The best RUNNING songs ever!

It's been a long time coming, but I was finally able to compile a list of running songs! Each song has a beat and is at a pace that is great for running and burning calories! Not all the songs are the same tempo, so you'll get a little variety in your morning run!

Each song has been tested personally. I did a lot of running, guys. You're welcome ;)

-"The power of Love"-Hewey Lewis and the News
-"Second Chances"-Veggie tales soundtrack
-"Sing, sing, sing"-Benny Goodman
-"Roar"-Katy Perry
-"What made us"-Everlife
-"Wide awake"-Katy Perry
-"Don't you worry child"-Swedish house mafia
-"Demons"-Imagion Dragons
-"So what(clean)"-P!NK
-"We are"-Kari Jobe
-"Wannabe"-The spice girls
-"My paper heart"-Francesca Battistelli
-"Outsiders"-Eric Church
-"We are never, ever getting back together"-Taylor Swift
-"She wouldn't be gone"-Blake Shelton
-"Santa Barbara Skies"-PSYCH:The musical soundtrack
-"To love somebody"-Michael Buble
-"Last name"-Carrie Underwood
-"Stand in the rain"-Superchic[k]
-"Compass"-Lady Antebellum
-"Feels like I am just too close to love you"-Alex Clare

All total, there is over an hour of run-worthy music on here. 77 minutes, 23 seconds, to be exact. But let's face it. Who would run for that long?!

Get out there today and run like the wind, bullseye!

Life Hack: Beauty tips!

It's coming. Summer is nearly upon us, and you know what that means, ladies! With the warm weather on it's way, many women are getting themselves ready for swimsuit season. Regardless of your moral convictions on modesty, you're gonna want to look good for summer! But there's only one problem. You don't have the time or money to get that perfect tan,

First things first. Legs. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about. In summer we want perfectly smooth, tan legs so we can be proud to wear our shorts in public, rather than see the general public run in terror after one look at dem white gams! We'll get to the tan bit in a minute, but first let's address the problem of smooth legs...and by problem I mean razor burn. In the winter, you probably don't get it as much, because you don't shave your legs more than a couple times a week. (at least I don't) But come summer, you don't want to walk around looking like the wolf man! Not cute girls. Not. Cute. But, as with most things, every good thing has its downside, and the downside to keeping your legs silky smooth is razor burn. But are you ready for the beauty tip of a lifetime? Aloe. That's right. I know y'all have a bottle of Aloe in your house. It's the clear stuff your mom always put on your sunburn when you were a kid. It stung like the dickens, and was bloody freezing, but you felt so much better after. Yeah, that Aloe. Not the Aloe Vera, which is the green stuff. Just straight up Aloe. I'm pretty sure you can get this stuff literally everywhere. Just apply the aloe to your legs right after you get out of the shower(and after you've dried yourself, of course!) and let it dry completely. It makes your skin amazingly smooth and reduces chance of razor burn.

The reason you need to apply it right out of the shower is because your pours are still open from the steamy shower, which means the product will soak in faster. You can do this with lotion too. I used to apply lotion every day after I got out of the shower, but it didn't help my razor burn at all....in fact, sometimes it just made it worse. Aloe. That's where it's at people! (sorry about the bad grammar mom! Love you ) I like to apply aloe twice a day. Morning and night. You don't have to do this, but I just find it makes for even softer skin, and my mom rubs a thick layer onto her feet, and then puts socks on and goes to bed. Her feet are then really soft the next day.

The aloe is all for nothing, however, if you don't have a close shave. I have found that the best way to do that is to use a body scrub BEFORE I shave. If that's your thing, you can find a million body scrub recipes on pinterest, and they're all good, though most of them can be rather pricey. I'm trying to keep the cost down here. I have used store-bought sugar scrubs, my favorite brand being found in Kroger of all places...but even that's $6-$8. Currently, I like the meijer brand apricot face scrub. It's the meijer version of St. Ives face scrub. It's like $2 and you get a huge bottle....plus you can also use it on your face!(but we'll get to that later)

Also replace your razor every couple of weeks. You can't get a close shave with a dull razor, and it's a lot easier to get razor burn(or worse). There's no need to spend mongo bucks on something you're going to throw away in a week. The plain old 20 pack of disposable pink razors from wal-mart will do just fine.

While we're still on the topic of legs, I have one more little tip to get softer legs. Ditch the shaving cream and use conditioner instead. It's WAY cheaper than shaving cream, and you get, like, triple the product. Nothing fancy. There's no need to dash out and by Garnier deep conditioner. Suave, or whatever the cheapest  brand your store has will do the trick. In fact I've found the cheaper conditioners work better than the expensive ones, and it makes your skin very smooth. Plus it smells nice!




So you've scrubbed, shaved, and aloed, and your legs are looking mighty fine and smooth!!! There's just one problem. You have vampire skin and jut looking at that pale whiteness brings on a migrane. You don't have time to lay out and get a tan, and a tanning booth is either too expensive or just to darn scary. Well self-tanner has come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days of strong chemical smell and orange palms. There are soooooo many good brands out there now that will give you a gradual tan, and you can buy your Jergen's, or whatever, but my personal favorite is just the Equate Healthy Glow daily moisturizer. It's really inexpensive, and it works. It's a moisturizer....that tans you! You get soft skin AND a healthy glow! Also, bonus. It has almost no smell at all, and the little aroma it does have is more lotion than tanner. I seriously love this stuff for the beginning of summer when I'm not naturally tan yet, or if I had a sun burn and now I have massive tan lines. Obviously, the best way to get a healthy glow to your skin would be to eat healthy, exercise, and soak up some of God's rays, but if you can't do that, I definitely say you stop by your local wal-mart and pick up the Equate Healthy Glow Daily Moisturizer.

