Good morning and a big shout out to all the parents who have made it to September! We may be smiling but are also crying on the inside, LOL.We like to hide inside our L.L.Bean sweatshirts when we get nervous, which has been quite frequent lately. These striped sweatshirts were basically our quarantine uniforms March-June and these fall temps has us pulling them back out once again! While I have no affiliation with L.L.Bean, I would be happy to be their spokesperson if they are looking…
This summer has been a rollercoaster of emotions and while we have had many highs we also have had just as many lows. There have been plans that have had to be changed and many pivots in our daily family and work lives. We normally would have started school by now but this year we are starting after Labor Day which means we got a couple of extra weeks of summer.Continue reading “Life Lately…{September 1st, 2020}”→
Hello there! Yesterday I wrapped up one of my busiest weeks work-wise, and I have to say, it feels good to be back in the swing of things. There is so much unknown going into the winter months that Kristy and I are trying to get as much done as possible during the next few months. She has been juggling a lot and I love being able to support her behind the computer screen…It’s senior portrait season which is my favorite editing wise and I love seeing how much all the families she photographs each year have grown! {My mask pictured above is from this Etsy shop – no affiliation, I just love it!}
Hello! I have been meaning to share a personal post for a while now, but it just hasn’t happened. I have had a hard time focusing on much of anything “extra” lately and I have noticed that things that used to feel easy feel very daunting now…maybe this is pandemic fatigue? I have found that when I do have a little downtime, I “waste it”, either mindlessly scrolling or cleaning and organizing a house that never stays that way for long because we are here pretty much 24/7 now…maybe because it gives me some sense of control?
Today marks the beginning of the seventh week of our COVID19 Quarantine. The longer this has gone on, the more we really have settled into a new routine. Some days it is hard to remember what it was like before all of this. Has this happened with any of you?
During the first few weeks, I had a lot of anxiety because there was just so much unknown in addition to the anticipation of what things would look like, both locally and globally.
While there is still a lot of things we don’t know, it feels easier in some sense that things have settled into a bit of predictability again, even if this all would have been almost unrecognizable a few months ago.
I have been meaning to check in with a coffee talk blog post and now we are halfway through February! How is your month going?
It has been a more challenging winter for me personally. The weather has been particularly dark and gray and I know that adds to the overall feeling of sadness and increased anxiety for me personally (and also many other people…)
It’s been a WHILE since I have shared a Currently Loving post. December always feels like a blur and then January is a transition into a new year and into all our regular routines again. This last week was the boy’s first full week back at school which meant it was my first full week back at work.
Your Life Your Camera Photography Workshop
This past weekend Kristy and I taught our first 2020 workshop of the year, our Your Life Your Camera Intermediate photography class.
We loved being reunited with participants from our past beginner workshops and it is amazing to see how much they have grown!
This week we are teaching Your Life Your Memories, our photo organization class and next week we are welcoming a whole new group of photographers into our Your Life Your CameraBeginner workshop!
I recapped what our workshops looked like in this blog post HERE and how we make a more seasonal job like portrait photography in Vermont work for us!
Learn With Kristy Dooley Photography!
Speaking of learning, we have also been busy working on something NEW! Kristy and I taught our very first photography workshops in 2014 and we have loved not only growing the workshops we offer but also being a part of building a local photography community.
Recently we have felt a pull toward wanting to reach a wider audience and while we have had people travel to our classes, (hello our favorite New Hampshire ladies!) we would love to also offer a way to learn from the time and place that works best for YOU!
Online Photography Workshops
We are working away on a new series of online workshops and we can’t wait to share more about them soon! We have put ourselves on a tight deadline for the first class (which has called for a lot of learning on our side as we make our way through templates, Keynote and Powerpoint, hence the Williston Coffee Shop chocolate chip cookies…) and we will be announcing the release in just a few weeks. Stay tuned!
All Things Holiday Break
While we are definitely getting back in the swing of things, I thought it would be fun to recap a little bit of what we were up to our holiday break. Over the holiday break, there were many moments of frustration and together time AND a lot of fun were mixed in too.
Parenting is a rollercoaster of emotions and just when you think you have it figured out, it changes! Our boys are at a great age for doing so many things and they are also in a stage of a lot of sibling rivalry. I know this is a totally normal thing kids go through and it is definitely keeping Lucas and me on our toes.
