Hey BB girls, The time of year when finals plague college campuses everywhere has come. While our family members are celebrating the holidays, we are all stressed about school while trying to distract ourselves with the joy of the season. Well, it is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year,” so I have prepared some tips to hopefully make your finals week a little less stressful. 1. Make a study plan. Whether your plan is elaborate with time slots for each task every day or a simple checklist, this plan will make sure that you get everything done. The worst feeling is thinking you have completed everything, then finding out that you missed an assignment. 2. Reward yourself. After you complete major exams, congratulate yourself with a small treat. Personally, I love desserts, so after every exam I ate one of my favorite treats. Another way to reward yourself is with Netflix binging, if that’s your thing. 3. Take mental health breaks. Do not sit and study for hours on end without taking a break. Not only is it important for your mental health, but also to give the information time to marinate in your brain. You could add this in your schedule by studying for an hour, then taking a 15-20 minute break. 4. If you are going to procrastinate (because we all do it), do it in a smart way. For example, procrastinate studying for your easiest exam, but do not put off studying for one of your hardest exams of the week. 5. Remember that Finals Week is a marathon, not a race. Take it day by day or even hour by hour if need be. Do not get frightened by all the tasks of the whole week. Just remember, each day will bring its own challenges. 6. Finally, have confidence. We will get through this week together. Lean on your friends for support, and ask specific questions in our advice column. Us BB girls are here to support each other, we can do this! With love from your fellow BB girl, Ryann Phillips

Hey BBGirls, We know with the pandemic being prolonged, it’s bound to attempt to ruin your birthday plans, but who's to say that will actually happen? Yes, it’s upsetting and frustrating having so many restrictions on what to do for your special holiday, but there are many at-home activities. A quick list of at-home birthday activities could include: •Paint & Sip: grab some small boards, mini brushes, paint, and your favorite drink and enjoy creating different pieces of art while you talk about new ideas, upcoming events, and lifetime goals. •Game night: buy a board and some markers from your nearest dollar store and use your creativity to design a board game that will surely give you a great time! •Photoshoot at home: know of any relatives with a camera? Able to rent a camera or photographer? Get dressed to the T’s and take beautiful professional pictures! What’s nice and fun about this idea is that you can design this photoshoot however you want. •Themed dinner: This can happen either at home or at restaurants that are socially distanced. These socially distanced restaurants can also include heated outdoor seating. A themed dinner can range from super bougie to any creative idea that you want to display. If the dinner’s at home, you can reserve a catered chef. If you want to save money, you can chef things up yourself or call on a family member who can cook. •Book a hotel or Airbnb to get away from home: If you don’t want to feel stuck in the house, you can rent an Airbnb or hotel! It is a quick and easy way to be home without actually being home. Even though this pandemic is changing the way we would normally celebrate birthdays, there are still plenty of ways you can safely enjoy your big day. If COVID-19 is occurring during your birthday for the second time, now you know how to manage it while having fun. Be safe during these upcoming holidays, BBGirl Angel💘

Happy Thursday BB girls!  Congratulations on making it through the week!  We are so thankful for each and every one of you.  Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and if you’re struggling to come up with safe plans for this year’s holiday, we’ve got you covered.  This time of year is usually filled with family dinners and Friendsgiving celebrations.  Although 2020 has proven itself to be one of the most unprecedented years that we have ever experienced, we still want you to express gratitude and enjoy your holiday this year!  So, here is a list of covid- safe ways to celebrate!  Zoomsgiving:  Zoom has been our best friend for a long time!  Zoom is a video conferencing application that you can use to hang out virtually with your friends and family.  If you have been using Zoom for months on end, you may have a ‘‘love-hate’’ relationship with it, but at the end of the day it’ll always have your back!  Invite all of your friends and family to bring their Thanksgiving dinner or their favorite holiday dessert, and have your meals together virtually!  Even though we can’t all be physically together, a group call can be really fun!   Socially Distanced Picnic:  If you enjoy the crisp fall air and love the outdoors, this one’s for you.  Grab your mask, some hand sanitizer, and your favorite picnic blanket!  Invite a few friends to do the same.  You can all meet up at a family friendly park, and bring your favorite holiday snacks!  Each person can sit on their own picnic blanket.  This will allow everyone to remain six feet apart, but you can also see each other in the flesh!  Bring a speaker and some snacks, and enjoy each other’s company from a distance.  You can be as creative as you want with this idea as long as you practice covid-safe procedures.  Friendsgiving From Home:  That’s right!  This is perfect for everyone who will be missing out on their annual Friendsgiving dinner this year.  This is the perfect plan for you!  You can start off by having a Teleparty.  Teleparty is an extension of google chrome that allows for you to watch shows on platforms such as Disney Plus, Netflix, and HBO Max with others all in real time!  It is a free download and completely safe for your computer.  Once you have it downloaded, all you have to do is log into your movie streaming platform, click on the “TP” icon at the top of the webpage, and share the link with all of your friends!  There is a chat box feature that allows you to make commentary about whatever you’re watching in real time.  After you all watch a movie together, then you can all order your favorite food and schedule a virtual dinner call at the same time!  After your meal, you can then hop on another video conferencing app called “House Party” and play games together.  There are so many games on the House Party app, from drawing games, to word games.  To end off your day, you can all have a dance party!  Choose one person to control the music while everyone else goes on mute and dances around!  This can be really fun, and everyone deserves to get their groove on!  Utilize the holiday as a self care day.  If you are not big on celebrating with others, but want to spend some time with yourself, this is perfect for you.  Treat yourself to a nice bubble bath, a mani-pedi, and watch your favorite holiday movies.  You can send messages to your friends and family wishing them a happy holiday, and then you can have a chill day in.  This can be a beautiful thing; self care on a holiday like Thanksgiving can remind you of all of the reasons why you’re thankful to be here!  Don’t forget to have a nice meal.  You can order from many places on Thanksgiving for a nice warm meal, but if you’re a chef, do your thing in the kitchen!  Celebrate with your “quarantine crew”.  While the idea of getting out and seeing people that you haven’t been able to see in months is intriguing, the safest thing to do is have your holiday dinner with the people that you live with.  It might be small, but this will allow you to express why you’re thankful for having them by your side in a year like 2020.  Besides, we all usually get dressed up just to go to our living rooms anyway!  This time, you can keep those comfy slippers on instead of changing into your party shoes!  Thanksgiving 2020 may not be celebrated in the “normal” way, but there are still plenty of things that you can do to have fun and enjoy the company of others, all by remaining safe.  If you have any questions or need advice on your holiday plans, be sure to ask in the advice column!  We are here to help, and we will always get back to you.  This is an anonymous advice column as well, so ask us anything you’d like to know or need help with!  If you enjoyed this blog, consider donating $4 dollars to help fund our Blessed and Balanced app!  It will be the talk of the town as soon as it’s out; don’t you want to be able to say that you contributed to it?!  That’s all for this week's blog!  Stay safe, and stay blessed.  Your BB girl,  Ariana :)