Since I’m playing catch up on this reading journal of mine, here is my February wrap-up before March ends.
Continuing on this youtube journey of mine…I went back to the editing app I used when I used to help my son make his gaming videos. And wow, it was so much easier for me, I don’t know why I deviated! I also wanted to make the video shorter and I think I achieved that so yay for me.
Check it out here:
Now I’ve been already filling up my March entries into the journal. There is one spot in the journal where it lists the books you read in a month that I already know I’ll not have enough space for 🤔. It’s definitely a ME problem haha because the space contains lines for 15 books. And I do usually read 15 or less books a month which is why I thought this journal was perfect for me, but March was crazy and I actually listened to 2 audiobook! Who am I? I don’t even recognize myself sometimes when I get through an audiobook! 😅
I actually have borrowed some books in March but I’m trying to push it so I can read it the last week of March and finish in the first week of April before they expire. We’ll see if my plan works. 😬
Anyway thanks for watching my video! I appreciate it!
This year I decided I wanted to use a reading journal to keep my tracking and I bought something simple on Amazon, something affordable but the more I used it and saw other reading journals on Tiktok (yes I am highly influenced LOL), I started to shop around for a different one.
I figured it’s still March and I have time to start a new journal. That means I was have to be willing to transfer my info from my first journal to the new one but I thought it was worth it. I found THIS:
This beauty is from The Book Sisters. I saw it on TikTok and then I went to their Etsy shop because my mother-in-law had gifted me an Etsy gift card for Christmas. It’s a beauty and made so well. Anyway, I wanted to show it off so I finally made my first youtube video! 😅. First video for myself – I’ve only helped my kids make gaming videos (that’s kind of stopped now) but I thought I could do one for this journal.
Check it out here:
Just an FYI – I hate speaking in a video. I always hated public speaking, so if I sound awkward and nervous in the video – don’t mind me! I’m such a newb (as my kids would say)..an amateur for sure! 😅 I think it would be fun to do a video each month of my journaling and monthly recap. I’ll post one more video this month- the February recap – then I’ll be caught up. I’m thinking of adding some other bookish content? 🤔
But we’ll see how much work I want to do making video content – it’s hard work! The filming, the editing…but I did find it fun!
Anyway let me know what you think and if you do any reading journals. I’ve seen some of you post your journals and I love them!
One of my more ambitious journaling goals would be to do one of those reading journals from scratch – they are so artistic! I felt like I used to be so artistic in my youth (almost did a double major in art!) and I just lost it as I got older (went to work, got married, had kids) and it would be so nice to find that part of myself again. 💜 I just don’t know if I have the motivation to keep up with it though and also narrowing down ideas on what to put it in would drive me a bit bonkers. I guess having a theme would work but I’m just rambling off ideas now. Maybe I’ll do it for 2026!
I let my son have a gaming youtube channel this summer. He’s been asking for five years now and he’s been learning the ins and outs of screen recording on his ipad or using a capture card for his nintendo switch – but he hates editing. So he is doing the editing? Me. 😂 And I haven’t used iMovie (I have a MacBook) in forever. It’s been a learning experience for me and I’m finally getting the hang of it…sort of. Also I’ve learned to use youtube for their audio library and uploading, etc…see I learn so much being a stay at home mom!
Outside of his gaming videos he and his sister have started making Pikmin videos. What are Pikmin you ask? It’s these creatures:
My kids collection of Pikmin
They are from a Nintendo game called PIKMIN and from what I learned from my son (since I only played the game with him a handful of times)…they are flower creatures. They come from the ground, which is kind of cute but they all have a different elemental power. Now as you can see from this collection, some are store bough plushies (those are the more durable looking ones) and the rest – well…I sewed them 🤣 with left over fabric (old tshirts) or felt. It was a lot of work…and now that we have a puppy – he loves them too. As you can see, Pink Pikmin has not faired well at all…and some eyes have gone missing even. 😭
They use my cell phone to film the videos. I did the first couple “takes” and taught them how to prop the phone etc…so at least now they can set it up and shoot a video without me directing them. Oh yes…I’m director, co-producer, tantrum calmer (for his sister who wants to be included), brainstormer mediator and editor….oh and social media coordinator or whatever title that is – I post the videos to Facebook so Nana in Philadelphia can watch them and whoever else. It’s exhausting but my kids and I feel so accomplished when we actually finish an “episode”.
According to my son, there are 2 series he’s making – 1st one is called The Pikmin Quests ~ where there is some storyline in my son’s head (yeah there is NO scriptwriting in this process lol)…there is danger, there is drama, there are plushy fights…you get it.
