Motivation Monday: Because of Them We Can

 Eunique Jones' Because of Them We Can campaign never fails to put a smile on my face. These photos of beautiful children as cultural and historical icons is so inspiring! Each picture is so beautiful and paired with an equally beautiful quote. I think this campaign is so special because it inspires people of all ages.

 On this Motivation Monday, start your week of being inspired by these special messages and photos. Check out the facebook page and website to see more photos by the talented and phenomenal Eunique Jones. You can even buy a book, posters, t-shirts, and more to take this motivation and inspiration with you always.

 

There is also a beautiful "Because of Them We Can Pledge"that encourages you to believe in yourself and pursue your dreams. It's really beautiful!

Have a great week! Song of the Day:

Comforting and Cozy Drinks

I love a great hot cup of tea or coffee. A good cup of coffee in the morning makes me do a little happy dance and a great cup of tea soothes my soul. I love how coffee is great before a busy day and as a great pick-me-up but my hot strong morning coffee brings me so much peace. I also love a great cup of tea. I feel that tea has healing and therapeutic qualities. I turn to tea for stomach aches, cramps, headaches, sore throats, and general body aches. Tea is just magical!

Tea and coffee are just two of the things that I love that make me feel good. Jump at all opportunities to make yourself feel your best! You are important and you deserve to treat yourself. Sometimes it's just the little things that make all the difference!

Stay wonderful!

Books I Loved

Books about Girls

I want to share some books that I read growing up about real girls. These are books that I loved. These are books that were about life. I've loved these books because they made me laugh, they made me think about life, and they made me appreciate and celebrate myself and the people in my life. Sometimes they made me cry--these were my favorites. I think it's so important to have books that you love at every age. I've made a connection with the girls and women in these books. Because of these books, I'll always have a special place in my heart for reading and I'll always appreciate the way books can change your life.

These are all books I read and loved between the ages of 9 and 18.

• Imani All Mine by Connie Porter
• The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
• Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle
• The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake
• Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake
• Begging For Change by Sharon G. Flake
• Who am I Without Him? By Sharon G. Flake
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid
• Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
• Here's to You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume
• It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume
• Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume
• Staring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume
• Deenie by Judy Blume
• Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
• Blubber by Judy Blume
• Forever by Judy Blume
• Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Bobbit
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• Sold by Patricia McCormick
• Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
• Fault Line by Janet Tashjian
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 
• Meet Addy: An American Girl by Connie Porter

Good Morning!

Happy Monday!!

It's the beginning of a new week. I started my day off with some self-pampering. My face really needed to be exfoliated. My skin is so confused by this winter air. After a weekend of nice weather, it's back in the 20's this Monday morning so I really need to make sure my skin stays moisturized! Here's a link to what I use on my face: http://thoughtsunderpressure.blogspot.com/2014/01/pamering-days.html. For the rest of my body, I use Palmer's Cocoa Butter.

I also had a great green smoothie for breakfast. I found the recipe here.

1 cup pineapple chunks
2 handfuls of spinach
1 banana
2 cups of water
handful of ice cubes

My hopes for the day are as follows:

• I hope I don't freeze
• I hope I have a good day
• I hope that I get to work on time and the I'm not waiting for the bus for too long. 
• I hope I remember to watch How I Met Your Mother tonight. I always forget that it's Monday until about 9pm when I've already missed it.

For your listening enjoyment:

I hope you have a great day! ♥

Just Finished Reading:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I really enjoyed this book!I'm so glad I took the time to read it. It's so incredibly moving. There were times when I didn't even want to put the book down. I loved it because it reminded me how important it is to hold on to love. I definitely recommend it to the people out there who stay up at night thinking about life and how we're all connected and are searching for meaning in our actions and stories.


Time for some quotes that I loved!

“She wants to know if I love her, that's all anyone wants from anyone else, not love itself but the knowledge that love is there, like new batteries in the flashlight in the emergency kit in the hall closet.”

----

 “So many people enter and leave your life! Hundreds of thousands of people! You have to keep the door open so they can come in! But it also means you have to let them go!”