Lastly, I want to talk about hair. Specifically hair masks. I don't really have any specific recommendations here. I say all hair masks are created equal....mostly because every hair type is going to require different specifications. All I can say here is do your research. Only you can know your hair, so look for products that will meet your individual needs.

And you're one step closer to being "summer ready"!

In case of emergency

So the other day I was at work when I got a text from my boyfriend, asking if I wanted to go see a movie when I got off. Basically I freaked out, because I hadn't been in the mood to put makeup on that day, and I had let my hair dry air dry, leaving it au natural, if you know what I'm sayin'. Now, I could give a lecture on how the right guy will love you no matter that you look like(as he did), but let's face it ladies. You're gonna wish you had put some eyeliner on or something! Y'all know how it is.

I do have to thank the man for being my inspiration for this post, because today I'm going to talk about what you need to keep in your purse at all times for emergencies such as this:

First thing's first. You need a comb. I'm not expecting you to somehow shove a round brush in your bag, but you can buy those little fold-up ones pretty much anywhere that sells hair stuff. It won't take up that much space, I promise!

And while we're on the topic of hair stuff, make sure you have a hair tie wrapped around the brush, because you'll need it. Trust me. A hair tie was the one thing I didn't have, and I sorely regretted it. I had to use a rubber band instead! It worked, but it hurt coming out lol.

Lastly for hair products, I strongly suggest adding a few bobby pins to the mix. I have a little pouch where I keep bobby pins, safety pins, spot remover, etc. just in case, but if you don't have that, just latch those puppies onto that hair tie you WILL be putting in your purse!

Next you're gonna need some makeup. I don't want you all going out and buying a bigger bag so you can fit a full face of makeup in there. You'll only need one or two things.

First off, you'll need some eyeliner. Nothing crazy here, ladies. Stick with the basics, brown or black. I like to take my eyeliner pencils, once they're stubs, and put them in my purse. Instant travel size! Plus I don't feel wasteful throwing away an eyeliner that's still good, but won't fit in my sharpener anymore. If you can, try to find one will a little smudging power, because you can line your eyes, smudge it out, and have a little smokey eye action going on. It's shadow and liner all in one!

Really the only other makeup item you need is a tinted lip balm. You won't want lipstick, though, because that'll be too dramatic for your natural eyes. Or, better yet, a lip and cheek stain. That way you can add a little color to your face and lips both! I didn't have that, just burt's bees chapstick, but hey, that's why I'm telling you this, so you can learn from my mistakes.

This next thing is optional, but I work at a dry cleaner and it was hot that day, so I badly needed it, if you catch my drift. This thing would be an atomizer, otherwise known as a lifesaver. For those that don't know what an atomizer is, it's a little tube that you can put perfume in, and it won't spill or break, and therefore great for traveling. Just put a little of whatever fragrance you're wearing that day in that little tube, stick it in your purse, and you're good to go! I got mine from Old Navy, but I have seen them at Wal-Mart in the travel section as well. They're super cheap, like $2.

And there you have it! So next time you get invited unexpectedly on a date(or an interview, or a party, whatever the case may be) you'll be ready. Have fun :)

Best workout songs EVAH!

Every self-respecting fitness addict knows that the key to a killer workout is a rocking playlist! Now, I have googled many a "workout playlist" in my day, and I never find playlists that I like usually the songs aren't my style, or all the songs are inappropriate....all of them. So here's the deal. I compiled a list of all my favorite songs to listen to while I work out! Enjoy these tunes knowing you are safe when you press play :)

1. Cameo Lover-Kimbra
2. Black horse and the Cherry Tree-KT Tunstall
3.One more round-Barlowgirl
4.Rise Up-Matt Maher
5. Eye of the Tiger-Survivor
6.Stop Time-Landon Austin
7. Zero to Hero-Hercules soundtrack
8.Undignified-David Crowder Band
9.Titanium-David Guetta
10.Mr. Saxobeat(radio edit)-Alexandra Stan
11. Good Girl- Carrie Underwood
12. Come and Get it- Selena Gomez
13. Roar- Katy Perry
14. DJ Got us falling in love-Usher, Pitbull
15. Sweet Serendipity- Lee DeWyze
16. Best Song Ever- One Direction
17. The Power of Love- Huey Lewis & the News
18. Counting stars-OneRepublic
19.What made us-Everlife
20. Best day of my life-American Authors
21. Aint it fun-Paramore
22. Can't remember to forget you-Shakira, Rihanna
23. Feels like I am just too close-Boom Masters
24. Feelin' Good-Christina Grimmie
25. Chainsaw-The Band Perry
26. Easy Street-Annie soundtrack
27. Ya Got Trouble-Music Man soundtrack
28. Happy-Pharrell Williams
29.Wannabe(radio edit)-The Spice Girls
30. Don't you worry Child(radio edit)-Swedish house mafia
31. Brighter than the sun-Colbie Caillat
32. Outsiders-Eric Church
33. Wide awake-Katy Perry
34. My paper heart-Francesca Battistelli
35. Second chances-Veggie Tales soundtrack
36. We are the Champions-Queen
37. Resistance-Everlife
38. I'm letting go- Francesca Battistelli
39. Open Heavens- Barlowgirl
40. Daydream believer- the monkeys

Total time:  2hrs. 30mins.

