Building My Vocabulary

Here's another term I've actually used before: "I can't even." You know how you feel when something happens or someone says something that you just don't know how to reply to? The same things you would shake your head at and walk away from. Yup. "I can't even." I like this one.

Right now, I think the majority of time I use this term is listening to the mud slinging of the current political nominees. Wow. And how about when you have so many papers due, and suddenly, you're faced with a major test coming up, too. Ugh.

What are some of the things "you can't even?"

The Doldrums Zone

Do you feel down in the dumps sometimes? I've been going through a state of the doldrums the last couple of weeks, and I'm still crawling my way out of it. I hate feeling like this. It's so hard to get anything done, and lying around all day is no fun at all. I'm sure it's hard for you when you have to get up, go to school, do your homework, etc., etc, etc. So much to do, no willpower to do it.

So we need to find ways to get ourselves out of the doldrums and feel better. Only then will we be able to get back to living our lives to the fullest, and, let's face it, our lives are worth living!

So, for starters, make sure to avoid these four health mistakes that can cause you to enter the doldrums stage and keep you there for days on end. Try talking to a friend or family member to see if you can pinpoint what's causing you to feel so down. If you're not comfortable talking to someone right now, try journaling. Just write whatever comes to you. In time, you'll probably find that anything that's bothering you will turn up in your words.

Realize that you may just be dealing with hormones, and it may take a while for everything to shift back to normal. There doesn't always have to be a fixable cause to feeling down. You may just have to deal with it for a while. It sucks, but that's a fact of life.

Next time you feel down in the dumps, treat yourself right, eat properly, try to move around a bit, relax, rest as much as you can, and do some activities you love. You'll feel better soon.

Saturday Snack

Do you like shrimp? How about pasta? Then this quick meal is perfect for you!

You'll need:

Linguine

3/4 cup Italian dressing

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 lb. shrimp

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the dressing in large skillet on medium heat

Stir in mushrooms & onions

Cook 3 mins., or until onions are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally

Add shrimp, stir

Cook 2 mins., or until shrimp are pink & vegetables are tender

Stir occasionally

Drain pasta & add to skillet

Add remaining dressing; toss lightly

Sprinkle with cheese

This is an easy meal to make for group hangouts over the weekend. There's plenty for everyone. Enjoy!

Building My Vocabulary

It's Thursday! That means it's time for another teen term. Today, I've selected one I've heard a few times and was pretty sure I understood based on the word itself. Guess, what? I was right!

Cray-Cray - Crazy

This is an easy one, but another one I love. It can get a little boring to say, "Wow, she/he's crazy," all the time. Instead, you can just look at your friends, gesture to whom you're referring to and say "cray-cray." Love it!

What are you fave teen terms you and your friends use? I'd love to hear more!

Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning came early at my house last week. In addition to cleaning everything, we rearranged some of the furniture, too.

We moved our dining room table out because we never use it, and put bookshelves in its place. Now, we have much-needed extra storage.

We moved the dining table to the bedroom, and now it's my craft/writing table. I love having a secondary, quiet spot that's all mine!

Now that I am able to store more items on the bookcases, my desk is much neater and more organized. I love it!

Do you plan on doing any spring cleaning, or have you already? Tell me about your projects! Check out this Pinterest page for ideas for the home. There's a pin specifically to help teens get organized.

Blizzard to Offer College Tuition in Online Tournaments

© Raimond Spekking / , via Wikimedia Commons

This article about knocked my socks off. Have you seen it?

Apparently, Blizzard, you know, the creators of WoW and other MMORPGs, is offering students college tuition via three tournaments. According to Fortune magazine, Blizzard Entertainment is giving away $650,000 in college tuition this year as prizes for three of its popular eSports games: Hearthstone, StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm.

I think this is really cool! College and college-bound students make up a large percentage of players of these games, paying monthly fees for each of the games they decide to play, and possibly more for in-game items and bit coins. I think it's incredible that Blizzard is giving back to their players by offering college tuition as prizes in their tournaments.

I've played WoW before, and understand how easy it is to get hooked on the games, and spend a lot of time bulding your character. But for me, there was always a "Now what?" feeling. I would build my character up, play some dungeons and feel like there was nothing else to do until the next expansion. But for players who enjoy continuing the game day after day, they have another great reason to keep going. Now, you can enjoy the games and work on earning your college tuition at the same time.

So, check out the details of the tournament and have fun! Just be sure to get off the games from time to time to study and spend time with family and friends.

Your Saturday Snack

I love mozzarella sticks, don't you? My favorite is from Denny's, so I was delighted when I found this recipe on Replica Recipes:

1/4 cup flour

1 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 Tbsp milk

1 package mozzarella string cheese

2 cups oil

Place flour in one dish, bread crumbs in another

Whisk eggs & milk together

Coat cheese in flour, then egg, then bred crumbs

Repeat in egg and bread crumbs

Heat oil in skillet

Cook  1 minute or until golden on all sides

I don't use the sauce, but you may like to, so here you go:

For Marinara Sauce

• 1 large (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 or more cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. basil
• 1-1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. anise or fennel seeds (optional)
• 
  

1.  Heat oil; then lightly brown garlic.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve with mozzarella sticks or over your favorite pasta.

 Enjoy!