Psychology, Biology, and One Large Headache

Just wanted to update about my school adventures.

The semester is officially over for my Psychology course, and I managed to get a 104 average. Oh yeah! I have to take another course this summer, hopefully I do just as well.

I have one last exam for my Biology course for this semester. I did really well by making an 85 on my last exam. I suspect mostly everyone got in the Cs or Ds that is still left (about half the class already dropped out). Remember, the first exam in this class I made a 91 and the class average was a 53? Yeah. Not easy! I’ll be extremely happy if I make a B overall. Wish me luck!

I signed up for my summer courses, and sparing you the boring financial aid details and stuff, I am glad I have a credit card to pay for it with ahead of time – because their financial aid department is just not all together. If I had waited, I would have been kicked out of the classes I pre-registered for. So not cool.

I’m kind of scared about the Anatomy and Physiology I class. I have a professor at least that ratemyprofessor.com says is hot and the easier one to have. Cramming it all into the summer though is scary, especially when it is a lot to remember.

I also seem to have a headache that isn’t going away. Maybe I should take a migraine pill, but those make me unable to focus well. Then again, migraines do the same. Eh, lose-lose huh?

Have a great weekend everyone and if you are looking for more blog followers, check out my previous post about the Friday Follow thing.

Friday Follow

This is my first blog follow, the twitter one went pretty well yesterday, so why not? It is a fun way to find new and interesting blogs too, so give it a try too if you'd like.

More studying for me today, so I'll be off and on for "breaks" to follow and follow back. Have a great Friday and weekend everyone!

Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:
• * Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.
• * Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.
• * Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• * Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like
• * Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday

Follow
• * Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow
The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Twitter Hop Thursday!

This is a first "hop" for me, here are the directions if you want to join in too!

Welcome to Twitter Hop Thursday, hosted by Simply Stacie, The King's Court IV, Little Yaya's and Blessed, Review Retreat and Moms Wear Your Tees! Would you like more Twitter followers and be to introduced to more cool moms out there? Come and join us!!

1. Add your Twitter to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to once and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Twitter ID for the five hostesses and follow each of them on Twitter. We will follow you back.

3. Follow as many people on Twitter as you like, but make sure to leave comments with links so they'll know where to follow you! The more people you follow, the more follow you back!

Would You Buy Bella’s Engagement Ring from Twilight?

Many people (myself included) like buying and wearing replica jewelry from their favorite movies. I actually have Roaslie’s necklace and Carlisle’s ring from Twilight.

I would actually buy Bella’s engagement ring, the $35 version. I wouldn’t want it as a real engagement ring. It is a bit big for my liking and well, I’d want something else, from Tiffany’s or somewhere nice, ya know?

So, would you buy this ring? Would you want to wear it as your real engagement ring? Discuss!

Greater Love by Robert Whitlow

Greater Love is the third book in the Tides of Truth series by Robert Whitlow. “The Tides of Truth series follows one lawyer’s passionate pursuit of truth – in matters of life and the law.”

Book Description
As the storm clouds gather, Tami does her best to weather the growing turbulence in every area of her life.

She's just accepted a job with a law firm but now wonders if she made the right decision. She has two strong men vying for her heart--and is about to lose them both if she can't determine which one is right for her.

And Tami's new case is anything but simple. When she first meets her prospective client, she immediately knows the rough young teen is lying, guilty...and utterly terrified of something beyond the charges she's facing. What she doesn't realize is just how far reaching the effects of the case will go. Or how close to home the deadly results will hit. For by the time the storm breaks, someone close to Tami will have paid the ultimate price.

Through it all, Tami will experience greater sacrifice, greater friendship, and greater love than she's ever known.

My Thoughts
Even though I did not read the previous two books in the Tides of Truth series, I read this book anyways. I usually never read books at the end of a series, but this one I made an exception for because I love a good romance (that isn’t sleazy) with a little bit of mystery in it too.

I have to say that I am glad that I gave this book a fair chance. I really enjoyed reading it and learning about the characters in it. Tami may have a situation we all want – picking between two guys – but the decision is not an easy one to make is it?

I plan on reading the first two books in the series since I enjoyed this one so much, so I do recommend it – but if you’re like me and like reading things in order, I suggest doing that too.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

5 Things to Know for Successful and Lasting Weight Loss

Losing 100 pounds is not an easy feat by any means, and doing so naturally, like the author of this book, Fran DiVecchio did is even more uncommon. 5 Things to Know for Successful and Lasting Weight Loss is a success story of the author’s own tips and stories of how she lost the weight – and kept it off for 12 years!

Fran writes this book in an easy to follow way which really keeps the reader engaged and wanting to know more – not just about her tips for success but also her personal story on how she reached her goal.

The 5 tips used in this book may seem simple, but really doing them isn’t. For instance, DiVecchio makes the reader understand the differences between simply wishing or desiring for something and setting up a goal – and sticking to it, like an Olympian athlete would.

The author also mentions that she didn’t start exercising in extreme measures – she simply started exercising by walking. I really like this tip because not everyone can afford a gym membership right away, and walking is a fantastic exercise – especially for beginners.

At the back of the book, there are also fantastic recipes that the author shares with all of us to help make our weight loss journey taste just a little better. I made “Nancy’s Frittata” and “Choffee” and it was absolutely delicious!

I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for inspiration on their weight loss journey. 5 Things to Know for Successful and Lasting Weight Loss is very easy to read, shares great things to know for lasting weight loss, and gives hope and inspiration to everyone who needs it – whether you want to lose 10 or 100+ pounds.


