sweaters, mice, and ladybugs

Trixie walked in to the kitchen yesterday morning carrying a ladybug that she had crushed in her fingers. It took me a moment to realize what it was. Then I had to repress my gagging while I gingerly gathered it into a paper towel and held it at arms length (even though it was dead) while I walked to the trashcan. 

I don't do well with the creepy-crawlies. 

I also don't do well with little furry critters, which is what I found behind the refrigerator later that morning. This one, although squarely caught in the mouse trap, was still alive.  Trixie and I retreated to another part of the house. My approach to the mousetraps in our house is to not approach them. 

But this was either a defective mousetrap or the Superman of mice (Mighty Mouse?), because after a few hours he (she?) was still going strong behind the refrigerator. I knew we couldn't stay out of the kitchen all day. I also knew that Alex wouldn't be home until dinnertime. So I did the adult thing and asked my dad to come over to, ahem, dispatch of him (her?). 

One of the many benefits of living very near my dad's place of work. Thanks Dad! 

So, spring is here! And it's bringing out all of God's creatures, great, small, and very small alike. 

We are even getting out a bit. Sidewalk chalk, trips to the park. It's still pretty brown and ugly outside, so we headed over to our local conservatory to enjoy some greenery and blooms.

I also finished the sweater that I have been working on since October. I usually knit pretty haphazardly, my motto being "close enough." But this was special yarn, (Malabrigo) and I wanted it to turn out great. I was very careful as I worked, trying the sweater on many times throughout the process. And it paid off! I love it, it fits great, and I'm going to wear it as much as I can before it gets too warm. 

The pattern is Caramel by Isabell Kraemer. 

CWBN Recap and Decompression Session

Have you heard me talk about the blogging conference I've been planning with my friends Jacqui and Susanna?

Probably, because we've been planning it since last summer. And it's the only thing I've blogged about in the last two months.

Well, it finally happened! And it was AMAZING!

Jacqui said in her recap post that she couldn't think of one thing that went wrong. Well, I can only think of two: 1. I forgot to wear earrings. And 2. We forgot to put out the orange juice with breakfast.

But other than that. It really did go off without a hitch.

Hey Jacqui!

My day started at 5:15 am when Trixie woke up to nurse. I had set my alarm for 6:00 but decided to just stay up to have plenty of time to get ready and out the door. But I was still running terribly behind, went to the wrong place to pick up a donation, and, as already mentioned, forgot to put out the OJ.

Hey Dirty Mirror!

Through the generosity of my in-laws we were able to hold the conference at their beautiful historic St. Paul home. It was the perfect setting for all 40 of us women to hang out and talk about blogging. I cannot thank them enough for opening up their home to us.

We had three friends helping us out in the kitchen throughout the day. They were amazing and are the only reason I got to actually enjoy the conference myself. If you're reading, you know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 Most of our menu was hand selected from the very best that Costco has to offer. Our lunch was provided courtesy of my dad's business. And our dinner was catered by local restaurant Gardens of Solanica. Super tasty Greek food. Do yourself a favor and get over there for your next girls night/date night/whatever night.

 We had three sessions, some workshop time, and a Q & A panel.

First, Nell talked about blogging basics - what to think about when starting a blog, how to find your niche, utilizing social media, and working with sponsors and other types of revenue sources. It was incredibly informative. The thing that has stayed with me from her talk was the importance of being authentic. Everyone wants to be seen and heard and build their readership and it's easy to think you need to do all the gimmicks and gizmos and be like all the other successful bloggers out there to do that. But really, all you need to do is be yourself and write about what you're passionate about. Authenticity is attractive.

I have found this to be true. When Jacqui and I went to the first Midwest Bloggers Conference in South Bend two years ago my goal was to grow my readership. For a short while I thought I had to get sponsors and post ads and be a "professional blogger" to make that happen. I tried to go that route and really hated how forced it felt. I realized I'd rather write what's on my heart than write something I don't really care about, even if no one reads it and I and never make a dime off this blog. It's been two years of working with that philosophy. And, even though I would still consider mine a small blog, my readership has grown a lot, slowly, and steadily, and authentically.

