Getting in on this one late again but Friday was filled with getting ready for our Spring Break trip. At this moment, I am sitting in a hotel bed in Atlanta but by this evening, we’ll be in Orlando at Universal Studios, staying at Dockside Inn. We’re so excited to take our 17, 14 and 10 year old kids there! We all love Harry Potter so are looking forward to that though I am a but nervous about doing some of the rides. I get motion sick. I can typically still do roller coasters but spinning and simulated things can get me good. I plan on taking Bonine and wearing Seabands but also know that I’ll enjoy just being there even if I don’t think I should ride something based on what I’ve read about it. If anyone has any suggestions on good food in the parks or around, I’d love to have them!
Then on the end of the trip as we head home, I’ll be meeting up with some good friends and heading to Birmingham for The Popcast Live Show! It’s a lot of travel all at one time but super excited to attend.
Checking in late tonight. I am 1.5 weeks out from a job change and am getting so very excited! Also sort of running out of steam in the current job so trying to make my way through.
🕯 I don’t know why 2 years into this thing, I just realized what a delight it was to have candles lit in my home office while I worked, but it’s been so pleasant! (Yes I know candles are terrible for your lungs but let me live!) I’ve snagged a great one at Target (based on birth stones, the June Pearl scent was SO good), and got one at Marshall’s today called White Flowers that smells just like gardenias.
🧖♀️ I learned about this site called Haldi that you input info about your skin and things you currently use, and they help you build a skincare routine! They leverage products you already have and recommend some new suggestions based on your budget and skin type. I tried it out a few months ago and LOVE some of the recommendations from them (they suggested a face oil that is DIVINE and the moisturizer has been a perfect fit for me). Free link to take their quiz is here : https://haldi.com/?referredBy=laurenheathfriends
No pressure to buy, but full disclosure, I get $20 off my next order if you do the quiz! I think it’s worth doing the quiz just to know what order to use your current products in - that’s been a huge help to me!
📺 I’m off to try to power through Inventing Anna so I can binge Bad Vegan later this weekend! I’ve been in a reading slump this year (so unusual for me), but I’m leaning into podcasts and TV until the right book finds me.
I was so fascinated by Inventing Anna. I went back and read the articles and all the insider buzz. What a wild story. I also love to have a candle while I work.
I moved into my new house last weekend! I am still packing/cleaning the trailer and have once again overestimated how much I can reasonably do in a short amount of time, but the first few nights back in my own bed after 8 months have been so good. I was worried about how my dog would cope after the Great Christmas Fiasco, but she has done just fine. The downside is that there is next to no storage, which after living in a house that was absolutely lousy with storage is proving problematic, but we soldier on.
Letters of Note has been around in the form of a delightful blog for many years (now on Substack, apparently) and has also done some live shows. There are lots of clips plus a couple of full-length videos on YouTube.
Hooray for a new home! Hope you settle in quickly and find creative ways to store stuff. We have spent the last 7 years in 800sq ft and everything has to do two jobs. We can't have a coffee table. We have to have an ottoman bench that also holds blankets. Three jobs at least!
So, we never made it to New York last week for the half marathon. After they said we could 1) rent a car, 2) drive to Huntsville from Birmingham, 3) potentially get a hotel, 4) leave at 5:30am, 5) fly through DC, 6) be standby on the flight from DC to JFK, 7) still not get in until mid-afternoon on Saturday...we just called it. Ended up being stubborn and running a half marathon on my own in town. Very grateful for my sweet Husband for running half of it with me and my BFF who chased me down to have her and her little cheer me on from their car. Friends are good, y'all.
Some treasures this week have been in the opportunities to do some interviews and focus group for a project I'm working on around the gender wage gap in Alabama. Talking to all different women about their stories and their successes and failures. Why being a woman and a mother are assets to businesses and the economy. About knowing your value and asking for it. I am fired up!
Oh, I'm so sorry the NYC trip fell apart. I love that you did the run anyway! ❤️ And your project sounds awesome! Here's the deal, why are we playing by the rules that the boys wrote? Rules that didn't take us into consideration? What if we wrote the rules.
-Chiropractic and Acupuncture visits which have helped SO much with my chronic pain. I've been dealing with one of the worst flare ups for the past two months and my doctor is kind of at the point where she doesn't know what else to do for me. We have a great integrative medicine practice in my town so I made a few appointments and I'm so glad I did. I'm struggling with the financial aspect of the treatments - not covered by insurance and not cheap - but it's definitely worth it to feel like a person again.
-I had an informational meeting with a professor from that PhD program I was looking into and I am very excited to start the next chapter of my academic career. The program is so flexible and there's a possibility of getting an assistantship placement that would cover my tuition and provide a (small) stipend. I have to take the GRE which will be a bit of a hurdle, but I'm just making myself use positive thinking on that front.
-Finally getting caught up on my homework!!!!! And getting to watch Yellowjackets with a friend now that I have time.
