Monthly Reading Inventory: January

One of the goals I set for myself this year is to read at least one book every month, which for a self-proclaimed bookworm seems like an easily-achievable feat, but with a toddler and full-time job, it can be difficult to find time to just sit and read, especially time that isn't normally spent sleeping. So, in an effort to keep myself on track, I've decided to do a monthly reading inventory. In January, I actually read two books (Go, me!), both on my Kindle (don't hate) through their unlimited reading option.

I started the year with Coercion by Tim Tigner. Set back during the Cold War, it's about a covert group in Russia that's trying to take control of that country and topple the U.S. as a world power. Former soldier and ex-CIA operative, Alex Ferris, finds himself in the thick of things when he begins investigating his twin brother's death. He uncovers a plot hatched by a KGB general, travels to Siberia, is hunted by a ruthless killer and interrogated, and in the end manages to survive, save the day, and get the girl. Coercion is a wonderfully-written alternative history of the downfall of the Soviet Union and the efforts of one man to save his country. This is definitely not a light read; it was one of the most complicated novels I've read, but so worth it.

I'm a sucker for a good historical fiction, and The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford didn't disappoint. It follows the story of Agatha Christie as she tries to put her life back together following her very-public divorce from her first husband in the late 1920s. She boards the Orient Express under a different name and travels to Baghdad. Along the way she makes two new friends, Katherine Keeling and Nancy Nelson, each with their own secrets. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, you should read this book. If you're a fan of romance, you should read this book. If you need to read a book about women helping women, look no further.

I'm excited about the next two books on my reading list - From a Paris Balcony and The Memory of Us. What are you reading?

Monday Motivation

I'm trying to adopt this mantra in my life, but after being bombarded with stressful situation after stressful situation last week ... well, I decided to take a break from everything that isn't necessary in my life. That's why you didn't see any new posts last week. I needed some time to just sit and be; a chance to not feel like I was rushing to meet a deadline or dealing with a stressful situation. There's still one unresolved issue from last week that I have to deal with this week, but I'm doing my best to not let it cause me anymore stress.

 

Here's to a relatively stress-free week. Happy Monday!

3 Personal Goals for 2017

It's that time of year when people are making resolutions. Last year, the top resolutions according to iQuanti were to get healthy, get organized, live life to the fullest, and start a new hobby. I'm not big on resolutions, especially not the traditional ones that most people tend to make and only keep for a few months. For me, setting goals is much more productive and likely to make a difference in my life. I already shared my top professional goals for this year. Today I'm sharing four personal goals, along with a little Monday Motivation perfect for anyone who's working toward a goal of any kind.

Goal #1: Love My Body Again
I hate my stomach. It wasn't always this way, but then I became a mother. Sure, I lost most of my weight after having the baby, but there are some things that just aren't and might never be the same again. So for the past year and a half I've been working on loving my body with its new softness and added curves. It hasn't been easy. For one thing, I've had to get almost an entirely new wardrobe, and while I love shopping, going up a size or two hasn't been fun. But I have been working on buying things that are more flattering for this new body of mine, and my Newsroom Fashion series has been a pretty big part of boosting my self-confidence. This goal is definitely a work in progress and probably will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

Goal #2: Slow Down

Do you ever feel like you're always rushing? Whether it's the morning rush to get out the door, the rush to get home after work at a decent hour (re: early enough to actually enjoy the evening instead of having a whirlwind bedtime routine), or the rush to get stuff done in a timely manner (re: fold up the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer versus letting it sit in the basket for week) ... I barely have time for myself these days. I really tried to put this into practice last week. For the first time in I don't know how long, I read a grown-up book. It was wonderful, and I've missed it so much. Even if it's just 30 minutes a day, I'm going to try harder to slow down and enjoy something that isn't work or baby-related. I deserve it.

Goal #3: Read More

This one is pretty straight-forward and very important to me. I've gotten so lax on my reading, and I don't just mean books. Unless it's news-related, I rarely make time to read anymore, and for a bookworm that's not okay! So my goal for this year is to read at least one book a month and to set aside one day every week to read my favorite blogs.

Some other smaller goals I have for myself are to cook more (I got a great homestyle recipe book for Christmas that I need to use), keep in better contact with my friends, and check my email less often when I'm off the clock. What are your goals for 2017?

