Life Lessons from Lucy the Diva- Round 2

I love my job.  And as an added bonus, I'm pretty decent at it.  I've been doing it for about 4 years, so I like to think I know my stuff cold.  I make it my business to develop the best relationships possible with my customers without being too ummm... stalkerish or single white female-esque?  While I'm getting to know my customers, they're also getting to know me.  In my last area, some of my customers & offices became like family to me because I lived by myself, so they were the only people I knew in the town I lived in (I feel it is necessary to mention that this town was DRY (as in alcohol is strictly prohibited), had 28+ consecutive stop lights in a row, the best shopping was to be found at JC Penney, & did I mention it was Dry? As in NO WINE? Who does that? ) Anyway, I was so close with some of my old customers that when I got my new area, tears were shed-not only on my part, but also with some of my customers. Partly because I think they knew I probably wouldnt be back once I got the Lexington Area, but it was mainly probably because they knew other people wouldn't be nice enough to bring them the classy snacks like I did from places like Wendys, Sonic, and Taco Bell :)  Ha.  So, my old partner took over our old area, and has done a fantastic job with it.  However, she is preggo with twins, so someone will have to cover for her with her biggest customers. (PS- how flippin cute is she?  SO preggo & still SO adorable. I can guarantee I will look nothing like this when I am pregs. So jeal.) Anyway,  I assumed it would be me covering for her during her maternity leave.  WRONG.  Everyone knows I have great relationships in that area, so I would be the best choice.  WRONG. AGAIN. Apparently, another colleague of mine (who has been with the company 13 years versus my piddly 4 years) campaigned to cover for her instead.  My initial thoughts, "WTF.  No one can work that area like me or Leslie.  I have those towns on lock.  Are you flippin kiddin me? Buhbye sales quota trip. " - (Yes, I am aware of how incredibly NOT modest that sounds once you say it outloud.  But I'm all about transparency & thats what I was honestly thinking.  Like yall haven't thought you're more capable of doing a job versus a coworker.  Plleeease.)

So, I get home from work...Fuming.  I am literally breathing fire.  Then, I walk into our laundry room AKA the Cats room, and see my little Lucy girl hanging out in her bed.

Why is she so flippin cute? Seriously? 

When I say hanging in her bed, I really mean hanging in her luxurious cat condo.  What? You don't own one of these in your house?  I'm stunned.  Its so aesthetically pleasing.  Um, yeah right. 

Side note: I want to go ahead & clarify that I DID NOT purchase this for our house.  This little number was alllllll Kevin.  About 3 years ago (while I was DYING for him to propose to me) he called one one day and says "Hey hon?  I think I'm gonna buy the cats a new little toy.  Do you mind?"  Me: "No, that sounds good.  Go for it."  15 minutes later he rolls home with the 3 tiered CAT CONDO, which was a cool $200.  SERIOUSLY?  The Cats sleep number > buying Caroline an engagement ring.  Ridiculous, right? Bahahahahaha.  Soooo not normal.  

Anyway, Lucy is ALWAYS on this middle or the lowest level.  She is never EVER EVER the highest level.  One of the main ways cats show their dominance against other cats is by positioning themselves higher than other cats.  As a result, Breyer (aka the oldest cat/queen bee) is on the top of that cat condo 99.9% of the time.  Even with Lucy's undeniable diva status, she does not dare to rock the boat & piss off Breyer.  Lucy also lets Breyer eat first, lets her get the better couch positions, etc. She respects Breyer's role in our house. .  
(Who am I kidding? It probably has nothing to do with respect.  In regards to Breyer, Lucy is probably thinking, "Dear Breyer, Since I'm so pretty & have voluptuous curves, I will grant you the privilege of eating before me so you can get some meat on your bones, you skinny winch.  In addition, you can also have better couch position to increase the prettiness level of your fur since my looks favor that of  a mini KY wildcat & you favor a mere tabby cat.  Is it hard being so jealous of me? Oh it is?  Okay, since I took your status as favorite cat, I will also allow you to sleep on the top tier of the condo.  The middle level is closer to the food, so any way you look at it, I'm winning. Purr that Breyer.")
   However after watching THE Diva be content on the 2nd level of the cat condo, it hit me like a ton of bricks... Yes, I am good at my job.  Yes, I had great relationships with my old customers.  However, my colleague has tremendous accolades to her name & is fully capable of earning business/achieving great success with my old customers.  My four years with my company pales in comparison to her 13 year tenure.  I needed to get off my high horse & fast. Sooo. what did we learn from Lucy the Diva?

