How to Have the Perfect Sleepover!

Hello everyone!

Something I love to do in the Spring/Summer seasons is to have movie nights and sleepovers with my friends. We giggle all night long, take pictures, play video games, and just grow a closer friendship. But as we all know, some sleepover's are flops but there are a lot that are not! Below you'll find a list of tips that will help you achieve the perfect sleepover! 

1. Bring Your Electronics...

Let's all admit it, we're teens, and we love our technology! Bring your phone, your x-box, iPod, docking station, and all your favourite video games/movies to the party. It will provide you and your friends with hours of entertainment. Try games like Just Dance, or Wii Sports to get everyone up and moving. As my Mom would say, "dance your heart out baby!". 

2. But don't get addicted... 
Electronics are great to have at a sleepover, but don't spend all your time on them! I had a pool party for my birthday this past summer, and half the people i invited didn't swim because they were too wrapped up in their phones. There's a whole world to see if you look up from that screen once in a while. The classic games are always my favourite part of sleepovers anyway. Try a game of truth or dare, or even monopoly! Trust me, you'll have a great time!

3. Extra Blankets and Pillows! 
Extra blankets and pillows are a must have! Not only will you be warm and cozy when you decide to go to sleep, but they open up new possible activities. Grab a bunch of pillows off the couch and build a pillow fort to watch movies in! My best friend and I did that at her house, that was my favourite sleepover by far. Another activity you can take part in with extra pillows is a gigantic pillow fight! (Just stay away from your moms furniture!)

4. Snacks! 
Always have a wide variety of snacks at your sleepovers. Some favourites are ice cream, chips, pretzels, and pop! The extra sugar will help keep you and your friends from falling asleep to early!

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Hope this helps! Have a great sleepover everyone!

   

Tips on Spring Cleaning

Hello everyone!

Winter is finally starting to retreat, and spring has made an appearance! There are flowers blooming, sunlight streaming, and love is floating on the breeze. Spring is really a beautiful time. So to kick-start the season I thought we could talk about Spring cleaning!

 

If you're anything like me, Spring is a time to make changes. Changes that involve reconstructing your wardrobe, redecorating your room, and trying new things. (I've vowed to take up skateboarding when the sidewalks are clear.) You may feel like a brand new person when Winter ends, so do some cleaning and change your room to reflect who you are now! 

1. Start With Your Closet

Go through your closet and decide what you like and what is "so last year". Try making three piles of clothes: one to donate, the second to keep, and the third to throw out. Think carefully about your style preferences and how they may have changed over the Winter. Your style should reflect you, so think about whether you're a little more girly, or whether or not you want to showcase your inner rock and roll. Anything that's in good shape but you don't want, put in the donate pile. If it has holes in it and smells like moth balls, put it in the throw out pile.

2. Have a Specific Place for Things

Now that the new season has arrived, clean up your room. Everything deserves a spot of it's own so you can easily find it. Get a basket for those dirty clothes that are strewn across your floor, a new roll of tape to finish hanging those posters, a new DVD case for those disks with lost cases. With everything organized, your room will look neater and you'll feel better about it. 

3. Change Things Up 

A new season means a new room! Put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and get a new bed spread to match! Remember that like your closet, your room reflects you, so make it your own! If you're the creative type (I am), Dollarama has canvas's for $3. Make some sort of art masterpiece and hang it on your wall! Crayon art looks great in rooms! 

4. Wash Everything! 

I know it doesn't sound like much fun, but the new and fresh feeling won't feel complete until you start washing/cleaning. Vacuum your bedroom floors, wipe down the windows, and carefully clean your dressers. This will add the finishing touches and make your room sparkle and shine! 

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Hope this helps! If you'll excuse me, I've got a bedroom that's in desperate need of some love and care. Happy cleaning!

How to Grow Out Your Hair!

Good afternoon teens! 

Sorry for the lack of posts, I got my wisdom teeth taken out on Thursday. It really wasn't a pleasant experience. But the time off gave me a chance to think of new blog topics! This week's just so happens to be inspired by my Mom. 

How to Grow Out Your Hair! 

A lot of us are hard on our hair. We over straighten it, we curl it, we put crazy amounts of hairspray in it, and we rake through it with our brushes so we don't miss our bus in the morning. But doing these things will take away any chance of your hair growing longer. So if you're ready to be kind to your hair, follow the steps listed below! 

1. Trim Your Hair! 

Trim Your hair every 6 months to gain an extra 3 inches. (Sounds sort of funny right?) But in all seriousness, trimming is important because it cuts off dead ends and split ends. 