We have found that doing things OUTSIDE of our house helps a lot with this so we like to be out and about as much as we can. Whether it is doing errands together, playing outside or going the movies, keeping busy is key.
(*I bought this stemless wine glass for our younger son’s teacher as one of her holiday gifts, isn’t it great?!)
Book Club Holiday Edition
It also helps getting out of the house with your friend and our holiday book club was amazing! We exchanged some bookish gifts, caught up and recapped our reading highs and lows of 2019! And how amazing are these socks?! My friend Emily found them on Etsy HERE (*I am not affiliated with this shop, I just love them!)
Hoverboards, Playdates & Setting Up Mousetrap
Thank goodness for our friends who helped make the holiday break feel a little less long. My friend Kari and I did a bit of switching kids on and off so we could get some work things done or just breathe for a second.
She also is the master of setting up anything tricky or icing your child’s birthday cake…ha! I had the game Mousetrap as a kid but I don’t think I ever actually played it because setting it up was the true challenge.
And what’s better than a playdate for your kids? Catching up with your parent friends over coffee. I am doing a no coffee after breakfast challenge for the month of January (tea only after my morning coffee allotment from home!) but back in December, it was anything goes!
Backyard Adventures
While we didn’t have a white Christmas as we had hoped for, we did have weather that allowed us to get outside quite a bit. Two years ago our holiday break was filled with record-setting low temperatures which made for a busy couple of weeks for Lucas at work and a lot of cabin fever setting in for the rest of us!
Backyard Skiing…
We did finally get some snow before the New Year and we were excited to break out the new sleds that Santa brought at Christmas and also get out for some backyard skiing. While this looks picturesque, let me tell you, it was anything but peaceful!
Parker has been skiing for a few years now but I have been trying to teach Flynn and as someone who isn’t’ very good at it herself, I am probably not the best teacher! I am going to bring the boys to a local x-country skiing place soon and I am thinking this will probably be better for everyone! 😉
Bowling & Arcade Games
Towards the end of the break, we were ready to mix it up so we were thrilled to join some friends for a couple of games of bowling. Of course, that means we also had to visit the arcade game room which is one of my least favorite parts of parenting for sure. Olivia was a much better sport about it than me!
Parenting Life
If I could summarize our parenting life right now, I would say there’s a big emphasis on getting together with friends, sports (both participating and watching), playing ALL the games, still lots of LEGOs, bickering with each other and Buzz is the happiest to be photographed now…hence all the dog photos! We will have a middle schooler next year which is kind of hard to believe!
Evenings at Home & Kindle Pillow Stand
I am a homebody for sure and while it isn’t always calm and peaceful here these days, sometimes the stars align and our evenings are filled with reading in our lounge clothes. We tend to head upstairs about an hour before the kid’s bedtime (also ours, ha) and everyone is supposed to do more quiet(ish) activities.
This doesn’t always happen but we are working on it! It has been great for us being able to have some downtime now that they stay up almost as late as we do and it is has been great for encouraging independent reading time for the boys.
Buzz is a big cuddler and he is the best reading buddy. A lot of you asked me what I thought of my Kindle pillow stand (pictured above) when I shared about it on my Bookworm Favorite Things blog post. I use it every night and it makes it so you can read pretty much hands-free (just turning the pages…) It feels kind of like a big bean bag so you can prop up your kindle all different ways and It is also a multipurpose pillow so you can use pretty much any tablet-sized item on it.
Currently Loving Winter Accessories & Mabels Labels
Winter is hard in Vermont because it is long and you want(and really need) cold-weather accessories that are durable (which often means they are a bit pricier), but that also means it is extra scary to send them off to school because things get misplaced all the time. I don’t think I have ever walked by the school’s lost and found table without seeing at least three things from our family on it.
We do our best to label EVERYTHING because of this and I was super excited when I saw that their loves from Burton have a super-easy way to personalize them! We have had the best luck with gloves from Burton and Head (the ones they sell in the fall at Costco!) and the worst luck with LlBean gloves(I love everything from LLbean but the gloves fall apart so quickly).
We have been using Mabel’s Labels (*not affiliated just love them) since our older son started preschool way back in 2012. I have tried a few other brands over the years but have always gone right back to these because they are the best!
Using Your Last Name…
Also, if you have a less common last name, try simplifying and instead of getting a bunch of individual stickers for all your family members and just one with the last name that you can use for everyone.
