Stop Bullying!

Bullying is in the news a lot these days. As a kid I was pretty lucky. In elementary school, I always cried. I always remember kids being pretty nice to me and giving me hugs and cards. Middle school was a bit of a different story.

I remember one specific incident in art class. A boy that I had a huge crush on came in with his friend and his friend started saying loudly how I had a crush on the kid and taunting me in front of the whole class. The teacher didn't say a word and I remember a girl coming up to me after saying, "Are you okay? Didn't you hear them making fun of you?" Of course I did but thanks for the reminder! My hands were shaking and it just seemed like a horrible dream. I also remember another mean girl who decided to call me random names.

Luckily though, looking back and realizing I had been bullied at times, I never really thought of it that way at the time. Even though I can be very sensitive, I definitely let it roll off my back. The mean girl I mentioned, she spread rumors that I was a "ho" and I laughed it off, pretending I had no idea what it mean and joked about garden tools.

It saddens me to think about all the kids that aren't able to let it roll off their back. That are teased and tormented much worse than I can even imagine. That take their lives because they feel so lonely and hurt.

So take a moment and do all you can to stop bullying. You may not be able to do much but you can at least stop bullying in your life. Remind yourself to be nice. Don't say or do anything to someone that you wouldn't want someone to say or do to you. Teach any kids you know to stop bullying if they see it. With computers and technology these days, it is easier than ever for kids to tease each other and torment on the Internet. Remember, whatever you put on the Internet is there forever and affects people more than you realize.

Together we can stop bullying and broken hearts.

Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday!

Today's tune is a wonderful one! My boy sent this to me not too long ago and I love it. It is so peppy and upbeat and I love this video. Enjoy!

Drive By - Train

Duh, Pinning!

It seems Pinterest is the big thing these days! Naturally, I am pinning! ;) Check out my Pinterest page and follow me if you enjoy my boards. Send me yours to look at too!

Happy pinning!

Don't forget to follow and tweet me on Twitter too!

Do You Eat Ramen?

I am sure some college kids or post grads read this blog. We don't have a lot of money right? I bet you have eaten Ramen at least once or twice. Check out this fun infographic from Hack College!


Created by: Hack College

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Today is a special day! It is my boy's birthday! Today he turns 23 and this will be a big year for him. While he is 23, he will be graduating college and hopefully getting a job he loves. Today we are hanging out and he's getting his gifts and cake and tomorrow we will be going out to dinner and spending time with friends.

To the birthday boy:

I hope you have an amazing birthday. You're a wonderful boyfriend and person and I love you so much! I can't wait to spend the weekend celebrating your birthday and I hope 23 is a great year for you and us! xoxo!

Everyone wish him a happy birthday!

Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday!

I've decided to start a new series on my blog (perhaps there will be more to come, but I love sharing music with you all!). Each Tuesday I will share with you a song or two that I've been jamming to lately. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments! Or recommend some similar music. :)

The first video is "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant. I first heard this song performed on "Glee" so I looked up the original version. I just love this guy's voice!


The next video is "Shake it Out" by Florence + The Machines. I heard this one on "How I Met Your Mother" and loved it. She's an amazing singer.

What "The Hills" Taught Me

The other day I decided to watch my DVD of "The Hills: Season 2". This was the season where Lauren and Heidi started having all of their friendship troubles and Lauren also fights with "Jen Bunney". It got me thinking about friendships in your early twenties. I've had my share of friendship troubles and lost a few friends over the past years. Even when everyone and their mother tells me that the friendship breakup wasn't my fault or that I'm better off without that person, a part of me beats myself up. Surely, it was my fault or there was something I could have done or should have done. Even if that other person treated me like crap, maybe I should have tried harder to work it out.

Yet watching "The Hills" again helped me realize that these things happen. People change and friends leave and you can't beat yourself up for it. Watching Lauren, who always seems like she is an amazing friend and a good-hearted person have people treat her badly made me realize I'm not the only one. There are always two sides to every fight and the people in it tend to change the story to make themselves look better.