2. Protect Your Hair! 

When it's cold or windy outside it's a good idea to put your hair up. (You don't have to if it's two steps to your car!) The cold can freeze your hair sometimes and cause it to become brittle when it's down and loose, but if you put it up it's together and it will be safe from damage. Wind is also an enemy of hair. The wind will blow your hair around and cause it to become knotted. If you put it up, it can't move! 

3. Don't Brush Your Hair When It's Wet! 

Hair is at it's weakest when it's wet. It becomes stretchy and elastic-like when wet; therefore it's much easier to snap. Also, let your hair air dry. Blow dryers can burn your hair!  

4. Eat Healthy! 

Eating healthy can greatly improve the quality of your hair. Fruits and veggies contain vitamins that encourage hair growth. This doesn't mean you have to give up all junk food, just eat it in moderation and try to replace it with a heather alternative when possible. Water is also great for hair! Try to drink the recommended 8 glasses a day. Water will nourish your hair and give it a soft texture. 

5.  Massage Your Scalp! 

Massaging your scalp will stimulate your cells and help hair to grow quicker! 

6. Stay Away From Heat! 

Try to stay away from blow dryers and straightener's. Using these daily will result in your hair burning and split ends forming. 

7. Washing Your Hair! 

Unless your hair is really oily, don't wash it every day. Try once every second day. When you over wash your hair you strip it of it's natural oils that it needs to be healthy and grow. 

8. Try Taking Vitamins! 

Ask your parents before doing this because their are health risks. Vitamins that have fish oil, Argentine, and Biotin all help aid hair and the production of its enzymes, which stimulates the growth of hair. 

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Hope this helps! Good luck!    

How To Deal With Bullying

Good evening teens!

I've got a lot of homework tonight, so I'll take a rain check on my usual rambling and get right to it.

Our topic tonight...

(Drum roll please!)

Bullying.

At some point or another you've probably experienced bullying. Maybe you've been bullied, been a bystander, or even become the bully. Whatever the case, bullying is wrong and we all need to work together to take a stand against it. 

To clarify, bulling is when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the victim cannot defend themselves. 

1. Tell an Adult You Trust 

Telling is NOT tattling. By telling adults you trust you are taking the first step to stopping the bullying. Adults can get involved and put the bullying to an end. 

2. Don't react

Bullying feed off of their victims reaction. I know it hurts, but don't give them the satisfaction of your pain. Hold your head up high and act like they're not even there. Soon they will get tired and leave you alone. Stay strong. 

3. Never Ever Self-Harm

Self harm is not the way to solve your problems. It won't make things better, and will only cause you more pain in the long run. If you need a way to express your anger of hurt try writing, reading, drawing, venting to a friend/family member, work out, etc. The truth is, self harm is fatal and could lead to death if it gets too severe. The two most common types of self harm are cutting and burning. If you notice someone wearing long sleeves in warm weather (consistently), or wearing stacks of bracelets on their wrists this might mean they're self harming. But don't freak out, observe and if you are concerned, confront them before running and telling an adult. It may turn out to be nothing at all.  

4. Stay With a Group 

Bullies rarely target people in a group of people. Walk the halls of school with your group of friends. Odds are your bully will be too afraid to mess with you when you're surrounded by people who care about you. And if they do come after you, it's likely that your friends will interject and defend you. Just make sure that they don't become bullies while trying to stand up for you. 

5. Stay Within an Adult's Sight

If for some reason you can't walk with your friends, try to stay in an adults company. For example, if you're walking down the hallway at school and you see your bully and a teacher coming down the hallway, flag down the teacher. Ask them about upcoming assignments, or important dates. If you;re not in their classes, ask them information about their class, or upcoming events going on at your school. Bullies will never directly target you while you're with someone with more authority than they feel they have. 

6. Forgive

Um, have you lost it? You want me to forgive the person who's been tormenting me? Yes I do! Forgiveness is the most important aspect of bullying. If you don't learn to forgive them for their actions, you'll harbor all that anger and bitterness and wind up becoming a bully yourself. If you're the bully, forgive yourself. You're not an awful person, you've just slipped up. It happens to the best of us! But know that you should apologize to the individual you've been hurting. It might just make their day! They may not accept your apology at first, but try doing something nice for them to show them that you really have changed. 

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Not to shabby, I should really learn to take my own advice. If you'll excuse me, I have some forgiving to do. 

Have a great week everyone!   

How To Get Over It

   

Good afternoon everyone!

