Back To School: Do Your Summer Homework

I know this is probably the last thing that many of you want to think about at this point, anything related to school. Not to mention, the not so fun part of school... anything that involves work, especially the dreaded summer homework. Who in their right mind decides to assign homework over summer vacation?! Do they not know that we actually do have lives, and we want to go places and enjoy our summer? I graduated high school and I still hate the idea of doing homework over the summer. However, if you are assigned work over the summer, sadly it has to get done. And if you choose not to do it, you could suffer a huge blow to your grade, and get in some sort of trouble. Not a good way to start off the year, or a good impression to give your teacher so early. So really the best thing you can do is do it, and do it before the summer ends. 

The only time I ever really had homework over the summer was the summer before grade 10, and all I had to do was read one book. It was suggested that we took notes, but we didn't have to. We didn't have to write anything. It wasn't even that long of a book, yet I was complaining. Just because the book was not one I'd typically read, and I was being forced to do it. Some teachers will assign a lot more than reading a 209 page book, with the suggestion of taking notes. Sometimes you'll have to keep journals of what's going on, answer questions, do other projects, or anything they choose. Some teachers may also do online assignments to see if you really are working throughout the summer, theres really no waiting until the last minute on that one. But no matter how big or small the assignment is, it sucks that it's taking from your summer, and that you have to do school work when your not even in school. It's really the last thing that you want to think about. 

Me being a huge procrastinator, I decided to wait until the last few weeks before school started to start reading the book. So between back to school shopping, getting my supplies together, and picking my outfit for the first day of school, I was reading that book. Luckily for me the book was short enough that I was able to do a few other things in between, but the fact that school was coming close caused a lot of stress for me. Had the book been longer or I had to actually write anything down or answer questions, I wouldn't have had any free time or been able to get done at all. And the worst part of putting off a summer assignment is the fact that, it just hangs over your head and nags at you the whole summer until you get it done. The later you get into the summer without starting your assignment, the naggier it gets, and it can cut into you having a good time. Who really wants to deal with their own brain nagging at them about homework when they are trying to enjoy a day at the pool?

Waiting until the last minute to do anything is never really the best idea. It creates a lot of stress, and then makes you feel as if you need to rush. When you rush, you don't always do your best on your assignments. I know that some teachers may not be the pickiest about summer assignments, and they may just want to see that you put effort into it. However some may be a little more picky, and you will likely have some kind of test or quiz over it. Even if the test or quiz isn't going to be a huge grade, it would still suck to start off the year with a lesser test score. 

If you haven't already, you may want to start on your summer assignments now. That way you will still have plenty of time before school starts again in August or September depending on your school. Then you don't have to try to do it all at once. You can read a chapter or two from your summer reading book and do any written part that goes along with that each night, until you get done. Starting now will also allow you the opportunity to take a day or two off from it to do other fun things. Of course you can also choose to do a lot more each night and get it done even sooner, then not have to worry about it the last few weeks of summer while you go back to school shopping and do other end of summer activities. Just don't choose to wait until the very end of summer. It really kills the fun part of back to school, and anything fun you may want to do at that time if you wait. 

Having the time to only do a little at a time is probably the best part of starting early. It allows you time to get out and enjoy the summer, while still getting a little work done. If you start to feel stressed, you can also walk away from it for a bit and not have to worry about time as much. I also suggest doing these assignments during a time when your feeling bored and can't seem to find anything else to do, which happens to me a lot in the summer, LOL. Stuck inside on a rainy day? Friends away on vacation? Nothing else to do and nothing on TV? Work on your assignments. It's not the most exciting solution to boredom, but it does help to ease the nagging feeling. I noticed that the nagging feeling  that I should be reading my summer book came up a lot when I was sitting there doing nothing, or trying to look for videos on the weird part of YouTube for some sort of amusement. "Why are you just sitting here doing nothing?! Read your book!" 

If you have other friends in the same class with the same assignment, you could possibly work together on it. Then you can spend some time with friends while your at it, and it can help to make it seem a little more fun. It also gives you a way to share what you think with others and get other opinions or ideas that you didn't think of as you go to do any written assignments. Working with friends and having some laughs can really help to relieve some of the drag on the assignment. And afterwards, you can all go out and do something fun together!

