 15-minute exercise video and some yoga. Now that I’m working out, I don’t want to slack off on weekends. I really need to do something every single day.

No. I was sore from my intense Friday workout (which means 45 minutes of water aerobics followed by 45 minutes of moderate swimming classes) and I moved a lot around the house so I don’t feel like I slacked.Decide whether I want to delete my Facebook account or not.

I’m pro deleting.Hopefully read a few blogs.

Just a few. Not nearly enough.< strong>How was your weekend? Productive, lazy or both?<

Plans for the Weekend – 20/21 January

• Remember to drink water (1.5 l)
• Remember to take my medication on time
• Remember to eat fruits and veggies

(These are the things I tend to forget when I’m not in my typical routine, usually on weekends or vacation)

• Make the changes we’ve been meaning to make around the house (bedroom will double as office, office will become closet and guest bedroom), we’ve been talking about it for weeks and postponing every time. We need to do it together as it involves moving heavy furniture.
• Take Rosa to the vet, she might have some ear infection. It’s a nightmare. She turns into a pit bull with the strength of a friggin horse and it takes 3 people to hold her. Those three people end up being bit, scratched and traumatized. Gosh, I’m nervous just thinking about it. My sweet god turns into hulk when she goes to the vet.
• Eat whatever we have in the fridge, I think there’s some frozen soup. Maybe try to meal plan for the week? We haven’t done it in ages, Rui would be pretty happy.
• Sleep.
• Read. I haven’t been reading at all since Christmas.
• Maybe watch a show? I’m behind on a few.
• If we have time, Rui and I can watch a couple of the movies I’ve been meaning to watch (Oscar nominees predictions), light the fireplace and have popcorn.
• I tried flannel sheets for the first time (Rui’s grandma Christmas present) and I’m in love, so I think I want to wash them and put them back on the bed as soon as they’re dry, instead of some of our other sets. They’re so comfortable and warm.
• Cut my hair. Literally. I do cut my own hair and it needs a trim.
• Go and get my eyebrows done.
• Plan what I’m going to wear next week, as I’ve been doing for a few weeks.
• Do a 15-minute exercise video and some yoga. Now that I’m working out, I don’t want to slack off on weekends. I really need to do something every single day.
• Decide whether I want to delete my Facebook account or not.
• Hopefully read a few blogs.

Life Update – Work, Health, Reading, Watching, Doing, Going

Hello dearest WordPress population and fellow blogging neighbors and friends!!

I’m alive!!

I have been busy as you can probably tell by my absence.

I thought I would take the time to update you on whatever I’m doing these days:

Health:

I have actually missed work today because I’m dealing with a nasty cold since Friday. So far I’ve had to miss a wedding on Saturday, work and a birthday dinner today. Damn you cold. Damn you sinusitis that shows up whenever I have a cold just to torture me even more.

Mental Health:

I’m so much better. Really, I mean it. I haven’t had anxiety or panic attacks in months. I haven’t been feeling any of the usual depression symptoms. I think I’m finally on the right medicine combination. I feel well, I sleep well and I’m generally happy. Being busy might also have a role to play in this. I thrive on being a busy bee and having a task list.

Work:

I’m so happy with my job. The kids are both cute, funny and difficult but I love working with them. My colleagues are so nice. I feel like I’ve won the job lottery. It’s the first time I actually feel 100% fulfilled with a job.

My freelance work is going great as well. No lack of work. There’s always something coming up and I love the work I do and the extra money I get besides my salary. It’s good to be able to have a side income and a pretty good one, thank God.

Home:

Well, we definitely need to do some cleaning. It hasn’t been a priority which I understand and accept but it still bothers me. We have been wearing clothes directly from the laundry basket for way too long.

Reading:

I have been reading more because I’m now used to reading kindle books on my phone. I think I’ve told you I finished After You. Then I began The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank, which is part of the series and the first book I’ve ever read by this author. It was fun to read, I would give it 4 stars, considering the genre and quality of writing. If I think about great classics I would probably give it a 2 but I need to be fair.

Then I read another book in just one day. I was bed-ridden on Saturday and didn’t have internet so reading was my only hope, while everyone else was stuffing themselves at the wedding. I read Golden Chances by Rebecca Hagan Lee. Another series (period one) and another author I did not know. I would give this book 4 stars as well, despite the fact that I liked it more than the latter. Different genres and I know I favor this one. It’s about 350 pages but I started it and finished it in a few hours.

I then began Diary of a Sex Addict’s Wife: The First Year, which is pretty good so far. It’s exactly what the title says. A woman discovers that her partner of 20 years has been having sex with prostitutes and hiring escort services for the last five. The book is about her thought process in dealing with such discovery and with what her marriage has become. There’s a lot of pain and doubt and loneliness and broken trust.

