and even when I do. I don't post.

You may have noticed by now, blog, I'm terrible at updating. My posts are sporadic at best, sometimes coming in spurts then not coming at all. Is it a symptom of my disorder or just downright laziness? Is it because the girls always have the computer and I don't like posting from my phone? Maybe because I don't really think I'm interesting enough to create the journal-like entries and I can never think of things to review. Sure I could review e-juice but I'm not like some people who can find different flavor profiles and such. To me it's either good for one reason or another or it's not.

I had surgery on my nose and let me tell you, it was not fun. I'm still sore and it's been almost a month. There are still stitches in there too. I'm supposed to be able to breathe better but I feel congested today. I could be getting some kind of head cold or other sinus related problem or my body could just be telling me what I've always known: it hates me. No matter what I do to fix it it's always going to laugh maniacally and find another way to make me miserable.

The holidays were wonderful. Thanksgiving (It's very hard not to type Thanksgibbing as is tradition with my cousin and me) was full of delicious food and a lively game of Trivial Pursuit until 2 am with my family. My team lost but I got a few good answers in that no one expected.
My girls loved Christmas, they got everything they wanted and a few things they didn't expect. The littlest princess has been so excited to ride her bike she can't hardly stand it but the only day it was warm enough for them to go out, it rained on her. Her poor little heart was broken. Christmas dinner was another night where we stuffed ourselves and then fought our way through a game of Trivial Pursuit. Our game is a mismatch of three or four different games but we were unable to find a new version of the game within a 40 mile radius.

I've become what I never thought I would be, blog. I'm a coffee drinker. Not a "give me coffee or give me death" kind of drinker, just a regular drinker. I never liked coffee before, it was always too bitter. I've found that I can drink dark roast if I doctor the heck out of it. Lots of sugar, lots of creamer...flavored please. I can't just go into Starbucks or McDonald's and order a coffee. Their's is still too bitter for me but the stuff I make at home and the stuff that comes out of the gas station cappuccino machines works pretty well for me.

My girls are doing amazing in school. I couldn't be more proud of them. One is getting all A honor roll in advanced classes and the other is splitting her time between Kindergarten and first grade. They're on winter break now. I think I'm the only one ready to get our routine back. They're content staying up all hours of the night and watching random YouTube videos all day.

So far, I think I've managed to get stable as far as my bipolar goes. I still have my bad days, my can't get out of bed days. Pizza Roll days. I've had a few manic days where my thoughts race and get obsessive and days where my thoughts seem to just be black clouds. Overall though, I'm getting the girls to school, making sure they're fed, homework is done, baths are taken, clothes are washed, and love is handed out. I think that's the best I can hope for right now. It might not seem like a lot to you blog, but compared to me a year ago, two years ago, it seems like I've climbed a mountain. The next step is getting myself healthy. It's hard. I'm fighting bipolar disorder, hypothyroidism, possibly fibromyalgia. Some days there's just no motivation to be found.

This has gotten long blog. I'm not sure anyone is even reading. If you're out there, leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

but I'm going to take a break and tell you guys about Influenster.

I know you guys have seen that quite a few of my posts involve things called VoxBoxes from a company called Influenster. I'm going to take a little time and tell ya'll a little about the program.

It's pretty simple. Influenster hooks people like me up with companies who want to get the word out about their product. They make up themed boxes called VoxBoxes and send them out to select people that they choose. How you're chosen, I don't know. Maybe it's by completing Badge activities on the website. Maybe it's by being more active in the previous VoxBoxes you got. Maybe it's random. I'm not clued in to that part of the program.

When you get your VoxBox you sign into the website and you'll have Badge activities to complete. Each badge will have 3-4 activities to complete, from posting on Facebook all the way up to making YouTube videos. The more activities you complete the more chance you have of winning that particular badge's prize. Some badges you automatically get the badge prize just for completing the activities (which is pretty awesome if you ask me).

So it's a pretty simple program and it's pretty fun. You get free goodies, you tell other people about your goodies and the companies get the word out about their product. Everyone wins.

The VoxBoxes are pretty awesome too. You don't get sample sizes, you get the full size product. You really get a chance to give the product a try and see if you like it or not. I've seen VoxBoxes with everything from exercise themes to beauty themes to health themes. I think my favorite that I got was beauty themed. I just love trying out new makeup without worrying about wasting my money.

Influenster has an app now too. I've only recently downloaded it so I'm still learning my way around it but I remember when other members were asking for an app and to see they listened to their members and made one really shows they take member suggestions seriously. The app is pretty easy to use, I don't see anything confusing about it. You can check your Snaps, Campaigns, VoxPerks, and see what Badges you have completed all from your Dashboard right in the app.

Influenster is one of my favorite programs I belong to. I love when I get the email saying I'm getting a VoxBox and when it shows up at my door I can't wait to open it up. Most of the time I forget to take pictures before I start tearing into everything! I have to force myself to slow down so I can show off my goodies to everyone. If anyone is interested in signing up for Influenster leave a comment and I'll get back to you with an invite! You won't regret it :)

but my health depends on it and vaping is easy.