Next we heard from Laura. Her talk was about developing writing technique, how to edit yourself, how to "try on" another writer's style, read to write more, journal to write more, how to be vulnerable, but still guard your heart. If you read Laura's blog you know that she very openly shares her heart, and it's beautiful. So I was surprised when she said that only about 10 percent of what she writes ends up on her blog. The rest of it no one will ever see, it's between her and God.

Before I started blogging I used to journal. A lot. I have boxes in our attic filled with my old journals. Since I started blogging I haven't felt the need to journal nearly as much. But maybe I should. Maybe if I wrote more I would find I have more to say.

Finally we heard from Haley, who shared her journey from brand new hobby-blogger, to using her blog to help support her family. The main point that I took away was that you don't need permission to be a blogger. You don't need to be invited. If you have a blog, then you're a blogger. It's not a super fancy secret club.

It was so good to hear Haley say that, because sometimes the blogging world does feel like a super fancy secret club. Blogs can get pretty narcissistic pretty quickly.  Sometimes it feels like a competition to see who has the most fabulous life. It's good to remember that we're all just regular people and we're all just looking for meaningful community. And as Haley put it, it's hard to feel like a big deal when your kid has just thrown up on you.

Wise words.

One of my very favorite parts of the day was giving away all the amazing prizes that were contributed for this event. A Lily Jade bag, a Nena & Co bag, and some Kiki Koyote jewelry, were just some of the goodies.

And we all got some great stuff in our swag bags too! Thank you to Hatch Prints, Brass & Mint Co, Mata Traders, Pink Salt Riot, and Magnificat for being part of our day. (See our full list of sponsors here)

 Love my necklace. And I cleaned my mirror!

And of course seeing my Instagram feed materialize before me was truly amazing. What a world we live in that we get to have such fun! Thank you to everyone who came. It was such a special day.

For more conference recaps head over to Jacqui's

7 Reasons You Should Be at the CWBN Midwest Conference

We're planning a blogging conference for Catholic Women Bloggers, and if you're a Catholic woman and you blog, you must be there. If you don't blog, but your interested in blogging, then you should also be there. Also ok if you're a non-Catholic blogger, but you're interested in Catholicism. But you do have to be a lady. NO BOYS ALLOWED! 

I've been planning this conference with some of my friends for the past several months, and now it's finally almost here. One month to go until conference time, and only two weeks left to register. And just in case there's some of you still on the fence about whether or not to attend, I thought I'd give a few really great reasons to be there. 

//1//

Amazing Speakers. Haley Stewart, Laura Kelly Fanucci, and Nell Alt are all super cool bloggers, great writers, and exceptionally wonderful human beings. 

Nell lives just a few miles from my house and has brought me meals more times than I can count. The Fountains of Carrots podcast recently declared her the "cheerleader of the internet" and it's so true. She lifts up everyone she knows, in real life or online. Her talents are vast and varied, from writing to editing to sewing to crunchy living, she does it all and does it well.  She's a great friend to have on your team. 

I have met Laura many times at local blogging gatherings, and Blessed is She gatherings. She is so sweet, incredibly knowledgeable and super fun to hang with. She is a published author and has been one of my favorite writers since before I met her. If you read her blog you know what a beautiful writer she is and you also know how open and fearless she is about sharing what the Lord lays on her heart. I'm inspired every time I read her words. 

I got to meet Haley last fall when she passed through the Twin Cities on her family's epic cross-country road trip, but I've had a friend crush on her long before that. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. Who doesn't love hearing what she and her super-hip farming family are up to? Whether it's geeking out about Anne and Green Gables or Harry Potter, exploring tenets of the faith, or talking about fashion, I'm on board. Haley is a convert to Catholicism, just like me, and I love how accessible her writing about the Catholic Faith is. I have found it so helpful in my own faith life and have no hesitation sharing her posts with those who are not Catholic. 

