Summer Snacks

I know my biggest struggle during the summer is my eating habits. I go straight for the junk food rather than the healthy alternative like I should go for. I’m sure many people suffer from this problem as well so I took the extra step and found two fruit snack alternatives that are easy to make this summer and healthy as well.

1. Fruit popsicles: This one is pretty simple. All you need are the plastic popsicle molds that you can buy at a local dollar store, you also need coconut water and the obvious- FRUIT. Once you have all the necessities you start but washing the molds and fruit. You proceed to cut the fruit into small pieces and fill the molds with the fruit and then fill the extra space with the coconut water, put the lids to the popsicle molds on and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, pick the one that looks the best, or eat them all- either one, they’re healthy remember?
2. Watermelon slushies: For this recipe you need the obvious watermelon, water, ice cubes and a blender. You first cut the watermelon into bite size pieces and then place them in the blender, you add water and blend. After the watermelon is smooth and blended you add ice cubes and blend again, once blended to your preference, pour & enjoy. 

 

I can’t decide which one I am more excited to try but will be making both of them multiple times. I’m a big fan of fruit and love finding different ways to eat them during the warm summer months.

Hope you enjoy! 

 

That Time of The Year

We have coasted through the semester hitting speed bumps along the way but now it is that time, the time of the year that makes people chest tighten, the time people quit sleeping and rely on energy drinks or coffee to get them through.

It’s finals prep time. 

Some people aren’t affected by this time of the year either because they have studied all semester and feel confident or one of the lucky students that don’t have finals.

If you aren’t one of those lucky students that don’t have finals start prepping now. Your professor have the final on the syllabus or the discuss it on the first day of class. If it is a project, paper, or exam you can start preparing. Start your research get your equipment and start outlining what you need to do. Don’t wait until the week of finals to review material start now and avoid stress later.

Making a to-do list will also help you get ahead of finals. If you break down you list by weeks and then down to days it will help you plan you day and get everything done. Also who doesn’t love crossing things off a list?

Don’t be this person on campus,

start preparing now.

College Homies

Everyone has their hometown homies, I talk about mine all the time and have blogged about them a couple of times as well. Parting ways with them is hard and that’s when you need to find your college homies.

Your college homies don’t replace your hometown homies and that also isn’t the goal of finding them while at college.

You find your college homies to get food at 1 a.m. or to crawl into bed and watch Disney movies all day after a break up. The ones that you call to pick you up from the bar or maybe the ones that drag you to the bar. The ones to go on spring break with and the ones to laugh about all your bad decisions because your hometown friends can’t keep up with all the names. The ones that celebrate that new internship with or getting an A on the test.

Finding your group at college makes it easier to be away from home, it makes the bad days okay and the good days better.

It took me three years at SIUE to find my group and in the shorts months we have been friends I have grown so much as a person and made so many memories.

Luckily for me they fit in with my hometown friends and now I have a huge group.

Unfortuanlty for me the group messages never stop.

The Big 21

The birthday you count down to your whole life.

The day your life changes.

The day you’re officially legal.

The day you turn 21.

This week I turn 21 and I don’t know how to feel.

Excited

Nervous

Weird

Broke

I’m sitting here trying to figure out where the time went. Didn’t I just turn 16 and get my license?

When did my kid parties turn into real parties?

When did I become the age that always seemed so far away?

Honestly, I’m ready to turn 21 but I don’t think my bank account is.

When you turn 21 things change, your checks at restaurants are more expensive because alcohol is so pricey. Your bank account gets smaller and you take on this whole new adult feeling.

I feel like you take on a whole new responsibility as well. I know never to drink and drive but what about the people that try it leaving the bars? I know that I will feel like it is my responsibility but what do I do to stop them?

Another year older and another year full of questions that I don’t know if I’ll ever get the answer to.

I’m ready to turn 21 but not ready to continue growing up.

   

 

Find Your Escape

Lets face it, college is hard and I know you were thinking it too. The easiest thing to do after turing in that 10 page paper or you lab reporting or that exam you forgot about it is to find your escape.

I’m not talking about the type of escape that can get you in trouble with the law but the type of escape that makes you forget about your classes and extra stress.

Movies, Netflix, ice cream, wings anything that makes you happy. 

My escape, well I have multiple- the Harry Potter movies, Twilight saga and One Tree Hill.

Each one brings me into another realm.