If you like reading your own books during the summer, I would suggest making the next book you read be your summer reading book. Sure it's probably not going to be a book of your interest, but it would be best to get it out of the way before you go on to your next pleasure read. You can also read it along with your pleasure reads. Read a little bit of the not-so-fun school book, and do what you need to do. Then reward yourself by relaxing with a book you love. If you aren't a reader, you can (and should) give yourself a small reward in other ways. Perhaps with a cookie or other treat after you get your work for the day done. You may also want to wait until you finish it completely and reward yourself with something slightly bigger. Perhaps you can buy yourself that new bathing suite or dress you wanted, or maybe that new beauty product you think may be nice. Or maybe you could treat yourself to your favorite restaurant after you finish. The satisfaction of getting the assignment off your shoulders and not having to worry about it also makes for a great reward. 

Getting assigned homework to do over the summer is never exactly fun, and summer homework is not something we exactly get excited to get started on. But unfortunately it has to get done if we want to get the best grade we can and give the teacher a good first impression of us. It's best to start on it early so we can have plenty of time to work on it, and still have plenty of free time. It also helps to get it done early and get rid of that nagging feeling that you should be working on your homework so that it doesn't spoil your whole summer. It's better to enjoy the last couple weeks before school homework free. 

Treating A Sunburn

If your going to spend any length of time outside, enjoying a nice day, it's always important to put on that sunscreen to avoid getting a painful sunburn. It's also important to reapply it as directed to ensure that you stay protected the best you can. But let's face it, we're all human and we forget sometimes. Perhaps you forgot to throw it into your beach bag before you left, or it just completely slipped your mind. Or you may have remembered to wear it, but you forgot to reapply it after so may hours in the sun. Oops... But hey, it happens to the best of us once in a while, so don't fret, nobody's perfect, just don't purposely neglect to put on sunscreen. There are ways to treat that sunburn to help it heal a little faster, and feel a bit better. 

The first and most important thing when you have a sunburn is to avoid exposure to the sun as much as you can, you don't want to make the sunburn any worse. If you have to go outside, wear a stronger SPF sunscreen, or wear light, loose fitting clothing that covers the sunburnt area. If your face or neck is sunburnt, wear a cute sunhat when you go out to help protect your face and neck a bit. Try to stay in the shade if you can. However, it's best to stay indoors as much as you can until the sunburn heals, to best protect your skin from further burning.

If you like to take really hot showers like I do, you may want to consider taking a cool or cold shower. I've read somewhere before that cold showers are actually better for your skin than a hot shower, and I think I may actually try it without a sunburn sometime. There have been times that I've stepped out of the shower looking like I had an all over sunburn. Although it would clear up in less than an hour, and wasn't painful, it's still a sign that the water I shower with may be a bit to hot. Certainly water that hot would agitate skin that is already burnt. You'll notice that sunburn is warm to the touch, so it's best to try to cool it down, and I've noticed personally that cool water helps it out a lot. Oh... and don't forget to get a cold glass of water to drink. Water is always super important, especially in the summer, and when you have a sunburn.

It's always important to keep your skin moisturized, especially when you have a sunburn. The sun can really suck moisture out of your skin, and cause the sunburnt area to be extra dry. I like to apply extra lotion over my sunburnt areas to keep them as moisturized as possible, to help avoid peeling. I also like to apply sunburn cooling gel over my sunburn to help cool and ease the sunburn. Avoid any products that can dry out this skin, along with any rough cleansers or exfoliators. You don't want to do anything that can cause any further dryness or pealing. If you do start to peal, don't pick at it or rip it off, as tempting as it is. Trying using a light exfoliant if you wish to wash away some of the dead skin. Again keep it as moisturized as you can. Rough, peeling skin makes sunburn even more painful. If you are pealing or blistering excessively, or if your sunburn is extremely painful you may want to see a doctor. They can prescribe something that will help with the sunburn. 

If your face is sunburnt, it's best to avoid putting on any make-up at all. If anything use a tinted moisturizer with SPF, then maybe some mascara for the eyes. Sunburnt skin needs to be able to breathe, and heavy make-up can choke it. I wouldn't typically wear heavy make-up in the summer anyways, as it doesn't look so nice and can cause pores to clog (leading to breakouts) if you start sweating a lot. And obviously make-up is not usually ideal for swimming since it would just wash off anyways. 

We all know how painful a sunburn can be, and we certainly want to do anything in our power to avoid causing any more pain to it. Some sunburns may even only hurt when they are agitated in some way. One thing I like to do to avoid agitating my sunburn is to wear loose fitting clothing, as it allows for it to breathe and doesn't choke it up. It also doesn't rub up against it as much. Also be extra gentle when washing your skin, or applying lotion, and don't scrub or rub so hard. This is great practice for everyday skin care as well. While this may be harder to avoid for some, don't allow anyone to slap at your sunburn. Some people find it to be a funny joke to slap someones sunburn, but when it happens to you, it's certainly not funny! If you have a friend that does this as a joke, tell them calmly but firmly that you would really prefer that they didn't do that. Tell them that it hurts you, and ask them if they would want someone to do that to them. If you show that you are serious, they should back off.

