The Friday Five

Hello Friday, and welcome back The Friday Five!

This week was ROUGH. Work was extremely overwhelming and all the shit I had to deal with yesterday pretty much sucked out some of my soul.

Working with kids is great and I love it, but there are some kids who are just beyond frustrating, no one can figure out where their bad behavior is stemming from, and even the principal is at a loss! So that's what we've been dealing with, ugh. Soooooo I decided that today I needed a mental health day because I knew that if I went into work there was no way I would have been able to give my students my best self, and I hadn't taken a sick day in a while!

I had a relaxing morning with Cosmo, watching The Grinch (for the second time since Halloween...), and cooked myself a healthy breakfast and lunch. I'm visiting CT again this weekend, so I was able to leave earlier than usual on a Friday and BEAT TRAFFIC!!!

Here are some of my favorite things that brightened this dull & difficult week:

01) This ridiculous, adorable Christmas cat house from Target. I got Cosmo a gingerbread one last year, and this year they have this double-decker Hot Cocoa Cafe with scratchers on the inside and on top. It was a little bit challenging to put together (I had to reinforce everything with tape), but how could I resist this? I plan to make this our Christmas tradition & get him the new one every year.

02) I have been loving two songs featuring the queen herself, Ariana Grande. Firstly, I randomly found Dance To This by Troye Sivan ft. Ariana Grande. What a mellow, sensual bop. Then there's the song that changed the break-up song game.  Fire!!!

03) As mentioned previously, I have already watched The Grinch on Netflix twice and it is November 9th. Bless Netflix for featuring this absolutely Christmas classic. I'm estimating I will be watching it approximately 35 more times before Christmas.

04) I get really into certain meals some weeks, and this week is just like that. I have been loving whipping up a quick breakfast burrito in the mornings - with egg whites, spinach, feta, salt & pepper, and a whole wheat wrap, this is literally the easiest filling breakfast (maybe besides overnight oats)!

05) Google Calendar!!!! I went absolutely ham color-coding, organizing, and setting up my Google Calendar earlier this week & I already have a good feeling that this is going to stick. I am notorious for not sticking to one consistent method of planning or setting reminders for myself. But there is something very satisfying about Google Cal syncing to my phone and seeing it all laid out on my laptop & feeling so in control of my life. Fingers crossed this sticks and helps me to adult a little more efficiently!

I will be spending time at home in Connecticut this weekend - helping a friend decorate her new home for Christmas (lol, yes already!), going to a hockey game with my parents, doing laundry, & hopefully working on some writing/grad school stuff.

I hope you have a great weekend! 

What I Loved In October!

I don't know how this happened, but I blinked and October was over. This month was even worse than September! There's something about the tumultuous nature of the last three months of the year - preparing for Halloween, planning for Thanksgiving, picking out the perfect gifts for Christmas - that makes it all pass in a whirlwind.

That's why I'm soooo glad that I'm blogging again, so I can try to keep track of all these little moments and details. Like my favoriteeeee:

Books
I got really into poetry again this month, with the re-discovery of my Kindle which had several poetry books downloaded onto it! My favorite by far was salt, by Nayirrah Waheed I guarantee you've heard at least one iconic poem from this moving collection, but it's worth it to sit down and read the entire thing cover to cover. I highlighted so many poems, I feel like I need to go back and read it all again.

Podcasts
A major reason that I survive my commute to and from work is a variety of podcasts. I've been loving Ghost of a Podcast, which bridges astrology, life advice, and social justice with no bullshit! Jessica Lanyadoo is a bad bitch/witch and it comes out every Sunday so that you can have an idea of what the cosmos has in store for your week.

Show/Movie
Honestly, The Voice. I am a sucker for a reality competition show, and now that Big Brother and The Bachelor are over (for now), I am committed to this show. I love the judges (Kelly Clarkson is adorable) and the talent in un-freaking-belieavable. The difference between The Voice and American Idol is ridiculous. If you think American Idol is whack (which I do), give this show a chance. The tears will roll.

Music
This has been a month of lots of musical discoveries. My taste is all over the place, so these are just a few. Maggie Rogers is a goddess. I recommend her songs Alaska, Dog Years, Light On, and Fallingwater. Or just all of them. I was supposed to go see her this weekend in Portland but it got moved to March because she booked SNL!

Shakey Graves is more rock/folk with the sickest guitar skills. I haven't listened to much of his music, but my favorite song so far is Roll The Bones. It's great driving music for this season.

And lastly, Gregory Alan Isakov has the most soothing folky, autumnal music. His song, Big Black Car, will always evoke so much nostalgia in me because that was the first song I danced to for dance company auditions back when I was a freshman in college!

Life hack
Using coconut oil spray as body lotion and a leave-in (then wash-out) hair treatment. I heard this on a podcast recently and my mind was utterly blown that I hadn't thought of it myself.

Costume Theme 
Soooo all of the high school staff at my school decided to be Harry Potter characters for Halloween this year (my idea). I think I made a pretty great Professor Trelawney with an entire costume found at Goodwill.Umbridge walked around scolding children and writing educational decrees, and Gilderoy Lockhart gave out autographed headshots to anyone who asked (or didn't ask).  It pretty much made my wildest dreams come true.

