10 Songs to Cheer You Up

1. Hamster Dance. Seriously who can stop themselves from dancing to this song?

2. Always Look on The Bright Side of Life (from Monty Python). This song will definitely make you smile and laugh, especially if you watch the music video :) I personally love Monty Python.

3. Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble. Michael Buble is just awesome when you are looking for fun good mood songs.

4. Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves. It is all about being happy so why not!

5. On the Brightside - Nevershoutnever. I like this song because it is upbeat and has a positive message.

6. Nine in the Afternoon - Panic at the Disco. I just love the melody to this song and you can't help but sing along.

7. Swing Life Away - Rise Against. This is an acoustic song that I love for its melody and happy lyrics.

8. Something’s Got A Hold On Me - Christina Aguilera (Original by Etta James). I love the movie Burlesque and this song just makes me want to sing at the top of my lungs (usually in my car) and it is just all about love.

9. Time Of My Life - Dirty Dancing. Because who doesn't imagine this dance and being Jennifer Gray picked up by Patrick Swayze(or vise versa for guys).

10. I Feel Good - James Brown. James Brown is classic and this song is all about feeling good so it is perfect to combat feeling down.

What songs do you listen to when you are down? Let me know in the comments.
<3 Kimmie

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College Survival Guide, Surviving the Dorms! Pt. 2 - Laundry

I just wanted to do a quick post about doing laundry in the dorms. I know you are probably thinking that this is really simple and, why would you do a post on that Kim?

But! There are probably a couple things you haven't thought about with this simple task.

1. Pick a set time each week. You want to have a regular time or "laundry day." This will help keep your schedule balanced and running out of clean clothes. Also, try to find a time that is somewhat unique to you. Try to avoid times where everyone is doing laundry.

2. Use as study time or relax time. If you are sitting in the laundry room you can spend the time reading or doing homework in the time you have waiting for the washer and dryer. It is a good time to be alone with your thoughts or have quiet time believe it or not.

3. Collect spare quarters. These can be used as your laundry fund, because most colleges have paid laundry rooms. I know it sucks, laundry isn't free anymore.

4. Separate your clothes. There are so many ways to separate your laundry and it all depends on each person's individual preference, but here are the basics in four loads: whites/lights, darks, delicates and towels/jeans/bedding.

5. Choose the right settings. Check the tags on your clothes and find out whether they need cold water, hot, low temp drying, etc. Here's a few tips for water temp: hot for whites, linens and towels, cold for anything you don’t want to shrink or fade (including any whites that fall into this category), warm for everything else.

6. Fold Immediately!!! When taking your clothes out of the dryer don't just toss them into your hamper and deal with them later. Fold your clothes as you are taking them out and put them away as soon as you get back to your room. This helps avoid wrinkling and looking like you just rolled out of bed 24/7.

7. However, if you do have wrinkles, invest in a small iron and ironing board.

8. Don't forget your supplies! You will need: detergent, dryer sheets and optional are fabric softener, bleach or color bleach like Clorox 2, and Woolite.

Hope these few simple tips helped!

9. Laundry baskets. Sturdy plastic laundry baskets are fine but, if you are tight on space, try to go with a collapsible basket.

10. Keep everything together. Keep all your supplies together so when you go to do laundry you are not digging around searching for what you did with everything.

P.s. When you go to do laundry, check the soap dispensers because sometimes people will leave soap in them which is a score, or bleach, then you know which washing machine to use for your white clothes!

Big hugs <3 Kimmie

College Survival Guide, Surviving the Dorms! Pt. 1 - Roommates.

So for all of you living on campus for college there is one thing that is inevitable: you will be sharing approximately 246sq feet with someone you have probably never met before.

So this presents several problems: what if you don't mesh 100%? What if you have arguments? What if they are messy and you are clean? The list goes on and on. But here are a couple very key tips that will help make you living situation better:

1. Be clear and upfront. Make sure you share your pet peeves and habits with your roommate. Do you hate it when people leave dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor? Do you hate a certain type of music? Let them know. The only way you can come to a middle ground is if you are both aware of what makes the other person tick and work to avoid it.

2. Create a set of agreed upon rules. This kind of ties in with the first tip. Once you have discussed all your quirks, sit down and make a clearly defined set of rules. They can be as simple as "respect each others space and property" or as detailed as you want it. The point is these are the rules of your living space to help everything work together well.

3. Be mindful of who and how often. Having guests is ok, but keep in mind appropriate times to have someone come over. If your roommate is trying to study and you have a friend over and are playing video games, probably not the best idea. Don't forget to make your guests aware of your dorm rules. They are your guest and therefor your responsibility. Also, don't have friends over every second you are in your dorm because it can irritate your roommate and cause tension between you.