First Better Together Book Club of 2020!
Last week we had our first Better Together book club of 2020 and we discussed The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey. Not only did we have an animated discussion but author Jessica Lahey joined us! It was amazing to hear the backyard of her own work and also how her book came to be. If you haven’t read The Gift of Failureyet, it is a must! Whether you are a parent yourself or work with kids, you will get so much out of it.
Coming Up on Gen The Bookworm
I have a lot of fun things in store for Gen The Bookworm in 2020. I am especially excited about welcoming some new guest posters who will be sharing on topics related to reading.
In a couple of weeks, my friend Kelly who is a reading specialist will be sharing about How to Raise A Lifelong Reader. My reading friend Michelle will be sharing the first What’s On Your Nightstand post of 2020 this week and I have own Reading Highs & Lows of 2019 recap coming along with the 2020 books I am most excited about!
Thank you for stopping by being a part of this reading community, I appreciate each and everyone one of you! <3
Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
With the New Year always comes a change of pace in our photography work life and it is something I look forward to every January. While there are photo sessions to edit year-round, this is definitely our “slower” time of year in the family portrait department as many Vermonters often want their portraits captured during spring/summer and fall when the temperatures and weather conditions are a little milder. 😉
Vermont Family Portrait Photography
Kristy put together her year-end photography recap this morning and if you would like to see a little bit of the photography we do (or just have a reminder of what Vermont looks like when it isn’t January!) you can see her 2019 Year in Review Post HERE.
Learning, Organizing, and Growing!
Because the other seasons of the year are quite hectic, we embrace this season of life with open arms! Over the years we have realized that the first few months of the year is the ideal time to learn, organize and grow, and that’s where our workshops come in!
Vermont Photography Workshops
We taught our first introduction to photography course way back in 2014 and it is amazing to think how far it has come. Kristy and I now teach photography and DSLR workshops from beginner to advanced techniques and a workshop that teaches you how to organize your digital photos and put a system into place so you have your memories backed up, accessible AND printed!
Your Life, Your Camera an Introduction to Photography Workshop!
Did you get a new camera this holiday season? Is 2020 the year you’re going to learn how to use the one you already have? We have just a couple of seats left in our upcoming beginner DSLR workshop and we would love to have you join us.
We will cover everything you need to know to start taking pictures you’ll love. We have been teaching this class for five years and are excited to meet more people who are looking to take their photos to the next level and join our photography community.
Our four-hour workshop includes:
Getting off automatic mode
An introduction to natural light
Beginner composition
Tips for genuine and fun images
Hands-on practice and lots of Q&A
Taught by two experienced educators and photographers
Participation in an ongoing YLYC alumni Facebook group.
The Details:
Saturday, January 25th, 12-4PM, South Burlington Vermont $150
To learn more about what the flow of our Your Life, Your Camera is like, you can read my blog post HERE.
Your Life, Your Memories, A Photo Organization Class!
If just getting more organized is your priority right now…our first Your Life, Your Memories photo organization class in 2020 is happening in just a couple of weeks!!
Join Us on Friday, January 17th to learn how to organize, store, and print your photo memories. Email kristy@kristydooleyphotography.com to reserve your seat!
I get certain questions on DMs and emails quite frequently that I thought might make for a fun blog post! These are some of my favorite things to read online because I like knowing random things about the people I follow along with!
I thought I would be able to answer all of these in one post but when I shared I was going to do this on Instagram stories, I received some more questions, so I am going to do a Part II soon!
Q: What kind of photography do you do?
A: I work for my friend Kristy who is a family portrait photographer! She specializes in family photos, lifestyle newborn sessions, high school senior portraits, and professional headshots. I do a lot of her behind the scenes work including culling and editing her sessions. It’s the best! We also teach photography classes in the late fall through early spring when the photography season in Vermont is a little quieter!
Q: Did you go to school for photography?
A: No! I majored in psychology and had no plans for going back to school after. I ended up learning DSLR photography kind of by trial and error and a lot of watching YouTube videos and searching things online when our first son was a baby. I am a visual learning and I learn best when watching others so this was great for me. I fine-tuned some things later on through the workshops on Clickin Moms which is a great resource!
Q: What kind of camera do you use?
