Get On A Better Sleep Schedule

We all know that how well you sleep at night can affect how you feel and perform the next day. It's a well known fact that we should be getting at least 7-8 hours or sleep at night, and have a regular bedtime. Some of you may be very good with this, and you have a very good sleep schedule in place. Others, myself included, do not have a very healthy sleep schedule in place. My sleep schedule is absolutely horrific, and I certainly feel it's effects during the day. Not only is my bedtime way into the latest hours of the night, or should I say, earliest hours of the morning, but it's also very inconsistent. I'll go to bed anywhere between 12:00 am- 1:30 am or later, on a school night. I find myself feeling really drowsy throughout the day, to the point where picking up a pencil seems physically demanding, and I'll often come home and take a long nap. My naps can sometimes even exceed the hours of sleep I get at night. 

I've heard somewhere that not getting enough sleep can take a toll on how well you do in school. I'm not sure if my terrible sleep schedule has affected my grades or not because I am still getting high test scores and I get all A's and B's on my report cards, although I sometimes find it hard to focus in class. But I have noticed it's toll on my mood and how I feel. I'll often feel really grumpy, and sometimes just not want to talk to anyone or do anything. Sometimes I'll even feel physically sick, with a headache or slight belly ache, mostly in the first hour or so after I wake up. I know that my terrible sleeping habits have a lot to do with why I'm not always feeling my best, and I really need to work on setting a better sleep schedule. 

The first step in getting on a better sleep schedule is to set a bedtime. It's best to pick a bedtime that would allow you to get the full 7-8 hours of sleep, but I know that I would never be able to stick to this myself. Try to at least set your bedtime before midnight, and don't set it much later than 11:00 p.m. Once you have figured out your bedtime, stick to it and go to bed at that time. Don't make excuses to stay up, even for just a couple more minutes. Save that YouTube video for tomorrow, tell the friends you're texting or instant messaging goodnight, put your book down, and turn off the light. It's best to shut off your cellphone so you're not tempted to start texting again or play games, but I know that many of you probably use your phone as your alarm. If this is the case, you might want to consider charging your phone on the other side of the room where to can't easily reach it at night. This also forces you to have to get out of bed in the morning to shut it off.

One of my biggest issues with my bedtime is waiting for my friends to go to bed before I go to bed. I have many friends that are 2 to 3 hours behind me in their time zone. When it's 12 in the morning for me it's only 9 or 10 for them. This is also why I couldn't commit myself to going to bed at 9 or 10, because I  won't get as much time to talk to them then. If you have friends in other time zones, you can surely stay up a little bit longer to chat with them. But when your bedtime gets near it's time to say goodnight and log off.

I also often run into not being really tired when I go to bed at night, or being unable to sleep for whatever reason. Most likely because I take a long nap after school, so I'm not as tired as I would be if I had skipped or shortened that nap. Not only am I unable to sleep at night because of my 3-5 hour nap, but I also don't get much done during the day. If you're really tired, try taking a 15-30 minute nap, but no longer. This will help to give you an extra push to go to bed earlier as well. If you have a hard time staying awake, try doing something to keep your mind going. Write a blog post, read a book, chat with a friend, or even watch some YouTube videos. Whatever keeps you awake. :)

You may be surprised at how much better you feel if you get on a better and more regular sleep schedule. I am  certainly going to make an effort to try getting on a better sleep schedule. Would you say you have a good sleep schedule, or is that something you need to work on?

I've Been Nominated For The Liebster Award!

First of all, I'd like to thank Kim from Think Live Love (Check out her blog! She is an AMAZING writer!), for nominating me for this award! This is so exciting, and i am honored to be nominated! :)

"The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

11 Facts About Me: 

1. I have an obsession with The Sims 3! I have every expansion pack for it,and 3 stuff packs.

2. I'm honestly not that much into pop music, I love harder rock music. But I do listen to some pop songs once in a while. 