Harry Potter and Twilight bring me into a magical world where the problems are dramatic and I know will be solved by the end. They also show a beauty to the world even though I know magic, vampires and people turning into werewolves isn’t realistic but is nice to see people with bigger problem like villains trying to kill them rather than if I passed my exam.

One Tree Hill doesn’t have magic but it has high school students with unrealistic family problems and teenagers running night clubs and it’s nice to have another unrealistic environment to put myself into.

No matter what you use to escape make sure it’s legal and make sure you’re happy.

Hint: looking at puppies is a nice escape too

(I’ll get you started)

Nostalgia

In my opinion nothing is better than talking about childhood memories with your family and close friends. But what makes life even better is that they are recreating our childhood movies and making sequels after years:

• Beauty and The Beast
• Incredibles 2
• Jungle Book
• Tarzan
• Power Rangers

These movies bring magic back into our lives that we haven’t felt since we were young. Yes, we have already watched the movie and we know how the remakes are going to end but watching animated movies with real actors just puts a new spin on the movies.

Honestly anything that takes away the stress of growing up and makes it feel like we are kids again is such a blessing. While you sit in the movie theater watching the remake or the sequel you have waited years for you forget about paying bills and homework for just a couple of hours. When you sit around the table with family and friends and can’t stop laughing and have tears rolling down yours cheeks relieves so much stress and anxiety.

Being young was so much easier, you didn’t have homework, you didn’t have to pay bills and your biggest concern was coming home when the street lights turned on.

Don’t feel bad or embarrassed to relive parts of your childhood you deserve it.

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Roommates

When I was growing up I shared everything with three sisters and then one by one we moved out. After I moved out I had to share even less space but luckily with less people. Now I share an entire house with two roommates, a cat and a guinea pig and yes, it is as hectic as it sounds.

Each of us are full time students with part time jobs so we are constantly on the go so the house is not always as neat as our parents prefer it to be, but can you blame us?

The three of us graduated high school together and I never would have pictured us living together. Although we always have 13 bags of trash and I am the only one that knows how to feed the cat and turn lights off, I could not have picked better people to live with during my college years.

It is rare to find people that are willing to share Netflix passwords and split the cost of a Hulu account and I found two and for that I feel lucky.

Staying up late working on homework assignments, eating way too much junk food- that we all know we will regret someday and making endless memories in the house we will soon say goodbye to is the perfect way to go through college in my eyes and I’m glad I get to share it with two amazing people.

Spring Break

If you plan on going on a trip over spring break I hope you read my previous blog about saving money but now I’m going to give a few more tips to make packing for your trip go a little smoother:

1. Do not over pack- Just because you might wear it doesn’t mean you will so if it’s a maybe put it to the side. Once you pack all the essential if you have room take a couple things out of the maybe pile and pack them but only if they are strong maybes.
2. Make a list- Making a list will help ensure you don’t forget anything. I always start my list a week or two in advance that way I can add to when I remember different things.
3. Buying new things- Everything you buy for your trip keep separate from your everyday clothes. That way you can eye the for sure pile  and make it easier to pack in the future.
4. Don’t pack to early- The sooner you pack the more things you’ll add. I suggest start making piles, that way you can move and replace things easily.
5. Essentials- Remember the essential items: toothbrush, tooth paste, deodorant etc. I know you think you need 19 swim suits but did you remember to pack sunscreen?

I know spring break is an exciting time. It’s a break from school and if you planned it a road trip with your friends. Be safe, be smart and remember you have school on Monday.

Midterm Week Prep

With midterms coming up and students starting to hit the level of stress that is dreaded all year. Between saving money for spring break, studying for five exams and writing three papers. How do we do it? Honestly I don’t know, it involves a lot or mental break downs, tears and a lot of scratch paper. Below are ways that I prepare myself for midterms.

1. Sleep- Not to avoid studying but to prepare. If you are well rested it makes it easier to focus.
2. Organize- Make sure you you work space it organized, making it easier to locate needed items and focus.
3. Snacks- Rewarding yourself with a snack after typing a a page or solving a problem with push you to keep going.
4. Breaks- It makes it harder to focus hen you feel trapped so take a break every once in awhile. Stretch your legs, get some air and then get back to studying.
5. Goals- Keep your goals in mind while studying. I always have a picture of my spring break location in the top corner of my laptop to motivate myself. You can also keep in mind what you picture you future to be and use that to push you.

The key while studying is to remember it’s almost over.

Good Luck & Happy Studying.