-I'm reorganizing my study and adding more plants and some twinkle lights in an effort to make it cozy AF in hopes I will want to be in there more and so far it's working
-I finally got a chance to do a post for the substack I started months ago!! It's a quick list of picture book biographies for Women's History month: https://talesfromabibliophile.substack.com/
HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY ERIN!!! I hope nobody sings to you in public. I am one of those strange people who loves it when that happens to me because my enneagram 3 wing just adores being the center of attention. Yes, restaurant people, do look and clap and celebrate me as I enjoy my free birthday treat. I am the main character and you’re welcome for blessing your lives with my presence 😂
*please still like me you guys*
I also IMMEDIATELY bought Letters of Note: Mothers with my audible credit because I love these sorts of things and need good books to listen to as I’m feeding my newborn daughter at 2am. If anyone else has book recs please list them! I love young adult fiction, big fan of dystopian stories, and some of my absolute FAVORITE books are:
✨The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
✨The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
✨Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
✨Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima
✨Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
Check those out if you wish. Please give me book recs if you wish.
My treasure lately has been my previously mentioned newborn daughter. She’s 3 weeks old tomorrow. I longed for her during an infertility journey that lasted 3 years, and she decided to arrive 4 weeks early. Because she was preemie, she struggled with Jaundice and had to spend the first two weeks of her lil life spending every spare moment on her bilibed (a blue light bed that helped her break down the bilirubin in her body)
Now she’s a healthy, happy baby and I get to spend most of my days snuggling her and figuring out how to do things one handed 😂 (I’m learning that that’s pretty much what parenting is. Learning how to what you need with only 1/2 your hands available and on only 1/4 of the sleep your body requires.) Also our rescue pit bull, Dude (who’s full Christian name, I’m happy to tell you, is Deuteronomy Jingleheimer Schmitt) is absolutely in love with her. He’s the sweetest nanny dog who is absolutely convinced we’re raising her wrong. Anytime she fusses or cries he looks at me like, “Why are you letting her cry? What have you done? For the love just give her to me. I’m certain once I lick her face and snuggle her she’ll be fine.” He’s finally learning about personal space boundaries, but he’s not happy about that.
Thanks for being a lovely space on the internet! Can’t wait to read all your comments!!
Oh, congratulations on your baby! So glad she's healthy and doing well. Love your dog's name! 😁 We named our herding dogs "Lacey Curtains Wright - Adventure Dog!" And Sippin' Whiskey Wright - Action Canine!"
Hillary, I second Libby. After my first was born almost 6 years ago, I kind of stopped reading paper books and now almost exclusively listen/read on Kindle. My book recommendations include: Throne of Glass (the entire series is *chef's kiss*) by Sarah J Maas, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (this amazing mix of Arthur legend, secret societies, and magic), Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (YA fantasy's version of Ocean's Eleven), and My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows (audiobook is a DELIGHT - the book starts off fairly accurate historically, but then the authors bust in and say they are taking things in a different direction - hijinks ensue! If you at all like The Princess Bride, you'll love this one). Enjoy!
Congrats on the little one! You’re a rockstar! Also, I am obsessed with your dog’s name! I’m like 10 years behind the times, but Station Eleven was a favorite dystopian novel (post pandemic-y event). Also - if you are a Popcast fan, Jamie has great recs for books when you go to their website and look at her book green lights. It will also suggest others books that are related!
Congratulations, Mama! My sister had her baby about three weeks ago - it's the first baby of my siblings so I'm over the moon to be an Aunt! It does seem like she's having to learn to do things with one hand an no sleep too so you're definitely not alone!
I've just started to be able to focus on reading again and it's lovely. I received The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for Christmas but haven't tackled it yet! A few books I've read and loved this year are:
-Well, This Is Exhausting by Sophia Benoit
-Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb
-The House In the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
-The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (romance, very open door towards the end)
Also, one of my all time favorite series is The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater and they audiobooks are divine! It's a YA series with a hint of magic and is a lovely found family story.
Hillary, I'm so glad your little girl is doing well! I don't have any book recs to share but will plug Libby an app that your library hopefully provides that has tons of free ebooks and audiobooks.
Happy Birthday Erin!! I think I speak for everyone when I say, we're so glad you were born!
The big news over here is... I'm still pregnant. 🤰🏼 We're at 37 weeks! The penguin waddle is a solid 10, cankles are loving the California Spring sunshine, and y'all I am EXHAUSTED. 😴 Monday they're going to check me and see if we've got any progress and then Wednesday the 6th they're going to try to move things along if baby girl hasn't made her appearance, and we have a plan to induce if she isn't here by her due date (the 14th). All of our growth scans have put this girl on the larger side, so I am pumped for some baby rolls fresh out of the oven.
Hooray for baby rolls! Hang in there mama, the end is in sight! Well, just the beginning really. Then you will get to do the no-sleep, one-handed everything, gaze in wonder routine.
Congratulations!!! I was JUST in those exhausted pregnancy days ♥️ Hoping and praying your baby bun arrives exactly when she needs to and that your labor goes smoothly and quickly and peacefully ☺️
Anyone else worried that Irish Magician has dubious plans for children? Is it just me giving him side eye? Can we get someone to run a background check on him? Do I have a general mistrust of Magicians? Yes.
Ok, but I always really liked Babylon Bee. Are we not supposed to like it anymore? Feel free to Beesplain me.
Maybe it's the two-year anniversary of The End Of All Things, but everything feels super overwhelming and needlessly complex right now. Like, I just want to read a book after dinner but instead I've got to decide when to have my parents over, plan a birthday party, convince my husband that I need a girls weekend in Taos, and assess what my kids are packing for lunch and why they have suddenly decided to stop eating fruit as well as vegetables.
