Books I Read in April

I’ve hopped back on the reading train, y’all, and it feels so good! I had a goal to read one book in April and I did that and even read more.

So, I really read two of these books in February/March and two in April, but never blogged about books I read in February or March. So here’s what I’ve read in the past few months.

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The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner

This is a great book for women who have passions and want to find time to practice them. Or maybe you don’t have passions, but you are craving time to yourself. It’s all about utilizing those pockets of time that are often wasted and using them to do something you love. As moms, I think we’ve all felt like a little piece of us is lost and we can even forget who we used to be before we were moms. It’s so great to have hobbies like running or scrapbooking or going to Bunco or just seeing a movie with friends. And this book encourages us to find the time to make those things happen. I loved it and felt so refreshed when I finished it.

Make It Happen by Lara Casey

Okay, gather up your girlfriends, give them all a copy of this book, and meet once a week to discuss the chapters and worksheets. And then do it again next year. Seriously. This book is full of meat! And it’s not about making your dreams happen. Or making a ton of money. Or being successful. It’s about making what matters most in life happen. It’s not a guide to being the best or the biggest. It’s good, life-giving, full of grace stuff. I highly recommend it! Watch this video and you’ll see why I loved it so much.

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Okay, so on to the fiction part of the post. I am a huge Liane Moriarty fan and this book wasn’t my favorite. There were times when I couldn’t put it down and times that I had to make myself read it. It would speed up and then slow way down. And it’s kind of a long book. I think it could have been seriously condensed. It was entertaining, a little different in a Liane Moriarty kind of way, but it just didn’t click for me. I finished it and I’m glad I did, but not my favorite.

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Now this book? I couldn’t put it down. And I didn’t. It’s a little mystery, a little thriller, a little suspense, and a little bit of chick lit. But only chick lit because it’s the kind of thrilled that naturally appeals to a woman because it’s written from a woman’s perspective. It did remind me of Gone Girl just because of the pace and the suspense. Anyway…. I highly recommend it!

What have you been reading? If you want to see all the books I’ve read, you can look at the Bookshelf category on my blog or you can follow me on Goodreads.

what’s up in April

I can’t believe this month is almost over already. Here’s what we’ve been up to.

What I’m reading…

My full “What I Read in April” post is coming tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!

What I’m watching…

Dancing With the Stars. I’m really loving this season and I’m so sad that Willow went home last night. But I’m to the point where I enjoy watching everyone dance. We’re also watching The Good Wife and Scandal. Next month I’m going to start watching Bloodline on Netflix. I love Eric Taylor…errrr Kyle Chandler.

What I’m listening to…

I’m loving Kelly Clarkson’s “Heartbeat Song,” Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance With Me,” and Lauren Daigle’s “How Can It Be?”

What I’m cooking…

The crock pot is my best friend right now and anything that is a “one pot dish” is right up my alley. This month, I’ve made this chili mac, these pork carnitas, and an oldie but goodie… chicken Santa Fe.

What I’m wearing…

I’m obsessed with the AG Prima jeans in white and jetsetter washes. The rise is perfect and they’re so comfy on this postpartum body. I’ve been wearing those with tunics just about every day.

What we’ve been up to…

Lots of soccer and baseball and doing everything in 3-hour chunks of time because of James Walker’s eating schedule. The days are flying by! But they are fun days. We’re soaking up our time outside before it gets really really hot.

What I’m working on…

The Influence Conference! Eep! I’ve really loved working again and the hours and setting are perfect for my family. Some days it’s hard to find a quiet minute to work because James Walker is “off” or we’re running to something for Hudson and Hayes. But I love planning events and this has just been such a sweet thing in my life.

What I’m doing this weekend…

It’s our anniversary this weekend and we’re having Hayes’s Ninja Turtle birthday party this weekend. In addition to attending other birthday parties and going to soccer and baseball games. And my mom is coming for a couple of days because Todd will be gone. All exciting stuff!

I’m linking up with Shay, Sheaffer and Mel for What’s Up Wednesday!

 

counting the fruit

Counting the fruit is a new little exercise I’ve been doing since I began using the Naptime Diary. This post isn’t a plug for the Naptime Diary, but it is a plug to do this exercise daily. Because, let’s just get it out there, there are some hard days.

Days that end with a child sitting in timeout for throwing his quesadillas on the floor. The quesadillas that you made because he begged for them and you were holding your screaming newborn while making the quesadillas. And then they ended up on the floor to become food for the dog. And while this child is in timeout, you notice a puddle around his feet and see that there’s been another accident that wasn’t even really an accident. A baby’s crying, there’s food on the floor, and other messes on the floor, and it’s life.

But earlier that day, I had been texting with my mom about a trip to MD Anderson that she was excited about to explore a possible new treatment option for melanoma. (If you’re new here, you may not know that my sweet mama has stage IV melanoma.) So I wasn’t focused on my kids. I was focused on my mom which also has an element of selfishness to it because I love my mom and all I want in this world is to be with her every day.

