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I had a pretty bad cold over the weekend, and since then, I haven't had a voice. I've been taking it easy with it, taking medicine and such, but I need my voice back. I'm trying out for choir and I need a voice. Any remedies or medicines that will get my voice back quickly? Please help, I need a miracle. I'll rate for effort.

Don't even TRY to talk. I lost my voice a couple of weeks back and it came back twice as fast because when I started croaking again, I didn't use it at all, and I didn't strain my throat by trying to talk when my voice was lost. Dose yourself up on LOADS of strepsils or something to that effect - take something medicated, not just throat sweets. Try 'VocalZone' throat tablet things - my friend who sings uses them and apparently they clear your throat so it might work. Go to your local pharmacy and write down on a piece of paper, 'Hi. I've lost my voice. Got any medicines that will help?' You might get laughed at a little but at least these people will know more than us lot :)
Oh, and drink lots of water!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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I have a few guys I want to ask to my prom...One is this guy ive been seeing but im not sure if i really like him anymore, the other is a guy of my friend toms friend who ive never met, and then theres a few others... im not sure who i want to take yet . my prom is june 27th . how much time in advance should i ask the guy in order to give us time to make arrangements and for him to get a tux.

Hey,
If you're not happy with the guy you're dating, break up with him...and a.s.a.p. It's not fair on either of you to keep this dragging on - you'll be unhappy and he'll just hurt more when you do break up. Plus, if you break up with him now then you will both have time to get other dates for the prom. Harsh I know, but practical.
I'd suggest meeting up with the friend of a friend and seeing if you like him. If you don't, then consider the other guys, and if you do, then problem solved!! You should ask as soon as possible...however, you can't do that if you're still with your boyfriend and you really don't love him any more. If you don't, there's no point continuing the relationship. If you two do break up, then leave it a couple of weeks (depending on how near to June it is...you want to ask your date about a month, maybe three weeks in advance) and ask whoever you want to go with to the prom.
I don't know how long it would take to make arrangements etc, but I know that all the other girls will be thinking about prom already too, so you don't wanna miss the guy because someone else has asked him!! Don't ask any more than say 6 weeks before hand, because he'll probably forget :P If you do, then like three weeks before say, 'you still on for the Prom?' or whatever.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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Hi, I'm a 19/f and I've been with my boyfriend for about three years. Instead of just doing things or getting him gifts only on special occasions, I like to be spontaneous and surprise him on a random day "just cause".

Over the period of these three years, I've done a lot like make him crafty cards, cook for him, and etc, but I feel like I'm running short on ideas!

Keep in mind I am on a budget since most of my money is spent for my college tuition and textbooks. What I'd like to ask is if you all have any good ideas on what I could do to surprise him and remind him of how much I love him that is creative and affordable? My target is to get him something that he'll enjoy and that could possibly be useful (it doesn't have to be romantic), because I've given him a lot of love mementos already.

Here are some of his interests if it helps:

-cars
-computers
-video games
-movies
-food (the guy loves to eat)

Thanks!

Aww, that's sweet :)
*Hmm...do you have access to a balcony, terrace, or a garden or ANYTHING like that? When it gets warmer, you could cook his favourite meal (it won't get old however many times you do that, especially if the guy loves food) and you two could eat outside. Set up a little table, and it doesn't matter if it's cramped - think of it as cosy! You could even sit on cushions and rugs. Make sure you burn some citronella candles (do it at night, or at least when it's dark) to keep flies and stuff away. String some fairy lights up somewhere (put the washing line up and hang them over that if you have to!) and play 'your' song, if you two have one. If not, make a compilation CD of all your and his fave romantic or at least slow songs and play that.
*Have a movie night. Play his fave movie, then yours. If this is on a cold night then you could have hot chocolate and a rug to keep you warm :)
*Write off to his favourite actor and ask for their autograph and a personalised message (like, to so and so, happy birthday, from so and so). Do it for several actors because they don't all reply.
*Take him to a car show. They're like...£5 entrance fee max. Google it or look in your local paper to find anything that's going on. It'll probably be extremely boring for you, but you two can always agree to do something for you afterwards.
*Let him have a kind of 'boys night in' with a couple of his friends. They can play video games (they can bring theirs around if he doesn't have many) and you can cook a few little side dishes to put together as a finger buffet, or make sandwiches if they'd prefer that, and then you and your friends can go out somewhere and enjoy yourselves too.

That's pretty much all I can think of...hope I helped!! Have fun :)
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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hey i saw that you call yourself rach. is rachel your first name? and is kelly your last because i knew a girl named rachel kelly, she moved to indianna and well i miss her and when she moved to indianna she got a new phone number and i lost track and now i really wanna meet her and talk to her again. my name is hannah. please answer this!

