Running! Chris and I are training for the Holy Half on April 4. Chris schedules everything he does and we switch off with the girls and it has been so fun for me to be serious about running again! My goal is 3 runs/week and I’m up to 6 miles and it feels good to be out in the cold and getting stronger. I’m super hungry all the time, and more tired, but endorphins!
Decluttering and cleaning. Over Christmas I made a list of places in the house I wanted to reorganize, and I hit the ground running when we got back home. Basement, pantry, girls’ clothes bins, both hall closets – woot! Linen closet is next on the list. It feels like something I can control as we await news about Chris’s PhD applications and is weirdly energizing. I asked my friend Annie for help with organizing/house stuff and she gave me a tip that keeping cleaning supplies in each bathroom makes it easier to just do a little bit of cleaning whenever you have a moment. And she also pointed out that our downstairs bathroom is used by all visitors, but has no storage space and therefore is hard to keep clean. So I got this, and Chris mounted it and here’s to keeping this bathroom a bit cleaner for the sake of hospitality!
wow, this is the most boring picture.
Feedback. That interaction reminded me how hard it is to get feedback, lol. Chris read a book for a class last semester called Thanks for the Feedback and he told me about a part that has been helpful. The idea is that when you receive critical feedback, you can be emotionally triggered in one of three areas – truth, relationship, and identity. This observation from Annie touched on my identity as someone who tries to be hospitable and to create a beautiful space to welcome people into. Because I never once thought about the fact that it’s my guests who use that bathroom the most! Eek. It also made me reflect on how often I used to receive critical feedback in my previous job and how the work of sorting through the emotions and responding well was probably the source of a lot of my stress. Phew! (Love you, Annie.)
our first chore chart … because E got a piggy bank for Christmas and is trying to figure out how to get more coins.
just the cutest.
her writing is exploding and it’s so cool!
Books. I finished The Overstory and Commonwealth over Christmas and read This Must Be The Placeat the recommendation of my MIL. All very good. The Overstory made me sad about deforestation and the dire situation of the planet, but in a very compelling, well-written way. I recommend. Then I read Circeand loved it. Felt like my third grade Greek mythology-loving self again. Just finished The Dutch Houseand now reading A Gentleman in Moscow while I await other holds to come in. (Waking up to nurse 2-3 times a night is infinitely more bearable when I have a good book to read.)
Big girl Zelie. On impulse, I decided it was time to graduate Zelie from the pack n play and set her up with a “big girl bed,” aka the crib mattress on the ground in her closet. But it turned out to be a great move (go me) because 1) she’s sleeping with a comforter now and 2) she (mostly) stays in bed until the alarm clock turns green! She does wake up at 5:45 still, but she lies in bed singing and talking until 6:15 and it doesn’t alwaaaays wake up Evange. Progress! In my search for a toddler size duvet for her I discovered Kidizen and found a great deal on an IKEA bedding set – score. I also started having her do a 30 minute morning quiet time when we get back from dropping E off at preschool. So far, it’s going pretty well!
Prayer. I gave a reflection at our parish’s mom’s group this month and really enjoyed the process of praying and thinking about what to share. It was sort of about Mary as Theotokos – because I was asked to do it right after that solemnity – but more so about finding freedom from things that hold us back from seeing ourselves as God sees us, and being a God-bearer, like Mary. As I was thinking about this, my friend Adrianna shared an article with me and I really loved this quote from it. “The longer I walk under [Jesus’s] gaze, the more even all the wounds I have, my littleness, my sorrows, the things I do not understand about myself, the fears, the pettiness, and the sins, become dear to me. I know that they are my only opportunity to intercept the Lord passing by, because they leave me disarmed, needy and small. I am amazed how I no longer want to censor anything about myself; on the contrary, I stubbornly want to look at everything, down to the bottom. My humanity is only dear to me because it is embraced by the Lord who comes.”
Lions. We’ve watched The Lion King a few times now, and Zelie will tell anyone that it’s the best and her favorite. It’s also meant a lot of roaring at each other and endless questions, mostly about Scar. Evange and I also just finished The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and immediately started rereading it. I’ve been getting a lot of questions like, “Why does Scar want to be king?” and “Why isn’t the Witch the true Queen of Narnia?” that have made me reflect on the parallels between these stories. Good times.
