Currently

Now that I'm at the end of a pretty nasty cold my allergies have kicked up a notch. I feel so stuffy, and my throat hurts every morning. At this point I'd just give anything to feel normal again. No aches; no dizziness. I can't wait for the day. Until then, I thought I'd share some of the stuff I've really been into lately from books, music, articles, and apps. I'm warning you now that this gets to be a bit long. I blame it on being a pretty decent English Writing student back in the day. So due to my professor's praises I make sure that everything that I write about has a good amount of detail. You're welcome. Anyway, here we go:

Playing: Here are just a few artists that I've really been feeling as well as their current albums. In the hip hop genre I have Silence by Russ, and SweetSexySavage by Kehlani. We saw Russ live last year, and he puts on such a great show! He's always putting out new songs too which rarely leave me disappointed. Everything you hear, is all him. Now, Kehlani's first album didn't do much for me. Unpopular opinion, but it is what it is. Recently she dropped her new album and I was hooked from the intro. A really great album about self love, learning from mistakes, owning what you want, and knowing your worth. Truly stunning. In the alternative realm I'm digging Night People by You Me At Six.  These guys were the band that I usually only listened to the singles they put out. But I heard great things about their most recent album, and after checking it out I spent an entire day just listening to everything they had put out over the years. "Night People" definitely sounds like they've grown, and have taken the time to craft their sound. And finally in the country category I've been listening to the self titled album by Kane Brown. He's an up and coming younger artist which I came across by accident on Facebook. I'm not that familiar with him, but in April my sister-in-law and I will be going to see him perform. Pretty excited to see how he does. 

Reading: In fiction I've been reading Evelyn, After by Victoria Helen Stone. I actually won this ebook over on GoodReads. The subject matter, according to the blurb, was relatable to me so I entered. I didn't think it would be so hard to get through though. And not because it isn't good. It's because of what it's about, and how I've been in those shoes. Felt those same feelings. I had to stop a bit in order to get myself in check. In non-fiction I've been re-reading The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. I originally bought it per my counselor's recommendation. I go back from time to time in order to soak it all back in. As a reminder on the low days. If you're feeling lost, or confused about who you are I definitely recommend this book to you. One of the main takeaways I received from this book was that I am only in control of myself, and my choices. What others do, and choose is not something I have a say in. It's about them, and not about me. As is everything in life. 

Blog Posts: I hardly ever get online these days. Sure my twitter gets some sporadic use, and I normally post a photo to Instagram once every week or so. But when it comes to reading material, I stick to my blogger feed when I log on and that's about it. But on occasion something catches my eye, and it's either fascinating or misleading. Today I want to share two posts I found over on Scary Mommy: What My Single Mom Taught Me About Strength And Resilience, and This Is What Parenting With Anxiety Is Like. Lately, I had been experiencing this feeling of failing. I had a tiny little melt down one day over what kind of mother I was. What exactly were my actions teaching my daughter? Was I really enough? Then I came across that first post, and it felt like I was letting out a breath I had been holding. No matter what I want my daughter to see that her mother did her best, and always cared for her. Loved her truly, and was able to do so because she loved herself. Flaws and all. The second post on anxiety hit really close to home for me. Though my anxiety tends to come and go, with some pretty big spikes when it does, this post basically put into words what my worst days are like. I know several people suffer from this, and some more sever than others. But it was still nice to see it written; to know that I truly was not alone in it.

Watching: I finally watched the Pride and Prejudice series with Colin Firth in it. And again, unpopular opinion, I enjoyed the 2005 version better. Matthew Macfadyen is my Mr. Darcy. Though I will admit that the most recent version skipped a lot, and rearranged some of the story to flow better within the time frame it was given. The mini series stays true to the book so if you're a lover of all things authentic I definitely recommend you watch it. Hulu has both up to stream if you want to check them out. Another great movie is Love At First Fight. You can find this film over on Netflix, but be warned that this is a french foreign film. I have always enjoyed foreign films as well as independent ones, and this definitely satisfied both for me. It's a different love story, and I enjoyed how the lead female character came off as hard & awkward. It's worth mentioning again that this has all the aspects of an indie film so you've been warned. Not sure if it was popular on the other side of the world or not. AND finally I started to watch Lo Que La Vida Me Robo because I'm a sucker for a good novela. This is a Spanish soap opera with over 180 episodes, and Netflix has them all. I had already seen some of this novela with my parents a few years ago, but once I started it from the beginning last weekend I decided I had to finish the whole thing. So, the journey is still on. 

Phone Apps: Twinbody App has been my go to for motivation on my current weight loss/healthy living journey. It takes your numbers (start, current, and goal weight), and shows you others who have similar goals, body types, and stats. You can branch out by checking out those that don't land in your range too if you'd like. This community is beyond amazing though. The support, the motivation, and the tips are great! You can share pictures, motivational stuff, recipes, and more. I have no idea why I didn't sign up sooner. I think the only thing missing is the ability to share videos, which I hope will come later. But the best thing of all is that it's free! So if you need that extra bit of encouragement to keep you on track I definitely think it's worth checking out. 

And that concludes the currently for this month. If you have any film suggestions be sure to drop me a line either on here, or other social media outlets. Links are all at the top. I'm always on the look out for new artists, films, or books. Next time I do one of these I'll try to shorten it a bit. Until then, Happy Tuesday everyone!