Lucy Life Lesson #2: Know your role & learn some humility. 


Yall, I can't lie, I had to swallow a little bit of pride to come to this conclusion that another person might possibly be really great with my old group of customers.  Okay, not just a little bit of pride.  More like a mountain's worth of pride- but if Lucy the CAT diva is comfortable with getting a daily dose of humility then I need to be better with it.  Stat.  Sure, I'd love to believe that no one can do my job like I can, but thats just not the case.  13 years trumps 4 years any day of the week.  I just had a hard time admitting it, but I'm good with it now.  Thanks to divs :) 
Now, to close, I know you all are DYING to go out an immediately purchase a cat condo to have in your own home.  So, here are a few options for you.  Happy Shopping!  Thats it for now!
(The Diva says she would like to point out that her bday is right around the corner... and she would prefer either the BIGGEST condo so she can escape her jealous-ridden cat sisters OR the pink cat condo because after all, it is her color.)

The Day Dina Lohan & I had something in common

So if you don't know by now, I am the proud owner of 3 cats & a dog.  Since Kev & I don't have children quite yet, we literally treat these creatures as if we bore them ourselves.  Its mildly ridiculous.  But in all seriousness, one of the main things I take pride in with my animals is that they are all extremely good natured in personality.  Hudson has never bitten anyone (including other dogs), and the cats have never scratched anyone.  (Kev & I obvi done a great job with our animal parenting skills. bahhahaa)  Anywho, all of our neighbors know our cats because they are indoor/outdoor cats.  Breyer & Lucy are extremely territorial & never leave our property line.  However, Stella (aka the ugly. no homely.  ok unique) looking cat sometimes gets bold & will venture to various neighbors houses.  She loves kids, so its no big thing.... Or so I thought.
So last Friday, I get home only to be met by not just one, but TWO of the neighborhood mothers.  I am thinking to myself, "Oh fantastic.  This conversation looks promising.  Not."  Keep in mind that I am extremely time crunched because I had to get up to Indianapolis for a bachey party (Chronicled in full by Pink Lou Lou).  So these 2 women literally come into my garage the moment I pull in & approach me with concerned faces.  Conversation went as follows:
Neighbor 1: "Caroline, we need to have a conversation about your cats."
Me: " Oh?  What about them? "
Neighbor 2: "Well, one of them brutally attacked one of the baby birds in one of our trees.  My children have been in complete devastation all day.  We havent been able to leave the house out of fear that YOUR cat might come back again & repeat this act.  So we've been keeping a close, protective watch on the nest since then."
Me: Thinking to myself- Is this lady for real?  How am I fighting the urge to hysterically laugh right now. I mean, does she want me to ground them?  How do i respond to this?? So my response was "Oh. Gosh.  Ummm. I'm sorry?  Ummm?"
Neighbor 1: "So what S is saying is that her & her family would appreciate if you kept your cats inside from now on so we can avoid any more of these instances."
Me: "Ummm. Well, I'll try my best, but they are cats.  They want to be one with nature.  They'll be kept inside this weekend because Kev & I will both be gone, but after that, I'll ummm... try?  I guess? You know there are other neighborhood cats, right? "
Neighbor 2: "Yes, please do keep them because I don't want my kids to experience any more of those traumatic experiences. No- we are positive it was your cat because we see her wandering the neighborhood CONSTANTLY, so odds are it was her."
Me: "Oh, um.  Ok.  Well, I have to go now.  I'll keep an eye on them?"