Outside time. We had a great two hours at a county park last week and it reminded me that we never go outside anymore, and we should. I feel like we live in the backyard all summer, and then I hibernate all winter. But the girls played together so well and were loving it! And I love watching them explore. So, going to try to start a weekly park play date with a friend and maybe even track our outside hours to stay motivated! Here’s to a mild February!
a little round up of what’s been going on around here lately!
1. Veteran’s Day Snow Storm! Which just really makes it hard for me to believe we haven’t gotten to Thanksgiving yet. I want Christmas decorations up asap. Evangeline has a strong association between playing in the snow (or seeing snow outside) and drinking hot chocolate. She has made some calculated dashes outside to “play in the snow,” only to come back in three minutes later crying because snow is in her boots and then demands hot chocolate. Eye roll.
2. Thankful Turkey! But I am loving this art kick she is on. She loves drawing pictures each day on a “thankful feather.” Highlights include, “I am thankful for myself and the wind.” And we get to host Thanksgiving for the first time! I made an unsuccessful Target run (silly me, thinking there would be anything fall-related left in the stores in November) but had fun doing a pre-styling prep of the table. My mom and sister will cook and it’s going to be so fun!
some “fall beauty” with snow outside
3. Sleeping arrangements! In preparation for having family visit, and also because Chiara started waking up more and I wanted to kick her out of our room, the big girls are back to sharing and C is in the guest room for now. Bedtime is staggered but going really well. But we are trying to potty night-train Evangeline and girlfriendpees so much at night!! I limit her water, and Chris is in charge of waking her up to pee, but this has meant that we both are getting v interrupted sleep (because he has to wake her up about 3 times!). Hoping we discover a pattern and/or she learns to hold it longer soon. Which also brings me to …
4. Precious Little Sleep! I’m back in the baby world where a lot of my mental space is taken up by sleep schedules. A few weeks ago, my friend Annie observed Chiara falling asleep nursing and then waking up when I put her down, and asked if I’d like to borrow her sleep book. To which I said, YES PLEASE!! (I would have been annoyed by this if it came from just about anyone but her, lol). I was caught off-guard by Chiara not being a newborn anymore – hah! The old nap techniques were no longer working and I was not down with her being awake until 9:30pm anymore. And this book has been THE BEST. Funny, practical, balanced, and so helpful. I am all about it. I had a lull in my work with my editing job and tackled breaking her sleep association with nursing at bedtime (she was textbook with it, so good), got her out of my bed, and in good naps. It gave me a sense of control over something and therefore, so happy. All the praise hands!
5. For my birthday at the end of the summer, I got these jeans, and I’ve worn them every single day through fall. They are the most expensive jeans I’ve ever had, but they have also ruined every other pair for me. So comfortable! They never sag! I never wash them! (except to get poop/yogurt/paint off).
6. Make up! Another birthday present – in the self-care, restorative arena, I had been thinking for a while that I would like to learn more about make up. To look my best to be my best and all that. And also, I would like to know a little more about it and be able to help my girls with it some day waaaaay down the road. Like the millennial I am, I finally decided on this collection via someone I follow on Instagram, because she was able to tell me which color foundation to pick. So, now when I want to be fancy, I can be!
7. Marco Polo! My new favorite thing. (It’s an app where you send video messages to friends.) It is a weird way to communicate (I concede, Maya!), but it works for me right now. It’s how I stay in touch with good friends long-distance because, in reality, I’m not going to send long texts or emails and we’re never going to find a time to talk on the phone or FaceTime. I can listen to a Polo while I fold laundry or whatever, and I can send one back whenever I have a minute. Or twenty. I’ve loved feeling closer to friends and having some really good, deep conversations through it.
I keep track of the books I’m reading each month. Some take me a few months to finish! The asterisk means started but didn’t finish. I’m a big believer in books having a right time. So, maybe I’ll finish those books someday, or maybe life’s too short to keep reading a book I don’t want to read. YOLO.
Before we get too far into 2019, I wanted to record my books from last year. This is really only for me to look back at. I’m not even writing out thoughts about each book. Just some observations from this year – I found a couple new authors (Sigrid Undset, Alice McDermott, Elizabeth Strout) and read several books by them. Kristin Lavransdatter was my whole July and it was glorious. I also spent six months listening to Harry Potter in the car (a great life choice). I trailed off in December and haven’t been reading at all lately, which is weird, but oh well. I cracked open Middlemarch and have read half of the intro – does that count?