My mom’s appointment didn’t go as she had hoped. (She is still doing the same and feeling well, but there was disappointment because the treatment option she’d hoped for isn’t available to her at this time.) And hearing such disappointment in your mom’s voice will break your heart. Can we just say that cancer sucks? I can get that on a bumper sticker, right?

So the noise in my head of worrying about and praying for my mom who was a thousand miles away in Houston mixed with the noise of my house from the above mentioned scene was just a lot for this postpartum mama’s heart.

And I cried. And I yelled. And I cleaned up messes and then hugged my little boys and apologized for yelling. I couldn’t wait to get in the bed and just sleep for as long as James Walker would let me sleep (which was, blessedly, about 7 hours.)

Yesterday morning, I got up and decided to count the fruit. The fruit? What has God been doing in my life? What is He showing me? What beautiful things are happening in the midst of the cancer storm that my family has prayed through for the past five years? What beautiful things are happening in the sweet chaos of adjusting as a family of five?

We have had five incredible years celebrating life and living life with my mama. Melanoma hasn’t stopped our family from loving each other greatly!

My mama’s courageous story has encouraged others to be their own health advocate. To research and explore and seek second opinions.

We can see God’s hand all over every part of this story. Places they’ve lived. People they’ve encountered. Lives touched. And a reminder from Him every single day that the future is in His hand and He knows the plans He has for my mama’s life.

My big boys adore their baby brother. Even if they fight with each other like crazy, at the end of the day they still have each other’s backs and they adore that sweet baby.

We are surrounded by the most wonderful friends and family who carpool and bring meals and talk through the hard things about cancer and babies and love us so stinking hard. And I’m learning to trust that, accept help, and talk to God first.

Every single day, I know that if I stop and peel the immediate struggle away from my sight, I will see the fruit. I can look a little deeper and see the beautiful, beautiful things that He’s doing in all of our lives. There is purpose in it and there is fruit.

newborn favorites

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newborn favorites

 

So with our third baby, I feel like I know a thing or two about what I really need to get through the day. And, shocker! It’s not that much.

My little munchkin loves to be held and loves to be swaddled. We have a good bit of baby gear that we’re not even really using right now because he just doesn’t love it or he’s not old enough for it. Things change month-to-month (or day-to-day really) with a baby, so the things we’re loving will change, too. I thought I’d do a post every couple of months with the favorites and then see how things have changed.

We have a Mamaroo for the first time that my mom gave us. I love that it doesn’t take up much space and kind of blends in with the wall, but unless James Walker is practically asleep, he doesn’t love it. I’m thinking this will change over time. Or at least I hope it does!

We also have a fun play gym/activity mat that sits in our family room floor, but he tends to cry within five minutes of being on that thing. I’m also hopeful that this changes over the next month. He does love tummy time and that’s a good place to do tummy time.

But as for the favorites? Here they are!

Kissy Kissy Convertible Gown

I love gowns in general for newborns. I especially love them at night. And I tend to keep my babies in gowns at night for six months just to help with the ease of diaper changing. These convertible gowns by Kissy Kissy don’t have to go over their heads. It’s easy to get their arms through the arm hole, and they can snap up like a gown or switch to a playsuit with legs. It’s basically like two outfits in one.

Ergo

Three cheers for baby wearing! I probably use the Ergo four or five times a week. I have worn him in the movies. I wear him while I cook supper. I wear him to take walks with the big boys and I wear him to the big boys’ soccer and baseball games. And I know this awesome product isn’t just for teeny babies and I’ll get much more use out of it over the next year.

Puj Bathtub

This is one of our new purchases for James Walker and it was a good one. This super simple design for a baby bathtub is easy to store. It’s small. It fits right in the bathroom sink so you don’t have to bend over or handle a slippery newborn. I just love it. It may be my favorite thing of all the favorite things. And James Walker loves his bath. He sits totally content in this thing for 20 minutes while warm water runs over his belly.

Snugabunny Bouncer

This is an oldie but goodie. It was a favorite with the other babies, too. And James Walker loves it just as much. It has the perfect shape for hugging and cradling a tiny baby. It vibrates. It bounces. It’s soft. It comes in most handy when I take it into the bathroom while I shower and dry my hair. James Walker starts off awake and soon dozes off while I get ready. Love this thing!

Wubbanub Pacifier

Oh, the hugeness of the Wubbanub. I used to think these things were so silly looking before I had babies, but I love that it helps a newborn keep the pacifier in his mouth. Big fan of the Wubbanub. And it’s nearly impossible to lose it like we do with other pacifiers.

Swaddle Designs Blanket

This has been my favorite thing since Hudson was born. There is no better blanket for doing a good, tight swaddle. (Follow Dr. Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block swaddle method for a good swaddle technique.) My babies love being swaddled and I love that this blanket keeps them warm, keeps the swaddle in place, and it’s a nice tight swaddle. James Walker will soon be too big for these blankets and we’ll either drop the swaddle or move to the Woombie or Swaddle Me, but this is what I love for newborns!

So, those are my favorites. And this is just about all we ever use on a day-to-day basis. Would you add anything to the list?

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