Month: February 2020

Collector of Things – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Today I have another poem to share with you all. When I was younger, I used to be kind of a hoarder- I was always obsessed with some sort of toy or other trend, and I would need to have everything related to that current obsession. I would collect things, keep them all organized in a “display” fashion, and move on to the next, accumulating toys and junk. When I got older, this transitioned to obsessively collecting makeup, jewelry, and clothes. Around eighth grade, I completely changed my mindset and donated a bunch of stuff I didn’t use anymore (including the toys I’d been holding onto since elementary school) and now I live a much less materialistic lifestyle, although I can still have obsessive tendencies.

I was inspired to write a poem about this topic when my mom brought it up, wondering how I was able to change my mindset so rapidly. I’m not really sure of this myself- I guess I just realized I didn’t want a bunch of meaningless plastic and junk that would clutter up my life, and I wanted it to go to use somewhere else as soon as possible. Regardless, I thought it would make an interesting prompt for discussion in a poem.

Collector of Things

another thing to add to the pile- i stick it in the front because who wouldn’t be proud to have a shiny new thing? i’m not satisfied, because i know there’s more shiny things out there, shiny things that i want to put at the front of my pile because i am the ultimate collector. i can’t tell if there’s an emotional attachment here or not; i don’t feel anything but i also can’t part with these pieces of fabric and plastic. i’m enticed by the idea of more, and i keep on collecting. but i’ll never have enough.

there’s always someone who’s going to have more than you, my mom says, so don’t try to keep up. but i like my mounds of plastic, and i like the instant gratification of shopping and getting something new. it never gets old, right? because there’s always new things to be had. until it spirals out of control and it does get old because it’s not exciting anymore and you have to buy twice as much just to feel a fragment of that former shopper’s exhilaration and you’ve realized this is toxic. i don’t want to be plastic anymore, i say- i’m done.

I hope you guys enjoyed this poem! I know a lot of people can probably relate to some of the sentiments because materialism and shopping problems are so common today, and they’re often romanticized in the media. Please tell me if you have poetry prompts you’d like me to try my hand with or if you have any feedback on my work 🙂

Brooke

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Random Products that Make Your Life Easier

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I’ve done a few product reviews before, and I thought I would compile a list of products I’ve gotten semi-recently or just products I’ve had for a while that I think are useful for everyday life. Obviously these are not necessities and they may not be useful for everyone, but I’ve found them nice things to have around. If you’re interested in finding some new and helpful products, keep on reading!

  • Rocketbook reusable notebook – I posted a review focusing on this product, so you should go check that out if you haven’t already! I love this notebook for writing things down that I don’t necessarily want to keep on paper long-term, and jotting down thoughts to quickly send to my phone. It’s super convenient and eco-friendly.
  • Mophie Powerbank portable charger – Portable chargers are LIFE SAVERS, hands down. I’m not sure if this is the correct name for my portable charger, but it’s a couple years old and has been through a lot, yet still holds about 3-4 phone charges.
  • Hydro Flask flex boot – If you have a Hydro Flask and are tired of it getting dented or making loud noises whenever you set it down, get this! I believe it’s only $10, and it’s totally worth it to preserve your cute (and pricey) water bottle.
  • Squatty Potty – I know I’ve mentioned this product before as well. I got it for Christmas, and it’s made my bathroom experience so much more enjoyable. It sounds silly, but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! It’s a life-changer.
  • Poo-Pourri – I’ve used this product for quite a while and it’s another semi-embarrassing bathroom product, but it’s really helpful and I like bringing it with me on trips, especially if I know I’ll be sharing a bathroom with multiple people. Even if you keep it in your own bathroom, it’s always nice to leave a nice scent behind rather than a stinky one.
  • Fiskars non-stick scissors – People always laugh at me when I gush about these, but I always have a pair with me at school. You can cut tape or anything else sticky because of the non-stick blades, and I just find Fiskars scissors to be the best. I have a bunch of pairs from elementary school still around my house, but I believe you can buy them at Target.
  • Labelmaker – My hyper-organized fifth grade self asked for a label maker for Christmas, and Santa pulled through. It’s helpful if you ever end up moving, if you want to be that extra kid who puts name labels on all their notebooks, or if you’re labeling storage bins in your house. The possibilities are endless, and it’s a nice thing to have on hand.

