Beyoncé - Dance For You

Beyoncé - Ego

Beautiful Liar - Beyonce' ft Shakira

Beyoncé - Me, Myself And I

Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams

Beyoncé - Video Phone ft. Lady Gaga

Beyoncé - Why Don't You Love Me

Keeping on keeping on 

  Do you wake up in the morning and want to pull the covers over your head and just stay there all day? If you venture out, do you feel like you're walking under signs that read, "Watch Out for Falling Rocks?" Have you found it's been harder lately to concentrate in school? Are you having nightmares? If any of this sounds familiar, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Even if you aren't a news-hound, you can hardly escape being hyper-aware of how terrorism, anthrax, and war have invaded our world.
  Surviving adolescence has never been easy but since the enormity of the atrocious events of September 11th 2001, this time might feel that much harder to negotiate. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, a national poll revealed that seven in 10 Americans have felt depressed. Almost half reported having concentration problems. And a third said they had trouble sleeping. No wonder developing towards womanhood, and growing comfortable with an ever- changing body, is even more complicated than usual.
  Today you might feel there's no hurry to be considered an adult. It certainly sounds more appealing to remain a young, free spirit without having to deal with the changes in all things female. What in a more perfect world sounds exciting and challenging...being more independent, making your own way, being held responsible for your actions...suddenly sounds more ominous. In a world that feels precarious, leaving home has lost lots of its appeal.
It's totally normal, if you're at all conscious, to be upset about what's happening these days and, when these feelings combine with the emotional and physical changes of puberty, there might be moments you feel like a cast member of the Rocky Horror Show. First of all, when your sex hormones start circulating (about two years BEFORE your first period), you automatically become more emotional. As if you've never noticed, your moods fluctuate dramatically. You may find that you cry for no obvious reason. Or get real tense without knowing why. But, in these cruel and unusual times, if you feel down or start to cry, your instinct might be to blame the latest frightening news story you heard on television.
  It's during adolescence when you start to evolve your own attitudes toward men and think more seriously about what it means to be a female. Most of us have heard about how the Taliban men in Afghanistan make women cover themselves from head to toe, don't allow them to get an education, and generally treat them like property. One story told of a young girl getting beaten because the whites of her eyes could be seen in public. It's hard to imagine. Tales like these can make any human who breathes angry, none more than teenage girls. Feeling the heat of anger can complicate things but when has this emotion been more justified and appropriate? Properly expressed, it will ultimately make you a stronger person.
  The silver lining of this black cloud we're living under is that suddenly your rule-setting father and annoying brother seem a lot less lethal. Suddenly the hundreds of choices we have to become whatever it is our hearts desire, the unlimited opportunities to pursue whatever it is we feel passionate about, can no longer be ignored and taken for granted. Our freedom is something to be appreciated, to be savored, to be cherished.
  If you are feeling more out of sorts lately and find that you're having trouble getting through the day, try talking with a friend, a parent, or other adult you trust. The fall of 2001 was not a time to deny your feelings or shove them aside. On the other hand, if you are fortunate enough NOT to be feeling upset, please don't feel guilty. We all cope with hardship in different ways. Some of us survive best by feeling numb. Just don't be shocked if all of a sudden some strong feelings manage to squirm their way out. Delayed reactions are common.
  And remember, getting stressed out over New Year's Eve or midterms or a bad haircut... or really excited about a vacation or the school play or that cute boy... isn't wrong. It's in our nature, as women and Americans, to keep on keeping on. And that's exactly what our president, the mayor of New York, and lots of other wise and thoughtful people are telling us to do.

Info from BeingGirl.com

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light. ~Mary Dunbar

When people believe in themselves they have the first secret of success. ~Norman Vincent Peale

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Don't you dare, for one more second, surround yourself with people who are not aware of the greatness that you are. ~Jo Blackwell-Preston

There is a Divine and Infinite potential within every soul, an intimate access to the mind of God and the passion of the Universe ~K. Allen Kay

Yours is the energy that makes your world. There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in. ~Jane Roberts

Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself. ~Robert Collier

I wish I could show you, When you are lonely or in darkness, The astonishing light of your own being. ~Hafiz

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.
~Yogi Bhajan

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you will ever own.
~Mary Schmich

There is so much love in your heart that you could heal the planet.
~Louise Hay

Whatever you are doing, love yourself for doing it. Whatever you are feeling, love yourself for feeling it. ~Thaddeus Golas

You are as amazing as you let yourself be. Let me repeat that. You are as amazing as you let yourself be. ~Elizabeth Alraune