----

 “I thought, it's a shame that we have to live, but it's a tragedy that we get to live only one life, because if I'd had two lives, I would have spent one of them with her.”

----

“He promised us that everything would be okay. I was a child, but I knew that everything would not be okay. That did not make my father a liar. It made him my father.”

----

 “But it was unnecessary.
There would be other nights.
And how can you say I love you to someone you love?
I rolled on my side and fell asleep next to her.
Here is the point of everything I've been trying to tell you, Oskar.
It's always necessary.
I love you,
Grandma”

Motivation Monday

Just a reminder: 

"Take a deep breath. Relax and remember how special and important you are. Remember that when you believe in yourself, there is no way that you can lose."

Happy International Women's Day!

Movies about the lives of Girls and Women!

Here are some movies that I love that center on the lives of women and girls. A lot of them are my favorites! 

• Our Song
• The Color Purple
• Set It Off
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Bring It On
• Steel Magnolias
• Sarafina
• Outsourced
• Bride and Prejudice
• Where the Heart Is
• How to Make and American Quilt
• Girl, Interrupted
• Akeelah and the Bee
• The Secret Life of Bees
• Matilda
• Sleepover
• Selena
• Riding in Cars with Boys
• Bend it Like Beckham
• Mom at Sixteen
• Girl, Positive
• Julie and Julia
• Waiting to Exhale
• Frida
• Real Women Have Curves
• Pretty Woman
• Tru Confessions
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Dancehall Queen
• Color of Friendship

There are so many more but these are all I could think of right now. Unfortunately, this list is very American and I would love to see more movies about women from different parts of the world. If you have an recommendations, please let me know! 

Celebrating Me: March 6th

Today I am happy that I'm one day closer to the weekend!

I woke up with a song from Sister Act 2 stuck in my head.

 Today is an early day for me. Not super early but earlier than most days.

I'm happy because I used my face mask today so my skin feels smooth and I know it's prepared for the winter air today.

I'm like, "Kiyanna, WTF?" because it took me too long to decide what pants to put on this morning.

I'm obsessing over what to do next in my life. What programs to look at, what schools to apply for, etc.

I don't know what I'm going to eat for lunch today.

I'm glad that I'm finally getting over my cold. 

Love the skin I'm in today and I hope you have a great day! 




Quote of the Day:

"Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how...We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark." 

— Agnes de Mille, dancer

Reasons to Smile: March 5th

• Morning Coffee! The last sip is always the best.
• I'm reading a great book. I'm reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm almost halfway through and I'm really enjoying it so far.
• I've been at my job for about a month now. It's been a great experience so far. I'm learning so much and I hope to continue to grow there.
• My Mom came to visit me this morning! We had a lovely chat before she went to work.
• Ordered a bunch of make-up to play with and I received the package today. I ordered it all from my own online Avon store. You can visit it here!
• I finally got to hold and see my diploma today! Physical proof that I earned my degree. I graduated and now I can put my proof on my wall!

Seven, Eight. Don't Be Late.

• Don't be afraid to say "No."
• Don't be afraid to say "Yes."'

You have the right to make choices about your own life. It's okay for you to say no. It's okay for you say yes. Having decisions over your own life is so empowering.

Don't let other people decide your life. You have the power to be your own advocate. This is the foundation of being true to yourself and taking care of your self. This is being honest. When you say yes or no, you're following your belief.

Saying no does not make you selfish. Saying yes doesn't make you selfish. What's best for you is what's important and taking care of yourself means that you answer for you.

Motivation Monday!

"When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from your dreams are valid."

-Lupita Nyong'o

Let me tell you a little something about representation. It is SO IMPORTANT!  It's so important to see someone like you being celebrated for being their beautiful self who is encouraging people to go for their dreams. I'm so inspired by her. She brings me so much joy. She reminds me to take risks, be proud, happy, and beautiful. She's amazing. Her win at the Oscars is is going to inspire so many people and her smile is enough to motivate us through this week. Her spirit enough to motivate us through the end of time. Be inspired by greatness! :)

Happy Monday!

♥