January
The Tech-Wise Family – Andy Crouch (audio)
*Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver
*A Severe Mercy – Sheldon Vanauken
February
*Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver
*A Severe Mercy – Sheldon Vanauken
The Ninth Hour – Alice McDermott
March
Anything is Possible – Elizabeth Strout
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
Zeitoun – Dave Eggers
*Jesus of Nazareth – Pope Benedict
April
The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
Housekeeping – Marilynne Robinson
*Jesus of Nazareth – Pope Benedict
*An Immovable Feast – Tyler Blanksi
May
Someone – Alice McDermott
One Beautiful Dream – Jennifer Fulwiler
An Immovable Feast – Tyler Blanksi
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K. Rowling (audio)
*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling (audio)
June
Hannah Coulter – Wendell Berry
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling (audio)
Anne of the Island – L.M. Montgomery
Anne’s House of Dreams – L.M. Montgomery
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling (audio)
July
Kristin Lavransdatter – Sigrid Undset
Harry Potter and the Triwizard Tournament – J.K. Rowling (audio)
August
Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout
The Price to Pay – Joseph Fadelle
Gunnar’s Daughter – Sigrid Undset
*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling (audio)
September
Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan
*No Drama Discipline – Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson
*Mystery and Manners – Flannery O’Connor
*Catherine of Siena – Sigrid Undset
*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling (audio)
October
*Catherine of Siena – Sigrid Undset
The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture – Haley Stewart
Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
*The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling (audio)
November
The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri
The Burgess Boys – Elizabeth Strout
*Catherine of Siena – Sigrid Undset
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling (audio)
December
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling (audio)
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling (audio)
One. Chris finished finals and we did our 2018 inaugural beach trip! Grandma got the girls super cute suits. We found a playground and had a chill time. Evangeline had fun running in and out of the very cold water until she fell over and got soaked and that was the end of that. Zelie was content climbing on Chris and eating sticks and being just way too stinking cute.
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Two. Chris’s roommate and best man from Stanford has been staying with us for the last week and a half. For Chris, it’s meant a buddy to watch the playoffs with. For me, it’s been a taste of living in community and I’m reminded that I like it. It’s nice having someone else with us for dinner and to play with the girls (and Kevin does the dishes while we do bedtime – praise!) We’re planning to rent a room to one of Chris’s fellow M.Div’s next year and I’m looking forward to that more now.
Three. Kevin got us tickets to Hamilton! I think as a thank you for letting him stay? Setting the bar high for future guests! JK, JK. JOKES. But it was awesome. Even the phenomenon that is Hamilton aside, I was struck by how amazing live performances are. We were asked (ushers yelled at people during the first song) to put our phones away and just sit and enjoy being present to these men and women who are brilliant at their craft. Refreshing. And a treat for me to be away from the girls and in Chicago for a day. I’m super grateful to my friends who watched them – when Kevin first told us he wanted to buy tix I thought, there’s no way we can go, but I asked anyway and ROSE AND KATHERINE ARE THE BOMB. #FRIENDSHIP
Four. I’m reading this and I see a lot of my own conversion story in his, and he reminds me of a lot of my friends. It got me working on a post on my conversion, which is fun to write, but still in my drafts.
Five. My friend Julia requested that our local library buy this new book that we both want to read (didn’t know you could do that!) and I’m next in line when she’s done. I spent some time journaling through a free ebook of Jennifer Fulwiler’s called A Guide to Your Gifts and it was so great. Her new book is about pursuing your passions while having a family and I was like, hm, I love the sound of that, but … what are my passions again? (Classic Enneagram 9, lol). So, this ebook was great for that and it got me all fired up. I have passions to pursue! I want to write a book! I want to get better at handlettering! I want to change the world! And then I felt like I kind of hit a wall. (I want to learn how to edit photos of my handlettering, but Photoshop/Illustrator/Whatever is so expensive! If you know how to do this for free, can you tell me how?) But I took a small step and committed to write each day for one week, not blogging, but seeing what came out (it was mostly poems). I missed some days and don’t know if I even made it a whole week, but it was something! Finding community with writing is something I would really love … waiting for that.