To say I was completely bewildered/crestfallen/horrified is a vast understatement.  I seriously felt like they came over to attack my animal parenting skills. I mean, are other neighbors talking about our animals being complete menaces the neighborhood?  I felt instant panic at the thought of me being a complete failure as a mother.  Is this how Dina Lohan feels on a daily basis?  Good god, I should send her a card because I completely under-estimated how that disappointment/horrification feels.  Side note- don't children kind of need to learn about animal life cycles at some point?  How do they explain roadkill to their kids?  Or death in general? Or maybe their type of home-schooling just doesn't cover those subjects until later?  Gosh, I just don't know.
So of course, I call Kevin to vent my frustrations because I am so incredibly stunned by this occurrence on so many levels.
Kevin's response?
"They asked you if we could keep our cats inside?  A better question would be "Why haven't you shown your kids The Lion King?"  Its the Circle of Life, good god.  If they would have came to me with that BS, I would have had to have said, "Do you even know who Rafiki is? Circle of Life. Learn it & leave my cats alone. Thanks."  Then, I would have held up Stella on the top of of our porch, while singing the Circle of Life Song to reiterate my point.  Don't worry, I'll handle it next time."


Ummm, is this my real life?  I married that.  Who's jealous?  Bahahaha if you're not, then you should be, because I went from being in almost tears to giggling uncontrollably.  Now, I'm just fighting the urge to sing the song every time I pass by their house.  

So Dina Lohan, if you are reading this, just remember ONE thing.  Apparently, the key to dealing with people criticizing your children is to just bark a lesson learned from a Disney Movie.  My husband swears it will work.  To give him some credit- the boy does get along with everyone, so maybe he's on to something.  Hahaha.   Alright, yall have a wonderful Memorial Weekend!! Thats it for now!

The end of an Era

Yesterday was a sad day yall.  The Berry Twist has shut its doors on its original location, and has moved.  I'm sure you're thinking to yourself "Umm, Caroline? We have no earthly idea what any of those words mean.  Are you speaking jibberish again?"  So, the Berry Twist- lets discuss.  

The Berry Twist is an ice cream place in beautiful Floyds Knobs, IN, which is home to the most delectable ice cream, chili dogs, & Artic Swirls you've ever tasted in your life.  Southern Indiana has about 5 seriously legit Mom & Pop Ice Cream stores, but this one is by FAR the best.  Maybe because this little gem was also my first place of employment that ended up lasting for 6+ blissful years :) I literally started working there when I was 14, and finally left when I was 20.  I probably would've tried to make a career out of being a Berry Twist girl.  However, my father told me that I needed to learn a few more marketable skills to help fluff up my resume.  As if making and serving ice cream isn't an impressive skill?  Come on, Big P.  You never seem to complain when I make you a flawlessly perfect ice cream cone when we come across a self-serving ice cream machine, do you?  While everyone else is making sloppy ice cream cones that can't even stay on the cone & are a hot mess, all of my loved ones get the distinct pleasure of indulging in an immaculately manicured cone. Not a marketable skill? Seriously? Hmphhhhh.  Anyway, I had no idea that Berry Twist was moving until my faux aunt (Good family friend, who is like a aunt/sister/friend all rolled into one. She rocks.) texted me this picture last night.   Talk about instantaneous heartbreak.  I mean, how can you leave the original Scottsville Road location after 33 years to go to a strip mall?  Where's your sense of loyalty? That building has history.  I mean, it watched me go through about a gazillion boyfriends, numerous break-ups, graduation, me getting my license, my first car, my first real love, etc.  Boy, if those walls could talk.  Actually, lets be honest here.  I should probably be eternally grateful that they can't :)  In all seriousness, my high school career would not have been the same without this place.  

I remember my high school boyfriend, B,  teasing me about how much I loved working there.  Well, duh B!  Where else can you work, get to visit with your girlfriends (bc 2 of my best friends worked there with me), have free ice cream & snacks while working, have unlimited diet coke, all while getting to chat up the customers ( all of which you know because everyone knows everyone in Floyds Knobs).  But I mean, I like all of those words in that sentence-Of course I loved working there! It was like my own personal version of heaven. 