3. I will fight for the things I believe in.

4. I'm not afraid to wear a bold make-up look anywhere, including school.

5. I am easily amused by weird, random things.

6. I love putting outfits together, and doing my hair and make-up to suit the outfit how I see best.

7. Sometimes I am genuinely interested in the things I learn in school. 

8. I can be super shy sometimes, even online. 

9. I wear hair extensions almost everyday.

10. I am a senior in high school,and I actually slightly don't want to leave my school.

11. I am an only child.

11 Questions:

1. Favorite YouTuber?

I love taliajoy18, Talia is a 13-year-old girl fighting cancer, but that doesn't bring her down! I admire her positive outlook on life, and her fun personality. She also an AMAZING make-up artist. 

2. Favorite Food?

I love pasta! 

3. Drugstore (Boots or Superdrug) vs. High-End?

I would love to try some High-End products, but it's a bit to expensive for me, so I'll go with drugstore :) We don't have Boots or Superdrug where I live, but I love to go to Rite-Aid, and also big retailers like Walmart and Target.

4. Comfortable or Trendy

Trendy, but comfortable when I'm at home :)

5. What is the best DIY you have seen?

I love MacBarbie07's DIY on how to renovate your old tops. This is such  a great idea and I want to try it sometime!

6. Favorite school subject?

I am loving my art class right now! I am in textiles and I'm loving learning how to sew and stitch. When it comes to more academic classes I enjoy English classes. I loved Compositions last year because of the creative writing, and I actually liked Speech last semester as well.

7. Favorite High Street Store? 

We don't really refer to them as High Street stores in America, but if I am using the term correctly my favorite High Street store would be Deb's :)

8. iPhone, Blackberry, or other?

iPhone! :)

9. Do you have a messy or tidy room?

I'm going to be honest, I try to keep my room tidy, but it can get a little messy.

10. Are you  a procrastinator?

I can be, I'm trying to break that habit though, LOL. :)

11. Describe yourself in 3 words?

Creative, Bold, Unique

I nominate:

-ccfashion16 

-Lindsey from Lindsey's Thoughtful Thoughts  

-klimver

I love reading their blogs, they are so much fun and they have so many great posts!

My 11 Questions:

1. If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?

2. Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate?

3. Bright colored eye-shadow, or neutral colors?

4. If you could meet any famous person, who would it be?

5. What do you  enjoy doing in your free time?

6. What book are you currently reading? Or do you not enjoy reading that much?

7. Favorite season?

8. Casual or dressy outfits?

9. What is a pet peeve of yours?

10. Heels or flats?

11. Do you like to take risks or play it safe?

Jump Start Your Morning Routine At Night

I would say I have a pretty good morning routine. I get through everything that I need to get done, and still have plenty of time to relax before I leave for school. But I know that there are ways that I can make my morning run even smoother, and get everything done faster. And waking up on time and not hitting snooze is just the start of it. In fact, speeding up your morning routine starts before you even go to bed the night before. 

A Weird Fact About Me: I like to coordinate every part of my outfit everyday. I like my hair to go with the look and feel of the outfit, and I like my eye shadow to match, or go with what I'm wearing. What I mean by that is, I like to use more casual hairstyles for more casual outfits, and I love to go with curls, straight hair, or an up-do for dressier outfits. And if I'm wearing a blue dress or top, I like to be daring and go for blue eye shadow. 

With that said, if I don't know what I want to wear that day, I have to spend extra time picking out an outfit before I start getting ready. Along with figuring out what exactly I want to do with my hair and make-up. I tend to run into this issue a lot, and given the fact that I just woke up, it makes making a decision even harder. The time I spent picking through my closet and thinking of what to do with my hair and what make-up products to use. Sometimes I'll also run into the issue of not being able to find what I wanted and having to pick something else. Sure I'm still left with plenty of free time, and a nice outfit, but the extra time I took to pick an outfit and look for a product could have been additional free time after I finished getting ready. 