If you like the picture I chose for this post, you can purchase it in the form of wall art here.

Monday Motivation

Considering that half the time I don't know what day it is anyway, this should be easy.

Happy Monday!

Christmas 2016 Recap + Toddler Update

What a difference a year makes! Alexis was much more into Christmas this past year. From shopping to wrapping presents, seeing Santa and looking at Christmas lights she thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. And I must be getting a handle on this whole mom thing seeing as how this go 'round I'm posting about Christmas in the first week of January instead of almost February.

Things got started off a little rough. Alexis got a terrible stomach bug that lasted about six days. As a result we missed two family celebrations. She was better for Christmas day, thankfully. We started the day off with just the three of us, then went to Christmas breakfast with my in-laws, and ended the day with my parents and brother. We celebrated with my in-laws and Chris' brother's family the next day.

So what do you get an almost-two-year-old for Christmas? Our "big" gift was a kitchen, but we also got our little bookworm a new book, a Mickey Mouse puzzle, one of those popper things, and some hair bows. Some of the other things she got include a pink cozy coupe car, tricycle, beads, babies, and Princess Sophia figurines. This year she was more into opening presents, which was a relief  because last year she really didn't like the sound of tearing wrapping paper. She and our nephew who's a month older also actually played together this year.

Do you know how hard it is to get two toddlers to look at the camera at the same time? Impossible.

Speaking of toddlers ... Alexis is officially one. It's been awhile since my last update on her, so I figured we're due. She's super opinionated and not afraid to tell you "no" when she doesn't like something or want to do something. She just moved up a class at daycare, and we're starting to potty train. She graduated from a crib to a toddler bed back before Thanksgiving. She's very social and loving but also can play by herself and doesn't need constant interaction. She likes to play with all my hair stuff (headbands and curlers are her favorite) and loves jewelry. She knows almost all her body parts, can name all the characters on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, loves the dog and playing outside. She's the happiest child I've ever seen on most days and everyone she meets falls in love with her. She might be just little bit spoiled but generally speaking is better behaved than a lot of school-age children I know. There's never a dull moment with her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hello, 2017: Professional Goals

If you read my post this past weekend about my end-of-year funk, then you'll know that work was a huge struggle for me the last two weeks of 2016. There were many contributing factors, not all of which were actually in the station, but I'm determined to start 2017 with a clean slate and make it better than '16 ever thought about being.

The groundwork for an even better year was actually laid in November when we hired another producer. That may seem like a routine thing to happen at a television station, it's been a real game changer for ours. This latest addition to our team has allowed me to actually do the things an executive producer is supposed to do for three days a week.

For me, the past month and a half has been about identifying problems, getting new producers up to speed, and targeting areas that everyone can improve in. All of our producers except for one has been with us less than a year, so up until this point for them it's really been about learning the ropes and just getting the job done. Now it's time to move past that, and it's my job as EP to help them succeed at increasing the value of all of our shows.

I recognize how broad this goal is, which is why I've broken things down into three manageable chunks.

1. Better Content Choices
You can't have a good show with poor content choices. This is one of the areas we're struggling with, especially when it comes to choosing stories that aren't locally generated. That's why this is my top goal for this year. As producers, we have to think like our viewers - what do they want/need/expect to see? If we can't deliver that, we've failed.

2. Add Depth
This is so much easier said than done, especially in today's newsroom where hardly anyone is solely producing one show. Most of our producers are responsible for at least two shows, while we have one producer who also reports during the day. With that being said though, it is possible to add depth to our shows without spending a whole lot of extra time on it. After all, there was a time not that long ago that I was reporting while producing two shows.

3. Creativity vs Consistency
One of the biggest challenge with new producers (and sometimes old ones) is convincing them that they can be creative while being consistent. As crazy as this sounds, viewers set their clocks by us. If weather doesn't come on at about the same time every morning, it could feasibly be blamed for someone being late to work. But I'm not just talking about consistency in timing; I'm also talking about consistency in how our shows look, consistency in our writing, and consistency in our choices.

As for myself, my goal as always is to be better while helping my newsroom be better. A never-ending goal but one worth pursuing.

Monday Motivation

It's the first Monday of 2017. Let's be better humans than we were last year, at all things.

Happy Monday!