A: While I do have a “professional-grade” DSLR (a Canon 5d Mark III) that I use in our workshops, I primarily use my iPhone!
I am a huge “documenter” and I like that I always have it with me to capture daily life. I do edit them a little, usually, by bumping up the exposure, and adjusting the temperature (warmth) and contrast a bit..all these things you can do right from your phone (I use Lightroom for regular editing).
Q: Do you have a book that you’ve tried to read multiple times and just can’t get through it?
A: I usually just DNF (do not finish) books that I am not able to connect with. There are too many books to read one that you aren’t enjoying!
I do have a harder time with this when it is a book that has come highly recommended. I have tried multiple times to read Harry Potter and Recursion because they have been recommended to me SO many times…but I just can’t get into them! I keep trying though…
Q: Do you read any books you don’t like? It seems like you mostly rate books 4 & 5 stars!
I think I kind of answered this one above but I have no problem giving up and moving on to my next book if I am not enjoying something. I also do a lot of research with my book selections and have a lot of a book reviewing friends that have similar tastes in genres so that information helps with my success rate with books!
I do try and finish books that I have chosen to review so that is where some of my lower ratings will come from. You can read more about how I rate books in my FAQs section HERE.
Q: What made you start a blog? I want to start but it seems like it is so much faster(easier?) to just share on Instagram!
That’s a great question! I started my book blog a year ago because I was feeling like I wanted a centralized location for sharing reviews, recommendations, photos, etc. I had previously just been sharing on @genthebookworm on Instagram. I think because I am someone who likes to write with a lot of details, I really liked the idea of not being restrained by a maximum amount of text and photos.
I also used to be a blogger and I started a decade ago! Some of you were around for that, but I spent the first 5 years of pregnancy and parenting blogging all about my experiences as a new mom. I stopped blogging (and also made it private) once our older son started Kindergarten. It just didn’t feel like it was my story to share anymore.
So blogging isn’t “new” to me but this format is very different than my old one which really was more of an online journal. Blogging has also changed so much in ten years, and so have our kids who are obviously much older now.
I love having a place to share that is devoted to my specific interests (reading, podcasts, favorite products, LL Bean sweatshirts…) and I like that it is my space to do whatever I want even if it is totally random.
And while I LOVE social media, I am fully aware that it can (and does) change all the time. I love the consistency of having your own spot on the internet that you can direct people to no matter where the internet tides go with algorithms, etc.
Blogging does take a lot of work. It isn’t particularly hard(and I kind of love doing it!) but it time-consuming. I have also been trying to implement SEO which takes me forever but I think it is worth it!
I try not to overthink things too much because when you do that, you end up never doing anything! I am terrible with typing too fast and spelling a million things wrong so I often have to go back and revise these posts a bunch of times. I do use and love Grammarlyand it helps a lot!
I get this question A LOT, and I totally get it, I do read quite a bit. I think it is just like any other hobby or interest, I just really prioritize it. I bring my books (or Kindle) everywhere, and I do a lot of reading while I wait. I also read every night before bed instead of watching TV.
I don’t have any problem with TV, I would just rather read! And when I do watch something (Lucas and I get into documentary series sometimes) I ended up reading less because it is hard to do both!
I also listen to audiobooks when I am working on the computer, doing things around our house (like cleaning or folding laundry) or commuting to and from work, so this really adds up.
Q: What percentage of your monthly reading are audiobooks?
This depends a little (I listen to a lot more audiobooks during the school year because in the summer I am never commuting alone!) but I would say I listen to 3-4 audiobooks a month and read the rest!
Q: What are your favorite sweatshirts?
This makes me LOL because I don’t think there has been a time that I have posted an IG story video without someone asking about my sweatshirt or pullover. My goal in life is to basically be able to wear a sweatshirt or pullover everywhere I go so this makes me so happy that there are other sweatshirt lovers out there. LLBean is my GO-TO!
I also LOVE my Goodthreads Sweatshirts from Amazon and I am wearing my Pale Grey Heather one right now! I posted about these on my Bookworm Gift Ideas post but I have to share about them again because the light blue, medium grey, and charcoal grey are on sale! They are the coziest and I have been wearing them around the house like loungewear, over my tank top on the way to barre and out and about with jeans.
Q: Where do you shop? (I know you want to answer this!)
Ha! I do love talking about Talbots. But seriously, I do buy most of my clothes at Talbots(The T by Talbots collection is THE BEST!) I also get my jeans there and I love that they have petite lengths in the store!