All you have to do in these situations is realize if the friendship is worth it. Being so young in your twenties, we are all figuring our lives out. People change their priorities all the time and stress can make a bad situation blown way out of proportion. In the end, you have to decide if your friendship with that person is enriching your life and making you happy more of the time or sad and upset more of the time. If it is making you more upset, much like the Lauren/Heidi/Spencer situation, then perhaps it is time to move on.

Do you remember watching "The Hills"? Did it teach you anything or did you hate the show? ;)

My First Booty Shake With Zumba

One of my goals for this year was to try new ways to stay fit and have fun. I’ve always been interested in trying Zumba after hearing so many good things about it. I’ve been reluctant because I’m not that greatest dancer or the most coordinated person in the world. Yet I still wanted to try it and see what it was like. A lady I knew from my church taught Zumba classes there but it is always at times I can’t attend. So when I found out about a Heart2Heart party she was hosting that featured Zumba, yoga, meditation and self-massage, I knew I had to go! I enlisted a friend and we signed up, ready to shake our booties.

Much like yoga, Zumba is all about enjoying your own practice and doing what you are able to do, but with a twist. The music was blaring heart pumping songs and new moves kept coming. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to catch up or I would do the moves totally wrong, but I quickly realized that it didn’t really matter, as long as you were moving! No one was doing the moves perfectly or “completely correct”. Zumba is all about getting your heart beating and your feet moving towards a healthier body. I had a blast! I didn’t care what I looked like (it was probably very amusing to watch), but it was so much fun to dance around to happy music, clapping my hands and shaking my booty! I definitely hope to start taking Zumba classes because it was such a fun workout!

Next came yoga with a different instructor. It was a shorter session than I am used to, but very relaxing and rewarding nonetheless. Then a massage therapist taught us some self-massage techniques and reminded us to drink, drink, drink water for our health! I learned that the center of our immune system is in the area right between our chest and it helps amp it up to rub it a little bit with small circles. Small circles seemed to be the key – rub your head, face, neck, etc. with your fingers using small circles to ease tension and stress. Also remember, we hunch so much during the day while we walk, type, text and much more, so arch back and open up your chest for a nice stretch. We ended the night with meditation, door prizes and snacks. Proceeds for the event went to help National Heart Month (check your ticker!).

All in all, I’m so glad I went! Not only did I get to spend time with a great friend, I tried something new and loved it. I definitely hope to start taking Zumba classes along with my yoga routine.
Have you ever tried Zumba or gone to an event like this? Tell me about it!


See the original article on ASKinyourface.com. 


Please visit Michelle Haight’s Zumba website.

I'm Back!

I am so sorry for the absence here on Lauren's Thoughts! I have been so busy lately between getting busier with work, researching and buying a car and all of the little things that goes along with it and just simply LIFE!

Here's my 2009 Ford Focus! It was a great experience doing most everything on my own in order to get the car. Researching vehicles, getting a loan, getting insurance, etc. Now I have a new ride that I don't have to worry about breaking down and overheating all the time or wasting all my money on gas for that matter!

I've been busy working as well. I am still doing freelance work and have six different clients and babysit a few days a week. While some clients have more work for me than others, I keep pretty busy! Check out my weekly column on ASKinyourface.com, some of which I've shared on my blog here, but you can see them all on the website:

Looking Ahead with Lauren

Even with all the busy errands and jobs I've been doing lately and making sure I have time to spend with my friends and loved ones, I am doing pretty well with exercise. I haven't been running and working out as much as I would like but I still manage a few times a week and go to yoga at least once a week. Unfortunately, one of my best friends and current yoga buddy is moving in a few days to Chicago to pursue a dance career! I wish her the best and hopefully will visit soon, but I am really going to miss her!

Speaking of exercise and yoga: If you're looking for great deals on some apparel for exercise or yoga, try out these Gap coupons! This is for my loyal readers!

