Linking Up
Hi! Linking with Kelly & crew for almost 7-ish quick takes. We had an unnaturally unscheduled weekend. It was full of lovely little surprises and lots of rest time for everyone. I didn’t realize how much we needed to just recoup after the Marathon last weekend. Which, by the way, went spectacularly for AA. He ran like the wind! His time was 2:41 and he placed 45th overall. Out of . . . 11,000 people. WOW! Seriously, I have so much respect for him. He trained seven days a week for over six months–all early early morning runs so he’d be back in time to help with any early risers. This year I didn’t have a meltdown except for right before (unlike last year when my continuous marathon-related meltdown was a real downer for everyone), and we got to watch him cross the finish line, sprinting down Summit Avenue like a boss. *** I also realized that Halloween is soon and I’m the least crafty mom ever with the kids so we bought a bunch of felt and plastic eyeballs and went to town making “pumpkins”–not sure you can call them that, but I’ll pretend along with the kids that mine looks remotely like one, just as theirs do. *** My friend Susana runs this amazing creative company where she will produce stock photos for your creative endeavors, teach you how to take decent photos of your life//products, and overall be your creative guru. It’s called Little Flower Studio and I…
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Hi friends! Linking up with Kelly & crew. I feel like I’ve been so absent from my lil blog lately and it’s mostly been because of the wonderful weekend retreat we hosted for the Blessed is She team, but also a little because getting into the groove of having a first grader and part-time preschooler means I’m living in my car. People always talked about being a mom meant living in your car. I had no idea what they meant. 1// My car has bug spray, raisins, wipes, water bottles, a variety of Jim Weiss cds, and a handful of changes of clothing. And these are the items I actually have planned to have in there. Remnants of all of them are scattered and dug into the upholstery. First grade is awesome! SuperBoy loves it so much. I’m getting accustomed to not worrying about what he’s doing and just cherish that he is enjoying himself, learning, and making new friends. A handful of hours a week of nature prek has been a dream for our lil SweetPea! I was (of course, really? yes, of course) more nervous than she was as she watched her big bro go through it all last year. She never says goodbye, she tells me to leave her at the classroom door, and she can’t contain her joy when we pick her up because she got really, really muddy. She’s doing Catechesis too and her favorite part? Playing with lentils because “they’re like dog food.” There you…
Read MoreKelly and co have the best wrap-up of their weeks so I’m hopping over to add my very small $.02. //1// Our oldest started school! I survived! He loved it! I stopped crying! I almost remembered everything (signed slips, lunches, water bottle) every day. And we all hoofed it over there each morning, full dressed. The dressed part felt like a real accomplishment. He said he had a “great” time at pickup each day so I think it’s a good start to the year. //2// The younger two are trying to figure out the meaning of life without their captain around telling them what to do. It’s been tricky. So far they’ve emptied the garbage, filled the garbage, cut up lots of little pieces of paper, made weapons out of thin air, and waxed poetic about their tyrannical missing sibling. Suddenly no one remembers the summer of bickering and instead hold only sweet sweet memories. Oh, to be a kid. //3// I’m bursting with home improvement ideas I want to do before it’s winter and the baby comes. I’m not so sure AA wants to do any of them. I keep adding to the list. We’ll see what actually gets accomplished. Making my closet into a nursery (hey, it has a window and door, so . . . ), painting the bathroom that I painted lavender the last pregnancy and suddenly have a severe aversion to, all the closets! The attic! everything! //4// Which do you like better? These? Or…
Read MoreIt’s still the weekend, right?? I’m not too late to link up with the awesome Kelly and her 7 Quick Takes, am I? Kel, say it’s okay to be late, please. //1// I’m fresh off the plane from NYC where my little lady and I were on baby watch for my sister’s third who should arrive any second. And yes, I woke up every night, middle of the night, to check and see if she or her husband had texted me from upstairs. They continued to insist they wouldn’t text but would come wake me up, but still. No baby on my watch but lots of laundry & prep & late night talks. The trip was a blast and a billion and made our last #sistermoon where we were lazy louts on the beach. I got to watch my daughter relate to her two girl cousins (one 7 months older, one two years younger) and all the lessons one learns when one tries to insist things go one’s way most of the time (used to brothers who either obey or tune her out). She loved every minute, even when she was kicking people on her way to the trampoline. We also got to spend a lot of time at my sister’s shop, Brooklyn Herborium, and watch the process of handmade organic skincare up close! //2// I’ll be chatting with THE Jen Fulwiler on her radio, Tuesday around 2:30CST. I’m sure we’ll gab about a few things, but most notably the…
Read MoreI’m linking up with my friend Ginny at her Yarn Along where every week she posts what she’s knitting and reading. She’s always reading amazing things and knitting even more amazing things. Don’t look for those knitting skillz here, friends. But the quality books? YES! The very first is my other friend Kelly’s wonderful retreat based on Thomas a Kempis’ Imitation of Christ. It’s called A Worthy Reception and I really enjoyed doing it. It was intense for this spiritual wuss but I’m going to do it again before the baby comes–really good to go deep and old school with a private retreat! If you have wanted to do some interior work but really can’t get away from your family or work obligations long enough to go on an actual retreat, this is the book for you. The next is a book a dear friend gave me I’m still working through called The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander. Talk about beautiful meditations about the Blessed Virgin Mary! It’s mystical but accessible. A must read for your fall. And what would a Nell reading list be without some pop psych book? I read Incognito: the secret lives of the brain by David Eagleman a while back and then lent it to my sister. I snagged it back when I was on the East Coast last month and hopped back into it. Eagleman is a neuroscientist who goes into the subconscious brain and so many factors that go into how our brains are developed and function. Fascinating…
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a few new things up in the shop this week. My mind has been so preoccupied with the suffering of my dear friends Laura and Franco and the loss of their twin baby girls. Please keep this beautiful family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this breathtaking landscape of love and loss. So the whole week has been a bit of a wandering. SuperBoy also has had a persistent cough/phlegm attack so he hasn’t been to his three times a week afternoon nature school. BabyLoves was up a few nights coughing (is there anything more sad than a toddler’s coughing?) so everything felt sideways. 1) Day in the Life linkup at Simple Homeschool. Link here. I LOVE reading how other at home homeschooling mamas’ days go. I’m kinda a faker as he’ll go to Catholic school next year, but I’m still in the category technically! One of the big perks of blogger life is that your days are exposed in an intimate way (can be intimidating) that connects your hearts with other moms sharing those burdens and joys. 2) Inheritance. I’ve NEVER ever ever listened to Christian music. Sorry, bad Catholic here. Just not my thing. Ever. But this album by Audrey Assad, whom I’m privileged to work with at Blessed is She (Catholic women’s daily devotional ministry): wow. It’s called Inheritance and it’s on repeat. The kids love it and my heart throbs along with How can I keep from singing? especially. Buy // download // support a mama…
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