Q: What is your favorite book?
The Most Fun We Ever Hadwas my favorite book of 2019 and probably ever. I also LOVED American Dirt(publishing on 1/20/20). If you pre-order any 2020 books, this should be it, it was amazingly powerful and I also COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
Q: How did you start reviewing books?
The #bookstagram community is very active on Instagram and that is where I first started writing about books (around 2015). In 2018 I started my public IG feed @genthebookworm as well as this blog so I could have a more organized and specific place to share my reviews. You can review books on many different social media outlets but I have found that Instagram is the most interactive and really feels like a community.
As far as how to get books to review, for a few years, I just reviewed books that I either purchased or borrowed from the library or the Libby app. As my readership has grown, book publishers, publicists, and authors now send me books to review which is such a great honor.
In 2018 I also became a member ofNetGalleyand that is how I get many of my ARC of E-books. Anyone can join and you just request books and you are approved individually by the specific publisher of the book.
The more exposure you can provide the more likely you will be approved. I will say that I was approved for many books just by posting on my @genthebookworm account on Instagram so you definitely don’t have to have a blog to get started. The more you do the higher your reviewing percentage is so that helps too when they are looking to approve you as a reviewer.
It is such an amazing way to read books before they are published and I love providing feedback that not only is helpful to the publisher and author but also helps other readers when they are deciding what to read next.
Q: How do you grow a following online?
I am not sure if I am super qualified to answer this but I really feel like slow and steady is the way to go. Consistency is key and finding your audience. I would rather have people that are really interested that are following along than just high numbers so I really think quality over quantity wins here.
I also love engaging with others and I think it helps when it feels like it is a conversation. Everyone handles this totally different but I will say that the people I know that DO have a large following, put A LOT of work and energy into it.
Q: How do you monetize a blog? Do you make a lot of money with your affiliate links?
I also don’t think I am the person to ask about this question, haha. There are many ways to monetize a blog. When I started blogging in 2009, sidebar ads were the way to go. Now sponsored posts and affiliate links are king and there are blogs and social media feeds that make A LOT of money.
I did add affiliate links this past spring because I was linking to everything anyway and figured, WHY NOT? Of course, it totally depends on what you are affiliate linking, but my links generally are for books.
The commission rates are higher for certain items and lower for others. For instance, higher end fashion and beauty products can have a commission of around 10% of the purchase price! Books are lower, I think around 3 or 4% so this means that if you do buy a book through one of my links, I will make around $.25-.50 as a commission on that sale(it does not change the price you pay!)
So on average, I make around 10-15 dollars a month. While I appreciate it, I definitely am not doing this to try to replace my regular work income. My goal right now is to cover the costs of my WordPress site, hoping this will happen in 2020! 😉
Alright, I am going to do the rest of my Q&A is another post next week, so stay tuned. And thank you for taking the time to send a question, I appreciate it. <3
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
Are you a podcast fan too? I regularly share about podcasts in my Coffee Talk | Currently Loving…posts but I haven’t shared a full blog post dedicated to podcasts since this past January. Along with audiobooks, podcasts are one of my favorite thing to do while doing tasks around our house, completing errands, commuting or doing computer work.
Podcasts are the perfect companion for so many reasons and because they cover such a wide variety of topics there is a podcast for pretty much anyone. My favorite podcast series tend to cover motherhood/family life, true crime, book chatter, personal development and topics of connection with others. Today I am going to recap some of my favorite recent episodes from the last few weeks, so here goes!
I have subscribed to Goal Digger for a couple of years now. I don’t listen to a lot of her episodes with guests, but I love the ones about social media and business/work life when she is just chatting by herself. The Instagram Hashtag Deep Dive episode was so illuminating, especially because I am someone who uses social media at work and personally and basically everything I thought I knew about hashtags was wrong, ha.
It’s no secret that I enjoy a good true-crime series. I tend to go for the deep dive ones where they go in deep about one specific event or person. Gangster Capitalism, Believed, 22 Hours: An American Nightmare and Man in the Window are some of my favorite series.