Six. One of the questions in that ebook was, “who are you jealous of?”Because we’re often jealous of people we see fully living out their gifts. And it got me thinking, man, IG often feeds my jealously/envy. And envy is the least fun sin. If you have any tips on combatting that, please share. I usually want to throw my phone away until I have a cute pic to post, which is terrible.
Seven. Inspired by Sarah and also Julia telling me that they can survive the winter here, I think I’m thinking about backyard chickens?? Part of me is like, ugh, chickens are gross. And the other part is like, we have this giant backyard, why not jump on that homesteading bandwagon and learn a lot and get some eggs out of it? #LAURAINGALLSWILDER4EVA #livingthedream
But, we shall see. Maybe I’ll wait til next spring. Oh and the seeds in our garden are growing!! So cool.
I started keeping track of the books I read a couple years ago and I thought it’d be fun to share what I ended up reading in 2017, with a top 5 fave list. And then, if you make it through, what’s on my list for 2018!
2017 Reading List
(I keep track of the books I’m reading each month. Some take me a few months to finish! The asterisk means started but didn’t finish. I’m a big believer in books having a right time. So, maybe I’ll finish those books someday, or maybe life’s too short to keep reading a book I don’t want to read. YOLO.)
January
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The Girls – Emma Cline
The Enneagram: A Journey of Self-Discovery – Maria Beesing, Robert J. Nogosek, Patrick H. O’Leary
The Story of A Soul* – St. Therese of Lisieux
February
Lila – Marilynne Robinson
We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey to Self Discovery* – Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
Transitions* – William Bridges (reread)
March
Transitions* – William Bridges
The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah
Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life – Tish Harrison Warren
April
The Outlander Series – Diana Gabaldon (my post-partum nursing reads)
Lilac Girls* – Martha Hall Kelly (could not handle concentration camps anymore)
May
The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting – Laura Kelly Fanucci
The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
Father Brown: The Essential Tales* – G.K. Chesterton
June/July – either I didn’t read anything, or I just didn’t write it down. that’s when we packed and moved and drove cross country with 2 babies under 2 so it’s possible I didn’t read anything.
August
Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
Father Brown: The Essential Tales* – G.K. Chesterton
Oh Crap! Potty Training – Jamie Glowacki
Spiritual Lessons from St. Francis* – John Michael Talbot
Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
September
The Sympathizer* – Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Righteous Mind* – Jonathan Haidt
October
The Sympathizer – Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Righteous Mind* – Jonathan Haidt
Station Eleven – Emily Mandel
Ginny Moon – Benjamin Ludwig
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
November
I Let You Go – Clare Mackintosh
Reading People – Anne Boyle
Devout Life* – St. Francis de Sales
December
“Wonders Never Cease” – essay by Marilynne Robinson
Til We Have Faces* – C.S. Lewis (reread)
The Hate You Give* – Angie Thomas
My Life With The Saints* – James Martin, S.J.
Top 5 Faves from 2017
Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
Station Eleven – Emily Mandel
Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting – Laura Kelly Fanucci
The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
2018 Reading List (so far)
The Tech-Wise Family – Andy Crouch (Chris and I listened to the audio book on our drive home from New Jersey)
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver (started on Hoopla, already feel like I can’t shop at our cheap-o grocery store anymore…)
A Severe Mercy – a love story by C.S. Lewis’s friend whose wife died young. my neighbor lent me this and I’m convicted/challenged by how much they loved their love.
The Ninth Hour – Alice McDermott (haven’t read any of her novels yet, but read an interview in Commonweal that had me intrigued. nuns!)
My Absolute Darling – Gabriel Tallent (don’t know anything about this, Maya just recommended it)
The World Will Be Saved by Beauty – Kate Hennessey (Dorothy Day’s granddaughter. recommended by my friend, who also recommended Station Eleven, which was amazing. Kathleen, if you read this, you really should share all the books you read with the world.)
wow, this is the most boring picture.
our first chore chart … because E got a piggy bank for Christmas and is trying to figure out how to get more coins.
just the cutest.
her writing is exploding and it’s so cool!
Glimpses of Joy 