Book Club: April’s Picks

November 30, 2023September 12, 2024 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

I’ve always loved reading. I learned how to read near the end of kindergarten. When I was in second grade, I discovered the world of books for the first time. I had just moved to another school and didn’t know many people. The world of reading kept me company and transformed me into faraway lands of my imagination. Of course, I enjoyed being read to as a kid, but once I could read myself, I started to love reading. I remember reading my first chapter book in third grade. “Wayside School is Falling Down.” It was a silly book, but I was so proud of myself for reading it. I used to get chapter books at the bookstore and even asked for some for my birthday. Books were $3 a piece back in the ‘90s! My favorite books as a kid were The Babysitters Club, Judy Blume books, and Sweet Valley High. My babysitter used to bring her old books to me to borrow. I am so glad I learned a passion for reading as a kid. My son seems to have the same passion for books, though he hasn’t learned to read yet. I hope it continues to stay that way for him.

We used to have contests to see who could read a page the fastest, and I attribute that to how fast I read today. I was always the kid in school who read ahead while reading aloud in class, and I used to prefer reading traditional books over listening to an audiobook. These days, I switch between Kindle books and audiobooks through the Libby library app. I enjoy listening to books in the car or while folding laundry. Since my books are usually not kid-friendly, I can only listen to them alone or using my earbuds. Some people prefer paperback books, but I find them bulky and annoying to read nowadays.

A great way to talk about books is to join a book club! Book discussion can lead to different perspectives on your perception of the book. You may see things one way, and a friend thought of something different. Discussion can lead to a better understanding of the book, and it’s fun to share about a book you love with others. However, sometimes the chosen book is not a genre or story you enjoy.

I’m in two book clubs. One meets on weekday mornings every six weeks, and the other club meets monthly on the weekend. My weekday book club is through my mom’s group. We usually meet at a restaurant for brunch or someone’s house to discuss the book. Near the end, we end up talking about other things. Then, we pick the next book we will read. Someone usually suggests a book, and then we all vote on it. In the past, we have read “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover, “Becoming” by Michelle Obama, mysteries, and so many more. We have met for about five years, with new members joining often. I’m looking forward to reading our January book, “The Woman in Me” by Brittany Spears.

My weekend book club is called Rogue Book Club. They have been meeting for over 12 years, and the members have rotated through. Some members have been in the book club for a very long time. I joined in 2021 and haven’t been as active in it as I wish due to scheduling conflicts. Rogue Book Club meets monthly at a different member’s house. The host chooses the book that month, which allows for a wide variety of books and genres. I hope to attend more meetings in the coming year.

With both of these book clubs, I have a lot of books on my reading list! I don’t read every book, and if I haven’t gotten a chance to read the current selection, I often skip the meeting. If I don’t finish the book, I usually still go, but once I find out the ending during the meeting, I don’t finish the book. With so many assigned books, it’s hard to keep up!

I pick and choose what I want to read, whether it is a book club book or a novel I want to read myself. I read my favorite authors and many popular books. I also read book recommendations from friends. I have so many books on my to-read list, that I won’t ever wonder what to read next! I have about 7 or 8 printed books at home I have yet to read and about three on my Kindle app I have not started yet. That does not include my ever-growing Amazon wish list of books to read! Wherever I find an interesting book, I add it to that wish list. There are about two dozen books on there I’d like to read someday.

It takes me a few weeks to read a book, and I often read two at a time. I read one physical or ebook and listen to one audiobook. I get bored reading more than 50 pages at a time, so it takes me a while to finish. It’s hard to read while watching my son, so I find time here or there to get a few pages in. I like to listen to books while folding laundry, making dinner, or even driving.

Buying books can add up quickly, and I try to find the most economical way to read them. One way is the Libby app through my local public library. Most libraries have an app where you can check out ebooks for free and read or listen to them on your device. It has been a lifesaver for me! You can check out a book for 21 days. I often have to check them out twice because I didn’t have time to finish it. There are waits for popular books, and you can put them on hold to wait for your turn. I put a few books on hold at a time so I always have something to read. Often, they all become available at once, and I have to figure that out! You can suspend the hold until you are ready to read it, which is helpful. eBooks transfer from Libby to your Kindle app, so it’s very convenient. Once your 21 days are up, the book is no longer available in your app. I listen to the audiobooks directly through Libby.