I hope at least a couple (if not more) of these product recommendations help you out. Let me know if you end up trying any and how they work out for you- I would love to hear your random useful product recommendations as well 🙂 I honestly hear about a lot of random but cool things on Buzzfeed, so check there if you’re looking for more!

Brooke

How to Improve Your Handwriting

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

A few years ago (in seventh grade), I decided I was going to change my handwriting for the better. Previously, I had a messy scrawl that often left my teachers confused- in elementary school, I would always get negative comments on my report card about my illegible handwriting. There was a girl in my English class whose handwriting I loved, so I studied it and tried to replicate it. At first I had to write really slow to do so, but it became more natural over time. Soon, I had a whole new distinctive style of handwriting, and other people would even compliment me on it.

To be honest, my handwriting was better in middle school than it is now. My classes are so much more fast-paced so I often have to scribble notes while my teachers are lecturing a mile a minute, but I still try to take pride in my writing and make things super neat and organized when I have the time to slow down a bit. Either way, I’m still proud of myself for the major improvement in my handwriting I’ve seen over the years, so keep on reading if you want to change your writing as well!

  • Find samples of writing you like – I suggest looking at Pinterest, but you can look anywhere. If you have a friend whose writing you’d like to emulate, that might help since they can give you pointers on how they’ve gotten their writing to look like that. You can also look at studygram accounts on Instagram for inspiration.
  • Try and copy the samples exactly – At first, try to copy the pictures you’ve found exactly. Imitate the width and height of the letters, the differences in the way certain letters are formed (a’s, y’s, etc.), if it’s more linear or loopy/cursive-like, etc. Don’t worry about actually putting it into practice yet, just get a feel for it.
  • Work it into your everyday writing – Start to write using this handwriting style in everyday life. If you’re not comfortable enough with it to write full-on notes and schoolwork in it, just start with to-do lists and little things.
  • Start slow, then try writing faster – The hardest thing for me was and still is being able to write neatly but also speedily. I would experiment with speed by choosing a few phrases to write and starting with writing them slowly, then rewriting them and trying to speed up your pace each time. I know it sounds silly, but it helps.
  • Add your own personal flair – Sometimes you’re just naturally going to have different writing than what you imagined, so you may end up adapting your desired style a little bit. Embrace it! That’s what will make your new handwriting uniquely yours, instead of just a carbon copy of the samples you chose.
  • Be consistent – This is the most important thing for continuing to have nice handwriting. Try to consistently keep one style, and it will become a lot easier to use it- it will also be easier to pick up speed in doing so.

I hope this helps out anyone looking to adopt a new handwriting style! I’ve been writing a lot in cursive recently and trying to pick up calligraphy/handlettering as well, so you might see some more posts related to these topics in the future 🙂

Brooke

Do I Miss Cheer?

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I’ve written a lot about my two-year stint as a high school cheerleader on this blog in the past and I (spoiler alert) am very happy to announce that it has finally come to an end! This post is going up during the end of my first cheer-free week of school, and I could not be happier to have finished out the season. I know it’s a little silly to be making a post about whether or not I miss cheer after such a short time, but I’ll be posting an update to this in a few months or so.

I’d been anticipating the ending of this cheer season almost as soon as it began, and I seriously considered quitting the team after the rough summer practices and cheer camp. However, I’m proud of myself for sticking it out these past nine months- I honestly can’t believe I’ve made it through all of the craziness this season has brought into my life from the beginning of May up until now. I didn’t think there would be a single thing I would miss, which was a little foolish considering cheer has consumed a huge portion of the past couple years of my life.

One thing I’m definitely concerned about is how I’ll be getting my exercise from now on. Cheer practices in the hot sun, mile runs, and weekly conditioning may have been torturous, but I got a great workout out of it and was super in shape during the summer/football season when we were practicing in full-force. I’m already out of shape and less toned, and it’s hard to force myself to work out when it’s not built into my schedule. I try to go outside and go on walks on weekends, but I definitely don’t have time during the week.

I still need one more semester of P.E. credit, and since I’m not doing cheer next year, I’m about to switch into a P.E. class during seventh period (the “period” reserved for sports usually). I’m not thrilled about the situation, but it’ll end up working out since I’ve been stuck at school during seventh period anyways since my mom can’t pick me up right when I get out, and I no longer have cheer after school to keep me busy until she can. If P.E. is absolutely horrible, I’ll do an online P.E. class for a semester, but I’m hoping the class will be tolerable at school so I can get some nice workout time in the sun.

