Hi, I’m Kayley

I open Google Sheets once a day. I didn’t think this would be true when I decided to be a stay-at-home wife (now mother) two years ago. But the colorful triangle of Google Drive has become a constant companion, in whose presence I feel a little more sane and put together. 

Here’s everything I read in 2024 - lots of Riordan, some Austen, and a few wild cards. :) Here’s to more reading in 2025!!

As we’re nearing the end of one month and looking to the beginning of a new one, I’m confronted again with my inability to finish things well, with my tendency to skip ahead to the next thing. In an effort to quell this propensity, I’m reflecting on my May, all the way to its 31st day. June can (and should) wait.

Earlier this year, I finished an audiobook of Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff.

Overall, I loved this book. Doucleff details how various ancient cultures parent their children and how we in the western world can implement some of these ideas to raise well-behaved, helpful children. It was fascinating to dive into these cultures and their bents toward the “it takes a village” model of parenting. A lot of it is extremely helpful, especially the concept of including children in the family as productive, important members, even as babies. 

We stayed with my in-laws in Tampa to celebrate Tucker’s cousin’s wedding, and our mornings were a respite from a dull, foggy February - sunny, slow, restful, and needed. 

February is probably my least favorite month of the year.

Where I live, it’s cold and dreary most days. When it’s not raining, the sky is usually hospital-room white and the threat of rain still hangs heavy in the air (often triggering a migraine for me, yay). Sure, there are random warm spells, the sun makes an appearance every once in awhile, and there’s Valentine’s Day to look forward to, but these feel like few and far between moments of joy in an otherwise bummer of a month.

Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot was my favorite book from 2023. In a collection of letters Elliot wrote to her then newly-engaged daughter, Valerie, Elliot tackles the question “what is a woman?” What she means is, “who am I?” and to answer it, she first askes, “Whose am I?”

Hi Friends! I’m back with another virtual bookshelf review, as well as a general 2023 year in review!