April 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Hey guys! April's Ipsy review is a little late(I should be revieving May's bag any day now!) but I wasn't sure of my opinion on a couple of the products I received, and I wanted to give them all a good try before posting my review. BUT I have had time to try all the products I got in my April bag, and I'm ready to give my opinion! :)

April's Glam Bag theme was Rockstar glam, so the bag looked like a turntable. That was awesome, I must say! Also, before I dive into the product review, I have to mention that the ipsy bags are really great! The designs are cute and the bags themselves are nice quality! On top of that they're a great size for slipping in your bag or suit case for easy travel usage! Bonus!

Swatch of the lip balm

Anyway, on to business. My first product was the Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in the color "Acid Pink". This stuff retails for $19, and I must say, they weren't fooling around when they named that color! It's pink alright! The color pay-off is frankly fabulous, and once you put it on your lips, it stays 'till you take it off. I also thought the packaging was really cute and creative. The pot of balm is at the bottom, and then the lid has a brush applicator hidden in the handle! I'm not one for lipsticks myself, but if lip colors are your thing, this is definitely a product to check out! I must say, though, that $19 seems a little steep for a lipstick.

The next item on the list is called "Looks so natural" Kiss Lashes. "Kiss Lashes" is the brand name, and "Looks so natural" is the style name. They're falsies, in case you couldn't guess ;) Now, my first impression for these was "But I don't wear false lashes!" Seriously, guys. I've never warn false lashes in my life. I don't even really know how to apply them. I have been wanting to try them, though. Not for everyday use....the lashes God gave me generally suffice....but for a play/stage makeup, or a costume of some kind, I could see me needing a little help in the lash department. I haven't had to use this product yet so I can't give my personal opinion, but I like the way they look and I've heard good things from other reviews! On top of that they retail for only $3.99! I think that's about as inexpensive as you can get and still get quality lashes.

so pretty!!!

Up next was something called City Color Mousse Shadow in the color "White Gold". This little gem of a product retails for $3.99, and, c'mon guys. The packaging is totes adorbs. I have this thing about makeup in little pots, and this mousse eyeshadow comes in a little pot! Right there I fell in love with it. But more importantly, the shadow itself is very well-made, and a little shadow goes a long way....which is awesome because there is a LOT of product. This stuff is legit magic. It's white in the pot, but as you apply it, it goes on gold. I don't know how it works, but it's sooooo cool you guys! I must say I would definitely recommend this product. It's well made with great color pay-off, but it's also quite a bit cheaper than any other brand of mousse shadow I've seen, even at the drug store. As of now, the brand is only selling their mousse shadow in this color, but they plan to expand the line soon.

Swatch of mousse shadow

Swatch of Eyeliner

The next product is an eyeliner....but not just any eyeliner...Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in "Black Velvet". Anyone who watched makeup tutorials on youtube knows this product. Urban Decay eyeliners usually retail for around" $20 in places like ULTA and Sephora, so that right there makes me not want to recommend it. No eyeliner is worth twenty bucks....even if it is heaven in a pencil. Cuz legit, you guys. This is the smoothest, creamiest eyeliner I've ever used! I've heard a lot of good things about this eyeliner from all the youtube makeup gurus, and I'd been wanting to try it for some time, so I was extremely excited when I opened my glam bag and saw that I got the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner! It doesn't budge, and it goes on matte. Even though I'm not crazy about the price, I can say that if you are wanting to try a high-end eyeliner, but don't want to pay the big bucks for it, try the Urban Decay eyeliners. They're high-end quality for middle road prices.

Finally, I got the Benefit lollitint lip and cheek stain in the color "Candy Orchid". The lollitint was the sample size product for the month of April. The bottle is so cute and tiny, and the applicator looks like nail polish. To apply you just dot the color on your lips or cheeks and then blend into your skin. The color pay-off is pretty great and, as it's a stain, it blends easily while wet, and doesn't budge once dry. I would like to say I can totally recommend the Benefit lollitint lip and cheek stain, but I looked up the full size bottle, and, while the full size bottle is quite large, the price tag is also quite large. The Benefit lollitint lip and cheek stain retails for $30.....for blush. Eh, yeah it's a great product, but it's not THAT much better than regular drugstore blushes.

And that just about wraps it up for April's Ipsy Glam Bag product review! Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/7m3t

Book review: Reshaping it all

My new Year's resolution was to read 100 books this year....and because that isn't challenge enough, I decided that I should incorporate as many new(as in, I haven't read before) books as possible, specifically non-fiction, which has never been of much interest to me. The book I'm going to be reviewing today, "Reshaping it all" by Candace Cameron Bure, is a non-fiction book, and my first, actually, since starting my resolution.

alright, let's do this thang!

This book was not recommended to me, I didn't read anything about it, nor had it been something I'd been wanting to read for any amount of time. I literally was in my library, wandering around, saw this on a shelf, grabbed it, and checked it out. For those who may not know, Candace Cameron Bure(Bure is her married name) is an actress, wife, mother, and Christian. She played DJ Tanner on the show "Full House" in the 80s, and her brother, Kirk Cameron, is also an actor, first on "Growing pains" in the 80s, and more recently the "Left Behind" series, among like a hundred other things. Candace is also currently a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars", which is why I think her book was even on display. I already knew these things about her, and I really like her a lot, so I figured her book would be a good place to start in my journey through the realm of non-fiction, so, I checked it out.

Before I get into the details of the book, I should let you know that "Reshaping it all" is a book geared toward helping people obtain physical and spiritual fitness(remember, Candace is a Christian, so of course it's going to be about God!) In general, it's about her story of weight struggle and eventual weight loss, and how, through hard work and strength in God, she managed to keep off the weight and beat her addiction.

