May Goals

Hello lovelies!

Can you believe it's already May? I feel like this year is going by so fast, I can't keep up!

Last month was not a good month, I didn't accomplish much with my goals, and just overall it was a bad month. Thankfully April is over, and I'm on a mission to make May better!

Lose 5 pounds.

Look into the local Beauty College.

Finish Vocabulary Studies Part 1 & 2.

Start & Finish Algebra 2 Part 1.

Start & Try to Finish College Prep US Gov. & Economics

Update About Me Page.

Continue With Blog Redesign.

Find a job.

Open a bank account.

Clean out my closet.

I have 10 goals this month! Let's examine them!

Lose 5 pounds.
I've been working out for the past few months with no results, so I'm really hoping that this month I'll be able to see some results.

Look into the local Beauty College.
For the past few months I've been having a lot of people in my life encouraging me to go to beauty college, so I'm going to go talk to the ladies at the beauty college in my town and see if I like what I see.

Finish Vocabulary Studies Part 1 & 2.
I should finish this in a week or two, I'm really hoping that by the end of the month I'll have a new internet provider and then it'll be easier to get my schoolwork done on time.

Start & Finish Algebra 2 Part 1.
I haven't started this class yet, but I'm hoping I can finish part 1 by the end of the month.

Start & Try to Finish College Prep US Gov. & Economics Part 1.
I haven't started this one yet either, but I think it's going to be a pretty easy class to pass.

Update About Me Page.
This was one of my goals last month, but it's kind of hard to do when your internet only works for a few hours a day.

Continue With Blog Redesign.
I've been working on my blog redesign for a few months now and I'm hoping I can get closer to finishing this month.

Find a job.
I put in a lot of applications last month, but so far I haven't had any luck, it's hard getting a job when you have no experience. Employers want you to have experience, but no one is willing to give you a chance at your first job.

Open a bank account.
I want to get a new bank account opened up so that I can start saving money for a new computer and for college.

Clean out my closet.

I really want to clean out my closet, I've been buying a lot of new clothes for summer and so I want to go through my closet and get rid of what I no longer need!

That's it for today, I'll be back tomorrow and Wednesday with new posts!
What are your goals for the month? Let me know below!
XoXo,
Lori

School Haul??

I wasn't really sure what to call this post, but since most of the stuff in this post is used for school, I decided School Haul was the best title, for now that is.

Last month I mentioned I was planning on getting a new computer and a new camera, and I did, so I wanted to show them to you.

Obviously I can't use a camera to do my school work, but I do use it for blogging, so that's why I chose to include it.

I was originally planning on ordering a 15.6" Macbook Pro, but I decided to wait till next year to splurge on that. So for now I bought a HP Pavilion TouchSmart Notebook. So far I'm really liking it, and I love the touch screen!

Instead of ordering online, I went to our local Staples store and they setup the computer and added on all of my programs. 

BUT, there was a problem. They gave me the wrong laptop!

Then, when I took it back, I found out that I actually paid $200 more for that laptop than the one I asked for. Unfortunately by then laptop I asked for was no longer on sale, and if I wanted it, then I would have had to of paid and extra $300 to get the one I originally wanted!!!

In the end my mom and I decided that she would take the non-touch screen laptop, and I would get the touch screen till next year when I no longer need it. We didn't get what we anted but ya know shit happens! 

After talking to the manager he apologized for what happened, and gave us a $20 in-store credit. So below is what I got with that $20.

The in-store credit got me 10 notebooks, 2 gold series writing pads, 1 planner pad, 1 pack of Bic pens, and 1 little notepad.  

I also bought an extra 10 notebooks because those are my favorites and I was down to my last one at home.

I also made a trip to the bookstore and I bought these little beauties.

I know I'm a huge dork a Sudoku book and a book about Mythology!

That's all for today, I hope you enjoyed my little story, and of course my dorkiness!

   XoXo,

          Lori 

February Goals Update

     Earlier this month I shared with you some of the goals that I hoped to accomplish this month, and today I want to update you about them.

In case you forgot or didn't see what my goals were here they are again.

 Lose 2 Pounds

 Open a savings account.

Finish Spanish 1, Part 1 and Part 2.

Start and finish College Prep American History Part 1, and start Part 2.

 Box up my bedroom, and prepare to move.

