Blog Fabulous

Marriage Commercial

My husband and I made a commercial to advertise an upcoming Marriage Mingle we’re going to lead at our church.

I love what I can do with a Mac, iLife and YouTube. Technology is fun once you get past the learning curve and the frustration.

What do you think?

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By Tracee Sioux -- 0 comments

2009 Predictions

Whatever they are saying about the economy I’m not seeing the negatives.

Everywhere I look there is potential and opportunity.

There’s an Economic Women’s Revolution going on right now in the world and we’re going to see women explode onto the landscape. In large part because so much business can be done on the Internet. More and more of us are asking, Why not me? Why don’t I start that business I’ve always dreamed of?

This year, women will stop the futile wait for The Market to give us equal pay and we’ll create our own opportunity. We’ll create jobs , not apply for them.

We’ll have the backing of a pro-woman government to help assist us.

I’m a part of that. I’ve got my own business going and I expect it to really take off in 2009. I’ve laid the groundwork, crested the learning curve and I’m ready to push it into a new stratosphere.

My husband has a freelance design company that’s also really going to take off. Together our economy will be better than it’s ever been our entire married life. We’ve learned the hard lessons and sucked it up through the hard years and dedicatedly applied ourselves to become disciplined about money. We know what to do now and money is coming our way in 2009. Phew. Finally.

I’m redesigning and republishing my girl blog on Jan. 12 and I’m so excited about it.

I’m excited to be with b5media and Blog Fabulous and hope to take it and my relationship with my readers to a new level.

I’ve also found some local resources that I’m taking full advantage of. I’ve joined Toastmasters, an International public speaking club and I’m joining the Northeast Texas Writers Association. I’m getting a huge adrenaline rush from speaking in public.

This year I expect to make a real professional income consistent with my education and experience. In fact, I will accept nothing less.

My husband and I will help other couples be happily married.

We’ll be more happily married.

I will continue my organizational strategies, I’ll work 35 pounds off my body by putting in the effort and energy to care about what I eat and how much I move.

Is anyone else feeling this optimistic and enthusiastic about ‘09?

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By Tracee Sioux -- 5 comments

Yummy Tummy

Yummy Tummy at EatDrinkAndBeYummy.com sent me a body contouring shaper to review.

If the saw my post Mood Shaper, they should know its a pretty risky marketing move to send me a girdle for review. Every time I read Adam Glassman, from O Magazine talk about how wonderful Spanx and body shapers are I want to tie him down and force him wear a full body girdle for 12 hours and see how “comfortable” he really thinks it is.

The commercial on EatDrinkAndBeYummy.com is super catchy and oh.so.very.hip. Except, it’s also cynical and I’m just feeling too optimistic and excited about the future to buy into the idea that I should eat my fear away and then wear a girdle to hide it.

It’s also January and I’m dedicated to losing 35 pounds so I won’t be visiting the oh so delicious recipe, dessert and cocktail Indulgences section.

Contrary to my belief that girdles suck.

I love the idea of a tank top that holds you in just a touch. In fact, I wear a nice long stretchy black tank top quite frequently. I think the tank is sexy under a button up shirt and adds an extra dimension and yes, it does smooth out and hold in my tummy. Since the damn mid-rise pants let the tummy hang out, I’ve been using the tight tank for quite some time.

Overall, I liked this Yummy Tummy tank top.

The style of Yummy Tummy could not be more right on to what I really love to wear. These long tight tanks do make me feel sexy but not over-exposed. I still like to show a little cleavage , and less stomach.

Maybe it looks like I lost 5 pounds as the company advertises, but no one said, Oh my gosh have you lost weight?

It features a middle panel which is double layered slick, smooth exercise material. The bust was in t-shirt material and had a shelf bra that wasn’t half bad. I even wore it without my regular bra one day and it did an okay job. If I were 20 it would have been enough bra.

You can order the Yummy Tummy tank top in “long.” Which I did. Because I reserve the right to use my arms and recent past fashion history has left me with short shirt anxiety.

Yet, I wish I hadn’t ordered the extra 3-4 inches on the bottom of this particular shirt because 1) the shirt was plenty long to begin with and 2) it was back to the regular t-shirt material which felt incongruous to me. The two different materials bothered me. I see the logic, I just didn’t feel the two fabrics went well together.