Sound interesting? Yeah, I did to. And guess what! It was really interesting. I wouldn't say I'm on some health kick or anything, but I feel like I have been finding myself gravitating toward more health related talk shows, cooking shows, etc lately, and I'm always open to learning new things that I can apply to myself, and then pass on to you guys, my wonderful readers!

Now down to business. I think the most important thing about a book is how it's written. The content is important, but no one's going to get to the content if the format is bad. Not so with Candace's book. It's written in the typical non-fiction first person, and it's easy to read, without being dumbed down or condescending to those like myself that are used to a little higher level of literature.(I had just finished reading Lord of the Ring, so you can imagine the shock my brain went through reading "Reshaping it all" lol) Also the chapters are short, which makes getting through them much more enjoyable...because nothing is more overwhelming than thumbing through a book and realizing each chapter is like 47 pages long.

While we're on the topic of chapters and writing format, I'll let you know that at the end of each chapter, Candace has a summary of what she talked about, a fan letter with a health or spiritual question, her answer to that letter, all the Bible verses she used in that chapter, simple tips on how to apply that chapter to your life, an inspirational quote, and then a healthy recipe that she makes for her own family. WHEW! That's a lot packed into a few pages, huh?!

Because Candace is a Christian(and not afraid to proclaim it to the world, thank you very much) she does scatter bible verses throughout her book as they apply to what she's talking about, and many of her tips on motivation and staying strong revolve around prayer and staying strong in God, which is something a lot of people don't think about when it comes to their physical health. But think about it. God calls us to take care of our bodies, because they are a temple for Him, so it makes sense that we would need Him to help make us new. Genius.

She also talks a lot about how a healthy lifestyle is necessary, rather than optional. Basically she's saying that, once you've committed to living a healthier lifestyle, you have to stick with it, and not just live healthy when it's convenient for you. She also discourages diets. She doesn't discredit them, but going "on" a diet implies you will one day go "off" the diet, and the only way to stay healthy is to....get this....stay healthy. Candace encourages a lifestyle change, which is what she did, and what I did, and it, frankly, works.

Candace has MANY tips and tricks on how to make that lifestyle change, and how to make it so habitual that you eventually don't even have to work at it. One of the things she suggested was to write down your reasons for losing weight, whatever they may be, and read them whenever you get discouraged. Keep the list somewhere you can see it, like by your bed or on your mirror or fridge, so you never forget WHY you're doing this.

I don't want to give away too much information, because I want you to read this book, but I'll leave you with a quote that really impacted me, and will hopefully speak to you and give you the push you need to get yourself healthy....for the right reasons!

"You are beautiful, interesting, accepted, and loved by the most high God. Be content with both the woman you are today and the woman you'll be tomorrow."
-Candace Cameron Bure

a little T.M.I.

So there's this tag going around the internet, called the TMI tag. Basically It's a bunch of questions about me that you never thought to ask...most likely because you don't care....but I thought this would be a great time to let you all get to know me a little better! Ready? Here we go.

1: What are you wearing?
Jammies. Specifically an Aeropostal shirt and white and blue flannel jammy pants....super sexy, I know. 
2: Ever been in love?
Yes I have :)
3: Ever had a terrible breakup?
Never had a breakup
4: How tall are you?
5ft. 4 1/2 in.
5: How much do you weigh?
This is a nosey question! 133lbs.
6: Any tattoos?
......not yet.
7: Any piercings?
Yes. I have my ears pierced, and I'm getting second piercings in a couple weeks.
8: OTP?
I think this means one true pairing...Shawn and Gus from psych. They're not a couple, they're best friends since birth, and it is hilarious. 
9: Favorite show?
Oh, so much answer, so little blog space!!! I'm gonna say it's a toss-up between Psych and Dr. Who
10: Favorite bands?
I'm not much of a favorite bands person. I have songs that I like, but I generally don't like everything an artist does....however, I can say that I am a huge fan of Barlowgirl, Michael Buble, The Band Perry, and Taylor Swift. 
11: Something you miss? 
I miss the free time I used to have. Figures. Now that I have reasons to plan things, I don't have the time to devote to it!
12: Favorite song?
In Christ Alone.
13: How old are you?
20
14: Zodiac sign?
Sagittarius...just like Bruce Lee and Walt Disney! WHA?!?!?!?!
15: Quality you look for in a partner?
-God-fearing
-Kind
-Funny
-Hard working
16: Favorite Quote?
"It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Albus Dumbledore
17: Favorite actor?
Johnny Depp and Grace Kelly
18: Favorite color?
Perriwinkle
19: Loud music or soft?
Loud baby, all the way!!!
20: Where do you go when you’re sad?
To my room, under the covers, curled up in as small a ball as possible.
21: How long does it take you to shower?
well.....it depends. I can be in and out in five minutes, if I'm just washing my hair. But if I'm doing everything, including standing under the water contemplating life, it can take as long as fifteen minutes
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
If I'm doing hair and makeup.....20 minutes. 30 if I'm also taking a shower....but I like to give myself an hour, just in case my flat iron decides it's not gonna do my hair that day lol
23: Ever been in a physical fight?
No I haven't. Thank God. My upper body strength leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. 
24: Turn on?
Great sense of humor, smelling good
25: Turn off?
excessive/unnecessary swearing, smelling bad
26: The reason I joined Youtube?
Oh yeah. This was a youtube tag. lol next question!
27: Fears?
Extreme pain that leads to death, being alone(like, in life), failure/being a disappointment 
28: Last thing that made you cry?
Oh gosh. Probably "Call the Midwife". That show turns me into a whimpering fool, I swear!
29: Last time you said you loved someone?
Today. I told my momma I loved her :')
30: Meaning behind your YouTube Name?
Ditto to question 26!
31: Last book you read?
"Reshaping it all" By Candace Cameron Bure(book review coming Thursday! yippee!!!)
32: The book you’re currently reading?
"The Fall of Arthur" by J.R.R. Tolkien, and "Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain
33: Last show you watched?
White Collar *SIGH* Matt Bomer. 
34: Last person you talked to?
The daddeo
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
My BFF Allison
36: Favorite food?
This isn't fair. Pizza. Or my mom's eggrolls. 
37: Place you want to visit?
Everywhere! America(road trip, aw yea!) England, Ireland, Scotland, France, New Zealand, you get the picture. Everywhere. 
38: Last place you were?
Work.
39: Do you have a crush?
Yes I do
40: Last time you kissed someone?
Like a week ago
41: Last time you were insulted?
Last week. My boss's son said I looked like a school teacher. 
42: Favorite flavor of sweet?
CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
43: What instruments do you play??
Piano, and the cup for that one song from "Pitch Perfect" lol
44: Favorite piece of jewelery?
My butterfly earrings from Forever21
45: Last sport you played?
LOL that's funny. Baseball...which quickly ended once Allison hit me in the face with the ball....don't worry. We got it on video. Comment if you want to see it!
46: Last song you sang?
Currently singing "Demons" by Imagine Dragons
47: Favorite chat up line?
Don't have one
48: Have you ever used it?
I hope not! Chat up lines are sooooo cheesy!
49: Last time you hung out with anyone?
Last week
50: Who should answer these questions next?
IDK. whoever wants to. I always like reading junk like this :)