I've been reading a lot lately about the Health At Every Size movement, which has been so interesting and theoretically liberating. The problem is I still have the old voice in my head telling me I'm a slacker if I don't do something to lose the ten pounds I gained last fall when I switched birth control, and now there's a new voice telling me I'm a tool if I worry about those ten pounds. Changing my attitudes and perceptions around weight and food restriction is a long process, and this week it's just a quagmire. Sigh. Some weeks are like that, even in Australia.
Do you have a moment to talk about the gospel of Maintenance Phase podcast? Seriously, they do such a great job explaining exactly why so much of health and wellness culture is BS. And while the point of the show is to examine fatphobic systems in society at large, it has been incredibly helpful to me on a personal level.
The Babylon Bee makes a lot of mean-spirited jokes about AOC, trans people, and not much else. I believe the founder sold the company and left, which probably has a lot to do with it.
I totally get what you mean when you talk about your thoughts and feelings around the Health at Every Size movement. I’ve been working on loving my body for the past (passed? past?) 6 years. It’s hard work reprogramming your brain. Here ✨✨ <—take this grace for yourself. That old voice will get easier to ignore, I promise. I know, because it’s finally gotten MUCH quieter for me (thank you many years of counseling and good friends and helpful internet people). That new voice has no place here, but you know that. It’s okay if that’s hard to remember. It’s a really hard fight, and, like you said, it’s exhausting.
I hope next week holds more sunshine and easier days for you ♥️
Re: the Bee, I was once a big fan too. And while I am no hardcore liberal, their imbalanced lampooning of the Democratic Party while almost completely ignoring the shenanigans of the Republican Party (although they sometimes don’t ignore it, thankfully) and thinly veiled borderline fundamentalism (I take that back, I don’t think it’s even veiled anymore) has put me and so many former readers off. It was fun when it was lampooning mainstream church culture and poking fun at the prosperity gospel, but it’s become a monster now and I can’t support it anymore. That’s just my opinion, but I am sure Erin can put it much more precisely than I can!
Ah. Yes, I followed it more closely when it was just Facebook and "Look, it's a Christian Onion!" I've been seeing it showing up as a topic of think pieces by progressives, and I'm like, "what's so terrible about making jokes about the cardigan on the church secretary's chair that's been there for 30 years?" Thank you for the breakdown!
from the 45 year old who's neck decided to rebel on the Tuesday of a vacation week.... Thank you for some treasures while I sit with my heating pad and drink my coffee
two things stand out - honey in coffee sounds DEE-scusting, but the gratefulness thing is noted & indeed super helpful, can confirm
Erin, did an Airbnb wrong you, personally? That tweet made me lol. I have a dream of one day having a tiny house on our property we rent out, and my greatest fear is a spider will get in, or some kind of bug (we live in the woods) & it will ruin someone's day.
Whole30, day 23 (if someone doesn't say they are doing Whole30, are they even doing it?), feeling really great. The sun is finally shining here. Very few daffodils have come up in our yard this year, a sign that the Great Purging of Daffodils of 2020 and 2021 may finally have taken effect (does anyone else really dislike daffodils? just me?). We just planned a Memorial Day camping trip to Lake Champlain, where we had such a good family trip last summer. I have high hopes for this to be the waxxed & vaxxed summer we were all promised.
Diving into the comments; hoping you all have some kind of ray of sunshine this weekend.
Me too! We got 3 this year and I was so excited, you'd have thought we won the lottery. Yelling into the backdoor - "Quick! Another daffodil!" It was an event. Lol
Gah! These are great links/tweets videos. I've already shared stuff around and woke up half my friends here on the west coast. As always, thank you Erin.
My week has been spectacularly awful, due to my work environment, where I spend most of my time, so I'm not even going to talk about it. To quote Liz Lemon: "blerg."
But there were good things too:
📚I read the book club book, and then read all about the author and her family 😬 and her bookstore. And that made me think about Annie Jones and her bookstore and Kathleen Kelly and her pretend bookstore. And that made me place an order at my bookstore.
🎬 I'm trying to watch some of the Netflix movies that I've never seen that are going away before the end of the month. (And before i cancel my membership bc they were so dumb about Babysitters). This week it was Philomena. Judy Dench is just a delight.
💅 My O+J order came and I love TLG! Also their nail strengthener has changed my life. I wish I had enough $ to build O+J gift packs for people. I would do the strengthener, the cuticle oil, the clippers and a polish.
🏡 I don't have any money because our offer was accepted, all contingencies removed, and we close on our house on 4/7. I could cry. But I am too tired. The house we are in now has been a House of Sadness. It is a long story, but so many awful things happened while we lived here, and this house itself was not a refuge. The neighborhood is loud and stressful and chaotic. This new house in a super boring suburb actually feels like a place we can heal a bit. Quiet. There is a garden and a screened in patio. Trees. Friendly neighbors have already greeted us. So the first thing on my gratitude list is for this new house that I pray will be a home.
Dawn, I'm so glad you're moving into a House of Refuge (I almost typed Refuse, so I can understand your tiredness). We're on the opposite side of all that - just getting started in the moving process - but hooray for small good things. Also, yes to the grumpiness about them cancelling the BSC, it was such a good show!
Your new place sounds like a lovely spot to rest. Trees!! Also - I am on an online spending getting for Lent but the second it is lifted, I am getting O+J TLG and probably now Nail strengthener on your recommendation. Wahoo! Thanks!