If there is a long wait, or if the book is unavailable from the library, I will buy the book on Kindle or even a paperback. Often, Costco is the least expensive place to buy a book. I know many people use Audible for audiobooks, and I have used my husband’s account a few times, but I mainly stick to Libby. I used to buy all my books through Kindle, which became very costly. Thank goodness for free books on Libby!

So, what is on my reading list?

I recently enjoyed:

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Maybe Someday and Maybe Now by Colleen Hoover
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
Meant to Be by Emily Giffin
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry (RIP)

On my ever-growing to-read list:

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Mad Honey by Jody Picoult
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
#IMOMSOHARD by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley
After You by Jojo Moyes

And so much more!

I hope this post inspired you to pick up a book and read it. I hope you discovered new authors you haven’t heard about or book recommendations to try.

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There are Little Eyes Upon You

October 30, 2022 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

As a teen, I dabbled in poetry. I kept a poetry book that included some poems of importance to me that I found from various sources. I wrote a few of the lyrics myself. I recently discovered the book in a box of old mementos from my youth. I was proud of my meticulously kept compilation of poems. I had a table of contents and made sure to write in my best handwriting. I chose a notebook with a space theme and aliens on the cover. Haha. My nearly 40 compiled poems spanned from 1998 to 2003, from 8th grade until my senior year of high school.

I enjoy looking back on my poems from my youth and remembering what it was like to be a teenager. I open the book and can see myself sitting on my childhood bedroom floor, leaning against my bed, writing and copying down these poems that meant so much to me at the time. I’d share one of the ones I wrote, but let’s just say the poetry was not my best work.

They say children are like sponges. Kids absorb things from their environment. They watch what their parents and caregivers do, what you say to others, how you act, their tone- everything. After becoming a mother, that stuck with me. I want to lead by a good example and teach my child how to be a good person.

I first heard the following poem during counselor training at a summer camp I worked at one summer as a teen. “There are Little Eyes Upon You,” did not resonate with me then. I remember feeling indifferent about the poem, thinking I did not need the training. It was a waste of my time. Yet, I later decided it was essential and included it in my poetry book.

There are Little Eyes Upon You

There are little eyes upon you,
and they watch you every day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in everything you say.

There are little hands all eager,
to do everything you do,
And a little child who’s dreaming
of the day he’ll be like you.

You’re the little fellow’s idol,
you’re the wisest of the wise,
In his little mind about you
no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly,
and holds true all you say and do.
He will say and do it your way
when he’s grown up just like you.

There’s a wide-eyed little fellow,
who believes you’re always right.
His ears are always open,
he watches day and night.

You are setting an example,
each day in all you do,
For the little child who’s waiting,
to grow up just like you.

Author Unknown

Parents often see the world differently than children. Adults often focus on the bad, while children see the good in everyday occurrences. For example, you may think you had a terrible day. Maybe you lost your temper and yelled at your child. Perhaps you were late getting them to school, and they missed their morning activity. You burned dinner. You rushed out early for your work meeting and didn’t get to say goodbye to your child before you left the house. Whatever the reason – it’s probably not as bad as you think. There is time to change what you think is a bad day into a good one. As they say on the popular show This is Us, “There’s no lemon so sour that you can’t make something resembling lemonade.”

Your child likely does not see the day as a bad one. They remember the good things about their day, like a spontaneous trip to get ice cream or cuddles during a bedtime story. So, the next time you think you had a bad day, remember that your child probably saw it in a different light. Our job as parents is to help guide our kids along the way, but we could learn a thing or two from our kids. I once read, “If we saw the world the way children do, the world would be a better place.” I wholeheartedly agree.

I’m not a parenting expert by far. I strive to achieve and remember the advice that I gave in this post. Sometimes, I yell at my child. I try not to, but I lose my patience quickly when my son misbehaves. I’m sure this happens to many other parents from time to time. Fellow parents, we are all definitely “growing up while raising humans.”

I hope this poem and my post resonated with you. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll write another poem.

Keep reading!

Getting Organized

May 7, 2019 / azlotnik / 1 Comment

You have a million tasks to do. How do you accomplish each one and not lose track? Write it down! Make a list. Keep up a calendar or an agenda. This has always been how I stay organized.