Well, now you all know me a little bit better. Tune in again Thursday for that book review, and if you have any more questions about me, or suggestions for future blog posts, comment below! 

Stay Classy, y'all!

Fighting Cabin Fever: a battle for the soul

So it's been snowing like crazy here for the last two months. Straight. Every Saturday like clockwork. Huzzah. And you know how it is. The first snow is all "Yay, snow! I'm so happy! Ooh, look it's sooooo pretty when it sparkles!", etc. Don't judge me, you've all done it.

But now it's February and the pretty sparkling snow has turned into so much grey sludge, and it's not so pretty anymore. To quote the wise words of a dear friend, "I am officially disenchanted with snow."

With the February sludge comes the inevitable Cabin Fever. You know the symptoms: tiredness, mood swings, the insatiable urge to do SOMETHING. I usually know I've got it when I start pulling out my shorts and making outfits, then sighing, because I know I can't wear them.

But how can we cure ourselves of this? Is there a cure, or can we do nothing but wait it out? I say there are ways of fending off the winter mopes. Wanna know them? Good, cuz I was gonna tell you anyway :)

The easiest way to battle cabin fever is to go outside. Go ice skating or sledding. Build a snowman or have a snowball fight....and all of these things are, like, twice as fun with a group of friends! Sure we're all adults here, and a snowball fight isn't exactly the definition of "mature". whatever. Just try it. The best part is, these activities are all free, except the ice skating...but if you have your own skates, it's still really cheap.

Another outdoors activity would be to shovel the snow. I know. Yuck. But I don't mean shovel your driveway and section of sidewalk in front of your house. I challenge you to get out there and help some people who can't do it themselves. It could be a little old lady or someone who's out of town, or it could be a large family of small children with no time to shovel their driveway. Helping out like this just makes you feel so great, and if you get a group of friends and canvas the neighborhood, it can be counted as a service project.

But what if you hate being in the cold weather, or you've done all this and it just didn't work? No problem! Do something inside instead. My favorite things to do on a snowy day are to spend an afternoon wandering around the art museum, or going to see a movie(usually followed by an afternoon spent wandering around the mall....I'm a girl, it happens. I will not be ashamed.) Another(and way cheaper) option would be to go to a friend's house and just hang out. But I warn you, serious bonding time and minor shinanegans WILL occur.

Even if you don't want to leave your house, you can still do something to keep your mind off the weather. Call up all your friends and have them over for movies, popped corn and board games....it's called an impromptu party, and they're super fun! Seriously, nothing drives away cabin fever better than surrounding yourself with your best friends and doing something fun!

And just think, before you know it, Spring will be here and you can wear those shorts again!

Super random workout tips

So I was talking with a runner friend of mine the other day. We were just discussing the results we've been seeing, and comparing our different approaches to working out. We definitely go about running in different ways, and that got me thinking about all the tings I've learned since I started working out on a regular basis. These tips that I'm about to share are really personal....meaning I can give you the basis, but you're going to have to experiment to find what works best for you. But I have found them really helpful in making my workouts feel less like, well, work.

Tip No. 1-Find music to suit your workout
I'm not much of a music listener when I'm working out, except when I run outside...and that week and a half I tried jumping rope. But I know a LOT of people like to listen to music, and I think the right music can really motivate you. When I run outside, I like to listen to really upbeat songs, either in the swing/big band genre or some rock and roll. Obviously, you have your own music style, which is why these tips are so personal. When I was jumping rope, I had "Eye of the Tiger" on replay!
I've seen blogs and websites with lists of songs that are a perfect "running" pace. Most of those lists are also formulated so that if you play all the songs without skipping, you get a full workout, so it helps you to work out longer. You just turn on your music, and don't stop 'till it does.
Now, I know running isn't for everyone, but these upbeat songs can work for any workout. I am a runner, so I can speak from experience that the right song can make me run like the wind! But save those slow songs for the cool down/stretch section, because the last thing you want is a lull in your workout.

