Bullet Journaling

Hey,

Thankyou for all your lovely comments on Monday after I posted about being a quiet learner. I'd love to know if you would like to see more of that type of post, you can let me know in the comments below. Today I wanted to share some of the reasons that I enjoy bullet journaling and (finally) some photos of my bullet journal. I've also been thinking about changing the direction of this blog a bit so that it is more focused on certain areas and less 'about everything'. For November, I am going to start focusing more on 'issues' than just a bit of everything.  If you think this is a good idea please let me know.

For me bullet journaling is a way to cope with the sometimes mountainous to-do lists I have. I am always paranoid that I have forgotten something, or to do something and a Bullet Journal is a way I have found to make sure that this paranoia is less common. Bullet journaling more than just an excellent way to keep track of things, it also gives me time to de-stress, take some time out, and (most importantly) have some me-time (that isn't doing something for the blog, or school). Each week I get at least an hour where all I do is bullet journaling, and that is a great thing for me. I know that not everyone may see bullet journaling this way, and for some people it might just be a way to keep track of things. But I find that it really helps me de-stress (in case you hadn't noticed I am a planner, and not knowing something drives me crazy) to have a clear plan of my week.

Bullet journaling  also helps me to balance my time between school, blogging, sport and time-out time. It gives me a clear idea of what I need to do, and stops me doing things that really didn't need to be done. (especially for school). And it also helps me be positive. I have a section that I record my favourite part of each day, even if it is as simple as 'sitting in the sun', and starting next month I am going to have a positive part of today log.

Hopefully you can see just how much I find bullet journaling useful now. I really encourage you to take it up, even just for a week in a scrappy-old notebook. Just give it a go and see what you think, I am almost certain you will find it just as useful as I have.

Today I am (finally) going to share some pictures of my bullet journal. If you would like to see more photos of any of the pages, just let me know...enjoy!

This is my monthly spread, kind of like a calendar, where I record all the things I have coming up. I also have a section for next month, notes and goals.

For each month I have a reading log, where I record all the books I have finished during the month.

Below the task section of every day I have a small area to record the weather and the date.

I have a section this size for each day of the week, to record any tasks, to-do's, events and other information.

Last week I trialed having a study schedule at the bottom of each day, this didn't really work so I am not continuing with it anymore.

Instead I am using this study grid. At the beginning of the day I draw around each of the subjects I need to study, or complete homework for, with a felt tip marker. When I complete what I needed to do for that subject I colour in the box with a coloured pencil.

What kinds of things do you have in your bullet journal?

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Being a quiet person.

Hi there,

I have a different kind of post planned for today, it's going to end up being a pretty long one. Today I wanted to share what I think about 'class participation'.

Every semester (that's twice a year) I receive a school report and must go and meet with all my teachers to discuss my learning. The feedback is almost always good. I am doing my work, achieving well in my assessments and I do most of the things that the teachers ask. But the one thing I hear from almost all my teachers is that I need to speak up and participate in class more. Sometimes every single one of my teachers will tell my parents and me that I can get better grades, especially for application to studies, if I participated in class discussions and shared my ideas with the rest of the class.

Honestly it makes me annoyed that I am expected to be willing to share my ideas with the rest of the class all the time, even if that is not who I am or what I want to do. Often it is overlooked that I do all my classwork and go up to ask the teachers questions when I need to. I am told that because I do not put my hand up in class discussions very often I am not participating in classes. I am always told that one of my goals could be contributing to class discussions more, and to a point that is a good goal. But my point is that it is not fair to expect me, or anyone else to be someone who they are not and do things they do not what to do simply to be participating.

I am an observer. I don't like jumping into things that I don't know anything about. I will listen, and think and form an opinion and idea and then, if I want, I will share it. I am not the sort of person who puts their hand up every single time the teacher asks a question, or just shouts out the answers. If I know the answer I will occasionally offer a response. But I don't want to be called upon all the time when I am perfectly happy to write my thoughts down and share when I have something meaningful to say.