Hi,
Yeah, my first name is Rachel, but I'm sorry, I'm not Rachel Kelly :( And I live in England.
Do you have phone directories in America? Because you could look up all the Kelly's in Indianna (there seriously can't be many) and ring them all, asking for Rachel Kelly. It might help you remember the phone number too.
Sorry I couldn't help more!!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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Is it true that chewing bubble-gum will help your ears to pop?

Worked for me. So did swallowing, drinking water, and sucking boiled sweets though. Take your pick!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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I'm hooking up with this guy, and I don't know if he's hooking up with other girls or not. We're not in a relationship or anything, but I would just like to know if he's with other girls or not. I don't want to straight out ask him, and i don't want to involve my friends, so is there a way I could get him to tell me without straight out asking him "are you hooking up with other girls?" All advice is appreciated. Thanks all!

You --> "So, how's your girlfriend?"
Him --> "Huh? I don't have a girlfriend/how do you know about her?"
You --> "I could have sworn I saw you in town/at the mall with a girl the other day."
Him --> "I don't go into town [with girls]."
You --> "Oh...well, it must have been someone else then. Sorry!"
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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okay well i weigh 100 pounds and im in the 10th grade. im 15 years old and 5'4. Does anybody know of anyway to gain weight? ive already started on peanut butter and milk... like protien and clacium but i dunno wat else to do... should i just not try to gain weight? or should i... and if so what should i eat/do?

Hi,
You sound like a fine weight to me. I'm a couple of inches shorter than you and 95 pounds, and I'm skinny. So yeah...
But if you do want to gain weight, it would be healthier to gain it through muscle than fat. That doesn't mean that you have to become a body builder, but that your legs won't get bigger and wobbly, they'll get bigger and toned. Do you know what I mean? To do that, you can buy protein shakes and work out an excersize regime that involves weight lifting. For example - squats but hold them down for longer to build up muscle, and use weights with your arms at the same time.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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I broke up with my b/f a few days ago. One of my best guy friends ask me out then. I said yea, because I thought that I liked him and I didn't wanna hurt him. But now that I'm going out with him I'm not sure if I really like him. It kinda feels like oh I liked it better when we were friends when I could just say I love you all the time and he'd tell me the same thing. I don't know what to do now. Does anyone have any advice or had the same problem and what did you do?

I had the same problem earlier this year. I ignored the problem for a week, hoping that it was just me having trouble adjusting my mind to thinking of the guy as a boyfriend instead of a friend, but it didn't work. I started really resenting him. In the end I told him and I broke up with him. I felt so much better afterwards, like someone had set me free from prison or something.
You should tell him...it's not fair on either of you to keep this going on. The longer it goes on, the more it'll hurt him, and the more unhappy you'll get in the meantime.
Don't stay where you aren't happy, sweetie...life is too short.
Good luck!!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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okay well i just wrote a question about going on a diet togain weight since im only 100 pounds... well i was jw... but do guys prefer girls that are skinny... or girls of average weight??

Average weight - no-one likes looking at someone bony. If you pass someone really bony in the street, esp. if their collarbones are sticking out, does it look nice? Nah, it most probably doesn't. Guys in general don't like really fat girls, but anorexic girls are much less attractive.
Good luck :)
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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i wash my face twice a day (once in the morning, once at night) but after i was my face it gets really shiny. and its really noticable (a few people have asked me why my face is so shiny...which is really embarrasing.)....is there any product that wont clog my pores but will make my face less shiny?

thanks.

Try using an exfoliator once a day, that should help. Don't moisturise, or if you do, get an easily absorbed, non-greasy one (it will say on the bottle if it is or not). Try buying face wipes - check that they cleanse, tone, remove make up etc but don't moisturise - and use them after coming out of the shower (the hot water opens up your pores) instead of washing your face. Sometimes water just isn't enough or can strip the face of sebum, the natural oil it produces, forcing it to produce excess amounts. Stay away from greasy food - don't use excess oil when frying and try not to eat fry-ups, take aways, pizza or chips too much - and drink lots of water. Oh, and when you're buying face wipes, look for ones with 'shine control' or 'oil balancing' properties/agents/etc. They should help!!
There's also a special type of 'shine control' paper you can get that you wipe across your skin to remove the oil. I don't think they make it any more, so (and I know it sounds odd, but...) baking paper works just as well.
Lemons are also great for oily skin - you can drink the juice, or some kind of juice that has lemons in it (and if you have to drink fizzy drinks, drink coke or pepsi with lemon), or just apply it to the greasiest areas of your skin.
Here's a home-remedy face pack for greasy skin -
*Take the seeds out of a large cucumber.
*Pureé it (like, shove it in the blender for ages)
*Add a teaspoon of lemon juice
*Add a teaspoon of witch hazel (you can buy this in bottles from any good chemist, pharmacy, beauty shop etc)
*Add an egg white
*Add two tablespoons of cream or plain yoghurt (Greek is best)
*Pureé it all in the blender.
*Put it on your face for 20-30 minutes, until it dries.
*Rinse well with warm water.