That will be a fun Easter treat! And seriously, that strengthener has helped so much. I strip my nails on Friday night and put some on. Put more on Sat am and pm. More on Sun am. And then paint on Sunday afternoon. It's like I have someone else's nails. I used my thumb nail to open a soda can the other day. 😲
I've officially named this week "migraine week". It's been awful and today is only marginally better so I'm honestly feeling kind of pitiful and useless at the moment. I'd gladly spend my weekend lying in a dark room, maybe watching season 2 of Bridgerton, but tomorrow is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and my niece's birthday party is Sunday. I really want to be there and celebrate with them but I don't know if I'll be able to. 😟 Ts and Ps and good vibes are appreciated!
That's it from me this week, see you in the comments! 🧡
Those Tik Toks had me rolling, and that sweet Irish magician 😭😭😭 Thank-you for this wonderful round up, Erin.
Guys, it has been quite the two weeks. Between everyone’s allergies kicking in, two kiddos waking up in the middle of the night, sick husband, I feel worn down. I finally got a good night of sleep this week and feel like a new woman. I am back in the phase of “will I ever sleep again???” and while I know the answer is “yes” the emotions I feel in the sleepless moments are real and sometimes overwhelming.
Regarding gratitude: this has been really helpful as I navigate lack of sleep. Tip: if you have kids, ask them what they are thankful for regularly. Not only does it get my kids into the habit, but it also gives me perspective when I am feeling like there is nothing to be thankful for. Their simple answers like “dinner”, “our house”, “the weather” remind me there is always something to be thankful for, not matter how small.
Okay, onto treasures I have been thankful for:
🎵: The Chilled Classical Covers playlist on Spotify allows me to listen and sing along to some of my favorite hits without worrying about my kids hearing anything questionable 😆
Guys. My anxiety about peeing in the wild is completely gone.
🫖: With all the allergies and sore throats, tea has been my favorite afternoon treat. Yesterday my big boys asked for some, and I obliged and gave them tea biscuits to go with the tea. Look, if all I do is give my boys a love of the library, reading, and having high tea, I will feel pretty good as a mom.
📖: Between Erin’s Lent study and my church’s lent study, I’ve been reading a lot of Psalms. My new (to me) favorite thing is to use the YouVersion app and have the Psalm read to me. Another favorite thing is this local duo who are putting all the Psalms to music and releasing one a week. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Bywk7V8eOM4KlPoqqP2Co?si=dKIk50dKQTGZzyM0y7kH_Q
Okay, gotta go. Cranky baby needs a nap. And so does the baby. 🤪😂 Love you all.
P.S. Will any Swipes be at the Dallas live show and want to meet up???
Yes, why are kids still waking up in the middle of the night. I told my son the other night "I'm just not available to be a parent right now" because the tiredness is SO REAL. But then he told me the next morning "I love your brain", so I agree about the gratefulness. I'm also here to echo giving tea to kids. My kids all LOVE a good cuppa in the afternoon with some toast and it's nice to pretend we're cozied up in England somewhere instead of cold, soggy, late March Chicago. Hugs friend!
Saving that Classical Covers playlist - thank you!! Oh and your sleep worries just instantly transported me back to days with a toddler and a newborn and I had a visceral reaction. It is so, so hard to not be sleeping when you desperately need to be sleeping. IGlad you are getting some rest!
Heh heh. I have a TinkleBelle - which we call my "peepee shooter" because we are v mature. I like it! My main advice is to practice at home. And I find that it works best with stretch clothes like leggings and yoga pants. I had a deep unfortunate low rise jeans experience once. Never again!
Erin, Happy Birthday week! You are a gift to all of us and I hope you feel so loved and celebrated (and that your day includes something Zac Efron related). You’ve made an impact on my life and speaking of gratitude, I’m so grateful for you!
Gratefulness is exactly what I needed to read and add to my life today. I need a reset.
Friends, it’s been a WEEK. I’ve moved into an apt in November and over the past month, it’s become more apparent that I can’t stay there. The landlords just don’t care, it’s not in the best shape (though I was assured that it would be fixed up) and I genuinely don’t feel safe. I’m so discouraged bc I just wanted to find a place and settle in and having to pack and move/convince my landlords that they need to let me out of my lease is making me so sad/annoyed/blah. I know it’ll be okay, it’s just been a hard few days.
The treasures in my week have been the beautiful, spring weather gracing the northeast, sweatpants from Target (joylab brand) and seeing Death on the Nile with a friend(it was SO GOOD).
Oh no, Kristine, I’m so sorry about your apartment. I’ve been there before and not being able to feel totally comfortable at home is the worst!! Praying a solution will present itself soon!
Also, when I was 8, I was sung to at a restaurant (Bugaboo Creek to be exact) and it haunts me to this day. My grandma arranged it and she was so proud of herself and I was shocked and dismayed that it was happening. There was a moose hanging on the wall (on theme) and it even sang with the crew. 10/10 do not recommend.