If you pick out your outfit at night, along with deciding how to do your hair and make-up, it'll save you on the decision time the next morning. Look through your closet before you go to bed at night, as you start your nightly routine. Take out the outfit you want, and put it somewhere that you can find it easily. Don't forget to pick out some accessories and set them by your outfit. Then decide on your hair and make-up. Get out any tools you may need to style your hair, or you could even use overnight styling methods to speed on the process in the morning even more. Decide on what make-up style you want to use, what products you want to use, and what brushes you want to use and set them out. I like to put my make-up products in a basket so I can carry them right to the bathroom. Also it wouldn't be a bad idea to choose which purse you want to use and put all of your purse items in it, along with packing all of your school things into your school bag. I also like to pick out a different perfume everyday.

Don't stop with just planning your outfit. Planning out your breakfast at night is also a great way to make deciding on breakfast easier, or to add eating breakfast to your morning routine. I tend to not eat breakfast simply because I don't know what I'm going to eat. But if I knew what I was going to eat, I would make eating breakfast a part of my free time in the morning! Planning your breakfast will also help you to make better breakfast decisions, rather then just grabbing a cookie for breakfast. You don't have to plan a huge pancake breakfast, just as long as it's decently healthy. A bowl of cereal and toast would do just fine. :) 

What do you do to keep help your morning go smoothly? 

My Favorite Cold Day Treat

It's been extremely cold in Ohio lately, with temperatures in the single digits and windchill in the negative. If the temperature would drop just a couple more degrees school would be cancelled, and I walk to school everyday. I complain if the temperature even drops below 40 degrees, LOL. I am not a winter person what-so-ever, I hate the cold, and I have a strong disliking of snow unless it closes school. But I know there's nothing I can do to change the weather, and the best I can do is find something to make the most of it. 

After stumbling through the bitter cold on a day like today, I like to come home and curl up in a blanket by my computer,  next to my heater, with a cup hot chocolate. I've always loved to drink hot chocolate after coming inside on a cold day, ever since I was a little girl that actually liked to play in the snow, and even now that I'm a senior in high school and can't stand the winter. I've always loved the hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, but I also loved putting in my own marshmallows as well. I remember when I was in middle school, the first thing I would do when i got home was heat up some water, and grab a packet of hot chocolate mix and some marshmallows. It was always something nice to come home from after a long day of school.

Recently, I found a way to make my hot chocolate taste even better! I had always mixed my hot chocolate into hot water in the past in the past and it was delicious, but sometimes it tasted a little more like, water, rather then hot chocolate and it wasn't as flavorful as it could have been. So a couple weeks ago, I decided to try to make hot chocolate using hot milk, instead of hot water. It was absolutely amazing! The flavor seemed much richer in the milk than the water. I also didn't burn my tongue on the hot chocolate made with milk, primarily because I heated it for a shorter amount of time.

If you decide to replace water with milk for hot chocolate, be sure that you don't over heat the milk, you don't want it to boil. I heat my milk for 1 minute and 30 seconds in the microwave. You may need to make alterations to how long you heat it for based on how hot you want it, the size of your cup, and how fast your microwave heats the milk. After the milk is heated you can mix in your hot chocolate like you would in hot water. If you haven't already tried hot chocolate in milk you should most definitely try it! :)

Do you prefer hot chocolate in hot water or milk? Do you use a combination of both water and milk? 

Beat The Study Hall Boredom

I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to waste my study hall. If I don't have a homework assignment due that day or the next day, I'll just sit there doing nothing. Maybe I'll put my head down on the desk and try to take a nap, even if I should be working on a project or studying for a test. Even though there are plenty of things I could be doing in study hall, whether I have work to do or not, I find myself getting bored and staring off into space. Sometimes it just seems like there's nothing to do in study hall, when in reality, there are plenty of things you could be doing to pass the time. 

Obviously, study hall is class period that is meant for studying and doing school work, not for sleeping, as much as we like to think it is sometimes, LOL. Work on homework you got in classes you had before study hall, you might just get them done and not have to take them home! Personally, I like to work on assignments that require the textbook first so that you won't need to take the book home. If all of your homework is done, you can work on any large projects you may have, or study for a test that you have coming up. 