Good luck :)
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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thanks for all of your help well he had court and everything is ok he just has alot of community service and he has a curfew of 6:30 he also on block arrest he cant of 20 blocks away from his house...but thank u so much i am going to hang on to him as long as possible!!!!

No worries :D Thanks for letting me know what went on, I'm glad it turned out OK!! Good luck with everything :)
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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I've been sick for the past 2-3 days and I don't know what I have. My throat hurts really bad (but it feels like its more my tonsils). And the back of my neck is hurting really bad also, like a really bad headache, and then I also have a normal headache. I get dizzy and then I feel like vomiting. And last nite my nose was really stuffy. What do you think I have? Its mostly my throat.

It could be tonsilitis, a chest cold, or even flu. You'd probably better go to your doctors to get yourself checked out just in case, and for now, drink some hot blackcurrant or lemon to ease the stuffy nose and all that.
Get well soon!!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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a lot of people keep coming up to me and asking me if i'm anorexic. i'm starting to thing i am now. people always tell me how skinny i am, but i think i'm fat. and i'm obsessive over what i eat, and i always weigh myself.

it's my stomach i don't like. when i stand up and squeeze my stomach there's like 2 inches of fat! is that normal?! =(.. i feel so fat. i want to try to have NO fat there. does anyone know any good exercises to get rid of that fat?

so i have 3 questions:
-do you think i might be anorexic?
-is all that fat normal? you can compare me to a normalish stomach or whatever, i don't care.
-what are some good exercises to get rid of that fat?

Two inches of fat isn't normal, no - most people have so much more than that!!! Seriously.
Yeah, I think you're at least developing anorexia. :( For now, try and stop weighing yourself, and don't always look at the calories on each thing you eat. It's fine if you think it might have LOADS of calories and you don't want to overeat - that's totally normal, just don't be checking the calories in every single biscuit or cereal bar you eat, you know? You might want to look up some help organisations online - they often have support message boards with people who are going through the same thing and can help you get through it. Anorexia is a severe mental illness...you do need to go to the doctor or find a group who can help you. Even if you think you're too fat to be anorexic - that's actually one of the main symptoms of it.
You're half way to getting better already hun - admitting you have a problem is half the battle!
Good luck!!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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ok...one of my BEST friends is very flirty! I'm not sure why...but she is! It seems like all she wants to do is flirt and be ually active with guys! I havn't been hanging out with her as much because of this...If she happens to get pregnant or any type of thing, I don't want to be apart of it! She always wonders why I don't hang out with her as much and I tell her...but she always denies doing the things she does. How can i help her realize that i don't want her getting hurt and hang out with her more...WITHOUT her getting upset with me?!?!?!??!?!

Thanks a bunch!
-*Marissa*-

One of these days she's gonna get a big shock, probably in the form of a pregnancy or an STD. Then she'll probably stop it.
For now, tell her that you will always be there to support her, especially if things go wrong and she does get pregnant or whatever, but you don't like who she's become and you miss the old her. Tell her that you don't want a reputation like the one she's getting (that might also help her to realise what people are beginning to think of her), so for now you're steering clear unless she changes. Tell her how much you miss doing stuff together (all the stuff you used to do) like shopping, or running, or whatever the hell you two used to do as your 'best friend thing', but that you'd rather not know her at all (or not hang around with her) and miss out on all that great stuff than hang around with her now she's changed so much/when she's being so flirty (if she's always been like that). Hopefully it will then hit home with her how flirty she's being.
There's a couple of ideas, hope they helped...
Oh, and you're totally right for not hanging around her so much. The thing is, even if she hasn't changed, you probably made friends with the non-flirty girl (because she wouldn't flirt with you) and now you're seeing the other side of her. Maybe it's who she is and she can't change...if that's the case, you've just got to accept that you misjudged her character and move on. Stay friends with her but cool it down to that, don't be hanging around with her all the time, because you're right - you'll egt the same reputation.
And don't tell her this over IM - things can be so eaisly misinterpreted online.
Remember that she could just be insecure and that's why she's flirting. Tell her that she's beautiful so why should she have to beg for the guys attention when they give it her already?
Good luck!!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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So im making a bet with a friend, and if i win i get to make her do soemthing completely non sexual (and i do mean completely) and im at a loss, cant come up with anything. while your answering feel free to make suggestions for her as well, shes having trouble too.

