June 2013 ~ Ops Deni

Saturday, June 22, 2013

How to Have Fun on a Rainy Day

Rainy days may seem boring, but you can still have fun!

Are you bored, just watching the rain, wishing desperately you could go outside? Maybe you have nowhere to go and nothing to do. If this is the case, it just might be the time to get up and do something fun!

Steps

1
Try to cook something. There's an endless number of things to cook: Biscuits, cakes, buns, cookies, and more! Find a good cookbook and get started!
2
Do a little knitting. This may seem a bit girly to some, but anyone can do it- even boys! There are many things to knit: Finger puppets, blankets, sock puppets and many others. However, you may need some help if you've never knitted before.

Do a little knitting.
3
Read a book. There are lots of great novels out there, and probably some of them are stuffed into a bookshelf that you never looked at before! Reading is a great way to go on an adventure without having to leave your house.
4
Write a story. There are lots of ways to write stories: By computer, on paper, and on a typewriter! Find the idea of your story and write. You can continue long stories on the next rainy day.
5
Do chores. Clean/arrange the parts of your house or room that really need maintenance, or do whatever else needs to get done. This way, you won’t have that to worry about when the sunny weather returns.
6
Go for a walk. If you are not scared to get wet take an umbrella with you and take a nice long walk. Go to a park near your house or visit a friend who doesn’t live right around the corner. Being outside for a while and moving makes you feel like you did something useful with your day. And if you're artsy and into photography make sure to take your camera along, you might get some inspiration along the way!
7
Paint a picture. Paint some still life or make a load of rubbish into a masterpiece! Look around your house for things to make art with. There might be some painting equipment somewhere around your house! Or you can draw and color if you want!
8
Watch a movie! Movies are a great way to pass time. There are so many choices.
- Try not to sit around all day watching TV and playing the computer until you have turned square eyes and have bad headaches! There are lots of things to do.
9
If it's warm outside, go puddle jumping! Put on rain gear or a bathing suit (plus flip flops or rain boots if you want) and go jump in the puddles on your street!
10
Bring a friend over or go to a friend's house. They can keep you company while doing any of the things on this list, or the two of you can just hang out and talk.
11
If you can't beat it, join it!! Why not just make a mug of hot chocolate, tea or coffee and enjoy the weather by sitting on your porch or balcony?

Tips

Find something fun to do! Go swimming in the rain or even turn up the music and have a dance party by yourself.
You can make a rain catcher if the rain keeps coming!
If you have to babysit, have a puppet show. Just look around the house and brainstorm.
Why not try singing!
invite your friends round and go ice skating, then have a sleep over so you get to spend time with your friends.
Cleaning isn't all bad! Once you have a nice tidy house it really cheers up your mood!

Warnings

Don't sit down and play video games non-stop.
Don't tell your parents, if you are young, that you are bored. It will make them cranky, and you won't be better off! Instead, encourage yourself to find your own solution to boredom. They, believe it or not, will HATE to hear "Mom, I'm bored"!
If you go outside when it's raining, be careful on stairs and other slippery surfaces.

Edit Things You'll Need

Sewing needle
Thread
Paints
Book(s)
Cook book(s)
Boots, bathing suit, etc

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Monday, June 17, 2013

Let's Get Real: "...I'm not beautiful"

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In the conversation of beauty I hear women constantly say "I'm not beautiful" or "I'm not good enough" or "I'm not pretty enough." But the thing is: who is? I want to bring light to this topic because I was inspired and it's something that no matter how many compliments one receives, negative thoughts will return.

Although the media suggests there is a universal beauty standard, and in some constructed respects it's true, there really isn't. Darwin and other evolutionary scientists who also looked at cultural beliefs in depth have asserted that beauty is constructed by the cultural group; therefore, ideas of beauty differ from group to group (Etcoff, Wolf). Also, photographs of models are always retouched because everyone lays victim to "imperfections." Those in the fashion industry have even said that: in consequence, they constantly look for imperfections in themselves which leads to extremely low self-confidence.

I remember my childhood and being the "fat girl." I was the tallest, I was the biggest, and I just didn't fit in...and I attended the same small school from K-12. I was labeled in elementary school and although I physically changed, the nickname stuck until I walked past the stage for my diploma. And even though I moved onto the next phase of life, those people attended the same college as me. So let me tell you, I get it. As a child, I had uncles tell me I weighed more than their wives and my dad changed my weight on my AYSO papers. OH, and at my largest in middle school, I was a size 18.

After graduating I made it a goal of mine to get into a size 2. And I did. I worked out six days a week and I barely ate. Since then I've gained back some weight, but I'm healthier and I'm happy. But why did I care so much? I didn't make the change because of my health...I did it because I wanted to look "pretty." And even now I pick myself apart with things that I feel need to be improved.

