Monthly Wrap Up | December 2024

December? I just realized (in January 2025 because I copy and change things before I post things that this DECEMBER post was still in my November post wording. That’s how you know December was just tiring. LOL

Here is how my book ratings went in December:

What I Posted: 9 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: December – Tanzanite | Zircon | Tourquoise

How was your month?

Weekly Wrap Up | 12/29/24

Aloha friends!

Christmas is over. We went to a family party Christmas Eve night and had tons of fun. We went home with so many prizes! Gift cards, treats and I won a whole pot and pans set which I shared with my mom since I didn’t need most of it 😅. My kids had a blast but let me tell you we were so tired on Christmas day lol…so we opened only stocking gifts because we had to head out to my mom’s for Christmas lunch. My daughter was overstimulated and had one break down at the lunch but I get it – the party the night before, the anticipation for Christmas and presents and being tired! Lunch was nice and you know with my mom having stage one bladder cancer and my sister’s sis-in-law dealing with stage 3 breast cancer this year, and my hubby being gone and finally home for good…it was nice to be around family and knowing we got through a challenging year.

Kids enjoyed their gifts and I enjoyed my gift (a kindle from my hubby)! We also had Hanukkah to celebrate the night of Christmas and let me tell you, I was struggling to stay awake. I was done and didn’t even have caffeine the whole day. But I ate so much all day (I have left overs for days in my fridge) that I decided to go on youtube and do a Just Dance workout before bedtime. My son got up and joined me and we had so much fun, so it was a long day but a lovely day.

Then we went to a Shabbat service on Friday night to celebrate my father-in-law’s anniversary, he passed 2 years ago. Thing is the service was a potluck Shabbat/Hanukkah party. So there was a lot of people and it was festive so the kids had fun and we got to honor their grandpa which is where their Jewish side comes from.

Now onto the New Year – and planning my daughter’s birthday!

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • Breath of the Dragon by. Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee

Currently Reading:

  • Unhallowed Halls by. Lili Wilkinson
  • Nature Frost by. Jus Accardo

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football
  • Beyonce Bowl Halftime NFL Show – she was gorgeous and ethereal all in white! What a performance. I need to get myself to a Beyonce concert.
  • The Polar Express – my daughter mentioned this was her classmate’s favorite movie and I said okay let’s watch it. She lasted 20 minutes and left the room. I never watched it because I always thought the animation looked creepy and I stick to my opinion after sitting through that whole movie. The animation is creepy! It was an okay movie.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 12/22/24

Aloha friends!

It was a long week at school for the kiddos and we can’t wait for winter break which starts this Saturday! Are you all feeling in the Christmas spirit at all? It’s still warm here so for me, I feel like it isn’t the holidays at all.

I’m gonna try make some Christmas cookies for a Christmas eve party we got invited too. Maybe that will put me in the spirit!

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • The Lotus Shoes by. Jane Yang

Currently Reading:

  • Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue by. Kate Pearsall
  • North is the Night by. Emily Rath
  • Breath of the Dragon by. Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 12/15/24

Aloha friends!

It’s been a long week. My son had his piano recital and did well. I had to drive my hubby around to get his car fixed. It was a long week at school for the kiddos and we can’t wait for winter break which starts this Saturday! Are you all feeling in the Christmas spirit at all? It’s still warm here so for me, I feel like it isn’t the holidays at all.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • Not Here to Be Liked by. Michelle Quach
  • A Song to Drown Rivers by. Ann Liang
  • Get Lost with You by. Sophie Sullivan
  • Blood of the Gods by. Sapir A. Englard
  • The Girl Most Likely To by. Julie Tieu

Currently Reading:

  • The Lotus Shoes by. Jane Yang
  • Breath of the Dragon by. Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Listened to GNX by Kendrick Lamar
  • Listened to Rosie by. Rosé
  • Watched Football
  • It Ends With Us (Netflix) – this was okay, I read the story years ago so I went into this with fresh eyes, but it was just okay.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 12/8/24

Aloha friends!

I survived the week! My hubby came home yesterday morning – I cannot believe two years have gone by that quick. I feel like we saw him every 4 months so it wasn’t too bad. Being a single parent was exhausting enough that the days went super quick. We need to wait for some of his new furniture (furniture that he got in Okinawa that we are replacing some of our older furniture with) but it’s been a bunch of unpacking and organizing. Kids love that they have another parent to bother again though and I love it! I can get some quiet, unbothered time!

Today is my son’s holiday piano recital and the first one that my hubby gets to watch so it will be great! Then he has a break from piano for a month for winter break. Kids have 2 more weeks of school until winter break – so they are really looking forward to that! Can you believe 2025 is just around the corner?! I can’t…

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • The Darkness Within Us by. Tricia Levenseller

Currently Reading:

  • Get Lost with You by. Sophie Sullivan
  • A Song to Drown Rivers by. Ann Liang

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Listened to GNX by Kendrick Lamar – LOVE this album! It’s on repeat, can’t wait for his Superbowl Halftime show.
  • Listened to Rosie by. Rosé – such a great album, no skips!
  • Watched Football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 12/1/24

Aloha friends!

