February 18, 2015

I Wanna Be Stargirl


I read Stargirl this week and was again blown away by the beauty of this story. I read it a few years ago when my daughter read it for school. I tend to make reading assignments for my kids a reading assignment for myself because I need to be informed on what they're reading, right? (Let's be honest, it's just an awesome excuse to read!)

This story impacted me in a huge way. It's told through the eyes of a high school boy and reveals how a new student, Stargirl, changes his perspective. Stargirl seems to be completely unaffected by any social norm. She is loving, giving, musical and full of surprises; but she goes against what most people consider normal so she's not received well. I'll admit, there's a part of me that wants to be her ~ so wholly unaffected by the opinions of others that you live life with absolute freedom. 

"She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew."

If you have children in your life, gift them with this book! Or just gift yourself, it's a powerful story.


February 3, 2015

Five February Goals


I'm really looking forward to another year of setting little goals each month. Like last year, I didn't set any monthly goals for January because I was busy setting up my yearly goals, so February marks the beginning of my monthly goals for 2015.

Here are my five goals:

1. Write 1000 words each weekday. I'm working on a writing project at the moment that I'm really excited about. It's been a long time since I've had time to focus on writing but I'm at a season of my life now where I'm able to. The hardest part is actually sitting down to start each day, but crossing off a list and putting a sticker on my chart helps motivate me. I had an almost perfect record in January so I'm hoping I can beat it in February.

2. Practice Spanish sounds and spellings in my Anki trainers (by Fluent Forever) daily. This is something I never thought I'd say, but I am LOVING learning Spanish! These cards make it super fun, it's like playing a game each day. I find myself recognizing words and sounds that I don't remember knowing and it's just super exciting. I can't recommend enough the book Fluent Forever if you're wanting to learn a new language!

3. See the movie, You're Not You. This movie looks inspiring in the best way. It looks like an incredible movie on friendship in the midst of a horrible disease and the power one person can have in giving hope.

4. Get rid of two more garbage bags of stuff. This doesn't seem to be a difficult one for our family, we have a giveaway box by our door that somehow continues to fill up as we de-clutter our lives. But this goal is for me, personally. I want to get rid of two garbage bags full of MY stuff.

5. Read two books. I lap up books like they're chocolate pudding, but sometimes I can get sidetracked with life so I'm putting this as a goal this month to keep myself on track.


What about you, what are you hoping to do this month?