What a week it's been. Tough, but I'm alive and healthy so I really can't complain. The fact is, this year I said goodbye to someone who meant a lot to me. It wasn't goodbye forever per se, but it's the kind that creates a dull throbbing heartache, and much longing to run to him when I see him around.

Sappy and dramatic yes?

Good inspiration for a blog post though. What's the number one issue teenagers deal with? If you answered break ups, gold stars and a hug for you! Enough rambling, let's get on to our topic today....

(Drum roll please!)

How to get over him/her.

 

I know it's not easy and it seems like the end of the world. I've been there and I know how you feel. Hurt, betrayed, crushed, lonely, etc. As tough as it is, try your hardest to focus on the positive. Know that you are not alone. Your family and friends love you very much. 

1. Forgive 

Breaking up is never easy and situations can get toxic! When breaking up, be gentle and kind. Let them know that you're sorry things didn't work out and forgive them for hurting you, or ask them to forgive you. It will make you feel better knowing you ended on a positive note and that the situation won't turn into World War 3. 

2. Let Go 

It's okay to cry! Take the time to have a good long cry; odds are you'll feel better afterwards. But this doesn't mean hide in your room for 4 hours with the blaring music accompanying your sorrow filled screams. (Guilty). Invite your best friends over for a sleepover, go for a long drive with your mom, hug your dad, or sit and play Skyrim with your brother. All these people love you (even your sometimes stinky brother) and can help you through this rough patch. Rely on their strength until you regain your own balance. 

3. Don't get Depressed!

This is important! It's fine to take a few days to reflect and drown your sorrows in strawberry ice cream but don't let it take over your life! You are still a good person despite what your ex may think. You may have said some things or done some things that you shouldn't have, but everyone makes mistakes. Stay hopeful, one day you'll find the one you're meant to be with. As I said before, focus on the positives and get back out there. Join the next school sports team, take that babysitting job, plan movie nights, go on a wild shopping spree or take crazy car rides with your family. It will take your mind off the break up.  

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I don't know what you're going through or the details of the situation, but whatever it is stay strong. God never gives you anything you're not strong enough to handle and he's always there for you. Trust in him.  

How To Get Rid Of Acne!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome! Here you'll find tips and tricks to deal with daily teenage problems. For more information, check out my first blog titled, "Introduction & Surviving High School". If you're returning, thanks for checking in, hope last week's blog helped! 

This is a new week however, and our topic today will be....

(Drum roll please!) 

How to clear up acne! 

Acne haunts most of us at one time or another. It's annoying, discouraging, and downright awful. But don't feel embarrassed by it! Know that it will go away at some point, and that there are ways you can control it. To help you out, I've compiled two lists labelled simply as "Do" and "Don't". You can find them below. 

DO 

• Drink plenty of water! It sounds silly, but when your skin is dehydrated it fails to flush out bacteria properly. The bacteria then becomes trapped under your skin and pimples form. 
• Eat healthy. Foods like strawberries, avocados, and cucumbers all contain vitamins that will improve your skin. 
• Get proper sleep! It may not seem important, but your body takes time to relax, rejuvenate, and re-energize when you sleep. This is your skin's healing time. So send out one last tweet, post that last picture on Instagram, and say goodnight to that special boy/girl you're texting. 
• Wash your face every morning and every night to clean your pores. If you work out or have gym  class during the day I recommend buying Oxy-Pads. They will clean out the dirt and sweat and leave your face feeling fresh! Beware of over washing though, as too much will dry out your skin and leave it red and itchy. 
• Try changing your pillowcase every night. When you sleep old skin cells become trapped in the cloth and will dirty up your face at night! 
• When washing your face first splash cold water on your face to open your pores, then warm to close them again.       

DON'T 

• Don't drink soda! It won't hydrate your skin properly, and the chemicals in it can lead to serious breakouts! 
• Don't eat unhealthy foods like chips! All the extra grease in them will attack your face and cause major breakouts. 
• Don't touch your face! Think of all the things your hands touch during the day; keyboards, desks, railings, remotes, etc. All these things contain germs, bacteria, and dirt. When you touch these objects then touch your face you're transferring all those disgusting things to your skin. 
• Don't wear foundation and concealer every day! Save it for special occasions like dances or picture day. Wearing it 24/7 will dirty your skin and lead to breakouts. If you feel the need to wear make up often, always pick out products that are oil free. A good concealer to use is BB Cream. It is oil free, it moisturises, and it has an SPF of 30.   
• Don't be lazy. You'll never gain control of acne if you never do anything to help prevent it! If you know you get tired and lazy at night like I do, wash up earlier. (You know, before you get comfy in bed with a book or your laptop!) 

