Saturday, February 28, 2015

5 Years of the Same Question




I love this little gold journal! I'm on Year 5 of my Q&A Diary and it's been much more insightful than I could have ever imagined.


I learned early that it's best to provide a detailed answer to each daily question. Some questions seem like they only need a one-word answer:
  • Are you a student or a teacher?
  • Are you happy?
  • When was the last time you exercised?
You could answer with one word, but if you add a little more information, it's so much more interesting to look back and reflect on how you've changed year-to-year.


There are other, more provocative questions, such as:
  • What would you like to say to your father?
  • Who is your nemesis?
  • What would be your theme song?
I always give detailed answers for these and am amazed at how many times my answer is the same. For instance, my nemesis stayed the same for 3 years in row. It was a co-worker of mine who finally left the company. Each year, I included some detail on why she was my nemesis again, and then finally had to identify a new one this year. (Sadly, it wasn't hard.) More insightful to me was that I've chosen the same song as my theme song for 2 of the 5 years: 'Wide Open Spaces" by the Dixie Chicks. And that was without reading my previous answers first. I always answer the question of the day before I look to see what I said in my answers before. To do otherwise seems like cheating.




I was thrilled to receive another copy of this little book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review because I'm about to start Year 6 and now won't worry that I'll miss a single day. In fact, I've bought copies of this diary for my whole family. I truly love this little book!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Book Review: It Was Me All Along




It should come as no surprise that a food blogger like Andie Mitchell has spent her lifetime in a love-hate relationship with food. In many ways, it has defined her. And like many who struggle with weight issues, it has owned her. Andie goes on to lose a lot of weight (133 lbs) and deals with the emotional issues at the heart of her obsession with food.


The book is at times inspiring, at times, painful, but always relatable. Anyone who's ever eaten to fill an emotional void, or because food can be so damn comforting will find truth in Andie's memoir.






*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.