Happy Weekend!

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My luggage is adorable.

Hey, hey, it’s FRIDAY! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually sad that Spring Break is almost over. Yesterday Lu and I spent the entire day together (post upcoming…I love my girl and this city we call home!) and I remembered how lovely it can be when we all just slow down and have a bit of fun. This entire week, sleepless hotel nights not withstanding, has reminded me how much I adore my little family and how even when something is less than perfect, if they are happy, I barely notice. Watching the kids soak in this break and our time together has been worth every missed email and passed up freelance opportunity. Next week we’ll be back to the normal grind, but for a few more days, we can pretend we live in funland.

Here are a few awesome links from around the web to entertain you this weekend. I’ll be back to a normal blogging schedule next week, and I can’t wait to share some fun projects I’ve been working on. (Sidenote: I need to find a synonym for “fun.”)

My FAVORITE web video series The Lizzie Bennnet Diaries is nearing the end of it’s run. Yesterday they posted the episode where Darcy and Lizzie proclaim their love…and it killed me dead. This is why the Internet is such an amazing place. People can take something that has been done hundreds of times over, and make it their own. And with very little upfront capital, they can share it with the world, via a few clicks. Fantastic!

Have you ever thought of yourself as stylishly unique? Well, this thoughtful post from Erin over at Design for Mankind might change your mind. Do you think you dress for yourself, or for your tribe? I’d love to say I dress for myself, but I have to admit, I do think I fit in to a certain tribe and most of this tribe’s members probably dress themselves I lot like me. (Says the girl wearing thick-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans, a striped top and a scarf with patterned ballet flats…)

I am so excited to read Minimalist Parenting (downloading on my Nook as we speak!). This book by Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest gives advice and real steps on creating a life for your family that’s based on “less” in a world full of “more.” I am such a fan of this idea and am so excited it’s coming to the forefront of parenting news. What do you think?

I love this post my friend Nicole wrote on simple birthday celebrations. In Lu’s life we’ve had three big birthday parties and three smaller affairs (like a picnic with the godparents or cake for breakfast) and I’d say she loves the simple parties as much as the big ones. In fact, the first big friend party we threw had Lu in tears half the time due to all the attention being on her (I can relate, girl). And as with all of Nicole’s posts, the photos are beautiful.

Watercolor Easter eggs are on our weekend agenda! Weirdly, I have all the materials on hand. Does this mean I’m crafty now? So strange.

College Humor made a live action version of Dora the Explorer starring Ariel Winter from Modern Family. It is probably the best thing ever. “It’s Swiper! He’s working with the Iranians now!”

Here are a few other pieces I’ve contributed to around the www the past few weeks:

The Zesty Digest is hosting a rad giveaway…you should go enter!

You Are My Wild is one of my favorite photography projects on the web right now. I was so lucky to be able to interview some of the participating photographers for a piece for Design for MiniKind.

Have you heard of the site, The Kid Should See This? It’s a curated video site that a mom created when she found there was content on the web she WANTED her kid to be watching, but would be hard for him to find. I did an interview with the creator, Rion, for Design for Minikind.

The wisdom of six year olds…oh, I can relate.

The Remedy

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Post shoveling...the snow is over my boots and my toes are cold.

Today was our third snow day in less than one week. Tomorrow will be our fourth. Tonight we got the email from the school district saying they were closing for another day to keep the kids off the roads. On Facebook, there was a lot of grumbling. Me? I don’t know…I’m okay with it.

This is the first time in my life as a mother that I’m able to just…I don’t know…be okay with it. Yes, I’m way behind on freelance work. Yes, I’m behind on my blogging. Of course, I’m behind on the day job. But for the first time, I feel really at peace with all of it. We’re all behind. Offices are shutting down all over Kansas City, and clients that aren’t located here seem quite understanding of the insane weather that’s hit our area. The pressure I usually feel about to crush me during times like these isn’t here this time…it’s faded away.

About a week ago I took a good, long look at where I’m spending my time. I felt overwhelmed and lost…unsure if I was doing the right thing with my life. My schedule was out of control, but I still constantly felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I had lunch with a fabulous local food blogger I met in Salt Lake City and described my problem. She said it was obvious I was doing too much. My sounding board and mentor, Erin, said the same. It was incredible hearing women who I admire and look up to, and who do so much themselves, say I was overextending. I knew deep down that working every night until 2 a.m. wasn’t a smart plan, but I was in a hole and couldn’t get out.

A day later we were snowed in, and since then, I haven’t feel overwhelmed. I have sledded and built snow forts and shoveled driveways and watched movies and drank wine and took naps. I have stepped back. And it has been perfect.

Building snow forts with the neighbors!

The timing hasn’t been great. I have deadlines looming and emails piling up. But the snow fell and the kids were home. So I stopped. I watched, I waited, I played…and today, I feel full again.

Love, Joy and the Universe

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Simon Potter, born February 24, 2013

There are days when I flashback to when my children were born. Days that are warm and birds are singing (Lucy, born in June) and days when the snow softly falls and the air is crisp (Tate, born in December). I often think about surreal it all was, how in a few short hours, my world had changed so drastically, and yet, the outside world went on as if nothing had happened. I remember leaving the hospital in the snow after Tate was born, in disbelief that people were headed to work as if it was a normal day…like the universe hadn’t been altered in some cosmic way. Which for me, it had. I went in to the hospital on a Monday and he didn’t exist. When I left on Wednesday, there was a new life in the world. A new person who would make decisions someday that would snowball and affect many others. I think ahead to when I’m a grandmother and I’ll look at everyone around me. Children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews…and I’ll remember that once, there was a world where they did not exist. Once upon a time, I walked into a hospital and then the universe exploded with love and joy.

I imagine it’s that way every time a baby is born. And some days when I drive past the hospitals where my children entered this world, I remember what it was like. I think about all those babies being born on this very day. How they will change the world…and then I go on with my errands, like it’s any other day.

But it’s not. Today is the day that it all changed. Somewhere, someone amazing was born. And he or she is going to make the world a wonderful place to be. I’m happy to be a part of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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valentines-day-2013

Love is Amazing and Also Horrible : Playlist

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Valentines Playlist 2013

Don’t get me wrong, people, I am a fan of love. My favorite movies are romantic comedies where Meg Ryan kisses Tom Hanks at the end, so you could call me a connoisseur of love. Love is the best. All kinds of love. Gay love. Straight love. Puppy love. A mother’s love. I could go on forever.

But, you guys, seriously, love isn’t perfect. And though I have somehow inexplicably ended up happier in my little life that I ever imagined possible, sometimes I still want to punch love in the face. Or at least listen to some loud music about how horrible it is and purge some much needed angst. Because love is beautiful, but it can drive you f’ing crazy.

So I made you (and me, let’s be real) a little playlist full of everything. Some good love. Some sad love. Some love that needs to be punched in the face. Some people saying screw romantic love, let’s party with our friends (I love these people). Let’s soak it all in, everyone. I love you!

Love is Amazing and Also Horrible by Crazybananas on Grooveshark

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