This book is part of Turner Publishing’s Good Things to Know series which “focuses on simple, pragmatic actions that can have a strong and lasting impact in the lives of readers.” – Turner Publishing.

* Thank you to the publisher of 5 Things to Know for Successful and Lasting Weight Loss, Turner Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Beauty Review – eos (the evolution of smooth)

I have a secret to confess: I’m not really a 24/7 lipstick wearing kind of girl.

Honestly, I don’t wear it often because most of the lipsticks around irritate my skin/lips. So instead, I opt for natural lip balms and chapsticks.

I’m kind of picky about what I put on my lips (get your mind out of the gutter people) and when I find something I like, I stick with it.

eos (evolution of smooth) has these fun lip balm spheres that I was lucky enough to get to try out. They are USDA-certified organic, all-natural lip balms, packed with antioxidant rich vitamin E, smoothing shea butter and jojoba oil.

They are available in honeysuckle honeydew, summer fruit, and sweet mint. My favorite is the summer fruit. They really do provide long lasting moisture and didn’t irritate me a bit! It is honestly one of the best organic lip balms I’ve used yet.

I started testing these around Easter time and everyone who saw them made comments about Easter eggs. Then, I opened it up and put on the lip balm and they thought it was the coolest thing around. Since I don’t share makeup products (that is really non-hygenic by the way), I directed them to check out our local Walgreens that carries it.

I don’t know anyone who really looks forward to shaving their legs. However, the eos ultra moisturing shave cream can almost get you to that point. If anything, it makes it a little less like a chore.

I tried in the pomegranate raspberry scent and loved it! It says you can shave with it wet or dry, but I prefer to do that in the shower, and it worked great! It left my skin soft and smooth and my favorite part is that it smells great and comes in a soft-touch recyclable bottle that won’t leave a rust ring in the bathtub! What can I say? Small things make me happy!

More about eos:
eos makes innovative and stylish beauty products that meet the needs of modern women at very affordable prices. Their products are available at Walgreens, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, evolutionofsmooth.com, drugstore.com, and amazon.com.


* Thank you to eos for providing me with the items reviewed for the purpose of this review. I was not paid to write positively about them, or in any way.

Happy Earth Day 2010!

Earth Day is a great holiday to go out and do something special for the environment, or perhaps do something new and green you haven’t done before.

This year, I picked strawberries from a local farm near where I live. I can honestly say that I have never picked any kind of fruit or vegetable from a farm before, so definitely a new experience for me!

I usually do Earth Day things with my Mom, so she was with me too. We had fun going through the strawberry fields and picking out the reddest, juiciest, freshest strawberries I’ve ever had. They let us sample some while we picked them too, which really makes for the freshest strawberries around!

Oh, I got a new haircut yesterday too, you like? 14 inches were cut off! Crazy huh?

Here is the same image, but making the strawberry really pop out with the help of photo effects. Which do you like more?



Here is a picture of the strawberry portion of the farm we went to:



What did you do for Earth Day? If you couldn’t do anything today, do you plan to soon? Have a favorite Earth Day memory you’d like to share too? I’d love to hear about it!

The Beauty of Yard Work

Did you know that doing yard work burns a ton of calories? One hour of yard work burns anywhere from 400-600 calories (depending of course on how much you are doing and doesn’t count breaks). Oh yes! If I had known this, I would have been doing more yard work for years! Oh well, live and learn – right?

The past few weeks, I’ve been doing hours of yard work a day. Of course some more than others, and none on some days. We’ve really gotten the front yard looking much better and have been raking, planting, weeding, burning, etc. I’ll post the end result soon (hopefully).

We’ve planted 21 azaleas, 4 rose bushes, 2 crepe myrtles and lots of flowers from seeds. The vegetable garden is on hold, but hopefully will get to that soon!

Here are some pictures I took today, enjoy!

41 Things to Know About Autism

41 Things to Know About Autism by Chantal Sicile-Kira is a great book for those of us who don’t really know very much about autism, but would like to learn. It is setup in a fantastic way that allows readers to find the questions they have (the 41 things) and read about it from there.

This book covers essential questions such as:
• Do vaccines cause autism?
• What causes autism?
• What is a sensory processing disorder, and how is it related to autism?
• My child has just been diagnosed with autism. How do I cope?
• Can autism be cured?
• What hope is there for the future for people on the autism spectrum?

Autism isn’t a disorder that is the same for everyone that has it, that is why it is referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder. While it is different for each person who has it, they do all have challenges in the same three areas including: communication, social interactions, and imaginative play or thought. Recently, it has been found that many with autism also have gastrointestinal and immune medical problems as well.

Autism isn’t something I can honestly say I knew very much about until reading this book. I’d seen children with it on TV (like Jagger’s son on General Hospital’s spinoff). Most recently though, I watched the movie called Temple Gradin. Claire Danes plays Temple, who is autistic and goes on to be a very successful woman (based on a true story). If you haven’t seen this movie yet, watch it, it too is well worth your time!

If you are touched by a family member who is autistic, or a friend who is (or their child has it), are in the medical field, teach a child with autism, or you just want to learn more about autism – this is the book for you! Chantal Sicile-Kira does such a fantastic job explaining about autism and the book sorts it out in a very readable and relatable way.


For more information about autism, check out other books by Chantal Sicile-Kira, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, and Autism Life Skills.

Websites on Autism:
Autism Society of America (ASA): http://www.autism-society.org
Talk About Curing Autism Now (TACA): http://meetup.tacanow.org
National Autism Association: http://www.nationalautismassociation.org


* Thank you to the publisher of 41 Things to Know About Autism, Turner Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book.