Is it intimidating that my last post wast on June 3, 2017 (yikes 2017)? Yes.
Many have asked if I will be transitioning into the "Mommy Blog" sphere, since leaving my full time job to stay at home with Luke who was born in March. The short answer is, "I don't know." What I do know is that I've listened to many life hacky and motivational podcasts and skimmed personality, work/life balance books to try to find an answer. But guess what, my answer is still, "I don't know." My brain is really trying to believe that I can pick up the blog and maintain the same audience, but I know that since Luke came into the world, our lives have completely changed and my voice and viewpoints will never be the same. When I said to another mom in passing that I am not qualified to be a "Mommy Blogger," she refuted my self-doubt immediately and reminded me that I certainly am because the only qualifier is being a parent.
I want all to feel welcomed, inspired, and entertained, parent or not. So, I will give it a go--writing as a lady, wife, mom, friend, who enjoys making things, doing things, learning things, and sharing the things with you.
Previously in catch up posts, I've listed what's been going on, but today I want to talk through some everyday things I've found myself being thankful for since ... being pregnant, quitting my full time job, having a baby, moving to Philadelphia, moving to another apartment in Philadelphia, and practicing parenthood. No need to be overwhelmed, let's look at this as "just 3 things" in a few categories so you can take-away something quickly (and maybe I can find the time to do another post like this in less than a year's time).
Many have asked if I will be transitioning into the "Mommy Blog" sphere, since leaving my full time job to stay at home with Luke who was born in March. The short answer is, "I don't know." What I do know is that I've listened to many life hacky and motivational podcasts and skimmed personality, work/life balance books to try to find an answer. But guess what, my answer is still, "I don't know." My brain is really trying to believe that I can pick up the blog and maintain the same audience, but I know that since Luke came into the world, our lives have completely changed and my voice and viewpoints will never be the same. When I said to another mom in passing that I am not qualified to be a "Mommy Blogger," she refuted my self-doubt immediately and reminded me that I certainly am because the only qualifier is being a parent.
I want all to feel welcomed, inspired, and entertained, parent or not. So, I will give it a go--writing as a lady, wife, mom, friend, who enjoys making things, doing things, learning things, and sharing the things with you.
Previously in catch up posts, I've listed what's been going on, but today I want to talk through some everyday things I've found myself being thankful for since ... being pregnant, quitting my full time job, having a baby, moving to Philadelphia, moving to another apartment in Philadelphia, and practicing parenthood. No need to be overwhelmed, let's look at this as "just 3 things" in a few categories so you can take-away something quickly (and maybe I can find the time to do another post like this in less than a year's time).
In the kitchen:
Around the house:
In your ears and eyeballs:
And, in other news, Luke.
- Crockpot liners - huge timesavers with minimal cost. They take the cleanup anxiety out of making a delicious, slow-cooked chili, soup, overnight oats, and more.
- Ground mustard - where has this spice been all my life?! It was probably hidden away because I was allergic to mustard as a kid. I use onion powder and black pepper as my main flavor providers, but mustard is great in so many dishes.
- Frozen pearl onions - don't worry about chopping onions. These bad boys can be dumped into your recipe and soften nicely so you don't have to worry about chomping down into a hunk of onion.
Around the house:
- Cloth napkins - sounds like a hassle, but not really. Cloth napkins are environmentally-friendly, fun to look at, and make for a great low-cost item to find when you need a shopping fix.
- Fresh flowers - nothing revolutionary here, fresh flowers make our home friendlier. Trader Joe's offers great deals on small bouquets that you can vase up or deconstruct to use in several vases. We put ours in no-frills IKEA glasses and they make a huge difference in our decor.
- Glass water bottles - we've been using glass water bottles for years, so hipster, right? Glass bottles make your table look complete when you have dinner guests and make it easy to refill your glass when you are sitting on the couch watching Netflix. Win win.
In your ears and eyeballs:
- MamaMia Out Loud - three Australian ladies talking about all the things. Pop culture, politics (yes, the rest of the world talks about the US's mess too), and fun recommendations. They have 2 episodes a week and I look forward to them both.
- Happier with Gretchen Rubin - I am in the Gretchen Rubin rabbit hole. Creator of The Four Tendencies, Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth Craft, talk about strategies for improving happiness in your day to day life. I highly recommend the podcast and Gretchen's books.
- Girls' Night In (GNI) - weekly email newsletter with funny memes and interesting articles. This was shared with me and I like to pass it on to my lady friends for a Friday morning dose of ideas for the weekend and week ahead. Great conversation starters for Friday night dinner.
And, in other news, Luke.
