Little Lemonades: Intro and Haircuts

It's simple, but puts a smile on a face....


First One: Haircuts

I love getting my hair done. It's a dose of relaxation. Plus you get to change a look or be surprised if your like me and let your hairstylist do what they want. It's the one part of fashion where size does not matter and has the most options! So back to my relaxing time I go!

Reality Moment: Introduction and One

Sometimes we have these moments where real life hits us and lemonade is not always easy to find, I am sharing mine in hopes that others realize we are all human and not everything can be blissful 24-7....

Crazy weekend full of fun (no sleep, but I am awake the whole time) and even a relaxing Sunday filled with a nap and major work completed on Cousin Cousin quilt. Blissful. Monday. Work. Day full of negative people and things mixed with realization of the fact I only have a week left before I am unemployed for a month and half. So many to do lists. Oh and did I mention I have eaten nothing but junk food for the last almost 5 days. Go home. Headache forming at the edges of my head. Watch TV and cook a few healthy meals for the next few days. Impressed with my preparedness. Ouch. Feeling daggers in my temple. Oh no, I suddenly remember and realize whats happening. Migrane. Its been at least 5 years since my last. What do I do? Sleep. Nope thats not working. Watch TV. Oh gosh, now I need to vomit. Meds. Dulls it a bit, but man the pounding is getting worse. You know its bad when there is a ton of noise around the house and it does not even phase you. (Side note: in the past I would have exploded about the noise, but that is another post in the making). Just want a dark room and ice pack. Not happening. Old Fashion Doctors Call. New med combo. I hate taking meds but willing to do anything. Stupid headache and so random! I just want to go play Hungry Hippos with the house guests downstairs. Finally a break. HEAVEN. Must have fallen asleep at some point. Wake up. Still dull pain that doesn't seem to want to leave. Doc sends me note for work, but no way am I missing out on some pay. Oh real life moments.

Lemonade (Because there is always a silver lining):

Glad to know that bad days happen to serve as a reminder that I am

not indestructable and need to slow down a bit! Oh and there is a reason

people do not live off fast food and worrying.

Monday Mania: Introduction and Turning the Phone Off

One the biggest lemons in my life and I know others, is very simply stress. We stress about this and that and everything in between. Why I would love to solve everyone's problems, I can not and will not even begin to try. However, I can give some suggestions on how to take steps to live a simplier less complicated and stressed filled life.



Remember the old days when cellphones
did not exist?
(Pinterest)



Night Time Phone Off

I am a phone addict. I love to text, facebook, email, take pictures, Instagram, and Pinterest at all times. I feel lost when my phone goes missing and probably check all of the above at least a few times a day. Its a problem. Does this sound famaliar to you? Well I am sure I am not the only one out there with a phone addiction. I really thought about it one time and realized, I am addicted, because I love knowing what is going on and use it as a way to curb boredom/feel included. But what I have found, is that social media makes me feel left out (another blog post in the making), pinterest/craft boards make me feel less worhy/creative, and texting makes my friendships inpersonal and have lead to conflicts which really should not happen. AKA STRESS!!! Plus staring at that screen all the time can not be good for you! So I have started to take measures to eliminate this stressful item from my life at least a little bit.

Lemon:

Phone Addiction

Lemonade Idea:

After realizing the errors of my ways and the fact that phones actually take up more time then people think thus resulting in stress for the fact that you are losing productivity time. I decided to take action by TURNING THE PHONE OFF. My phone goes off by 8PM every night unless I am in the middle of a conversation or know that someone needs to contact me. I hate the excuse- well I use it as my alarm. Guess what... Turn it on airplane mode and it works just as well! Ever since I have praticed this, I go to bed less anxious and also find that I am more motivated to read or just plain sleep. (I have begun to apply the same rule to my computer unless I watch a TV show, which I also try to limit) It seems so easy, but making a change is hard. It will make you realize things you never had. This may seem like a litte change, but you will be surprised the effect it has on you. I find during the day I am also less reliant and more interested in doing other things, like my work ;) So give it a try and see how it goes!

What do you do to stop your cell phone addiction?



Newsworthy Discussions: Introduction and History Education

There are many things in the news that need a little lemonade. They are the issues we are constantly being bombarded with, but people do not seem to discuss. As a history teacher, I feel it essential for all to know what is happening in the world around them and have an opinion about it. I hope with this part of my blog to identify an issue in the news, give my opinion, and then spark a conversation or even just a thought. 

