// Mama Needs a Manicure // Sponsor Spotlight and Jamberry Giveaway //

Last giveaway before Christmas. I hope you enter. It's a good one!

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I got invited to a Jamberry Facebook party in September and had no intention of actually buying any, but after hearing all about them and seeing all the cool designs I decided to give them a shot.  I love to paint my nails but I never even attempt it anymore.  Between diaper changes, washing dishes, and playing musical instruments, any manicure would be chipped within 2 hours. And when would I actually have time to paint my nails and let them dry? That's right. Never.

Enter Jamberry Nail Wraps! Ta-da!

There are so many reasons I love Jamberries.  

1. I don't have to wait for them to dry.  It's ok if you get interrupted while putting them on. (essential for me because interuptions are bound to happen). You don't have to wait for them to dry so I could get three fingers done, go change a diaper, then come back and finish. No smearing wet nail polish.

2. They stay on really well! Unlike my nail polish which literally would chip the same day, I've had my Jams last for 2 weeks! Amazing!

My own Jamicure. I love me some florals.

3. They come in super fun designs! I personally love the florals. Just give me all the florals. But there are so many designs, there's really something for everyone. And it's fun to have fancy fingers!

Being able to do your nails is such a great way to administer a little self care. It's always been sort of relaxing and therapeutic, so finding out about Jamberry Nails was such a pleasant surprise. I really wanted to share the Jamberry love with you guys and was so excited when Jenn said she wanted to team up with me to give away a full sheet of wraps (enough for 2 manis and 2 pedis!).

Jenn's going to give you the low down on the Jams, and then the giveaway's at the end!

Describe for us what exactly Jamberries are and how they work?

Jamberries are heat-activated vinyl nail wraps.  They are made with non-toxic materials and are safe for all ages!  A full sheet of wraps includes 18 wraps and is enough to do at least two manicures and two pedicures.  They work simply by selecting the correct size wrap, applying heat to the wrap, pressing it to the nail bed, heating to seal, and filing away the excess wrap from the edge of the nail.  The heat (from a blow dryer or Jamberry mini heater) activates the adhesive and creates a seal tight enough to hold up against almost anything.  The wraps will last up to two weeks on fingers and up to six weeks on toes!

Why do you like Jamberries better than regular nail polish?

 I am a stay-at-home mom to an 18 month old and nail polish would NEVER last!  Also, it was a lot of effort to paint my nails (at least an hour in which I could do nothing else) when the results would only last a few days.  Then it seemed I never had time to take the ugly, chipped polish off and I was completely embarassed of how my nails would look, yuck!  With Jamberries, I can put in little effort to have nails that look good and last.  As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like my looks get put on the back burner quite often so even if I'm still in my sweatpants at 2 in the afternoon and my hair and make-up have not been done, at least my Jams look great!  I also do not like the smell of nail polish and/or the fact that it could chip off anywhere (like in food) and is probably not a safe thing to be ingested and with Jamberries, I don't have to worry about smell or losing any part of them in my food to be eaten!

How did you first hear about/try Jamberries?

In June of this year, a friend of mine added me to a Jamberry Facebook party that she was hosting!  The party was so much fun that I just HAD to try the product.  The consultant sent me samples and I fell in love because I put the sample on while my son was crawling all over me AND it lasted for more than two weeks!!  I hosted my own party and earned a bunch of freebies so I have been absolutely hooked ever since!

What inspired you to become a Jamberry consultant?

I LOVED the product so much and loved the flexibility to do completely online parties!  When I had my son, we took a huge loss in income since we decided for me to stay home with him.  We had been surviving every month but without much extra to save or use for fun money.  The possibility of earning a little cash while still being able to stay home with my son was incredibly appealing.  The consultant kit was reasonably priced and my husband and I decided it was worth a shot.  It has definitely proven to be worth it!

Can you tell us a little about Jamberry Nails as a company?

Jamberry was founded by three sisters who were determined, after an expensive trip to the nail salon, to find a more cost-efficient way of keeping nails looking polished!  They launched the first Jamberry nails wraps in late 2010 and the company has soared since then.  The Jamberry goal is to arm its customers with style and confidence without requiring too much of their time or money.  The company is continuing to grow and is continually looking to reach out to charities in the communities in which it sells.  One of the charities they work with is the Autism Society of America.  For every sale of the wrap "Autism Awareness," Jamberry donates $2 of the sale to this charity.  Jamberry consultants also have the opportunity to do fundraisers for different charities, instead of hostess rewards, Jamberry will donate 10% of sales to the charity.  Jamberry also be donated to the Salvation Army this holiday season with sales during the Black Friday weekend!  The company is very generous and, from my experience, is very concerned with its customers and their families/communities.

