30.93 Years In Review

So I just reread my 30 Years In Review post and realized just how little I've done since then. Oh, wait. I've done quite a bit, but no where NEAR as much as I should have done. Did I get those letters out? Nope. Did I change my wardrobe? A bit. I've also done challenges, but that didn't last the entire year either. Well, I happened upon another challenge of sorts, that got me thinking AGAIN about those challenges. However I decided to just continue to strive to do & be better than I am instead of going hard on some challenge that I'm not ready to tackle. Anyway, back to that challenge.

She called it The Birthday Project. I think it's kind of a Pay-It-Forward type of deal and it very ambitious for me giving my past year in review. Anyway, I was going to try it this year, but then I reread that 30 Years In Review post and said I'm not gone set myself up for failure yet & again. Instead, I'll keep doing what I'm doing and getting better at sticking to my self-challenges. However, I do like the whole idea of doing something nice for other folks for my birthday. I don't know, but it's my thing lately. What should I do? No idea, but follow along as I figure it out.

The birthday countdown begins today because I like the number 25 ... Woo hoo!

Oh yeah, I'll also be posting something everyday of the month of May. Some of them will be my normal post length, but others (maybe most) will be short and sweet me. Heh heh heh! I may include more pictures as well so I can begin connecting TableTalkN to my instagram in a meaningful way, but not making any promises there. I probably should begin to flesh out posting to Facebook as well, but we'll see.

O.O.F.S

OOFS: Out Of F*ing Shape

Well, I started my lil stair exercises and found that I am all kinds of totally out of shape. Totally out of effing shape. Yeah, that bad. I have a lil 20 minute routine and can't make it past the 10 minute mark. Honestly, I'm barely making it there! However, I'm having fun cause the lil person seems to enjoy doing the different exercise with me. Well, really he's not doing anything but running up the stairs and sliding down them, but still. It's time we spend together in which he sees mommy run cause I don't do it much. While sometimes he's in the way, I really wouldn't have it any other way. His lil "Mom, come on" takes my mind off of the frustration of not being in shape.

So. So far I've only done the exercises twice and I KNOW I have a LONG way to go. It's both encouraging and frustrating. Encouraging because it gives me a goal to work towards and will challenge me as I strive to get there. Frustrating because I just didn't realize just how out of effing shape I am currently. I mean, I know I haven't been doing my due diligence working out, but whew! The good thing about it though is that I am determined to be able to complete this doggone exercise routine so I won't be giving up any time soon.

Oh yeah, I guess I didn't tell you the routine. Probably shouldn't until I can really finish it so you're not judging me, but whatevs - I didn't make it up on my own. I found the routine here. I made lil Reminder Cards for each step. The Steps are:

1. Walk up/down - 2 minutes
2. Jog up/down - 2 minutes
3. Walk up/down, Skip Step - 2 minutes
4. Jog up/down - 2 minutes
5. Jog up/down, Skip Step - 2 minutes
6. Push-ups - 1 minute
7. Walk/Jog up/down - 1 minute
8. Split Squats - 2 minutes
9. Plank Step Ups - 1 minute
10. Tricep Dips - 1 minute
11. Walk/Jog up/down, Skip Step - 2 minutes
12. Walk up/down - 2 minutes

As you can see, I haven't made it to the push-ups just yet. Push-ups have always been my kryptonite of sorts. Also, hated them. When I was younger I'd choose something else if I had a choice in the matter. My upper body is weak, but my legs are pretty strong - I'll choose kickboxing over regular boxing any day. I might be able to actually do some damage that way. Anyway, that's my OOFS Story of the moment. I'm sure I'll have plenty more as I travel on my #DoBetter&Exercise Journey. 

Any exercise startup stories out there? Extra motivation & encouragement is always welcome! Good luck getting/staying healthy & fit out there. 

Thomas & Friends Easter Basket 2014

So our lil man is a huge fan of Thomas & Friends and actually all things train. That means most gifts somehow include trains. It was Easter soooo ... you know it was a train-focused Easter Basket. Shall you join us on our journey to a Traintastic Easter? Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!!