More recently I have gotten into a few series where the podcast hosts share about all different stories, like The Housewives of True Crime. I enjoy the banter between Gretchen and Tabitha and this episode was highly entertaining (especially as someone who also lives in a small town)although it’s definitely a little explicit if that kind of thing bothers you…
If you are looking for something a little more wholesome but still thoroughly entertaining, Sarah’s Book Shelves Live is a must. It is one of the only podcasts I play while the kids are in the car with me, and they actually even request it which is pretty cute. I especially love the mini-episodes where she features Bookstagrammers. This episode with Elizabeth AKA @samandscout was especially amazing and I loved her perspective as a teacher so much.
The Stacks is another amazing book podcast and this episode with Jami Attenberg, author of All This Could Be Yours was awesome. I loved Traci and Jami’s conversation so much and Jami’s idea that everyone brings their own experiences to art.
I often find that people react so differently to books when they can relate to the topic a lot, or not. All This Could Be Yours is a dysfunctional family saga (you can read my review HERE) and I loved how she masterfully shared how situations like this are rarely cut and dry.
Morbid is another one of those series that discusses random crimes and I have recently gone down the rabbit hole with this one! I think Ash and Alaina are hilarious together and they discuss true crime with the perfect amount of humor while also having so much compassion for the victims.
If you are looking for a new true-crime podcast to binge on, this is it! The episode they released today was just mind-boggling and I love how they discuss high profile cases as well as completely obscure one like this one.
Farnoosh and I go way back. She was one of the first podcast series that I got into the outside of Serial…and when I saw she was interviewing Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play (you can read my review HERE) I couldn’t listen fast enough!\
I loved hearing their conversation about Fair Play as they are both working mothers and because I am kind of obsessed with both of them, it was amazing hearing them having a conversation together!
I first learned about The Double Shift on The Best of Both Worlds Podcast when they interviewed the host Katherine Goldstein back in the spring. I recently was going back through older episodes and realized I have never listened to this episode…On Not Having It All.
I appreciated so much Goldstein’s vulnerability and openness to share both her personal, family and work challenges. I think we often see others address “problems” online and on social media once they are resolved. But we often don’t see the in-between moments of struggle and sometimes hopelessness. So many of us are in the middle of something, and knowing this can help make us feel less alone, even if our struggles are very different.
I was so excited when I saw that the third season of Committed was started this fall. I love Jo Piazza as an author (hello Charlotte Walsh Like to Win!!) but did you know she is an amazing podcaster and interviewer as well?! I love hearing about other people’s relationship dynamics so it is no surprise that a podcast all about relationships is right up my alley.
While I have so many favorite interviews in this series, this episode was one of my very favorites. Piazza is such a connector and you can see this with how she is able to talk with such ease with so many people about topics that aren’t always “the norm”. This episode was eye-opening and also such a great reminder about acceptance and realizing that what works for you might not work for others and vice versa.
Best of Both Worlds
The Best of Both Worlds Podcast is one of my old podcast standbys. I started listening to it right from the beginning and I have loved seeing it develop over the last two years. I love how Sarah and Laura unapologetically talk about how they make work and life fit together but also all the guests they have introduced me to.
Their recent episode about cooking for a family with Cassy Joy Garcia was fantastic! If you ask most parents, dinner time is one of the biggest stressors of family life, it certainly is at our house. Garcia discusses her tips and tricks as well as sharing about her book Cook Once and Eat All Week which has amazing reviews.
I first listened to Laura Tremaine back when she was on the Sorta Awesome podcast. I have followed her over the years (her BIAS series on The Smartest Person in the Room was AMAZING!) So when I heard that Laura was started another podcast geared towards connecting us with ourselves and each other, I was on board!!
I don’t think there has been an episode that I haven’t loved but this recent one about tips to organize your photos with Miss Freddy was excellent! Kristy and I teach a workshop about photo organization and I still learned some new ideas!
And because I love 10 Things to Tell You so much…here are three other episodes that I just enjoyed so much and cover basically my favorite topics ever, books and skincare(you can read my post about my own skincare routine HERE)
Alright, I think that covers it for now! Do you have any podcast recommendations? I would love to hear!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
Hello! These posts always are one of my last priorities here, not because I don’t like sharing them, but because they are so random. I do still love that old journal type blog sharing of 10 years ago..but I wonder, does anyone like reading these but me?
Now that I share a lot of book content, I wonder how much I should step outside of that…I love getting to know the person and interest of the Bookstagrammers I follow myself, and because this is my space, I suppose I can post whatever I like…but I do think about that…and if you know me you know I love to overthink things like this! Alright…moving on!