 

Watching:

Outlander has come back to me. Rui loves it too after watching the first 2 seasons so we’re enjoying season 3 together. It’s such a good show. Please watch it. I plan on reading the 8 books the series is based on.

American Horror Story season 7 has begun and, as always, I’m not convinced yet. Too weird. Three episodes in and I have no idea what it is all about.

I’m finishing season 4 of The Tudors. I’m going to miss it, actually. It’s been fun watching the life of Henry VIII unfold. They have just executed his 5th wife, Catherine Howard, for adultery. That’s where I’m at.

I have also watched Annabelle: creation expecting it to be the shittiest ever and was surprised to find it was not that bad, at least in my humble opinion. Most people I know that have watched it found it pretty bad but both Rui and I enjoyed it.

I want to watch It as soon as I get the chance.

Well, I guess this is pretty much it for today.

Have you been reading my Student Wisdom posts? My students say the funniest things.

Student Wisdom #1

Student Wisdom #2

Student Wisdom #3

What about my (almost) daily questions? I’ve heard there will be prizes at the end of the month for those who answer them all.

Question of the day #1

Question of the day #2

Question of the day #3

Question of the day #4

Question of the day #5

Question of the day #6

Question of the day #7

Question of the day #8

Question of the day #9

Question of the day #11

Question of the day #12

(#10 is missing purposefully)

Don’t forget you can pretty much always find me on Instagram and I would really love it if we could be friends on Goodreads so I can snoop on what you’re reading!! (Both bottom of the page)

See you, dear friends!!

 

 

Daily planner and journal: 18.09.17 (Much needed updates)

Hello my people!!

I miss you all like crazy.

I have been pretty busy now that I’m back to work and on full busy bee mode. It makes me happy but it also means I have to sacrifice some things. Remember when I told you I would stop posting several times a day as soon as I went back to work. Oh yeah, real life going on. I miss posting daily, talking to you guys every day and being up-to-date on your posts. I really want to get organized in order to be able to do that again. There must be some way.

I absolutely love my new job. My colleagues are so nice and welcoming and funny. There’s often cake and we have so much fun talking shit about the kids. Kidding. We have fun talking and spending our breaks together.

The kids like me and say I’m cool which makes me pretty happy lol They say the funniest things and I always have a laugh or two while I’m with them. They can be difficult and I do yell and threaten and take away phones and other devices they use to make whatever noise they fancy. They think I’m cool anyway so we’re good.

The girls tell me things I don’t want to know lol probably because I’m young and they feel like they can talk to me. I try to keep things appropriate but I’m not the type of teacher that keeps the kids at arms length. If they talk to me, it means that they are talking to someone. If they ask me questions, I don’t tell them to shut up, I do my best to answer them. I don’t want them to lose their curiosity and to be afraid of asking questions. That’s my method. That’s how I work. I’m obviously an authority in the classroom, but I’m also someone who tries to be there for them, respect them for who they are and encourage a healthy relationship.

I’m also working a lot for my online clients. I have plenty to do and I’m trying to keep up with deadlines and to get everything done as soon as possible, so I can move on to other tasks.

Things at home are pretty normal. The house was a mess but we were able to tidy it up and clean a bit yesterday. I did some gardening as well, moving some of my plants to biggest pots, cutting dry leaves and branches and generally cleaning and tending to them.

I’m watching the final season of The Tudors by myself and American Horror Story and Outlander with Rui.

I watched Annabelle yesterday and didn’t think it was that bad. I was honestly expecting worse, by what my friends had told me.

I’m reading more, which makes me very happy. I’ve finished After You and I’m now reading The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank, who I honestly don’t know at all. The book was free on Amazon kindle, I like the cover and so I got it. I ended up liking the story line and I’m enjoying reading it. I’m also reading The 3rd book in the Outlander Series – Voyager by Diana Gabaldon.

heart is actually not very happy this days, because I’m not in good terms with someone I love very much. She’s a part of me and I miss her every single day but she has made a decision I can’t possibly live with, so I’m staying away from her and letting her live her life. I can’t stop myself from feeling sad, though. I guess everything will be fine? I don’t know at this point.

I need to go get ready to walk 2 km, catch the bus and go to work. I’ll see you guys later.

Thank you for reading

 

Daily Planner and Journal: August 25,2017 (Warning: Game of thrones spoilers. If you haven’t watched anything after season 3 don’t read this)

Hey guys,

How is everyone doing?

I thought I’d do a little update, as I’m still not as present as I would like to be.

I had a psychiatrist’s appointment yesterday and she said she’s happy with my development and that I’m doing better. The only issue has been my sleep. I either sleep for 16 hours straight or can’t sleep at all for 2 days.

Does any of you share my sleeping problems?

She has changed my medication, though and I’ve slept well tonight. No dreams, and no waking up in the middle of the night. Plus, I woke up feeling rested, which hasn’t happen in a very long time.