Easter Basket

It couldn't just be any ol Easter Basket. We would have done a bucket, but we found this lovely thing at a train show months ago and I knew immediately what it was meant for in our household.

Learning Tools

Can't just be giving out gifts without some possible learning tools. What better way than to include a few books? Got these books at the same train show as the basket. Also, we found these leapfrog products on sale at a closing KMart. I had totally forgot about them until I went to take these pictures.  

Trains & Tracks

Trains, trains, and more trains ... The tracks wouldn't fit so we just save those for when we want to change up the tracks on his train table.

Eggs

There have to be eggs in an Easter Basket right? Well, his were candy eggs cause I had to give the child some candy.

So here's our basket for lil man. He was very pleased.

Trying to find a focus...

Greetings & Salutations,

Today I come to you in a "funk".  We've been at this "blogging" thing for quite some time now.  We (me and my lady wife) actually started out with separate blogs, and then we combined them as we expanded our family and added the boy - By the way, this is actually what I call them when we are just kickin it around the house or I'm telling stories about their latest adventures.  Now we are taking this blogging to a new level.  A more "focused" & defined level.  While the purpose of this blog is to cover topics that we, everyone, would talk about at the dinner table, over coffee/tea, at the water cooler, it still needs to have a purpose.

A few weeks ago, lady wife discussed how she was looking at the different "journey's" that she goes through: As a mother, a wife, person, etc.  It actually inspired me.  {She does this quite often, though I don't share that fact with her enough.}  I want to make sense.  I want to have a point.  Even if my point is "no point" I would like to have people have a sense of what they're getting when they read something I wrote.  I'm not so conceited that I would imagine that everything I put down was gold (I am conceited though...) but I would like for others to read my works and at least consider it.

With this thought in my mind, I wanted to focus on "entertainment", movies in particular.  But it has come to my attention that I don't see as many movies on opening weekend, as I would like to, especially to stay current.  You see, once you throw a little person in the mix, especially one you (a) like being around & (b) don't want to just drop off with anyone, it becomes difficult to just go see the latest thing out.  I then moved on to DVD's, I figured, maybe I could just review newly released movies on DVD's or even perhaps the latest in a specific genre of movies & DVD's.  Perhaps some other form of entertainment.  Concerts, venues, DJ's...  Do you see where I'm headed here.  Once again, lack of focus, lack of a commitment.

So here I am back at the drawing board, trying to figure out what is the one thing that I'm passionate about? What can I always "stay up on" & make sure the commentary is relevant?  Some would say, "why does it have to be one thing?"  It doesn't, but I would like to start somewhere and have a baseline of knowledge. So while I search and try to think of something that will continue to draw interest and continued support by others, I reach out to everyone who reads this-- What would you consider worthwhile and interesting?

Holla back...

Journey Journal

So as promised ... here are my thoughts surrounding my new Journey Journal concept. It's not new - I just Googled it and landed quite a few blogs about it - but it's a new concept to me. I didn't exactly know what I meant until I typed them out. I do that a LOT and I just happened to actually admit it this time. Anyway ... Journey Journal

My Thoughts

I We go through a lot of journeys throughout our lives. Most of the time we are referring to traveling such as road trips, vacations, and excursions. We also hear folks talk about their spiritual journeys to wherever they have decided to lay their faith. Then there are still others who talk about their physical journeys through health crisis and life changing ailments. And still others who speak on their healthy eating and living journeys. Lots of lots of journeys here. So I've decided to pick various facets of my journeys to be highlighted for my Journey Journal. I've even thought of some of them already - how on point (for the moment) am I?

Some of my current Journey Journal facets (more like topics eh?):

• Reaching JDM3: Raising An Engineer, Raising A Gentleman, This Kid
• JAM-N-Marriage: DateHour, "Free" Dates, Antics of the Best Husband Ever, Lady Wife Joys
• Moore Travels
• Struggle Bus Stops
• Health Check-ins: Yoga, Bike, Insanity, etc
• Foodie Observer

While these are the only ones so far, know that I'll most definitely add as I get more accustomed to this thing.

