Go Green and Save Green!

I'm writing a weekly column on ASK In Your Face called "Greener By the Minute"! Check out my first post...

We are starting a weekly column to bring you tips, advice, the latest news, ideas, and information on "going green" or being more environmentally friendly. We hope it inspires you to take small steps in your life to go organic, recycle more, or do anything that helps our Mother Earth and to encourage your friends and family to do so as well. For our first post we are going to help you "go green" by giving you tips on ways to be environmentally friendly AND save money. Because who doesn't want to save a little dough and feel good about what it is doing for our planet?

1. Clean Greener: Make cleaning products from household items you already have, save money from buying cleaning supplies from the store, and keep the poisonous chemicals out of your home that could hurt you, your children, or your pets. Click here for recipes on how to make effective cleaning products from things you already have around the house, such as baking soda, lemon juice, and water.

2. Visit your local library: Instead of buying books, DVDs, CDs, and magazines, head to your local library and pick up a copy for free. Not only will you save money and get to read or watch new things more often, you will be saving paper and plastics from ending up in the landfill.

3. Use vodka!: Not just for drinking, vodka can be used for soothing toothaches and poison ivy rashes to cleaning clothes and surfaces. Check out more money-saving ways to use vodka here.

4. DIY energy audit: Find a checklist online and do a quick energy audit in your home to see where you're wasting energy and ways to improve your carbon footprint.

5. Change your computer settings: Did you know that 90% of desktop computers are not optimized for energy efficiency? Use the "sleep" or "hibernate" settings every time or turn off your devices when they are not in use. Also, use a surge protector to make sure they turn off all the way.

6. Use rechargeable batteries: It may not seem like much, but recharging your batteries instead of always buying new ones definitely adds money in your pocket. It also cuts down on the batteries that end up in your local landfill.

7. Freecycle!: No, you shouldn't just recycle, but freecycle too! Log on to the world of freecycling, and you can get and unload a huge array of items...all for free! It's simple and fun, and doesn't cost a dime. You can easily get rid of things you never use and get something you might love! Remember, one person's trash might be another person's treasure...

8. Save water: First invest in a eco-friendly water bottle so you can say goodbye to using plastic bottles every day. Then use less hot water around your house: take shorter showers, fix leaky faucets, and put a full water bottle in your toilet tank to save water with every flush. Conserve that H₂O!

9. Start a garden: Gardening will not only save you money on buying the fruits and veggies you love, but will provide the freshest and most delicious organic produce. Ask around your neighborhood for extra seeds or tools they are no longer using and save even more!

10. Go Fuel-Efficient: If you're looking to get a new car, try a hybrid or something more fuel efficient than your SUV. If you're not looking to get a car, something you can do now is to use cruise-control in your own vehicle. This saves gas and is better on your brakes.

For more tips on going green and saving money, check out TheDailyGreen.com.

Check out the original post on ASKinyourface.com.

Cool news!

I'm now a featured blogger on Twenty-Something Bloggers! I believe for the whole month of March. Their website is a great way to connect with other bloggers around the same age...check it out!

My Favorite Advice for You!

I'm always thinking. Always! Sometimes inspiration strikes me to write about something in the car or in the shower. It could be anywhere. I'd love to share with you some of my words of wisdom and things to say to yourself when you feel down in the dumps.

♥Surround yourself with people with good and big hearts and you'll feel yours grow and happiness follow.

♥Everything happens for a reason. Even bad relationships or traumatic events eventually lead to something good.

♥Always trust your instincts and listen to your heart. If you don't and make mistakes, don't beat yourself up. There is always room for change.

♥Do what makes you happy. If someone does not have your best interests in mind, move on.

♥A good attitude is all about gratitude. Basic rules of being human: always say please and thank you and let people know you appreciate them.

♥Know that everyone has moments of loneliness, sadness, weakness, and sickness. The best part of this? It never lasts! Unfortunately great moments pass too, but next time you're feeling low or hurt...just remember that it will go away eventually...

Check out The Daily Leap!

You can now read from me not only here at Lauren's Thoughts, on ASKinyourface.com, but on the Daily Leap! I'll be blogging about post grad topics and I'm very happy to do so. Check out my first post here on being social media savvy as a post grad. Hope you enjoy it!

Spending Time Alone

If you don't know me, I'll tell you one thing I'm not sure I am ashamed about or proud of. I'm not like most 21 year olds. Yes, I'm young, have friends and a boyfriend, and sometimes go out. But most of the time, I don't. Being an only child and a homebody, I've always been pretty introverted. Also, being a writer and able to communicate more efficiently with my written words than with my mouth doesn't exactly help me become more outgoing.

