The Deal With Homework.

UGH.

I hate it.

With a fiery passion.

Homework.


I've had quite a bit of it this month, and getting to bed at a "reasonable time" is no longer within my grasp. This has been the cause of my absence from the blog for a week!

And now, how to deal with it!

1. Start no more than 30 minutes after you get home. Whether it's 30 minutes after getting off the bus or coming home from sports practice, you DO NOT want to wait too long to start.
2. Prioritize. What is due at the end of the week, what is due 3 days from now, what is due tomorrow. Get done what HAS to be done TOMORROW first.
3. Easiest first. Do the note taking, worksheets, and math problems BEFORE you have to move on to the things that could be most stressful and most time-consuming. This way, you won't get done with the larger homework items and forget about the smaller ones. 
4. Take little breaks. These should occur every hour for simple homework, and every 45 minutes for homework that requires critical thinking and/or complex concepts. These breaks should only last around 10-15 minutes. I like to watch a little Netflix, go on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr, or eat a snack.
5. If you REALLY need to focus, it's best to not watch any TV. This is especially hard for me for some reason. I like to sit at the computer desk but have no webpages open. The desk is wide and gives me enough room to sprawl all of my binders, composition books, etc. all over the place.

Okay, I'm ending this now before you fall asleep! Just remember  to keep cool and stay in school. 

*end of public service announcement*

The Completely Unabridged Version of What's In My Purse

Basically a $20, cross body, brown fake leather black hole, courtesy of Icing's. I'm not leaving anything out. Everything you're reading is true. 

Okay, now that the disclaimer is over, let's dig in!

The Purse (:

• Cell phone. I have a white iPhone 4 (:
• Evian Facial Spray
• A skinny Crayola marker in Red
• Up & Up Oil-Absorbing Sheets
• A mini hairbrush/mirror. The little top of it twists off and reveals a mini sewing kit! 
• A Bath & Body Works Raspberry Pink Peony PocketBac
• Mini Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon Body Lotion
• A blue raspberry flavored lollipop
• A hot pink Sharpie
• Lint roller
• A black pen
• Grey Fossil wallet with different colored keys on it. Inside is a little cash, lots of coins, membership cards, etc.
• A Post-It Note with the different ideas I had for blog posts this week
• A stack of index cards held together by a pink hair tie
• The book Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I've been meaning to switch it out for the book that I'm currently reading, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. 
• Carmex Soothing Lip Balm in the squeezy tube.

And that's it! Really not that interesting. Stuff kind of just collects in my purse and, until I clean it out (which never happens), it is just "stagnant." 

Have a GREAT week (:

It's All Fun and Games Until Freshmen Bring Out Their Crowns

The last three days of mixing and matching outfits, twinning, and repping your favorite sports team are now irrelevant. Well, for the most part anyway. It wasn't until today that everything got real. School color day is by far the most important day included in the entire Spirit Week. It's one of the few days a year that it is the norm and socially acceptable to paint football-style lines on your face and prance around in tutus. At my school, the freshman have this tradition. They all go to Burger King, get crowns, and spray paint them black. They write "FRESHMAN" or "freshlady" all over them and decorate them to their liking. It's a way of showing their "superiority" to the other grades I guess.

But my grade, the 8th grade, was not going down without a fight. In our section of the bleachers, it was a sea of white. I sat on the gym floor, close to the action with the other cheerleaders and some of the cutest guys in my grade, in my humble opinion. But, that's beside the point. I have never heard people scream and yell for one cause at school as loud as they did today. And, it was great. We found ways to try and upstage the freshmen on multiple occasions :)

In the end, we came in second place, only loosing by a few points. It was an outrage. When the 9th graders won, they all ran on to the gym floor to hold up the Spirit Trophy. For the next hour my Instagram feed was flooded with people taking selfies with the trophy. "OMG I TOUCHED IT!" Next Spirit Week, however, we are going to try our hardest, and if we beat the freshmen, we become legends.

...and if you happen to go to my school and you stumbled upon this post, comment what you think about the results of Spirit Week :)

10 Things To Know About Seattle

We didn't choose the hipster life.

The hipster life chose us.

1. If you take one picture on your entire visit to Seattle, it should be of the skyline. Whether it's taken from the top of the Space Needle or on the ferry, this is the one picture that you need to be sure to take. The skyline looks breathtaking any time of day :)
2. Trash talk the Seahawks, the Huskies, or (:'( ) the Sonics? Yeah, if I were you I REEEEALLLYYY wouldn't go there.
3. If you don't want to look like a tourist, don't freak out when you see the Starbucks in Pike Place Market. It wasn't even the first Starbucks location, guys. But a little bit of fangirling is okay, just keep it to yourself.
4. Don't dress fancy. I promise you, you will regret it. Chances are, you're going to be doing at least some walking, so heels might not be such a good idea. Welcome to the land of jeans, flannels, North Face, riding boots, and comfy sweaters. 
5. Which leads into my next thing to know. It gets cold, especially in fall and winter. You don't want to be that person walking down the street that we are looking at with the she must be new around here look. 
6. The city is stunning every season. In fall, multicolored leaves scatter the ground and the crisp autumn air is back. In winter, you can find the Christmas carousel, throngs of people flooding the doors of Nordstrom, indoor snow at Pacific Place, and Winterfest at the Seattle Center. In spring, the famous U Dub cherry trees are in bloom and the sun starts to peak through the clouds. And in summer, it's actually somewhat warm and sunny, and there are plenty of places to have your fun (Green Lake, anyone?)
7. We are technology geeks. No really! We are the home of Amazon.com and Microsoft. Holla at that.
8. Seattle is one of the most physically fit cities in the U.S.! Cute walking neighborhoods, steep hills in Downtown, and the fact that lots of people don't have a good spot to park pretty much account for this.
9. There ARE lots of hipsters. On multiple websites you can find Seattle as a common "hipsterhood."
10. If you can hike with us, then you're cool with us.