Which is your favorite Jamberry?

 I have a REALLY hard time with this question.  One of the reasons I joined Jamberry was because I could not decide which wraps were my favorites, I wanted them ALL!  If I had to choose just one, I would probably go with Star Performer because I am obsessed with stars and this wrap has so many different colors, I can mix and match it with lots of other wraps!

Jenn is giving one FULL SHEET of wraps- that's enough for 2 manis and 2 pedis. You can enter using the rafflecopter below. And if you feel like shopping (fabulous Christmas gifts for just about anybody) visit Jenn's Jamberry website, choose "Anna's Blog Giveaway Party" when you check out and you will get extra entries into the giveaway! 

Jam away my lovelies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

// W E E K E A T S vol 1//

finally getting in on my friend Nell's meal planning link up. 

Head over to Whole Parenting to more inspiration for your meal planning this week!

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I love how a meal plan for the week can tell a story about your life.  What you eat says a lot about who you are, what you value, how busy your schedule is, what you're family looks like.  This is what our meals will be looking like this week, you can decide for yourself what they say about us.

Sunday: Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken Breast, asparagus and Caesar salad. 

My Aunt Lori just moved back to the Twin Cities after living out of state for several years.  This a big deal because this is an aunt who lived with us until I was about 13. It's her birthday this weekend and for the first time ever I get to cook her a birthday dinner. And we are going with Italian. I've never made Alfredo before and it's about darn time I did because I love that dish.  I will be using the Pioneer Woman's recipe. I'm salivating just thinking about it. 

Monday: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Both Alex and I saw this recipe from The Kitchn floating around our Facebook feeds this past week, and since we're both nutso about Indian food I decided I needed to make it. I teach Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, so my cooking time those days is very limited, making crock pot meals my best friend. Also, I will be making a double recipe because....

Tuesday: Leftovers!

Wednesday: Leftovers!

Thursday: GAH! I have no idea what to make for Thursday.  I don't usually meal plan so having things planned out this much is pretty good for me. We'll see how long the leftovers last. Maybe it will be egg sandwiches? Maybe I'll find a fun and EASY recipe from another person linking up with Nell?  Either way, I'm sure we will eat something. 

Friday: Enchiladas for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! 

This Friday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Patroness of the America's and the unborn. Yay! The mom's group at our parish is having a Mexican themed potluck in celebration Friday and I am bringing Enchiladas. I don't have a link or a picture for you because I'm using the recipe my friend Jacqui gave me. But she is the Mexican Domestic Goddess and I bet if you asked nicely she would share her secrets with you.

Saturday: Leftovers Again!

Can you tell we do a lot of leftovers around here? My moto is "cook large and less often!" 

Head on over to Whole Parenting for more Week Eats!

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// 7 Q U I C K T A K E S vol 1 3 //

linking up with Kelly at This Ain't The Lyceum - NEW HOME of quick takes!
 because I need to get you all caught up on the happenings over here.

//1//

Thanksgiving was last week, and on the one hand, it was good.  We got to see lots of family. We got to eat lots of pie. But on the other hand it was really hard. Alex is the operations manager for a small chain of bakeries here in the Twin Cities.  You think "bakery, that sounds fun and yummy!" And it is fun and yummy, but it's also a lot of work. He has long hours, he's on call basically 24/7, he's been having to work Saturdays lately too. Not. Fun. And the holidays are super busy. When most people are looking forward to a long weekend of family and relaxation Alex is gearing up for super early mornings and 12 hour work days. The only day he had off last week was Thanksgiving it's self, which was spent frantically making pies and then hopping back and forth between our families. This is what every major holiday of our marriage has been like. I'm super thankful for a good job, but it gets hard. But thankfully, there is an end in sight, because.....

//2//

 Alex got into PA School! For the last two years Alex has been taking prerequisites to apply for physician assistant programs.  His undergrad was in Spanish and linguistics, so nothing transferred and he's basically been working on a whole other bachelor's degree. So for the the last two years he has been working a demanding full time job, taking classes, doing home work almost every night, whilst being a husband to my pregnant and then postpartum self and a father to our little boy. It's been a little crazy.