If you don't have homework to do, projects to work on, or tests to study for, then you can do something a little more enjoyable. The biggest time passer, that almost every study hall teacher will let you do, is reading a good book. Sometimes you can get so sucked into the story that the bell ringing sneaks up on you before you know it! If you're not much of a reader, doodling or coloring is also a great time passer. If you're a writer you can write some stories or poems, or if you like to blog or make YouTube videos you can plan out your video or blog post during this time and write down some ideas. Some teachers may also allow you to listen to music during study hall, which can help time go by even faster. Music can also help you to block out distractions from people around you when you're working. If you are allowed to talk in study hall, you can always chat with any friends that you have around you. You could maybe even play a card game or color a picture together if neither of you have work to do. Just remember, there are other people working. Don't do anything that would cause a distraction to other people around you.  

What do you like to do to pass time in study hall? Do you typically have a lot of homework to do, or do you need to find other things to do? Do you have no study halls at all? 

Dealing With Bullying

At some point in our lives, almost everyone gets bullied in some way. It may have been mild teasing in elementary school, and only lasted for a short period of time. Or it's that mean girl or guy that picks on you and your friends for seemingly silly things. Maybe it doesn't bother you that much, and what they say doesn't really get to you. But for some, the bullying can be much worse, and can even get physical. And modern technology can make it even harder to get away from it. Victims can often feel trapped, and like they are alone. Sometimes it can lead to the victim suffering from depression or other emotional problems. I have personally been badly bullied in the past, but I'll tell that story another day.

We've all heard the saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." I disagree with this statement. If you break a bone, or get a bruise, it will eventually heal. You may even eventually by able to get a good laugh off of it. Physical pain passes, words and memories stick. When you are taunted, or picked on daily, it's often easy to start believing what people say, and start thinking something is wrong with you. Words can ruin your reputation, and destroy your self-esteem. There is no reason that you should need to deal with the taunting and false rumors about you, you are better then that.

So what can you do? First of all, DON'T fight back by calling then a name or saying something about them. They want you to stoop to their level, they want to see you get angry or upset. And NEVER hit someone unless they hit you, you'll get in more trouble if you start a fight. If they hit you, you have every right to defend yourself, but something should be done before it escalates to the point of physical violence. I have been told before to just try to ignore it, and don't react,eventually the bully will get bored, but this isn't always the case. They will try anything to get a reaction out of you, and you shouldn't need to sit around and deal with it and let it get worse. The best thing you can is tell someone, preferably an adult that can help. It can be a teacher, guidance counselor, parent, or any other adult you trust. They can find ways to help you deal with it, and try to put an end to it. **If you are being physically threatened, this is a matter for law enforcement.** NEVER be ashamed to ask for help, it may not be easy... but things will get better.

Remember, there are always people who care about you, and that will support you. Your friends and family care about you and want the best for you. You have so much going for you, and there is most definitely something good about you. I have a challenge on my blog to find at least 5 things you like about yourself, try it out. Don't let other people bring you down. Bullies try to bring others down to boost their own ego. Never let anyone make you feel like less than what you are. 

This song has really helped me a lot. I love BOTDF (I have a different taste in music, and I'm not ashamed of it =]) and the message behind this song, and even if you don't like Blood On The Dance Floor, the message is still great. 

Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are others going through the same things, and people that care about you, people who will be willing to help you and talk with you. If you just need someone to talk to, you can always talk to a close friend, sibling, as well as an adult. There are also multiple hotlines you can call to talk with someone. If you are having thoughts of suicide, or self-harm, it's best to seek professional help. Don't give up, things will get better.

You are all so amazing, and there are so many great things about you. For those of you who need to deal with bullying on a regular basis, I know how you feel, and I know it's never easy. Just keep working towards your dreams, you may even become that bully's boss one day. And for those of you who have never had to deal with harsh bullying, you are very fortunate, and I'm happy for you. I care for all of you, even if I don't know you. :)

*Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert or a professional. I am sharing what I have learned from experience, as well as what I have learned in the past. 