However, I really don’t miss the dynamic of cheer. I don’t miss having to go to practice or games every single day, and worrying about wearing the correct outfit and hairstyle to match almost every school day. I guess it was nice to not have to pick out my own outfit, but I was tired of being restricted to their demands and getting in trouble for pushing the boundaries in any way- I couldn’t even wear jewelry, and one of my ear piercing holes closed up. I don’t miss feeling like an outsider on the team, and I don’t miss rushing to get my homework done after a long game day when I just wanted to go to sleep.

Basically, I wasn’t really cut out for the high school athlete life to begin with- I had figured that out after my freshman year season of cheer, and I probably shouldn’t have pushed myself to do another season. That being said, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be on a high school sports team and get involved with school in this way, and I don’t actually regret my decision, even though I might say that I do. Everything happens for a reason, and I guess it’s cool that I can say I’ve been a high school cheerleader, right?

Sometimes I feel guilty that I’m “quitting” now- even though I’m just choosing not to try out again, and not really quitting, it still feels like I’m quitting something and losing a part of my high school identity thus far. That being said, I could not be more confident that this is the right choice for me- I’ll have way more time to focus on other things, and I wouldn’t have wanted to juggle such a huge time commitment that’s not even enjoyable for me during my junior year next year.

The short answer to the question I posed in the title of this post is no, but I am somewhat nostalgic for the good times I had while being on the team. There’s a lot I won’t miss, but looking back and seeing how fast my two years on the team flew, I wish I had savored the moment a little more, rather than wishing it all away. If you’re in a situation that’s not desirable, it doesn’t always mean you should try to rush it- every stage of your life is important for growth, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.

Brooke

Incorporating Spirituality Into My Life

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I’ve talked about this a couple times on my blog before, but I haven’t grown up religious. My parents were both raised loosely Christian, but my mom now identifies as more “spiritual” and my dad is either agnostic or atheist (I’m honestly not sure, religion is definitely not a major topic of discussion in my household). I’ve kind of followed in my mom’s footsteps and loosely attached myself to some spiritual ideas, just to have some sort of faith and belief in the universe/a higher power. If you’re interested in finding something similar to believe in or just hearing another person’s perspective on this somewhat controversial topic, keep on reading.

I’ve found that by having some sort of spiritual connection between myself and the universe, I feel like there’s something more concrete in my reason for being alive. I’m not sure if it’s completely under the “spiritual” umbrella, but I’ve tried to put the Law of Attraction into practice (watch The Secret on Netflix to understand this) and that’s one of the major things I’ve tried to incorporate into my spiritual life more recently. I want to give off more positive vibes to others and be more positive towards myself as well, so it’s a win-win situation that aligns with my current goals for myself.

In the past, I’ve gotten really into crystals. I’m going to be honest and say I wasn’t sure of their specific spiritual significance, but my grandma had a healing crystal that she swore could tell you what part of your body was hurt and then you would know how to heal it. She also had a crystal where you could say “show me yes” and “show me no” and based on the way it spun, you could ask it (or the universe) yes or no questions. We’ve actually had a lot of the answers end up coming true, so do with that what you will.

I know that might sound crazy for people who don’t believe in those types of things, but it seemed natural to me since my mom’s side of the family was all into it. My great aunt does past life regressions (reading people and telling them who they were in a past life, how it relates to their current self/life) so I guess you could say we’re a crazy bunch if you don’t believe in any of this stuff. I know there’s a lot of different things that can be “spiritual”- just because you use the law of attraction doesn’t mean you agree with using crystals or psychics/mediums/etc.

There is no strict definition of spirituality, so you could honestly have a completely different idea of what that means to you and believe in completely different things than I do and still consider yourself a spiritual person. For me, it means crystals and belief in the universe as a higher power and using the Law of Attraction to try and manifest my goals, as I’ve stated here in this post.

