Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Confessions: Back to Life

Well I confess that blogging on a schedule went out the window. We came down with an awful sickness. I mean it was terrible. We were all down and out for a week and we still have a bit of the cough lingering. Also by down I mean DOWN. We spent the entire time in bed, coughing and aching and miserable. I wouldn't wish this sickness on anyone.

I confess that during the time I was down I spent a large chunk of time watching YouTube and found one channel that I was obsessed with, FACTS. Basically it is Irish people trying things and it sounds boring but it is HILARIOUS.

I confess our Valentine's Day consisted of getting Kyra a gift, giving each other some hilarious but simple cards, and eating Taco Bell. #notsorry #itwasamazing

I confess we did go out for Chinese on Monday night instead because guess what? No crowds on the day before Valentines. #notapeopleperson

Image result for I don't like people gif

I confess that I though about blogging a LOT during my sickness and kept meaning to bring my laptop to the bed and type while I sat there in misery but honestly I just felt so completely shite that I never did it.

I confess that I've been debating changing up the blog layout lately as well. I like this layout but I feel like it's really impersonal and just kind of ....blah? I dunno, maybe I'm just ready for a change.

That's it for today. Hope you all are having a good one and if not well, at least it is Wednesday.

What I Read: January 2017

Kimmi 12:00:00 AM 17 comments Edit

So happy that it is the BEST DAY of the month Book Linkup Day! Also Happy Valentine's Day.

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf- This book was simply awesome. Suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Seriously this book was so surprising and totally different from anything that I have read before. It can be a pretty graphic at times so if you are particularly squeamish when it comes to murder you might give this one a pass. However if , like myself, you are intrigued by murder mysteries and a sometimes slasher-esque feel then you will really enjoy this book. I would love to write more about it but I don't want to give any spoilers!

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike- I really wanted to like this one but honestly I just never got into it. The suspense was okay but I felt like it just kept dragging on and on and found myself putting it down a lot. That is never a good sign and it is worse when the book is supposed to be a horror book. Something might have been lost in translation with this one but for me it just was a no go.

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate- I have loved Applegate's work since I was a kid and I was really excited when I saw she had some new books out while I was browsing at Target. I immediately put two of them on hold and this was the first of the two that came in. I really liked this story and it deals with some tough subject matter for kids. Now I find kid narrators can be a little irritating but this book is very fast paced and I never got bored or tired of the narrator. I love the whimsical style that this book has and I even found myself crying at the end. If you are into Juvenile Fiction or if you have kiddos that are that age this is a great read!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate- I am so glad that I got this one AFTER Crenshaw. Not because it was bad,actually just the opposite. I feel like I would have liked Crenshaw less after reading this one but only because this one was BRILLIANT. This book made me laugh out loud, cry, and feel ALL THE FEELS. The narrator is a gorilla named Ivan who lives in a shopping mall that doubles as a circus. Ivan is one of the most wonderful narrators that I have ever read. Actually I listened to this one an audio book and then immediately bought it on Audible so I could have it to listen to again and again. I can't wait for Kyra to be old enough to listen along with me some day. Yes this book is that good. I would recommend it to everyone but again if you like juvenile fiction or have kids...this book is a MUST.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman - Another horror novel and it was GOOD. This book did a great job of making me feel uncomfortable and worried pretty much the entire time. At times it felt like watching an episode of the Walking Dead (no there are no zombies so don't let that put you off) because I just felt so helpless and I really wanted to help the characters. I was so nervous the entire time that I couldn't put the book down, a really great read and a pleasant surprise since I was not sure going in what to expect at all! I recommend for anyone that loves a good horror/ghost story!

Be sure to share your reads in the linkup!

February Goals

Kimmi 12:00:00 AM 4 comments Edit

I am just doing a Top 3 for my goals this month because I tend to jump into too much at once and it always ends in disaster. So this month I am just going to focus on these three things and hopefully it will all turn out awesome!

1. Work on being more active on blogging/commenting/ "healthy" social media- I have really been slacking on blogging and that has been because I've been really debating on whether or not I want to continue. However I was sitting here staring at the computer screen one day and I thought about how much I really was missing blogging and how it makes me so happy when my regulars comment. I am not a big blog but I feel the love from my loyal readers and I want to start making more of an effort to give you all something quality to read. Also I want to be more active on like Instagram and SnapChat in a "healthy" way. Meaning I want to post things that lift people up, that motivate people to be the best version of themselves. That are fun and happy. I'm done with negativity and I refuse to let the world break me down. I will continue to rise. Facebook will get the occasional post but honestly I am pretty much done with it. It's such an angry place and it makes me feel rage each time I see my news feed and the hate that is being spewed there. I can't unfollow everyone, but I can just avoid the platform all together!

2. Cut down on screen time- I realize that that may seem counterproductive to my above goal of blogging and stuff but what I mean here is that I want to start setting aside more times where there is no screen involved in my or Kyra's activity. We have our reading hour and story time at the library but I want more evening playtime that doesn't always involve the TV, phone, or iPad.

2. Organize my basement room- It kind of became a catch all after the holidays and I am now officially tired of just shifting things from one spot to another. Time for a clean, purge, and reorganize.

What are your goals for the month? Anyone else done with Facebook?

Confessions: Um Bye January....

Kimmi 12:00:00 AM 3 comments Edit

I confess I am overly happy at the above image. It's so tropical and fun. Sure it doesn't really have anything to do with confessions but I still really like it!

I confess that I was both surprised and a little relieved when I remembered that today was the first of February. It's been a topsy turvy month and while I don't think that it will get all that much better just because it is now February I'm still relieved.

I confess that this past weekend turned out to be so much more fun than I could have expected. It was all unplanned and maybe that was why it was so amazing.