Have a spooky Halloween & a great first day of November tomorrow!

Currently Loving + New Moon Mantra

{image via http://www.thehoodwitch.com/blog/2015/10/11/new-moon-in-libra}

Good morning! 

Today I'm writing from the couch of my parents house as my dad warms his feet with an electric heater. Yesterday was 82 degrees and we were all wearing shorts, so this is only a bit confusing.

As this first week of October wraps up (I am obsessed with having today off, as it's Columbus Day weekend!) I thought I'd drop a couple nuggets of joy that I've been loving on this past week. I also love looking back on these to remind myself of them at times I'm feeling uninspired or stuck.

Nikki Vegan
This Youtuber dropped into my recommended section and I am soooo grateful for that algorithm. Her videos are unbelievably relaxing and somehow have the coziest vibe to them. Her studio apartment kitchen is adorable but also functional and realistic and her recipes are easy, affordable, and look delicious! I'm not 100% vegan at the moment, but I'm pretty close, and I want to try literally everything she makes. I plan to binge watch about 50 of her videos later this afternoon, before my drive back to Massachusetts.

Small Town Murder podcast
This is the podcast that has been getting me through my long drives and annoying morning commutes. The guys on this podcast are comedians, so if you don't think true crime and comedy should ever mix, it's probably not for you. However, they never make fun of the victims or the victims families (because they're assholes, not scumbags!), more so they rip on the small-town-ness of the majority of these cases and it is so. funny. 

Real Simple magazine
I was walking through the grocery store with my mom yesterday and just had to pick up this magazine. There is something so serene and inspiring about the minimalist design of it's pages. Not to mention this issue had tips for organizing, relaxing, and fall decorating - three of my favorite things.

Cleaning out spaces
I was inspired, upon returning to my parents house, to tackle one of my monthly to-dos and make my old room here more livable. My parents had been using it as a storage space, so I remedied that real quick by transferring a bunch of random objects to their basement. A new duvet cover, freshly washed sheets, and general tidying has made it a much more refreshing space to come home to when I visit Connecticut. Now if only I can transfer this cleaning inspo to my apartment!

Journaling
I haven't physically written in a journal in a while, and while cleaning out my old bedroom I stumbled upon my journal from 2017. Re-reading it start to finish was enlightening. I can't believe I failed to keep a journal in 2018! Obviously I went straight to Barnes & Noble and found an adorable journal hand-crafted in India that I hope to fill with the few remaining bits of this year, and commit to documenting all of next year. It really is wild to look back on my shifting perspectives through the months, and I look forward to being able to do that again!

And lastly... New moon in Libra energy. The new moon is always all about setting up intentions that you want to focus on and grow throughout the moon cycle. As the moon becomes full, the hope is that your intentions will also come to fruition! My new moon mantra, according The Numinous on Girlboss is:

When I commit to clear seeing, I can see my legacy.

This is all about seeing a clear vision of my professional future, and getting out of auto-pilot in my daily activities and habits in order to make conscious and intentional choices that will aid me in pursuit of my dreams. I can get on board with that.

Have a beautiful second week of October. 

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Where Have I Been?

It's been over 2 weeks since I've logged over here onto my formal little space on the internet and let some strangers peek into my life. I thought it was important to give an update on what I've been doing and why I haven't been very into blogging lately.

• I've been applying to grad school. The energy that I expend typing away on these posts was being directly channeled into something super productive and difficult which were my personal statements and formal graduate resume. And now they are DONE AND SUBMITTED. PRAISE. (and check one box off for January goals).
• I've been on tumblr. This website used to be one that I hated because of all the young, immature people on it. But I've cultivated a page filled with art, inspiration, health-minded people, and positivity. It's like a mood board for everything I can possibly think of and I feel that the age group over there is a little more geared to where I'm at in life, as opposed to the blogger/wordpress world.  
• I've been livin' life! Sometimes recapping every single thing that happens to me, or feeling that I have to take photos of everything, takes me out of the moment. When it comes to my daily life, I've been using the Grid Diary app again (every day in 2017 so far!) so that I have small journal entries to look back on. But I think I may only use this website now to post the great, grand things that I do. Also so that I feel more comfortable sharing it with my friends and family. 

Since we're here I might as well share some favorite things of the year, so far! 

• Kiehl's hand cream and original lip balm. Omg, so good.
• Being a redhead again. Best decision of 2016.
• My new electric toothbrush.
• Vests in general.
• This season of The Bachelor!!!!
• Reading my Kindle (book reviews are likely on the way!)
• Following a pretty strict workout plan.
• Keeping track of my food intake in a very cute Moleskin notebook.
• Micron fine tip pens.
• The most adorable black leather (I'm assuming faux) backpack with gold hardware that I received as a Secret Santa present. 
• Rosehip oil all over my face. 
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So that's it folks. I felt it was important to step away from the blog, re-evaluate what I want out of it this year, and deliver when I have some good content to deliver.