Fall and Winter Bucket List

Hello my name is April and I am addicted to making lists! No really, I love to make lists for everything, my to do list, the grocery store, things to take to my parents house, and I participate in #ListersGottaList challenge every month. So naturally I decided to make a fall and winter bucket list!

The first thing on the list is

1. Stay away from germs!!!! Ava has a cold now and I am hoping that this is the last one for this season. Which leads me to 

2. Visit new playgrounds! Ava tends to pick up germs from indoor play areas so on nice sunny days we will be heading to a new playground. It has been raining like crazy which is why we have been playing indoors and it is why I want to

3. Buy Ava and I rainboots! I also want to

4. Drink a pumpkin spice latte and a peppermint latte. I have ingredients to make a pumpkin spice latte and I hope it comes out yummy. But I still want to grab these two drinks from Starbucks also, my yearly treat lol. And lastly I want to 

5. Play in the snow. It doesn't snow here much, mainly just nasty ice storms, but If we happen to get some snow, I would love to let ava play in it wearing our new rain boots! 

Comparison...

I believe it was Monday when a video popped up in my Youtube feed that really caught my attention. It was from a young girl stating that she was quitting social media. This girl is really popular through social media ( Instagram, YouTube, etc.) and social media is her job so it is kind of unexpected that she would want to quit her job, her livelihood. She stated that she did not like having to appear perfect or filtered, that she did not like her worth being determined by likes or views, and that she didn't like that she was comparing herself to others constantly.

My post isn't about this girl's feelings about social media but about my own feelings about it.

My social media feeds are flooded with supermoms, fitness gurus, culinarily skilled vegans, and amazing traveling bloggers. All inspirational, but I too somethimes compare myself to these strangers on social media. I don't think my comparison of myself to others on social media is extreme but I do feel like comparison is a bit of human nature combined with the "what ifs" and "whys" that are in the back of my mind. Maybe it isn't a comparison but more of "I want to do that too". Whatever it is, it's not healthy for my mental and emotional wellbeing. 

I have decided to make a conscious effort to not compare my life and situations to others.  Maybe this will take me "unplugging" for a few days or just journaling and reminding myself that I too have a great life even if it doesn't look exactly like the lives of "Instagram and YouTube famous" women. Reading a few books on the law of attraction has taught me the way to bring forth positive things and situations that I want in my life. Embracing minimalism is also helping me to realize that things aren't needed to be happy. But I still want to have a Pinterest house lol. Until next time!
April K.

Halloween Fun!

Happy November and Happy Belated Halloween! This year Ava had her first real Halloween with a costume, pumpkins, parties, and a little trick or treating! Last year Ava was only one year old, she didn't have a costume, and she didn't go trick or treating. She did however have a Halloween dress that my mom made for her and we went to a fall festival but she had no idea what was going on!

This year we participated in Halloween events all month long and Ava was excited to be a lady bug! We went to a vegan potluck and I was able to snap a quick picture of her. Taking a picture of Ava is hard now because she won't stand still or look at the camera! 

We also met up with our MOPS group for toddler time at the skating ring. 

Then we were invited to a Halloween party. It was fun and I got to catch up with a few moms that I had not seen in a while from my no excuse mom workout group. 

Halloween fell on a Saturday this year and Ava also takes a music class on Saturday mornings. The kids in her class dressed up in their costumes and it was so adorable. Ava's little class buddy even had on a costume similar to hers. I am convinced that they called each other to plan that! 

And on Saturday evening, we went to a fall festival! It was the same festival that we went to last year but this time Ava was actually able to participate in the activities. She collected a few pieces of candy, jumped in the bounce house, saw a fire truck, and we even took a picture together. The picture was a big deal to me because I am mainly taking pictures of her, so I am glad someone offered to take our picture!

I'm glad that we had a fun October. I can't wait to get our pictures printed and I am excited to see what November brings!