A Weighting Game {Weight Loss & Health}

Me, 70 pounds ago, at my bridal shower in 2009.

Sometimes I feel like the hardest part of weight loss is waiting. And waiting.

You get started, and you feel like you’re constantly waiting until your next snack or meal. (Hell, I am at this very MOMENT.)

You wait to step on that scale to see if your success will be reflected with a number. (Don’t- also take measurements!)

You wait for weekly weigh-ins to turn into monthly losses that will lead to visible changes that you can see, and hopefully others, too.

You wait to see that magical goal number on the scale at the end of months, possibly years, of hard work.

Well, no wonder most of us fail. We’ve been conditioned to get instant gratification. To want it. To need it.

This might explain why I fork out money for Amazon Prime. I want my stuff in 2-days, gosh darn it.

I’ve also learned after trying for a DECADE now to get to my goal weight (shameful, I know), is that if you try to rush the process, it just doesn’t work out in the long term.

I think a turning point for me wanting to buckle down for the umpteenth time is BlogHer 2012. Sure I chose not to go because the flights were very expensive for me, and because I do have a new job, but the main reason I chose not to go to BlogHer 2012 is because of my weight.

And it’s taking me so much courage to put it out there, but I hope others can relate. Last year at BlogHer I was about 30 pounds lighter. BlogHer is the type of place you have to feel confident at or else you’ll just kind of get lost in the midst of swag and bloggers.

As I did last year. I left San Diego having had a fun time with those I hung out with, came home with cool swag, but I didn’t really accomplish anything in terms of my blog. I didn’t gain readers, sponsors or fans. I got to giveaway some Riceworks coupons and some coffee creamer coupons.

Nothing glamorous mostly because I lacked the confidence to go up to companies and sell myself.

I saw plenty of bloggers that were larger than I was, rocking their sleeveless shirts and showing armpit and talking to companies. Now they have HUGE blogs with great connections, and I am just kind of at slightly a higher level than last year.

So, one Saturday morning in June, I decided to just not go. Just like that. I sold my ticket, transferred my hotel room, and decided I just couldn’t do it. Why spend all that time and money when I knew I felt even worse about myself than I did last year?

And something else.

I hate being the fat girl in the group of pretty girlfriends at these things. You all know what I mean, right? It’s like your friends like you and all, and you’re super funny and witty, but when it comes time to take cute Instagram photos to post on their FB wall, you’re not in them because you’re the DFF (designated fat friend). I felt like that a few times at conferences/events this year, and let me tell ya, it sucks. I realize I am not a gorgeous, svelte, flawless girl, and honestly I don’t want to be in any photos unless I have to be…but…it’s hard. We don’t want to feel less than.

And so I’m not going to BlogHer because I am fatter than I was last year, and because it’s expensive and I have a new job.

I’m 27 now, and have been fighting this battle for a decade, and I just want to achieve my goals. Weight goals, career goals, blog goals. I want confidence in myself, yet can’t ever really summon up some.

Monica Wants It.

But I just have to wait.

Dream Patio for Olympic Watch Party {#SummerWithSears}

My patio is a hot mess. I find it the absolute hardest part of my house to keep tidy. Right now, it’s essentially a workshop because of the renovation work going on in the master bathroom.

See?

 

So, I was asked to dream big and look on Sears.com (tip: look at your local ad to see what’s on sale this week like 30% off patio furniture/décor + free in-store assembly on all grills) to see what I would buy if I could buy ANYTHING to create a patio/backyard made for an Olympic Watch Party. This is the first Olympics we’ve lived in the house, and we’re huge fans. However, there’s just no way we could have a ton of people over and watch them even if my patio was tidy and fabulous. We have a dining set with 4 chairs, and we have a HUGE family. And we also have zero money right now, but I am always up for window shopping online.

Browsing the Sears catalog for outdoor furniture and décor for our patio was fun. Their catalog has something for all tastes and the interactivity makes it easy to navigate through.

I ended up choosing 10 things I would love to have, and I arranged them all on this Polyvore board of mine.

 

Dream Outdoor Area for Olympic Watch Party by monicabenavidez on polyvore.com

 

The things that I immediately thought of when I think Olympic viewing party were seating, dining, gazebo, outdoor screen and fire (in honor of the Olympic torch). I found it pretty easy to find most of what I was looking for by using their search function. I also mention some more shopping tips over in my Google+ album.

I would say that if I could afford it, I would definitely buy most of the items. Especially this sectional which to me is very modern yet comfy.