Product Review: "Illegal Length" Mascara by Maybelline

In the past, I didn't see the big deal in getting a good mascara. I had been using cheaper mascaras from those bulk make-up sets you can buy at Walmart around Christmas time, just to darken my eyelashes a bit. It worked for what I was using it for, but it really didn't do a whole lot for my lashes. This, or more like last year, I decided to spend a little bit of my Christmas money on a new mascara, to see if I could see a difference in quality. While looking through the make-up section at Walmart, I found a make-up set by Maybelline that came with eyeliner, eye shadow, and mascara on sale for $5.00! Who could pass up a deal like that?! I tried it out immediately when I got home, and wow, I never thought that I could fall in love with a mascara, or any other make-up product!

When I first applied Maybelline's "Illegal Length" mascara, I immediately saw the difference between that, and the lower end products I've been using. It went on much more cleanly than products I've used before, and didn't clump up my lashes. And, it actually gave my lashes more length! I also picked up Maybelline's "The Falsies" while I was shopping, and I love pairing these two mascaras together for long, full lashes. 

I've been using this mascara almost everyday since I picked it up. It is definitely a huge step up from what I had been using. I would certainly pay the full $8.99 to repurchase it. $8.99 for mascara used to sound crazy to me, I'm kind of a penny pincher, but I feel that this product is certainly worth it. Sometimes you have to splurge a little bit to find a product you really like! 

Have you tried the "Illegal Length" mascara by Maybelline? What did you think of it? Is it worth the full price of $8.99 in your opinion?

*FTC Disclaimer: I purchased this product with my own money, I did not this this product for free. I am not being paid for this review. All opinions are 100% honest,and are my own.

Yummy Treats: Puppy Chow

At my school, the new semester doesn't start the first day we get back from winter break, we still have one week left of first semester classes. Many of my teachers have chosen to do fun and simple things for this week. In my creative cooking class, we decided to make one last thing before cleaning up the kitchens for the next semester, and it was so yummy I decided to share it with you guys. :) 

Puppy Chow

What you will need:

-9 cups Chex cereal (preferably plain)

-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 

Directions:
1. Measure out cereal in a large bowl and set aside
2. Put chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter into a bowl and microwave for 1 minute
3. Stir chocolate mixture
4. Microwave for an extra 30 seconds or until smooth *be careful not to burn the chocolate*
5. Add vanilla
6. Pour mixture into cereal and stir until cereal is coated. Don't worry to much about breaking the cereal.
7. Put into a large Ziploc bag and add powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake well until cereal is coated with powdered sugar.
8. Spread out on wax paper to cool.
9. Store in Ziploc bags or in a large sealed container

Let me know if you guys try this out, and let me know how it turns out for you!

Stop Procrastinating, Stay On Top Of Things

Admit it, we all procrastinate sometimes. We've all put off writing that huge research paper, doing our chores, and other things that, we just don't want to do. We tell ourselves, "I'll do it in an hour," but then that hour becomes two hours, and eventually "I'll do it tomorrow". Sometimes it'll even go beyond that, and we find ourselves scrambling at the last minute to get something done. I myself, am a terrible procrastinator. I'll put off just about anything for as long as I can, whether it be homework, waking up, leaving for school in the morning, or even applying for college. Sometimes I'll even put off doing things I enjoy doing, such as blogging. It's not  always that I don't want to do it, it's that I get distracted doing other things.

Often times, we put off things because we are either distracted by something else, we want to avoid stress, or we simply don't want to do it. It's really easy to spend the whole night on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube rather than cleaning your room or doing your research paper, or to go hang out with your best friend instead of doing your homework. We would all prefer to do something fun over something stressful. But in all honesty, putting things off causes you more stress than just doing them straight away. You get that nagging little voice in that back of your head that keeps saying "You should being doing [insert task here] right now", and it keeps you from having as good of a time as you would if you had done it already. The voice nags you everywhere you go, and through everything you do. And when you finally get to it at the last minute, you wish you would have used your time more wisely, because it's taking even longer than you anticipated, and you know you won't do as well as you would have if you would have been working on it from the beginning. 

