Blog Posts Ideas For 2018

Hey guys,

I'm starting to make a list of blog posts for 2018 and I wanted to ask you what types of blog posts would you like to see from me. I need more ideas and I thought why not ask my readers what they would like to see. Please leave me ideas down below and I'll do my best to post them next year.

Thanks in advance!


<3 Amanda

Gift Ideas For College Students- Online Or On Campus

Hey guys,

I am here once again with a gift idea post and this one is focused on some ideas on what to get a college student for Christmas whether they attend an on campus college or an online college. I just completed my bachelor year from an online college so some of these items I didn't use that often since I wasn't going back and fourth to college or leaving in a dorm room.

A planner:

I used my planner to not only to list my seminar days and college assignments, but I also write any plans I have so I would have it all in one place.  I think any type of planner is a great item to have with you to keep you on track with homework and especially things like projects and finals.

Binders:

This is an item that I didn't use as much being an online college student but I know that college students have a lot of papers for each course.

Notebooks:

Any college student needs notebooks to take notes, write drafts, and work on homework. For example, I think I went through at least one 5- subject notebook for my college algebra course.

Index Cards:

Index cards are a great tool to use starting in middle school to study for quizzes, tests and exams. In college you go through your share of index cards.

Pens,Pencils and Highlighters:

Highlighters are another useful tool like index cards. If you need to remember specific things for an assignment or test, highlighters are your friends. Having different color pens makes note taking more fun and better to look at while studying, like the BIC brand. If you want to make your notes pop out more and be more bright, then I recommend the Paper Mate Flair Pens. The pencils that I recommend are the Paper Mate Clearpoint Mechanical Pencils (0.7mm lead)

White Out And Mini Stapler (And Staples):

These are two items that can easily fit into a pencil pounch for those emergencies. If you are writing out a paper and you notice a spelling error, you can quickly white out it. And also, if you go to print out an essay in the library but a stapler is no where to be found, no worries, you have one in your backpack. 

Sticky Notes/ Page Flags:

Sticky notes are my favorite. If I don't know exactly when something is happening, I write it on a sticky note and it easy to move from date to date in my planner. Also, if you have big textbooks and you need to remember different sections to read, just use a page flag to mark the sections. 

Headphones:

I don't have a picture of my headphones as they have recently broken in the past 2 months and I haven't gotten time to purchase another pair.   Headphones are a great item to use whether you're at a Starbucks, a library, in your dorm room or just at home working on homework.  There are so many different kinds and brands of headphones. If you don't know that much about technology, check out this website and learn about which brands have the best Noise-Canceling Headphones. They tested 13 highly respected noise-canceling headphones which range from  in-ear and over-ear options. 

Other Items College Students Would Love:

• Starbucks Gift Card/ Biggby's Gift Card 
• Velveeta Mac and Cheese Cups and Ramen Noodles for easy and quick lunches or dinners
• Gas Gift Card
• Folders
• Small snacks/candy to bring on the go

Are/were you a college student? What are/were your key items that you kept with you at all times?

<3 Amanda 

Stocking Stuffers for Teen Girls/ Women

Hey guys,

When I was younger, I loved seeing what was inside my stockings. The stocking that all of us grandchildren received each year from my grandparents on my dad's side always had at least an apple and an orange in it. That was just something that they did. Are you stuck on what to put in your teen girl, young adult daughter, or wife's stocking? Here are some ideas that I thought of:

Candy (Who doesn't like candy):

The Reese's pretzels have been my recent favorite, so I definitely recommend them. You could always do other candy like M&M'S, Skittles, or the candy canes filled with candy.

Adult Coloring Books, Markers and Pens:

I got the coloring books off of Amazon last year and the Twin Top Markers from Five Below but I'm sure you can find them at other places as well. The pens are Paper Mate Flair Pens, which are my favorite. They make my penmanship look so good. That's only one drawer of the pens I own.

Hair/Beauty: 

I know that the three scents from Bath and Body Works are not winter scents but a good idea for stocking stuffers are small bottles of lotion to put into a purse or backpack.  A bigger bottle from Victoria Secret as an example is a great one to leave at home. The Wet brush really does make brushing out your hair much easier at least it does to my hair. I definitely recommend you to try it.

DVDS and CD'S:

DVDs are a great stocking stuffer because you can fit a DVD into a stocking. You could get their favorite movie if they don't already own it, or get one for them if they are wanting to see it. Most people eat popcorn while watching movies, so you could always add some popcorn seasoning to the stocking and have them be a double gift; a movie night.  You can also include a CD too. Here are some that I would recommend:

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas

Brad Paisley: Brad Paisley Christmas

Michael Bublé :Christmas

Kenny Chesney: All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan

Martina McBride: White Christmas

Blake Shelton: Cheers, It's Christmas

Misc:

Again, this scent is not a winter scent but candles are another item that you can add to a stocking. They are also nice to have on cold night to help keep a room warm so it's not as cold due to the winter temperatures. 

What kind of items do you put in stockings? Leave a comment down below if anyone is reading this for additional ideas.