I’ve always been a list maker. Just ask my mom. I used to make lists for everything. I even have written a list of outfits I was going to wear during the week. (In my defense, I was in high school.) I have even written, “take a shower” on a list. Usually, my tasks are more substantial, but- hey whatever works to get everything accomplished!

From Paper Planner to Google Calendar

In college, I had a paper planner and wrote everything down in it. It contained all of my assignments and my social calendar. As things got digital, I tried using Google calendar. I have been regularly putting in appointments in my Google Calendar since 2015. For a while, it was working great as my only calendar. I like how it works seamlessly from the computer to your phone.

A basic planner
Google Calendar example

Recently, my husband and I synced our calendars. He was getting tired of checking with me to see if we had any plans or if I was busy doing something. It works great! I am a member of several different organizations and those also use Google Calendar. Someone in the organization who has access to the calendar can type in an event and it will show up on every member’s personal Google Calendar. I can see all my events from my sorority alumnae association and my MOMS Club, but my husband can’t. We can see only the events we personally put in there. Group events are separate.

Google calendar was working great for my calendar but not really for my to-do list. I knew I needed to make a change, which brought me to the next step in my path for getting organized.

The Bullet Journal

I am such a list maker. I was tired of having a million post-it notes everywhere, especially at work. I needed a way to keep organized that I could write down. There’s something about writing things down that keeps you more committed to the task. I knew I wanted a paper planner again. So, I did a lot of research. I looked at the Happy Planner and many other types of manual agendas, but ultimately I settled on the Bullet Journal. I no longer use a bullet journal, but I had fun with it when I did.

Two years ago, I read an article in a magazine that I used to work for. It was about how the author used her Bullet Journal and had a couple pictures of some of her spreads. It shared the website BulletJournal.com and I went to the website and checked it out.

According to BulletJournal.com, “Bullet Journal (or BuJo for short) was created by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer and author living in Brooklyn, NY. Diagnosed with learning disabilities early in life, he was forced to figure out alternate ways to be focused and productive. Through years of trial and error, he developed a methodology that went far beyond simple organization.”

A BuJo motto is “The Analog Method for the Digital Age.” It is a system for taking notes, keeping track of events and getting organized. I won’t get into the basics of how Ryder suggests you go about doing that, but you can find out more about it on his website.

What I liked about the BuJo is the ability to personalize it and make it your own. One thing I especially loved is the variety and endless possibilities of the collections. Collections are ways to organized related information. The basic collections in a BuJo are The Index, Future Log, Monthly Log, and the Daily Log. Ryder explains these in detail on his website. What I enjoyed creating was collections about anything and everything that was helpful to me. I made collections called: Books to Read, Weight Tracker, TV/ Movies & Streaming, Medical Appointment Log, Holiday Gift List/Ideas, etc. It could really be anything you wanted.

There were also ways to incorporate habit trackers into your BuJo, which really keep you accountable for making better choices. You could perhaps create a collection for habit tracking or you could add it to a regular logging page. I kept the basic core collections of the BuJo, but instead of doing a daily log, I kept a weekly log and had space for each day. I made creative spreads using a ruler, nice colorful pens, stickers, stencils, colored pencils and washi tape. It became a creative form of expression for me as well as a way to keep organized. It really became addicting and I found myself writing in it more and more. As time went on and the busier I became at work, I found that I didn’t have all the time I wanted to devote to my BuJo and would have to spend evenings and weekends working on my spreads. This is something I wasn’t willing to do long-term.

Supplies I bought:
Ruler
The Official Bullet Journal Notebook
Washi Tape (really just fancy paper tape used for decoration. I have tons)
Colored pens (I found that the kind by Micron are my favorite)
Stickers (Lots and lots of stickers)
Stencils (For drawing shapes when you can’t really draw)
Colored pencils
Pretty Post-it notes
Dual Brush pens (Hardly ever used these, sadly)
Probably even more things that I am forgetting

When creating a BuJo, all you need is a notebook and a pen to start. But, I went all out and bought the items mentioned above. At the time, I thought I really needed EVERYTHING! Now, it’s just sitting in a bag somewhere in my house…

Collection called: TV, Movies and Streaming

One thing about Bullet Journaling that most newbies don’t think about is the community of BuJo enthusiasts that are out there. Between Facebook groups and blogs, you can get so many suggestions, ideas, inspiration and help with Bullet Journaling. I joined a group on Facebook called Bullet Journal Beginners and it was very helpful. There is also a really popular one called Bullet Journal Junkies. Many others make blogs and send out monthly emails about Bullet Journaling including Ryder himself. It is all very helpful and informative.