Tip No. 2-Get distracted.
No, seriously! If you're working out at home, by all means do it in front of the tv, I'm not gonna judge! In fact, watching a movie while you exercise could me the distraction you need. I don't know about you, but I tend to count the seconds until I can be done...which of course makes my workout seem like a thousand years longer than it actually is. Not only is that WAY depressing, it  makes it really easy to talk yourself out of finishing....I mean, I HAVE to have done like an hour already, right?!
Like everything else, I've had to put a lot of thought into what I watch. When I run, I really like to watch musicals. I'm totally jogging like a mad woman and singing my heart out....not an easy feat, I'll tell you, and my mom laughs at me because I usually sound like a beached whale. But I don't care. I'm enjoying myself! And this is where this tip becomes personalized: My friend likes to watch action movies like "Transformers" while she runs. She says she does her best running when the characters are running or doing something action-ey as well. She says she feels like she's part of the movie, and being chased by aliens is apparently a good motivator to keep running!
When I'm doing strength training, however, I can't watch musicals, because I want to sing along. If you think running and singing is hard, try doing  crunches and singing! Then post it on youtube and tell me about it because I MUST see that! LOL
I use my "quiet" workouts to watch shows like Dr. Who. I personally love watching this show during strength training because it's got a really complicated story line, and it's a british show, and therefore a little harder to understand, so I have to concentrate on what they're saying. All that concentration really takes my mind off those crunches! This doesn't happen very often, but I have been known to put on a movie and just spend the whole time doing some sort of exercise. That's a bit extreme, but I was in the mood. The point is, thinking about what you're watching takes your mind off of less interesting things, like how not-fun working out is.

Tip No. 3-Would eating help?
This is my mom's answer to everything I think. Whenever I have a complaint, either about a headache or a stomach ache, the first thing she says is "well, did you eat?"
But that has nothing to do with this tip :) Going back to my friend, we were talking about eating before a workout. She has to eat before she runs, or she'll get sick. Me, I'm the opposite. If I eat, I have to wait like an hour before I can run, or I will get sick. I don't usually have time to wait an hour before my workout. Therefore, it kind of defeats the purpose for me to eat before I run, so I don't.
Everyone's different, so really all you can do is experiment. Experiment with what you eat, how much you eat, and how long you need to wait before you begin your workout.

These tips were things I kind of figured out for myself. They may not seem like revelations to some of you, but they were things I wish someone had told me about when I was starting out.

Wait, what time is it?!

So, suppose you stayed up really late last night watching makeup tutorials on youtube, and, suppose you didn't hear your alarm and overslept, and when your eyeballs finally pop open, you look at your clock and see you have fifteen minutes to get out your door if you want to make it to work on time....hypothetically.

Now, this is a totally unrealistic situation that didn't actually happen to me yesterday....ehehe....but it got me thinking that there are a lot of people in this world that might benefit(or at least find interesting) from some tips on how to get out the door faster...and be able to face the public.

But enough chit-chat, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty:

1- KNOW WHAT TO WEAR THE NIGHT BEFORE
Yeah, yeah. This sounds totally gradeschool, before your mom let you pick out your own clothes. But seriously, how awesome is it to get up in the morning and just be able to put your clothes on without standing in front of your closet for forty-five minutes wondering how you can buy so many outfits and somehow have nothing to wear. I don't do this every day, but if I know I'm going to have an early start the next day, or if I've been having trouble getting up with my alarm lately, I definitely have to choose my outfit the night before. It just saves me sooooo much time!

2- SKIP THE ELABORATE BREAKFAST
Before you have a cow, let me explain. I'm not saying skip breakfast(never EVER do that!) but you may not want to break out the eggs and pancakes. A great alternative would be cereal, or a protein bar, or maybe toaster waffles(don't judge. They're good.) My personal go-to quick breakfast is a smoothie, which only takes about eight minutes, and I can carry it around with me while I do other stuff to get ready.
If you need a healthier option than cereal or toaster waffles, you may want to find some on-the-go breakfast recipes, and spend a day making them. Then you can pop them in the freezer and just pull one out when you need it.

3-TONE DOWN YOUR FACE
This was a hard one for me. The busier my life got, the less makeup I wore, and I wasn't happy. When I started wearing makeup, I was all "YAY! Cover up my whole face!" But not only is that really bad for your skin if you do it every day, it takes a WHOLE lot of time to do. The fastest full face makeup I've ever done(including foundation) has been fifteen minutes...and remember, we only have fifteen minutes total to eat, get ready and get out the door.
anywho, youtube is great for finding "natural" or "school" makeup tutorials, both of which basically mean minimal and fast. Yesterday I did my hair and makeup in five minutes. Embrace the facial nudity!

4-SHOWER THE NIGHT BEFORE
Pretty self-sxplainitory. If you get in the habit of taking showers the night before, you will always have clean hair the next day, and you won't have to worry about looking like a grease ball...because that is NOT cute. At all.

5-DON'T FREAK OUT!
Seriously. You're not going to get anything done if you're running around like a chicken with it's head cut off freaking out because you over slept. Just calm down and do what you can. If all else fails, call your boss and tell them you'll be late. You will never get in trouble for giving them warning.

Now that you know how to get ready in a short time span, you can feel free to get your beauty sleep! But the best way to get everything done is to NOT over-sleep, like I did. Wait, what? This was a hypothetical situation, that wasn't me! Uh....yeah.

