Creativity: Spring Pictures, why pay?

Spring is in the air and on it's way and that can means two things: everything's green, and spring pictures. So I'm sure a lot of people have the thought of spring pictures on, whether they be for the family, or just for the kids through the school. On average, professional portraits cost anywhere from thirty to one hundred dollars. So why cut out the middle man? If you, or a friend has a digital camera with a resolution of 5 MP or more, you hardly need professionals to get a nice portrait. With everything being so beautiful this time of year, all that's needed is a nice location, point, and shoot!

Pets: Bringing a Home a New Pet for th New Baby

Oftentimes when any couple is expecting a new baby, parents think it a good idea to bring home a new friend for the child to grow up with. While this is a nice thought, there are a few other thoughts to take into consideration before doing so. For starters, there's the sanitation issue. A baby's immune system is still developing, so the added exposure to the bacteria that pets introduce into the home could cause the infant to become ill more often than normal or make the baby's hygiene more difficult for parents. Along with the sanitation, we have the stress issue. Caring for a newborn is a big responsibility, and the added responsibility of also caring for a new animal could be too much. I'm not saying this is always the case, however at times we tend to get so excited about the item in question that we forget it needs maintenance. Finally we have the question of mentality and safety. A newborn has no understanding of causing pain to others, and this could therefore result in the child accidentally abusing the animal and the animal lashing back, causing injury to the child. Although the decision of whether or not to bring home a new pet for the baby is a personal choice, these are just a few things to take into consideration before making it.

Beauty: How to Properly Care for Oily Skin

I've dealt with acne for the past three years. It seemed I'd tried everything to get my skin to clear up. I'd tried the cream washes, the gel washes, the foam washes, the scrubs, Proactive, Neutrogena, Clarasil, Clean & Clear, and even just plain bar soap but nothing seemed to work. I recently discovered that I'd been doing it all wrong. My first mistake was thinking that since my skin was incredibly oily, that moisturizer was a don't. Wrong. It turns out that even ioly skin should be moisturized with a lotion style moisturize that's oil free so that it reduces the need for you skin to produce extra oil and moisturizer should be applied when the skin is damp and clean to lock in extra moisture. My second mistake was washing my face too often. As it turns out, washing too often increases the need for your skin to produce oil, making the condition even worse. My third mistake was using hot water. I assumed it would open the pores up for a deep cleaning, but all that really does is irritate the skin. My final mistake was using scrub too often. Once again, using any sort of removal product whether it be dirt and oil, or skin cell, increases the need for your skin to feel like it has to produce oil. So to recap on how to wash your face the right way, even though it seems that it should be obvious:

1. Wash your hands
2. Wet face with lukewarm water
3. Apply a gentle cleanser and massage thoroughly.
4. Rinse with lukewarm water.
5. Pat partially dry, but not fully.
6. Apply moisturizer to damp skin
7. Use and kind of spot treatment.

Side Notes:

• Only exfoliate once or twice a week
• Use no more than 3 different products, because the skin can absorb no more than that at a time.
• If you wear liquid foundation, wear finishing powder over it to absorb oil and keep makeup looking fresh all day.
• Wash face no more than twice daily unless there is a lot of dirt and sweat,
• If using soap can be avoided and it is possible to use just water, do so.
• If you wear any kind of makeup, be sure to always wash it off at the end of the day.
  

Health/Diet: Chewing Gum and Weight Loss

So I know what you're thinking right about now. "Chewing gum relates to weight loss? This girl must be crazy." But as crazy as it sounds, it's true. In a study at the University of Rhode Island, it was noted that when study participants chewed gum for 20 minutes before eating breakfast and twice again for 20 minutes each time before eating lunch, they consumed, on average, 67 fewer calories at lunch and did not eat excessive calories later in the day to make up for those lost. When their metabolic rates were measured in the lab, the participants burned about 5 percent more calories when they chewed gum than when they abstained. They also reported feeling more energetic on their gum-chewing days. How does it work? Basically, chewing gum tricks your body into thinking you're eating when you're really not and if it's mint flavored, it dampens your taste for anything else because not much tastes good after mint.

Family: Little Siblings Asking Questions

So the other day, I was at the bus stop awaiting the bus to arrive and take me over to the school where I take my electives every Monday and Thursday. I had Spanish that particular day and I wasn't looking forward to it because I hadn't done my homework for the class. So I took my mind off of my dread by conversing with my friend Jonny, whose 10 year old little sister, Felicia happened to be standing near by. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she holds up her hand in the "shocker" symbol and asks what it means. If you don't know, it's a way to finger a girl. So how do we deal with this sort of predicament? Jonny dealt with it by telling his sister that she "understand when she was older," but this method often leaves them with a sense of feeling small and unimportant, along with permeating their curiosity. So if that's not how to deal with it, then what is? To be honest with you, I think it's a lot easier for non-parents to educate kids on this stuff than it is for the parents themselves. So why not talk to your parents and have them grant permission to explain things that come up. I've always believed that if they're old enough to ask, they're old enough to know. But if your parents aren't comfortable with this then resort to the only thing you can: "Go ask mom and dad."

Social Life/ School: Minor Relationships

Okay, so when I say minor, I don't mean small, I mean anybody under the age of 18 that is still in elementary, middle, or high school. Did you know that 50% of teenage romances don't make it? Or that the 50% that do wind up either divorced or seriously unhappy later down the road? So that means 0% of all teenage romances never find true happiness together. So why do we all make such a big deal about it? I mean, deep down, we all know it's not gonna last. So why do we ditch our friends, make a fuss, waste our breath, and shed our tears over it? I mean sure it's great and we think it's true love now, but that's the thing about us human beings, we learn and change all of the time. Our opinions about life and what's good for us are always changing. Don't believe me? Try the following experiment. Think of yourself 2 years ago.Think of what you thought love was and what you were into and what you thought was good for you. Got that thought clearly imprinted in your brain? Good. Now think of yourself now. Think of what you think love is, what you're into and what you think is best for you. Notice any differences? That's what I thought. So the bottom line is, we're kids. We should be living, not wasting all of our time trying to "fall in love."