This summer Alex submitted his applications to the three PA programs in Minnesota. He interviewed at two and found out just a few weeks ago that he was excepted to both! He has been working so hard and we've both sacrificed a lot in our relationship and home life with trust that this is what he is supposed to be doing. It's so good to get this confirmation and it's such a relief to know that the next three years of our life is all set. Of course I knew that he'd get in, but it's still a relief to know for sure!

//3//

It's advent! How is your advent going?  Ours is going....not bad, not great.  It's just going, I guess.  We got the tree set up, Johnny hasn't tried to pull it down yet, so that's a win. We've got the advent wreath out, but we didn't have it out in time for dinner last Sunday, so we actually haven't lit it yet. I've been using my Blessed is She advent journal and it has been really nice to change up my prayer routine a little bit with it. I've read a few good blog posts about things to do during advent, and advent traditions, and this great post about phones and daily prayer that have given me some ideas for things I'd like to try.

My own personal goal for advent has been to just do more listening and waiting for the Lord, even if I don't hear anything, even it feels like He's not near me. I'm trying to quiet my thoughts, my anxieties, my temper, my heart, and really wait for Him.

Come, Lord Jesus, even now, even to me.

//4//

Alex and I got out for a much needed date yesterday. I've always liked going on dates with my husband but I've never really felt like we needed dates until we had Johnny. (People who have had children longer than I have are rolling their eyes and saying "ya think?") Having a baby, or rather a toddler, is so consuming. When we are home together literally every second of time and ounce of energy is spent keeping Mr. Seek-and-Destroy out of trouble. Today he dumped an entire box of Cheese-Itz out onto the the floor, I dropped one of his poops on the bathroom floor, he pulled beer bottles out of the recycling bin, and emptied sock draws, kitchen cabinets, book shelves, and laundry baskets left and right.  Basically everything we own is always on the floor. 

He does a lot of sweet things too, he plays peek-a-boo, and he spins in circles til he's dizzy, he just started giving kisses and I love it! But even when he's being sweet our thoughts are completely on him and Alex and I forget to take care of each other.  So getting out and spending a couple hours focused on us was so needed. 

//5//

I had a couple hours to my self this morning.  Unfortunately they were spent at the dentist. I mean no disrespect to dentists, and I'm very grateful for good oral health, but going to the dentist is just so soul crushing.  We don't have dental insurance, so I go pay a whole bunch of money to have someone scrape my gums and blast my teeth with freezing cold water for 40 minutes all the while telling me that I shouldn't drink red wine and coffee because my teeth are becoming stained. Um....I'm sorry, but there is no amount of stained teeth that could keep me from my red wine and coffee. It is simply not an option at this stage in life. Quit making me feel guilty for keeping my sanity at a decent level!

Anyway, I had a cavity, so I have to go back in January.

                             

//6//

Last weekend we celebrated my Granddad's 90th birthday. My Granddad was raised on a Minnesota farm, he was a tail gunner in WWII. He got married, had five kids,  and owned a business. I've known him as the man who taught us to fish, who smokes a pipe, who likes to eat venison, and loves to tell a good story. Now he's 90. He has 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. He and my Grandma are still in their own house. I've been going their as long as I can remember. This last year my little brother started mowing the lawn for him, but he still takes a walk every day and plants a garden every summer. 

At 90 years old he has 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Family has always been important and it still is.  My grandparents still come to all my concerts and my student recitals. They come hear us sing at church. They come to Sunday night dinners. They still call me every year on my birthday. When I look at my Granddad I see a life well lived and a legacy that neither moth or rust can destroy. I see family, and I see love.

My dad and my grandparents

The Whole Shepperd Clan. This was seriously the best photo I got. You try getting 40 people to smile all together.

//7//

Lastly, Nell of Whole Parenting, who is one of the most generous and gracious bloggers I know, was so kind as to interview me about my Etsy shoppe and is giving away one of my baby hats. So head on over there and enter.  And I hope you all have a great weekend!

for more quick takes visit This Ain't The Lyceum

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// O C E A N S //

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These are the opening lines of a song that has been playing on repeat in my mind over and over again for the past few weeks. The story is somewhat personal, but I think it's something some of you may be able to relate to, so to me, that's a good reason to share.

