My First Father’s Day without Dad: Here’s to Hoping for the Best

June 15, 2013 By Lindsay 6 Comments

It’s hard to believe that my dad has been gone for six months now. I think about him everyday. I wrote a couple of weeks back that grieving the loss of my father is still hard and that I was dreading my first Father’s Day without dad. Tomorrow is finally the big day and I’m still dreading it.

Father’s Day without Dad

I’ve also mentioned in the past that I’ve found it very hard to find any motivation to do anything lately. You can see my lack of motivation to post by seeing the timestamp on this post. It’s after 2 pm on a Saturday and here I sit writing this post. I always have my posts ready to go for the weekend by Thursday or Friday at the latest. However, I got a post done for Friday on Thursday and then quit. It’s so easy to try and find something on social media to distract me that I haven’t done a whole lot of blogging at any one time here lately. I think that’s because I’m literally trying to distract myself from missing my dad. I’ve been told that the first year without a loved one is the hardest. So, I’m hoping that the following father’s day without dad get easier.

I’ve been dreading this weekend for a month now. Today hasn’t been as hard as I anticipated, but it’s still early yet. I’m hoping I don’t break down soon. Tomorrow, I don’t plan to go out and about. I hope that by being with loved ones, I can cope with the loss on my own. It doesn’t mean that I won’t miss dad or it won’t be hard. I just don’t think I could handle going out and seeing everyone else celebrating the day with their dad.

So, if you’ve lost your dad, how do you handle father’s day without dad? Do you ignore the day or do you do something in remembrance of him?

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Facial: The Perfect D.I.Y. Mother’s Day Gift

April 14, 2013 By Lindsay 3 Comments

Almost two years ago, I posted the Bonding Over Beauty Book Review on the book by Erika Katz. Now, just in time for Mother’s Day, I wanted to share the Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Facial from her. It’s super easy to make with ingredients that can be found around the house. I might have to make this for my mom this year since I think she deserves something really special.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Facial

Like I said, this is a super easy D.I.Y. activity. Just look at the common ingredients it contains.

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons dry, uncooked oatmeal

Now, look at how easy it is to make.

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl.
Apply mask all over face and let sit for 10 minutes.
Rinse with warm water.

Please note: This recipe should be used right away. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week but must be brought to room temperature to use.

See how easy that is? I know that we have at least half of those ingredients in our cupboard right now (maybe all of them). I also know that I can make this at a moment’s notice. So, if Mother’s Day sneaks up on me, I can just grab these things from the pantry and whip it up for my mom. Then, since all my mom has to do is let it sit for 10 minutes, she shouldn’t complain about it. My mom’s a very low maintenance person, so she should enjoy the chance to do something for her skin that isn’t time consuming or difficult. Plus, just look at the benefits of using this Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Facial:

Oatmeal is a wonderful ingredient to calm irritated skin and absorb excess oil. It also cleanses pores. Chocolate has antioxidants which prevent damage to the skin’s elastin, hydrate the skin, and give it moisture. The heavy cream smoothes and softens skin.

So, what do you think of this super easy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Facial? If you want to find more tips like this one, you can check out Erika Katz’s website, Bonding Over Beauty.

Disclosure: Nothing was received for this post. I just wanted to share a super quick D.I.Y. chocolate oatmeal cookie facial for Mother’s Day with my readers. The opinions expressed are my own.

Long-term Substitute Teacher: Pros and Cons

February 25, 2013 By Lindsay 7 Comments

You may have noticed that since I returned from the Shot@Life Champion Summit, I haven’t been around much. That’s because I returned on a Wednesday and then immediately started a long-term substitute teacher position on that Thursday. That means I’ve been staying busy offline and haven’t had as much time to write posts or respond to emails. So, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on the differences between regular subbing and being a long-term substitute teacher.

Regular Substitute Teaching

More free time. When I’m not working everyday, I have time to blog and do other things around the house.
Inconsistent. The con of that is I never know my schedule and can’t make plans. It also means that the pay can be inconsistent.
Get to know more people. Regular subbing allows me to be in multiple schools and to meet different kids and principals.
It can be hard. By being a new face in the school, the students tend to try to test the limits with you.