Getting in on this one late again but Friday was filled with getting ready for our Spring Break trip. At this moment, I am sitting in a hotel bed in Atlanta but by this evening, we’ll be in Orlando at Universal Studios, staying at Dockside Inn. We’re so excited to take our 17, 14 and 10 year old kids there! We all love Harry Potter so are looking forward to that though I am a but nervous about doing some of the rides. I get motion sick. I can typically still do roller coasters but spinning and simulated things can get me good. I plan on taking Bonine and wearing Seabands but also know that I’ll enjoy just being there even if I don’t think I should ride something based on what I’ve read about it. If anyone has any suggestions on good food in the parks or around, I’d love to have them!
Then on the end of the trip as we head home, I’ll be meeting up with some good friends and heading to Birmingham for The Popcast Live Show! It’s a lot of travel all at one time but super excited to attend.
Hello friends!
Checking in late tonight. I am 1.5 weeks out from a job change and am getting so very excited! Also sort of running out of steam in the current job so trying to make my way through.
🕯 I don’t know why 2 years into this thing, I just realized what a delight it was to have candles lit in my home office while I worked, but it’s been so pleasant! (Yes I know candles are terrible for your lungs but let me live!) I’ve snagged a great one at Target (based on birth stones, the June Pearl scent was SO good), and got one at Marshall’s today called White Flowers that smells just like gardenias.
🧖♀️ I learned about this site called Haldi that you input info about your skin and things you currently use, and they help you build a skincare routine! They leverage products you already have and recommend some new suggestions based on your budget and skin type. I tried it out a few months ago and LOVE some of the recommendations from them (they suggested a face oil that is DIVINE and the moisturizer has been a perfect fit for me). Free link to take their quiz is here : https://haldi.com/?referredBy=laurenheathfriends
No pressure to buy, but full disclosure, I get $20 off my next order if you do the quiz! I think it’s worth doing the quiz just to know what order to use your current products in - that’s been a huge help to me!
📺 I’m off to try to power through Inventing Anna so I can binge Bad Vegan later this weekend! I’ve been in a reading slump this year (so unusual for me), but I’m leaning into podcasts and TV until the right book finds me.
Happy weekend!
I was so fascinated by Inventing Anna. I went back and read the articles and all the insider buzz. What a wild story. I also love to have a candle while I work.
There's a Chesapeake Bay candle at Target called Balance and Harmony that I absolutely love. I may have to check out the birthstone ones.
Oh that one sounds good too! Thanks!
I moved into my new house last weekend! I am still packing/cleaning the trailer and have once again overestimated how much I can reasonably do in a short amount of time, but the first few nights back in my own bed after 8 months have been so good. I was worried about how my dog would cope after the Great Christmas Fiasco, but she has done just fine. The downside is that there is next to no storage, which after living in a house that was absolutely lousy with storage is proving problematic, but we soldier on.
Letters of Note has been around in the form of a delightful blog for many years (now on Substack, apparently) and has also done some live shows. There are lots of clips plus a couple of full-length videos on YouTube.
Hooray for a new home! Hope you settle in quickly and find creative ways to store stuff. We have spent the last 7 years in 800sq ft and everything has to do two jobs. We can't have a coffee table. We have to have an ottoman bench that also holds blankets. Three jobs at least!
So, we never made it to New York last week for the half marathon. After they said we could 1) rent a car, 2) drive to Huntsville from Birmingham, 3) potentially get a hotel, 4) leave at 5:30am, 5) fly through DC, 6) be standby on the flight from DC to JFK, 7) still not get in until mid-afternoon on Saturday...we just called it. Ended up being stubborn and running a half marathon on my own in town. Very grateful for my sweet Husband for running half of it with me and my BFF who chased me down to have her and her little cheer me on from their car. Friends are good, y'all.
Some treasures this week have been in the opportunities to do some interviews and focus group for a project I'm working on around the gender wage gap in Alabama. Talking to all different women about their stories and their successes and failures. Why being a woman and a mother are assets to businesses and the economy. About knowing your value and asking for it. I am fired up!
Oh, I'm so sorry the NYC trip fell apart. I love that you did the run anyway! ❤️ And your project sounds awesome! Here's the deal, why are we playing by the rules that the boys wrote? Rules that didn't take us into consideration? What if we wrote the rules.
Anne, I'm sorry your trip wasn't able to work out, but kudos to you for running it anyway!
I am so sorry your NYC trip didn’t work out, but good for you for still doing your half marathon! Seems like a very “lemonade from lemons” approach!
Hi, hi friends! Happy Friday!
A few treasures from this week:
-Chiropractic and Acupuncture visits which have helped SO much with my chronic pain. I've been dealing with one of the worst flare ups for the past two months and my doctor is kind of at the point where she doesn't know what else to do for me. We have a great integrative medicine practice in my town so I made a few appointments and I'm so glad I did. I'm struggling with the financial aspect of the treatments - not covered by insurance and not cheap - but it's definitely worth it to feel like a person again.
-I had an informational meeting with a professor from that PhD program I was looking into and I am very excited to start the next chapter of my academic career. The program is so flexible and there's a possibility of getting an assistantship placement that would cover my tuition and provide a (small) stipend. I have to take the GRE which will be a bit of a hurdle, but I'm just making myself use positive thinking on that front.
-Finally getting caught up on my homework!!!!! And getting to watch Yellowjackets with a friend now that I have time.
-I'm reorganizing my study and adding more plants and some twinkle lights in an effort to make it cozy AF in hopes I will want to be in there more and so far it's working
-I finally got a chance to do a post for the substack I started months ago!! It's a quick list of picture book biographies for Women's History month: https://talesfromabibliophile.substack.com/
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
These are great treasures! A cozy study makes a difference when you are there all the time.
