I may be overly organized

So I've read a lot of blogs on ways to get organized for class and be a more proficient note taker. So here is what I've gathered and what seems to work for me.

Mini Binder 
I love my mini binder. It is my whole life. 

I have this divided into 5 tabbed sections with a pocket at the end of every section for misc. papers that go with that section. 
The first section is my "Life" section. It's a planner style paper that you can write the date. I write my work schedule down, things that need to be done that day, people's birthdays, appointments, events, etc. 
The second section is "School". I write down all my homework, all tests and papers when they are due. I have note paper after my schedule so I can write down my grades because I need to have all my grades on hand. 
Next, is notes. I write down things I find interesting as well as my bank account balance because I can never seem to always have one of those check book balance things on hand all the time. 
Fourth section is important dates, I write down all the birthdays I need to remember and anything else of importance. 
The last section is contacts. I have all my family and friends addresses written down there. 

Note Taking 
I really love my chromebook. It is so light and does just what it needs to do. However, I do not take it to class because I will sit on Facebook or pin more none sense on Pinterest. I take notes in a huge binder that's tabbed for every class. In class I take notes on the things presented in class as well as what the professor says and then after class I go back and hi-light the important things and re-read my notes. 

My Calendar 
My printer has this awesome function where I can print pre-made templates. So at the start of school, I print out the whole semester and go through all my syllabus' and write down EVERYTHING that is due and this sits in front of my desk so I have a visual reminder even if I do not open up my handy dandy mini binder. I hate realizing I have a test or quiz the night before so with the calendar I always see it and know what is coming up. 

Things I should start doing more often

1. Start breaking down all the meat we buy. I realized that with Ben on the healthy bandwagon he is not eating for 4 anymore (sorry babe) and I always eat small portions that we should start breaking our meat purchases down and freezing them in smaller portions. A pound of ground beef could be used for 2 meal days because we always have left overs and for some reason Ben and I are like opposed to left overs. We take things home, plastic container things, look at them, and then throw them out before we go food shopping. I don't know why!!! No matter how many times I write on our menu board (which is really a piece of lined paper that I write all the edible dinner like things we have in the house) to eat left overs one day, we just don't !!!! My grandparents would be so ashamed. Let's not tell them.

2. Stop playing with my hair and scalp so much. It's probably the reason my hair gets so greasy so quickly. I hate having greasy hair more than I hate having to wash my hair more than twice a week. As I say, hair dye ain't cheap! (Not that it matter because my fabulous uncle dyes it for me) But I would like it to last more than four weeks before I then start looking like, to quote my bff, a botanical garden my roots are so bad!

3. Drink more water! I am prone to yeast infections (eww gross I know) but guess what it happens. Drinking water would help to flush out my system more. This would also help to clear up my skin, make more feel more awake, and all the other fun health benefits that water gives you. More water Sam!!!

4. Start filing my nails square. I know this seems silly but, I love square nails. I don't really know why. I usually file my nails square and then paint them but as they grow out I do not keep squaring them. I usually just round them because they break and I am in a rush and hate walking around with gnarled looking fingers. Then when it is time for me to do a proper mani i have to trim them down a bit to get them square and I end up with short nails!!! My life...so tragic I know! =p

5. Exercise more. I know I should and I really want to. I want to be one of those girls that's like "I love working out! Running is great!!" But there are books to be read, naps to be taken, and snacks to be eaten and those take up most of my time. But I have been starting slow.

Reasons I always wanted a big brother

Being a nanny for families with multiple children has made a few things clear to me
1. I really missed out on having a big brother and really wished I had one
2. I want a big family
3. If possible I want to have a boy first.

I have worked for 2 families that have had big brothers and it is very clear that I was justified as a child for wanting a big brother. In my head a big brother would take care of me, he'd watch out for me at school, play with me at home, and when boys got involved he'd be there to kick their butts when they broke my heart. The families I have worked for absolutely were examples of this. Family D and family R both had 2 boys and their youngest was a girl. Both middle boys loved their little sister. Family D's called his sister princess and acted like a real Prince Charming anytime she would get upset, he even would dance with her in the living room if she wanted. Family R's middle son let his sister play Wii with him and would stop to look at everything she made with playdoh. I found this hilariously cute. I really saw what I was missing out on and I have to admit, I'm still really upset!

My skin and hair tricks

I by no means think that my hair and skin is the best hair there is out there, but I do get asked a lot about what I do to my hair and skin. There is no one thing that I do to my hair to make it look and feel great. And there is no one product that I use on my skin. But I will share some of what I do because some of these go hand in hand.

