This post was sponsored by Advent Health for their Feel Whole Challenge

My entire childhood was soundtracked, and by soundtracked I mean the music was always playing in the background… even as I slept.

The television was rarely on, so I learned early on to appreciate music. To this day, I rarely watch television except for a few shows but much like my childhood, to this day music is always playing in our house. It’s amazing how we carry things from our childhood into adulthood with little thought, unfortunately, that also includes some not so good behaviors that we have to be mindful of.

Music makes me happy, it evokes memories, it motivates me, and it continues to soundtrack my life. Nearly 11 years later, I still remember the song that was playing in the car when I went to retrieve my mother’s things from the hospital after she died, I remember the song that was playing when I brought my babies home from the hospital. Music is such a huge part of my life.

I create playlists that are “moody,” if I’m feeling a certain way, there’s a playlist for that! For example, there is a Chill-Out, Girl Power, and Be Encouraged playlists.

Here’s a few tips on creating your own playlists:

• Find a free streaming service or subscribe to one where you have access to a large number of song titles. We pay for streaming through Napster, however, Spotify has a limited free version that will allow you to create playlists.
• Think about songs that evoke emotions or memories. I prefer good, or meaningful ones, however, it’s your playlist choose as you wish.
• If you hear a song you like or one you haven’t heard in awhile jot it down.
• Name it accordingly, and continue to add songs over time.

This post is sponsored by Advent Health for their Feel Whole Challenge

As an avid reader with too little time, I’m always looking for quiet moments during the summer where I can sneak away with my books. I started off the year with a goal of reading 30 books. I was on a roll for the first part of the year, and then life hit. While I have already hit the halfway mark, I know I could’ve met my goal by now, possibly doubling it for the year, however since there is no use in crying over the books I could’ve read, I’m just going to set a goal of 4 books a month and see where that lands me at the end of the year.

I recently joined my neighborhood’s book club to hold myself accountable. Our June selection was “Where the Crawdads Sing.” Before it was mentioned in our group, in the many book hashtags I follow I’d heard rumblings that this was a good one. As I write this, I have a little over a week read it so I’m hoping it’s kind to reader procrastinators like me. The pressure is really on because I am hosting and would like to offer meaningful conversation unlike last month when I just showed up to eat and socialize! 

There’s a huge stack on my nightstand that by default is the book stack to get through. I’m sure there will be a few interrupters, you know the books that everyone is raving about so you can’t wait to get your hands on a copy, but then it’s back to the nightstand stack for me. 

Reading is a great way to wind-down for the evening. It forces me to put my phone away and escape reality for a bit. Depending on my mood, I may listen to a book instead. I’ve found this routine helps me sleep better. I highly recommend putting your phone down at night and indulging in a good read. If you get a good book, it’s easy to fall into the habit! If you want to see what’s on my perpetual reading list, give me a follow on Goodreads!

What are you reading?!