Oh. Hey Monday.

This week is going to be my week!!

Although it's not my first choice of how I want to spend my every day, I will be:
Getting the house clean and ready for our new roomie to move in.
I will be knocking out a fatty research paper.
I will be putting in extra hours at work. 
I will be studying for an exam for next week.
I will be starting on my Praxis practice book so that I can hopefully take in in January.

and

I will be dedicating much needed gym time to my body.  

Sounds so great, right? No.  But a positive attitude and a proactive mindset can make this work so much better.  
As I was, ahem, procrastinating this morning I found some helpful study tips posted by Nicole and Gypsy and Jasper that she plans on using to help her stay motivated while she works from home.  Maybe they can help all of us as well!

1. Boost productivity and focus by forcing yourself to have only ONE application open at a time on your computer when you’re working. Allow only a 10-minute window at the end of each hour to check email accounts and social media sites.  

2. The key to staying productive is recognizing the difference between using household chores to avoid work and taking a 3-minute mental break for laundry, a quick stretch or sprint up and down the steps to get your blood moving.  
I will always choose cleaning over working...and I loathe cleaning.  This is my studying downfall.

3. Although there are a lot of great informative, interesting and educational shows on television, the workday isn’t the time to be doing all that “learning.” Instead of frittering away hours in front of the tube (or the YouTube) turn that digital distraction into a reward for a good day’s work.

4. Simple awareness of your workday habits, bumping up your discipline and creating balance between work and leisure are your best weapons in the fight against wasted time and negative productivity.

Here are some of my go-to playlists if you are planning on having a week like mine!
For Homework 
For the Gym
For the Library
Good Mood Food

Happy Monday All!!

☮♡Nicole

        Louise☮♡

Monday Morning Coffee

Ok.  I think that I finally have my blog the way I want it.  I may still make some minor changes but, for now, its good.

There is one thing that irks me a little and it is just that I feel like my posts are hard to read.  I can't figure out if it is size, color, font, or just the layout.  Any feedback would really be fabulous.  Also, to my fellow bloggers...how do you know what to write every day?  I want to post daily like so many of you do, but I do not know how to manipulate the mundane to be exciting.  How do you come up with enjoyable posts so often?

What do you think the colligate
world would say if I showed up this
year reppin' the old Lisa Frank?

As far as this week goes, its the last week of summer. How am I spending it, you ask? By working double shifts every single day!  It has always been said that I live on the edge! But really, I am okay with it...I am excited for school to start so that I can get back into a daily routine.  I am so bad at having free time.


I am also excited because Jake is working on transfering from our JC to the University and he has finally (the year before we were supposed to graduate) settled on a major and I think that his choice fits him perfectly.  Physics.  I sure am in love with a smarty pants.

Lastly, I just absolutely cannot wait to go spend a ridiculous amount of money on school supplies...for me, this is better than clothes/shoe shopping! You know you are meant to be a teacher when.....


Well, here is a happy little playlist of covers to listen to this week.  I had to pick something mellow so that I could listen to it at work all week without having to constantly fight the urge to boogie.  

I hope you all have a wonderful week...and if you got to start school this week, know that I am incredibly jelly of you!
                       ☮♡Nicole 

     Louise☮♡

Music and Celebritys (language warning)

Today I was driving my little brother, 13 years old, around town.  Usually I won't let him play his i-pod because the music he has on it is just plain nasty but today I was feeling nice...now I feel like I just watched porn. 

All of his music talks about 'pussy', 'bootie on my dick', 'bitch opened her gap', etc. Don't get me wrong, when I am feeling hot and am getting ready to go out, music like that is fun to listen to...but even then, I won't go that vulgar.  I just don't understand why artists and celebrity's, the people with some of the biggest influence over society, choose to sing about sex and its vulgarity. 

If I had that much influence over society and I knew that teenagers looked up to me, or even listened to me on a daily basis, I sure wouldn't be talking about the one thing that everyone is going to do regardless.  Why is it necessary to write every single song about sex?  Sure, its great...but its not so great that I need to sing about every detail of it for the world to hear.  

