7 different foods to pair with pesto By Cassie (cynefin) Pesto is a sauce that originated in Italy and is typically made with basil leaves, pine nuts, cheese, garlic, and olive oil. Pesto is usually green in color due to its ingredients, but sun dried tomato pesto, a red sauce, is also available. Pesto is commonly used as an alternative to tomato sauce in pasta, but there are many additional tasty foods you can add it to. Try a homemade pizza with pesto in place of tomato sauce....

Is forgiveness necessary to heal from trauma? By Anonymous Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion on this topic. It is in no way correct or absolute. It is more than okay if you disagree, as everyone is entitled to their opinion. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I was severely physically, sexually, and emotionally abused by four different people. I developed Complex Post-traumatic Stress, Fibromyalgia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and other major difficulties as a result. I was...

Monday's Not Coming: A review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson is a novel about the power of friendship. The novel focuses on Claudia and Monday who are best friends. One year, Monday goes missing but Claudia seems to be the only person who notices and she spends her time trying to figure out where her friend went and she tries to get the adults in her life to do something more to find Monday. This novel was beautifully heartbreaking. The love that...

We're laughing with you, not at you: Using humor to discuss disability By Kylie M. (NOTE: At no point are you required to actually disclose your disability if you are not comfortable doing so. Additionally, this approach may not work for everyone! At the end of the day, you have to do what is most comfortable for you; this article is simply based on my own personal experiences.) You may have heard that being able to laugh at yourself is an important life skill - and you would be...

The different types of vision loss and what to do about them By Hollie (Everglow.) Vision loss can affect anybody, and chances are either you or somebody you know wears glasses or contact lenses. You may have heard of terms such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness, sight impaired, or severely sight impaired (or blind), but a lot of the time these terms can be confusing unless you need to know about them. There are also a wide range of eye conditions that can affect vision, such as...

The Lunar Chronicles: Book series review by Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) The Lunar Chronicles, which was written by Marissa Meyer, is a sci-fi series and is a futuristic retelling of fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White. There are four books in the series and the first one is called Cinder. This particular novel focuses on the character of Linh Cinder who is a cyborg who is living with her stepmother and stepsisters and is not treated kindly. The...

Ways to conquer phone anxiety By Cassie (cynefin) What is phone anxiety? Phone anxiety is when someone struggles with, or has a fear of making calls, answering them, or leaving a voice mail. While phone anxiety is associated with social anxiety, someone can also have difficulty with using the phone even if they do not have social anxiety. Symptoms often consist of anxious thoughts such as: "What will the person on the other end of the line think of me?" or "What if I don't know what to...

Target Beauty Box review By Cassie (cynefin) I am a bit of a subscription box junkie; I enjoy any boxes from books to sticker or beauty boxes. I have tried a few beauty boxes and the Target Beauty Box is my absolute favorite and I wanted to share a little bit about it. Target's box is a monthly non-subscription box that is 7.00 USD with free shipping. Target occasionally does additional boxes around the holidays, or does boxes with certain items (e.g. face masks or dry shampoo only)...

Your menstrual cycle: understanding weight gain By Cassie (cynefin) Disclaimer: This article mentions weight numbers. Make sure you are in a safe place before proceeding. Menstrual cycles and the symptoms that accompany them can be an uncomfortable time for people. Many people struggle with a variety of different symptoms including headaches, nausea, cramps, and emotional symptoms. Some people also struggle with weight gain which can cause your favorite clothes to feel tighter around...

How volunteering helped me I have been disabled since I was 17 years old and I've recently decided to go back to work. Due to being disabled from such a young age I don't have a lot of paid work experience. This caused a lot of anxiety about looking for work and even more anxiety when I started questioning if I would be prepared when I got a job. One of the biggest fears I had was that I wouldn't get any call backs because I had no experience. However, I chose to list my...

Different types of Hysterectomies By Chantal (MsNobleEleanor) You may know someone or have heard about women having a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and ovaries. A hysterectomy is done for a wide range of different medical reasons. This article will look into what a hysterectomy is, why someone may need this surgery and the risks. Breakdown of a hysterectomy A hysterectomy is the removal or partial removal of the reproductive organs....

Healthy Dental Tips for Teenagers to Maintain Great Pearly Whites By Sharon Williams (Guest author) It is essential to maintain healthy teeth and gums at any age and teenage years are no exception. Every teen is conscious about their looks as they want to socialize and fit-in easily without having to worry about their appearance. Therefore, they must practice healthy oral habits to maintain healthy teeth that can build their self-esteem and confidence. You can help them achieve that...