The Bit

No #blogtunes today, instead I have a Bob's Burgers reruns going; nice and hilarious.  I know it's barely still December, but I'm getting the post in under the wire.  Did December completely blow everybody else away this year?  It did for me.  My decorations are still up and my kitchen has still not really recovered from Christmas.  Plus, my kid's birthday is a mere days after Christmas and I'm getting ready to pack up shop to throw his birthday party back home for all the family.  In an effort to battle all the busy-ness that happens this time of year, I finished my books before Christmas.  So, enough of my Christmas shenanigans, here are the titles I got this month. The Secret Place- Tana French   This book is actually a part of a series, but I wasn't aware until after I had finished it.  It's part of the Dublin Murder Squad series.  Luckily, the books aren't dependent on each other and only occasionally have a few reoccurring c...

  No #blogtunes today; the hubby is actually off work and we're opting to sit in the same room with each other as our "bonding time".  Heh.  He's video gaming and I'm blogging, but we are together!  So, first off I want to apologize about not being on top of the blog the past few months (I've only put up my book bits) I won't bore you with excuses, just know that I am officially apologizing.  And the topic up today is one I've been wanting to write about for a while now.  Trying to conceive.  This is one of those things that we file away and never talk about; like breast changes after pregnancy, what we really think about vaccines and post-partum depression.  So, I have a little bit of experience in this area and I would like to share this conversation with you in hopes that other women who are struggling don't feel alone in this particular battle.   -My Experience   If you follow me on Instagram (@alyxandraramos) then you know that ...

Not writing from my usual spot on the couch today; I'm actually home for the holidays!  Yep, left the kiddo at my parents house, stuffed my laptop in my bag and came to a fave coffee shop that I frequented during my college years.  It actually is a little nice, coming back to this old comfort that college memories give me.  Of course, the actual workload of college never sparks any fondness, but all the other stuff does; and being back in the town where I spent four years extending my education always makes me a little nostalgic.  So, no #blogtunes today, instead I'm soaking up the sounds of coffee being made, computers humming and some light chit chat between friends.  Loads better.   You all remember last month was my horror edition; a tip of the hat to Halloween, and I mentioned that this month would (jokingly) be filled with young adult books.  So, it wasn't a joke, I actually did read all young adult this month; completely by accident!  Ser...

So my #blogtunes was this ultra spooky Halloween music, but it was really freaking one of my dogs out.  To the point that she was driving me crazy enough to just turn it off all together.  She's grateful.  C'mon, it's Halloween Eve!  Is anybody else excited!  October is by far my most cherished month of the year (and it's not because of my birthday or wedding anniversary).  I love fall, and October is fall for me, plus Halloween!  Who doesn't love Halloween!  So, to keep up with this awesome month of the year, I chose all scary books for my reading list.  Wait, what?!  Yes!  All horror, mwah, mwah, mwah!  And to tell you the truth, it was a bit of an undertaking (*slaps knee), for real, next month will probably be full of romance and young adult to counterbalance.  Who am I kidding?  I just set aside about a dozen psychological thrillers that caught my eye this week alone!  Btw, I broke out my light box for ...

  Uh, it took so long to get through my books this month!  I was traveling a lot, but managed to get through all three of them.  Did I mention the Stephen King book finally came through from the library?!  I was so excited about it!  So, let's review. "Never Never"- Brianna R. Shrum   Has anyone else noticed the obsession with rewriting our old fairytales from childhood?  No?  Well, I have and I'm loving it!  I love reading new and twisted versions of the old classics (Disney versions, of course) that I remember from childhood.  Taking my beloved Cheshire cat and turning him evil or turning me sympathetic to the monster under the bed.  I love it!  This book was no exception.  To be fair, I have had a bit of a Peter Pan obsession the past few months.  A friend of mine pitched me this writing idea about Neverland and Peter Pan that I simply cannot get out of my head, so naturally I've been dying to read what other...