5 ways to get motivated about fitness

As if working out wasn't hard enough, motivating yourself to tear yourself away from your warm comfy bed to workout is practically impossible!

....Or it would be, without these 5 tips I'm about to give you! Now you'll have no excuse to not exercise. You're welcome...or I'm sorry...whatever.

1- GRAB YOUR BUDDY!
When I began working out on a regular basis, I kind of turned my nose up at the idea of a workout buddy. I don't know why, really. But when I was first starting, I for sure didn't want anyone to see me sweating like a pig! I'm not one of those girls who glisten when they work out and just look generally glowing and healthy. I've had people stop me and ask if I'm alright. No lie. So you can imagine how I may not want a fitness partner.
I also had this idea in my head that it wouldn't make a difference. I had decided to get fit, and I didn't need anyone to hold me accountable. I figured workout buddies were for super social people who like to be surrounded by their friends at all times, which is basically the opposite of me. I was definitely in more of a "leave me alone while I go hurt myself in the name of beauty" state of mind.
But then I took up running.
I have this really intense fear of being outside by myself for any length of time. Long story, won't bore you with the details, but a few years ago I went through a traumatizing experience involving a dog, and my neighborhood apparently has something against leashes. You see my dilemma.
Anywho, so I really wanted to take up running, but I knew I wouldn't do it by myself, so after a month of begging and truly heart-wrenching pouty faces, I got my mom to agree to do it with me. After several weeks of running together, I realized I was actually enjoying myself, and I looked forward to our next run.
A workout buddy isn't just for runners, it applies to everything. Take a group to your Zumba class, or my personal favorite, have a dance-off with your friends on your JustDance game!
The point of a workout buddy is that they will hold you accountable. It's so much harder to skip a day when you have other people relying on you to show up. they also make for great support! You can talk about all your triumphs and failures without being judged, because they're going through the same things. Or you could just discuss at length that super cute guy on the treadmill next to you! ;)

2-DRESS FOR THE OCCASION
Another tip I scoffed at was buying cute workout clothes. I figured, I'm just going to sweat in them anyway, so why should I waste money on workout clothes? Ratty old PJs were doing the job just fine!
Sure they were doing the job, but I felt sloppy, which didn't really make me want to work out. You'd think that feeling like Jabba the Hutt would REALLY motivate you to work out like a mad woman, but it just made me depressed.
Having cute workout clothes is great motivation. Think about it. When you have someplace to go, don't you just want to get there so much faster when you look fabulous? And, maybe more importantly, you won't get lost in your clothes, which frankly makes it harder to exercise. You try lifting weights while wearing a tent!
You can find good workout clothes pretty much everywhere. Mine are a mix of Target and goodwill. there's no need to spend big bucks on this stuff!

3-MAKE IT FUN
This seems rather obvious, but I wanted to add it to this list because it's true. When you have to go to work, you may often drag your feet and just, I don't know, not dance for joy! Especially in the snowy wintertime. But what about when you have a date, or you're going to something really fun! You can't wait! You've had your hair and makeup planned for weeks and your outfit, lovingly picked out days in advance, has been laying out on your dresser, so you can look at it whenever you want. It's sort of the same with workouts. If you hate what you're doing, you're not exactly going to arrive skipping at the gym, and eventually, you'll stop going at all. and why not? Getting fit isn't supposed to be torture or some form of cruel and unusual punishment!
A "fun" workout is going to be different for everyone. My dad really enjoys weight lifting, and all that "body building" stuff. I'm more of a dancer at heart, so I like Jumba, etc. Try a bunch of different things, and do what you like best! When you make it fun, exercising will truly become a stress reliever.

4-SHAKE IT UP
When you first start working out, you're body is gonna freak out and lose weight like crazy, especially if you didn't work out at all before. But eventually, you're going to level out, and start maintaining your weight. The best way to kick start your weight-loss again is to shake things up, surprise your muscles and make them do things they're not used to. This will also make your workouts less boring. A two-fer!
Another way to shake things up is to try something you wouldn't normally do. Instead of watching a workout video or spending an hour at the gym, try going for a hike, or surfing, or roller skating. Not for every workout, obviously, but just remember that these are actually workouts too!

5-CREATE A KILLER PLAYLIST
Nothing gets me moving like a good song, whether it's a Shakira song to make me move my hips, or "Eye of the Tiger" to get me to jump rope like a boss! There are websites in abundance full of song suggestions perfect fro running, cardio, or just motivation in general.
a suggestion for runners, I like to put songs like "Bad to the Bone" and Eye of the tiger" near the end of my run, just when I'm about to give up. I'm starting to slow down and wonder how bad it would be really if I only ran 2 miles instead of 2 1/2 miles, when I hear the first notes of "Bad to the Bone" (You know what I'm talking about!) and suddenly I feel like I could run forever! That song just makes me feel like such a beast lol! and if I play "Eye of the Tiger" last, I get to throw my fists in the air when I make it home, full on Rocky style! Bonus.
Pick songs that make you feel like you can do anything. Keep adding songs for as long as you want to work out(I suggest 45 minutes), press play, and don't stop till the music stops. Plus, listening to your favorite music will get your mind off how much you're arms are shaking when you're half way through your two minute plank, ya know what I'm sayin'?

Now, none of these things will actually drag your butt out of bed and actually give you abs like Bruce Lee. You'll still have to do that yourself. But I know that doing these things has made dragging myself out of bed every morning much more bearable, and you can't argue with results!

Order Your Seeds

It's almost time to order your garden seeds!