I am tired of being overlooked, or told that what I am doing is not what they want. Especially when it comes to class participation. It is not taken into consideration that I take the time to carefully formulate my ideas before sharing them. No, it just isn't good enough that I am rarely sharing my ideas and answers. I am expected to adapt and fit in with all the noisy students in the class who shout out and are perfectly happy to share meaningless responses with the rest of the world. I am generally not allowed to learn in the way I prefer, quiet.

I believe that we, as a society, need to learn that it is important to value everyone how they are...not make them change to suit to circumstances all the time. I understand that I need to learn to adapt sometimes, but I do not think that it is fair to expect me to change all the time when there are some students who meet all the requirements, simply because they are vocal with their ideas- all the time! I find it difficult, especially since starting high-school last year, to be comfortable enough to speak up in my classes when the people I am around are constantly changing. Eventually, usually around this time of year, I am comfortable enough to start regularly contributing my ideas. But even then, I find it hard to keep up with the pace at which the discussion moves- I barely have any time to think of a response. I think that it is vital that we learn in include everyone, and give everyone equal opportunities to succeed and have a go- regardless of what type of learner they are.

There are ways around this problem. One of my teachers uses discussion based programs that give everyone a chance to properly think of a response before sharing it and seeing what others have done. Some teachers mark class participation on more than just speaking up, they take into consideration class work that you complete and completing the required activities. But some people don't seem to understand that not everyone wants to share, some people participate in different ways. There is one class in which I often get ignored because the teacher is too distracted by people yelling out to them.

I understand that I need to learn to work with others and share my ideas. But I don't believe that it should be this way all the time. The class needs to be suited to all different types of students not just those who work best bouncing their ideas off others. Or, at least, if we must do group work and share our ideas with everyone else at least the students pick people they are comfortable with talking to. Knowing one person in a group of 5 makes all the difference for me, yet no one seems to understand this. I am constantly being overshadowed by more vocal students.

Our world is increasingly becoming one for vocal and extroverted people. People who want to share and work in loud and stimulating environments. Everyone needs to be reminded that there are people who are not like this, people who mightn't work best in loud and stimulating environments. Yet no consideration is taken for these types of people. Everything is tailored towards more confident, out-going and extroverted people. We need to remember that our world is a balance of different people and just because someone doesn't speak up doesn't mean they don't have a valid opinion and something to share.

Below I have included a TED talk that I watched and found related closely to what I was taking about in this post.

Also, take a look at these articles, about being a quiet learner in the busy classroom, quiet students and being a quiet person.  

Please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this post, any thoughts you have or if you would like to see more of this type of post.

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It's About Time...

Contrary to popular belief, I am not dead. I am very much alive and well, I just haven't blogged in about forever. I have been dealing with some family and personal issues, and the usual stress from school and sport. I will try really hard to start blogging again because it is something I miss doing. If you want more regular updates, you can follow my tumblr here. Anyway I thought I'd just make a list of my favourite things in the past little while.

1- Legally Blonde.

Just because.

2- Scream Queens
Season 2 at the moment ohmygod. But also the amazing fashion.

3- The Beach
So I went away to Tilba Tilba in the holidays, and rediscovered how much I love the ocean.

4- Bashing Donald Trump
I mean, who isn't? Although he's getting less of a joke and more terrifying as November the 8th draws near- make the right decision America.

5- Listening to some sick beats
As per usual, music is one of my favourite things. Follow my Spotify to see what I'm listening to @bluetreeab.

Peace Out
p.s. i might do a fashion post. i also might not. all gifs from giphy.com

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Kristina//10 things about me

Hey there,

A few weeks ago Kristina, from life in a nutshell, and I decided to swap posts for our blogs on the 20th of every month. To see my post for today check out Kristina's blog my life in a nutshell. Enjoy

Hi, my name is Krissi and I am super excited to start posting! Since this is the second post on my blog and the first post on Poppy & Mop I thought it would be great to get to know me so here are ten things to know about me!