When it comes to large assignments, we're typically given more than enough time to get it done, and sometimes we're even given class time to work on them. One of my first steps to beating procrastination is to actually use this class time to work on the assignment, whether it be big or small. It gives you less work to do outside of class, and less to take home. It also gives you the opportunity to as for help if you need it. Don't mess around on the internet or use this time to chat with the people around you. You may even inspire your friends to get to work on their assignments as well if they see you working. And if you have a study hall, use that to get as much of your project done as you can as well if you don't have any other homework due the next day (or the same day). Doing homework that you've been assigned before study hall will lighten you load of homework for when you get home. However, don't save all of your homework to do the next day in study hall. Some assignments may take longer then one study hall to complete, and you might not always get done. Especially if you are in a lot of classes that give homework often. Take what you didn't get done in study hall home. If you have a large project, work on it for a certain amount of time each night at home, 15 minutes to an hour a night would be a good time frame. Or making sure you made a certain amount of progress each night, for example, writing one page of your essay a night. You may even get done early and not have to worry about it near the due date. I will post an example of a project schedule in the future.

You'll also want to set a certain time in which to start doing your homework. Be sure to give yourself a little time to unwind before you begin, and allow some time for a small snack. Don't make it to late at night, and don't set it much more than an hour after you get home. And don't start doing anything that might delay for from starting your homework. When the time comes, no excuses, get off of your favorite website and turn off the TV, and get to work on your homework. If you find yourself getting over stressed, take a short 5 minute break and maybe get a glass of water. Don't start doing other things like going on Facebook or watching TV. You can listen to music while you do your homework as long as it won't become a distraction. The less breaks you take,and the more you focus, the more time you get to yourself at night. Time to chat with your friends and read a book of your choice without that nagging "Do your homework!" :)

Scheduling out specific times a day to do the things you have to do, and going by those times is the first step in breaking the habit of procrastination. Set a time to wake-up, leave for school, start your homework, get ready for bed, and go to bed, and anything else you may need to do and stick to it. You can also schedule certain days and times to do certain chores. If you are given a list of chores to do, it's best to just get it out of the way and do it right away, rather than just thinking about it, or possibly forgetting about it completely and getting in trouble, or disappointing someone. 

Procrastination is easy to fall victim to, especially when you're surrounded with distractions, and it's up to you to avoid them. If your homework doesn't require you to use a computer, it's best that you shut your computer off, along with the TV and your cellphone. Resist the urge to check your text messages or see whats tending on Twitter. If you do need to use the computer, stay off of your favorite websites and close out all instant messaging programs. You may even want to put a temporary block on these websites. Many anti-virus programs allow you to block and unblock certain websites. Some even allow you to block the use of certain programs. But again, this is of your own will to block this websites until you finish your work. Don't allow yourself to use or do anything distracting until you are done with what you need to get done. 

How do you plan to beat procrastination? How do you keep yourself on top of thing? Remember, you'll always enjoy yourself better without your own mind nagging at you :)

Thinking Positively: What We Love About Ourselves

I often find it easy to give somebody else a compliment. Whether it be that they have a great personality, a great sense of style, their hair or make-up looks amazing, or they are a great artist or athlete. But while its great to give somebody else a compliment, how often do we compliment ourselves? In fact, I often find myself insulting myself, rather then complimenting myself. "My hair looks awful today, I stink at sports, my voice sounds so weird today, ect..." And it can be really easy to compare ourselves to others, and feel like we aren't good enough. This is a feeling I experience a lot, and I know that others have as well. We are our own worst critics, and our biggest bully, and some people are harder on themselves than others.