Also, I found the Yummy Tummy sizing chart to be “off.” They had me wearing a 1X based on my bust, waist, and hip dimensions. Do not expect me to love a company who wants me to order a size 1X. That’s why we love Old Navy and Lucky Jeans isn’t it? Because they are kind to us in the sizing. It’s not rocket science. I’m ordering a girdle, don’t make me feel 3 sizes larger than I actually am and expect me to feel good will toward your company.

Of course, I revolted. On the chart it had regular sizes as well and the size of clothes I really wear is 10. So I followed that number on the chart and ordered a Large instead of the 1X. This is likely why the mid-section of the Yummy Tummy Tank Top did roll up on me quite a bit - I ordered the size too small. But, never fear, I’m exercising a lot and counting calories so I can fit into this new generation of shapewear. How’s that for irony?

See, Oprah and Heidi Clum love Yummy Tummy. Cause you know Heidi likes to hold her extra stomach in. But, let’s not kid ourselves no Yummy Tummy Body Shaper is going to make 35 pounds vanish.

I have a friend who isn’t at all overweight. I think she would absolutely adore this tank top because she’s got extra skin going on in the tummy area post-kid. I can see some definite use for that.

The really great part about this Yummy Tummy tank top is that it did not feel too much like a girdle. It was not so restrictive that I couldn’t breath or move.

I’d like to try this: Gives new meaning to “slip” and “full body girdle” doesn’t it? Maybe when I lose the 35 pounds this will be my treat to myself.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 1 comment

The Secret to Weighty Resolutions

The way to keep a resolution or change a habit - any resolution or habit - is to discover what belief or lies you’re telling yourself that’s keeping you in a bad habit.

Then change that thought. Change your belief

If you can change your thinking about something you can DO anything.

Yesterday, we talked about my belief that organization was a waste of time and money. Changing that belief equated to my willingness to spend the time and money on the tools to become more organized.

Two years ago I held a belief that exercise was too much effort and it was somehow a treat or a luxury to lay on the couch eating a bag of Cheetos.

Only facing a scale that said my 5′4″ self was in danger of crossing the threshold of 200 pounds was enough to make me challenge that belief.

My lifestyle habits (I smoked too) were the epitome of self-destruction not self-love. I only believed wrongly that I was acting lovingly.

I had to change my belief to “I am worth the effort of exercise and exercise is an act of self-love.”

But, I had my limits. No running and no counting calories.

And so I got down to 166 and stayed there for one year. Until Christmas and then I gained 1.8 pounds. I continued to exercise, but not religiously because I let “life” interfere with my plans and was too willing to be happy about excuses.

Look, I don’t want to be “moderately overweight.” I want to get to a “normal healthy weight” and I want to get low enough that if I gain 5 pounds during the holidays or during an especially stressful time in my life I want to still be in the “normal healthy weight” category.

Now, I know myself. I know that the belief that “running is too hard and counting calories is too anal retentive” is holding me back.

But, the more I learn about nutrition - the more I realize how just plain ignorant I am about what I put in my mouth.

Counting calories for one week will teach you more about what your eating habits ACTUALLY are, than pretending you are eating healthy foods and not knowing what the heck is in them.

I’ll say this without getting into self-loathing about my moderate eating habits. We’ve discovered more than 4 basic food groups comprise healthy eating, which is what they were teaching in 1978 when I was in school.

I do not have a clear idea about what measure of calories are in food. I know this because I started my New Year’s Resolutions on Christmas Day. I wanted to know I wasn’t going to fail before I committed. Besides, there is no time but NOW in which to act.

I needed a baseline from which to objectively look at my habits. So, I logged onto the time-consuming About.com Calorie Counter and started logging what foods cross my lips.

You can’t imagine my shock that one small piece of my mother’s peanut brittle is over 450 calories! Dude, I was just absentmindedly snacking on those. Knowing that made me want that brittle so much less. Who knew that a cup of basmati rice has 320 calories? Who knew coconut milk gets an F nutritionally?