Another update is that I really want to start doing theme days for this blog. I've seen many different types on other blogs and I think it is a really cool idea. Here are a few ideas I had and I would love to hear your opinions!

• Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday (I would share a song I can't get out of my head)
• What I'm Inspired By Wednesday (I would share something that has inspired me that day or week)
• Secret Saturday or Sunday (I would share something about myself that you may not know!)
• Fitness Friday (I would share some kind of fitness article, advice or story)

What do you think? Also, update me on your life! :)

Blog Hiatus!

Just wanted to write a quick note to apologize to my dear readers! I have been really busy lately and it doesn't seem to be letting up. Between work, trying to get a new car and other things in my life, I just don't have the time right now to write here or catch up on other blogs. 

Please understand and hopefully I'll be back here soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. Over the years it has meant different things to me, nonetheless I’ve still enjoyed it. As a kid it meant making valentines for all the kids in my class, receiving valentines, getting candy and other goodies from my parents and grandparents. It meant having a special note or treat in my lunch. As I got older and wanted attention from boys, Valentine’s Days were a little bit less fun as I went through awkward stages and unrequited loves. Valentine’s Days spent without a boy in my life meant hanging out with my other single girlfriends and enjoying our friendship. We would go to dinner, eat as many desserts as we could and watch chick flicks boys would groan at. Still very fun!

Still I remember my first Valentine’s Day with my first boyfriend. I was so nervous I couldn’t even eat. I had never had a boy on this “day of love” and wasn’t really sure how to act or what to buy.

Let’s fast forward to the present. This Valentine’s Day is the third one that I have celebrated with my current boyfriend, Kevin. I love celebrating it with someone I care about so much. One of my favorite things about the holiday (and any holiday really) is getting gifts for someone. I love thinking of ways to show people that I appreciate them with a fantastic gift they’ll love. This year (let’s hope he doesn’t read this!), I am making him a blanket with his favorite sports teams on it, I got him a cute Valentine’s Day frame to put our photo in, I got him some gummy candy he has been craving and of course a card!

I know someone people scoff at the idea of Valentine’s Day because it makes them depressed if they’re alone, they don’t want to spend money on a pointless holiday gift, or maybe they just hate the day for no reason. I wish people would just see it as a reminder. A reminder to tell the people you love that you love them. You don’t have to spend hundreds on diamonds and flowers and chocolates.

Try browsing through Amazon with free coupon codes by clicking here and maybe you'll find something or an idea about how you could remind someone about how you love them.

Anyways, to me a heartfelt or handmade gift is much sweeter than jewelry or other treasures! If you have a significant other, spend the day or evening with them. Remind them why you love them. If you don’t have anyone special in your life, use this day as an excuse to pig out with your friends!
So no matter what happens in the future, I hope to always love Valentine’s Day and spend it with someone I love.

See the original article on my weekly column at ASKinyourface.com. 

Take a Step Back Before You Shout

Have you ever yelled at someone while driving? Gotten aggravated at someone walking too slow in a store? Judged someone you saw out and about that you didn't know? If you say no to any of these, you're definitely lying. We all get angry and judgmental when dealing with the outside world at times.

Have you ever been driving and accidentally cut someone off because you were upset about something else or feeling so sick your brain wasn't even working? Perhaps the person honked or flipped you off or even stalked you and yelled at you. It happens. We all make mistakes and we all get angry at others for making these same mistakes, especially while driving.

Most of the time, I try to look at it this way. These random people you get angry with... you have no idea what they're dealing with. It is impossible to control people and it is impossible to know what is going on in their heads.

Next time someone cuts you off, yells at you for no reason, takes too long to pay for their purchases in line, or whatever happens that really aggravates you; stop and take a deep breath. Think about how you don't know much about this person. You can guess certain things from their outer appearance: their age, gender, etc. But you don't know if they have a bad headache. You don't know if they are going through a bad divorce and just met with their lawyer. You don't know if they are over-thinking and nervous about something.