You guys! This line-up is the bee's knees. 

//2//

Meet other bloggers. It's a very special thing when an online friendship becomes an in-real-life friendship. The first few minutes may be a little awkward, as you come face to face with people you've seen everyday via Instagram, but never in the flesh. You may be surprised by how tall or short people actually are, and what their voices sound like. But all that falls by the wayside quite quickly. You realize you have tons to talk about because you already know so much about each other. Come meet all your friends! And come make some new friends! 

Photo from the last Midwest conference - two years ago! 

If you think one day is not enough time to socialize with all your faves, fear not! There is going to be a Friday night happy hour (as happy as you choose to get during Lent) hosted by the Minnesota contingency for those who are arriving Friday, and a Sunday morning brunch at a local restaurant (pay your own way) for those who don't need to hurry back home. 

//3//

Get some practical help. We will be offering two workshops at our conference. One is a writing workshop. Bring a post you have been working on and get feedback on style, voice, readability, and content from one of our amazing speakers, plus of couple of other ladies in attendance who write professionally.  The other is a blog layout workshop. We will have a couple of computer whizzes in the house to help you figure out specific computer related problems, like making a header for your blog, or social media buttons, or other techy problems you may have. You can participate in one, or both of these workshops, or none if you'd rather just hang out with your new blogging buddies.

//4//

Swag and prizes. I love giving people gifts, so putting together the swag bags for this event has been such a treat for me. When you come to the CWBN Midwest Conference you will get a bag of some special treats and nifty gifties, because we think you're special and that you deserve it. We will also have some special prizes that we will be giving away, and by registering for the conference you are automatically entered to win. All of these are made possible by a growing list of amazing sponsors who have agreed to partner with us. Check them out and show them some love! 

//5//

A shared faith experience. Not only will we be talking about sharing our faith through our blogging, we will be sharing in our faith with one another by going to Mass together. There will also be an opportunity to go to confession. It's true that we are a blogging community, but more than that we are a Catholic community and we seek to build up the faith while we build our blogs. When was the last time you went to Mass along side 30 other women who share your love the the Lord and His church? It's a beautiful experience. 

//6//

Beautiful March weather in St. Paul. This is kind of a joke. St. Paul, while being a greatest city in the world,  is actually kind of brown and ugly in March. But there's still great things to do!! Come see our beautiful Cathedral, drive by F. Scott Fitzgerald's house, go to Uptown for some good Hipster sightings, go to my favorite bar, or my favorite restaurant, check out Garrison Keillor's bookstore, and then walk around the corner to see the bakery where Alex and I met and fell in love. I realize that as a lifelong resident I may be a little biased, but St. Paul really is a great city. 

//7//

Re-energize your blogging. I went to the CWBN Midwest conference that Bonnie and Katrina put together at Notre Dame two years ago. I went mostly because I wanted to meet other bloggers and have a fun weekend. But I was surprised by how much I learned and how much of it I was able to apply to my blogging. 

You may be wanting to turn your blog into a business, grow readership, or maybe improve your writing, or just set some personal goals. Whatever the case may be I am sure that you will acquire a plethora of helpful tips, tricks, and advice.  So what are you waiting for? Come join us!

 

linking up with Kelly for some Quick Takes. 

7 quick takes vol. 31: things I want to remember from now

It's been one of those weeks were everything seems way too long. Winter is long, the days are long, Alex's hours on rotations are long. Nap time, on the other hand, has been far too short, leaving me with tired and crabby kids at the witching hour waiting for Alex to get home, scrambling to get the dinner on the table. Trixie has been sleeping terribly, she's teething, still. She's super clingy during the day. Johnny is pushing all the boundaries that a three and half year old can think to push. And he is starting to assert himself as the older brother and delights in pushing Trixie over, grabbing her toys and making her life hard in general, which makes her even more clingy. Both Alex and I are feeling just plain exhausted, with no opportunity to catch up on rest in sight. 