In 2009 I won’t be going on a “diet.” Diets don’t work right? But, I will be getting honest about what goes in my mouth. I will count calories to educate myself about foods and to make a conscious choice about what I want to eat.

A few weeks ago I wrote about wanting to start running. I mean really running. Like fast and hard. Vigorous exercise. The moderate exercise I’ve been doing is enough to maintain weight - but, I want to lose weight. Then maintain it.

The truth about my exercise habits is that I need to do exercise at the same time every day. I changed my thinking to “I exercise.” When I was losing weight I had access to a gym with childcare and I went every morning. Well, here there is no daytime childcare. So, my habits have been random and inconsistent.

My belief was that “I can’t get up at 6 am and go running before everyone else is out of bed. It’s too hard.”

I’m changing that thought, that belief, to “thousands of moms - including me - get up before the family and go running.

I started the running on Christmas Day. I’m tired, sore and wore out. I love it. It’s exhilarating. It makes me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to. I got the ipod and I’m listening to empowering soulful books and making it my meditation time. The more productive I am the more productive I am.

Besides, my husband took up running and he’s totally lapping my weight loss and fitness level. I hate to be competitive - but, I definitely don’t want to be “the fat slow one” either. I want to run as fast as he and be able to go as far. He whipped it out in 2 months flat! He ran 9 miles full throttle yesterday.

When you break it down my weighty resolution is this: I’m going to be 135 pounds and have run a 5k by 2010. Watch me.

Wanna come?

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By Tracee Sioux -- 10 comments

2008 Resolution Revisited - The Truth

Last year I wrote about my resolution to get organized in a post titled Anal Retentive Compulsions in 2008.

In July I saw that people were still reading that post and took another look. Then I cleaned up and organized my office - which was still a mess - and posted the transformation in Resolutions Revisited.

If, 6 months later you realize that people are going to hold you accountable it’s a good motivation not to fail. To fail is hard on the soul - to fail in public is enough to make me clean my room and get organized like I said I wanted to in the first place.

I’m going to cultivate anal retentive organization to the point of compulsion. That way in 2009, 2010, 2011 . . . (you get the picture), I won’t ever have to think about it again.

I wrote.

Well, do I look anything like Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and sextuplets AND the most organized and sometimes anal and compulsive woman on reality television to you?

But, did I accomplish my goal?

Absolutely.

My house is pretty dang organized. It’s a little messy frequently because we have two kids. Hey I saw how the rest of America lives on Oprah’s Clean Up Your Messy House and I’ve got some relatives who have this hoarding gene going on. Compared to that I’m a dream housekeeper.

Every few months - around birthdays and Christmas and the change of seasons - I go through the toys and clothes and donate the ones we’ve outgrown.

Now that we’ve got a large enough house for the necessary storage our world is a billion times more organized. And I realize you have to keep working at it. You’re not going to be “organized” and then walk off and leave it for 10 years and have it stay that way.

Between Christmas and New Year’s is a great time to look at the messes and clutter piles and clean them up. By New Year’s Eve I’m going to sort through the 2008 photos and put them on a disk for storage and buy a photo book of the ones I enjoy best. Organized. It seems like the perfect time because no one is really going full throttle with other things during that week.

I’ve learned this great lesson this year. If I don’t take the time to organize my life - my things, my time, my email, my day, my work load, my schedule, my priorities - it will cost me unnecessary grief.

It was always the time to do the tedious and meticulous work of organizing that held me back. No one has ever lied on their resume more than I did when I copied “detail oriented” on my resume. Laughing Out Loud. I am not naturally detail oriented. Details, until my 35th year have seemed like such a waste of good time and energy when there was a big picture to think about. But, as they say God is in the details. The meaning lies in taking the time, slowing down the process, not missing it by rushing through, making life easier by putting things in their proper places.

I’m a million times more organized in my house and I’m becoming a million times more organized in my work. I’ve made sure I take time for my exercise and meditation and friendships.

In truth it is not wanting to waste money on organizational tools that has held me back so many times before. In July I realized my office was unorganized because I didn’t want to waste money on a $7 file hanger. Stupid. But, I get it now. The tools save me so much time and energy it’s not a waste. I’m learning to invest in the tools. Enter new iphones that will revolutionize my inability to follow and keep a calendar. It will be a great organizational investment.