I take my vitamins every day. Right now I’m taking optimum nutrition Opti-Women vitamins. They are massive, but they have everything you need in them and make you feel great. If you want to grow your hair a little faster, you can take some biotin.

Let’s get onto the topic of shampoo. I posted a link in a previous post about a girl and her sister who let all their hair growing secrets. Shampoo has sulfates in it and sulfates are bad for your hair because they strip all the natural oils out of your hair. However, not all sulfates are bad. Sulfate free shampoos are a little weird to use at first. Sulfate free shampoo does not really lather up like regular shampoo because they do not have sulfate in them so at first I didn’t think that my hair was getting that clean but it feels so soft. Right now I am using Organix shampoo line. I am working my way through the line because each different one does something else. I used the awapuhi ginger, for repair. Coconut milk, for moisture in these winter months. I love the smell of the coconut. I also use the anti-breakage serum from the coconut line. And right now I am using the keratin oil shampoo for anti-breakage. I haven’t really disliked any of their products and they are really affordable. I buy mine from target ((because I’m addicted to target)).

The best thing to do for your hair is to not play with it, it makes it greasy. Also watch the heat! I straighten my hair about 5-6 times a month. I like to look up a few heat free styles. My favorites are the headband curl, French braids, and twists. You do all of these at night with damp hair and then in the morning you are ready to go!

Now for skin…. Dun dun dunnnnnn!!! I am slightly crazy about my skin. I DO NOT go outside with out my SPF15 moisturizer on. If I think about not putting my moisturizer on, I panic a little. Moisturizer is your friend! Even if you think you have oily skin, you still need something. SPF is your best friend! I don’t care if you love your tan. I love my tan too and I wear SPF50 every time I am in the sun. Wearing SPF will not stop you from getting a tan, it will slow it a bit, it will stop you from burning, it will help prevent wrinkles. What is not to love?!

I wash my face twice a day. Once in the morning with a Ginseng and vitamin C wash. It helps wake me up and feels really clean. And then again at night with an acne wash. Every Sunday and Wednesday I use an apricot scrub to exfoliate. I only use it twice a week because I do not want to dry out my skin, I just want to remove all the dead skin. That’s it. I keep my routine simple and easy. Every once in a while I will try something new because I do have some weird acne break outs, but I try not to use them a lot mainly because I do not like the idea of chemicals on my face and also because your body becomes immune to the medicines in the acne treatments and they stop working. 

DIY makeup remover

I have not bought makeup remover in probably 2 years. That's a long time now that I think about it. How have I survived?? It's a lot simpler than you think and way easy to make at home.

This is what my makeup remover looks like. I made this bottle about hmm...um...uh...maybe 3 months ago? Maybe. It lasts a while! And you only need a few drops to take EVERYTHING off. This is only a little 3oz travel bottle that I got from the dollar store. So here's the recipe. 

What you need:: 

some sort of container. 

water. 

baby oil. 

baby shampoo. 

Fill your bottle about 3/4 of the way with water. (That is where the #1 is). 

Fill almost the rest of the bottle up with baby oil. (#2) 

Add a few drops of baby shampoo. Literally a FEW. Like 4 max. 

Shake that shizz up! 

I give mine a good shake before I use it and just squirt a few drops onto a cotton round.
It has also been brought to my attention that if you put a few cotton rounds in a container and then add the mixture to it, just dampening them not soaking them, you would basically have those makeup remover pads they sell in stores. Which ever way you choose is up to you. This stuff works wonders!!!
Let me know how you like it! and Follow my page!!

The Help- Review

The Help is another book I read before it was about to be made into a movie. It is a very easy read. The chapters go between 3 characters; Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, Aibileen Clark, and Minny Jackson. Skeeter wants to be a writer and she decides, with the help of a New York publisher, to write about the help in the South. Skeeter is a white woman with a degree in English, she enlists the help of local maids  in secret. There is one way that they can't get caught and it happens to be in one of Minny's stories. 

The movie was pretty good, all of the details were there. I did not really see Emma Stone as Skeeter, I had imagined someone a bit taller. There were a few scenes that were left out but the movie was definitely hilarious but could make you cry. 

Water for Elephants- Review

I read this book a few years ago before it had been made into a movie. And I must say, it was a tear jerker. It is narrated by an elderly man in a nursing home and he is telling his circus stories. You really feel all the emotions that he feels. By the end of the book you will cry because it is very heartfelt.

It is a phenomenal book and was a great movie. I love a great book that gets made into a good movie. Watching characters come to life and scenes that you had only imagined being right there.  It is amazing. I can't even be mad that Robert Pattinson is the main character in the movie, that's how good it was.