When I'm exhausted it's easy to go very negative very quickly, leading to pity parties and yelling needlessly. And so at the end of a very exhausting week I've decided to go positive, because even though it's so hard to parent little people, it's also really great. There are so many sweet things that happen everyday and I find myself thinking, "I really want to remember this, the way this feels right now." So here are a few of those things.

//1//

When Trixie nurses she likes to hold my hand. Sometimes she wraps her hand around my thumb, or one of my other fingers. Sometimes I lace her tiny fingers between my big ones. She's getting so big, but compared to my hands, hers are still so small. When she's not holding my hand she's often sticking her hand up the sleeve of my sweeter. That's usual how she falls asleep, with her warm little hand up my sleeve. When it hurts every bone in my body to get up and nurse her in the middle of night feeling her little hand up my sleeve is one small silver lining. 

//2//

There are two times in the day where Johnny and Trixie give each other kisses. One is when Johnny leaves for school in the morning, the other is when they're going to bed. It breaks my heart every time. Sometimes they miss each other and the kisses end up on arms and foreheads and bellies. But sometimes Johnny bends down and Trixie lifts up her chin and they give each other the sweetest little puckered-lip kiss. This is something that I know will not last forever, so I am going to bask in the warmth of their brotherly and sisterly affection as long as I can. 

//3//

Sometimes they are not fighting with each other. Sometimes they are playing nicely together. There's a game they like to play in the kitchen, usually while I'm in there cooking something. Trixie spins around in a circle and Johnny runs circles around her. They think it's hilarious, they giggle and squeal and get dizzy and fall down, and then they start back up again. It's not everyday. But when it does happen it makes me really excited for a couple years from now, when they will be old enough to really understand how to play together. 

//4//

Johnny has been able to go to bed on his own for quite a while now. But he is going through a phase where he likes someone to lay down with him while he falls asleep. And how can we say no, since we know that in the blink of an eye he will want nothing to do with either of us. Mostly he wants me to lay down with him.  "Mama lay down." He says over and over until I'm in his bed. Then he says "glasses off." And I take my glasses off and share his pillow with him. If I try to leave before he falls asleep he pushes my head had back down onto the pillow as hard as he can entreating me with "Mama lay down" a few more times. And then he leaves his hand on my cheek to make sure I don't go anywhere. 

//5//

Trixie is talking so much! Maybe this is normal for a 15 month old girl, but after having a hearing impaired child first, she seems freakish. She mimics Johnny's counting, pointing at things and reciting "'wah, two, wee, wah, ses, sezen, eee, mah,". She knows many different animal names. Doggy, kitty cat, elephant, horsey, and piggy. She has a very cute inflection to her speech right now. All of her words go up and then end, so that everything sounds like a question. "Mama?" "Doggy?" "Poo-poo?" "Apple?" 

//6//

Johnny is really into naming letters. He can identify almost every letter in the alphabet. I'm not sure how he learned this! Probably in part at school. Maybe from watching Super Why? If that's the case that will make me feel less guilty about screen time. We were in the grocery store yesterday and Johnny was either shouting of the names of the foods he saw, or the letters he saw on all the signs. I found myself torn between trying to keep him quiet in a public place, and being a super proud mama.

//7//

As I alluded to before, Johnny has been giving Trixie some grief. The other day Johnny knocked Trixie over by running into her with a Tonka Truck. She was crying and upset and Johnny was sent to his room for a time out.  Even though he beats up on her all day long, Johnny is still Trixie's favorite person. When we put him in time out she just started crying harder and ran over to his door trying to get in. I hope they can always be friends. 

P.S. these are some of our beautiful family photos taken by our good friends at Bast Photography. 

