Obsessed

Today I share what I have been obsessed with lately:

 

Song: Lolita, by Lana Del Rey. She is such an amazing artist, and this jam is on repeat. Like, always.

 

Show: Modern Family! There are so many one liners in this show; it literally has me laughing out load. Random family members tend to wander into my room when it's on to see what all the commotion is. They don't get it, but this show is hilarious. It's also socially forward which I appreciate!

 

Clothes: Fabletics. I'm new to fabletics, and above is a picture of the first outfit I've purchased. I couldn't wait to receive it to inspect the quality, and when I did I was pleased to feel how soft it was! The quality is amazing, the prices are great; I will be a member of this company for life! Thanks Kate Hudson!

 

Apps: in order

1) Meal Board; lets me plan meals in advance and also imports recipes from a large handful of online resources. Some of my favorites are vegetarian times, all recipes, and skinny taste.

2) 7notes lets me convert hand written notes into type. Real time. Amazing!

3) Next issue! All the magazines I can read for only $10 a month? Yeah, for me, it's worth it! Plus you can download back issues which is great! Also, some magazines have built in tutorials! In some of my fitness magazines you can click on an image for a tutorial of how to do a certain move. Interactive reading is fun!

4) Blogsy. (I'm using it right now!) I can draft posts and drag pictures, links, and videos right from my side board. It really doesn't get any easier.

5) Noteshelf. Create journals, notebooks, and even sketchbooks with this app! It has all kinds of different paper styles, and is really user friendly. I use this for personal purposes.

6) Noteability: Probably the most important app of my college career; I can write hand written notes directly on documents imported from blackboard! I can also record lectures while taking notes. Where has this app been all of my life?!

 

Character: Groot. This is baby Groot, who is a growing version if full sized Groot. He is amazing that way :) if you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet, go do it now. That movie is hilarious!

Question: what are you obsessed with right now?

 

Posted with Blogsy

Party Planning!

When I had Maddex on September 11, 2005, one of the sweet nurses (actually the only sweet nurse) I had told me that the fact that my and my sons birthdays were so close (mine is October 3) means good luck! Personality-wise I have to agree with her. Maddex and I get along very well! The only trouble is every year I have to plan an event for his birthday around the same time school starts, and there never seems to be enough time or energy to get it all worked out. Not without a major headache anyway. This year brings an added stress as I am turning 30! Not wanting to sit at home while beginning the new decade of my existence, I also needed to figure out where I want to cry into a box (I'm classy like that) of wine on my birthday.

Boom! My school starts, his school starts, his birthday hits, and then mine, all in a whirlwind one month period. It's an equation for stress. Normally I don't enjoy the presence of a lot of children. Jam hands and evil, unfiltered personalities not yet concealed by societies mask of manners; children scare the crap out of me. Ideally I like to celebrate with Maddex by letting him invite 1 or 2 friends to go do something fun. That way I can maintain control. This year is different. I can't take him anywhere too fun because my beautiful niece will be born right around that time, and my sister has forbid us to leave the city. So, in a brush of insanity, I decided it would be "fun" to throw Maddex an epic party at the house.

In Clovis it is law that if you invite one kid to a party you have to invite them all! So that is what we're going to do. Invite his whole class over for the most amazing Guardians Of The Galaxy themed party ever! I even bought a life sized cardboard cutout of Groot on amazon. I have a very talented girl sketching out a "baby Groot in his planter" cake, and there will be costumes! Maddex doesn't know yet, but it's going to be amazing fun. I may or may not be drinking heavily.

While riding the high of having a plan for Maddexs party, I also figured out what to do for my birthday! Bass Lake is located less then an hour from my house, and over the weekend of October 3, their rates are extremely low! So I booked a two story cottage right on the water for dirt cheap! That is where I will end my 20's and begin my 30's. I'm also bringing my 20 year old boyfriend (yeah, there are perks to dating a younger man ;) with me, because well, let's just say he's useful... And gorgeous. Super low key, very relaxing, and everything an introvert could hope for!
Birthday season: accomplished!

Question: what do you like to do on your birthday??

Xoxo,
Cristen

Posted with Blogsy

Back to School Essentials

It's that time of year again! Time to gather all things organizational in hopes that this will finally be the semester you will get it together and focus on the learning rather then searching endlessly for last weeks notes! Usually the items that top my back to school list are notebooks and pencils, but this year is different:

1) iPad air! With apps that let you hand write class notes like traditional paper and pen (and even convert directly into type) gone are the days of retyping hand written notes! What a time saver! Also the convienince of having your online assignments, Word and PowerPoint documents, ebooks, as well as the internet all in one light weight device is priceless!  Now I won't have back pain trying to carry my computer to school everyday!  Seriously, this is the best purchase I've Ever made!

                      

2)Backpack!! Although the load has lightened, you still need to carry around lunch! It's best to have a backpack so your purse doesn't get too heavy from all those sandwiches!  A Pencil pouch for stylus and chargers is also a must. 

