Sponsors
My friend Erica from Be a Heart design is truly a gifted artist. She not only shares her talents with Blessed is She as the main designer, but so runs a beautiful art shop and teaches others who want to make the world a more beautiful place, too. The exciting news is that she’s bringing those teaching talents to the Midwest! So please–if you’re in any of the following cities, head over now and sign up for her workshops: August 25: Chicago Calligraphy August 27: Chicago Calligraphy & Brush Lettering August 28: Evanston Calligraphy August 30: Indianapolis And then September 18: Minneapolis Sign up here! And the code WHOLEPARENTING will get $10 off any of the classes! Follow Erica on instagram or purchase some of her beautiful designs in our Blessed is She shop (yes, the planner is out of stock but we’ll be offering a Jan-Jan one so keep your eyes peeled!)
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I can’t say I’m a great planner. Ask my friends whom I stood up for 45 minutes the other night because I was sitting in bed thinking Gosh, I’m pretty sure I had something today but I don’t see it on my ical . . . . And I can’t pretend this summer hasn’t been a blur of pregnancy related illness, one massive trip to the East Coast we kinda fumbled through, a grueling soccer camp that the two older kids loved and I languished in the heat for two+ hours each morning (but honestly just talked to my mom friends the whole time so while eating the snacks I brought for my kids__^_^__), and now it’s August with more travel and trying to get my life around the fact my oldest will go to school and needs things hemmed. And I’ve reopened my etsy shop with fall blankets and gift sets! Leggings coming soon (if you want to be the first to know when they launch and have first dibs on fabrics and a discount, newsletter for it is here). And yet, it has been my favorite summer because we weren’t stacked up with a million activities. The day-to-day has been hanging out, enjoying the seconds of quiet between the indignity of children who live with other children, and remembering that pretty soon I’ll need to be “on it.” Like, don’t forget to pack a lunch for your kid so now you can’t just grocery shop whenever but must plan ahead,…
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Scythian. I love these guys! They’ve been close family friends for over a decade and we are always thrilled with they play a show in the Twin Cities because hot damn they’re good. And the kids really do love them, but apparently love ice cream more. SUNDAY, August 14, the Dakota Club 7pm all ages so yes, I’m bringing the older two kids with ear protection. Get your ticket now. They always sell out so you don’t want to be sorry that you missed it. It’s a sit-down venue with delicious food so come early to get a good seat so you can rock out for the show without food in your mouth. Who am I kidding? Last year I rocked out while eating french fries. We listen to their new album daily, because that’s how my kids roll. They’ve always been major lovers of the kid’s album “Cake for Dinner” but now they can’t get enough of the for-adults-too ones. These guys are frenetic, funky, soulful, americana rock with an ethnic twist as the main members are Ukrainian brothers and a sister. You’d think their instruments are part of their bodies, because, well, their amazing parents raised them playing basically from the womb along with their seven siblings. I even dug up this snap of them playing our wedding in the front yard! If you haven’t read this article about their mom, God rest her soul, do so and thank me later. On to the free disc part. Their newest…
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My tot never ever loses the delight that a only stack of wooden blocks tumbling can provide. He’ll go again and again. When these Anthony’s Blocks arrived from Timberlocked, a small family run business of husband/wife woodsmithing talents, he has been in loooooooove with them. Karen contacted me about their desire to share their story of loss and love through these beautiful, hand-cut blocks made from untreated pin, coffee, olive oil, & beeswax. So they shipped a box to us as a treat! The family lost their baby Anthony Joseph to miscarriage on February 1, 2014. They donate 10% of every sale to their local crisis pregnancy center in his honor. You can read a little more about his story here. My heart pumps a little extra for those parents who have lost a child to miscarriage. The reality of a baby growing within you only to have that baby’s life stop? It makes this pregnant woman weepy just thinking about losing that joyful presence. I love the work they’re doing to promote love and healing through blocks specially devoted to their little one. And these blocks! Beautifully hand-crafted, sturdy, with nice bold lettering–a really great item for your little loves and certainly one for every gift list from birthdays to holidays. Oftentimes the actually alphabetical figure on the blocks is small or obscured in wooden blocks. Not these! My four year old spent a whole evening going through the alphabet song, the alphabet letters, and pointing out each to…
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Britt and I met two years ago–TWO years already!–and she’s been one of my favorite e-friends ever since. She and her husband and littles live & work on her ancestral ranch in New Mexico. Aren’t you already following her on instagram? And her blog? Her eye for photography is par none and I’ve so loved experiencing the joy that her work brings to those I’ve gifted it to–my dad for one and my daughter for the other. Then she sent this print and I about died. Britt offers in life photography services for people in the lovely state of New Mexico, but the rest of us get to experience her lens through her shop! Shop with your 15% off discount “WHOLEPARENTING” through the end of July right here AND scroll down to comment and maybe win a 5×7 print of your choice. Don’t we all feel nostalgic twangs with sunsets and horizons? Maybe just me. Her smaller prints come backed on sturdy foam board that make for perfect mounting or framing. I can’t decide where I want my sunset yet. I just know I want it to be in our bedroom (which was finished and tidy and then, well, life). The mantle is a work in progress–and this little tin box holds all the love letters my sweet love wrote me while we were engaged and separated for a year–he wrote almost every day! And two special bottles of wine for us surrounded by two fav icons we found thrifting.…
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Let’s say you also have the crazy morning. The small kids not yet in school, but very much awake all-too-early kind of morning. The dragging your pregnant body down the stairs to prepare oats and toast kind of morning. It’s a blessing. It’s a stay-at-home mom life that really is idyllic in many ways despite or due to the sibling snapping, screaming, and overall protests. More syrup, please, every time. One very special brightening to my morning has been the Rise & Shine gift box from GlobeIn. The premise of this company is to curate handmade goods from around the world, send you the sweet box, and you not only get to enjoy the beautiful artisan work, but most excitingly for my children, you get to read the story & see a photo of each artisan!! You can shop the artisan box subscriptions or the benefit basket (think for your loved one, college student, or yourself!!), or the stand-alone items that you can’t live without like this or these or THIS. Use code “wholeparenting” to save $10 with a purchase of 3- and 6-month Artisan Box subscriptions. Jenna curated our Rise & Shine box and it’s heavenly! We celebrated when ours came, and it included almond butter, which is currently half off (peanut allergy household rejoices at almond butter that tastes so good!!), a hand-woven basket, block print trivet, olive wood spatula, and olive wood spreader. And then, of course, oatmeal tasted so much better with the amazing spatula & trivet that I used as a hot pad! I…
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