Yay for informational meetings and PhD plans! I hope you're able to figure it all out and get into the program you want. Academic careers are great!
Oooh what plants are you doing in your study? I also want to fancy up my home office but am admittedly not great with plants!
Yay for big PhD plans! Doctoral programs are such rollercoasters, but (at least in my case) worth it in the end. Cheering you on!
HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY ERIN!!! I hope nobody sings to you in public. I am one of those strange people who loves it when that happens to me because my enneagram 3 wing just adores being the center of attention. Yes, restaurant people, do look and clap and celebrate me as I enjoy my free birthday treat. I am the main character and you’re welcome for blessing your lives with my presence 😂
*please still like me you guys*
I also IMMEDIATELY bought Letters of Note: Mothers with my audible credit because I love these sorts of things and need good books to listen to as I’m feeding my newborn daughter at 2am. If anyone else has book recs please list them! I love young adult fiction, big fan of dystopian stories, and some of my absolute FAVORITE books are:
✨The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
✨The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
✨Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
✨Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima
✨Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
Check those out if you wish. Please give me book recs if you wish.
My treasure lately has been my previously mentioned newborn daughter. She’s 3 weeks old tomorrow. I longed for her during an infertility journey that lasted 3 years, and she decided to arrive 4 weeks early. Because she was preemie, she struggled with Jaundice and had to spend the first two weeks of her lil life spending every spare moment on her bilibed (a blue light bed that helped her break down the bilirubin in her body)
Now she’s a healthy, happy baby and I get to spend most of my days snuggling her and figuring out how to do things one handed 😂 (I’m learning that that’s pretty much what parenting is. Learning how to what you need with only 1/2 your hands available and on only 1/4 of the sleep your body requires.) Also our rescue pit bull, Dude (who’s full Christian name, I’m happy to tell you, is Deuteronomy Jingleheimer Schmitt) is absolutely in love with her. He’s the sweetest nanny dog who is absolutely convinced we’re raising her wrong. Anytime she fusses or cries he looks at me like, “Why are you letting her cry? What have you done? For the love just give her to me. I’m certain once I lick her face and snuggle her she’ll be fine.” He’s finally learning about personal space boundaries, but he’s not happy about that.
Thanks for being a lovely space on the internet! Can’t wait to read all your comments!!
Oh, congratulations on your baby! So glad she's healthy and doing well. Love your dog's name! 😁 We named our herding dogs "Lacey Curtains Wright - Adventure Dog!" And Sippin' Whiskey Wright - Action Canine!"
Ya’ll truly have the best dog names!!!
Hillary, I second Libby. After my first was born almost 6 years ago, I kind of stopped reading paper books and now almost exclusively listen/read on Kindle. My book recommendations include: Throne of Glass (the entire series is *chef's kiss*) by Sarah J Maas, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (this amazing mix of Arthur legend, secret societies, and magic), Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (YA fantasy's version of Ocean's Eleven), and My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows (audiobook is a DELIGHT - the book starts off fairly accurate historically, but then the authors bust in and say they are taking things in a different direction - hijinks ensue! If you at all like The Princess Bride, you'll love this one). Enjoy!
Oooh all of these sound amazing!! Thank you so much!!
Congrats on the little one! You’re a rockstar! Also, I am obsessed with your dog’s name! I’m like 10 years behind the times, but Station Eleven was a favorite dystopian novel (post pandemic-y event). Also - if you are a Popcast fan, Jamie has great recs for books when you go to their website and look at her book green lights. It will also suggest others books that are related!
Thank you! I’m a HUGE Popcast fan but never thought to check out Jaimie’s book recs ☺️☺️ What a great idea!
Welcome! Side note: I had a very close friend named Hilary (just one “l”) Schmitt in college, so I did a double take seeing your name!
That is so cool!!!
Congratulations, Mama! My sister had her baby about three weeks ago - it's the first baby of my siblings so I'm over the moon to be an Aunt! It does seem like she's having to learn to do things with one hand an no sleep too so you're definitely not alone!
I've just started to be able to focus on reading again and it's lovely. I received The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for Christmas but haven't tackled it yet! A few books I've read and loved this year are:
-Well, This Is Exhausting by Sophia Benoit
-Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb
-The House In the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
-The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (romance, very open door towards the end)
Also, one of my all time favorite series is The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater and they audiobooks are divine! It's a YA series with a hint of magic and is a lovely found family story.
Hints of magic and found family are MY JAM!!!
I would give anything to be able to experience Addie LaRue for the first time again, it was THAT GOOD!!! Hope you love it ☺️
I love anything by David Sedaris! Enjoy this time with your bebe!
Hillary, I'm so glad your little girl is doing well! I don't have any book recs to share but will plug Libby an app that your library hopefully provides that has tons of free ebooks and audiobooks.
LIBBY IS THE BEST!
Yes!! I work at a library and if yours has Libby you can access audiobooks and ebooks with your card - it's great!
Oooh thank you!!!
Hoopla is another library app that has audiobooks to check out with your library card.
Hi friends!
Happy Birthday Erin!! I think I speak for everyone when I say, we're so glad you were born!