P.P.S. Find more quick takes at This Ain't the Lyceum. 

7 quick takes vol. 30

//1//

We are sick. Again. We have all had terrible colds for over a week now and last night Johnny threw up. Earlier that evening he, Trixie and I had all been drinking from the same cup, so I'm bracing myself, waiting for the rest of us to get hit with whatever it is he's got. We have been sick SO MUCH this year.  In fact, I cannot remember the last time that all four of us were healthy at the same time. I know it doesn't help that Johnny is in preschool. And it also doesn't help that Alex is in rotations and around sick people all day. But it seems like we just can't get on top of it.  How do other people with kids in school manage to stay healthy despite them constantly bringing germs home?

//2// 

Alex and I got to go to the wedding of one of his classmates a couple weekends ago. It was super fun. We don't go to many weddings anymore, and when we do we usually have our kids with us. It was a treat to dress up, go out, and leave the kids with the grandparents. I wore a dress that is NOT a nursing dress, something I haven't done in almost 4 years. Although, I definitely can still nurse in it. I know this because Trixie was awake when we got home and started crying and signing for milk the moment she saw me come in. There was no way she would have let me go change, so I quickly discovered the dress is stretchy enough for quick and easy access. Joy!

//3// 

Lent starts on March first, which means two things. One: I better make sure I've got the last of the Christmas decorations put away by then and two: I better order my Blessed is She Lenten Journal. The title of this year's journal is Put on Love, and it is written by Elizabeth Foss.  If you did the Advent journal you know what a talented writer she is, and you experienced how the Holy Spirit uses her words to minister to others. 

I got to help edit the Lenten journal. Spoiler: It's going to be awesome! My editing time was spent crying through a box of Kleenexes and left me feeling like I had just been in spiritual direction. You can order your copy now at an early bird discounted price. There's also other fun Lenten goodies, beautiful Stations of the Cross cards. the Put on love mug and print. Oh! And the tote bag! I cannot get over the tote bag! Go check it all out in the Blessed is She Shop. Get something for your Easter basket. 

//4// 

I have sworn off starting any new knitting projects until I finish my Caramel Sweater, because I want to be able to actually wear it this winter. I decided to work on the sleeves before I finish the body, partly because sleeves are the worst and I have knitting them, and also because I need to make sure I allocate my yarn properly. The bottom third of the sleeves and body are going to be a mustard yellow. I love this color, but it doesn't really work with my skin, so I'm putting it far away from my face. I only have two skeins of it, so I have to plan carefully.

Or I could leave it like this. A one armed sweater, that might catch on, right?

//5//

I didn't really make a New Year's resolution this year, but one thing I know I'd like to work on in twenty seventeen is to read more. I have been a lousy reader since finishing college, getting through just one or two books a year. I'm trying to do a little bit of reading every day, replacing time that I would normally look at my phone with a book, and that's been working really well.

Alex got me a Kindle for my birthday nearly 6 months ago and I'm just using it for the first time now! Not because I haven't been reading, I just had a few hard copies of some books I wanted to finish before downloading anything to my Kindle. But I made it through Gilead (so good, much crying) and now I am reading Brideshead Revisited on my Kindle! And you know what? I really like it! The book yes, but I'm talking about the Kindle. I love the romance of reading a paper version of a book, but a Kindle is really convenient, easy to hold with one hand (essential for nursing a baby) and I love being able to look up words so easily. I can just feel myself getting smarter.

//6//

It's time for a little "What We Are Watching" update. 

We are re-watching Parks and Recreation. It's been a couple of years and I either forgot how funny that show is, or I am more easily amused than I used to be. I have been laughing to the point of tears in almost every episode. I also have been getting very weepy at all the sweet moments. I've always been an easy crier, but motherhood has made me an absolute water works. Everything makes me cry, even Parks and Rec. We actually never finished that series so maybe we will get all the way to the end this time. 

