Hey hey! (in the words of my friend Jeannine— happy birthday, girl!)

I’m gonna keep this intro short and sweet as my eyes are slowly getting droopy. I’m trying out some Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra tea to help a little with my insomnia this week. Jo’s post couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. She mentioned that tea with valerian helped her fall asleep quite well, so I picked some up for myself on the way home from school. I’m convinced that my insomnia is purely psychological (can my brain just have an off button sometimes??), but perhaps this tea will help bring my stress levels down a bit. Pray for me! *As I’m completing this post in the morning, I must say that I still couldn’t really relax last night until I had the background noise of the TV. Slept on the couch again then! Oh well.*

But today is Friday, so that’s definitely something to be happy about! I’ll be going to my friend Jeannine’s birthday dinner tonight and then the rest of the weekend should entail the usual activities (dance, Mass, teaching religious ed., homework, etc.). All good stuff happening 🙂 Here are the Fascinating Friday Links to end the week!

Health and Fitness

[A workout for Catching Fire fans! (and non-fans)] Legs Catching Fire: A Hunger Games Inspired Workout via Blonde Ponytail

[Two posts from Tina—it’s all about balance] 11 Tips to Stick with Your Workouts Through the Holidays + Planning to Gain Weight This Season? Is That Okay? via Best Body Fitness

[Quick and simple] Movember Minute Workout via Purely Twins

[Love all these exercises] 6 Exercise Alternatives to the Barbell Front Squat via Your Trainer Paige

[Fun little workout idea!] The 12 Days of Fitness via Jessie Loves to Run

[LOVE] 10 Things I Want My Daughter to Know About Working Out via Wellfesto

Food for Thought

[Wealth distribution is way more skewed than we thought] 9 Out of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact via uTrend

[Interesting topic] Food and Gender Stereotypes via The Big Man’s World and Kelly Runs for Food

[Great story that literally hits home] The True Meaning of Home (and How I Learned It) via Goins Writer

Food for Belly

[Holiday cookies galore!] 25 Best from Two Peas & Their Pod + 27 fabulous ones from How Sweet It Is

[I like this eggnog-in-breakfast thing] Eggnog Baked Oatmeal with Caramelized Bananas and Vanilla Brown Butter via How Sweet It Is + Baked Eggnog French Toast with Sauteed Pears and Pomegranate via Little Ferraro Kitchen

[Need] Easy Sweet Potatoes + Eggs via Edible Perspective

[Gorgeous] Winter Tabouleh via Flourishing Foodie

[Yes, please] Healthier Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies via Yeah…Imma Eat That

Miscellaneous Fun

[Wait, what?] Kids’ Movies with Adult Innuendos via ChaCha

[Media blows things up] Ever Hear About The Lady Who Spilled Coffee on Herself at McDonald’s and Sued for Millions? via UpWorthy

[Personally, this is how I want to find my soulmate] 5 Secrets to Successful Dating via Chastity Project

[Acne is sneaking up on me] Guest Post: How to Create Flawless Skin for the Holidays via Strength and Sunshine

[Great roundup of tips] Bookmarked: Blogging Tips via Lean Green Bean

[These guys rock] Angels We Have Heard on High (Christmas w/ 32 Fingers and 8 Thumbs) via PianoGuys Youtube

Happy Friday!

So tell me: Have you had insomnia before? How did you deal with it? What are you doing this weekend?