The big news over here is... I'm still pregnant. 🤰🏼 We're at 37 weeks! The penguin waddle is a solid 10, cankles are loving the California Spring sunshine, and y'all I am EXHAUSTED. 😴 Monday they're going to check me and see if we've got any progress and then Wednesday the 6th they're going to try to move things along if baby girl hasn't made her appearance, and we have a plan to induce if she isn't here by her due date (the 14th). All of our growth scans have put this girl on the larger side, so I am pumped for some baby rolls fresh out of the oven.
Can't wait to see what you guys are up to!
Hooray for baby rolls! Hang in there mama, the end is in sight! Well, just the beginning really. Then you will get to do the no-sleep, one-handed everything, gaze in wonder routine.
"baby rolls fresh out of the oven" I LOVE IT. Spring babies are delightful
Congratulations!!! I was JUST in those exhausted pregnancy days ♥️ Hoping and praying your baby bun arrives exactly when she needs to and that your labor goes smoothly and quickly and peacefully ☺️
As a fellow lenter this lil treasures is all I know of the outside world.
Anyone else worried that Irish Magician has dubious plans for children? Is it just me giving him side eye? Can we get someone to run a background check on him? Do I have a general mistrust of Magicians? Yes.
For those of you wondering... Yes, I am a 6.
Like the Child Snatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?! I was legit TERRIFIED of him for YEARS
Yes!
Haha! If this were an irish tale, he could be a fairy in disguise, hoping to lure the children away to a magical land for 100 years.
I’m a 6 too! I admit that the guy saying that he flew to Poland specifically to entertain the children gave me pause. 😬
Ok, but I always really liked Babylon Bee. Are we not supposed to like it anymore? Feel free to Beesplain me.
Maybe it's the two-year anniversary of The End Of All Things, but everything feels super overwhelming and needlessly complex right now. Like, I just want to read a book after dinner but instead I've got to decide when to have my parents over, plan a birthday party, convince my husband that I need a girls weekend in Taos, and assess what my kids are packing for lunch and why they have suddenly decided to stop eating fruit as well as vegetables.
I've been reading a lot lately about the Health At Every Size movement, which has been so interesting and theoretically liberating. The problem is I still have the old voice in my head telling me I'm a slacker if I don't do something to lose the ten pounds I gained last fall when I switched birth control, and now there's a new voice telling me I'm a tool if I worry about those ten pounds. Changing my attitudes and perceptions around weight and food restriction is a long process, and this week it's just a quagmire. Sigh. Some weeks are like that, even in Australia.
Do you have a moment to talk about the gospel of Maintenance Phase podcast? Seriously, they do such a great job explaining exactly why so much of health and wellness culture is BS. And while the point of the show is to examine fatphobic systems in society at large, it has been incredibly helpful to me on a personal level.
The Babylon Bee makes a lot of mean-spirited jokes about AOC, trans people, and not much else. I believe the founder sold the company and left, which probably has a lot to do with it.
Yeah, that makes sense to explain why it just went crazy.
I totally get what you mean when you talk about your thoughts and feelings around the Health at Every Size movement. I’ve been working on loving my body for the past (passed? past?) 6 years. It’s hard work reprogramming your brain. Here ✨✨ <—take this grace for yourself. That old voice will get easier to ignore, I promise. I know, because it’s finally gotten MUCH quieter for me (thank you many years of counseling and good friends and helpful internet people). That new voice has no place here, but you know that. It’s okay if that’s hard to remember. It’s a really hard fight, and, like you said, it’s exhausting.
I hope next week holds more sunshine and easier days for you ♥️
Thanks Hillary!
Re: the Bee, I was once a big fan too. And while I am no hardcore liberal, their imbalanced lampooning of the Democratic Party while almost completely ignoring the shenanigans of the Republican Party (although they sometimes don’t ignore it, thankfully) and thinly veiled borderline fundamentalism (I take that back, I don’t think it’s even veiled anymore) has put me and so many former readers off. It was fun when it was lampooning mainstream church culture and poking fun at the prosperity gospel, but it’s become a monster now and I can’t support it anymore. That’s just my opinion, but I am sure Erin can put it much more precisely than I can!
Ah. Yes, I followed it more closely when it was just Facebook and "Look, it's a Christian Onion!" I've been seeing it showing up as a topic of think pieces by progressives, and I'm like, "what's so terrible about making jokes about the cardigan on the church secretary's chair that's been there for 30 years?" Thank you for the breakdown!
Oh my gosh, totally! When it was just the “Christian Onion”, it was one thing but it has flown off the effin rails in recent years.
from the 45 year old who's neck decided to rebel on the Tuesday of a vacation week.... Thank you for some treasures while I sit with my heating pad and drink my coffee
Aw man. That deserves a vacation do-over for sure. Feel better soon.
two things stand out - honey in coffee sounds DEE-scusting, but the gratefulness thing is noted & indeed super helpful, can confirm
Erin, did an Airbnb wrong you, personally? That tweet made me lol. I have a dream of one day having a tiny house on our property we rent out, and my greatest fear is a spider will get in, or some kind of bug (we live in the woods) & it will ruin someone's day.
Whole30, day 23 (if someone doesn't say they are doing Whole30, are they even doing it?), feeling really great. The sun is finally shining here. Very few daffodils have come up in our yard this year, a sign that the Great Purging of Daffodils of 2020 and 2021 may finally have taken effect (does anyone else really dislike daffodils? just me?). We just planned a Memorial Day camping trip to Lake Champlain, where we had such a good family trip last summer. I have high hopes for this to be the waxxed & vaxxed summer we were all promised.