We're also watching the current season Madame Secretary, which I love. It has for me all the positive idealism, humor, and feel good moments of the West Wing, the show by which I judge all other shows. I also love the wardrobes. 

Speaking of the West Wing, I have gotten all caught up on The West Wing Weekly podcast, so now I have wait each week for new episodes to come out. I know I am revealing how easy my life is when I say that it has been torturous. But, I have a new episode waiting for me that I intend to listen to this weekend while working on the second sleeve of my sweater. 

What are you all watching, or what podcasts are you loving right now? Anything I should be aware of?

//7//

Both of my little cherubs have woken up from a much needed (and much deserved on my end) 2.5 hour nap. I have four baskets of clean laundry sitting on the floor, and as the piles grows it becomes more difficult to ignore. And Johnny is now attempting to change Trixie diaper. "Trixie, diaper, lay down. Lay down Trixie. Lay down please." So I better sign off and tend to my home-fires. 

Go to Kelly's for more quick takes. And have an awesome weekend, friends!

//

disclaimer: some links are affiliate, meaning if you follow the link and make a purchase I get a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. 

Leaning Into Winter

It's been a cold winter here in Minnesota. The other day Trixie and I were on our way to pick Johnny up from school and I heard on the radio that it was zero degrees outside. Zero, as in nothing. And my first thought was "at least it's not in the negatives."

Sub-zero, unfortunately, is pretty common for this part of the world during this time of the year. You can either fight, or work with it. I've decided to work with it. I'm taking the lemons and making some frozen lemonade. I'm taking these frigid temperatures as a sign that we are supposed to stay home, hunker down, and enjoy each other's company. Make hot chocolate, or maybe something stronger. Read good books under thick throw blankets. Shuffle around in slippers. Knit. Winter is such a great time for knitting. 

It's taken me 30 years of living in Minnesota, but I'm finally learning how to survive these cold dark months. 

First and foremost, you've gotta get the right gear. For me the big three are wool socks, wool sweaters, and down jackets. 

I had spent the majority of my adult life wearing really cute pea coats and freezing my tail off. Then a few years ago I got a down jacket for Christmas, a knee length down jacket with a hood and fur trim. It's long enough that I sit on in when I'm in the car. I zip it all the way up to trap my body heat in. I put on my fur trimmed hood, often over another hat. The finishing touch is a pair of homemade wool mittens and I can go outside in sub-zero temperatures and not be miserable. I can't believe I ever survived without this jacket! 

Now that I've gotten Trixie a down snowsuit (so much easier than her coat was for bundling up and loading into the car seat) we've got the whole family outfitted in down. 

Wool sweaters get a bad rap for being itchy, and some of them really are. So you need to be careful about what kind of a wool sweater you buy. If the tag of your sweater just says "wool" it's probably going to be itchy. The key word when it comes to wool is merino. Example: this one from the GAP that I've been wearing over and over this winter. Merino wool is soft and, in my opinion, not itchy at all. I even put it on my babies' skin. 

Wool can also be intimidating because of special washing instructions and the possibility of shrinking. Most wool sweaters out there can be machine-washed on cold/gentle, and then laid flat to dry. I have a couple of hand-wash-only wool sweaters, which can be a little time consuming to deal with.  But the great thing about wool is that it actually doesn't need to be washed that often. Wool is naturally anti-microbial. So a 100% wool sweater won't get stinky as quickly as a cotton or acrylic sweater might. I go quite a while between washes for my wool, unless someone has pooped or vomited on me.  

One of the keys to staying warm is to keep your feet warm. Enter wool socks. I have six pairs of wool socks, and they are the only socks I wear. Remember how I said wool doesn't get stinky as quickly as other materials? Right. So, I wear my wool socks two days in a row, thus making them last between laundry days (yeah, I'm not great about doing laundry). When I was a kid my mom would get us socks for Christmas and I would be really disappointed. Not anymore. This year my mom got me a pair of SmartWools for Christmas and I literally squealed for joy. I, and my feet, will always be happy with the gift of wool socks. 