This post is similar to my usual posts, but a little different.

I'm trying to quit smoking (yay me!) but anyone who has ever tried knows, it's just HARD. So this time around I decided I'd start vaping. So far I'm doing ok. I fall off sometimes when my anxiety gets too high. I'll have the occasional cigarette but I go right back to vaping. You can't pass up on the ease and the flavors. So many yummy flavors.

I have to admit, there's a lot about smoking that I don't miss. The ashes, that smell. Always needing a lighter. Those looks from non-smokers. The sinus infections and ear pain. The nasty taste in my mouth. Vaping has so many pros I'm not sure I could list them right now. That's not what this post is about though. This post is a review. Recently I branched out from my usual juice company and ordered a sample pack from a company called The Juice Wytch. They had a stellar sale on their sample pack and I couldn't pass it up.

In the sample pack I received four 5ml bottles, each a different flavor. Included were samples of their Alchemist Blends line.The line consists of Hex (not included), Chalice, Elixir, Altar, and Divine. The Alchemist Blends line is Juice Wytch's premium juice line and is quite delicious.

You can jump to their website for a description of each of their juices, I'm just going to focus on this one: Altar.

Altar is listed as "a bakery cinnamon and custard that will leave you wanting more!" At first I wasn't too sure about trying it. My experience with cinnamon juices has been that they are strong and not really for me. I decided to give it a go though. Let me tell you, I'm glad I did. It's something like a sugar cookie, but not quite as sweet. The cinnamon is subtle but still there. The custard stays with you but doesn't overpower. It's a little like eating a donut. It's not airy like many juices I've tried but it's not thick and gaggy like a cheesecake juice I've tried in the past. I've got to say, I love this juice. I usually stay away from premium juices because I can't help but think, "How can I justify paying the higher price when I can get perfectly fine juice at a cheaper price?" Well guys, I just found out how I can justify it. It's worth it. That's what it comes down to. 

I briefly tried two other juices in the sampler pack, Elixir and Chalice. Elixir is a decent juice. A little too fruity for me. My boyfriend seems to like it. He has vaped most of it. I can't give Chalice the review it deserves because the tank I used needs a new coil and it tainted the flavor. I can say the strawberry flavor in it was very good and tasted very true. I will give it another try when I get new coils and can give it a real chance with nothing messing with its flavor. 

I've got to say, since I've started vaping it's like my eyes have opened to a whole new world. If you are a smoker and you're considering smoking I highly suggest you consider smoking. You control your nicotine level and slowly wean yourself down, in a similar manner to patches except you still feel like you're smoking so your hands are busy and you have this whole world of flavor at your fingertips. If you would like information, feel free to comment and ask me anything. If I don't know I will find out for you. 

Make sure to check out Juice Wytch if you're a current vaper looking for something to try. Order a sampler and find out for yourself!

Disclaimer: All products in this post were bought by myself. All reviews in this post are my own. I was not compensated for this post and was not asked to make this post. You will never find a review on this site that is not 100% honest and doesn't come straight from me. I can not be bought :)

but sometimes I need to take the time to just shut down.

I'm not having a good week readers.

First, I've got shingles. Shingles, Not Just For Old People. Apparently my grandmother, aunt, and uncle have all had them. I was lucky to catch a fairly weak version but it still hurts and itches and I'm uncomfortable and WAAHHH.

Second, I think the medicine the doctor gave me has thrown me into a depression. I just can't shake it. There's nothing outside of this bed that interests me. I really hate the way taking a medication to help one illness can throw off months worth of progress. I haven't been this down in a while. The worhtlessness, the hopelessness. The wanting to check myself into a center for a while but fearing losing my children. I really hope it's the medicine and not something creeping in. I don't want to spend weeks under this.

In the interest of making this a happy post, I've quite smoking. I've started vaping. I love it. I love the flavors, the ease. I love shopping for flavors, looking at the mods, learning new things about it. I feel so much better. No more coughing. I still have trouble breathing but I blame that on allergies (I start allergy shots next week).

My oldest turns 11 next week. I'm prepared to cry like a baby. I know I will. Just not when anyone is around. We're camping for her birthday the week of the 18th. Hopefully I remember to take a lot of pictures that I can make a happy post with. I owe my blog a happy post.

so sometimes I like falsies.

As you know, I'm part of the Influenster Voxbox program. In my most recent Voxbox I received Kiss Nails Everlasting French nails. I'm usually not the at home false nails kind of person. They don't fit, they're too long, I glue my fingers together, the usual problems of a klutz. To be honest at first I wasn't even going to try these. I was just going to skip over this product and try everything else out. I had planned to give them to my mamaw who is a false nail junkie. This is the product I received.

After looking them over and noticing they were the real short length and opening the package up I decided to give them a try. Worst that could happen, I throw them away. I measured some of them up to my fingernails and they all seemed to be pretty good matches. I only had to file the sides of some of them and only a little bit. They were very easy to file with the file that was included in the package. The Package included an orangewood stick, 28 nails, a bottle of glue, and a little nail file (as seen in the picture below).