I know that there are several other ways that you can help to treat a sunburn, and I would to hear how you guys treat sunburn when you get it. Keep in mind that these are all at home remedies, and any tips suggested in this blog won't replace any medical advice. If your sunburn is really serious, or doesn't start to get better within 2 weeks, then you may want to see a doctor. And always remember, it's best to prevent yourself from getting a sunburn in the first place and wear sunscreen when you'll be spending time outside. Always keep some in your beach bag, and even in your purse in the summer. It's always better safe then sorry. But hey, things happen sometimes. 

Don't Forget Your Sunscreen

Nothing can spoil a nice sunny day quite like a nasty sunburn, and believe me, I've had some nasty sunburns in my life. Some that even lead to pealing, although there haven't been any nearly as the sunburn I got when I was 11-years-old back in summer 2005, yikes! My face, neck, and shoulders were all pealing off dry skin. The sunburn alone was painful enough, then adding in extremely dry skin. It didn't help that I had been swimming in a pool that had way to many chemicals (the water was  legit white) in it, so I had chemical burns in my benders as well. Luckily it all cleared up before I began 6th grade,  but it was certainly not a good experience. Had my 11-year-old self had thought to put on sunscreen before spending all that time outside, and chosen not to get in the pool, I would have been a lot more comfortable. I've had more sunburns after that, none nearly that bad, but they weren't fun. And just about every sunburn I had, I got because I neglected to put on sunscreen. 

Learn from my mistakes, don't forget to put on sunscreen! Sunburn is certainly not very attractive, especially if you start pealing, and it's also painful. Not only that but it can lead to even worse skin problems down the road, including skin cancer. Taking a couple extra minutes to apply sunscreen, and reapply as needed, before getting in the pool or doing whatever you're doing outside will certainly benefit you in the long, and short run. Also call me weird, but I love the smell of sunscreen! So theres another minor benefit right there, LOL. A couple minutes is certainly worth saving your skin from premature aging, skin cancer, and other potential problems, along with the discomfort of the sunburn in the short term.

If you are going to spend any length of time outside, especially in the summer, then you need to wear sunscreen. Whether you are swimming, at an amusement park, playing a sport, or even just chilling outside, you should always have sunscreen with you. Even if it's a little chilly you should still wear sunscreen. I recently found out the hard way that, yes, you can get a sunburn, even if it's cold if you forget the SPF. Temperature has very little effect on UV rays. You could be getting a sunburn, even if you are shivering. 

I would at least go for a sunscreen of SPF 15. If you want to get a tan, you can still get one, but you are still protecting your skin. However, if you burn really easily, I would recommend bumping up the SPF to 30 or higher to protect your skin. You'll also want to make sure your sunscreen is waterproof before you jump in the pool or do any activity where you'll get wet. It would be pointless to put on sunscreen that isn't water proof, just to jump in the pool and have it all come off. Also check how long you can wear your sunscreen before you have to reapply it to keep your skin protected, and when in doubt, reapply. 

If you do happen to forget your sunscreen, there are a few things you can do to help ease a sunburn. But prevention certainly is key. Even if you don't burn easily, you should always protect your skin anyways. While you are outside, you should also protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses that block out the UV rays. For added protection you can also consider wearing a cute sunhat to help protect your face, or try to find make-up with SPF in it. Every little bit helps when it comes to protecting your skin. You'll have to live in your skin your whole life, so protect it and take care of it the best you can. 

What is your favorite sunscreen? 

What To Carry In A Beach Bag

One of my favorite things to do during the summertime is to go to the pool or beach. I absolutely love the water, and relaxing by the pool. It doesn't cost a whole lot of money, or no money at all, to go enjoy a day a the beach, or to take a dip in the pool. It's something you can make a daily activity out of, weather permitting, as long as you have access to a pool or beach. But before you head out the door to go relax by the water, don't forget to pack your beach bag with at least the essentials. You can always give or take a few items based on your own needs, and what you like to do while your at the pool or beach. 

The Essentials

These are the things that I feel that you just can't go to the pool or beach without.

-Sunscreen, whether you are going to swim or just relax in the sun. If you are going to spend any amount of time outside, you should always wear sunscreen, even if it's a bit chilly. Get a water proof sunscreen so that it won't wash away in the pool, or sweat off. A sunburn is never fun, it's painful and is certainly not attractive. The potential consequences of getting a bad sunburn are not fun either, whether it be premature aging, or even skin cancer. Prevention is key, so don't forget to pack a waterproof sunscreen of at least SPF 15 or higher. 