Other good options for wool socks include these and these. 

Other winter must-haves include fleece lined leggings and blanket scarves. 

And this cocoa recipe. 

Now that we've covered the gear, we can talk about what to do while wearing the gear. We try to keep our outdoor goals realistic. Our kids are still pretty little and don't last long outside in the cold. Let's be honest here, neither do I. We'll do a quick walk to our park, or a few times down the sledding hill by grandma and grandpa's house, but that's about it. Going to the conservatory is one of my favorite things to do during the winter. It's like a mini vacation to a warm tropical place. 

But sometimes it's so cold that I don't even want to take my kids out to the car. My rule is, when it hurts your face to go outside, then stay inside!  Winter can be a great time to take care of some indoor projects. We bake things, we organize closets, we read more, we catch up on our favorite TV shows, and I do as much knitting as I can get my hands on. It could seem isolating to be stuck at home because of the cold, but I actually enjoy the feeling of having no obligations or demands outside of my home and family. 

But what about being stuck inside with kids? 

There are even fun inside things to do with kids. Alex made luminaries for our New Years Eve party this year and Johnny had a lot of fun helping him. Johnny is old enough to enjoy helping with baking projects. Trixie enjoys taking all the Tupperware out of the cupboard, and sometimes she enjoys putting it back in. They like to sit and color at the white board easel together, play with play dough, or run around the circle created by our lower level floor plan, trailing home-made streamer wands behind them. 

Oh, you're interested in the homemade streamer wands? Here's a tutorial for you:

Take some streamers, and tape them to a straw. Voila! 

Ok, so maybe there's not a ton of fun indoor stuff to do with kids. But when forced to be creative we always figure something out. We're usually so busy and constantly on the go, so sometimes it feels good to get snowed in and have some family time. 

What kinds of things do you like to do during the cold dark months? And if you live in a warm climate, are you taking house guests?

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A Tale of Teething and the Best Baby Carriers. And A Giveaway!

You love hearing about baby teething woes, right? Good! Because I love talking about those woes.

Trixie used to be such an easy baby. She took great naps, she slept on her own (through the night, I might add) and she let anyone hold her and put her down for her naps. You could plop her down in the middle of some toys and she would be happy for an hour, leaving me ample time to get all the things done. And then she started teething.

She was a pretty late teether, so we had about 10 months of happy Trixie. But since she got her first tooth in September they have been coming in rapid succession (13 teeth in 4 months) and they have been making her pretty miserable. Obviously this has some major disadvantages during the night, like we are very sleep deprived, crabby, etc. But there are also many day time challenges, like my once happy baby is now clingy and needs to be held all the time. That means something as easy as doing a load of laundry becomes almost impossible, unloading the dishwasher takes forever, and trying to make dinner?  Please don't make me! As much as I'd like an excuse to ignore the laundry and order takeout for dinner, the solution that's better for everyone in my family is to wear that crabby baby. It's the only way to get things done. I know there's probably a thousand beautiful attachment parenting reasons wht you should wear your baby, and they're all great. But in this household, it's just a necessity.  

If you're going to be baby-wearing, it's important to get the scoop on  the best baby carriers out there. I have used a variety of baby carriers over the years, and different carriers have worked better during different baby phases. Here are the ones that I have loved. 

Moby Wrap: This was the first carrier I ever used. Johnny took his first walk in it when he was just two weeks old. He was a baby who always wanted to be held so baby-wearing was something I picked up pretty early on. The Moby Wrap was great for a newborn because it was snug and gave lots of support for baby's head, leaving me totally hands free. The fabric is very stretchy, and as Johnny got heavier we graduated to carriers with less stretch to help support all his baby chub. 