Just so you all can really understand the greatness of me being a Berry Twist Girl, I have provided you with a little throwback pic.  (No judgement on my flippy hair. It is circa 2002- it was a cool style.  No seriously, it was.  It looked good.  Or- I thought it did anyway).

Do yall like mah sweet cat eye sunglasses?? How about my super snazzy faux corn rows? So hot. (Best part about this picture is that I truly thought I was good at doing my hair.  Just ask my parents- they'll probably also comment on me being insistent upon rocking curled bangs throughout junior high. The hairspray to make those babies stay was intense.  Nothing could move those bad boys.  Gosh, I was so darn cool.  Not. )  Anyway, if memory serves me correct, I'm pretty sure this was taken summer before my senior year... so chances are good that I had just gotten off work, & was fixing to meet up with the HS boyfriend (B), go cruise Highlander Point to see what was going on that night (most likely nothing), then head back to my parents house & make out while watching a movie in the basement.  -It should also be discussed that I had a largely inflated view of myself when I was through high school, so chances are I did all of those activities with an "Im so much cooler than you" attitude.  Good lord, I needed a reality check. I sometimes think I should just send my parents a plaque saying "We survived the moodiness that was Caroline in High School."  I am so screwed if Kevin & I have girls.  Karma is gonna be a huge hooker to me.  But again- lets be honest- I rightfully deserve it.  

One other really fun thing that we got to do as a Berry Twist girl was that you got to stop by on your prom night & get free ice cream for you + your date.  Obviously, I took advantage of that.  Free dessert? Absolutely.  But the best part was that you felt like a huge rockstar when you stopped by in your prom dress because everyone stopped & stared.  Alright Alright, I took advantage of that so I could relish in feeling like a movie star for a night- the free artic swirl was just an added bonus ;)  Such a fabulous tradition- I hope they still do that 

Caroline + HS boyfriend/Prom Date circa 2002. Gotta love 2 piece dresses.

Per usual, I digress.  Although the Berry Twist will still be in Floyds Knobs, and only .5 of a mile away from its original location, I feel as though we should all take a moment of silence to commemorate the end of the Berry Twist's reign on Scottsville Road.  (Insert moment of silence here.  Picture me being quiet. Hard to do, right?  Well...regardless- Do as I say, not as I do :)  ).  Okay- thats it for now yall.  

Life Lessons from Lucy the Diva

Due to popular demand, I have decided that it is absolutely necessary to chronicle the Life of Lucy the diva.  In case you don't know who this charismatic character is, she is my youngest cat.  Also known as my favorite cat. (So mean, right? I'm convinced that my blatant favoritism is the primary reason why the other 2 cats immensely dislike her. OMG. What if I'm like that with my real children? Great, another thing for me to worry about with getting preggo.)

However, before I get into what I learn from this prima donna pussy cat, we first need to comment on the NEW BLOG DESIGN!!!!!!  On a scale of 1-10, how spectacular is the new layout?? What is that you say? An 18? Yes, I think so too.  Again, HUGE shout out to  Jenn at Munchkinland Designs for not only understanding my vision & carrying it out to completion, but also dealing with my countless obsessive emails throughout the process.  She is an absolute dream to work with!