 Get my hair cut and colored.

 Read 3 books.

 Find new words and schedule 5 Words posts for the next two months.

 Order a new laptop.

 Sign up and start preparing for the SAT in June.

Judging by the above I'd say I did pretty good, and I accomplished most of what I wanted to get done this month. There are a few things I need to improve on, and work on, but I'll explain them below.

Lose 2 Pounds.  The main reason I didn't accomplish this is because this month was pure chaos. We moved earlier this month and it's been hard to exercise and eat healthy when I can't get to my exercise bike to workout, and can't find certain kitchen appliances to cook healthy food with.

Open a savings account.  I decided to put this off to next month because my birthday is next month and I'm planning on putting all of my birthday money in the bank.

Finish Spanish 1 Part 2. I finished Part 1, and I'll be done with Part 2 next week, I have to wait for my teacher to grade my final and it can take 5-10 business days for that to happen.

Start and Finish College Prep American History Part 1, and start Part 2.   I wasn't really expecting to finish this one, because I knew I was being over ambitious, but I did start Part 1 of my course, so I'm happy with that.

Read 3 Books. Unfortunately I only got to read one book this month, I've been really busy with moving and I've been sick, so this month I wasn't able to read as much as I wanted to.

Sign up and start preparing for the SAT in June. I've started preparing for the SAT, I just haven't got signed up yet.

That's all for today, I really can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the month, it's crazy how time is flying by!

XoXo,

          Lori Ann

February Goals

    Last Monday I told you about my new blogging schedule, and so today I will be sharing with you my goals for the month of February. I hate looking back and feeling like I didn't accomplish anything the month before, so that's kinda of why I wanted to start making monthly goals.

• Lose 2 Pounds.
• Open a savings account.
• Finish Spanish 1, Part 1 and Part 2.
• Start and finish College Prep American History Part 1, and start Part 2.
• Box up my room, and prepare to move.
• Get my hair cut and colored.
• Read 3 Books.
• Find new words and schedule 5 Words series for the next 2 months.
• Order a new laptop.
• Sign up and start preparing for the June SAT.

    I wanted to start posting my monthly goals because I think it will help me accomplish everything I want to do this year.
     For example in order to prepare for #10 I'm going to sign up to take a practice test.  I get test anxiety, so that's why I want to take a practice test, that way I know what I'm getting myself in to when I take the real test in June.
     Most of the others are pretty simple, and others I'm going to have to put a lot of work into, in order to accomplish (#3 and #4).

      I'm going to keep you updated about my goals and whether or not I accomplish them, I just haven't decided how I want to do it yet. I'm either going to do a post at the end of every month, or I'm just going to include it in the next months goals post.

                Let me know which you would prefer, by leaving a comment below.
                                                                                  XOXO,
                                                                                         Lori Ann
                                                               

My Studying Essentials!

    I decided today that I wanted to continue on with the school them. Today I'm going to give you my Studying Essentials, and why they are essential to my studying routine.

Studying Essentials by loriboyd 

1. Sweaters

  -When I'm studying I always make sure I have a sweater near by just in case I get cold.

2. Coffee/ Hot Chocolate Mug

  -  I don't drink coffee much, but during the winter I drink hot chocolate ALL the time. Sometimes I'll drink coffee, but only if I can get it just right.

3. Heating Pad

 - This is actually something new I've recently discovered. When I sit for a long time I get cramps in my back, and until last month I couldn't study for longer than 2 hours because my back would start hurting.

    Well last month when I was on my period I bought a new heating pad and I used it, after my period was over I got cold, so  decided to get it out and use it to keep me warm, 4 hours later I realized my back wasn't hurting and I was still sitting at my desk.

4. Blanket

 - This one is kinda for the same reason as #1. But it's different because the main reason why I have blanket by is for my lower half, my feel tend to get really cold, so having a blanket nearby is a must.

5. Candles

  - I'm a candle addict, I have like 5 candles right now that I need to finish/start burning, and I already want to buy more. I'm not able to walk past candles in a store without stopping to sniff just one. I prefer candles that are vanilla scented, and anything similar to vanilla works too.

    The reason this is on my list is because I truly believe the candles are soothing, they help me with my anxieties, and they just make the air so much nicer to breath in.

  So there are my Studying Essentials, what do you think? What are you're studying essentials? Let me know in the comments.