I’ve been doing laundry and dishes (just putting them on the dishwasher and put them away once they’re dry. It’s very hot here today, which is great because the laundry dries in just about 2 hours or less.

I’ve also spent a few hours working on some virtual assistant work and have finished a few tasks. I love that I can work online, from home and make money.

I’ve been on Amazon looking for a birthday present for Rui and I think I’ve found the right one, which was on sale. I was able to find a discount code too. I’m feeling very lucky today because of that haha.

I called my boss to know when I’m supposed to start working and she said we have an important meeting on the 31st and then we probably start at September 4. I’m very excited.

Yesterday I bought a 16-month amazing planner. I’ve never had one for that long and didn’t even know they existed until recently. It’s kind of academic planner and it goes from the August 28, 2017 to December 31, 2018.

Do you use a planner? What kind of planner do you use? Do you write things on your phone? I could never, I need to actually write things down. I’m a pen and paper kind of girl.

I have scheduled my gynecologist’s and I’m also going to see an orthopedist for my back. They do hurt sometimes and I can’t sleep because of it sometimes. I can no longer tolerate my mattress from my old room at my mother’s house. I slept there for years and now I just can’t take a nap there because the mattress is too soft and it makes my back here. It has started to hurt in my own bed too so it’s time to see a doctor. I’ve seen many doctors about my back, since I was very young. They all say the same: “You need to swim regularly, that’s the best for your back”. I bet I’m going to get the same answer.

I’ve finished watching both The White Queen (Reign of King Edward III (House of York) and his wife Elizabeth, among the rest of the plot) and The White Princess (Their daughter Elizabeth, who marries king Henry VII, a Tudor.

Now I’m going to watch The Tudors, where their son Henry VII is ruling England.

I not only watch a bunch of period shows, I also watch them in an order that will make sense historically, hahaha.

Oh, and Game of Thrones is just so good. This season has been a great one. Who else would like Sansa to end up keeping her marriage to Tyrion? I liked them as a couple and would love it if she fell in love with him. I’m patiently awaiting their reunion.

Now I’m off to do more laundry, make dinner and cleanup a little around the house.

What are you up to today?

Talk to you all soon.

P.S. Yesterday was my 7-month blog anniversary. Happy anniversary to us.

P.S.S. Would would like to do a few book reviews on Amazon for me in exchange for free Kindle books? Email me.

Daily Planner and Journal: August 21,2017

Hey there, dear friends!

How is everyone doing? Are you still enjoying Summer? A vacation maybe? Or are you already back to work and super busy? Did you go somewhere this Summer? If not, are you going?

I’m still at home but, as I’ve mentioned before, full organization mode, before the school year starts and I’m back at work and back to being busy. I intend to share my daily tasks and to-dos as I have done for the past 6 months.

What am I up to today?

Deep cleaning and organizing our bedroom:

• Cleaning under and behind furniture (bed, nightstands, wardrobe, dresser, clothes rack, dressing table, mirror);
• Take big area rug outside to be pressure washed;
• Vacuum floor and corners, cobwebs;
• Dust and clean light switchers, outlets, door knob, furniture handles;
• Clean windows;
• Organize clothes and shoes;
• Dust and clean furniture;
• Mop floor;

Work on “Online Work – Project A”:

• I’ve mentioned I’m working online as a virtual assistant and I’m involved in a few projects. I intend to complete this particular project today. It’ll probably take me an hour/ one hour and a half;
• Print screen tasks and send to client. Report to client;

Work on “Online Work – Project A.1”:

• Same client, different task. This might take me a while longer, maybe 2 hours.
• Report to client;

Work on “Online Work – Project B”:

• Different client, somewhat easy task. It might take over an hour. I’ll start today and see how far I can go.
• Report to client;

Keep working on online magazine along with my colleagues:

• We’re almost done, but there’s always back and forth conversation and brainstorming going on either Whatsapp or email;

Cook dinner:

• I’m making grilled salmon with veggies;

Answer some comments:

• I’m so late, people will wonder who the hell am I hahaha. But I need and want to answer comments left by my readers;

Read a few blog posts:

• I’ve been the worst blogger and friend and haven’t being reading blogs at all. I miss it and I want to go through a few, hopefully many.

---

My general goal is to become as active as I was before my long blogging hiatus and to go back to my general routines, while preparing for my return to work.

Yesterday it was one of my best friend’s birthday and we went over for dinner. I don’t know how but I kind of ended up playing “dungeons and dragons”. I don’t usually like games but it was quite fun, actually. Probably because there were many of us and we all picked silly names (except for me, I went with Belinda).

My friend and her boyfriend cooked us dinner and we had the most wonderful cheesecake. My friend (Catarina, that’s her name) is so good with baking and desserts. Dinner, which was a traditional seafood and rice dish was delicious as well.