So stay calm and give people the benefit of the doubt and don't sweat the small stuff. Act the way you would want someone to act towards you. Don't you feel so embarrassed and horrible when you cut someone off on accident because your head hurts? Remember they probably feel the same way.

So next time before you flip out, take a breath and relax. Getting angry is just hurting you. Keeping your cool makes the world a much better place. There's no use getting your blood pressure up over something you won't even remember in a day or two.

How Will You Spend Valentine's Day? (Plus Giveaway Winner!)

First of all, I would like to announce the winner of the giveaway! R Jarvis - congrats, please email me at lrstewar@gmail.com to get your prize!

Valentine's Day is in a week! I know most people may not be too excited about this day and are already planning a date with ice cream, but I think this day is what you make of it! Here are some great ways to spend the day whether you have a date or not:

1. If you have a boyfriend or a date, use this day or night to have some fun! Ditch the traditional movie and dinner date and go ice skating, go to a place where you can paint bowls or pots, have a picnic at home, play board games or anything you want that both of you love!

2. If you're single, call up all your single girlfriends and don't wallow! Get together and do mani/pedis, watch funny chick flicks like "Bridesmaids", have a spa night or go shopping.

3. Use this day or night to celebrate YOU! Do whatever you want to do. Go see a movie that perhaps only you want to see, get your favorite takeout, get your hair done or whatever YOU want!

My Valentine's Day will be spent with my boy! I am not sure what our plans are yet, but as long as I can be with him that is all I care about. I can't wait to give him his presents. :) I also plan to make some Valentine's cupcakes this weekend to give to friends and family.

Tell me how you plan to spend your Valentine's Day!

No Shopping Update: Oops!

First of all, don't forget to enter the giveaway and use the coupon code!!!

Well I must say I had a bad day last week. Not necessarily bad in the sense things went wrong, but in the sense I fell off the wagon of my "no shopping month" a little bit. First, I treated myself to a facial at the local Ulta because my skin had been feeling so dry and congested for a while. They were having a great deal so I went for it, figuring I needed it! I am fine with this... except being in my favorite beauty store that I was trying to avoid ended with a purchase. I got some "silver powder" claiming to get rid of blackheads and hopefully keep my skin from getting so congested. Hopefully it works!

Anyway, it was a slow day for work that day... I was supposed to have a meeting but it got rescheduled because of the snow and I finished my computer work early in the day. The boredom led to more shopping! I am not sure if I should count this because I used a gift card and none of my own money and got some things I really needed. I ended up with some dress pants (for $4.40!!!), a cute shirt for yoga and a Valentine's gift for my boy.

You may be thinking the day hasn't really been all that bad. Sure, I shopped but it wasn't totally off the deep end. However, I didn't stop there! Remember those boots I really wanted? I keep thinking about them! I really want them so I can have some nice shoes to wear when I go out on the weekends or when I simply want to look nicer in the winter than wearing my snow boots. I dropped into to DSW but they didn't have my size... so I ordered them online. Luckily, I got my friend's discount who works there. Oops.

I don't regret any of these purchases because I either needed it, used a gift card or had my eye on it for quite a while! The facial did remind me of something important with this no shopping rule. If I don't spend money on physical things, like adorable boots (oops!), I have more money to save. Still, you can't just save every penny you make so the money left over I would have more to spend on experiences or pampering myself like getting my nails done or getting a facial. Honestly, being pampered is a much better use of spending money than new clothes sometimes! It makes me feel so much better, happier, healthier and look nicer.

My Memories Review + GIVEAWAY AND COUPON CODES!

 

Do you love scrapbooking? You probably have filled many scrapbooks full of photos, fun stickers and memories. Recently, I found out you can do this on your computer as well! My Memories Digital Scrapbooking emailed me and asked if I would like a free download of their software to do a review and host a giveaway AND discount for my readers! Very cool - I love having giveaways for you guys!

