Loving My Actual Life

I was so excited when I found out that I was going to be able to get a copy of Alexandra Kuykendall's book, Loving My Actual Life, to review.  First, the cover is gorgeous, isn't it?  I know "they" say don't judge a book by its cover, but come on, we all do it.  And second, a simple life is all about slowing down to enjoy our lives every day, not just during those big exciting moments.  Once I was able to read through the book, Kuykendall did not disappoint either.

True to the subtitle, "An experiment in relishing what's right in front of me," the book is laid out similar to a journal of experiment notes.  Each chapter comprises one month's objective.  At the beginning, she lays out what she plans to focus on, how she plans to change/tweak things to enjoy that portion of her life more, and then she journals giving you the highs AND lows of how experiment is going.  At the end of the chapter, Kuykendall summarizes the month- what went well, what didn't work and how she plans to continue to enjoy that part of her life going forward.

I wasn't sure at first how I would like the layout.  Reading a journal?  Sounds weird.  But I ended up loving it.  You feel like Kuykendall really is sitting next to you, having a cup of coffee and truly sharing her heart.  This book was like having a friend tell you that, "Life is going to be okay.  I'm where you are."  And there were so many times that I felt like she was inside my head!

You may be wondering what areas Kuykendall focused on during her nine-month experiment.  Well, a few are: quieting outside noise, making morning routines smoother, taking more one-on-one time for family, taking time to be creative, and meal planning.  Plus, at the end of the book she gives a list of examples to help you plan your own "Loving Life" experiment (which I may do....)

If you are having a hard time enjoying where you are...  If you are finding it difficult to be present and intentional...  If you feel alone in the first two things I mentioned....Then this book is for you.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Loving My Actual Life on Amazon and thank me later!

Disclosure:  I received this book from Bakers Books for Bloggers for this review.  This post also contains affiliate links, which mean that if you purchase any item after using the link the blog receives compensation to keep things running at no extra cost to you.  Thank you for the support!