*Jump in a swimming pool fully clothed
*Go down to the local fountain or swimming pool in the stupidest clothes ever (like, shower cap, rubber ring etc) and swim around.
*Let you give her a stupid makeover that she has to keep for a day.
*Dye her hair bright pink.
*Walk backwards all around town/the mall when you next you shopping.
*Ask a random person in the street to marry her.
*Shout 'BANANA!' at 11 random people.
*Go round hugging all the trees in the park.
*Make a very public protest against something stupid, like walking on the pavement because it kills all the ants.
*Make a really nasty food cocktail with loads of stuff mixed together and then eat some of it.

Hope I helped!! Have fun :)
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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ok i hate showering and bathing, cd players never help, rubberdickies annoy the living hell out of me and scents give me headaches? i never feel good in the bath/shower, please help me!

Try some unscented shower gels. There are loads of things out there mainly intended for little kids but that are so much fun!! There's foam soap, which you can actually mould into shapes, soap crayons, colour changing bubble bath, all sorts. That's how you could make it fun.
You could make it relaxing by bathing in warm, soapy water (still unscented) or using bath salts. They fizz up all over the place, they're so fun! Plus they feel like a mini jacuzzi if you get in while they're fizzing. You could also play some really relaxing music or CDs, intended for that purpose. Like, specific 'calm music'.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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15/f-i've been with my boyfriend for about 6 months now, and we were best friends for nearly a year prior to ever dating, we're very serious about each other and he means a lot to me. lately however, i've been thinking about other guys, such as two of my best friends, who i had crushes on in the past, i know that i care about my current boyfriend more than them, and that i don't want to give up what i have with him, but that doesn't stop me from wondering about these other guys that i wanted a relationship with at one time. What should i do? thanks!

It's always natural to wonder what if. What you need to ask yourself is whether keeping your current boyfriend or finding out what could have happened is more important to you. Just realise that these 'what if's might not work out, but you;ve been with your boyfriend 6 months...surely that counts for more than what is in the past? There's a lot of difference between a crush and a 6-month relationship.
What's in the past is in the past. You've just got to decide whether you want to live for then or now.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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okay what if i went out with this guy couple months ago (i broke up with him becasue he cheated on me-he cheats on all his gfs) but then 2months after we broke up we both liked each other and stuff and we made out and now wer best friends and friends with benefits and i REALLY like him but now hes going out with my friend and he likes me but he likes her too (probably more) and we talk on the phone more then they do and stuff and when other people are around he always talks about her i hate it but when its me and him he talks about us and i love it...What do i do?!

You have to get him to break up with either you or her - or you will break up with him. It's not fair on you or your friend to be with this guy when he's too greedy to be with just the one of you. Give him a time limit - say two weeks - to break up with one of you, or you leave and you tell your friend what's going on. Your friend would much rather hear it from you, knowing you'd broken up with him, or at least told him to choose one of you, in two weeks time, than from a grovelling boyfriend whom you are still with and made no effort to break up with, months down the line. She will forgive you so much quicker if you tell her and make him choose between the two of you. I know it's hard because you think he loves you, but chances are he's saying EXACTLY the same stuff to her. Don't let him pull the wool over your eyes. Wake up, smell the coffee and see him for who he really is - a two-timer. You're better off without him sweetie. If he chooses you, then great, fine - but don't let yourself get involved in another love triangle. You know more than anyone right now how messy they are.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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My boyfriend dumped me about a week ago and the other night, he realized that it was a bad idea. So he asked me out and we are back together, but I was wondering, is it a good idea? We love and care for each other, but there seems to be some tension still. So yeah.

There's always gonna be tension in a situation like this. Don't worry about it.
The thing is, he may have got back with you just because he was lonely, or felt sorry for how upset he'd made you, anything other than love. You need to talk to him about his reasons for breaking up with you in the first place. If you already know them, do you think they're fair? Do you think they're feelings that he can just ignore and have a satisfactory relationship with while feeling like that? Do YOU think you can get past them?
Second-chance relationships RARELY work out. I personally think it's a bad idea but then I don't know his reasons for ending the relationship. If it was a silly reason, or done in a moment of anger, then perhaps it can work out.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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how long does it take for leg hair to grow back? I'm 13.

Everyone is different, but it's generally one week after shaving and two after using depilatory creams (hair removing creams like Nair or Immac). It's a lot longer after waxing, anything up to a month.
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx

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