It is really cool software! In fact, the only complaint I had was that it made my computer a bit slow when I was using it, but my computer isn't the newest. You can set up whole scrapbooks based on different themes and even add video, music, website links, make calendars and much more. It is pretty much endless the way you can customize the pages with photos, words, etc. I think I could spend hours and hours and waste away my day making scrapbooks on there!

It would be great to use to make an online portfolio as well since you can add any text you'd like, photos of yourself, videos, etc. Here are some examples of pages I whipped up:

 Here's an example of what the software looks like when open:

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION AND FREE COUPON CODE:

If you want to win the giveaway, please visit www.MyMemories.com, look around and comment on this post what your favorite digital paper pack or layout is that you saw on the site. Tell me why you'd want to use this digital scrapbooking software! :)

You must be following my blog to win as well!

If you want extra entries, you can follow me on Twitter as well as My Memories software!

As a special for all of you lovely readers, I give you your very own Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!)
 

Please use this code when shopping to get $20 off!!!: STMMMS32098

I will pick a winner in about a week and you can use the coupon code any time! 

P.S. Check out this great giveaway from Just a Carolina Girl - I want to win so bad! :)

Movie Review: "The Vow"

Last night was definitely an adventure. My friend got free tickets to an advanced screening of "The Vow" and asked me to join her! So exciting - both of our first advanced screening of a movie! The adventure began driving to another town about a half an hour away trying to find the movie theater. We spotted bright lights of a theater and figured that has to be it! Nope. Apparently one small town needs two movie theaters within two blocks of each other. Regardless, we eventually found it on time and sat in the plush, reserved seats (yeah, we felt cool!) and waited for "The Vow" to begin.

Cue the intro. Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) exit a movie theater and head home in the snow acting all adorable. Then smash! A slow motion crash sends Paige flying through the windshield of the car and both of them into the hospital. Leo narrates, talking about memories and moments. How the people you know become your memories which make you who you are. How true is that?

Then Paige wakes up with no recall of the last few years of her life, the years filled with memories of Leo. The last thing she remembers was a dramatically different life: being at home with her parents, going to law school, being engaged to a guy named Jeremy (who has a lovely Cockatoo hairdo and stirs up drama in the movie occasionally) and basically being a sorority type girl. Keep in mind, in actuality, she quit law school and went to art school and is now an artist, married to Leo, no longer speaks to her parents and Leo has never met them, is now a vegetarian, etc. It was a little crazy to me how much she had changed and I'm not the only one. Paige wonders why the life she now only remembers is so different than the life she is apparently now living.

Leo desperately tries to get Paige to remember him, convincing her to come home with him and try to re-learn her life, despite the pleas of her demanding parents. The plot now goes to a plethora of highs and lows as Paige eventually settles back in to her "Stepford wives" life with her parents and sister and keeps dismissing Leo but at times starts to fall back in love with him as they re-create their first dates. At times I wanted to smack Paige for the way she was acting, but if you stop and think how hard it must have been to step back into a strange life, you can calm down. Secrets are revealed that clue Paige back in to why she stopped speaking to her parents, her love of art starts coming back and twists and turns come to their relationship.

I really enjoyed this movie. You'll melt at scenes of how cute Leo acts (which made me wonder... yeah what boys are actually THAT cute?), gasp at secrets and twists, smile and cry at the same time while watching their vows and desperately want these two to get back together. I don't want to spoil any of the twists or the ending, so you'll just have to go see it and find out! I think this would be a great movie to go see for Valentine's Day with your girlfriends or even your boy if you want to point out all the cute things you wish he did. ;) Tell me: do you want to see this movie? Should I reveal spoilers?

I'll also leave you with something to make you laugh :)

Every Girl Needs These Friends!

I think every girl needs a variety of different friends. Here are the five types I think are important:

The best (girl) friend: This is the friend that you spend the majority of your social life with. You can tell this girl anything and you two always have fun together. Your best girl friend(s) may change as you age, but I think it is important to have one or a few best friends at all times. They are there to lift you up when you're feeling down, help you with your problems and just chill and hang out during the week/weekends.