When I shared my conversion story a couple months ago one of the things I talked about was how before I became Catholic I had relied on praise and worship music and feeling "emotional highs" in my relationship with God. One of the things that was really hard but really good for me to learn as I was entering the Catholic Church was that I could praise God without contemporary music. In fact, I could praise Him with no music at all.  I learned that God was active and present in my life regardless of what I might be feeling.

I went about a year without regularly attending a contemporary worship service. I  was really settling in to more traditional forms of liturgy, but I still missed having praise and worship music in church.  Well, imagine my joy when Alex and I started going to a church that offered a more contemporary mass! And they were looking for people to help with music! We jumped right in and it was such a blessing to sing the praise and worship songs that I had loved for years right along side the ancient Catholic liturgies that I was learning to love. I played piano and sang every week for 3 years until Johnny was born. Having a baby has forced me to cut back my involvement in music ministry a little bit, but I still lead worship for "Emmaus", a night of adoration, confession, and praise and worship that our parish holds once a month. Sometimes I don't feel like going, life is so busy, sometimes I wonder if I should give up this volunteer opportunity as well and just focus on the needs of my family. But I every time get to church and start singing I'm always so glad I get to do it.

All this is back story to something that happened a few weeks ago. It was the third Friday of the month and I was playing for "Emmaus". We were playing a song called "Oceans". We've played it before, and while I love it and think it's a beautiful song it had never really struck me on a personal or spiritual level before. But then we sang these words:

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior"

And I couldn't sing them. Every time I tried I got a huge lump in my throat and my eyes started welling up with tears. I couldn't quite understand what was going on because it had been so long since I had had an emotional experiences during a worship service. I wouldn't say I'm going through spiritual dryness. But I will say that even though I'm seeking the Lord on an (almost) daily basis I don't regularly feel His presence in the way I would like.  I know He is present and working in my life, but I don't always feel it. And I know that that's ok.

But in that moment I felt the Holy Spirit working on my heart.

Did I mean the words I was singing? "Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander". That's a scary request to make of The Lord. That's essentially asking the Lord to take me to a place where I have no control so that I have to trust in Him.  I have been in places like that before. Miscarriage. Two years of infertility. A baby in the NICU plus 4 separate surgeries. I don't like being in those kinds of places. Why on earth would I ask God to take me there again? 

Because there "my faith will be made stronger."

Things have been pretty easy around here.  No, having a toddler is not always easy, but I know what to expect. I essentially know what each day will bring. I'm pretty comfortable with our routine and I feel like I have things pretty well under control.

Control. That's the key word. I like being in control. But maybe I'm not supposed to be in control.  Maybe I need to give up control in my life and surrender to the Lord's will. I don't know what that will look like yet, but I am preparing myself to follow when He calls me out on the water. It's scary when that happens. But I know from experience that being in His will is the best place to be. 

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//What I'm Trying To Do Differently This Christmas//sponsor spotlight and jewelry giveaway//

We've all done it. The week before Christmas, ok three days before Christmas, ok Christmas Eve, frantically running to Target to try to finish the Christmas shopping.  Piling the cart full of generic gifts with hardly any thought behind them. Then standing in a really long line with a bunch of other frantic and grumpy shoppers. I'm not knocking Target. I love Target, as is evidenced by my at least weekly visits there. But when it comes to Christmas shopping, I'd like to do a little better than a Target run at the 11th hour.

 It's been a few year now since the "shop local" and "shop small businesses" movements have taken off.  As a crafter I love the idea of supporting fellow crafters, and as a semi-crunchy person I love the idea of supporting local economies.  But I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't really actually done it! This year it's going to be different. This year it's going to be thoughtful, and when possible, hand made and locally produced gifts.

My friend Anna runs Classically Romantic, an Etsy shop of all handmade jewelry.  There are a few things that make her shop extra special.  First, her name is also Anna. Automatic win! Second, we used to play in college orchestra together! (Go Orch Dorks!) Third, she makes all her jewelry right here in the Twin Cities.  Her shop is full of beautiful, completely unique pieces of jewelry. When she said she wanted to give me Some pieces to style, and another piece to give away to you, I was totally pumped! She was also good enough to give us the inside scoop on what it's like to make crafting into a small business.  I hope you'll read and be inspired to shop locally and handmade, and that you'll enter the giveaway (at the end!) and check out her shop. (All photos link back to the product listing)

Q: When and why did you start Classically Romantic?

