TGIF doesn't even begin to describe how happy I am that it's Friday!!!

Hello blogland! Sorry I've been MIA lately... I've just had nothing new to report on the homefront. I've had a pretty crappy week- the weather has been just awful, cold and rainy and gray all week- I don't think we saw a ray of sunshine once this week! Boo-hiss! The blah weather didn't do much for my blah attitude all week either. I just dragged everywhere- work, the gym, home- blahsville all around. And work was really stressful and busy for most of the week- which normally doesn't really get me down that much, because work stress always comes and goes, plus I've got a lot of vacation time coming up so I don't mind a busy few days; they'll just make my two-week vacation even sweeter!- but when you combine work stress with a blah mood and serious slackerdom, it's just a recipe for disaster.

So needless to say, I'm immensely happy that it's Friday! And it's a payday Friday, so an extra yay for that!

What's everyone up to this weekend? Here are my oh-so-exciting weekend plans:

*Tonight: I hit the gym after work, ran a small quick errand to the local grocery store to grab a banana for breakfast tomorrow and a few other items- my favorite popcorn was on sale- Smart Balance Heart Healthy Popcorn- they were 3/$5. Now how could I turn that down? I needed more anyway, and even if I didn't, that's a deal! I also picked up two ThinkThin Cranberry Apple Bars, because they were on clearance for .84 cents each. Score. As for the rest of the night, it's cold and rainy out, and I am totally worn out from this miserable week and have no desire to be anywhere tonight except at home in my comfy sweats! I am making one of my faves for dinner (baked sweet potato with some grilled chicken, broccoli, chipotle salsa, and melted reduced-fat Provolone cheese- drool), and then I have a date with my DVD player. I ordered a movie from Netflix called Pieces of April, with Katie Holmes. It's about a young girl who's estranged from her parents, and she has them over and makes them Thanksgiving dinner in her tiny little NYC apartment. It reminds me of the real family drama that goes on during the holidays, LOL. The movie's a few years old but I've always wanted to see it, and I was in the mood for something holiday-themed but not cheesy, so I ordered it. I think it's a good night to watch it! I'm also going to start a new book! More on that in a few. And since I'm in for the night, I might as well do some laundry. I want to wash my flannel sheets and then put them on my bed and climb in them when they're still warm! That's the best feeling ever in winter! :-)

*Tomorrow: Errands, errands, errands galore: I need to pick up some stuff at the dry cleaners, pick up a prescription at CVS, hitting two of my favorite places- Trader Joe's and Wegmans- and starting- yes, I said starting- my holiday shopping. In my defense, I don't have much to get! We don't exchange presents in my family anymore so the only person I really get stuff for is my sister, and I actually already have her presents. And my roommate's presents too. We're doing a gift exchange both at work and with my group of friends, so I just need to bring in one gift for each of those events. My boss is getting something small and my teammates are getting mugs filled with candy, so when I say I really don't have much to get, I'm serious! Anyway, after lunch my roommate and I are taking our cat to our local pet shop because they are offering free photos with Santa, and she really wants to do that. The only reason I agreed is because it's going to be really, really funny to see how pissed off the cat is going to be trying to get his picture taken with Santa. Talk about a Kodak moment! LOL.

*Sunday: Any errands that I forgot or was too lazy to accomplish on Saturday, going to the gym, and maybe squeezing in a quick yoga workout in the evening... after a busy weekend, I'm sure I could use it! I have a great 30-minute tape (yes, tape, I still have my VCR!), that is specifically designed to be "PM Yoga", and is supposed to help you sleep better at night. I've only done it twice since I got it, so I'm not really sure if it truly works or not- more research is needed, I guess! :-)

So it's going to be a busy weekend! Luckily most of it will be fun errands, although I really can't get too jazzed over the dry cleaners and CVS. :-) But, I love grocery shopping, and I've got a few new products in mind that I want to scout out and buy, so hopefully I'll have some exciting new treats to post about later in the weekend!

So I finished up Consuming Kids at the gym this evening. The verdict? It was pretty good. Interesting read. Nothing I didn't really know before, but never thought too much of either. My only gripes about the book were that the research was a little outdated (the book was written in 2004), and the author was a little too preachy. She wants to ban marketing on children, and I see her point; however, that would be virtually impossible. Marketing and the media are everywhere. Everything's an ad, a product placement in someway or another. That's how companies and products and businesses thrive. Even the most simple of activities, like coloring and playing sports, involve some sort of branding and advertising- using Crayola crayons to color in a Barbie coloring book, kicking around an Adidas soccer ball. I mean, it's evitable, you know? I agree with the way children are targeted and influenced can be appalling and disturbing depending on how the message is sent, for example, suggestive clothing to young girls, but you can't just do away with marketing altogether. That's just not even practical. But all in all, an interesting read.

Which brought me to pick a new book from my Book Box:

Tada: Life's Work: Confessions of an Unbalanced Mom, by Lisa Belkin (she's a columnist for The New York Times- her column is actually titled "Life's Work"). Basically this book is about her story of trying to balance work, marriage, motherhood, and sanity. It looks like a fast, fun read, and I'm looking forward to starting it tonight! I LOVE starting a new book!

Okay, it's almost 8 PM, and so I think it might be time to get dinner started. I'll check back in over the weekend. Hope you all have fun and fabulous plans lined up! :-)