1.       My favourite colour is pink

2.       I love lasagne!!! Once in grade 5 we were learning about planets and formation. We had to create a story about a rocket landing on a made-up planet and the inhabitants of my planet were literally lasagne with eyes and a mouth.

3.       I can speak Italian. I learnt through school even though my grandparents were Italian.

4.       My dream is to write a book (although I’m not motivated enough to, if it happens I’ll let you know)!

5.       I’m absolutely terrified of the dentist and spiders. Just a few days ago I had a spider land on my bed – I literally looked away for one second, looked back and there it was. I went as pale as a ghost and FREAKED OUT!

6.       I am very superstitious and I have one personal superstition – believe it if you want but… It is that if you see the clock change from [hour]:59 to [hour]:00 you will have super bad luck for the next hour and if you see the clock change from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am you will have bad luck for that whole day.

7.       My pet peeve is when people rub out the white board but miss just one tiny spot and I cringe so hard I die a little inside. It annoys the hell out of me.

8.       I will not die without going to New York. It is very high on my bucket list!

9.       My star sign is Aries

10.   I am a very good advice-giver. So many people always approach me with their life issues and I am always happy to lend a hand.

So now you know ten ridiculously random things about me! I am really pumped about posting on Poppy & Mop and would love for you to all check out my blog, life in a nutshell.

See you next month

xx Krissi

PS.Feel free to leave any comments for me on poppyandmop and Poppy will let me know so I can reply.

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What I've read recently

Hey there,

I'm so busy at the moment it is almost ridiculous. The first week back at school for the final term of this year has been very full on and to be honest I can't wait until this term is over. I find that during the school term I get very stressed and worry about the smallest things. One of the things I do to help manage this stress and worry is reading. I try my best to read for at least half an hour every night to help myself relax and get ready for a good sleep before a new day. Today I am going to share some of the books I have read in the last few weeks.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley- I read this book while I was away in Queensland and I enjoyed it but did find it a bit confusing at times. The story follows Rachel Sweetie and Henry Jones, two teenagers who were once best friends- but that was before Rachel moved away. After years with no contact Rachel moves back, grieving for her brother and tries to blend back into the life she left behind. This is a romance novel by an Australian YA author, I definitely recommend it.

The Memory Book by Lara Avery- I loved this beautiful book and the way it was written. Sammy McCoy is on the way to graduating at the top of her class, moving away from the small town she hates and going to her dream school. Nothing will stop her from getting there, not even the rare disease that she has been told will steal both her memories and her health. Written to her future self the memory book is Sammy's way of trying to secure her future in a world that seems against her.

Nothing Tastes as Good by Claire Hennessy- This book was different to many things I've read before and I really enjoyed it. Annabel is dead and has been assigned to 'help' Julia. Annabel thinks the problem is obvious- Julia is fat and being fat makes you unhappy. But as the story unfolds and Annabel learns more about Julia the real problems start to appear.

Only We Know by Simon Packham- A very interesting book that I could barely put down. New, school, new town, new Lauren. Lauren's family have moved from their previous home very suddenly, with no obvious explanation (or at least not that we know of). Lauren settles into her new life until she sees Harry, a boy from her old life, a boy who could let her secret out. Just as Lauren was settling her past starts coming back, the text isn't it time your new friends knew about you' being only the beginning.

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of these books if you have read them.

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Australian Animals

Hey,
I live in Australia (which I am sure you all know by now) and today I wanted to share a post about some of the Australian animals I have seen recently.

1.Echidna...despite the echidna being one of the animals native to Australia I have never actually seen one in the wild, that is until last weekend. Last weekend I was in the mountains with my family and I saw an echinda 4 times, twice from the car and twice when I was walking. He was so cute and although I couldn't get to close to him I did manage to get some pretty cute photos.

2.Kangaroo....very common near where I live (and pretty much everywhere else too), but it's not too often you get to see a joey!