I've spent many posts talking about being lonely and missing friends and doing a lot of things on my own. Not a lot has changed except that I've become more accepting of hanging out by my lonesome. Before, on a Saturday night when my boyfriend and friends around were busy and other friends were away at school, I would turn the night into a pity party. "I have no friends! No one wants to hang out with me!", I'd say, knowing it wasn't true. Sometimes my head still goes there but I do my best to squash it.

Lately, I've been trying to find new things to do to fill my time. I have a few internships, but there are often days where I have nothing planned. My boyfriend is in class and my friends are too or they're working. I started baking! You saw my post on chocolate covered pretzels and recently I also made chocolate chip banana cookies and watermelon smoothies. I play my Wii and work on my moves playing Just Dance 2. I'll go to the store and browse or simply stay home and write.

I'm trying to find the healthy balance between hanging out with people I love and being happy with spending more time alone and finding ways to fill my time if everyone is busy. What do you do to stay busy when you have to be alone?

I'm Blogging LIVE About the Oscars!

Check out ASKinyourface.com tonight where I'll be live-blogging the 83rd Annual Academy Awards!

Don't Feel Guilty About Eating Dark Chocolate!

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite things to indulge in. When I found out that it actually had health benefits, I said “More please!”. Now with the after Valentine's Day sales, you can find some at a great price!

Some “Dark” History

Chocolate history in general goes right back to dark chocolate, which was the first chocolate ever made. It goes back at least 3,000 years. It began as a bitter drink from the tropical areas of Central and South America. It was used by the Mayans and Aztecs as a ceremonial and medicinal drink and was often drank by the elite.

Next the Spanish discovered the drink and added sugar or honey and served the drink hot (perhaps the first hot chocolate?). Chocolate was considered a luxury and only for the rich. During the 19th century, milk was added to chocolate and this version became more popular than the dark chocolate that had always been around.

In the late 20th century into the 21st century, dark chocolate has been making a comeback, especially with all the health benefits that were uncovered.

Yummy Health Benefits

Dark chocolate contains an antioxidant called epicatechin that has proven health benefits. Dark chocolate has been shown to:

• Decrease High Blood Pressure
• Increase blood flow and prevent damage from strokes
• Inhibit cancer growth
• Lower cholesterol
• stimulate endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
• contain serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
• contain theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

You can get all these benefits by eating just three squares a day! Also avoid eating with milk. Sure, it tastes great, but it has been shown to prevent these great antioxidants from being absorbed in your body when you eat it with milk.

Some Delicious Options

Now that you’re craving some dark chocolate, what kind should you buy? Some of my favorite brands that have delicious options for dark chocolate are:

• Dove Promises in Dark Chocolate (the wrappers have uplifting sayings on them!) or Dark Chocolate covered Dove ice cream bars
• Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate squares with flavors such as toffee, espresso, and seat salt
• Hershey Special Dark Chocolate bars or chocolate kisses
• Godiva Dark Chocolate pearls with mint, a box of Dark Chocolate truffles, Dark Chocolate covered pretzels, and many more
• Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate truffles with flavors such as orange and coffee

You can find all these options at your local grocery store or Target. You can also look for dark chocolate cupcakes, cakes, muffins or even make your own with dark chocolate chips!

Check out Dark-chocolate-life for more information.

See my original post on ASKinyourface.com.

The Power of Positive Thinking

I recently read in a magazine an article on positive thinking and how you can train your brain. One of the tips I really liked and thought it might work! This could work with a friend or family member or by yourself. When you either think something negative or say it out loud to someone, either say to yourself or have your friend tell you to "Switch!". "Switch!" means to switch out that negative phrase into a positive one.

For example, "I just can't work out today. I'm such a lazy slob."
SWITCH!
"I'm going to work out today and I will feel so much better afterwards!"

Have you ever tried anything similar to get rid of negative thoughts? This could work with any negative phrase whether it is towards yourself or others!

Going Dark...

I decided to go darker again! What do you think? I think it will go lighter when I wash it more, but I love it! :)

Does The Way You Sleep Make You A Jerk?

Apparently the way I sleep tells WebMD that I have the personality of a jerk. Awesome. What does your sleeping position say about your personality? Watch the short video here. And tell me, was yours reallyyyy off like mine was or actually correct?