To begin, I thought I would choose a less controversial topic, but one that I think highlights a major concern especially in this country: EDUCATION.

A HISTORY TEACHER'S BRILLIANT IDEA

CNN.com

Direct Link: 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/21/opinion/bennett-teacher-innovation/index.html?hpt=op_bn4

Pinterest

Synopsis: 

This article is about a history teacher who was tired of seeing his students more interested in March Madness then their education especially when it comes to history. The teacher, Mr. Hoekstra, decided to take action and created a lesson plan around the idea of the tournament. Each student choose a person in US history and had to immense themselves into the persons life and history. He then created a bracket and the students had to defend why their person was the greater person in history. The class would vote at the end of the debate. What Hoekstra found was that kids instantly were intrigued and became extremely involved in the debates. 

Lemon: 

Students lack of interest in history and well America's lack of interest in history education.

While this may be far stretched, I believe the partial problem is that we as a society have devalued history and its place in the education world. It is true that it is not math or science and many do not believe it gets you far in the "real" world. Well here is the thing, have you ever really thought about what skills you do gain that are just as important? How about critical thinking, writing, problem solving, philosophical discussion, debate, mathematical analysis, and inquiry amongst others? These are skills, yes you gain in the traditional core of subjects as well, but are in fact applied and enhanced in history classrooms.

Lemonade: 

What this article shows is that students will in fact enjoy history and see its importance when a teacher does not simply give up and get pushed aside, but faces the students and their lack of interest. I think history teachers are constantly faced these days with these dilemmas and its so important to prove that the subject is in fact important and can be appreciated. I love the creativity that was used as well.  I just wish that "entertaining" did not always have to be the answer, but that students already come knowing that history is just as important as math and science.

Central Question:

Do you think history is an important part of education? Or do you believe that in order to stay competitive in this world, the essential math, science, and english classes should be the focus?

Photography Moment: Cameras

I love photography. Lemonade is about loving.



Pinterest



I got my first camera when I was about these kids age.

I can not wait to pass on the tradition to other little ones!

I also love this picture because I have started collecting

vintage cameras. Its amazing how they have progressed

and the art has changed.

Lemonade Fashion: Intro and Cluttered Closet

We all struggle in some way to find that perfect outfit. I am sure I am not alone in saying that I have worn sweats more times then not. It has come to my attention though that you dress as you often feel and so thus comes this blog post idea. Why not turn this lemon of a fashion dilemma into a lemonade. I abosolutely hate when people say they dislike something, but can not provide a solution. I am not saying I am a fashion expert (far from it), but I am willing to share advice along the way and hope to feature some other bloggers and people too! So here goes nothing...the first fashion related blog post! 



I am not a huge fan of huge closets (wasted space and money),
but love the organization here! Thank you Pinterest for sharing.



Lemon: 

I have so many clothes and never know what to wear so I just end up wearing sweats and t-shirt.

Lemonade:  

The best thing I would suggest is to pare down and clean out the closet. I used to open my closet and be overwhelmed by the pile that had formed. I would become discouraged looking for an outfit becuase it always seemed I was grabbing the things I never really wore anymore. A good friend (who I hope to feature one day) of mine suggested cleaning out the closets and man oh man, it has made such a difference. My options are limited, more age approriate, and intentional. I also made restrictions on the space I want to use as my closet so that I am not filling it, just to fill it. In the long run, I have saved so much money, because I never buy anything now that I can only wear with one other item or if my closet is full and the piece is really not neccessary. Another tip, is to color and type code your clothes. It sounds OCD, but is really helpful in the end. I seperate my clothes in half (work on one side and outside work on the other) and then group colors. This way I take the guess work out of what I am looking at. I know I need a work outfit and I feel like wearing green so BAM there are my options. No longer need to go through the WHOLE stack. The next step I will be taking is working with my friend to make outfits with what I have and taking pictures so I can look at it for reference to cut down on time as well. (Her Idea) So look for that update soon. For now, baby steps. Take out the Goodwill bags and start eliminating!

Lemonade Sunday Statements

Religious or not, these are all important parts of any type of relationship!