Enjoy All of the Months!

It's no secret that some months are more, well, dull than others. I used to think that about October, but this month has been completely great! I want you, dear reader, to fall in love with the month. So... I guess this is my list of how to do so!

1. Re-decorate a little bit in your room. November? Bring in some mini pumpkins or gourds and scrumptious-smelling candles. February? Pink it up a little bit for V-Day

2. If it's a month when you have school, enjoy the sports season that's happening! This can be especially helpful for athletes. Show your spirit and attend a game/match/meet. Bonus points if you wear your school colors.

3. Make some kind of exciting plan each month. This could be going to a relatives' house that isn't close to you (just an hour away works), going to a school dance, your birthday, etc.

4. If there's a holiday that you celebrate during the month, enjoy it! I love Christmas, so obviously December is one of my favorite months. 

5. And finally, just try living in the moment. Not planning your makeup routine for summer in January, that sort of thing :)

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Thursday, October 10th, 2013 marked the end of football season. It was our last game cheering for varsity football against our cross-town rivals. We won 30-12, I think. These past weeks have honestly made a huge difference in the start of my school year. It's been so much fun-with practices, mini lessons on how football works so we don't go out yelling "Touchdown!" while our team is on defense, Athletic Study Hall on Thursdays, wearing our uniforms to school, the forever awkward, long sleeved crop top that, in the cheer world, is called a unifit, fixing teammates' bows in between chants, turning around and watching the game, doing push-ups whenever our team scored (we we would do as many were on the scoreboard, and today, we did around 80-ish), and getting track burn on my knees from doing various cheers and landing jumps in a not-so-cute way.

Now, we don't have any more games to cheer for...that is, until basketball season starts. Then "winter sports" start up and a handful of cheerleaders will be trying out for soccer. I, however, will be staying on the squad and cheering for guys' basketball. One of the reasons I loved football season so much was that everyone who had made the team was there. But, I wish the best of luck to those who are trying out :) The next few weeks, my fellow cheerleaders and I will be busting our booties to get ready for the first basketball game. 

I don't know what I would have done if I didn't make the squad. Everything has been so worth it. Believe it or not, people respect the bow. A high school cheerleader came to our pre-game practice today. She was gorgeous, and had PERFECT cheer hair-I'm not even joking. I saw her talking to our coach about next year, and about "9th graders" and "cheer squad." That was all I could catch because we were busy rehearsing our dances. She was like a recruiter in a sparkly bow and cheer shoes. But that is the future, and this is now. So no need to think about that at the moment. 

Have a great weekend! For me, it's a 3 day one, so....I'll be enjoying that. Talk to ya later, if I'm even talking to anyone :)

Little Update

Hi guys :)

Let me just start by saying school is hard. 8th grade is hard. And this week, in particular, it's almost like pre-finals week no where close to the time finals happen. So, I just wanted to tell you all that my posts on the blog might be a day (or possibly two) late once and while. School, cheer, and social commitments have priority over the blog. I just haven't found time to sit down and write good posts. However, there's always time for social media that doesn't take a long time. So, down below are links to my social media sites!

Twitter: www.twitter.com/OhHeyMaddieA

Instagram: @itsmaddieeee

Tumblr: www.maddies-life.tumblr.com


Anyway, that's all for now. I hope you're LOVING the fall season like I am!

The Best Feelings :)

Just a little happy post to lighten your day up if ya need it :)

• Waking up to snow
• Having no school
• Acting like a kid
• The first swim of summer
• Long texts with your best friends
• Being alone, but not lonely
• The sound of rain
• When your favorite sports team wins a game
• When he texts you first.
• Being silly with your friends
• Finding jeans that fit perfectly
• Meeting an inspiration
• Mastering a new skill
• That look on your teacher's face when you answer a hard question
• When you break your stereotype
• Or, when you act like your stereotype just for the fun of it.
• Visiting the big city
• Road trips with your family
• Taking jumping pictures
• Sweating after a hard workout
• Figuring out what you want to do with your life
• Knowing that everything is going to be okay.

Fall Faves

A list of basically everything I love right now, from food to makeup.

BEAUTY

• MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara. This stuff is genius and if you haven't tried it and are looking for a perf high end mascara, this is the one for you.
• Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple. I love this because you can wear it as a sheer red or layer it and make it really bold! It also goes great with my cheer uniform, and on many a game day could you find me in homeroom using this product.
• Crimping my hair in general! I'm not sure of the name of the crimping iron I use. My hair is naturally straight, so I like to use this to give it a little wave on some days.
• Urban Decay Primer Potion. Okay I rediscovered how much I love this stuff. It keeps my eye shadow on from around 6:20 a.m., through the school day and cheer practice, until I remove my makeup before I go to sleep.

FOOD

• Hot cocoa, especially with whipped cream! I'm addicted and I just can't get enough (holla for song references that are completely out of context with what I'm talking about)
• Open Nature Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt. OH LORD THIS IS MY FAVEEEEEE.
• Whole wheat English Muffins. I usually have one of these for breakfast every morning! They are a great way to stay full until lunch (especially for my junior high people)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• TUMBLR. Oh my I've caught the fever. It is so addicting! No worries, this is still my personal blog where I actually write posts and stuff. That's basically just my giant black hole of random stuff that describes my life.
• IGers: @simplyseasons ; @holidaysyay ; @justgirlythings 

alright guys! my second month of actively blogging. happy october!