A: Classically Romantic officially became a functioning business a couple years ago after college, but I tinkered with a hobby version of it for about a year before that. I've always been a maker, a crafter, an entrepreneur, and a colouring book enthusiast. Before Classically Romantic became Classically Romantic it was just a little girl selling stretchy beaded bracelets at her family's garage sale, trying to copy her grandma's handmade business.

Q: Is art and creativity something that runs in your family?

A: Yes! Though I might broaden this into 'the arts'. In my family we've got myself, a jewelry maker and former figure skater, my sister a classically trained pianist, my cousin a former ballet dancer and general arts enthusiast, her sister a maker of all sorts, an aunt who quilts, my mom who sews, my grandma who crocheted and also had a handmade business, and everyone else has worked something creative into their lives. It might be a love of literature, a glue gun and craft supplies, or a supporter of music. I can't tell you how many years we've all exchanged handmade Christmas gifts or saved craft store coupons for each other!

Q: What do you do in addition to running your etsy shop?

A: That's a bit of a tricky question. The CIA likes their operatives to maintain low profiles... haha! I have a 'day job' as a receptionist, and when I'm not doing that I'm either sleeping or working on something Etsy related! In the few hours I'm doing neither, I like reading, talking with friends, and listening to edutainment styled podcasts while I clean. My favourites are Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, Freakonomics, Radiolab, and This American Life. I know, I'm a wild woman.

Q: Would you like your jewelry business to become a full time gig eventually?

A: This is my long term goal! I would love to be a self-started business and making enough financially to work from home. Right now I'm not anywhere near that goal but I'm trying to learn and improve as I go. I would love to be featured in local boutiques and have my own website someday, I think that would be really neat.

Q: Tell us about the name, Classically Romantic. What does it mean and how is it reflected in your style?

A: The name Classically Romantic didn't exist until 2010 in my head. It has become very sentimental in my life, but it started out as merely a brainstorm of adjectives describing my personal style. I wish I would have kept the sheet of paper I wrote it all out on! Classic styles, the past, and beauty in nature are all ideas I want to reflect in my jewelry. This means I have lots of vintage or replica pieces, lots of florals, and lots of pearls and lace. The style of Classically Romantic is about femininity, beauty, and memories.

Q: How do your personality and interests come through in your jewelry? (ahem, Sherlock.)

A: Most of my shop is very woodland and vintage inspired, but I do have some really geeky stuff in there too... like the Sherlock pieces! I think that, to deny my shop the geeky reflection of me would be cheating... although I don't focus on the geeky, pop culture stuff as much because the themes are so fleeting. But they're very fun in the moment and in a cult classic way. Making pieces inspired by nerdy stuff is just as natural to me as making something inspired by a garden or my grandma's old jewelry. Bring on Sherlock, Doctor Who, or Harry Potter, I've got those supplies ready!

Q: What has been your favorite part of Classically Romantic so far?

A: By FAR my favourite part has just been seeing how much I've learned and grown over the months and years. I still remember how I shipped my first order. I had the good sense to use a bubble envelope to keep the necklace safe, but nothing else. I didn't have business cards, no actual packaging to speak of, I certainly didn't think to include a thank you note.... Don't worry, things are much better now! A close second, and nearly a tie to that would be seeing how happy people are at craft shows when they walk away with the perfect gift for their mom or sister. I try to keep things affordable so that someone doesn't have to make a sacrifice to buy a gift, or end up paying for a fancy name instead of a quality product. Providing something special to people is important to me and my business. I hope to never lose that idea.

When I received my own Classically Romantic pieces this first thing I noticed was the attention to detail in the packaging. I almost didn't want to open it, it was so beautiful. You could order a gift for someone and not need to do any gift wrapping. 

The presentation of the jewelry inside the box was so intentional and really made the pieces look quite exquisite. A thank you note and business card were neatly tucked in and whole package looked and felt so professional and high quality, it's amazing to think it's all produced by one individual out of her home. 

I love locket necklaces. I love the idea of carrying around the picture of a loved one right on top of your heart. Even before I became pregnant with Johnny I knew I wanted a locket to put a picture of my baby in.  Anna has several lockets in her shop and I was thrilled when I saw one had been included on my package. This antique styled, book shaped locked is perfect. It's so nostalgic and looks like an heirloom, which I'm hoping it will become. I also love that this necklace is versatile. It could work with a casual outfit just as easily as with something dressy.