Long-term Substitute Teacher

Consistency. I have a reliable schedule/routine and pay.
Relationships. I can build relationships with students and the staff.
Lots is unknown. This is my second long-term substitute teacher position. In neither of these cases have I been told how long the position would be for.
Better pay. They school systems pay per day. So, they automatically increase the rate when you work 10 consecutive days in one position.
Time suck. This whole working all day, everyday is taking up lots of my time. Plus, I’m currently having to do lesson plans and some other stuff at home which also takes up my free time.

So, what do you think of being a regular sub versus a long-term substitute teacher? Do you think it’s better to be a regular one with a day-to-day schedule or a more expected one as a long-term substitute teacher?

Substitute Teacher Supply List

January 16, 2013 By Lindsay 2 Comments

Since I couldn’t get a full-time teaching position in the fall, I signed up to substitute teach for the county I live in. I have been subbing pretty regularly since September now. Granted, there are some issues that occur because the students don’t know me and I’m there for only a day. However, I have found that being prepared with the right materials can definitely help. Plus, it also helps that I actually love my job. I thought I would share with you my substitute teacher supply list which is a list of stuff I keep ready to go.

* Tote Bag – I’m actually using the Vera Bradley Va Va Bloom Go Round Tote Bag that I reviewed last year. It’s pretty and it holds all of my stuff from this substitute teacher supply list nicely. A high school student even commented on it because she loves Vera Bradley.

* Notebook – I try to take copious notes throughout the day, just in case. At the high school, I write stuff down for each period (even if it’s just a simple “all present”) and for the elementary level, I try to write things as they happen. At end of the day/week, I combine my notes to write up a letter to the teacher I’m filling in for. I also keep a running list of the days I’ve worked (including place and teacher).

* Writing Utensils – I need pens/pencils to write my notes and letter. I’ve also found it useful to carry around some chalk and dry erase markers as I write down the assignments on the board (along with my name and the date) for the students. Occasionally, the teacher doesn’t have any out. So, I carry some, just in case. Also, some students may not come to class prepared with a pencil/eraser.

* Food – I always have a bottle of water in my bag along with a snack and some gum.

* Beauty supplies – This includes a pony tail holder, deodorant, lip balm, hand sanitizer/lotion, etc.

* Book – It can be boring to sit in a classroom without anything to do for 50 minutes (during planning period). So, I always carry around a book.

* Money – I always pack a lunch if I’m going to work all day. However, sometimes I’m scheduled to work the first half of day and get asked for the second. So, it’s nice to have some money for lunch.

Now you have my substitute teacher supply list. What do you think of it? Do you have any suggestions for me? What should I add to my substitute teacher supply list?

It Does Not Feel Like Christmas

December 25, 2012 By Lindsay 6 Comments

Merry Christmas! I sincerely hope you are spending time with family today (instead of reading my site). I hope all of my readers have a fabulous holiday season that is filled with love, laughter, good food, and perhaps a great gift or two. There won’t be any reviews or giveaways posted today as I’m taking today off. I hope you aren’t too disappointed. However, now that dad has passed away, I am all too aware of how important it is to spend time with family. You just never know when it will be the last time you see someone. So, be nice and joyful today.

It Does Not Feel Like Christmas

I am sure that today will be hard for me and my family. I am baking homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on Christmas Eve, because I used to bake peanut butter cookies with my mom back in the day. It’s been really hard these past few weeks. I miss dad. I think about him multiple times a day. I do better during the day because I can stay busy. However, it really hits me at night when the house is quiet and I feel like he should be walking down the hallway to go to the bathroom and check on me.

With dad (and my grandmother who passed away 9 years ago) being gone, it really doesn’t feel Christmas this year. It feels like something is missing to complete the Christmas festivities. I miss talking to dad. I am also sad because I went to visit dad in the hospital on Thanksgiving and I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. His response was “I want to come home for Christmas.” Obviously, that didn’t happen. So, it breaks my heart. I know he is better off now because he is no longer suffering. However, I want him here for selfish reasons.

Instead of snow, it’s raining here in Virginia for Christmas. That doesn’t help any with the spirit. Then, we put up our Christmas tree last week. It’s a pre-lit tree. As soon as mom plugged it in, a whole string of lights was out (right in the middle of the tree). Then, a couple of days later, another strand went out. Also, our tree topper that we’ve had for years wouldn’t work either.

Like I said, it doesn’t feel like Christmas this year… at all. I don’t know how hard today will be. Nonetheless, it is Christmas and I want to spend it with my family and loved ones. I haven’t been able to deal with being around many people lately. So, I’m hoping today goes well.

Merry Christmas!