I was very happy with it for a long time, but I liked to do it very artistically and creatively, which got too time-consuming. It got to be too much and I later stopped my BuJo. Then I became very disorganized and was back to square one. I thought, there has to be a better way. I considered someone pre-making my BuJo and then filling it in. But, I didn’t want to pay anyone and it didn’t seem logical. The creator of the Bullet Journal wanted everything to be simple. He created it so that it could be kept up with consistently without much effort. Then, people who adopted his planner/journal method came up with all these other more creative collections and ways to decorate the pages. It strews from the origin of the Bullet Journal itself. Like I mentioned before, I prefer the more artistic method to making a BuJo, but I couldn’t keep up with it. So, I began researching again.

Passion Planner

That’s when I found the Passion Planner. Now, I considered other options before purchasing a Passion Planner, such as the Scribbles that Matter Bullet Planner, an Erin Condren LifePlanner, the Happy Planner or a Commit30. But, I think what really hooked me was that they were having a flash sale and I just happened to be on the website at the right time. I spent a fraction of what a Passion Planner costs and tried something new. I was so excited for my Passion Planner to come in the mail. It was already April when I got my Passion Planner, so I started from the beginning of that month and left the beginning of my journal blank (which started in January).

Let’s take a moment to talk about the company itself and its founder, Angelia Trinidad.

According to Passionplanner.com, “We’ve all been there: uncertain about what to do in life and unsure about the next step. When Angelia Trinidad faced this anxiety after graduating from college in 2012, she decided to do something about it. She designed the Passion Planner, a personal organizer to help you simplify your life and focus on what really matters.

Since then, Passion Planner has grown into a worldwide community of dreamers, planners, and achievers. We’re dedicated to helping everyone follow their passions. As a Get One, Give One company, every planner purchased lets us give one to someone in need. We partner with nonprofit organizations to support causes from education to preserving our planet.”

There are different components of a Passion Planner. Everything is laid out on the page for you so all you have to do is fill in. There are also blank pages in the back to use for whatever you like. It’s more than a planner; it’s also a goal setting guide, appointment calendar, sketchbook, gratitude log, journal, and a sketchbook. It has personal and work to-do list outlines and weekly and daily focus. You may use it however you wish and be as creative or as minimalist as you like.

When I first started my passion planner, I was working full-time. I used my planner to plan personal and work projects and set goals. I also make to-do lists and frequently used my “space of infinite possibility” found on each weekly spread and other areas throughout the planner. I used to decorate my Passion Planner with stickers I bought from my BuJo days. You can be creative and add stickers and “flair” but you can also be simple and just fill out the pages. Now that I’m a Stay-at-home-mom, I use my Passion Planner much differently. It helps me keep up with my schedule. I’m in a MOMS Club, so we have different events throughout the week as well as my other appointments and plans going on. I also use it to keep track of my chores around the house, my to-do list and occasionally my shopping list. There is a “Good things that Happened this week” space in each weekly spread and I use that to record my son’s milestones. It is really helpful to do this each week so I can write it in my son’s baby book each month. I’m sure I will love looking back on this part of my planner in the future.

At the beginning of each Passion Planner, there is a Passion Roadmap for goal setting. You list goals and due dates for completion in 3 months, One Year, 3 years and for your lifetime. It is really helpful to keep you on track. Each month there is also a space for a mind map of tasks to do that month. I did the one at the beginning of the book last year, but not this year. It is something I keep meaning to do. There is also an end of the month reflection for each month of the year in the Passion Planner. I’ve never filled out the end of the month reflection, but I would imagine it would be helpful.

There are blank pages in the back of the planner that you can make into anything you want. I went back to my BuJo days and made a collection type page for Holiday Gifts to buy last holiday season. It really helped that my gift ideas were all in one place.

A lot of people use the Passion Planner and it is very beneficial. They have an academic version and an undated as well that come in a variety of sizes and colors. You can check out their website for their latest planners.

That pretty much sums up how I have and currently use productivity tools in everyday life to keep organized. I hope it has helped you learn more about a few different products that will help you stay on task and be productive. What types of things do you use to manage your time and achieve your goals?