Their pricing can be kind of confusing, so always make sure you know what the price is.

My other favorite item was the dining set I chose for my faux soiree. This seats 6 people + all the people that’ll fit on that sectional above. Can someone please just give me the $6K I need to make this happen? Please?

They have many different styles available, which is always nice. Sometimes I feel like some stores have a specific “niche”, but I do think there’s something for everyone in the current Sears line-up of outdoor living merchandise.

And if there’d be anything I could maybe afford soon, it’d be this pergola. Anyone know how to install one of these?

So although I didn’t get to buy anything (sad face), it was so fun to curate my items into a list. Hey, maybe everything will go on super clearance soon and I can snag a few items. To see the full list of items I chose (and you can even rate them), check out my list below:

Dream Outdoor Living Space

View more lists from Monica Wants It

And before I forget, isn’t this drink stand AWESOME? I need 2. One for spirits and one for wine. Oh and beer.

Make that 3.

Anything to cheer on our Olympians!

And should you have any issues or questions at anytime, do know Sears is quite active in social media. They helped me with 2 major issues I’ve had the past year. Kudos to them for good customer service!

• Sears on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/Sears
• Sears on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/sears
• Sears Shop Your Way Rewards on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ShopYourWay

What would your dream items be an Olympic watch party in your backyard?

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Sears. #CBias #SocialFabric”.

5 Easy Ways to Makeover A Bathroom {DIY}

Remember last month when I wrote about my $500 bathroom makeover plans? Well, I got started!

There are 5 ways to make sure your bathroom makeover dollars work smart and hard. Here’s what I learned while making over my guest bathroom. Over the summer we have family come over, lots of get togethers, game nights, etc. and it’s always nice to have a clean, fresh, gorgeous bathroom.

Ours was SO not that when I started on this project.

As you all can see, I removed ALL the wallpaper! YAY! Removing the wallpaper instantly brightened up the bathroom.

Here are the 5 things I felt made the most impact for little money:

1.) Paint: I painted the wall and ceiling. People forget the ceiling, but for about $60 you can give your bathroom a whole new look in a weekend.

The paint color I ended up choosing is Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams.

2.) Accent Wall: I used a stencil to create an accent wall. This is fun in this particular space because the mirror faces that wall, so it sort of feels like I stenciled 2 walls, if that makes sense.

3.) New accessories: Use what you have! A simple DIY project is taking satin ribbon + Glue Dots and adding it around vases or apothecary jars you might have on hand. Using Glue Dots makes the DIY project non-permanent so you can easily re-use accessories for the holidays, etc. Also, a decorative bag of potpourri can give your bathroom a fab smell + you can use the potpourri as vase filler like I did below. Another tip, use votive holders or even toilet/paper towel rolls to put in the center so you don’t need quite as much filler. No one will ever know!

4.) New towels: Towels can be as cheap or expensive as you’d like them to be, but nothing beats the feel of a fancy towel. We bought the white ones seen in the photos at Marshall’s for about $4-$6 a towel and they are heaven in a towel. Or if you don’t want to buy new towels, maybe check out the awesome Kleenex hand towels. They come 60 to a box, and are perfect for guest bathrooms. My sister-in-law sometimes stays over and she has a 3 year old and 1 year old…they have to wash their hands a ton! Kleenex hand towels make it easy on all of us. I don’t worry about random kiddy things on my nice towels and she can wash their hands up to 30 times a piece before I run out.

The nice thing about the Kleenex hand towels are that they easily fit on a normal towel bar.

5.) New light bulbs! Yes, new light bulbs. With the affordability of CFL’s these days, there’s no excuse not to get some that either create bright light, daylight, warm light, etc. So many options, and an easy way to bring new light to your space. Literally. These silver items always had a yellow cast to them before we switched to the CFL’s. Now it’s bright and shiny.

And bonus tip: Clean! This one is so obvious, but there’s nothing like a clean bathroom. Your fixtures will look brighter, your sink will sparkle. Such an easy fix, and if you have kids, you can bribe them to do it.

Hope those tips help you get your guest bathroom ready. Remember, the holidays are only a few months away…better start on these projects now!

I’ll be back with more photos of my bathroom makeover sometime soon. I could only get this part done in time, so I still need to revamp the other half of the bathroom which contains the shower and toilet.

What do you do to make sure your guest bathrooms are guest ready?

Join the 14 million people who have already joined the Clean Hands campaign by using Kleenex Hand Towels, and click here for savings and more!           