4. Invest in a pair of headphones and earplugs. If you like blasting music at max volume, go ahead. But do it so only you can hear the music, remember that you don't want to piss off the person you are living with for 8 months out of your life. Music is always my preferred escape, so if this helps you then have at it. Secondly, living in a dorm full of noisy freshman can be annoying, especially when you are trying to sleep. My dorm was right next to the courtyard and it ECHOED! So students who didn't know the meaning of quiet hours were seriously irritating especially when I could hear whole conversations from my bed. So grab a pair of earplugs just in case.

5. Address issues while they are small. Don't wait until the critical breaking point to deal with an issue. Address an issue when it first starts popping up in order to save your relationship with your roommate.

6. Save the sexy time for when you're alone! If you and your boyfriend/girlfriend are intimate make sure to save it for when your roommate is out of the dorm and will probably not be back soon. You don't want to have that awkward roommate-walking in on you moment. Also, DON'T DO THE NASTY ON THEIR BED OR STUFF! This goes back to being respectful of your roommate. No one cares if you have sex just be smart about it.

7. Roommate, not a lifeline. Your roommate can be your friend, but for those shy freshman, don't make your roommate your only friend or lifeline. It can lead to them getting seriously annoyed with you and more issues. So try to branch out, have them introduce you to their friends and go from there. Just remember that you have to force yourself to make friends. Don't bog down your roommate.

8. Be nice, but don't expect to be best buddies. When you first meet your roommate and start to get to know them, remember to always be friendly and kind to them but don't expect to become the very best friends ever. Personalities may not always work together completely. But even if you don't become best friends always remember to be friendly and supportive, because you are living with that person for 8 months!

9. RESPECT! This is just so simple I shouldn't even have to explain it. Your parents should have taught you to respect other and you MUST carry that on especially when you live with people. Just respect them and their property. 'Nuff said!

10. Don't talk shit. Yes, roommates can be frustrating but don't complain about them to a mutual friend because that just creates more conflict. If you need to vent, talk with someone who is an outside party like your friend from home or your significant other or parents.

I love these memes to describe roommates: Click here!

If all else fails, just remember the old saying, treat others the way you would like to be treated. Try to get along and put in effort to make the relationship work.

Big hugs <3 Kimmie

College Survival Guide - The Main 10!

To kick off the College Survival Guide Series I wrote just a really broad list of the top 10 things you need to know to survive in college. Here we go!

1. Go to class. I know this seems like a silly tip but in college you are paying for school and your classes, so if ever you decide to skip class you are basically throwing away your own money. So unless you are deathly sick in the hospital

2. Develop good study habits. This is one of the most important things to develop because you are going to be studying all the time whether it is for quizzes or your final exam. Quiz, test and exam grades usually weigh very heavily on your overall class grade so do yourself a favor and take some time and Google "good college study habits" because it will make a world of difference.

3. Get organized. Nothing is worse than having a pile of stuff to do and it is all over the place and there is no starting point. Getting organized will help keep you from falling behind on your assignments and things to do. It will also help you in developing your own routine.

4. Take advantages of the resources on campus. Make sure you take some time to figure out what resources are provided on your campus like writing centers, librarian help, or study groups and research help. Believe me, getting help makes life a lot easier than trying to do it all on your own.

5. Don't procrastinate!!! Ok, I will admit that I suffer from this too, but procrastination is one of the worst habits you can fall into because it will seriously drag you down on your school work and getting important things done.

6. Balance your time. Remember the saying "all work and no play makes me a dull boy"? Well its true. You need to make sure to balance out your work with your relaxation otherwise you will completely fry your brain and burn yourself out. Give your brain and yourself time to unwind and step away from your work. whether it is spending one day a week watching a movie with friends or just simply taking 5-10 minute study breaks to refocus, it is crucial to have a balance here.

7. Get some sleep. Going off of what I just said, not only do you need time to relax but you need time to sleep.Lack of sleep can cause health problems and your brain can actually work and remember things better after you have gotten sleep. So if you stay up all night before a big test cramming, chances are you will forget a lot of what you studied.

8. Find your friend group. College means that you are moving on from high school. And while I'm not saying to completely forget about your friends from high school you can't cling to them either. You have to branch out and find a friend group at your school that can help you with the transition and also help you feel more comfortable.

9. Get involved. Especially in the first month or two of college you basically have to force yourself to be outgoing because that is when friend groups form and you meet most of the people you will know and hang out with. And if you live on campus, don't be a dorm rat! Get out and have fun! There are lots of clubs and student activities on campus. Use it as a way to balance study with fun but remember not to over commit.

 10. Schedule your classes in a smart way. You want to make sure to schedule your classes in a way that is helpful not hurtful towards your success. For example, if you are not a morning person, don't take morning classes, or if you don't like to feel rushed, don't schedule back to back classes and give yourself some time in between. Simply making minor scheduling errors like this can set you up for success. Remember, you are in charge of your schedule now, make it to your advantage.