LITTLE PROBLEMS GIVEAWAY!

                THE TIME HAS COME!

We at Little Problems are giving back to our friends just in time for Big/Little season. Follow the directions below be entered to win a Little Problems prize pack with multiple goodies from our collection. The giveaway will be live until Sunday, September 28th and you can share the giveaway (which will give you 2 entries) each day. We will be checking to confirm that our winner carried out all the tasks so be sure not to leave anything out! Feel free to email me if you have any questions at melissa.litprobs@gmail.com.

Ways to enter:

1. Like Little Problems on Facebook

2. Follow Little Problems on Twitter

3. Share the giveaway via this blog post

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Alternatives to a Netflix Binge

I hit a point this summer when I realized I needed to turn my life around. Five, six, even seven-hour-straight Netflix binges. My addiction was getting out of control! I'd already seen all the seasons of Gossip Girl, Orange is the New Black, and Bates Motel, and I couldn't find an episode of Law & Order: SVU that I hadn't seen already. There were no more "good" documentaries and I had resorted to watching strange indie films and French movies with subtitles.

You know when it's time to close the laptop and get a change of scenery, so here are some great alternatives to a Netflix binge! 

• Get some fresh air - I'm no doctor, but I'm sure that lying in your dark room, ten inches away from your computer screen can't be good for your health. It's time to go outside! Try going for a bike ride, a swim, or a jog. If cardio isn't your cup of tea, maybe try a picnic in the park, a car ride with all the windows down, anything! Just go soak up some Vitamin D, but don't forget your sunscreen. 

• Exercise your brain - After you've gotten your body up and moving, maybe you could work on your brain. Summer reading isn't just for high school students. We love reading here at Little Problems! Kelsey recently wrote a book review (check it out!). I also wrote about my personal summer reading list over on my blog. If you can't find the right book to read, try reading the newspaper or a magazine. I've started reading the New York Times this summer so that I could know what's going on around the world. If you're too busy, try following news sources like @HuffPost or @NYTimes on Twitter (After you go follow @LittleProblems, of course!). Also, theSkimm, a daily e-newsletter, actually manages to make reading about the news fun!

• Go shopping - Do we ever really need an excuse to hit the mall? There are such fun trends (here and here are a couple posts our reps have put together for you!) happening right now, so go check them out! Ross, Marshalls, and J.Crew Factory are my secret weapons for staying trendy on a budget. "But I'm broke! Negative dollars in my bank account!" you might be saying… That leads me to the next point...

• Get a job - If you don't already have a job, start looking (especially if you're in college already). I spent most of my summer babysitting or writing for my school's newspaper, so I rarely had time to waste away with Netflix. It's a great way to meet new people, build a killer resume, network, and make some money to buy those new threads or whatever else you have your eye on.

• Cook/Bake - Pinterest is full of recipes just waiting to be tested out! (Again, make sure you follow Little Problems!) My latest baking obsession? French macarons. You could bake enough tasty treats to invite your friends over! Who wouldn't want to hang out when you've got delicious homemade treats for bait? If your baking skills are a compete flop, bring friends to a local cafe or a Starbucks for sweet treats (chocolate croissants are sinfully delicious!). 

• Craft - What sorority girl doesn't love crafting? Coolers, canvases, paddles, the possibilities are endless! You can find tons of inspiration on our Pinterest and Tumblr pages! We're all about the crafts here at Little Problems so send an email in with your projects and they may be featured!

• Write Snail Mail - Nothing says class like a hand written letter. It's also much more personal than an email or a text. Maybe you know someone at school out of state, have a sister who's been feeling sick, or just a friend living across town. I guarantee you will make their day with a "just thinking of you" card. Bonus points for pretty penmanship on cute stationery!

• Plan a trip - I'm all about planning a trip (sometimes I even plan imaginary trips with millionaire-level budgets). Get some of your sisters together and plan a road trip! Some of my sisters recently drove to our national headquarters in Georgia and they looked like they had a ball. It can be cross country or just a short afternoon drive to a new town. With the right company, the journey is usually more fun than the destination.

While I won't be canceling my subscription any time soon, I have really gotten a lot out of logging off every once in a while. While watching McSteamy or Don Draper for hours on end is great, there are other ways to have a great time!

- Sydney

Cupcake Flavors That Should Exist

These aren't cupcakes that you can find at your local bakery, but they should be!

1. Name: He's Just Not That Into You
    Flavor: Wedding Cake - topped with buttercream frosting
    Perfect time to enjoy: Right after the guy of your dreams (or so you thought) breaks your heart. Not only will this cupcake flavor help mend your broken heart when you feel like all your hopes and dreams are crushed, but it will also help you realize that there may be a better guy out there who will make all those hopes and dreams come true. Spoiler alert: he's out there.
                                                                                   
2. Name: Finals Week
    Flavor: Nutty Buddy - chocolate nutty buddy frosting, filled with a peanut butter filling, topped with chocolate frosting, and garnished with a peanut butter drizzle and nutty buddies on top
    Perfect time to enjoy: The most stressful time in any college students life...finals week. If you're anything like me, it'd be nice during midterms, too.

3. Name: I Just Ran 3 Miles and Don't Want the Extra Calories
    Flavor:  Gluten Free Cherry Almond - cherry almond cake, topped with sugar-free cherry frosting and garnished with almonds)
    Perfect time to enjoy: Because both of those are healthy right? When you're being the good girl who goes to the gym while the rest of us go to McDonalds, but still needs a little something to satisfy her sweet tooth.

4. Name: Netflix
    Flavor: Red Velvet - filled with a cool whip cream cheese filling, topped with cream cheese frosting, with a cute little Netflix logo on top
    Perfect time to enjoy: Because Red Velvet is always a go-to flavor, just like Netflix is a go-to time filler.

6. Name: I had an 8 a.m.
    Flavor: Snickers - chocolate Snickers cake, filled with caramel, then topped with chocolate frosting and garnished with a Carmel drizzle and crushed Snickers
    Perfect time to enjoy: When you slept late and missed breakfast or, more importantly, Starbucks. Snickers are suppose to control hunger right? At least the sugar high will help.

While these goofy flavors technically do not exists, I'd bet you can find a mighty close recipe on Pinterest. You could even try whipping up a version of them yourself. Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite cupcake flavor is!

- Ashley