I confess

Okay, I was kidding that was not me in the lime green shirt, but wasn't she cute!

We're gonna Zum, Zum, Zumba Zum....

Am I showing my age? Okay, so it's not Zoom, but it is Zumba! I am thinking of signing up to take a Zumba class, you know, in my spare time. Apparently almost 1 million Americans have taken Zumba classes.

Zumba is a popular fitness program inspired by Latin dance. The word "Zumba" (pronounced ZOOM-buh) comes from a Colombian word that means to move fast and have fun, which is just how people describe the routine. Using upbeat Latin music together with cardiovascular exercise, Zumba is aerobic dancing that is lots of fun and easy to learn.

Zumba mixes cardio intervals with resistance training. It also gives you an interval/resistance combination that maximizes caloric output, fat burning, and total body toning. Zumba mixes effective body sculpting movements with easy-to-follow, fun dance steps. People seem to forget about working out during a Zumba session, allowing them to exercise longer, and burn even more calories.

A typical Zumba session lasts about an hour and incorporates several dance styles. The Latin music includes both fast and slow rhythms, allowing for a great cardio workout as well as body sculpting exercises.

Anything that gets you up and moving is a good thing. My friend in the black shirt taped this, but check me out. I am in the bright green shirt in the back. Pretty good, huh!?

Maybe I Shouldn't Put All My Eggs in One Basket

Hey there! I am writing to you because I want to WRITE. No, I don't want to write informative helpful articles about things nobody outside a 2-mile radius of my house is interested in. I just want to write. You know, stuff I hate or like, things I think about or hear about, things that make me happy or things that make me angry. You know, just Spoutin' Out kind of stuff.

I am not loving my other gig. It's not much fun and it's hard. My news has to be local, but I work full time, so don't have time to interview people at local events, which I love to do, but can't. I keep trying to make my articles locally based pulling from research I have completed, but they keep telling me it's not local enough, so I don't get paid. The reality is, local news is boring. Nothing happens in my town. Nothing anyone wants to hear about anyway.

My life is a series of strange dilemmas isn't it? They are never too stressful, thank God for that, they are just strange. I am not sure what I am going to do going forward. I suppose I will keep trying to please them, but I miss all of you and I miss my blog. My blog is a place where I can be Editor and Chief and nobody can tell me what they like or don't like. It's a place where I can write at the end of the day about whatever I want, and know that someone somewhere is reading it.

NHCTH Day

From one gorgeous gal to another......




Today is National 'HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE HOT' Day! Send this to someone gorgeous, but don't send it back to me, I've been getting this message all freakin' day.

Spoutin' Out Updates

1st - Remember I told you awhile back that I was going to go to a Gold Party? Well, I went last night and had a blast. I dragged my mother with me kickin' and screamin'..not really, but I did really have to push her to give up her old gold jewelry. She had stuff sitting in boxes that she hadn't touch in years!

The whole process was really interesting. We watched at the representative checked the gold with a magnet, tested it with these little things that looked like jumper cables, scratched it, weighed it, separated the gold from the non-gold and finally - wrote us a check! My mother got just over $91.00 and I got just over $167 and two really great glasses of wine! Not bad for a night out with the girls.

I signed up to have a party of my own in May. I am on the fence as to whether I will take the proceeds for myself or host it as a fundraiser for Casey's trip to North Dakota with his wrestling club. I suppose it depends on how well he is doing raising funds on his own by then. If it becomes a fundraiser for him, you can bet he will be there and serving the moms. Soda of course.

2nd update - It seems that the Examiner wants me to keep my blog going. Not only do they support it, but they encourage me to promote it on my/their website. Gee, where am I suppose to get all this time? Three kids doing 5 different sports, a full-time job, a house, bills to pay, a dog and....you get the picture, you've run the drill.

So, buckle up for a bumpy ride and be sure to keep visiting my blog. I can't promise you a smooth trip, but I can promise you an interesting journey. Hey, you've hung around this long.

Blogging vs. Writing

Sorry that I have been away for so long, but I have some really exciting news! I (my blog) have been recognized by the Examiner.com as a popular “teenblogger” and they have asked me to write for them.

As you know, I have been looking to grow and change my blog beyond its existing presence and am thrilled that it has finally been recognized by a "higher power." You may remember back on April 14th, I wrote to you about wanting to do something different with my blog and although I am not sure this is it, I have to take the chance.

I have spent the last week working with the Examiner.com to provide them with several writing samples that were not so "bloggy." I will miss writing about all the control chaos that goes on in my life, as my writing for the Examiner.com will have to be more informational and less, "according to Gwenn." I am excited about this opportunity and the challenge of a much more formal setting. I think it will be good for me to try something new, afterall, one has to take chances. Although, I will be back occasionally to post on my blog, I wont' be able to write every day.

My page for the Examiner.com has not been set up yet, because I still owe them a few things before I can get started, but I hope it will be by the end of next week and as soon as it is, I will post my link on Spoutin' Out and Facebook.

This is a huge step for me and I hope you will come along for the ride. Who knows?

Can Aesthetics Drive College Choice....

.....they can if you're Victoria.

Victoria's college search started officially yesterday with an informational and group tour, hosted about two hours from our home. During the first of the two campus visits, we checked out the bookstore and art building, dorms, cafes and athletic fields. We gathered brochures, and then headed to our second destination.

I thought the college was appropriate for her, educationally challenging; clean, secure, friendly campus; close enough to home. So, as we headed out of the main gate, we asked her how she liked it.

Her response: “It so pretty.” So, I learned something important just then: Aesthetics are important to Victoria's overall college experience. Trying to learn more about what she likes in an effort to narrow our search further I asked, “What look do you like?” She loved the quaintness of the campus, the multiple bodies of water scattered over the grounds, the fountains, bridges, the cleanliness of the entire school, the colors in the cafe and most of all the beach at the edge of campus in this great little beach town. And, of course, the easy access to Boston via the commuter rail.

Like most girls her age, familiar with the magazines and clothing catalogs advertising “collegiate style outfits” photographed on beautiful college campuses, Victoria had a “college image” in her mind and it was my job (and anyone else who wants to help) to help her see the bigger picture: the major she wants; affordability; value; accessibility; and yes, aesthetics, because looks and atmosphere are important to her.

As we arrived at our second destination, I could immediately see the disappointment in Victoria's eyes. It was off a major road, there was no quaintness, the buildings were ugly and far apart, the grass was barely green, there were no flowers, no ponds, no activity and barely any students.

During the tour we listened as the student guide say how wonderful the school was and how much she loved it there. I was proud of Victoria, as she announced that she was going to keep an open mind. However, as we toured the grounds and facilities, I could tell that Victoria was just going through the motions. If only they had a beach nearby.