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.

Johnson & Johnson #ETYY #LLBlog {Giveaway}

Hi everyone! Boy do I have some fun for you all in the next few days. I have a sneak peek at the guest bathroom makeover, progress pics of our master bathroom makeover, some fun reviews and recipes.

But today, I have something for YOU. Yes, you. I am lucky to be part of the Latina & Latino Lifestyle Bloggers collective, and am part of their Johnson & Johnson campaign. I do reviews often, but this one is fun because I get to giveaway the identical products that I’ll be reviewing. This is the first giveaway during the 4-month campaign, and here’s what one lucky winner will be receiving!

Every single product listed above + some others not shown, for a total value of $100.

Super easy to enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck, tell your friends, and I’ll be back with more posts featuring their fabulous items from now until November.

I’ve used a few of these products already, so I’m going to give you a quick reviews that might help you out if you’re on the fence about these products:

Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer: I love that it’s unscented and has SPF 30. I put this on over my primer but under my foundation and it doesn’t make my face oily. I don’t know if I feel radiant per se, but over time I hope this will help my uneven skin tine. I give it an 8/10

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion: LOVE THIS STUFF! My feet get so dry because I have an awful habit of wearing flats without dress socks. Then my feet get dry and sweaty and then itchy…this lotion helps soothe my tootsies. This item gets a 10/10

Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize Shampoo/Conditioner: I didn’t feel this worked as well as what I normally use, and I also miss having something in my hair that smells nice. Aveeno stuff is natural, so there’s no extra scents and such that could possibly be irritating to the skin, but I would have liked for it to be a bit more scented. I give this 6/10.

Band-Aid Tough Strips: Great for breaking in shoes! I had wicked blisters on my ankle area from some new loafers I bought, and these band-aids stayed on all day without rubbing off due to sweat. 10/10 for SURE.

Listerine Mouth Wash: It’s fabulous, used it for years. I love the burning feeling (it’s not like painful or anything) that I get when using this product. My mouth feels sparkling and clean. Aaah. :) 10/10.

Have a fantastic weekend! I will stop taking entries on August 5th and announce the winner soon after.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bridal Beauty Tips {Review}

The kind people over at Clever Girls have given me another opportunity to talk beauty with you all. Lucky me, right? Well, given that I’ve written a 2 part series about frugal ways to avoid beauty disasters, I am thinking I need to write about something a little different.

I love weddings, and as a woman who got married back in 2009, I totally remember the stress about the big day. Weight, skin, armpits (yup, armpit issues again!), hair, makeup…it can get overwhelming. So with bridal season underway, I thought it’d be fun to revisit some of the products that helped me on my big day.

Aww, memories!

1.) Wax strips: Now, I know many women may have hair on their face that they don’t like or heck, maybe you need a touch-up between eye brow waxings. These are fab! You warm them up using the palms of your hands and you’re ready to go. About $6 a box at most drugstores.

2.) Rollerball perfume: These handy little things are small and narrow making them an ideal choice for a bridal clutch. Easy to reapply as needed.

3.) Advil: Inevitably, all the stress, painful heels or lack of eating may lead to a huge headache.

4.) Soft touch/natural hairspray: Don’t pick one that will leave your hair crunchy. You want to tame crazy flyaway hairs while maintaining a beautiful hairstyle. Snag one of these in a trial size!

5.) Eyeliner & mascara: My eyeshadow stayed put throughout the day, but I remember wishing I had an eyeliner on me to touch-up my eyes a bit. Mascara also helps, especially if it’s waterproof! On my wedding day it rained a TON and I wasn’t very prepared for that.

6.) Deodorant: So imperative to not be stinky as you shimmy and shake on the dance floor. Back in 2009 Dove didn’t have their clear tone deodorant, but now that they do, I’d recommend it to all brides. It’s invisible, doesn’t clump up, smells divine and is so affordable.

Those are some of the tips I have that are less obvious than the usual band-aids, safety pins, bobby pins kind of things you see mentioned.

What helped you on your big day? Do you have any tips for brides?

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

Cream Cheese Glazed Red Velvet Loaves {Recipe}

Today I have a delicious, quick and easy recipe inspired by the new Renuzits Tempting Indulgences Air Fresheners.

I was sent the red velvet cake scent and the chocolate covered cherries scent. Now, I will be totally honest in saying that I do not think the red velvet cake scent smells anything like red velvet cake. My friends and family were over on Sunday, and they agreed. I hope Renuzits will improve their formula for that one because it smells a little more like cough syrup than red velvet cake.