3.Snake...ah, I hate snakes so much but I really liked this photo, thankfully I don't see to many snakes around my house and there was a nice thick piece of glass between me and this one!

Do you have any photos of animals native to the area around you? You can send them to me at poppyandmop@outlook.com and I might put them on the gallery page of the blog (that is coming soon).

Also, I am going to start posting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays from now on.

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25 Bullet Journal Page Ideas for beginners

Hey,
As I'm sure you know (if you are a regular visitor to this blog) I started a bullet journal recently. I am really enjoying it and find it helps me stay organised and less stressed. (More about that in another post). Today I am going to share 25 page ideas that you could include in a bullet journal. None of these pages are particularly difficult to start and lists like this one are great places to look for inspiration for your own bullet journal.

1.Goals for the year/month
2.Long term goals
3.Bucket list
4.Books you have read
5.Books you want to read
6.Movies/TV shows to watch
7.Movies/TV shows watched
8.Sleep tracker
9.Habit tracker
10.Study schedule
11.Gratitude log
12.Inspirational quote
13.Mood tracker
14.Meal plan
15.Favourite restaurants
16.Grade tracker
17.Holiday plans
18.Things to get excited about
19.Photo challenge tracker
20.A 'brain dump' or general list of stuff
21.Budget tracker
22.Savings tracker
23.Things to do when you are bored
24.List of blog post ideas.
25.List of blog post ideas

What pages do you have in your bullet journal?

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My trip to Queensland

Hey,
Last Monday I flew to visit my Aunt, Cousin and Grandma in Queensland with one of my friends and I had an amazing time!

My favourite parts
I've been thinking about this for a while and really I can't choose my favourite part of my holiday because it was all so amazing. However if I had to choose it would probably be getting to do lots of new and different things with my friend, cousin, aunt and grandma. (Because really that is everything)

Some of the places I went to
While I was there I visited Brisbane (mostly to fly home), Noosa, the beach, the pool, the shops and Australia Zoo.

I wanted to share some photos from my trip with you today, enjoy...

A tiger at the Zoo

As much as I dislike snakes I like this photo

We went whale watching twice!

The ocean was so pretty.

Hopefully you liked these photos, I have more from whale watching I will share in another post. Bye for now...

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Chocolate Fix

Hi there everyone,

You know those days when you just feel like chocolate? Sometimes there will be some chocolate in the pantry, or someone will have made a batch of chocolate biscuits, cake or some slice that you can have but more often than not there will not be any chocolate! (apart from cocoa, but that would  be gross all by itself!) This happens to me so often that I thought I might share some of the things I make, that don't take too long, and have an amazing chocolaty taste! Hopefully you will have the ingredients you need to make these in the house, I almost always do!

1. Microwave brownies- I haven't got a recipe for this one, because there are so many out there and the all have different chocolaty-ness, but what could be better than a two-minute microwave brownies with some strawberries or ice-cream? Sure to give you the chocolate hit you are looking for.

2.Hot Chocolate- This hot chocolate recipe is the best one I have every tasted! And that is saying something, considering how many different hot chocolates I have had in my lifetime! But if you don't have a thermomix the recipe on the side of the Cadbury cocoa box is almost as good!

3.Chocolate slice- this chocolate slice takes a bit longer than the other things to make, but the amazing taste definitely makes up for it. This isn't exactly the same as the recipe I use because that one is out of a cook book and I couldn't find it online. The best thing is that it only uses cocoa so there is no need to go to the shops!

Hopefully you have gotten the chocolate fix you were after using one of these recipes. Make sure you have butter, sugar and cocoa all the time and you will never be short of chocolate!

Let me know in the comments below if you have another quick recipe you love to make when you need some chocolate!

XxxPoppy

QOTD: What is your favourite chocolate?

AOTD: Probably Lindt plain chocolate or Cadbury dairy milk, or caramel!

Image featured in the background of the header of this post was found on canva.com as a free image. 

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