Self Esteem begins here: anyone who does not like you is an idiot. Really -aren't they? You are gorgeous, talented and fabulous. ~Chellie Campbell

Whoever you are, there is some younger person who thinks you are perfect. There is some work that will never be done if you don't do it. There is someone who would miss you if you were gone. There is a place that you alone can fill. ~Jacob M. Braude

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~William James

I wonder why it is that we so often imprison ourselves in the opinions of other people. There can be no punishment worse than conspiring in our own diminishment. ~Dawna Markova

It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. ~W.C. Fields

The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else. ~E. E. Cummings

It is rewarding to find someone you like, but it is essential to like yourself. It is quickening to recognize that someone is a good and decent human being, but it is indispensable to view yourself as acceptable. It is a delight to discover people who are worthy of respect and admiration and love, but it is vital to believe yourself deserving of these things. ~Jo Coudert

The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. ~Lao-Tzu

Self-esteem is different than conceit. Conceit is the weirdest disease in the world. It makes everyone sick except the one who has it.
~Hartman Rector, Jr.

Scarcity of self value cannot be remedied by money, recognition, affection, attention or influence. ~Gary Zukav

The greatest success is successful self-acceptance. ~Ben Sweet

The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.
~Sonya Friedman

Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others. ~Parker Palmer

Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives. ~Louise L. Hay

The greatest difficulty is that men do not think enough of themselves, do not consider what it is that they are sacrificing when they follow in a herd, or when they cater for their establishment. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. ~Joseph Campbell

Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide. ~Marva Collins

The strongest single factor in aquiring abundance is self-esteem: believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, believing you will get it. ~ Jerry Gillies

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. ~Claude Bissell

All that you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within and you will surely find it. ~Eileen Caddy

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Accept yourself as you are. Otherwise you will never see opportunity. You will not feel free to move toward it; you will feel you are not deserving. ~Maxwell Maltz

Learn to value yourself, which means: to fight for your happiness.
~Ayn Rand
 

You can’t build joy on a feeling of self-loathing. ~Ram Dass

I forgive myself for having believed for so long that...
I was never good enough to have, get, be what I wanted.
~Ceanne DeRohan
 

It's not your job to like me...it's MINE! ~Byron Katie

I was once afraid of people saying, "Who does she think she is?" Now I have the courage to stand and say, "This is who I am." ~Oprah Winfrey

✞ Bible Basics ✞

Love.. Love is the reason God created us and wants to spend eternity with us. It is not only what God does; it is actually who he is. The Bible says that God is love -- the very essence of love itself. Because God loves us so much, he not only wants us to enjoy life here on earth, but also to believe in him so we can experience the the unequaled delights of Heaven. God's amazing love is demonstrated by his actions throughout the Bible, but never more so than through the gift of his Sin, Jesus. While the word "love" is often misused and misunderstood today, the love of God is the perfect example for us to imitate always.

Info from Biblezine™ Revolve 2OO7

S W A G <3

HOHO FRUIT KABOBS

Items Needed:

• 1 box (10 ounces) Hostess HoHos (10 HoHos)
• 2 medium ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh medium strawberries
• 1 cup fresh pineapple cubes
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen strawberry halves in syrup, thawed

Directions: Cut each HoHo in half. Cut bananas into slices about ²-inch thick. Very gently and quickly, toss bananas in lemon juice, stirring to coat evenly; drain well.
Alternately thread pieces of HoHos, bananas, strawberries and pineapple cubes onto 8-inch skewers. (Leave one end of skewer to use as a handle.)
Place thawed strawberries in blender or food processor; blend until it forms a smooth sauce. Serve strawberry sauce with kabobs.
A jar of chocolate topping makes a great optional dipping sauce or for drizzling over the kabobs.
Makes 10 kabobs.

... WAITING ...

Sometimes it seems like everyone is doing it…especially if you’re not. But less than half of teens in high school (only 42% of girls and 43% of boys) have had sex. That means that more than half of all high school students are virgins. And the younger someone is, the more likely they’re a virgin. For example, less than one-third of teenagers age 17 and younger have had sex, while 60% of 18- and 19- year-olds have.

It’s okay not to have sex. In fact, not having sex is a great idea, especially if you want to avoid pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs).  Of course there are all kinds of birth control methods that—when used carefully, correctly, and consistently—can protect you against pregnancy and decrease the risk of STIs. But not having sex is the only 100% proven method for avoiding pregnancy and STIs.

And while birth control can help protect your body, it can’t protect your feelings—and feelings are a big part of what can change when you have sex with someone. That’s one of the reasons that the majority of teens who have had sex say they wish they had waited longer…and we don’t just mean that they waited for marriage—just that they waited longer to get to know their partner or to be sure that they were ready to have sex in the first place.