Ring Slings: If you been following me on instagram over the years you know that I love my Sakurabloom ring sling. This was probably the hardest baby carrier to learn how to use. I had to watch many tutorial videos and get help from other baby-wearing friends. But practice makes perfect and that adage is as true for baby-wearing as it is for anything else. It took me and my babies a little while to get used to the ring sling, but now we're all big fans. One of my favorite things about my ring slings is their compactness. They're very easy to roll up into a little ball, so that's what usually comes along on the diaper bag. 

Ergo 360: My structured carrier is the one I have been using the most lately. It's very supportive and can hold a lot of weight. And Trixie is a hefty baby. Have you seen her baby thighs? It's also very easy to wear her on my back with an Ergo, which, when I'm trying to get stuff done, is the best place for her to go. Johnny finds it very amusing when I put Trixie in my "backpack." So not only am I getting stuff done while comforting my baby, I'm also providing entertainment for my three-year-old. Win, win, win.

Speaking of winning. You have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Diapers .com to use towards your own baby carrier. To enter leave your email address with Rafflecopter and then leave a comment with your favorite type of baby carrier, or if you don't have one, the kind you would most like to try! 

Disclosure: this post is sponsored in partnership with Nakturnal. I am being compensated for my time and so are you if you win the $50 gift card! 

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2016 in 12 Photos

Thanks to Bobbi for hosting this link up.  

This is one of my favorite posts to do each year. It's always so hard to pick just one photo from each month, but it's a challenge I love. Looking through all my photos from the last year reminds me that no matter how crazy and hectic and difficult life may seem, it's also incredibly beautiful, and I have so much to be thankful for. 

So here's our Year In Review. 

JANUARY: Getting Johnny's ear tubes in and some of his hearing issues resolved was a big part of January. I also decided to do the 52 project, which, if you are a regular reader, you may have noticed I failed woefully at. We spent a lot of time staying cozy inside, and Johnny's love for trains began. 

FEBRUARY: With Lent comes Lenten resolutions. I got bangs again! We started Johnny with a new speech therapist, and it was really awesome to see his vocabulary expand. 

MARCH: We kept plugging away though Lent. I was adding names to the list of women I pray for. The end of winter gets so hard, so we tried to find fun things to do, like ride the train into downtown. I did some thinking about what it means to have spring come back, in nature and in my own soul.  And I got really good at building wooden train tracks. We had a lovely Easter...followed by a terrible stomach bug. Welcome spring! 

APRIL: So many long days with my babies that I know are turning into short years. Finally warm enough to be outside. And my little sister got married!!

MAY: BIG changes as Johnny started preschool a lot sooner than we had originally planned, which stirred up all kinds of motherly feelings in me. Lots of time out side, bubble blowing. And Johnny turned three! 

JUNE: I took the summer off from teaching and just focused on family and rest. We celebrated the anniversary of Johnny's baptism, and we had our first round of family vacation.  

JULY: Alex finished up his summer semester and we went on our second family vacation of the summer to Alex's family's farm.

AUGUST: We made it home from our family farm vacation. And then we went on our annual pilgrimage with our good friends. I turned 30! And we cranked out a few house projects before school started up again.

SEPTEMBER:  Johnny started school again, Alex started school again, and I started teaching again. All the busyness definitely left me feeling wornout and in over my head. I refocused my perspective on being a stay-at-home mom.  A big highlight was meeting many of the other Blessed is She writers and creatives at our first ever BIS Team Retreat. 

OCTOBER: Trixie turned one, and Alex and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Alex started rotations, and I wrote this Mother's Act of Contrition because, you know, there's always room for improvement in world of motherhood.

NOVEMBER: We got sick, multiple times actually, and really just tried to keep up with everything.

DECEMBER: Lots of Christmas happenings, family time, and learning to navigate the season with small children. 

It's been a great, crazy, challenging, enjoyable, memory-filled year. We're going to soak up our last few days of Christmas break and then roll up our sleeves to greet 2017. Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful new year!