These earrings were another favorite of mine. I loved the simple yet classy look, and when I got them and tried them on I loved them even more. I put them on and instantly felt super fancy. That, my friends, is what a good pair of earring will do to you. And they are so light!  I don't know if you wear a lot of long earrings, but most of them feel like long earring. In other words, they're really heavy.  Not these pretty little things. They are so light and comfortable to wear, and they're really beautiful. These are going to be my Christmas Eve earring.  And my New Years Eve earrings.  Basically they are my any-time-I'm-dressing-up earrings.  

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my raving as well as all my selfies.  Now I hope you will enter the giveaway, then tell your friends to enter the giveaway, then go visit Classically Romantic and get a gift for your sister or mom or bff, or just for yourself! Use the coupon code COZYWINTER to receive 20% of any non-custom orders now through the end of January 2015!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

//five fashion favorites//

I'm not much of a fashionista. And I usually try not to do that much shopping.  In fact, my new years resolution for this year was to do NO clothes shopping for all of 2014 (barring any emergency needs, nursing bras, things of that nature). Well, I think I lasted until about March before I broke down and bought something.

I'm going to blame my postpartum body.  The plain and simple fact is a lot of my old clothes just no longer fit me right. Even after I lost my baby weight, my body is just different now. I needed clothes that would fit my forever expanded hips and rib cage. And having the saggy, stretchy, lumpiness of a postpartum body, it just feels really good to look put together once in a while. When you're over tired and touched out, having a clean, presentable outfit and some lipstick on can do wonders for personal morale.

This fall I came across a few really good fashion finds that I love and that have become major staples in my mommy wardrobe. And so I give you my five fashion favorites. (The photos that are not mine link back to the websites they are from)

//1. printed leggings//

At first I thought only teenagers could pull them off.  But now I'm convinced they were invented for the stay at home mom.  Because what's more comfortable than leggings? Nothing. And with a fun pattern you can feel a little more stylish and put together than you would in just plain black yoga pants. White plum has an amazing selection of printed leggings. I think I'm addicted.

//2. tunics//

actual model from white plum's website.

me attempting to model my leggings and over sized sweater.

If you're going to wear leggings then you need to invest in a couple of tunics. I am 100% on board with the mantra of "leggings are not pants." So if you're going to wear them you need something that covers the old behind.  I love love love this tunic, also from white plum. And I also recently found these nice long layering tunics at Target. Great for wearing under something that maybe is not quite long enough to be presentable with leggings. Big, over-sized sweaters also work great with leggings. And wearing a long, flowing tunic helps hide the postpartum tummy troubles none of us like to show off.

//3. oxfords//

 I think it was after watching Call the Midwife that I decided I needed to get myself a pair of oxfords. They're so timeless, they can look vintage or modern. They're always in style, they work with jeans, and they work with dresses. I just found mine on Amazon and I love them. The only problem is our early Minnesota snow has me reaching for boots more than flats these days. Come springtime, however, I will be sporting my oxfords!

//4. this lipstick//

So, I shamelessly copied my little sister with this lipstick. She is a hairstylist by trade and very knowledgeable about all things trendy, and I shamelessly copy her on many occasions. I loved this lip color on her and after a failed attempt at commandeering it from her purse I had to go out and get one of my own.  Lipstick it like a magic pick-me-up, no matter how tired and frumpy I am feeling, if I put on some lipstick I instantly feel fancy! 

//5. lily jade diaper bag//

This one is a real splurge and I realize most of us just can't go out and get one. I had heard about Lily Jade bags back in the spring from fashionable mommy bloggers such as Grace from Camp Patton. It's a diaper bag, but it's also a designer bag. It has this great insert that keeps all your baby stuff organized, it's nice and big, and it's beautiful to look at.  Then my good friend Jacqui got one for her birthday, and after seeing  one in the flesh I knew I would loath and despise any other diaper bag for the rest of my life until I got one. So Alex was a real champ and organized the families to go in on one for me. And I love it! I've tried three other diaper bags and this one holds the most stuff and stays organized the best. I usually carry around 2 cloth diapers, 1 extra cover, wipes, wet bag, butt paste, my sling, a book, toy and snack for Johnny, my wallet, water bottle, sippy cup, lipstick, gum, cellphone, and sometimes a knitting project or camera. And it ALL fits! And it's so pretty. And I love it.

linking up with Jenna for 5 Favorites

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//embrace the ordinary vol 2: snow//

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For some people snow might not be that ordinary. But for us Minnesotans it is incredibly ordinary. We have snow for at least six months out of the year. We're constantly scraping it off our cars and stomping it from our boots and clearing it from our sidewalks. It limits time spent outdoors, gets our socks wet, and makes traffic miserable. I do not like the snow. 