Even though movies and TV and gossip at school can make it seems like everyone is having sex (or wants to), that’s not exactly true.  In a recent survey of guys ages 15-18:

• 75% said they’d rather "wait to lose their virginity with someone they love," compared to 24% who said they would prefer to "lose their virginity as soon as possible."
• 66% said they would rather "have a girlfriend but NOT have sex" while just 34% said they would prefer "having sex but not have a girlfriend."
• 68% said they "could be happy in a serious relationship that doesn’t include sex."

And that’s not all. Even though girls often say they feel pressure from guys to go farther or do more than they want to, 85% of guys ages 15-18 say they have "more respect for girls who stop a hook-up if they aren’t ready or comfortable." And 80% of teen guys say they think there is "way too much pressure from society to have sex."

Sex can be complicated and confusing. That’s one of the reasons why three-quarters of teens—both guys and girls—say it’s not embarrassing to admit that they’re virgins.  After all, good relationships are built on trust, communication, commitment, and spending time together enjoying things other than sex.

There are lots of reasons not to have sex besides not wanting to get pregnant or get someone else pregnant (although that’s a pretty good reason, too). Here are some of the most common reasons teens give for waiting:

• I’m waiting for the right guy or girl.
• I've got better things to do with my time.
• It’s against my religious beliefs.
• I think sex is something special that should be saved until you are married.
• I’m worried about my reputation. I don’t want everybody to think I’m a slut.
• I don’t want to catch an STI.
• I want to make sure I’m in a lasting relationship first.
• I just don’t feel like I’m ready yet.

Info from StayTeen.org

What's Your Relationship Reality?

Relationships are a tricky topic…if you’re in one, there’s a million questions (am I happy? Is he right for me? Should we break up?) and if you’re not, there are a million more (when will I meet someone? Will dating my friend ruin the friendship? Am I the only single person left in the world?). But the key to any relationship is to make sure that it’s healthy—that both parties are happy and that their needs are being met. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Getting into a relationship and making sure that it’s healthy takes some serious work. Here are our tips for making sure that you’re on the right track.

Making It Work..

COMMUNICATION
If your little brother does something that you don’t like, you don’t keep your mouth shut about it, right? Of course not! You tell him straight out that he did something you didn’t like and to cut it out. And while we don’t advocate talking to your partner in the same way you’d talk to your little brother, the message is the same: you have to tell your partner what you’re thinking. You can’t expect him/her to be a mind reader—and they can’t expect YOU to read THEIR mind either. Telling your partner that you want them at opening night of the play you’re in (even though you don’t have any lines) or that you don’t like it when they interrupt you in the middle of a story (even when they’ve heard that story 10 times) means that you’re communicating your wants and needs; that’s a crucial part of building a good relationship.

TRUST
You're having an innocent conversation with a girl in your geometry class and your girlfriend sees you. Does she completely freak out at you and accuse you of cheating on her? Or does she come over, say hi, and introduce herself because she knows this girl is just a friend of yours? If you’re with someone who loses their cool at every little thing, or is constantly accusing you of cheating on them, then there’s a major piece missing from your relationship: trust. Being in a trusting relationship means knowing that your partner is doing what they say they’re doing or that you won’t be met with crazy accusations and anger if you don’t answer your phone that one time she calls you. Trust is built up over time as you prove to each other that you can rely and depend on each other. That means doing what you say you’ll do and being open and honest. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other.

RESPECT
Remember that one time your boyfriend was going on and on and on about how amazing his favorite band is? And you just wanted to change to subject because, frankly, you hate that band? Well, telling him to shut up or that his taste in music is the worst is the opposite of respect. Respect means that you and your partner value each other as you are…his opinions, cultural differences, beliefs, and personal boundaries may differ from yours, but because you care about him, you respect and celebrate those differences. And he, in turn, respects and celebrates his differences with you.

When It's Over..

Sometimes the healthiest relationships run their course and it becomes clear that the only option is to break up. Obviously, this can be a really hard call to make, but lots of conflict, a decrease in the amount of time you spend together, or realizing that your feelings have changed can all mean that it’s time to end things...and let’s face it—if you’re fighting more than you’re laughing, what’s the point of being together anyway? So how do you do it? Every break up is different, so there aren’t instructions you can follow every time.  But we’ve put together an article with some tips on how to handle a break up (the nice way)

Break ups are never easy but they’re even harder when you’re the one getting dumped. Suddenly, homeroom—the place you've been every morning for how many months?—is awkward and strange, the McDonald's around the corner is painful to see, and forget those two classes you share. Before they were the highlight of your day...now it's almost impossible to sit through five minutes. Unfortunately, this "getting re-used to things" is a part of the break up that, while painful, is very necessary. Even though meeting new people may seem about as fun as a root canal, new relationships will develop in time.

