Currently - August

Hey everyone! Sorry that it’s been a minute. Not much new to report for this month really. Most people don’t enjoy boring summers, but this girl really did. The less I had to do there at the end, the better! The more time I got to spend just chilling out in my PJ’s the happier I was. It’s hard to come by that kind of time when you have an extremely extroverted child though. And now that the school year has started it will be peppered with projects, after school activities, birthday parties, “play dates”, and group fundraisers. It honestly feels like you never stop. So, I did my best to enjoy those last few weeks we had. The one thing that I have been debating on lately is whether Emery should get a cell phone of her own. I’ve been on the fence about this for the passed two months now. Is it too soon? Does she really need it? Is she too young? Am I doing more harm than good? She already has a tablet that we have to limit her time on. However, the subject was brought up at the beginning of summer because of how often she goes back, and forth between everyone. Her tablet only works over WiFi, and so it's not a reliable way of keeping in contact with her. If anyone has any input, or advice I'd be glad to hear it? Anyway, let's jump right into the currently post for this month shall we?

Playing: This month my music listening habits have been on the erratic side. I often found myself driving in silence, or sitting in my cubicle with nothing but the sounds of my keyboard to keep me company. Instead of listening to an album all the way through I would just listen to a random playlists. That said, one of my favorite new reggae bands-- Rebelution, dropped their new album back in June. Now, this band’s music got me through some rough times a few years back. And I’ve been hooked ever since. This new album, Free Rein, had some heavy rotation at the end of July/beginning of August. Whether it’s while I was cleaning, putting up laundry, writing, or just trying to wind down after a long day. These guys can always put me into a relaxed mood. So, if you get a chance definitely give them a listen and tell me what you think.

Reading: I’ve started several books, but haven’t finished any of them. Sorry! I just haven’t found a book that grabs my attention, you know? I had high hopes for Jamie McGuire’s “All The Little Lights”, but damn is it proving to be a hard one to get through. I mean, I am barely trudging along with this one. It's been over two weeks since I tried to make some progress on it. Do with that info what you will. Now, recently Colleen Hoover released her new book “All Your Perfects”. And y'all, I have been waiting for this one since she released a small excerpt last year. Plus she’s one of my favorite authors, and on my automatic “1-click” list. But then Renee Carlino dropped her newest book “Blind Kiss” last week so I’ve been torn as to which one I want to read first. Both of these ladies put out some wonderful stories. And both of these books are on my “next up” list. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the budget this week so here’s hoping next week I can snag one up. Have any of you read either of these books? Any thoughts?

Watching: Ooooh, guys! So, I probably haven’t mentioned this before, which is super weird, but I am a HUGE “Anne of Green Gables” fan. When I was little my mother would take us to the movie rental store a few days before Christmas to pick out something to watch while we were out on break. I would always pick out both of the movies, that were out at that time, and watch them back to back on Christmas Eve. My brother was subjected to this tradition, and he was a real sport about it so "YAY, CARLOS!". Anywho, these movies have a very VERY special place in my heart. Right on up there with Hanson. So, last year when I found out that Netflix had released a series adapted from the books called “Anne with an E” I was beyond excited! We watched that first season over the course of four days. I fell in love with it, y’all! It’s definitely updated in terms of the issues that are addressed. Bullying, discrimination, menstrual cycles, and abuse are just a few of the topics covered in the first season. It is a bit on the darker side, and the episodes themselves are usually pretty gloomy in terms of color. However, it didn’t go overboard and it’s a show I felt comfortable allowing my eight year old to watch. I feel like they did a great job, and even though it’s not the same as the original it’s a wonderful adaptation that stands on it own. I’m also happy to report that season two dropped back in July, and the news hit a few weeks ago that season three has been green-lit. Yaaaaasssss! Now, without giving anything away, just know that there is an entire episode in season two that addresses gender roles, and identity. Though we’ve personally talked a little about same-sex couples in our household we’ve done so at what I feel is an appropriate pace for our family. Some of you might move a little slower, and others a bit faster. So, that particular episode (No.7) I watched on my own beforehand and decided to have my daughter skip it for now. Still, I highly recommend this show if you’re a fan of the books or original movies. Just keep an open mind, and know that this series is meant to carve out it’s own path. It’s allowing us to revisit a childhood favorite, but with more contemporary issues. And I feel like it handles all of it beautifully.

And that concludes the currently for this month. If you have any other suggestions be sure to drop me a line either on here, or any of my other social media pages. Links are all at the top. I'm always on the lookout for new artists, films, or books so I'm totally open to recommendations. Until the next post, Happy Friday folks!