One of my friend’s boyfriend went to college with me and we shared a few classes. We both love literature and classics and we always take an opportunity to talk about books and what we’ve been reading. He’s my favorite person to talk to when it comes to books because we kind of have similar taste and know the same authors.

Everyone was as funny as ever, I really had a good time.

Then I came home and chatted with my other group of favorite people, my online blogger best friends (I don’t love them just because they are bloggers, they’re just the most wonderful and some of the most inspiring women I know. I’m talking about my dearest Angela, Arundhati (A.K.A Cathy), Lyz and Pamela. Love you, girls.

I then watched a few episodes of “The White Queen”, a miniseries. Have you watched it?

A portrayal of one of the most dramatic and turbulent times in English history. A story of love and lust, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, it is uniquely told through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women – Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. In their quest for power, they will scheme, manipulate and seduce their way onto the English throne. The year is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled the country, and war has been ravaging throughout England over who is the rightful King. It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster. The House of York’s young and handsome Edward IV is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator, Lord Warwick “The Kingmaker.” But when Edward falls in love with a beautiful Lancastrian commoner, Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick’s plan to control the throne comes crashing down. A violent, high-stakes struggle ensues between Elizabeth, her most fierce adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville, the pawn in her father’s power game – each woman vying for the crown.

The White Queen – TV Series

The White Queen (TV Mini-Series 2013) – IMDb

Elizabeth Woodville, The White Queen

I’m so into period and historical dramas and I’m always looking for the next one. This one is very, very good and I’m really enjoying watching it.

Well, now I’m off to get things done!

What are you watching or reading that you would like to share with us?

What are you doing these days? Holidays or work?

 

As always, thank you so much for coming by.

 

 

 

 

 

MY AFTER VACATION TO-DO LIST – AUGUST 16TH TO AUGUST 31ST (PART IV)

Good afternoon everyone,

Today I bring you the 4th and final list of my after vacation tasks.

The final list is related to house cleaning and organization. There are some tasks I perform every Summer after our vacation, so this year won’t be exception. For me, being a student most of my life and a teacher for a good number of years, September feels like the beginning of the year. It’s a fresh start, after resting and fun.

This year, things will be different as I will actually be facing a new beginning, as I’m going back to work after being home since March.

It’s also exciting because it’s almost Fall and my favorite time of the year, which is the last 4 months. There’s just so many things to look forward to: The beginning of the school year, Fall and Winter, Rui’s birthday, my birthday, my sister’s birthday, Rui’s brother’s birthday, Christmas and New Year’s.

MY TO-DO LIST –  FROM AUGUST 16TH TO AUGUST 31ST:

House Cleaning and Organization

(Based on my cleaning challenge)

• Clean kitchen appliances (microwave, fridge, freezer, oven, stove top, coffee machines, dishwasher, washing machine, iron), including behind and under;
• Deep clean surfaces in the bathroom – scrub bathtub, wash shower curtain, etc.
• Disinfect toilet, taps, rearrange bathroom shelves;
• Organize and deep clean office;
• Clean windows inside and outside;
• Clean and dust details – mirrors, pictures, knickknacks, door knobs, outlets, light switches;
• Clean medicine cabinet – throw away everything empty or expired, make a list to buy what’s needed;
• Organize closets, drawers, throw away everything that is not needed and in no condition to be sold or donated;
• Clean behind and under furniture;
• Wash sofa and seat covers, cushions, curtains, bedroom rug, pillows, mattress cover
•  Clean and organize “pantry” – wipe down, throw away expired things, organize, make a list to stock up on things (food storage);
• Clean the kitchen sink and under the sink – get rid of empty bottles, etc.
• Clean TV and other electronic devices;
• Clean your vacuum cleaner;
• Clean doors and door frames, especially your front entry;
• Clean or patio, take out all trash;
• Dust ceiling lamps and cobweb the house;
• Empty all trash cans and clean them
• Sweep and de-clutter the outside storage unit;
• Clean inside kitchen cabinets and drawers;
• Get rid of old Tupperware containers;
• Organize papers;

I’m probably forgetting a bunch of things. If I come up with enough forgotten items I’ll do an “extras” list. This is a regular deep clean for me, which happens at least twice a year and occasionally, if I notice something needs to be cleaned.

What about you? Are you taking care of some Summer deep cleaning or organization tasks? I would love to know.

Previous lists:

MY AFTER VACATION TO-DO LIST – AUGUST 16TH TO AUGUST 31ST (PART I)

(School and Work)

MY AFTER VACATION TO-DO LIST – AUGUST 16TH TO AUGUST 31ST (PART II)

(Personal and Health)

MY AFTER VACATION TO-DO LIST – AUGUST 16TH TO AUGUST 31ST (PART III)

(Blog, Social Media and Online Work)

Thank you so much for reading. ❤