We got our first snow fall this year on November 9th, which maybe is a little early for a first snow of the year. It was a big one. And unlike other first snows, which usually disappear once the sun comes out, it looks like this is it. Snow until April.  

But this year I've decided to embrace the snow and enjoy everything that comes with it. I'm going to enjoy how beautiful it makes everything look, and the way it sparkles in the sunlight or the street lamps. I'm going to enjoy Johnny's reaction to the snow, and how cute he looks bundled up in all his winter gear.  I'm going to embrace having an excuse to just stay home all day with a big sweater and two pairs of socks on. And I'm going to make hot chocolate and do lots of knitting. Somehow the snow doesn't seem so bad anymore. 

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The Perfect Anti-Sleep Storm

Every morning Johnny hits the ground running. Literally. He sits straight up in bed, in all his bed-head glory, then crawls backwards to the edge of the bed muttering "up, up, up," (up means up as well as down), and then slides off the bed feet first. Our bed is pretty high off the ground, so I have to hold onto his hands during this last part until his little feet touch the ground, and then he's off, faster than a speeding bullet, leaving a path of destruction in his wake as he pulls things off the night stand and book shelf and tosses them to the floor. Backing up a little bit. Yes, you heard that correctly, our 17 month old is still in bed with us.

You may remember some other post about my love/hate relationship with co-sleeping and trying to get Johnny to sleep through the night. Well, the struggle is real, the battling is still being waged, sleep troubles are alive and kicking.

We started night weaning Johnny in August. My idea was to cut him off slowly and gradually, but it just wasn't working. Johnny was still spending most of the night in our bed and nursing about 4 times a night. Co-sleeping with an infant is sweet and beautiful because they are small, they don't take up any space, and they stay in one place. Co-sleeping with a toddler just ends up looking like this:

photo from: howtobeadad.com

Anyway. Sleep deprivation was at an all time high. I had a day where nothing was going right and everything was making me cry, and then something clicked and I knew we had to go cold turkey on the night nursing.  I would nurse Johnny to sleep, and I would not nurse him again until morning. Alex was on board and was ready for any number of unpleasant nights in the rocking chair with Johnny. We were going to make it happen, I knew it was the right thing to do, and I had peace about it.

It turned out to be only a couple of rough nights.  Alex was such a great sport about keeping Johnny out of our bed, even if it meant spending most of the night on the couch with him. After a couple nights like that Johnny did the thing I never thought he would do- he slept through the night! He went to bed at 9:00 and slept all the way until 5:00. Now, 5:00 am is not an acceptable wake-up time, but an 8 hour stretch like that technically is sleeping through the night. And if we brought Johnny into our bed after a long stretch like that, he would nurse and sleep for a couple more hours. So we fell into a great pattern of one long stretch of sleep in the crib, then one quick nursing session and a couple more hours of sleep in our bed. Everyone was sleeping so much better, and I was still getting a couple hours of the co-sleeping closeness that my heart loves so much. Things were going great.

Then it happened. The perfect anti-sleep storm:

Daylight savings, 

Alex out of town, 

and Johnny and I sick, all in the same miserable weekend.

And just like that, all our hard work was undone. We are back to each being up a couple times in the night with Johnny, he's nursing 2-3 times a night, and usually in our bed around 2:00. I thought we had solved our sleep problems. We went cold turkey, we muscled through those few miserable nights.  Do we really have to go through them all over again? Veteran parents, is this sleeping through the night thing always going to be a cycle of learning, getting sick, forgetting, and then relearning? We know now that he can sleep through the night, we know it's not impossible, so as soon as his congestion clears up, it'll be back on the couch with papa. I'm not looking forward to it, and I can guarantee that Alex isn't looking forward to it, but I've gotten a taste of what good sleep is like, and I want it back!

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