Here are the first two episodes:
And then he wanted a 2nd series where the Pikmin just go around our house and neighborhood and have fun. 🤷🏻♀️ Here is the first video for that series:
So obviously, I can’t already see things on here that bug me – like the first 2 videos I saved at different sizes I think. I couldn’t remember what settings I used for the first video like fonts for the title etc…so now I’m writing notes down in a notebook when I create these things – like song titles, fonts, and to remember to film in landscape mode instead of using my phone upright! 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Anyway that was my life outside of books this past weekend! The videos were filmed weeks ago…but I finally sat my booty down to edit all the clips and make into a “video”. It’s just been so busy with my son back in school, entertaining my daughter who is not in school and a puppy who wants to be outside all the time and it’s so HOT. 🥵
Leave me any tips below if you are a youtuber and make videos! Stay safe and thanks for reading!
I’ll tell you what I play currently – Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, My Singing Monsters and rarely now, Animal Crossing New Horizons.
Animal Crossing New Horizons was something I bought during 2020 when the pandemic was ramping up. Those were long, anxiety filled days and I played Animal Crossing on my son’s Nintendo Switch until my husband got me a Switch Lite for Mother’s Day. That and Tetris are the only games I played on my Switch Lite.
Honestly, I haven’t played New Horizons in months and I thought it was funny when my character came out today with messy hair! I know my house has roaches I have to stomp on! 🤣 Do you play New Horizons? Let’s be friends! (though you may hardly ever see me on there lol)
Here’s my FRIEND CODE: SW-5849-0636-2972 💕
One reason I haven’t been on my Switch is because my daughter found my old Animal Crossing Pocket Camp app – I started that when I was pregnant with her 4 years ago then stopped when I had my Switch. But now it’s easier for me to pick up my ipad (because I’m always reading on it) and playing Pocket Camp since the app is right in front of me.
I usually play it after dinner and playing with our dog…it’s SO relaxing. I started playing it again because my daughter plays it too on her ipad and she wanted me to send her “gifts” so she could get fortune cookies. 😅 I’ve been on it daily lately – so if you wanna be friends, find me, my name is AtlasMom (our dog’s name is Atlas)! I’m always sending out gifts. 😄
The other game my son coerced me into playing is My Singing Monsters. It was a game I started right after my daughter was born and you know newborn life is “team no sleep” life…so in between feedings, changings, cleaning, I was either playing games or reading. Those days were rough! My son wanted this app and I thought it was cute, he was 5 years old at the time so I played it and then eventually I stopped and he took over my account. Anyway he is SO far ahead in the game and has so many monsters. He begged me to start another account lately so I could send him “keys”, join his “tribe” and light his torches. Of course my daughter who is 4, wanted the game also so yes…my username on there is Momster. Fitting right? Do you play My Singing Monsters?
Invite me! Here’s my FRIEND CODE: 98368921KH
On occasion my son asks me to play Mario Party with him and I’ll ask him to do Just Dance with me so I can get some cardio in haha. I helped him finish a few games when he first got the Switch and wasn’t very good at gaming but now, he teaches me things! I also used to be obsessed with Splatoon 2 for awhile. I will say gaming helped me get through my daughter’s newborn to 1 year old stage. I could escape a little (because you can’t really escape being a mom lol) and it really helped.
My Switch Lite now is slowly morphing into my being daughter’s switch lite – she takes it and plays Miitopia on it! She can’t even really read yet. And she only plays that game because her brother plays it…she is definitely a gamer girl in the making.
Another part of my gaming life is helping my son with his youtube channel My son has said he wanted to be a youtuber since he was 4 years old – he still insists he will be a youtuber so I finally allowed him to start his own youtube channel called Eligamer808 – yes I’m totally promoting it for him so please, go give it some views! 😆
So I wanted him to learn about being a content creator and how it’s not super easy just starting a channel and becoming successful. He has been making videos, long ones are Miitopia gameplay videos – he speaks in it just as if he’s streaming, editing though…that’s still me and I do the minimal cutting at the beginning and end because I have no time, usually my daughter wants my attention at the same time.
He is learning editing is a process and one he doesn’t have much patience for yet. 🤦🏻♀️ He’s turning 9 years old soon…so yeah…he’s learning patience lol.
The shorter videos are My Singing Monsters or Roblox videos which he has been learning to edit on his iMovie app. And hello, I’m not a pro at this either so I’m learning alongside him. It’s definitely a bonding moment, lots of teaching moments, lots of patience building…and many frustrated moments but I like that he’s getting an idea of how creating content is work!
I did ask him what he felt about having his own channel so far – he said at times he feels like he has no good ideas for the next video and I said yes, that happens a lot as a content creator or just as a creative (me…always wanting to create). But he said he loves having a channel because he feels proud when he gets a new subscriber and I had an “awwwww” kind of moment. I’m excited to see how his channel evolves over time.
Of course now his sister wants her own channel! 🤦🏻♀️😅
Anyway, that’s it for now – thanks for reading and getting to know a little bit of my life, outside of books. 💕~Yolanda
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 