                                                             Stay Creative,

                                                                              Lori Ann

10 New Semester Study Tips

     It's a new year, and that means a new semester at school. This post is probably being posted in the middle of the changing semesters, because I know some schools only have 2 semesters, and others have 3 or 4. But regardless of where it falls for you, it's never too late to learn more efficient ways to get more studying done.

1. Study in a quiet, distraction-free location.
  - I usually study during the day because I'm home alone with no distractions or I study late at night when everyone is asleep. You need to find what works best for you, whether its at the library, or in the park.

2. Study anywhere but your bed!
 - I always sit at my desk to study cause let's be honest studying in bed will get you nowhere cause your gonna wanna sleep. So get outta bed, even if it means sitting in the floor.

3. Highlight and use color-coding.
   - Highlighters are my best friends. I use to highlight everything right after I made the notes, but that didn't really help when it came time to study. I find it easier to study if I wait to highlight when I review at the end of the week.

4. Take Breaks.
  -  In order to get your work done without stressing yourself out, remember to take breaks. I usually work for an hour, then take a 10-20 minute break. Then I got back to work. You need to start working on your most important assignment first, and whenever you feel yourself starting to get stressed put it down, and work on something else and go back to it later.

5.  Make Time for it.
 -  Make time every week to go over what you've learned. Spending two hours a week reviewing what you learned that week, is going to keep you from stressing come time for finals. Think of it this way, if you review for every class now, later you can spend more time studying for the test you think you might fail.

6.  Get Organized.
  - Take five minutes everyday to clean up any mess, and organize any papers that may be out of place. Do this now, and when you need them you won't be panicking thinking you lost them.

7. Talk to your Teachers or Professors.
  - Start the new semester off by talking to your teachers or professors. Talk to them about your concerns, and find out what they expect of you. Plus getting on their good side now will help later if you need an extension on a paper.

8. Turn Off Your Cell Phone!
   - Ugh, this is where I run into trouble, I always have my phone beside me, and it distracts me. So I think this semester we ALL need to put away the phones and concentrate.

9. Make a Plan.
  - Since I'm an online student I make my own schedule, so in the past and to this day I struggle with making enough time to study. That is until here recently when I started planning out what I would do everyday, since then I've got more work done, so try it, it really does work.

10. Don't Panic.
   - If you find yourself getting close to a deadline, with not nearly enough time to finish, panicking is the worst thing you could possibly do. If you start to panic, you're setting yourself up for failure, because then you're gonna work too quickly, make mistakes, and turn in shitty work!


   So there are my 10 tips for studying, I hope you're able to put them to good use this semester, or even next semester.
                                                     Stay Creative,
                                                                     Lori Ann

2014 New Years Resolutions!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I cannot believe it's 2014 already, and even though I'm super bummed another year has flown by, I'm determined to make the most of the year.

     Today I'm going to share with you my goals for the year, and tell you a little about them.


1. Blog More.
   - For the biggest part of last year I only blogged 3 times a week, but towards the end of the year I started posting 4 times a week. I want to keep up with that, and maybe even work towards blogging 5 times a week.

2. Graduate or be Close to Graduating High School.
  - Right now I'm super motivated, and I wanna get this done, that way next year I can go to college, and really start my life.

3. Find a Part-Time Job.
   - I tried last year to find a job, but no one was hiring. So this year I'm gonna search more, and just keep applying, until I finally get a job. Plus I have a friend who's dad is opening up their 3rd Subway store, so I think if I asked he would probably hire me.

4. Crack Down on My Reading List.
   - I have a whole list of books I want to get read, some for entertainment, and others for my High School and College Reading List.

5. Finish the First Draft of My Novel
  - I've never really talked about this on here before, but in November I started writing my first novel with the help of NaNoWriMo. Since NaNo ended I've been slacking off on my writing, but this is something I really wanna stick with, and I wanna finish at least the first-draft by the end of the year.

6. Lose 60 Pounds.
  - I know that sounds like a lot, but that's what I'm going for, I need to do this, and I need to do it now. Not for anyone else, I need to do it for me, and only me. I need to learn to love myself, but I know if I don't lose all this extra weight I'm carrying around, then I'll never be able to love myself the way I want to be able to.