A few years back I was on a huge "Back to Basics" kick and I whipped out all the goodies…

• I bought a wheat mill and started grinding my own wheat flour & baking bread.
• I dug out the entire area behind my garage and planted a full on garden.
• I bought chicks and attempted to build a coop. 
• I started woodworking and bought a whole slew of tools. 
• I began sewing more clothes. 
• I tried to buy a portion of a cow. 

I had my ups and downs with all these and I am still very drawn to each and everyone of these activities, but life changed and they all fell away. However, I learned a lot and I continue to learn more.

One day I hope to live on a small piece of land and have a much more sustainable lifestyle, but for now I'll just have to continue to learn on my little city plot, adding in the different activities slowly as I have time.

This year I am planning on trying gardening again. So today I have a bunch of great resources to share with you that may help you on your own journey. I would love to hear about your favorite books, video's and catalogs so please leave me a comment below!

Teach Children to Love the Garden is the blog of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. You'll want to request their free catalog. If you're not familiar with GMO's, you'll want to do an Internet search on that topic. This catalog is committed to providing you with traditional, God designed Heirloom seeds, not FrankenSeeds. So ORDER this catalog!

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills is an old book, but updated Reader's Digest book. 

The Encyclopedia of Country Living is a classic and in it's 40th Anniversary Edition. It is one of those authentic books written from true experiences. It is so huge, you'll likely read a bit here and there and never get through the whole thing. 

All-New Square Foot Gardening is an alternative form of gardening that is a really easy and successful method. 

Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens is a new book for me but seems to hold loads of potential. It is one I'll be checking out of my library soon. 

The Ultimate Step-by-Step Kids' First Gardening Book can help you make this a learning experience for the kids as well. What better way to spend a summer?

How about a few more fun ideas?

Happy Gardening! Hopefully I'll be sharing chickens and coops with you in the near future!

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5 things to do instead of watching TV

 

So the weather is yucky, you're out of school, and you have no job. Basically, you're stuck at home with nothing to do and you're going a little stir crazy. In this completely hypothetical situation, you may be wandering the halls trying to figure out what to do to pass the time...that you haven't already done eighteen times. After awhile it gets kinda hard to think of stuff to do. You don't want to watch TV; you've already spent the last two days having a "Full House" marathon and Doctor Oz just said too much TV is bad for your brain development; but what else are you supposed to do?!

These are my five things to do instead of watching TV:

1- EXERCISE
Yeah yeah yeah, I know. You don't want to do that! You want to do something fun! But January is the perfect time to kick-start your health, especially when you have nothing to do and no where to go. Even if you're only killing half an hour, you'll feel better, and maybe even have more energy to get out there and shovel your driveway so you can leave your house! LOL no, probably not. But you get the idea.

2- READ A BOOK
This is pretty self-explanatory, but what if you don't like to read? It's a difficult concept for me to imagine, but I've heard there are people in this world that are like that. No biggie. Get an audiobook. Your library is jam packed with great books just waiting to me listened to! And if you listen to a book, you can do something else while you're listening...because multi-tasking is good :)

3- CLEAN YOUR HOUSE
This doesn't sound like fun to me at all, but how often do you tell yourself that you're gonna do it when you've got the time? Suddenly you find yourself with all the time in the world! You don't have to do it all at once, take a room a day, and then come spring cleaning time, your house won't be such an overwhelming project! Plus you can listen to that book while you clean, which only makes the time go faster!

4-DO SOMETHING CRAFTY
Whatever that may be...sewing, knitting, painting, drawing, scrapbooking, whatever. Just make something crafty. Make some wall art for your bare living room walls, make fun crafts with the kids. Get a head start on some Christmas presents! Remember that pair of pants you told your mom you'd hem...and then totally forgot for like six months?(hypothetically, of course) Even if you're not a crafty or artistic person, days like this are a perfect time to experiment and find out just how creative you can be!

5- EXPERIMENT
I reserved this last tip as a sort of miscellaneous section. Everyone has those little things they saw on youtube and always wanted to try, but never took the time. It may be a recipe, or a hairstyle, or whatever, but I know you've all got something you've been putting off 'till later. Well, it's later, and you've got nothing better to do, so try that new smokey eye tutorial, or that recipe for homemade red velvet cake(I'm available for taste testing)

See? There are so many things you can do with your day that doesn't involve the TV! I'm not saying TV is bad....I really really like TV...and often, I'll do many of these things while watching TV. But sometimes it's good to unplug and try new things. I find I have a greater appreciation for easy entertainment when I don't have it. Now get out there and make your day productive!

How to write a Homeschool Rubric in 5 easy steps

- By Michelle

Grading for homeschooling can be really daunting if the assignment you are evaluating doesn't include tests or worksheets with clear cut right or wrong answers. Most homeschoolers don't worry about this too much until they hit high school and they suddenly realize that they need to give grades and keep transcripts. Today's post is the first in a series that will help you get ready for high school record keeping painlessly. 

So what do you do if you are using a curriculum you have pulled together yourself and, therefore, don't have those assessment tools included? You might consider creating your own personalize Rubrics based on your expectations and your child's abilities. Rubrics are great for record keeping AND for keeping you honest when your are looking over your their work since your expectations were already defined prior to the assignment. Also, your child will give you better quality work if they clearly know what you are looking for.

So here are my...

 


Remember, this is YOUR Rubric, so it can look however you want it to look. That said, I am a visual person so here are a couple examples to inspire you.

Also, consider handing out your rubric with the assignment so your child can see what they need to do to get a perfect score. Or even better... have the child create their own Rubric.


So how do you use this to grade your students work? Here is a video from Essentials in Writing that may help answer that question for you.