<3 Amanda 

Love With Food December Box (Coupon Code Included)

Hey guys,

Have you heard of the subscription box called "Love With Food"? I have been subscribed to it for the past 6 months but I have recently canceled my subscription due to financials. It was a fun box to receive each month and you didn't know what you'd receive so it was a surprise. Here are a few facts about Love With Food:

• TASTING BOX (US Only) is $7.99 / Month, which has 7+ new & surprise snacks each month
• DELUXE BOX (US & International) , which has 15+ new & surprise snacks each month.
• GLUTEN FREE BOX (US & International), which has 10+ surprise gluten-free snacks each month
• Free shipping to US and territories
• Cancel anytime

Something that I really loved about this subscription box is that when you purchase one tasting box, they donate 1 meal to hungry children, and if you purchase either a deluxe or gluten free box, they donate 2 meals to hungry children. They have donated 1,009,167 Meals. That's amazing! 

I received my box earlier today and thought I would do a review on it to tell you all about this box. I was getting the deluxe box. I'm not going to show all of the items, just a few to give an example.

Nothing But The Fruit (N.B.T.F)

• Strawberry flavored
• 1 serving of fruit
• 1 pkg = 90 calories
• Not much of a taste
• 3/5

  Blue Almond Nut Thins

• 1 Pkg=90 Calories
• Reminded me of a tortilla chip
• Really hard
• 0/5

Beet Puffs 

• 1 bag= 170 calories
• Beets Good Thins are much better
• 0/5

RX Kids (Sorry for the rotated picture)

• Berry Blast flavored
• 1 bar= 130 calories
• Hard bar
• 0/5

Nothing But The Fruit (N.B.T.F)

• Mixed berry flavored
• 1 pkg= 90 calories
• Better than the strawberry ones
• 3/5

Fruigees

• 24 Carrot- orange
• 1 container= 70 calories
• Tasted more like oranges than carrots
• Didn't really know what to feel about it
• 3/5

Double Dark Chocolate Cookie (Protein Cookie)

• 2 servings per container
• 1/2 cookie= 180 calories 
• 1 full cookie = 360 calories 
• 2/5

This subscription box would be a great box to give as a Christmas present to someone who might want to eat healthier or find new healthy snacks and treats to eat. This is also a good way to try out snacks to see if you like them enough to buy them at your grocery store. 

Right now, they are running their Holiday sale until 1/1/18. Buy any 6-month plan and get a FREE snack box worth $25. No promo code needed.

BONUS: Save an EXTRA $10 on any 6-month (or longer) Deluxe and Gluten-free plans. Use code JOLLY. 

If you want to check this food subscription box out, here's the link to the website. 

**These are just my opinions. You may have different taste buds and like some of these better than me or maybe worse than me.**

<3 Amanda 

Favorite Instagrammers Pt.1

Hey guys,

I have really been more active on my Instagram account than I used to be. I try to post when I have a new blog posted at least. I like watching Instagram stories and I do have some favorites. I'm gonna do a part one and part two because I don't want to make this post long. 

Planningongrace (Account): Kate is someone who wears multiple hats. She's a mom to three adorable girls, a wife, a nurse on the maternal newborn unit and she recently became a YouTuber. You should go subscribe to her channel. She posts grocery hauls, vlogs and holiday videos. She has a question and answer video so you can go learn more about her. If you're a planner, then she's a great person to follow on Instagram and YouTube as she posts videos about planning and also shares pictures on Instagram of her planner. 


Laurmcbrideblog (Account): Lauren is a blogger who's due with her third child in February. Her son and daughter are adorable, and she and her husband are a cute couple!  She also has a YouTube channel, which you can find here. She posts tutorials and other videos.  You should also go subscribe to her blog. She also has additional social medias, Facebook, Twitter,and Pinterest.  


Lynzyandco (Account): Lynzy is also a mom to two cute daughters and a son.  Her blog is located here, which she has a lot of different sections that I'm sure that everyone would enjoy.  She has a section on her blog where she posts pictures of what she's wearing and has links to all of the clothing so if you like a particular shirt, etc. you can just click on the picture of it, and the specific store and item will come up. You can find her on her other social medias accounts,Twitter,Facebook, and Pinterest.   


Courtney_Shields (Account): Courtney is a new mom and her daughter is adorable. You can find her blog here. She also has many sections that  anyone would enjoy reading. Like Kate and Lauren, she also has a YouTube channel. She has a variety of videos ranging from beauty to gift guides to pregnancy. Besides Instagram and YouTube, you can also find her on Facebook, Twitter,and Pinterest.


You should definitely go follow all of these ladies and also their YouTube channels. They are all great at what they do.


<3 Amanda 

Men VS Women in Today's World

Hey guys,

I was debating on writing a post about this or not but felt like I needed to. I know that this is a controversial topic but I feel like this is my blog and I can write my feelings on anything I want to show my own views. Whenever I go onto Facebook, I read posts about more men getting accused of this and this. Yes, in my opinion men should not be abusive, rape women, etc. as I have been abused before by ex-boyfriends. But I feel like there should be a cut-off time period. Yes, I know some women are scared to come forward and wait to see if another will come forward first. But I seriously read that one of these incidents happened in 1991. That was 26 years ago. That was like the incident happened when I was one year old as I'm about to turn 27.