Early Bird…
I am my best self first thing in the morning. Over the years I naturally have fallen into waking up early. Now that the kids are older they stay up later and so the early mornings are my sacred quiet time. It’s when I do most of my book blogging, emailing, etc. I work over a big mug (or two) of coffee and my current audiobook, it’s lovely!
Lucas leaves for work early so we have a daily rhythm that works well for this (getting in bed at 8pm for instance, ha). I can hang for a bit if we aren’t home at night but if we are here, I can barely keep my eyes open past 9pm.
A Night Out With Friends!
Speaking of being out past 9pm (I think we got home around 10!) we had a much needed night out the other weekend with some of our favorite friends. This gettogether was a long time coming. With the coordination of everyone’s schedules (and babysitters) finding a date that works for everyone isn’t easy. We finally made it happen and headed down to Middlebury. We had a drink at Two Brothers and then had an amazing dinner at The Arcadian. I hope it isn’t another 4 years until we make it happen again…ha!
November Blues
I actually really love November, but it can be a hard time with the lack of daylight. I can easily get a little down this time of year with the time change and just the amount of darkness. I know this about myself so I try to be proactive and implement the things I know that help. Getting outside every day, even if it is just to walk to meet the kids at the bus with Buzz is something I really try to prioritize.
Speaking of Buzz, there is nothing he likes more than when he hears the school bus coming up the hill. He likes me a lot, but he LOVES the kids.
October Festivities
There is also some relief with the slowness of November. October is always a hectic month with the kid’s schedules, my work schedule, and all the festivities that month includes. It’s all great stuff but it can get a little exhausting. I am a creature of habit and enjoy the slower pace of “everyday” life. By the end of the month, I am ready for a little break before the pace of the holidays picks up again at Thanksgiving.
A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my 35th birthday. I have mixed feelings about my own birthday as it has always brought out a bit of sadness for me. I don’t like to have a big celebration about it, but it is fun to use it as an excuse to get your kids to take a selfie with you at school drop off, drink a maple latte, take extra fun photos at Pure Barre and have lunch with your BFF. Lucas picked up a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cake which really ended it all perfectly…
Another Birthday!
We also have another birthday in our family this time of year…our younger son turned 7! He celebrated the day before by having a low key birthday party with three of his friends. It was really more of a playdate with cake but he was thrilled! On his actual birthday, he had his favorite afterschool art class at Owl Feet (Sonja is THE BEST!) and then we went to dinner as a family at his location of choice, Asiana Noodle House…followed by ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s.
It has been nice to realize that doing lowkey things can be just as special. The longer we parent, the more we have realized how simplifying things can make life feel a lot more manageable and enjoyable.
Funfetti For All
Speaking of keeping it simple, is there anything better than Funfetti cake with rainbow chip frosting?? NO! And even better, my wonderful friend Kari (of the Lucky Clover Bakery!) helped me frost this boxed and not vegan cake…she tried watching me do it but just couldn’t’ handle it…I am no perfectionist, but she is, ha! She’s a good friend…
Sharing Good Books With Friends…
One of my favorite things about reading is sharing books with friends. Sometimes this means doing a book giveaway with a partnering publisher, and other times it means leaving a book on someone’s doorstep on my way to work. Although I love my Kindle so much, I will never stop getting hard copy books for this very reason.
Library Love & Book Club Planning
Our second Better Together Book Club meeting is this week and I am super excited to be discussing Small Animals by Kim Brooks. I met with Librarian Susannah last week for some book club extended planning (we can’t wait to discuss Fair Play by Eve Rodsky in early 2020!) and I also took home these books with me…
Quiet was available right away on the Libby App (you can learn more about borrowing ebooks from the library through Libby HERE) and so far it is just fascinating! I love the detailed look at introversion as I often think it can be quite understood. I am quite social in many ways but have always fallen into the introvert category and this book really makes me feel understood!
I am especially loving her discussion on how if we can better understand personality types we can work better together in both work and personal relationships. The topic of how introverts can be much more prone to overstimulation makes so much sense and I am finding myself nodding along with so much of it. I am excited to share my full review soon!