#blogtunes Way Down We Go- Kaleo Hold Back the River- James Bay Love Songs Drug Songs- X Ambassadors A Drop in the Ocean- Ron Pope If You Ever Stopped Loving Me- Montgomery Gentry In the Ayer- Flo Ryda Flower- Moby   Since becoming a mother I have officially been drafted into the war against other mothers.  The judgements, the "can-you-believes", the stares (given and received) and I have finally come to the conclusion that I no longer want to be a part of it.  And neither should any mother.  What are the opposing sides of the Mom Wars?  Oh, I'm so glad you asked.  We'll go over the biggies.  Please read this and listen as I debunk all of these "issues" that we deem so important in the raising of our children.  Hopefully by the end of the article, you'll want to throw down your Mommy Weapons just like me and hope this war will end in a truce. -Natural Birth Vs. C-Section and the use of Epidurals     Let's just start fr...

  Instead of writing to #blogtunes today, I have "Friends" reruns going in the background.  Love that show; and I've been feeling pretty crummy lately, so it's been sort of couch potato material.  With the Olympics happening this month and varying doctors appointments, you know, all the stuff that comes with having kids, I was lucky to put away three books this month.  Three very good books. "City Of Dark Magic"- Magnus Flyte   This book was a little different, but it was also very interesting.  It has a nice little mystery built into it and is packed with art and music history.  If you have a fascination with Beethoven, this book is definitely for you.  The story follows Sarah Weston as she gets a prestigious summer job in Prague helping put together a museum, in which she offers her expertise in Beethoven artifacts.  Just before taking the job her mentor mysteriously dies, the police ruling it as a suicide, but she is skeptical.  ...

No #blogtunes today!  We've been watching the Olympics non-stop.  Is anyone else obsessed with watching?!  I haven't really gotten anything done this month, because I've been consumed with the festivities of athletics happening in Rio.  Then I looked at my calendar, holy crap the month is almost over!  Welcome back to reality.    I have been debating writing this post, because I think some might find it offensive, but it is something I've been thinking on for awhile now.  Even though we live in more "modern" times, I still think the pressure of being the "woman" is still very present.  This is my topic of today.  Err, this month. In Childhood   I grew up in a middle class family, my parents were divorced and remarried when I was very young; it was all I knew.  I grew up with strong women in my life, all of my grandmothers' went to college, my mom continued to expand her education beyond her Bachelor's when my sister and ...

  First off, I had every intention of putting away four books this month.  I had this Stephen King book I was really looking forward to pop up on my read list for the month.  So I logged into my library account and was surprised!  They had six copies and only two holds for it!  Amazing!  So I reserved my copy along with my other titles for the month and waited.   One book came in, then two and three and I couldn't figure out why I hadn't received the King book.  So I did some research.  Turns out I switched the numbers in my brain (more like wishful thinking) so there were actually two books and six holds.  Great.  So, I am hoping to get it in August.  I did, however, put away three pretty good books this month.  "How to Be a Good Wife"- Emma Chapman   Put this book away in twenty-four hours.  No joke.  A record (remember I have a toddler, two dogs and a husband to manage all by myself, so yes, ...

#blogtunes Umbrella- Rihanna Royals- Lorde Bitch Better Have My Money- Rihanna Tik Tok- Kesha Stay- Rihanna Earned It- The Weeknd   I know I have talked about taking your life into your own hands and taking a stand, but I've never really talked about fear.  Fear is a huge problem.  It takes over everything if you let it; the ultimate life-ending virus.  Many people are plagued by fear including me.  I'm scared of a ton of things, and we're not just talking about the spiders that live on my deck here, I mean legit internal brain wave fear.  So, here I am, again, ready to help you let go of these fears, whatever they are. 1.  What is this doing for you?   Ok, there are a ton of people out there preaching that fear is a good thing, that it is ok to be afraid.  It's our deep primal wiring to be cautious; you know that whole fight or flight instinct.  Ok.  What.  Ever.   Yes, we have fight or flight instincts and...