If you trace any bad habit back far enough there is always a wrong or incorrect thought behind it.

If you change the thought you can change the habit.

My thought was: It’s a waste of time and money to get organized.

I no longer believe that’s true.

I’ve changed the thought to: It’s a waste of time and money NOT to buy and learn to use the proper tools to be organized.

In 2009 I’m going to keep up the skills and lessons I learned in 2008. I’m going to put more of these lessons into my work and my work day.

I’ll be so productive in 2009 I’ll look like an overnight success.

Tell me, did anyone else make a similar goal last year and did you stick with it?

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By Tracee Sioux -- 6 comments

2009 Family Portrait Poll

(TOP)

(MIDDLE)

(BOTTOM)

Photos Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

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By Tracee Sioux -- 1 comment

Perfect Christmas

At our Extended Family Christmas Eve Party on Wednesday we had a great time.

We did stockings and presents for the children.

Then sent them out to play with their goodies while the adults did a White Elephant Exchange and a game of Christmas Bingo.

No one liked the gifts we brought. Oh well.

Most sought after gifts included a lava lamp, a really tacky ugly phone in the shape of a golf bag, and a really nice set of frames. We scored a tool box and an emergency kit. We tried to score a box of batteries.

We spent our Christmas Day at home with our own little nuclear family. Being lazy and learning to use our cool gadgets and toys.

Our big gifts were ipods this year. Running and exercising is a lot more fun if you’re listening to a book or podcast or great music.

All the kids CDs are scratched and skip so they got them too.

We had biscuits and sausage gravy for lunch, waffles and whipped cream and fruit for lunch and wings for dinner. All day we ate as much of my mother’s Christmas candy as we wanted.

My husband and I took turns going to for a run. It was so warm we ran in shorts and tank tops.

We watched Miracle on 34th Street and made popcorn with our new popcorn maker. Half the kernels didn’t pop (my 1970s one pops nearly every kernel).

Zack got a mouse costume which is so very A Christmas Story. We have mice and he always says, “There’s a mouse in my room.” And now there is for sure.

Ainsley climbed a tree and ripped her new tights.

The lid handle broke off my new crock pot.

It was a perfect Christmas.

I can’t wait to hear about yours.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 3 comments

Annual Christmas Pageant

My mother-in-law produces an Annual Christmas Pageant and this year we took it to a nursing home to spread some joy.

Zack joined in the Angel Dance and it was so stinking CUTE!

I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 1 comment

What Did I Get For Parents Who Have Everything?

A replica of our ancestors.

I saw them in a local antique shop and I had to buy them for my parents.

They are so real looking they are like those wax dolls at Madame Tussauds. Grandpa has a pair of dentures hanging from his belt. Grandma has spectacles. The cowboy boots and hats are real, as are the clothes, bandanas and belt buckles. They came with doll stands.

I can’t explain why, but they make me happy every time I look at them.

Merry Christmas b5media and E-World. Merry Christmas.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

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By Tracee Sioux -- 0 comments

Rock the Book Club

Potluck and Karaoke and White Elephant Book Exchange.

That’s how the Between the Covers Book Club rocks Christmas!

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

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By Tracee Sioux -- 0 comments

Slavery Today

So my husband sent me this story, A World Enslaved,by E. Benjamin Skinner about how you can buy a person for $50 five hours away from New York City in Haiti. The article goes into great detail about how many children, girls, women, men are in slavery today. Both for sex and for domestic and agricultural labor. There are more slaves now than in the entire history of the world.

What are we supposed to do about it? I asked him. The story goes into this whole futile effort the United States has been trying to pass more laws. More laws haven’t reduced the number of slaves.

How many people are suffering from infertility and don’t have $20,000 for an expensive adoption?

The story says the human trafficker will give you adoption papers for your $50 if you want to bring them back to the United States. He said it like it wasn’t the first time someone had asked. Which is disturbing if you think about it for too long. How many Americans are keeping secret slaves?

During the Abolitionist Movement of the Unites States didn’t some people buy slaves with the intention of freeing them?

For $50 we could buy the children and bring them back to the United States and raise them as cherished sons and daughters. For $50 you could buy another human being United States Citizenship, liberty, freedom and love.