The reason I've told the small story above is because I want to encourage you to feel that you're worthy. I've been on both ends of the spectrum...a size 18 and a size 2...and I was never content. Beauty is constructed, but physical beauty alone is superficial and fleeting. When I walk around the mall I'm not looking at other people to criticize them; hell if you have an amazing hairstyle I'm wondering how I can do that to my hair. The thing is most people aren't out there to cut you down. That should have ended in high school and if it didn't, don't worry about it. Those people are immature and can't see beauty really does start inside and radiate to the outside. Beauty is rooted in confidence, and if you've got it you better rock it! It doesn't matter what you look like, it's about how you feel about yourself and what you're willing to do with what you've been blessed with.

So I'm going to include my 5 tips to be confident in your own skin and to find your own beauty.

1. Everyone's different, so find your niche.
I don't look like you and you don't look like me, so embrace the features you have and make them work for you in a way that makes you feel confident.
2. Find beauty in others.
When you start looking for beauty in others your ideas and definitions of beauty expand. Not only do you become a much better person, you can appreciate beauty and will notice how you can contribute.
3. Find something that makes you feel good and run with it.
If you feel like a certain lip color looks good on you or you've mastered the perfect cat eye, make it your thing. Allow yourself to have a signature that you're confident in, so no matter how bleh you feel that day you've always got your fall back plan to pick you up. And on the flip side, if there's something you don't particularly like, find a way to work around it or draw attention elsewhere (perhaps with your amazing red lipstick).
4. Keep busy.
Whether it's after a breakup or it's just a bad day, it never helps to just focus on the pain. The same goes for your confidence. Keep yourself busy with things that are positive and that distract you from focusing on the negative comments or thoughts about yourself. This will allow you to thrive and realize there's way more to life than negative feelings.
5. It's all up to you.
If you let yourself get discouraged by what others think then you will be. It's all about how you internalize things. If you want to be happy and confident, then make an effort to get there. Surround yourself with those who keep you on your feet and will catch you if you fall. And remember, we all have days where we don't feel our best, but it's not an excuse to throw yourself a pity party if there's something you can do about.

Truth, I was inspired by RawBeautyKristi's video "Beauty Doesn't Matter" (which I totally encourage people to watch), and I was so happy when she agreed to contribute and gave me 5 tips on being confident, being beautiful, and being yourself!

1. Realize that the ones that judge, don't matter.
The type of person that will judge you based on your looks instead the content of your character is not the type of person you should put stock into. No one needs negative and judgemental people in their lives, because it lowers confidence and makes you question yourself. Forget them, and realize that how you look is the last thing that matters in life, its how you act and treat others that people will remember in the long run.
2. Be a good person.
Being a good person and doing good things for others not only helps everyone, but makes you feel better about yourself and makes confidence radiate through. 100 years from now, after you are long gone, people will remember you for the amazing things that you did, and how you affected their lives. What they won't remember is how pretty your makeup was, or how you had blemishes on your face. Being a GOOD person is the only thing that matters.
3. Be confident without being conceited.
There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Remembering that confidence is saying "I accept who I am, and I love who I am, and I can do that without needing approval from others" VS saying "I am amazing and perfect and no one could ever be as great as me." Even if you don't FEEL confident, pretend you do. Eventually, you will feel that way and trust me, it feels amazing.
4. Harsh words stick with us and compliments diminish.
Ever had someone say that they love your hair? Did you dismiss the compliment only to say "oh thanks.. but its really dry this time of year."
Don't dismiss compliments, accept them. When someone tells you that it "looks like you have lost some weight" Don't say "no, i am fat" say "thank you, thats so nice of you to say!"
Its hard to accept compliments, and generally they don't stick with you. The words you REMEMBER people saying are the harsh words. "You are a fatass" or "You are a zit face."
You will remember those for the rest of your life, but lets not forget, for every harsh word someone has spoken into us, there were probably 100x more compliments that we chose to ignore. Don't ignore them, embrace them.
5. When you stop caring, others start loving.
Ever meet someone and you say "gosh, i wish i could be like her. She doesn't care what anyone thinks about her."
You CAN be like her, and it's as simple as NOT CARING.
Stop thinking about the things that plague you. Your muffin top, your thin hair, your makeup etc. Look at yourself as if you were an outsider looking in. If you radiate confidence, you will forever be seen as "maybe she has a muffin top, but she doesn't seem to care, and thats cool."
Because it is. Be care free, have fun. Its okay to look stupid, and act silly, and look messy. Because WHO CARES?
No one.

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After Suno's amazing success with their first sneaker launch in 2011, the brand has now decided to keep the momentum going by selling another collection of brightly patterned kicks. To add to the excitement, Suno enlisted a roster of their fashionable followers to model the sneaks, including blogger and casting director Natalie Joos (above), model Elettra Weidemann, and jewelry designer Pamela Love.

The shoes, sold exclusively on their website, are all produced in Kenya and the soles are entirely made of recycled rubber. A portion of all proceeds go to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Kenyan sanctuary for baby elephants and rhinos.