So, back to Lucy, my luscious load of a feline... This cat has the most ridiculous personality of any cat I've ever been around.  She's cuddly, needs a ton of attention, adorable, princess-like, but she can also be rather moody, persnickety, & high maintenance. My delightful husband likes to say that Lucy's personality mirrors her mothers (Ahem... that'd be me).  So, he's saying she's perfect, right? ha. Yeah, right. Honestly though, if he compared me to Stella, our less than intelligent and homely cat, I'd be highly offended.  (Bless her little heart. PS- Yall do know the "Bless her heart" rule, right? You're allowed to say ANYTHING about anyone if you throw in a "Bless their heart" afterwards.  It completely erases the negativity of the comment.  Example: Susie gets around & is a heinous B word. Bless her heart. - The Bless her heart totally negates the previous statement.  This could EASILY be my favorite Southern Rule & I exercise it often.  Okay, daily.)
 Anywho, as you can imagine, Lucy the Diva gets a lot of attention from my friends because... well.. She demands it when she fatses into the room.  So, my hilarious friend Allie (aka THE Pink Lou Lou) & I consistently have conversations about the ridiculous behavior of Lucy (along with convos about the ridiculousness of her pug, Sadie Belle- A diva in her own right.), and we determined that the world could really learn a lot from Lucy's behavior, and would be a better place because of her teachings. So here we go in to Life Lesson #1 from a Diva.........

As I've mentioned in previous posts, we also have a dog, Hudson.  Bless his sweet heart- he is rather, ummm..spirited in everything he does.  He wants to be everyone's best friend, and he honestly gets upset if someone doesn't like him.  Happiest Dog Alive. Anyway, he LOVES playing with Lucy because she's our only cat that will actually race around the house with him.  However- she only likes to do so on HER TERMS.  From the moment I walked in the door tonight, Hudson was in a rambunctious mood, and was chasing Lucy around like a mad man.  She hissed a few times, but it didn't derail him. Not one bit.  Then she opted to viciously growl & swat at him anytime he approached her to join in his rowdy fun.  Again- homegirl was not having it.  Being the sensitive puppy that he is, Hudson proceeded to cry/bark/make awkward sounds with Lucy's unwillingness to play. SO loud. SO annoying.  Things finally calmed down when we had dinner, & we both commented about how nice the silence was.  We figured Lucy had finally gotten pissy enough w/ Hudson's madness to have found a prime hiding spot upstairs away from him.  By this time, 20-1 odds say that Lucy's thoughts went something like this, "Hudson, good lord child, can you not tell that I need my beauty rest after capturing 2 mice outside last night?  What have you done to contribute lately other than chew our Mom's beloved JSimps heels? Idiot. To hell with you if you aren't going to leave me alone.  I'll just sneak upstairs & find a new Francesca's dress to sleep on.  I achieve my favoritism through preserving mom's new clothes by sleeping on them & giving them a nice fur sheen. Maybe you should try it sometime, moron. Ciao." However, we then walked into our living room to see this....

Yes, that is Lucy the Diva, and Yes, that is her holding Hudson's toys captive.  You have to hand it to her.  She held it together (for the most part), got devious, and hit him where it hurt.  The pups was negative happy when he saw this scene.  He instantly went over to her, laid down next to her, & licked her paw.  I'm pretty sure that in the animal world, that is a pretty solid apology.  Diva proved her point in a big way w/ the her little toy hoarding maneuver.... So, what did we learn?

Lucy Lesson #1: If someone makes you mad, always keep your cool.  If you choose to retaliate, do so in a strategic manner.  During this process, you will provoke a genuine apology from the perpetrator. 

As you can tell, we can all benefit from behaving like Lucy (aside from her excessive eating habits, but that's another story...).  

One last tidbit- Since my kitty showed her crafty/calculating side, I felt like this was absolutely necessary because Lucy would totally do this if she worked to increase her literacy.

I'm aware I have an off beat sense of humor, but I laugh every time I see this :)  Okay, thats it for now!

Menu Monday...& some big changes :)

I know its been 2 weeks since my last post - but I actually have legitimate excuses as to why I have been slacking. First & foremost, I've been on vacay in Hilton Head. Um, yay. 9 days of complete relaxation & down-time w/ Kev & our friends. So utterly gorgeous, which always makes leaving there so hard.