Application was easy, although a little easier on my non-dominant hand, obviously. I did buff my nails slightly with the nail file to make the glue have something to latch onto. Just slightly though. Here's a not so great picture of me pretending to buff my fingernail no-handed. 

Voila! Here's the finished product!

Looks nice right? My right hand had some issues where I applied the glue a little messily and there was some bubbling. That was my fault. I should have paid a little more attention or possibly had my oldest do the glue for me. However, you only leave these on for seven days so I don't think it will be a big problem unless it bothers you aesthetically. I did have to file the thumb nails down. Even though the length of these nails is 'Really Short' I thought the thumb nails were much too long. I used to the blue file that was included and they filed down very easily. 

The nails lasted the whole seven days with no problems. They didn't pop off, I gave my daughter her baths, I washed dishes, I did everything I usually do and they stayed on just as strong as day one. There was no raising up no snagging on anything. They did feel like false nails but I don't think they're supposed to feel real. After 7 days they still looked like this (this is my right hand, the one I had glue issues with)

Nice, right? Suggested removal is to rough them up with the file and soak them in acetone but I just popped them off with my mouth (I know so bad!) this did make my nails a little thin but a coat of strengthening nail polish and cutting off the tips (my nails are brittle anyway so I can't grow them out) and they were their usual selves. 

All in all, I'm glad I gave these a try and in the future if I wanted pretty nails but didn't feel like polishing them I'd buy these for sure. They're available at the drug store (I saw them at CVS for sure) and much cheaper than a nail salon. If you're looking for something fast or just want to try something new without the commitment of acrylics I would definitely give Kiss Everlasting French (or any of the Kiss nails) a try. 

You can find Kiss at

Kiss USA

Faceboook

@KissProducts

I received this product complimentary from Influenster to try and report back how I felt about it. This review and all pictures are 100% my own and is not influenced by anyone. My reviews will never be influenced by outside forces, I keep it honest :)

and sometimes, I disappear completely.

I'm a terrible blogger. When I was younger I always had half started journals lying around waiting for me to pick them up again and begging me to finish them off. To give them some kind of closure. I rarely did.

I've thought of this blog a time or two. I told myself I needed to post something; even if know one read it I would know it was there.

It's been a hectic couple of months. Maybe I will turn February and March into a post. The Great Bed Bug War of 2014. That was a miserable couple of months. Lesson learned, never accept furniture from anyone. Not even family (or step-family as was my case).

School is winding down and it's time for amusement parks, zoo trips, and days spent at the aquatic center being lazy and soaking up vitamin D. I have some things to review, I should have some pictures to post. I have some bipolar related posts I think, although things have mostly been on the up side. Not level by any means but I haven't reached the darkest side in a long time. That's a very good thing. I'll take gray over black any day.

I've also switched from smoking cigarettes to vaping. Not a complete victory but a small one. I've won a small battle in the war. Maybe I'll do some posts about that too. I'm no expert by any means but I can give my amateur opinion.

I guess this is my way of saying I'm back, although I'm not sure anyone knew I was gone. See ya around, blog.  

...and even when I do, I still procrastinate.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a roercoaster for me. The weather has been all over the place and my emotions have been right there with it. 

One day it's nice and breezy, the next its snow and ice. We've had so many snow days and two hour delays I can't keep count. The kids are going to school on Presidents' Day this year and also Oaks Day (that's a regional thing). Our last day is currently June 9th but I have a feeling that's still going to change. 

Last week I was blindsided by a stomach bug that put me out of commission for 3-4 days. It was miserable. I could have blogged but all I could think about was the bathroom and you guys really didn't want to hear about that. Trust me. 

I've cancelled and rescheduled so many appointments because of the weather and school situations. My thyroid levels were normal (TSH was down to 1.4 from 4 in October and my T3 had straightened out) so it looks like my only option is to shell out more money than I've got for some Nioxin and hope it works to stop the hair loss and promote some growth. I still think the fluctuations in my thyroid are indicative of something but my doctor doesn't so, dead end. 

I finally finished the smallest princess's kangaroo. Sort of. I'm still knitting it's scarf. There will be a post with pictures. Next up is the eldest princess's kangaroo. So far, I'm 4 rows into the head. Oops. Better get hookin'. 

The boyfriend and I are headed to Nashville for some memory bleach over Valentine's Day weekend. I promise to try to take lots of pics and then bore you with them (is there even a you out there?) Nashville is my favorite place that doesn't have an ocean. I'm beyond excited. 

Turns out, I'm losing weight. Looks like my pervious doctor was wrong about it being linked to me turning 30 and drinking sodas. Imagine that. 

It's late here but early for me. I need to attempt to make my brain stop running laps (at least one of us runs, right?) and get some sleeps. The never-ending doctor visits resume tomorrow. Plus there are dishes in the sink that I think are beginning to gain sentience. Yikes.