Couponing: Liquidation Sales

The Latham Hotel and Citronelle in Georgetown are going out of business. It's sad really, because Citronelle was one of THE restaurants in the city for quite some time with executive chef, Michel Richard. I wish I would have gone back in the day when I worked in Georgetown...though that's when I probably wasn't making enough to afford a fancy lunch or dinner like that!

My dad found out that the hotel and restaurant were liquidating all the furnishings so we decided we would check it out. It may have been the last day and there was still tons of stuff left!!!

http://www.hclsales.com/

We got:

- a club chair

- 3 silver plated sugar bowls ( we'll use for nuts)

- 1 luggage rack

Total = $50

Lesson learned: track hotel and restaurant liquidation sites!

Color Guard: How a Being a Mom is like Being in Drum Corps

In the summer's of 1999 and 2000 (my age out), I was a proud member of the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps Color Guard. There were many details that were less than fun, and yet I never wanted to go home, and I marched two seasons (so clearly I liked it!).

Flash forward 14 years (eeeek!)....and now I am married and have a 7 month old daughter.

I was thinking about my time in drum corps, and realized "man, there are a lot of similarities to my life right now." As I went through a few band camp rehearsals, while simultaneously watching my daughter learn to crawl, I started taking note of specific similarities.

  Sleep:  

• You start to sleep in random places (like the couch, the nursery floor)
• You sleep whenever you can, like today, when I napped during her morning nap

  Eat:  

• You eat whatever's available, sometimes it's whatever's leftover or fast
• You have to stay hydrated (specifically if you're a mom who's nursing your little one)

  Schedule:  

• Your schedule is not your own, even though you planned to go to the grocery store at 10 AM, she may need a nap then unexpectedly
• You have sectionals (you and your little one), and ensemble (you, your little one, and your significant other), and each has their own purpose

  Injuries:  

• You're likely to have aches and pains

  Other Areas:  

• Repetition is the norm - what infant or toddler doesn't like doing the same thing over and over and over and over
• You have to think on your feet to answer questions or find a new way to solve an issue (dirty diaper during a road trip... too hard to stop and find a bathroom with a changing table...so you improvise!)
• You sing random songs (at least when I was in drum corps, we did..."we're here, because we're here, because we're here, because we're here....")
• You never want to mess up, but it's bound to happen

The most interesting similarity for me....I sing "You are My Sunshine" all the time!!!!!! Crown folks will understand!

What other similarities can you think of?

Color Guard: Food for Auditions or Long Rehearsals

Have you ever wondered what you should eat and drink before, during and after long rehearsals or auditions? Well here's the post for you!

  The week before (or the weeks between rehearsals)  

• Do not drastically change what you eat; it won't make much of a difference
• Do not drastically reduce portion size, or skip meals
• Stick to the same amount of food you normally eat

  The night before  

• Steer clear of anything that causes water retention, especially if you're required to wear all black form fitting clothing for an audition!! Minimize sodium intake, particularly by avoiding highly processed foods
• Stick to whole, natural foods like fresh fruits and veggies, legumes, salmon, brown rice
• Drink LOTS of water (see my water post here)
• Eat a hearty dinner since during rehearsals/auditions you'll have less of a chance to eat a larger meal

  The morning of  

• Don't skip breakfast!
• Some options include: Greek yogurt, banana, berries, granola, oatmeal egg and wheat toast
• Make sure you include a protein
• Bananas will help increase the potassium level and decrease cramping
• Drink at LEAST one glass of water before you leave the house
• Avoid refined sugar, since it will give you very short term energy

  Just before  

• Put something in your stomach about 1-2 hours before moving so you can keep up your strength
• Some options include: trail mix (no chocolate in it!), granola, banana with peanut butter
• If you eat a bar of some sort, get one with few ingredients and make sure there are no additives or preservatives; one I love is the Lara Bar
• Avoid anything with sugar alcohols because they tend to cause gas, cramping, and bloating. Ingredients to look for are sorbitol, xylitol, malitol and any other ingredient ending in "-ol" which are all sugar alcohols
• If you like cow's milk or soy milk, both give you protein and the energy you need but aren't hard to digest so they won't sit heavily in your stomach

  During  

• I like to pack a myriad of snacks so I always have something I can quickly grab
• Some of my standby options: fruit, granola bar, Lara Bar, applesauce pouches (no added sugar), fruit leather (no added sugar), raw natural almonds, dried cranberries, and raisins
• Stay hydrated throughout! Aim for about 8 ounces an hour, at a minimum

  Afterwards  

• If you ever talk to someone who works out a lot, the same rule applies: eat protein!
• Some options: edamame, hummus, nuts
• A friend mentioned her trainer told her to drink a glass of 2% chocolate milk! Make sure to get the good stuff though, so look for antibiotic free, hormone free milk
• Keep hydrating after your rehearsal or audition

  Avoid or Reduce  

• The sugar alcohols we already mentioned
• Caffeine: A small amount is okay, but only one cup of coffee will do the day of
• Alcohol (for those guard folks in independent groups and are older): it dehydrates you and will make you feel icky if you drink anything the night before
• Energy Drinks: most of them are full of non-natural ingredients, caffeine, and SUGAR

And to reiterate the point about water, you should drink half your weight in ounces every day, and more when it's hot outside or when you're highly active. For example, your baseline should be if you weigh 150 lbs, you would drink approximately 75 oz of water per day.

Reference:

• http://pointemagazine.com/issues/februarymarch-2012/your-best-body-audition-day-diet?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=justdance&utm_term=auditions&date=080614