(Lucky for me, I got to take that hottie in the pic back to Ky with me.) I have a ton of hilarious stories & fabulous pics, so I'm gonna hold off on a full HHI post for a bit.
So, lets discuss Menu Monday. I can't remember if I've mentioned this, but I love to cook. Shouldn't be too big of a shock- I love to eat, so therefore, I had to learn how to make my fave things. Lucky for me, Jan was/is a pretty fabulous cook, so growing up I had a pretty fantastic teacher. In addition, my Mother in-law is also an amazingly good cook, which set the bar pretty high when I started cooking for Kevin.

And as if cooking like Mrs. Gray wasn't intimidating enough, throw in the added bonus of locating recipes that Kevin might actually like. Oh my God Impossible Task. Picture an 8 year old who only likes food such as: pizza, chicken, hamburgers, ice cream, pasta, and refuses to eat anything green. Oh wait, instead of picturing an 8 year old, picture my 27 year old husband because those were about the only things he'd eat when we got together. I am used to picky eaters. My brother lives on bread, chicken tenders, & easy mac. At Thanksgiving, he eats rolls & ham w/ ketchup. True Story. I just never thought I would marry one. However, through out the past 4.5 years, Kevin's taste in food as expanded exponentially. For example, he will now eat such food as: spinach & artichoke dip, corn, broccoli w/ cheese, peas (in pasta, but still its forward progress), sushi, shrimp, & red peppers to name a few. Needless to say, cooking for Kevin continues to be an arduous challenge at times. So- for all you cooks of picky eaters out there, on Mondays, I'm gonna try to include a recipe that pleases tough critics like the 8 year old that is clearly trapped in my husband's body. So, here's what we are having tonight-
Mexican Chicken
-2.5 cups of cooked chicken, diced (I like to bake my chicken in the oven. Gives it better flavor)
-1 11oz can of Mexican corn
-1 can mild diced tomatoes & green chiles (aka rotel)
-3/4 cup of corn muffin mix
-1/4 light sour cream
-1/4 light mayo
-1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425, and then coat 2 quart baking dish w/ pam.
-Combine all ingredients (except cheese) in bowl. Put in baking dish & cook for 10 minutes.
-Remove from oven,sprinkle cheese on top & bake 5 more minutes, or until cheese melts.
-Let sit for 5 minutes before serving

As stated previously, I LOVE to eat, so these recipes are not generally for someone on a diet... which could be the reason why the hubs has picked up some lbs since we got married? Hrmmm. I'm just gonna take that as a compliment to my cooking though :)
Okay- so what are the said "big changes" referenced in the title? Don't worry- I'm not preggo, we are not moving, and everything is all good. The big changes are only applicable to my blog. It is in the process of getting a MAJAHHH facelift & reconstructive surgery!

It's going to be a complete 180 from it's current design, but words cannot describe how much of an improvement. I'd love to tell you that I was the creative genius behind, but that would be a bold face lie. I have about as much artistic talent as my dog. Miss Jen at Munchkinland designs has been absolutely amazing to work with, understand the look I was going for (aka over the top, bdedazzley, purple, etc- and yes, those are the descriptors I gave her. Feel free to shake your head in disbelief. hahaha, Kevin did :) ), & create it. Check her out!! So, be on the look out. Itssss comingggg!!! Okay gang, thats it for now! XOXO- Caroline

Motivational Monday

Okay yall... I have an obsession. And you all are gonna die laughing at me, but I'm 100% cool with that because I've caught hell about this for years. (Cough- Woodland girls) So one thing I have yet to mention about myself is that I literally have to work out 6 days a week. Let me also quantify that statement by saying, I AM NOT one of those hyper obsessive types that counts calories or have my workouts consist of 10 mile runs & 800000 squats. Believe me, I'd want to slap myself if I partook in either of those actions. When I say I have to work out, I mean that if I don't, I turn into a raging nutcase. My Mom likes to refer to my workouts as my "natural antidepressant," whereas if I haven't gotten in some kind of cardio, I get rather bitchy edgy. However, one problem I consistently run into is that I get super bored with my workouts at the gym. Listen, I can only watch so many Friends episodes while running on the treadmill until I want to hit Rachel in the face & ask her about her sanity w/ her relationship with Ross. (It still kills me she ultimately chose Ross. I mean, really? What a tool.) I also get mildly annoyed with the Food Network being one of the pre-set channels at LAC. A huge tv at a gym featuring Paula Deen cooking her butter-infused delectables makes about as much sense as Oprah writing a book about successful dieting.