Well we got through it! Thanksgiving lunch at my mom’s was nice. I made green bean casserole, corn bread, and pistachio cake. I also bought pumpkin crunch and custard pie. There’s only three of us that really eat turkey so since my hubby isn’t here and he was one of the three, we opted for Popeyes fried chicken instead. And since I’m Filipino my mom made lumpia, pancit and pinakbet (a veggie dish). My dad cooked some steak so my tummy was happy! We (me, my bro in law, and son) had an intense game of Monopoly because my son is so competitive. I think it lasted 2 hours before I had to call it done because my daughter wanted to go home lol. On “Black Friday” we just hung out at home because I’m not doing all that anymore lol…and we don’t have any piano lessons or Sunday school this weekend so it was a real break from everything which is so nice.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • What the Woods Took by. Courtney Gould
  • Bloodguard by. Cecy Robson

Currently Reading:

  • The Darkness Within Us by. Tricia Levenseller

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Watched NFL – football
  • Watched Our Little Secret on Netflix – the one with Lindsay Lohan. I thought it was over a fun movie, but I felt like it lacked in the romance department. It’s a second-chance romance but I felt no chemistry between the two characters.
  • Watched Dash & Lily on Netflix – I watch this once a year it seems. I love it! I just love how it’s set in New York City and starts at a bookstore.
  • Listened to Wicked Soundtrack – love it! I really need to go watch this movie. Just don’t know if I should wait until my hubby comes back so we can watch it together.
  • Listened to Number One Girl by Rosé

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Monthly Wrap Up | November 2024

Oh November! It was filled with some ups, some major downs, and then everything else just came upon me in a rush and here we are at the last day of November. It was a chaotic month and I can say I’m glad we are putting it behind us but I’m also not ready for this year to be almost over. Anyway it was so chaotic, I didn’t have the motivation to read in the beginning of the month. The bulk of my reading came at the end of the month.

Here is how my book ratings went in November:

What I Posted: 10 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: November – Citrine | Topaz

How was your month?

Weekly Wrap Up | 11/24/24

Aloha friends!

It was a long weekend that continued into a long week but it is what it is. I did most of my Christmas shopping this weekend – YAY! Just a few more to go, but those are gift cards. I even had enough motivation to put up the tree. I actually had to buy a new tree, because our old one was not looking fluffy anymore haha. I got one at 50% at Target and it’s pre-lit! We love it.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • Hate Mail by. Donna Marchetti
  • The Starlight Heir by. Amalie Howard
  • The Half King by. Melissa Landers

Currently Reading:

  • What the Woods Took by. Courtney Gould
  • Bloodguard by. Cecy Robson

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • NFL – football
  • Oppenheimer (Prime Video) – I finally watched this one and it was a little long, but I can see why Cillian Murphy won an Oscar. I love Christopher Nolan movies.
  • How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Prime Video) – I have been looking for something cute and funny to watch and Netflix had nothing so I found this on Prime! I love this movie!
  • The Ugly Truth (Prime Video) – I guess I’m in a rom-com phase? I forgot how funny this one is also.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 11/17/24

Aloha friends!

I got to eat lunch with my daughter at school on Wednesday because it’s National Lunch Week – and whew…the chaos of the cafeteria lol. It was nice to meet some of her classmates and see who was who. Other than that the week went by way too slowly I feel, even with our day off on Veteran’s day. I did get some Christmas gift wrapping done! Woohoo!

My hubby comes back in 3 weeks (hopefully, still needs to get his plane ticket) but we are excited! He does come back with some new furniture which means we have to get rid of things or move things around. But it’ll be nice to finally have him home.

Today I’m going to brunch with 2 friends I haven’t seen in awhile, so that will be nice!

And by the way WordPress gave me a notification congratulating me for 6 years on WordPress – WOW. 🤯. Thanks for sticking by me and reading my blog – I didn’t even realize 6 years has passed. I thought I was still on 4 or something like that lol.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • Window Shopping by. Tessa Bailey
  • Dating and Dragons by. Kristy Boyce

Currently Reading:

  • What the Woods Took by. Courtney Gould
  • Bloodguard by. Cecy Robson

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • NFL – football
  • Nobody Wants This (Netflix) – I can’t wait for season 2!
  • Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – it’s a musical and I really enjoyed it! Zoe Saldana is amazing in it.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Monthly Wrap Up | October 2024

October has come and gone and what it was! We had a much needed Fall Break, then we cruised into Halloween. As for books, I wasn’t in a slump, per se, but I definitely feel invested in a few of the books I was reading maybe because it just got busy for me in the second half of October. I kind of feel like I’ve lost my steam for reading for the rest of the year lol…but we’ll see?

Here is how my book ratings went in October:

What I Posted: 18 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

I actually did some other Book Tags this month other than the Birthstone Book Covers one I do monthly! Yay!

Are people still doing blog tours? I haven’t signed up for one in months! I’ve only done 2 this year and the last one was in May.

How was your month?