November Nesting
I know some people get into decorating for the holidays right now but we always wait until after Thanksgiving. I have been very into organizing and decluttering though! Now that my work season is slowing down a bit at Kristy’s I am working more from home and I have a hard time concentrating if things are a mess. So I have been trying to be proactive and cleaning things out, donating what we don’t need and going shopping in my own house. Do you do that?
I love finding things I have stashed away or was using in another space and finding a new way to use them. I also decided 10 years was a good time to start using the silverware we registered for at our wedding…I had initially thought I would just save them for special occasions, but WHY? We host something like once a year and use our silverware every day…So I decided to take these out of the top cupboard in our kitchen and put them to everyday use, and it feels so good!
Spin Mopping!
I am also way too excited about my new spin mop. I had seen way too many Facebook videos sharing this type of mop and am easily influenced by those things…When I saw it in person I knew it was a sign. So far it’s amazingly satisfying and works so well! I like that the shapes can really get into all the nooks and crannies and it is super easy to use.
I have been using this cleaner for months after seeing it at Kristy’s house way too many times and it is awesome! It cleans so well, doesn’t streak and smells amazing!! It is a concentrate and a little goes a long way so it lasts forever.
Organization Station
We recently put together an organization station on the back of our pantry door in our kitchen. I picked up the whiteboard at Home Goods but found everything else in my home office and repurposed them. The boys are at an age where they are becoming more independent in a lot of ways but we often have the last-minute drama of “where is that folder you need today for school?!?” right as we are leaving. Having this right in the kitchen, but also where it is hidden when you shut the door, is working so well for us so far!
Reading Memories
I also have been doing a little decluttering which feels great, but it also means that when I go to drop things off to donate, I come back with some more books. One of my favorite weekend hobbies is roaming around used book sections and finding old books I loved to add to my collection. It is the ultimate treasure hunt and brings back so many reading memories for me.
Photography Workshop Season!
Now that photography season is winded down a bit here in Vermont, our photography workshop season has begun again! We taught our last workshop of 2019 this past weekend and are excited to get back into things full swing come January! We taught our first Your Life, Your Camera workshop back in January of 2014 and we have come a long way since then! You can read more about what that class looks like HERE, or see what else we offer HERE on Kristy’s website.
After our class, we had a much-needed dinner out together and it was fun to reflect this past work season and also talk about what is coming up! And we were home by 6:30pm which is pretty much my ideal night out…ha!
Deer Camp Life
While we were teaching the boys went to “deer camp” with Buzz, Lucas, his dad, and his brother. Their camp is up near Jay Peak so it is always a lot chillier and they get a lot more snow! The boys had a sneak peek of all the snow we will be getting (tonight!) and had fun playing outside, shooting the BB gun(at a target!) and eating lots of deer camp food. They always have the best time and I love that they get to make these memories like Lucas did when he was their age.
Cozy Sweaters & Woodstove Season
While the daylight is short this time of year, it is such a cozy time of year in so many ways. I love that the pace of life slows down a bit in the winter and we have more time to just “be’. We have our woodstove going all the time now and I am embracing all my favorite sweaters and pullovers.
I also like that I will have a bit more time to share on my blog and I have been working hard on getting my editorial calendar in place! I am planning on bringing back the Nightstand Series and I also have some interviews lined up with some really amazing people in my life so stay tuned!
Thanks for stopping by. <3
Genevieve
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Good morning and a big shout out to all the parents who have made it to September! We may be smiling but are also crying on the inside, LOL.
We like to hide inside our L.L.Bean sweatshirts when we get nervous, which has been quite frequent lately. These striped sweatshirts were basically our quarantine uniforms March-June and these fall temps has us pulling them back out once again! While I have no affiliation with L.L.Bean, I would be happy to be their spokesperson if they are looking…
{My mask pictured above is from t
It also helps getting out of the house with your friend and our holiday book club was amazing! We exchanged some bookish gifts, caught up and recapped our reading highs and lows of 2019! And how amazing are these socks?! My friend Emily found them 
Thank goodness for our friends who helped make the holiday break feel a little less long. My friend Kari and I did a bit of switching kids on and off so we could get some work things done or just breathe for a second.
I am my best self first thing in the morning. Over the years I naturally have fallen into waking up early. Now that the kids are older they stay up later and so the early mornings are my sacred quiet time. It’s when I do most of my book blogging, emailing, etc. I work over a big mug (or two) of coffee and my current audiobook, it’s lovely!