The concept is just plain wrong. As seen in previous posts, my attention span lasts for about 5 seconds, so sticking with monotonous routine just doesn't work for me. I do average about 2-3 days per week at the gym, but I never do the same thing when I'm there. I alternate between running intervals on the treadmill, elliptical workouts, weight training, or distance running. I find if I plan out what I'm going to do before I go, I will dread it immensely & not want to do it. Instead, I just do what I feel like when I get there, and I never leave home without my trusty iPhone. Contrary to popular belief, I actually do relish in my quiet time while I'm working out, so no, I don't use my phone to chat/kill time during my workout. Shocking, right? Instead, I use it to watch Netflix (ohhh, how I love thee) & escape life for a bit. Okay, aaaand I use it so I dont have to be tortured by whatever Paula D is frying up on the big screen (Seriously, LAC, can we switch the pre-set food network channel to some other quality programming? Like Bravo for instance? Just throwing it out there.)
Sooo- what do I do on days I don't go to the gym? Well, friends, let me introduce you to my obsession/workout buddy/saving grace....aka Exercise TV.

If you have cable, this little free-spot function gives you the ability to choose & watch just about any workout video available on the market... FOR FREEEE (Hints its Free-Spot Placement). It has every workout option from Jillian Michaels' shred to Pure Barre to Kim Kardashian's buns workout (So okay- I have serious doubts about how hard of a workout that is, but I bet her outfit is to die for) to power walking w/ Leslie Sansone. Because lets be honest, there are some days where my motivation level is about a -28, and the thought of getting up from the couch, changing into workout clothes, driving to the gym, & finding a preferable machine is just too overwhelming to handle. So, okay confession: I'm also hugely guilty of not wanting to go to the gym when its raining, or snowing, or actually, during precipitation of any kind- I couldve had the best day on earth, but if its raining, I refuse to leave my house once I get home. Some call it laziness, I call it self preservation. I mean, I might melt out there. Anyways, on those days, Exercise TV is my best friend. Now, before you go Judge Judy on me, trust me when I say that there ARE in fact challenging workouts on this bad boy & this is nothing to scoff at. *Word to the wise: any video with the words "boot camp," "body blast," or "shred" are to be taken very seriously. They mean every word of those descriptions. Take it from someone who got a little bit cocky, and ended up having to quit the workout early because they thought they were going to die. CoughCoughKEVINCoughCough. In his defense, he made the mistake of starting with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 3 without every having done circuit training before.

Talk about quality entertainment- you've never truly lived until you've seen a grown man yelling obscenities, like "HOOKER- HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF?" at a woman trainer on TV. Priceless.
I know some of the workouts aren't as challenging as some of the other ones, but I can promise you 2 things. #1) You will definitely work up quite a sweat if you challenge yourself by choosing moderate-hard workouts and #2) You will LOVE the option of doing your whole workout from your living room. I mean, whats not to like about having the ability of checking on dinner while you burn off some calories? LOVE. IT. Sooo, in closing, I hope I gave yall some motivation to get in your Monday workout, regardless of location. As for me? Don't worry, come 4:30, I'll be sweating my life away in our living room, while screaming at Jillian Michaels for making me work so dang hard for my summer bikini bod :) Mmmmkay, thats it for now.. XOXO- Caroline
**INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO GET TO EXERCISE TV**
1- PRESS ON DEMAND BUTTON
2) SELECT FREE SPOT A-Z
3) SELECT STANDARD DEF
4) THUMB DOWNWARD & SELECT EXERCISE TV
5) SELECT WORKOUT OPTION (Via Abs, walking, yoga, etc) & ENJOY YOUR WORKOUT
**These are Insight specific, but all cable/dish networks utilize a similar system**