Because I haven’t really grown up with any organized religion, religion fascinates me. I celebrate the “standard” Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter, but I don’t go to church and we don’t have actual religious celebrations- they’re more of family gatherings. I’ve often wished I had a more concrete belief system to hold on to, but I appreciate my parents not forcing anything on me and letting me believe what I want, while still getting the experience of celebrating holidays. There are definitely benefits and downsides to not having a strict religion. I feel like I’ve missed out on having that tight-knit church or temple community that emphasizes service and other activities that my friends do through their religion, but I’m also kind of glad I don’t have to be bound to an organization I might not fully agree with in principle.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever adopt a religion- I guess it depends on where I am later in life and if I end up marrying a religious person. As you can probably tell based on my spirituality, I’m a fairly open minded person. I would love to hear about your religious beliefs, traditions, and stance on spirituality, so feel free to share 🙂

Brooke

I Want to Create – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Today I have another poem to share with you all. It was originally going to be a simple, personal blog post about wanting to explore my creative side but not knowing how to express myself, but I figured, what better way to express these already confusing feelings than in creative writing? I think this is a feeling a lot of people can relate to- especially the part about just not knowing how to express yourself and your current feelings. Relatable or not, I hope you enjoy 🙂

I Want to Create

i tilt my head to the side and a whole mess of colors drip down. they drip slowly, but the puddle on the floor grows into a murky flood- how do you channel your creative side without opening the floodgates and overfilling the deep spaces of your mind? i guess a scrambled mind makes for unique ideas, something new out of a crazy environment. i’m thinking, i’m trying, i’m conjuring up the perfect painting in my mind. a painting of me, surrounded by these colors. except they’re not dripping or being drained, they’re only expanding off the page, springing to life. it’s happening- i have created.

I know it’s quite short, but most of my poems are. If you have any suggestions, critiques, or any sort of feedback on this poem (or any other poem I’ve posted in the past), please lend me your thoughts. I would also love some requests/suggestions for future poetry prompts. Thank you for reading my work 🙂

Brooke

What to Do With An Idea – 5 Steps

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Before I say anything else, I want to clarify that this post is inspired by the children’s book What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada. I came across this adorable book in fifth grade when we had to choose a children’s book to memorize and recite in front of the class. I was recently brainstorming for blog post ideas, and I realized it would be interesting to write about ideas themselves. I used to consider myself an uncreative person, and even I have tons of ideas that cross my mind everyday; for you especially creative folks out there, I can only imagine what your minds are cooking up. If you’re wondering how to put your ideas into action, keep on reading.

  1. Write it down – You want to make sure you don’t forget your great idea! Write it down and anything else that comes to mind when you first think of it. I have an ongoing document of ideas that I can come back to later when I have time to actually flesh them out.
  2. Brainstorm more to see how it’s realistic – This is a crucial step because depending on how many details you can flesh out, you may have to leave your idea on the back burner for now. You can always come back to it later, but it’s important that it’s actually feasible to get it started if you’re going to go ahead with it now. Think about cost, the current connections you have, time commitment, and more before taking the next step.
  3. Talk to others who might be interested – It helps a ton getting an idea off the ground if you have people with experience. If your idea pertains to a certain industry/field, call up anyone you know who works in it. Also, reach out to your friends- they’d probably be happy to help and interested in taking part in whatever cool idea you have.
  4. Take the first step – Now that you have other people to help you and an outline of what you need to do to execute your idea, start the first step! Make some posters, start a social media account or website, host your first event and see who else is interested. Just start, because it will only continue to grow from there.
  5. Make connections and get more people involved – As your idea grows, you’ll meet more people trying to do similar things/who have similar interests. Be open to meeting new people and adapting your idea as your audience changes and trends change. Overall, do what’s best for you and the original intent of your idea.

I know these tips were a little vague, but that reflects the vast possibilities of whatever cool ideas you guys might have. Remember that the important part is that you came up with a creative idea- that’s basically half the work! Don’t be afraid to take the next leap if you’re confident in your idea. You never know what could become of it 🙂

Brooke

My Self-Care Routine for 2020

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I’ve mentioned a couple times that I’ve wanted to place an emphasis on balance and my mental well-being this year. As a result, I’ve tried to implement some new regular self-care practices. Doing small things for yourself as part of your daily (or weekly, or monthly) routine is so important to ground yourself and destress from the craziness of life. If you’re interested in what my self-care practices are, keep on reading!

I’m going to divide this post into things I do daily, things I do weekly, and things I do monthly/less often than monthly/on special occasions whenever I have time to. Keep in mind that I obviously don’t have time to do all of this everyday except for the few daily practices I’ll mention, so it’s all about finding the most important things that make you feel the best and implementing those as much as possible!