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Remember to love yourself for who you are! Acne does not define you and it doesn't control you. Whether you have it or not you're still beautiful. Don't beat yourself up over it because you'll start to stress and stress leads to breakouts. Take the time to care for your skin and soon you'll be kicking acne to the curb! 

Introduction & Surviving High School

Hello everyone and welcome to my Tips For Teens blog! Here you'll find strategies on how to deal with daily teen struggles. And who am I? 

I'm Liv, and I'm a teen just like you! I'm a junior in high school and I'll do my best to help you through those tricky spots. Whether it's school, crushes, homework, friends; or smaller problems like those pesky pimples. But you didn't come here to listen to me ramble, you came here for advice! So without further adieu....

Drum roll please.

Our first blog topic:

High school.

High school. A place most teens hate to be, which is unfortunate since we spend (on average) 30 hours a week there.  There's bullies, teachers fail to teach, mountains of homework, annoying ex's, and about 200 other people who seem to enjoy ruining our days. Makes you want to slam your head against your desk right?  

BUT YOU CAN'T THINK LIKE THAT! 

Surviving high school isn't just about making it through the days, it's about enjoying the journey towards graduation! Alright Liv, if you're so happy-go-lucky, why don't you share with us how to make the most of the gloomiest place known to teens?   

1. Get involved! 

High school is so much more exciting when you get involved. In grade 9 and 10 I was so shy and kept to myself. Trust me, I regret it now. I know it seems scary, but have confidence! Audition for the lead in your school play, Try out for the basketball team, run for student council! I believe in you! You'll have something to look forward to when you go to school, and you'll wind up making a whole new group of friends. Even if you don't get the part or make the team, you've put yourself out there and people will respect you for it! Hey, in grade 10 I didn't make our basketball team, but I had a good attitude about it and actually ended up filling in for a player later on that season. My coach realized I had the ability to play and put me on the starting line up this season! Take a chance, and remember, you miss 100% of the shots you never take. 

2. Work Hard! 

Okay hot shot. You've made a sports team but don't forget about work! You have to find an even balance. From here on out the workload increases and teachers get a lot more picky about the quality of work you hand in. Make sure it's your best! I have a lot of trouble focusing in school; I get distracted and end up with a lot of homework. (Some of which goes undone at times. Shame on me!) Stay organized and pay attention in class. It makes a HUGE difference in the long run. But for those nights you do end up with homework....

a) Location 

Find a quiet place to do your homework. Turn off your laptop, t.v. etc. (Don't worry, they'll still be there when you finish.) Some people focus better with music, so play it quietly in the background if you need too. But don't be changing the song every few seconds and singing along to the latest Taylor Swift single. Pick a playlist and put your phone/iPod across the room. This way you'll be less tempted to get up and change the song or answer any incoming texts. 

b)Breaks 

Believe it or not, your brain does need a rest every now and then to absorb the information you're learning. Try taking a break every hour. (Note that this doesn't mean make a mad dash for your phone and start playing flappy bird.) Just try putting your books down and thinking about what you've just learned. Go get a drink of water, then return to your studies. 

c) Learning Style 

Know your learning style. Some people learn better by writing notes, others learn better from visuals, and some from hands on work. If re-reading notes isn't helping, try turning them into song lyrics, or watch a video explaining your homework topic. It will make your homework interesting and fun, and you'll be learning while you do it! 

3. Be Yourself! 

In high school you'll find some of your old friends will change. They'll start "forgetting to call you back" or claiming "they never got that text". It hurts, I know, but don't try to change for them. It will only make the situation worse. The fact is, there are so many more people to meet in high school, and you could be friends with anyone! Just remember that some people are worth investing an effort in, while others...not so much. You'll always be happiest when you're being you, and are surrounded by people who like you for you. 

This goes for crushes too you lovebirds. 

"But Liv! he's the one! He looked at me for 5 seconds in the hallway yesterday! Really!" 

Okay, you need to go watch Frozen again and remind yourself what true love is. 

Seriously though, don't change for anyone. I made that mistake a year ago and the results were disastrous. The minute someone suggests, "You'd be better if, or I'd like you if.." look them in the eyes and say, I like you and your flaws, if you really like me, you'll accept mine too. If they can't, well maybe they're not the one. 

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High school is a roller coaster. There will be good days, and there will be bad days. But If you try hard and always make the best of situations, you'll find the experience to be an enjoyable one. 

Have a great day everyone!