The sister: This person doesn't need to be your actual sibling. Most likely it is a girl you've been friends with for a long time and is one of your very best friends. But your bond is even closer than the best girl friend! She is the first friend you call with good or bad news and will be your Maid of Honor one day. This is a great bond that you need to cherish!

The best (guy) friend: This guy isn't your boyfriend. If you have a boyfriend he should be your best friend, but I think you should also have a close guy friend. Some boyfriends can get weird about their girl having a close guy friend, but if the relationship is innocent I don't see anything wrong with it. It is great to have a best guy friend who can give you great advice on relationships from a guy's perspective. Not to mention, most guys don't fall into the traps of drama that can happen so often in girl friendships. This guy is great to just hang out with.

The lunch/movie/dinner/shopping buddy: You know those friends you just get lunch with every month or so or go see a movie together every few weeks? You aren't super close with these friends, but you really enjoy their company and care about them. These friends are great because you probably won't have any major drama or fights with them and are able to simply enjoy some good times with. The downside is you may not be best friends but they are still important to your life.

The co-workers: Since I am a freelancer, I don't really have co-workers, but I have in the past. These are great friends that get you through the work day. Sometimes you might even hang out with them after work. I have made a few friends from previous jobs that I still hang out with occasionally. These relationships may not be very deep, but they are crucial to having a healthy work balance and fun time at work.

Any other types of friends I'm missing?

Valentine's Day Fun Facts!

Have you ever seen an infographic? An infographic is a graphic made to share some type of information. Today's is shared from http://www.fabulouscollections.co.uk/, a cool jewelry website perfect for what today's infographic theme is: Valentine's Day! Enjoy these fun facts!

Which brings me to similar news: I will be bringing you Valentine's Day themed posts in the next few weeks before the day! If there is anything you'd love to read, comment here or tweet me: @lrstewar!

My Favorite Workouts

Growing up, I was lucky. I was never into team sports or really that into exercise but I was always skinny and one of the tallest in my class. I was more into drawing, reading, writing and watching movies.

Now, at 22, I realize more and more how important exercise is even if you have a great metabolism. It has so many benefits including better immune system, a release of happy endorphins, makes you smarter, wards off disease and the list could go on and on!

So needless to say I am trying to exercise more. Luckily, my schedule is pretty flexible so I have the time to put into it.

I never used to enjoy running or jogging much, but now it is one of my favorite ways to sweat. I've been working my way up, right now running about a mile without stopping. I eventually want to work myself up to be able to sign up for a 5K.

I also really enjoy yoga these days. I started going a few years ago but never really stuck with it. One of my goals for this year is to keep going at least once a week. I think yoga is a really gentle way to exercise, get flexible, relax and stay stress-free.

When it is warmer out, I like riding my bike, rollerblading and running outside.

I also think a great and fun way to work out is using the Wii (what I own) or any other game console. Playing Just Dance or other exercise games actually do make you sweat if you really get into it!

Some workouts I would love to try are Zumba, Kickboxing and Pilates. Are you into any of these workouts? What should I expect and which should I try first?

Update: I Just Wanna Buy Those Boots!

It has been about a week of my no shopping challenge. I have been trying to keep busy so I don't have the urge to shop, but that doesn't always solve the problem.

I've realized the things I most desire to buy are makeup and beauty products. Probably because I love magazines and there are so many beauty ads in magazines and on TV with constant new products! I love trying new beauty products.

Another thing I've been lusting over is new boots. Right around the holidays, I found the perfect boots. I am pretty picky about shoes so these seemed to be everything I wanted. I don't really have great shoes for going out on the weekends for the winter months. Unfortunately they didn't have my size at a local DSW, so lately I've been dying to go see if they have them yet and see how they fit. Then I realize I am not supposed to buy them.

This week all I've spent money on is food a few times, gas for my car and supplies for my cake decorating class. Today I'll be spending some money at the chiropractor but I think that will be it, hopefully for the weekend!

What advice do you have for me?