The only down-side is that if you get busted you lose your own liberty and go to jail.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 2 comments

Redeeming Men

He’s redeemed the whole male gender.

Until he graced the planet I wasn’t sure the rest of them were worth dealing with.

Now, I think men might be all right since he’s joined the ranks.

Not sure what happened to bleep up some men - but, my clear goal is to NOT SCREW THIS ONE UP.

He’s a good one. Inherently good. Abnormally compassionate, sweet, loving, open and kind. Tough. Funny. Smart. No baggage, no grudges.

Did all men start like this? What the hell happened?

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 14 comments

Open Cover Letter

Employers report they must send jobs overseas to find an educated workforce.

This is patently inaccurate.

The truth is we have all the talent we need. Women are this country’s most underused resource. We have insight, college degrees, years of experience and yet, employers would rather go to India than give us a family-friendly workplace and equal pay?

Invite the women back with tax incentives and initiatives that reward family-friendly work environments and you will see a profoundly positive shift in every sector of this nation’s personal, private and business life.

The last thing this country needs is to replace the fired and retired CEOs who created this disastrous, short-sighted, profit-is-our-only-motive economic crash with like-minded thinkers.

Women are the resource, ingenuity and fresh thought this country needs to forge a new economy. The feminine perspective is one every Board of Trustees and Government Program needs to mine for creativity.

Hire me.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

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By Tracee Sioux -- 1 comment

Sour Dough Bread

Last July when I went to San Francisco for Blogher’08 I stopped in a tourist shop and picked up some San Francisco Sour Dough Starter. I gave my mother a package and another to a friend.

I kept a package for myself and began following directions. It said to put the starter in a warm dark place for several hours. So, I figured the oven would be great.

My husband preheated the oven for some wings. Plastic bowl melted all in my Sour Dough Starter and my foray into fancy breadmaking was foiled.

Now, it’s probably not that complicated for Marye Audet who writes Baking Delights.

But, for me it’s proven to be quite a challenge.

My good friends made wonderful bread every single day like clockwork. They gave me another starter.

I decided to get creative and added garlic and parmesan cheese to my “sponge” and pretty much killed it. Don’t add that to starter - add that to dough.

I have ruined 3 sets of starters, mainly because I did not understand the steps that involve “the sponge” and “the starter.”

Maybe this has happened to you before - where you read the directions over and over and over and every time you draw a blank. Huh?

I logged onto

All Holiday Cafe to see if Katelyn Thomas could teach me how to use the starter to make more starter and a sponge, but no. She did have a lot to say about Making Gingerbread Houses, but the kids and I already did that.

They say the 4th Starter is the Charm.

No one says that, but, practice makes perfect, right?

When my friend gave me the last starter and announced there could be no more because he was moving to Alabama I Googled Sour Dough Bread and found these great instructions by S. John Ross.

And now I’ve been giving bread away all season. It’s so easy to make two snakes and braid them into a holiday wreath or a candy cane. This would, actually make my friend Jen from Jlogged.com very proud. I even took it as a white elephant gift for my Toastmaster’s party and my Vow counselors loved it.

Making dough has also been keeping my 2 year old Zack out of trouble. He likes to roll and pound and squish and smack it.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 4 comments

Inspired Clothing Exchange

My friend Jen from Jlogged had this totally awesome and inspired idea.

“Let’s trade clothes!” her evite says.

If you’re keeping it, but it doesn’t fit you right - give it to someone who is likely to love it.

>

So I go through my closet and drawers with this running dialogue in my head.

Love these shoes - never wear ‘em.

This jacket is great - it’s too big now.

These slacks are one size too small. Every time I look at them they make me feel I’m making no progress. It’s been a year. I’ll buy new pants when I actually get there.

I never wear these shoes.

I wore these shorts all year, they never fit me right, they make me look like I’m carrying a load in my crotch and if I don’t ditch them now I’ll wear them for a whole other year, maybe 2.

These shirts are too short waisted for me.

I paid real money for these two Gap shirts, but I don’t like them anymore.

And thus, half my wardrobe - the half I don’t wear and don’t like - ended up in a black plastic bag.

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By Tracee Sioux -- 2 comments