-Bathing Suit, it doesn't necessarily have to be a bikini, but something you feel confident in. You obviously need something cute to take a dip in the water in! Some community pools may require you to have proper swim attire before you get in the water. Even if you don't really feel like going swimming, you can still lounge on the beach or by the pool and get a nice tan (just don't forget that SPF 15!). Plus you never know, you may decide to take a quick dip in the pool. You can choose to wear your bathing suit under your clothes as you head out, but if you do don't forget to bring a change of under garments in your bag. You'll also want to bring a plastic bag to put your wet things in. You can also consider bringing a bikini cover up if you don't want to walk around or lay around in just your bathing suit all day.

-Sunglasses, like you would protect your skin from the sun, you should also protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses. If you wear glasses, consider getting transitions lenses, as they change automatically when you step outside.

-Towel, of course if you take a dip in the pool you'll want something to dry off with. Or to wrap up in if you feel chilly when you get out of the water. It also makes a great thing to lay on or throw over your lounge chair to just relax.

-Flip-flops, because sand, wood, and concrete can get really hot and aren't comfortable to walk barefoot on. Plus theres always the chance you could step on a pebble or even broken glass, ouch! Wear flip-flops to protect the bottoms of your feet and walk around more comfortably when you aren't swimming. It's best to bring rubber flip-flops, as they won't get ruined as easily, and you don't have to worry as much about them getting wet. They don't have to be really fancy, you can find some cute flip-flops for only a couple dollars at the dollar store. Just something to protect your feet.

-Hair ties and hair brush, when you are going swimming, it's best to put your hair up before you get in the water. I find that when I leave my hair loose, not only does it get really messy, but it's also really annoying. It keeps getting and my face and it just goes everywhere. If you have shorter hair, you don't have to worry as much about it. But if you have longer hair like I do, then it's best to tie it up. Have a brush with you to gently brush it out after swimming. Braiding your hair will make it less likely to tangle, and will make it easier to brush out. 

-Small amount of cash, some beaches and pools have a small amount of money you need to pay to get in. So bring at least five dollars for that. You may also want to have some money to buy something to drink, and have some loose change if you need to lock something up in a locker. 

-Water bottle or sports drink, especially on those hot days, you'll want to stay hydrated. Water is best for you on those really hot days rather than drinks high in sugar such as soda. Sports drinks can also help to keep you hydrated if you prefer something other then water. But don't forget that it's important to drink water too. Don't go without something to drink. You wouldn't want to get sick from being dehydrated. You may be able to buy water or other drinks at the pool, but it would save you money to bring your own.

-Cellphone, I have a hard time deciding whether this is essential or just an extra thing to bring. If you decide to go swimming, you obviously won't be using it while your swimming, LOL! But it would certainly be nice to browse the web, listen to music, or play some games while your relaxing. Usually you wouldn't need your phone when your going out to the pool, unless you need to call for a ride or you know you'll need to call someone. However, it's best to have it in case of an emergency. If you know you won't be using it much, it's best to keep it locked in a locker, just to be safe with it. 

Other Things

These are things that you don't really need to brings, but you can depending on how long you plan to stay, or just what you want to do.

-Something to read, there is certainly nothing wrong with going to the beach just to relax and read a good book! 

-Healthy snacks, if you get a little hungry you'll have something good to snack on. Try go go for healthier snacks rather then snacks that are high in salt or sugar, as these snacks could cause you to dehydrate faster in the heat. You can even consider bringing a healthy lunch in a little cooler so that you don't have to leave for lunch. 

-Make-up, unless you have waterproof make-up, make-up generally won't do so well in the pool. I don't even wear make-up when I go swimming. But if you have somewhere to go afterwards, it would be nice to have some simple make-up products with you to freshen up. You may also want to consider bringing along perfume and deodorant, just to stay smelling fresh. 

These are the things that I would typically bring along with me for a day at the beach or pool. Aside form wearing some loose fitting summer clothes on the way there and having them to change back into. Please let me know if I left anything out, and tell me what you would bring along with you. I love to get new suggestions and ideas. :) 

What I Want Out Of This Summer

Well it's official, I'll be graduating on Saturday, and Thursday is my last real day of school, plus as far as I know we get out early that day. This school year is winding down really fast, and it's time to start thinking about summer time. Typically around this time, I would be thinking of how I want to improve as a student, and as a person, both personality and looks, for the next school year, as well as some other things I want to do over the summer. However, as I will not be returning to the school I grew up in, and will be moving this summer, I am thinking more towards a completely fresh new start, as well as actually doing the things I want to do over the summer. This fresh start is the opportunity of a lifetime for me, it's my chance to really make a positive change in myself, and to make my life better then it has been throughout my years here. 