Daily Self-Care

  • Hygiene! It’s so important to have good hygiene in order to feel clean and good about yourself throughout the day. I brush my teeth at least two times a day, shower once a day usually, wash my face, put on deodorant, etc. Whatever you need to do to feel clean and fresh 🙂
  • Choosing a perfume to wear – My go-to for the past year or so has been Pink Sugar (get it on sale at Nordstrom Rack!), but I’ll also use Victoria’s Secret body sprays from time to time to switch it up, or Marc Jacobs Daisy.
  • Writing my feelings down – Whether it’s a random blurb in the notes app on my phone, a poem or some other little piece of creative writing, or an actual mini-journal entry, I often have to get my feelings out at some point during the day.

Weekly Self-Care

  • Shaving – I actually don’t shave every week (definitely not in the winter) but I try to. It’s something I dread, but I’m always glad I did it in the end when I can feel smooth legs.
  • Lighting candles in my room – I LOVE candles, and I like to burn them in my room on the weekends especially. It’s a huge motivator to finish all my weekend work.

Monthly/Special Occasion Self-Care

  • Face masks – I don’t always have a face mask on hand, but lately I’ve been using charcoal masks from the Yes to Tomatoes brand that my mom buys at Target. It’s super relaxing and I’d like to think it helps with my typical teenage oily skin.
  • Baths with bath bombs – Baths are the most relaxing thing ever, but I sadly don’t have a lot of time to take them. I love bath bombs from LUSH, and I usually stock up on them in the holiday season so I always have some on hand. My all-time favorite LUSH scent is the Snow Fairy one from the shower gel and the bubble bar 🙂
  • Eyebrow waxing – About every other month, I get my eyebrows waxed at the Benefit brow bar in my local Ulta. I’ve always had really good experiences, but I know that other Ultas without the Benefit brow bar training don’t have as good of service, so it’s something to be wary of. I don’t wear makeup or actually do my eyebrows, but waxing gives them a clean shape that I’m happy with.
  • Hair mask – I use the Enfanti moisturizing hair mask treatment (my mom buys it at a local beauty supply), and it always restores shine and a silky smooth texture to my hair.

I might be forgetting a few things that I do even less often, but these are the main practices I try to keep up to make sure I’m treating myself with some me-time. I would love to know what self-care practices work for you guys, so please let me know!

Brooke

Hello & Introductions – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

I was searching for a February poem-a-day challenge, and I couldn’t find one that I liked. Instead, I found one that’s just generic to winter, so I’m going to be using it as much as I can this month. I figured I would share the first poem that came out of it (I’m writing this on February 1st), so here you go!

Here is the winter poem challenge I found off of Google images in case any of you wanted to use it!

Hello & Introductions

so this is how it starts, when i raise my hand and wave, or when i shake your hand with mine, bracing for impact because i have sweaty palms and i wait to see if you rub the sweat off but you don’t. that’s new, you must be quite polite. i feel more comfortable talking to you. i don’t wince the next time i shake your hand, or the time after that. not even when the shake turns into a grasp because you don’t let my hand slip away from yours. thank you for saying hello and thank you for being kind.

I know this was a little bit more cheesy of a poem, but what can I say- it’s February, the month of love. I actually have hyperhidrosis (might be spelled wrong… basically overactive sweat glands) so this poem hits home for me. Let me know what you think 🙂

Brooke

Scattered – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Today I have another poem to share with you guys. Originally, I was going to write a post about why I’ll always feel somewhat unorganized and all over the place, but I realized I could probably better articulate my feelings about the topic in a less formal structure. I’m also always looking for ways to incorporate topics relevant to me in my work, and in ways that I can share them with you guys. I hope you enjoy!

Scattered

does it ever scare you that there’s so much knowledge to be learned in this world that you’ll never absorb all of it even if you wanted to? that we don’t even know how much time we have and we’ll never really know what we’re doing with our lives because they’re passing us by as i write this very poem that you’re reading and reflecting on wondering what else you could be doing right now? exactly.

so we just go along. what else can we do? leaving pieces of ourselves behind as we rush to the next path, the next checkpoint that we want to reach. until the route changes and now we’re confused about where our destination even is. but the one thing that we can look back on is those pieces and realize who we are. scattered….

I hope you enjoyed this poem. I’m always looking for inspiration on poetry to write and feedback on what you guys would like to read, or how you think I can improve my work. Thank you for being so supportive of me sharing my work and trying out different things on this blog.

Brooke