Breaking up with someone—or getting broken up with—is tough...but it's also probably not the hardest thing you'll go through. Lean on your family, your friends, and your hobbies during the tougher times—you'd be surprised how much it'll help to talk to people who love and care for you or to distract yourself with books, movies, working out, playing sports—doing more of whatever it is that you like to do. It doesn't seem like it now, but remember—this feeling won't last forever.

When It's Abusive..

Did you know that 1 in 5 teens who’ve been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped, or pushed by their partner? Dating abuse isn’t a new thing, but sometimes it seems like the one part of a relationship that nobody wants to talk about. So let’s get the conversation started…it’s important to know that dating abuse can happen to ANYONE but NO ONE deserves to be in a relationship full of violence, intimidation, or fear.

Info from StayTeen.org

Peanut Butter Granola

Recipe fromParentsConnect.com

What You'll Need:

• ¾ cup honey
• 12 ounces natural peanut butter (pour the oil off of the top)
• ½ cup canola oil
• 4½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup instant dry milk
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ

Directions:

	Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
	In a medium saucepan, heat honey, peanut butter and canola oil until blended over medium-low heat.
	Stir in oats, dry milk and wheat germ.
	Spread out on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.
	Granola should be light golden brown.
	Spread out onto paper towel and allow to cool.
	Store in an airtight container.

Breaking Up (The Nice Way)

Probably the only thing worse than being dumped is being the person about to do the dumping. If you’re the one breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, there’s the guilt, the indecision, AND you have to figure out when, where, and how to pull the trigger. A question I hear all the time is: “What’s a nice way to break up with someone?”

Honestly, the majority of the time break ups aren’t nice, and I’m not going to lie to you and say there’s something you can do to make everything go really smoothly. That being said, there is a lot that you can do to make your break up fair. And at the end of the day, that’s all anyone can ask for. If you are thinking of getting out of a relationship, keep these things in mind:

1. It’s Worse to Stay With Someone You Don’t Like.  On the outside it may seem like you’re doing the “nice” thing by staying with someone you’re just not that into. But really, that’s one of the worst things you can do. Some advice my dad gave me recently: “everyone deserves to be with someone they adore, and to be adored by the someone they’re with.” You deserve to find someone you really like, but more than that, the guy or girl you’re with deserves to be with someone who really likes them. And if that’s not you, you’re not doing them any favors by sticking around.
2. Don’t make your partner do your dirty work.  I remember my first few boyfriends were big fans of this move: “I’ll just be a jerk, so she’ll dump me.”  And you guessed it, that move was super lame. Although tempting, it’s not fair to just stop calling someone, make excuses to not see someone, or just generally be rude or standoffish because you aren’t happy in your relationship. Don’t try to make yourself so hard to deal with that your partner has to dump you. If you want to end a relationship, grow a pair and do it yourself.
3. When you do it, be honest (ish).  Anyone you’ve been dating deserves a certain amount of truth about why you’re breaking up with them. This is not to say that you can’t sugarcoat it a little bit (you don’t always have to be brutally honest), but don’t feel like you have to fall back on excuses like “I just want to spend more time with my friends” if the real reason is “I just don’t feel the same way about you that I used to.”
4. Initially your ex may hate you, but that’s okay.  Be prepared for the fact that initially your ex may be upset and not want to talk to you. That’s okay, and that’s totally normal. If they need space, give them space. If you give them time to be mad at you, get over you, and heal, it’s WAY more likely that you’ll have a chance of being friends with them in the long run.
5. I promise, eventually you’ll be fine.  When you end a relationship, even if you’re the one who wanted to end it, it can feel like a giant sinking hole in your stomach mixed with the worse barf flu you’ve ever had. But even though at the time it feels like you’ll never feel whole again, you will. Trust me. As someone who has been through many a break up, it does get better—cliché as it sounds, it just takes time.  

Info from  StayTeen.org

beauty secret

Va-Va-Voom Volume!

Give limp, lifeless hair some extra love by blow-drying each section perpendicular to the scalp. For longer lasting "umph," choose alcohol-based mousse, gel, and styling products. Oil-based substances can seigh the hair down or make it appear greasy.

Diggy - Do It Like You ft. Jeremih