I also feel like women do these types of incidents to men,and think if I start something then the guy will get blamed 100% because he's a guy. I think if the women start some of the incidents then they should be the one getting in trouble, not the guy. I'm not saying that any of these celebrities are not telling the truth, but who knows if someone just want to take it out on a male celebrity and get them in trouble on purpose with false accusations.

What are your thoughts about this? Leave a comment below.

<3 Amanda

"Open When" Letters Topic Ideas

Hey guys,

In one of my recent blog posts called "Gift Ideas For Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend", which you can view here, I wrote about how I did 100 "Open When" Letters for my boyfriend as one of his Christmas gifts. I knew I wanted to do at least 100 letters but getting to 100, I was struggling at the end because I couldn't think of anymore topic ideas. I went on Pinterst and googled topic ideas and found some. I think it's very creative, thoughtful and a gift that I know my boyfriend will love, so if you want to do this for your significant other, friend, sibling, here are my 100 topics if you need more topics.

1. Open First/When You receive these letters
2. Merry Christmas 2017
3. New Years Eve 2017
4. When you're sick (I included cough drops and a pack of Kleenex)
5. You're hungry/ want a snack (I included some coconut chocolate candies)
6. You're missing me (I sprayed some of my perfume on an index card so he could smell it and pretend that I'm there)
7. You need to laugh (I included some jokes)
8. You need to know how much I love you
9. You want to know why I love you (I included a list of reasons)
10. You're sad 
11. You had a long day
12. You're bored (I included some made up puzzles for him to do)
13. You can't sleep
14. You're happy
15. You're feeling lonely
16. It's your birthday (I included some cut up confetti)
17. I've just left after visiting
18. We got in a fight
19. You want to try something new (I included some coca flavored chewy candy)
20. You need a hug and kiss (I put some Pouty Pop Crayon on and kissed the paper all over)
21. You want to know my dreams for the future
22. You want to know how happy you make me
23. 1 year anniversary
24. You feel like no one cares
25. You miss my kisses (Again, I put some Pouty Pop Crayon on and kissed the paper all over)
26. You miss holding my hand (I traced my hand on the paper)
27. New Year Eve 2018
28. Christmas 2018
29. Valentine's Day
30. You're feeling punny (I included some puns)
31. You're feeling lucky (I included a lottery ticket)
32. You're stressed (I included some bubble wrap)
33. You want to know songs that reminds me of you
34. You want to know random things about me
35. 4th of July
36. Halloween 2018
37. You want to know how important you are to me
38. You need to vent (Again, I included bubble wrap)
39. We just talked on the phone
40. You're mad at me
41. I'm mad at you
42. When you wake up
43. Before you go to sleep
44. When you had a bad day
45. When you had a good day
46. You can't stop thinking of me
47. You really want to see me
48. You really don't want to cook lunch or dinner (I included some Ramen noodles, easy to fix)
49. You need to talk to someone and I'm not picking up my phone
50. You go to the casino (I included a $1 for good luck)
51. You need to smile
52. You need motivation/encouragement
53. You're crying (I included a pack of Kleenex)
54. You're craving chocolate (I included some caramel/chocolate small candies)
55. You're craving something sweet and sour (I included sour patch kids)
56. You want to relive the first time we met (Which you can read about here)
57. You need support/ a listening ear
58. You want to read some of my favorite quotes
59. You want a drawing I made for you
60. You have a good dream about us
61. You feel like being a kid again (I included a Star Wars coloring book and some Star Wars crayons)
62. Just because
63. You need me
64. 2 month anniversary
65. 3 month anniversary
66. 4 month anniversary
67. 5 month anniversary
68. 6 month anniversary
69. 7 month anniversary
70. 8 month anniversary
71. 9 month anniversary
72. 10 month anniversary
73. 11 month anniversary
74. I fallen asleep on you
75. You're thinking about the future
76. It's the weekend
77. You need to know I'm in it for the long haul
78. You're having anxiety
79. You need to hear some compliments 
80. You need to hear a friendly voice
81. It's Easter
82. St. Patrick's Day
83. It's Star Wars Day
84. Thanksgiving 2018
85. You want to read a poem 
86. You want to watch funny YouTube videos
87. You need new movies to watch
88. You need new songs to listen to
89. You're cold (I included some hot cocoa)
90. You need a pick-me up (I included a Hershey bar)
91. It's Sweetest day
92. It's boyfriend's day
93. You beat me at Trivia Crack
94. I beat you at Trivia Crack
95. It's popcorn day (I included a pack of popcorn)
96. It's puzzle day (I included a cut up picture of us that he has to put back together)
97. It's best friend day
98.  It's love note day
99. You're about to see me again
100. You read all of the other envelopes

Now,  I used medium and large yellow manila envelopes for the letters that I included things that couldn't fit into a plain white envelope. I hope this list helped you add more topics to your list. Have fun, and I'm sure whoever you give these to will love it. 

<3 Amanda