The chocolate covered cherries scent is spot on, and that’s really cool. You can have your kitchen smell like a bakery without all that work.

 

But I love baking, so I went out to Walmart to pick up items to make a red velvet cake that’s more like a loaf/banana nut bread type of dessert. Not cupcakes, not a sheet cake…more like I could have a slice of it with coffee in the morning. And instead of icing, I wanted a glaze and some nuts. I decided on a cream cheese glaze and candied pecans to go over my red velvet loaves. I cheat, and I totally use a box mix for red velvet cake because all the recipes I’ve made from scratch come out very dry. However, the cream cheese glaze and candied pecans I made all on my own. Overall, prep time is about 20 minutes for cake, pecans and glaze and actual oven time is about 40 minutes. In an hour you can have delicious red velvet cake glazed with cream cheese and candied pecans.

Yum!

My local Walmart didn’t have this new line of scents/fragrances in stores yet, but if you’re curious about the scents (red velvet cake, chocolate covered cherries and crème brulee) you should look for them at your local Walmart store soon!

Ingredients:

Red Velvet:

-1 box of red velvet cake mix

-Eggs, water, oil (or whatever your boxed cake mix calls for)

-1/4 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

Cream Cheese Glaze:

-1 package of fat free cream cheese

-1/2 cup of powdered sugar

-1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract

-4 tbsp of Coldstone Creamery Sweet Cream Creamer (or milk)

Candied Pecans:

-2 oz. package of chopped pecans

-1/4 of 1 egg white

-3 tbsp of sugar

-1/2 tsp of salt

What I did first was turn my oven to 350, and mix my ingredients together for the pecans, and pop them into the oven for 10 minutes. Make sure to put your pecans on parchment paper so they don’t stick to your pan.

Next, I made my cake mix according to the instructions on the package, BUT I added ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips. It gives it an extra surprise in there. Now, here’s where I went a different route and baked the red velvet cake in 2 loaf/bread pans. This makes it easy to keep one at home and take one to work so I am not tempted! I did have to adjust the baking time to about 40 minutes since the loaf pans are deeper than regular cake pans.

While the pecans are cooling and the cake is baking, I beat together all the ingredients for my cream cheese glaze. It helps if your cream cheese is room temperature, and it also helps if you beat that first on medium (until creamy) and then add in the other items.

The secret to my cream cheese glaze is using Sweet Cream creamer instead of milk, but you can use milk, too. I just think it gives the glaze that extra layer of flavor.

Finally, once your loaves are done let them cool for about 20 minutes, top with the cream cheese glaze and pecans. Now dig in!

I’m glad I got to sample the new Renuzits Tempting Indulgences scents. And I love their slogan: “Make Every Day Sweeter”.

Any excuse to make a dessert!

You can see more of the Renuzits family of products online:

Renuzit website:  http://www.renuzit.com/

Renuzit Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Renuzit

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Renuzit #CBias #SocialFabric #TemptYourSenses

How to Easily Remove Wallpaper {DIY Tutorial}

Today I have a very handy, easy tutorial for those of you living in 1970’s ranch homes with wallpaper. I know you’re out there. We can’t be alone in choosing to buy a wood-paneled, wallpapered house because we saw potential.

Now, this tutorial can cover 2 different scenarios that happen when removing wallpaper. The first scenario is you remove wallpaper and find beautiful, intact drywall behind it. The second scenario is when you remove wallpaper and end up ripping off the top layer of drywall with it.

Guess which happened to us?

The second scenario, of course. I’ll never forget the moment we finished ripping off all the wallpaper and Daniel looks to me and says, “I think we need to replace the drywall…”

OH HELL NO.

Do you know how much work that would be? No thank you.

So, I googled around, and took some tips from a few sources to come up with this tutorial. Now, I’ve done all the steps, so I can attest to the fact that it works. It does take lots of elbow grease, but the results will add value to your home.

Supplies (now there’s an item or 2 on here that is non-negotiable…please just trust me on this!)