We all have ideas of what we want to do, and goals we want to achieve over the summer. Some may be related to the next school year, bettering yourself, getting a job, or just having a good summer in general. I have similar goals and ideas of what I want to do as I had in the past, but I also have many new ones, and I plan to actually work towards these goals and wants this summer. Especially as I will have more freedom once I move to do these things. This is the summer for me to start taking chances and meeting new people, rather than trying to fit in with people back here.

The worst thing you can do with your summer is to do nothing at all, or to make it all about getting ready for the upcoming school year, and do nothing to actually enjoy it. And that's what I ended up doing throughout my high school years. I just stayed home all day, and slept in a lot. Let me tell you, staying home everyday and doing nothing is BORING! It also gets really lonely when I'm sitting in my room alone all day playing computer games. It's often hard for me to stick to any kind of goal or plan where I am now due to a few environmental factors, but that's all going to change this summer. 

I want to make Summer 2013 the best summer I've ever had, and change my life for the better. I want to actually enjoy the summer time, rather then think about college the entire time. I also want to challenge you guys to make this the best summer ever, and do all of the things you want to do, especially if you are shy like I am. Take chances, you never know what good may come out of it! Please, tell me the things you want to do over the summer!

This Summer I Want To Am Going To...

-Move To A New Place, I will be moving up to where my dad lives this summer, an hour away from where I live now. A new place to live comes with so many opportunities. From decorating my room to how I want it, to having new things to do and meeting new people. 

-Get my driver's license. Yea.. I'm 19, graduating, and still haven't gotten my license. It's hard to go many places without a license, LOL! I am terrified of learning to drive, and to get on the road, but I am also excited that I'll have my own car, and I won't need to be driven around anymore. 

-Get out of the house and not sleep all day, like I've said, I have a terrible habit of spending my summer indoors playing on the computer, and sleeping until 3 p.m. What a waste of a day! I need to get myself up at 10 am, not to early, but not to late either, and get outside more often. Even if it's just going for a walk, it's better then spending the day trapped in my room.

-Go to fun places, and to summer festivals. I would love to go to a place like Cedar Point if I can, but that can be very pricey. But that doesn't mean I can't find local festivals and celebrations to go to and enjoy. I haven't been to a community festival since middle school, and at the time I was limited by my mom on what I could do there. This summer I want to go to a 4th of July celebration, and not just go to watch fireworks, but to hang with people and have a good time too. I want to go to community festivals and celebrations and meet new friends. I want to make the best of everything this summer. I want to try to get to the beach, and to the pool as often as I can, and just have a good summer time before it gets all cold and icky again.

-Meet new people, make friends, this is probably the most important thing to me, and why moving is such an opportunity for me. I will have a fresh start with people who don't know my past, and can't judge me based on my actions in my younger years. This is my chance to become more outgoing, be a nicer person, and show people the best side of me. I haven't had the best experiences in the past, and I'll tell you more about that later on in the summer. It means so much to be to be able to go out and meet some amazing new people to hang out with, get to know, and become friends with, without them knowing my dark past. The most important thing to me is just meeting some nice girls (and boys as well) to just be great friends, and to make memories with. And who knows... I may even find a boy I'll fall in love with this summer. But I'll just see where this summer goes.

-BLOG! BLOG! BLOG! I can't forget about you guys! I love blogging so much, and school has really slowed me down over the last couple months. I have so many ideas on what to blog about. I also plan to start that YouTube channel I said I was going to start back in January.

-Work on bettering myself. A typical summer goal for me, eat healthier and exercise, work on being a nicer person, ect... But this year I don't just want to do it for college... but for the people I will meet over the summer and throughout life. 

If I can I would love to do these things as well...

-Change my hair, I've never colored my hair before. I'd love to get some brown highlights! Maybe even get some layers too!

-Get a tattoo! I really want to get a cute or really pretty tattoo sometime... I already have ideas on what I wan't to get! I don't wanna go to crazy and get like, sleeves, but a cute tattoo would be nice. 

-Go to a fun place like Cedar Point. I've been to Cedar Point a few times with my high school choir... but our time was limited and some people didn't want to go on certain rides. I'd love to go with a few friends when I can afford to go!

-Go to a Blood On The Dance Floor concert!! I've mentioned many times how much I love BOTDF, and I have never been to a concert in my life. This is looking more towards fall.. but they will be playing near where I live on September 15! It would make for an amazing night.. just to be able to see them. I'd love to meet Dahvie and Jayy!