Remember, there is some kind of good in everyone, and everyone has something that they are good at. If you are able to find something you like about other people, you can certainly find something you like about yourself. Maybe you're really good at soccer, or you're a great artist. You might be really good with make-up, or have a great sense of style. You're nice to others, or you're really good at a certain subject. It can even be simple or silly things like, nice eyes or you like something about your body, or that you know how to make people laugh. 

My Challenge To You

I would like to challenge all of you to find at least 5 things you like about yourself and write them down somewhere. It can be anything, big or small, as long as it's something you like about yourself. Write it down somewhere that you'll look often, and when you're feeling down, read over it again. You can also put it into a video, or even create a blog post about it. (If you do, I would love it if you send me the link to your video or blog.) Just remember, it needs to be at least 5 things, and if you can come up with more, that would be great! :)

5 Things I Like About Myself

1. I am a great writer

2. I am confident when it comes to public speaking

3. I love my sense of style and the outfits I pick out are really cute

4. I am friendly to others, and I can find the good in people

5. I'm good with make-up, and I'm not afraid to go for bold looks

Let's stop being so hard on ourselves and start seeing ourselves the way that the people who care about us do <3

Rise and Shine, Stop Hitting Snooze!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to stop procrastinating, and I often seem to procrastinate at getting out of bed in the morning. My alarm is set to go off at 4:30 a.m but I just keep hitting snooze until 5:00, sometimes a little later. Sure, I still have 2 hours to get ready for school, which is plenty of time. But what is the sense in having my alarm set for 4:30 when I know I won't be waking up until 5:00? I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does this, some people may keep hitting snooze for even longer than I do, it may have even made them late for school a few times. 

If there's one thing that many of us can agree on, it's that waking up early in the morning for school or work sucks. Nobody wants to leave the comfort of their nice warm bed, especially not to go to school. But like most of the things we procrastinate on, it has to be done. And as with trying to break any bad habit, you have to have some kind of a strategy to beat the wake-up procrastination. 

If you're like me and you typically get out of bed the same time every morning, as long as it isn't making you late, set your alarm for that time. Honestly, it would be much nicer to have 30 extra minutes of uninterrupted sleep, rather then having to reach for the snooze button every 9 minutes. It can also be very easy to lose track of how many times you've hit snooze, 30 minutes can turn into an hour or more if you're not careful! If you don't like getting out of bed with your first alarm, you may allow yourself ONE snooze, and one only. Do not use this time as a nap, turn on a light and sit up so that you don't fall back asleep. Use this time to collect your thoughts and wake-up a little more. It's best if you keep your eyes open and your mind active during this time. Reading a little bit, or even checking Facebook or Twitter will keep you from falling back asleep. Use your one snooze simply to keep track of time, and begin your morning routine once it goes off again.

If you feel that you're going to fall back asleep if you stay in bed, but you still need some time to wake-up before you start your day, get out of bed and go sit somewhere else. You may also want to consider having your alarm away from your bed where you can't reach over and shut it off. Use your "snooze" time to watch a little TV, read a little, or sit on the computer for a few minutes. Do not go and lay back down! If you still feel a little groggy, you can try gently patting cold water into your tear ducts. Not only does this help to wake you up a little, but it also helps to clean out that icky goo that forms in your tear ducts overnight. 

Keep in mind that how you feel in the morning, and throughout the day, also depends on how well you sleep at night. It's recommended that you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep at night, which I know that I, and many others, do not. That's another thing I need to change this year. You may want to consider moving back your bedtime to an earlier time. 

How do you get yourself out of bed in the morning? 

Keeping Your New Years Resolutions

Many of us make several different New Year's resolutions. Perhaps you want to lose some weight to look, and feel better. Or we want to break a bad habit, try new things, become better as a person, or even start focusing more on something we enjoy doing. Sometimes we do really well with them, other times we don't. And I'm going to be completely honest with you guys, I often find them hard to keep. We all know that it's easy to say we are going to do something, but actually carrying it out is the hard part. I often find myself getting disappointed when things don't work out as planned right away, and I'm sure that many others have as well. And as the days move along, the excitement of a New Year often subsides, along with some of our resolutions. 