-Spray bottle (I like to buy mine from the travel section at Walmart for 88 cents)

-Warm water

-Downy or dish soap

-Medium grit sanding block/pad (I bought the one I used for this at Dollar Tree- 2 for $1)

-Fine grit sanding block/pad (I bought name brand 3M for this, about $4)

-Wall texture (you can use/rent/borrow a sprayer + buy texture, or buy the water based wall texture sprays cans by Homax at Lowe’s or Walmart for about $12 each)

-Joint compound (about $3 for a quart’s worth at Walmart)

-Paint roller + foam paint roller cover

-Zinsser Bulls Eye Water Based Primer (NON-NEGOTIABLE!! About $19 at Home Depot/Lowe’s/Walmart)

-Paint color of your choice

-Wallpaper scraper ($4-$7 depending on whatcha buy…I love the one below and it’s about $7)

-Trash can, tarp, etc. for disposal and floor/area protection

Total Cost: Around $100+

You start with an ugly wallpapered wall:

Step 1: In your spray bottle mix about 1 part Downy or dish soap to 4 parts water. It’s not a science. I always just did 2 pumps or squeezes of dish soap and filled my spray bottle with warm water. No biggie. Spray about 4x4 foot sections at a time and start peeling paper off. Try to get it down in big pieces/panels. If it’s being really pesky, use your wallpaper scraper.

Step 2: After you have 99% of your wallpaper removed, you’re ready to move on. Now, it’s important to try to get MOST of the wallpaper off, but do not kill yourself trying to get every bit off. It’s just not worth the effort. Let’s say that your wallpaper has been up for DECADES and rips off the top protective layer of drywall and looks like fuzzy cardboard.

You will panic. You may want to cry. You may ask yourself why you get yourself into these messes. You could have lived with the wallpaper. WHY???

I understand, and I felt that way, too.

Hugs.

Now, put on your big girl panties and let’s do this. Grab your medium grit sanding block and lightly sand the fuzzies and the uneven patches. LIGHTLY. Don’t create more work for yourself and be ferocious with it. Lightly. Almost like you’re barely skimming it.

Step 3: So once you’ve sanded your fuzzy wall into a peach fuzz like wall, you’re ready to prime your wall with Zinsser. PLEASE USE ZINSSER. I am cheap, I know you want to save a buck, but the Zinsser Bulls Eye primer is so affordable. Please buy it. I did 2 coats over my peach fuzz walls. Let it dry. Have some wine.

Step 4: Now, take your joint compound and apply to any areas that need major repair work in the drywall. We had this funky cracked portion under the light switches and the corners were all screwy, so I just used my fingers and slathered it on. It doesn’t matter if it’s goopy or lumpy because you’ll sand it baby-butt-smooth soon. Bear with me.

Step 5: Once your joint compound has dried (I usually give it 4 hours or so), lightly sand it smooth with your fine grit sandpaper. This part creates mucho dust, so you might want to wear a face mask/respirator. I didn’t because I was too lazy to walk to the garage.

Step 6: Now your walls are ready for texture. We did an orange peel texture on them…it’s a little more textured than I’d like, but it worked well to make the walls “even”. Like I mentioned earlier, you have 2 choices for texture. We have a Wagner texture sprayer that works well for us because we’re doing other drywall projects in the near future. However, if this is the only project you’ll need wall texture for, you might be better off buying a few cans of this item:

We found them at Walmart, actually, for about $12 a can for the water based texture (which is what you want). I would say a small bathroom would need 3-4 cans, so it can get pricey. Up to you as to how much or how little you want to texture your walls. I know someone will ask me if walls HAVE to be textured. Up to you. We’ve removed wallpaper in 2 areas of our home, and the walls were never in good enough shape to not texture. Use your own judgment/preference to decide what to do.

Once you apply texture, it helps to have a paper towel handy to blot down any areas that may be too lumpy/concentrated. It’s also easy to tell when it’s wet/dry. Once it’s dry, it’ll look white and blend in with your primer. Wet tends to look blue or gray depending on what kind of texture you use. I would say to be safe, let your texture dry over night.

Step 7: Prime your walls one more time using the Zinsser Bulls Eye primer. You should have plenty of primer left to do this.

Step 8: Paint your walls any color you’d like, or you could even be a total glutton for punishment and stencil like I did (and I won’t ever do that again…)

And you’re done! This can be a tedious, long process, but it isn’t really hard. It is elbow grease, patience and various steps. I’ve worked on my bathroom for about 4 weekends in a row now and only 2 of those weekends were used up on the wallpaper removal process (the other 2 were used up on stenciling).

Hope this helps! A small $100 project can add lots of value to your home while making it more modern and wallpaper free. My full reveal will be up in a few weeks- I can’t wait to show you all!

Any questions? Leave them in the comments or e-mail me.