                                         

3) Functional Outfits. I prefer yoga clothes from Aspire. As my age increases my ability to withstand scratchy, uncomfortable clothes decreases. I don't buy anything that isn't super soft! Aspire brand, accessible through my local sports authority, has especially soft articles. I highly recommend them!  When you're sitting through classes all day, or snuggled up in the library focusing on the learning, the last thing you want is to be uncomfortable. Bring the comfort of the bedroom with you!

                                        

4) Starbucks Gold Card. If you're still on Green Card status (how adorable) don't worry, you'll get there! A stocked Starbucks card is the all access pass to much the needed rocket fuel you will require throughout the semester. College is not the time to give up caffeine. Embrace the golden god, you get a free drink for ever 12 you buy. 

That's about it! Welcome to the age of technology! Going practically paperless saves so much time and muscle aches. Here's a question: what were your back to school essentials?? 

Xoxo, 

Cristen

How To Get Over A Breakup

Breaking up is one of the hardest things people experience.  Weather you are on the breaking end or the broken, it always hurts.  Recently I went through a particularly bad break up, and only through doing the following things did I start to feel better.  So I am sharing them with the world, in hopes that they might help someone else get over the pain a bit quicker, and get back to the good life.

1) Acceptance
Cut off communication with your ex, at least for the time being.  Seeing him or her will just make you feel even worse then you already do.  No conversation is going to make you feel better about the loss, so just avoid it at all costs.  Its over, for whatever reason, and you will be okay.  Hopefully you will be better for it!

2) Make a couple lists: 
a) What are you grateful for in life?
Writing a list of the top 10 things you are grateful for, and framing it by your bed so you see it every morning, is a great way to look through the pain and realize what is really important in life.  Remembering to appreciate your family, or healthy body, is a powerful tool you can use to get your sad butt out of bed.

b) What kind of things do YOU like to do?
In relationships we tend to make a lot of compromises.  One thing I did a lot in my last relationship was watch movies before bed with my ex-boyfriend.  Once we broke up I realized that I would rather read before bed.  I remembered that I loved to run at night rather then hanging out with him at his house being ignored when his friends came over.  Making a list of all the things that you like to do will remind you who you genuinely are.  You will learn to reconnect with your authentic self once you see it on paper.

3) Change your routine.
This step correlates with list B from step 2! A lot of times the hardest part of losing someone is the drastic change in every day events.  You woke up with them every morning, and now you wake up alone.  You went to lunch everyday, but now you fend for yourself.  Or the worst: you are halfway through Breaking Bad, and now there is no one around to watch it with you! The great thing about writing out what kinds of things you like to do is that you can create your own routine centered around yourself.  It will feel strange at first, but trust me, you will fall into it pretty easily.  Before long, you will be living each day for YOU, and no one else.

4) Be selfish.  
Focus on being the you that you want to be, not who you feel you should be according
to anyone else.  Before making any decisions really look inward to see if it is really what you want.  When I say "be selfish", I don't mean turn into a mean person who rages against manners.  Just really focus on what makes you genuinely happy, and follow those feelings.

5) Connect with family and close friends: They will never leave you.
Family and close friends are wonderful, because they are the people in your life who can never break up with you!  Embrace the people in your life who are built in support.  Learn to appreciate your siblings and close friends more then you ever have before.  Its this kind of love that heals the soul.

Don't worry, you will be loved again.  Its just a matter of time, so never let that get you down.

What Do I Tell Him About Sex?

You could say I lucked out in the kid department: having a boy is supposed to shield me from pubescent nightmares that are usually associated with the fairer sex, but as Maddex gets older, more and more the scary topics become closer and closer to a reality.  In a comical way, I am looking forward to having "The Talk"! Making Maddex super uncomfortable, ensuring that he will be retelling the moment to his future therapist, is actually a thought that brings a smile to my face (I never claimed to be a good mother), but the actual content of this talk is something I have just recently been considering.

Do I do what my parents did and completely ignore the subject; fitting in a "don't do it" here and there as though it was casual conversation?

Do I sit him down with a priest to tell him all about the sins of the flesh?

Or do I tell him what I actually think? Which is this:

Sex is a beautiful act of humanity, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.  That being said, there are consequences that he will need to think about and be prepared for before he considers taking that step in his life. The big three: Pregnancy, STDs, and of course to always consider that a girls feelings are more complex then he will ever realize.  I can guard my son from unplanned pregnancy.  I can scare him into practicing safe sex with blown up pictures of Genital Warts and Herpes.  But how can I get him to understand that once he experiences the act with a girl, she and him will be forever changed?

I still remember what it felt like to be a teenager.  The sad truth is that no matter what I say to him he will do whatever he want wants, and all I can do is put in my two cents before he develops his own ideas.  So I better get there early.  And from what I am hearing from the youngsters these days, kids start getting physical earlier and earlier.  (Enter freak-out moment here)

Do you have kids? Do you want kids? Do you have any ideas about what you will tell them regarding sex when they reach the age of sexual maturity??