Well, let's go.

Purposeful Social Media

What do you use your social media accounts for? Just to socialize online? To express your creativity, political ambitions, etc? What? Do you use them at all?

Well, I'm one of those "who the heck knows?" kind of social media personalities. HA! I guess I'm that way for real now that I think of it. Eh, well. I'm about to change the social media personality because otherwise I should probably just disable all of my accounts. Seriously, they tell you very little about me. I generally like that, but I recently decided I'd like to share certain facets of myself with the people. I've been sharing through blogs for years now, but I very rarely provide visuals. I'd like to do better with that and be more purposeful at the same time.

How do I do that? No idea. Y'all know how many picture & video challenges I've done. None of them made it to the light of day. Shame on me. So beginning this weekend (today as a matter of fact), I will post with a purpose on my IG.

Our family train trip will be the highlight of the beginning of my journey to socializing with a purpose. I'm deeming it my Journey Journal. I'll start with IG and branch out from there. I do fairly well with twitter, but my FB sucks! I'm gonna do better. So here's another goal for me.

IG: I commit to post at least 3 times a week. I commit to post purposefully through the eyes of my Journeys (whatever they might be). Through the use of my IG, I plan to be more active on FB by the end of the summer. My ultimate goal is just to continue to build this TableTalkN crew as we get big things coming across the Table.

I guess my next post will be to explain this Journey Journal of mine. SMH! I'm so backwards. I probably should have done that first, but hey ... it is what it is.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

Gooooooooddddddddd Mooorrrrrnnnning Everybody!

I hope this day finds you in good spirits and ready for whatever is coming up next for you!

The Table TalkN Review Board had the opportunity to go and see Captain America: The Winter Soldier last night. Let me start off by saying - It was GOOD! I think it was better than the first one that came out a few years back.  While I enjoyed that as well, this one was better.

The thing with the Captain America stories, is that you have a story about a person, with super powers that is still a good person and works for a secret agency.  It's hard to be a good person that works for a secret agency, so I've heard...  In reality, this story, to me, is about a man who is all alone in a world that is always moving forward, changing, and he must determine who to trust and who to "apprehend" with the included dilemma of having a moral compass that ALWAYS points North.

This movie happens right in line with the timing of all of the other Marvel projects; after The Avengers' (including the battle in New York) and after the Iron Man's - it is the next chapter in this big book of Marvel.  For those of you who watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on television, every Tuesday (or via Hulu like I do) there are some "tie-ins" that will make sense of some of the things to come in the next few weeks as well.

When it comes down to it, I find it amazing that Captain America hasn't said "Screw it" and left out to be on his own yet, but he has a remarkable sense of responsibility and high personal accountability.  He keeps on fighting the good fight and will do what it takes to ensure the safety and preservation of life.

In addition to Captain America, this film showcases a few other Marvel characters, new and old.  Of course there's the Black Widow & Nick Furry, along with the primary antagonist, who is not the Winter Soldier as one would think, but the evil New World Order group - Hydra.  There's also the introduction to Sam Wilson, AKA The Falcon.  Marvel has done an amazing job of taking a comic book character that was over the top and making it believable to the average viewer.

I believe that Anthony Mackie truly makes a great addition to the cast.  I would even go as far as to say that without his addition, this movie would just be "ok".  His character helped keep the movie rolling without being "over the top" or more than "the Black friend".  He contributed and became a true supporting cast member/partner to Steve Rogers, Captain America.  I would hope that Marvel continues to utilize him in upcoming films.

I'm just really glad that more people are finally realizing that you need to stay to the end of the credits.  The post-movie scenes are almost as important as the movie itself now-a-days.  They give insight and help to build anticipation to the future.  And this time you were blessed with two.  So make sure that you stayed glued to your seat if you plan on seeing it.

Well, I'm done for right now.  Be on the look out for my DVD rental reviews coming soon...

Until then; Keep the lights low and the phones on vibrate!!!

Table TalkN Review Board Out...