This year, one of my New Year's resolutions is to keep trying, even if thing's don't work out as planned in the beginning. Always remember, nobody's perfect, especially when it comes to trying to new things or breaking a bad habit, or when trying to make improvements to your own outlook on life. It's sort of like you won't be a pro make-up artist the first time you put on make-up, or a professional athlete the first time you step onto the field or court. Nor can you expect to completely lose a bad habit, change your entire outlook on life, or start doing great in one or your lesser subjects right away. Whatever the goal is, you need to work at it, and never ever give up!

Make plans for how you're going to go about your New Year's resolutions, and be realistic. If one of your goals is to lose a few pounds, or to just become a little healthier, you can't just say "I will not eat any sweets and I'll only eat 3 meals a day." This would be difficult to stick to, especially if you're anything like me and tend to eat at the first sign of hunger, or as a reaction to boredom or stress. Something more like, "I will limit the amount of sweets I eat, make healthier snack choices, and drink more water rather than constantly eating," would be much easier to stick to, and allows you some leeway. Or if one of your New Year's resolutions is to do better in a certain class, you might want to start asking that teacher, even if you don't like them very much, for help.

Don't forget to reward yourself for following your plans, if gives you something to look forward to. A week of healthy eating can be rewarded by a nice desert at the end of the week. Or getting a certain score on a big test or report card can be rewarded by buying a new outfit, or beauty product you've always wanted to try. Whatever you choose as your reward, just be sure it's something that makes you happy. Perhaps your reward can even be the satisfaction of success. 

Let's make 2013 the best year yet. Remember, every year has it's up's and down's. Always live every day to the fullest and keep your head up! :) What do you want to accomplish this year? 

Here are some of my New Year's resolutions for 2013 :)

-Start eating healthier, and get into better shape. I tend to eat whenever, and whatever. I'll even eat a large meal late at night around bedtime, simply because I'm bored or upset, eek! And I'll mostly go for sugar filled snacks throughout the day, not just as special treats. This is a habit that I certainly need to break. I need to better plan out my meals, and start eating something for breakfast (and potato chips are NOT for breakfast), drink more water in place of some of my snacks, and choose smaller and healthier snacks to satisfy my hunger, and turn to something I enjoy doing rather than food when my emotions are getting the better of me. And of course some light exercises are in order as well.

-Move Forward with life. I'm about to enter my very last semester of high school. It's time to start growing up, and letting go of the past. The past is the past, and as much as we'd all love to sometimes, we can't go back to it. I need to focus more on the friends I have now, rather than wishing I could have some of my friends from 2 years ago back. Life's to short to worry about what happened yesterday. And not only do I need to enjoy the present, but I also need to start working towards the future. I really need to get to work on searching for a good college, I'm already behind, and this is the year to get of my lazy behind and find a job. Perhaps I could even try to get a job at one of my favorite stores. 

-Try to be better as a person. This year, I should start being a little more social with people I wouldn't normally talk to. Even giving someone a simple smile or hello can really make someone's day. It wouldn't hurt to say good morning to someone walking down the street on my way to school, rather then turning up the music on my iPod and looking away just because I'm a grump in the morning. I'd also like to start helping my mom out a little more by doing a few things around the house, and even try to get involved more in the community. 

-Break bad habits. Everyone has a bad habit of some kind, and some are worse then others. My worst habits would probably be procrastination, a terrible sleep schedule, and bored/ emotional eating. Nail biting is also a very nasty habit that I need too break. 

-I want to really focus on the things that I love. I absolutely love beauty, and I love blogging. I want to try new make-up looks and hairstyles, and share them with you. I want to really get a start on having my own beauty channel on YouTube, and write the best blog posts I can for you guys, and get videos and blog posts out as often as I can. I'm hoping to upload a video to YouTube sometime this, or next week. If you are interested, my channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/AngelicGlitter feel free to subscribe to my channel, as well a follow my blog posts. :) 

-And finally.... NEVER GIVE UP!