7. Take the SAT and ACT.
   - This was on my list last year, but I didn't feel ready to take it. So I think I'm gonna sign up for the testing date in March.

8. Visit Colleges & Universities I Want to Attend
 - This year I HAVE to visit some campuses so I can decide where to apply starting in the fall.

9. Make it Out of the State of Kentucky at Least Once
  - This kinda ties into the visiting campuses because I'l have to go out of state to see most of my top picks. This one is going to be hard because my mom HATES traveling, but hopefully I'll have my drivers permit by then and can do most of the driving for her.

10. Get My Driver's Permit
    - I want this so bad, but my mom is always working and can't take me. But I WILL go this year, hopefully next week and get this done.

   So there you have it, my 10 New Years Resolutions, I hope you'll stick around this year to watch me achieve them!
                                               Stay Creative,
                                                               Lori Ann

Top 4 Posts of the Year!

    It's hard to believe another year has flown by and tomorrow is the beginning of a new year. Originally I was going to do a Top 10 post, but honestly I don't really think I have that many posts worthy of being the a Top 10 list, so I settled for a Top 4 list.
    So here are the four blog posts I'm most proud of, and I hope you think so too!


1.) My Online High School Experience
   - If you haven't read this you totally should.

2.) How I Saved My Damaged Hair
  - If you color you're hair often, then you have to read this.

3.)Book Review: Caitlyn Duffy- The Viscount's Daughter
  - This was by far the best book I've read all year, and this post was probably my favorite to write because I couldn't say enough good things about it, it really did touch me, and made me want to start reading more after spending the past year not really reading.

4.) Book Review: Mira Lyn Kelly- Waking Up Married
  - This was the beginning of my decision to change up my blog. It was after this post that I got serious about my blogging, and started to make changes and spend more time focusing on what I was publishing.


   As you can tell all of these, are from the past six months, actually all of them except one is from the past three months. The reason for that is because I feel like something hit me during September and October that made me really start trying harder with everything.
     Around the first of October I started to get really inspired, I was inspired to become a better person, and to work harder at everything I do. I had always enjoyed blogging, but I never really put a lot of effort into it.
     The past few months I've made a lot of changes, and near the end of next month I'll be announcing more changes, that is a promise to all of you. I've already decided what I'm going to do, and I'm really excited to share all of my upcoming changes with you.

    Well that's all for the YEAR, I hope you have a good New Years Eve, and please just remember to be careful, and if you're going to be drinking please do so responsibly.
                                                                     Stay Creative,
                                                                                      Lori Ann

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 46 & 47

   Can you believe tomorrow is the last day of the year? And that means today is the last Weight Loss Monday's post of the year. Wow, it's really hard to believe that.
       Last week I chose not to make a WLM's post because I didn't think anyone would read it with all of the Holiday celebrations going on last week. Another reason for that is because I'm kinda getting tired of doing this every week since I don't necessarily have something to tell you every single week.
      My schedule is really full next month, I think I only like writing one post and then I'll have the entire month filled up, so because of that I don't have room to make any changes quite just yet. But there are changes coming in February, I will announce these changes the last week of January, and I'm really excited to tell all of you about it.
      But since I can't tell you anymore right now let's get started with this week's weight update.

Diet: I had three Christmas dinners last week, we went to my Nana's house last Sunday, my Aunt Jane's house on Christmas Eve, and then my mom cooked on Christmas Day. I did eat a little bit more than normal, but I made sure I didn't overeat or get too full.  Last week I was craving chocolate really bad, so I made Oreo truffles, and they were amazing, I still have a few left too.

Exercise: I did get a little bit of exercise last week, but not enough. I've been sick, and I haven't been getting but about 2 hours of sleep at night so I haven't had the energy to do any exercise.

So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost this week:   1 Pound
Total Weight Loss:        17 Pounds

     I lost one pound, I was not expecting it at all. To be honest I actually wrote this post on Saturday, and the scale wasn't showing any difference but when I weighed myself Yesterday I had lost a pound, so I had to rewrite some of this post.
    Even if I hadn't lost any weight last week i'd still be happy, I'm leaving the year a very happy girl. I finished my English course last week and I got my grades back, on one of my research papers I got a 90%, and then on my English Midterm I got a 100%, so I'm super happy about that.