My Role as a Photographer’s Wife

June 15, 2015June 14, 2015 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

My husband, Ryan, is always finding new hobbies and has discovered his love for photography and videography over the past few years. It all started when we got a GoPro in order to document our honeymoon. His passion for photography and videography grew from there. He made several short videos about our honeymoon and enjoyed editing the videos on the GoPro Studio software as well as other free editing software. While researching wedding photographers, I found it common that people started getting into photography after hiring a professional photographer for their wedding. I would have never thought that would happen to my husband, but I’m sure glad it did.

When we got our wedding video back from our photo/video company, we were somewhat unhappy with how the video turned out. The footage was pretty good, but the music and audio were off. I wanted the video to end with our names and the text fading out. We watched the whole video only to discover with horror, that they put the wrong name for my husband! Instead of April + Ryan, it said April + Brian. We were pretty upset. Our videographer fixed it, but we still wanted to tweak the video. Since we had all the raw footage, my husband decided to see what he could do. He added more music and fixed the audio as well as our names at the end. He also did a few other wedding videos for our friends, even though he was also in both those weddings. Those were shot on GoPros and cell phones, but they really did turn out nice considering the equipment. He loved the editing process as much as shooting the videos.

Since Ryan loved making videos, I thought my husband would enjoy photography as well. I was thinking about that one day and remembered that my dad had some old film cameras in a cabinet in our house. So, I looked through the drawers and found an old Nikon FM camera from the 1970s. My husband got really excited and wanted to try it out. He bought film, and started taking pictures. Soon, he acquired his dad’s film 1980s era Minolta and my late grandfather’s 1950s Rolleiflex. He had a few photo jobs from our friends and I was his model most of the time. His pictures became better and better as time went on. He began following popular photographers online such as Jared Polin and reading books such as Understanding Exposure. He frequented camera shops in Atlanta for developing negatives and camera advice. He started getting paying gigs and saved up money for a DSLR.

Flash forward to today, and Ryan has a budding business, a professional looking website and a growing client base. He has shot a wedding ceremony, engagement photos, maternity photos, head shots, portraits, family photos, and more. He is mainly an outdoor, natural light photographer. In addition to photography, Ryan is trying to break out into videography. He has done a martial arts promotional video and shot a short film that he wrote, directed, produced, starred in and edited. He was also hired to do his first wedding video this fall. Although he is very passionate about it, photography and videography are just his side job. My husband works full-time in prosthetics, making artificial arms and legs. He views his small business as a hobby that people pay him for.

I like to take part in my husband’s business by helping him out on jobs as his photography assistant. I try to go to every photo job with my husband. At first, I would mainly carry extra cameras and equipment, hold the clients’ belongings, and help clients fix their hair or jewelry. Now that Ryan uses a flash in most photo shoots, I also carry the flash and umbrella on a light stand or monopod. I like to give my husband and the client ideas for certain shots and give my input on a shot whenever they need it. I really enjoy helping my husband in his photo/video business, and I view each session as something fun we can do together. I also help pick out the best images to give to the clients and have referred several of my friends and co-workers to my husband’s business. It’s been a great journey so far for both my husband and I, and I’m excited to see what the future may bring.

I spoke with Ryan about his photography and videography business, and here’s what he had to say:

April: What is your favorite type of photography?
Ryan: I tend to like to do events and portraits. I like a mix of candid and posed photos.

A: You have had experience with using both film and digital formats. Which medium do you prefer to shoot? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?
R: I like both. I prefer digital most of the time because I know if I got the shot or not. With film, you could have the best photo but the subject blinked and you don’t know until the next week. I do like the slower pace of film and the challenge it creates.

A: What do you hope to see happen for your business in the future?
R: I would like to be doing one to two photo/video sessions a month. I have no plans of photography/videography being a full-time gig, so one to two a month keeps my skills up while not being so busy that I get burned out.

The pictures on this blog post were all taken by my talented husband. Want to see more of his work or possibly hire him for your next photo session or event? Check out his website at www.RyanBaslerPhotography.com.

pieces of april blog

Keep Reading

Hobbies

Book Club: April’s Picks

There are Little Eyes Upon You

Getting Organized

My Role as a Photographer’s Wife

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