Is there really nothing more inspiring in this life to pop culture artists than 'pussy and dick'?

With all of their influence over society (what clothes are popular, what pass times are popular, what lingo is popular, etc) I would think that there would be more artists like Tracy Chapman who pretty much only writes about how worried we should be about our world and how we should be taking care of the poor instead of continuously trying to rise above each other.  I mean I would even be happy with more of Selena Gomez talking about how girls should love who they are and one direction making girls  believe they are beautiful rather...just as long as music and pop culture is inspiring something more than sex.

Anyway..that was my rant.  I like mainstream music as much as anyone else but if you feel like listening to a few of my favorite songs that aim to motivate a better world, they are below.  

Do you have any favorite songs like this?

Talkin' Bout a Revolution

World

Change

One Day

Waiting on the World to Change

                                                     ☮♡Nicole 
                       Louise☮♡

Invisible Children

5 years ago, an organization came to talk at my high school.  It was called Invisible Children.  At this point in time, they were only 3 years old, not being taken too seriously, and just trying to spread the word.  I fell in love.  I fell in love with the stories I heard, I fell in love with the cause, I fell in love with Africa, and I fell in love with being involved.  Throughout the years, I have contributed in small ways such as keeping in contact with the speaker who came to my school, donating monthly to the cause, and purchasing the products that I feel would either promote the cause or help it.  

Today, Invisible Children is known across the nation and has made an incredible impact on Uganda, Africa, and it's children.  

The videos I am asking you to watch are a bit lengthy but I promise they are worth your time...even if you have no plans to participate in the organization, knowledge and word of mouth are our most powerful weapons.  Please take some time to explore and learn about the children and cause that I care most about.

Website

Facebook

This video is a short(er than the full documentary) about Invisible Children and their most recent project. KONY2012

This  is the full documentary that made me fall in love. 

What have I done?

☮When I first learned about Invisible Children, the first thing I did was go home and send out an e-mail to all of my family and friends explaining to them what I had learned about Uganda, Child Soldiers, the LRA, and Joseph Kony...it didn't do much because people doubt the credibility of such organizations, especially when they are so young.  I also signed up to donate a small amount of money each month and I have been doing so for the past 5 years.    

☮Second, my school held an empathy/learning experience project for interested students to participate in along with the speakers that had come to our school that week.  For this, we simply had to sleep out on our school football field with no more than the refugee children of Uganda are able to sleep with when they are hiding in fear from the Rebel Army.  We made tee shirts to wear to school the next day (big deal at a uniform school haha) and we learned what we could from the Invisible Children representatives.  
☮That year for Christmas, I bought all of my friends and family 'Story Bracelets'.  These are bracelets made in Africa by a few escaped child soldiers.  Each bracelet comes with the story of the person you choose, a dvd about them, and the bracelet.  I myself have Grace's bracelet and I watch her DVD quite often...its always inspiring.   (You can watch trailers of each child's story with the link above).

☮Invisible Children also has a teacher exchange program that I cannot wait to participate in as soon as I am through with my degrees!
☮This is a wonderful true story of a boy soldier from Uganda.  He talks about his life before his abduction, his life as a soldier, and his life after he escaped.  It is a beautiful story that should be read by all -but do know that he does go into the details of his experiences and as you can imagine, it isn't always pleasant.  It is fairly inexpensive (>$10) and can be purchased wherever books are sold (including e-books).
☮The Kony2012 is the most recent project of Invisible Children and it seems to be the most widespread as well.  That is what the shorter video above is about.  I am currently eagerly awaiting my Kony Kit. If you would like to donate (any amount for any amount of time) click here.

Spread the word my bloggy friends...thank you for dedicating some of your time to learn about my dream.

  ☮♡Nicole 

     Louise☮♡

Music

With Summer right around the corner, I can't stop listening to these songs that just cheer me up and make me feel like skipping everywhere I go.  Hope you enjoy!!!

Annnd many more but I don't want to overwhelm you or my internet.  :)

☮♡Nicole

Enchanted

I don't like the music video for this song but I pretty much have this song on repeat in my car lately.  I love it.

☮♡Nicole