   That's all for today, tomorrow I'll be posting my Top 4 posts of the year, Wednesday will be my New Years Resolutions, and Thursday will be the Shows I'm Looking Forward to Watching this Winter. So as you can see this week is a full week, and I will be posting everyday, I think that's a great way to start off the new year, and I hope you enjoy it.
                                                          Stay Creative,
                                                                           Lori Ann

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 38

    I would say last week was a pretty successful week, and I hope that continues into this week.
Last week I took my first English exam since I started back into my classes, and I made a 90. Today I'll be taking my second English exam, and I also have to write a political speech, that everyone seems to hate, so this week should definitely be fun.

    I did very well with my diet last week, usually I'll have a soda once or twice a week, but I didn't have any last week. I did however have a  cup of hot chocolate a few times last week. I hardly had any chocolate, I've kinda just lost interest in it, and I did pretty well with everything else.

    I didn't really improve in the exercise area, but I think I definitely did more than I did the week before. The reason behind this is that I've just been spending so much time studying, and doing my school work, that I'm having a hard time finding time to exercise.

  Any results?    

Weight Lost Last Week:  2 Pounds
Total Weight Loss:  14  Pounds

   I was so happy when I saw the scale, and I just really hope it stays off, and that I can keeping losing weight like this.

 So that is all for today, I shall be posting again tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday, so be sure to check back for that. Stay Creative, I'll post again very very soon.

                                        XOXO,
                                              Lori Ann
                                                             Also contact me:  
                                                                                    E-mail:      loriboyd15@gmail.com
                                                                                     Twitter:   @LoriAnnBoyd

My Online High School Experience

      Today's post is about something I've never really talked about on here, but I decided today was the day to go for it and bring the subject up.  My big secret is that I don't go to public school, private school, or even a normal tradition high school, I attend  high school online, and I love every minute of it.

     In all my tuition was $777.00, that's for my entire four years of high school, it includes all of my books, free tutoring, and when i finish my program I will get a class ring. I go to high school through Ashworth College, my school is called James Madison High School. I started JMHS in August 2011, and because it was the beginning of the school year they has a discount for tuition.     

     Before I get any further I would like to point out that you can enroll in JMHS at any time of the year, I just included when I enrolled so you would know when to look out for the discount they have every year, at the start of a traditional school year.
       I enrolled in the College Prep program, and it is 24 courses divided into two parts, I'm hoping to graduate next year. If I do graduate next year then I will have graduated a year before my class in my hometown.
     The great thing about Ashworth College and JMHS is that they are flexible with tuition, I couldn't pay in full, so I made $40.00 a month payments and it was paid off in January.
     Some may question the quality of my education, but I don't mind answering their questions because I know how much my life has improved since I enrolled in this program. Ashworth College and JMHS are both Nationally and Regionally Accredited.
     If I hadn't decided to enroll in JMHS I would be attending one of the lowest scoring high schools in Kentucky, I will give them credit for raising their testing scores over the past few years, but by no means would I have gotten a quality education.  At the high school I was supposed to attend you can't take AP classes until your Junior year.
      By choosing JMHS I've taken my education into my own hands, it's all me, I'm the teacher, I go at my own pace, and I'm proud of that. I wouldn't recommend JMHS to everybody though because you do everything yourself, if you need to contact a teacher you can, but so far I haven't had to. I read through my lessons, study my notes, take quizzes, write essays, and take exams. Quizzes are computer graded but essays and some exams are teacher graded.
    I love that everything is online, I don't have to wait for textbooks to arrive, and I can start a new class as soon as I finish the one I was working on.  It really truly is amazing what you can do through this school. I've grown so much, and learned so much from this experience.
      I know I'm missing out on normal high school experiences, but I don't care. I'm just happy that when I graduate I can attend an actual ceremony they hold every year and I can walk across a stage to accept my diploma, that's all I want, and it will happen.
           If someone were to ask me if I would recommend Ashworth College or JMHS I would say yes immediately, because I know that it can change lives. It may not be right for everyone, you have to be focused and determined because there are no deadlines, and you don't have to finish a course by a certain date you could take 6 weeks, 6 months, or even a year to finish the class.

     Overall I love this school and I would never change my decision, if you want more info or have questions, either leave a comment below, or email me, I'd be happy to answer.
                    So that's all for today, I'll have my usual post up Friday.
                                               Stay Creative,
                                                                  Lori Ann