Diving into the comments; hoping you all have some kind of ray of sunshine this weekend.
I don't even know what kind of yard we'll have in Ithaca, but I LOVE daffodils, I'd definitely take some off your hands if we were closer!
I agree, there is no good reason to be putting honey in coffee!
Oh man. I'll take all your daffodils. Love those little yellow pots of joy!
Me too! We got 3 this year and I was so excited, you'd have thought we won the lottery. Yelling into the backdoor - "Quick! Another daffodil!" It was an event. Lol
I should clarify, they ALL have gone to good homes. :) If you are nearby to or driving through southeastern PA, you are welcome to the rest lol
Gah! These are great links/tweets videos. I've already shared stuff around and woke up half my friends here on the west coast. As always, thank you Erin.
My week has been spectacularly awful, due to my work environment, where I spend most of my time, so I'm not even going to talk about it. To quote Liz Lemon: "blerg."
But there were good things too:
📚I read the book club book, and then read all about the author and her family 😬 and her bookstore. And that made me think about Annie Jones and her bookstore and Kathleen Kelly and her pretend bookstore. And that made me place an order at my bookstore.
🎬 I'm trying to watch some of the Netflix movies that I've never seen that are going away before the end of the month. (And before i cancel my membership bc they were so dumb about Babysitters). This week it was Philomena. Judy Dench is just a delight.
💅 My O+J order came and I love TLG! Also their nail strengthener has changed my life. I wish I had enough $ to build O+J gift packs for people. I would do the strengthener, the cuticle oil, the clippers and a polish.
🏡 I don't have any money because our offer was accepted, all contingencies removed, and we close on our house on 4/7. I could cry. But I am too tired. The house we are in now has been a House of Sadness. It is a long story, but so many awful things happened while we lived here, and this house itself was not a refuge. The neighborhood is loud and stressful and chaotic. This new house in a super boring suburb actually feels like a place we can heal a bit. Quiet. There is a garden and a screened in patio. Trees. Friendly neighbors have already greeted us. So the first thing on my gratitude list is for this new house that I pray will be a home.
Looking forward to catching up in the comments!
Dawn, I'm so glad you're moving into a House of Refuge (I almost typed Refuse, so I can understand your tiredness). We're on the opposite side of all that - just getting started in the moving process - but hooray for small good things. Also, yes to the grumpiness about them cancelling the BSC, it was such a good show!
❤ Excited for your move too!
Your new place sounds like a lovely spot to rest. Trees!! Also - I am on an online spending getting for Lent but the second it is lifted, I am getting O+J TLG and probably now Nail strengthener on your recommendation. Wahoo! Thanks!
That will be a fun Easter treat! And seriously, that strengthener has helped so much. I strip my nails on Friday night and put some on. Put more on Sat am and pm. More on Sun am. And then paint on Sunday afternoon. It's like I have someone else's nails. I used my thumb nail to open a soda can the other day. 😲
Online spending FREEZE* for Lent
Sending you all of the best hopes and dreams for a peaceful refuge in your new home!
Thank you! <3
The new house sounds lovely and I hope it will be a place of rest and healing for you. (Also, I'm grateful for Liz Lemon quotes. They're so useful!)
Thank you! (I use the "night cheese" one a lot, and I probably send that "Lemon. It's Wednesday" gif every week. lol!)
Excited that you'll have a fresh start in a new house!
Thank you! I have so many naps planned - you don't even know!
your new house sounds so lovely, congratulations!
Thank you!
Happy birthday Erin!!! 🎉🎂🎁
I've officially named this week "migraine week". It's been awful and today is only marginally better so I'm honestly feeling kind of pitiful and useless at the moment. I'd gladly spend my weekend lying in a dark room, maybe watching season 2 of Bridgerton, but tomorrow is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and my niece's birthday party is Sunday. I really want to be there and celebrate with them but I don't know if I'll be able to. 😟 Ts and Ps and good vibes are appreciated!
That's it from me this week, see you in the comments! 🧡
Sending you all the Ts and Ps
Migraine sufferer here. They are of the devil and I’m so sorry you may miss these special events.
They truly are. I'm sorry you have them too.
Oh, I am so sorry about the migraines. And potentially missing out on these family events. 😔 Ts and Ps coming up!
Thank you! ❤
Those Tik Toks had me rolling, and that sweet Irish magician 😭😭😭 Thank-you for this wonderful round up, Erin.
Guys, it has been quite the two weeks. Between everyone’s allergies kicking in, two kiddos waking up in the middle of the night, sick husband, I feel worn down. I finally got a good night of sleep this week and feel like a new woman. I am back in the phase of “will I ever sleep again???” and while I know the answer is “yes” the emotions I feel in the sleepless moments are real and sometimes overwhelming.
Regarding gratitude: this has been really helpful as I navigate lack of sleep. Tip: if you have kids, ask them what they are thankful for regularly. Not only does it get my kids into the habit, but it also gives me perspective when I am feeling like there is nothing to be thankful for. Their simple answers like “dinner”, “our house”, “the weather” remind me there is always something to be thankful for, not matter how small.
Okay, onto treasures I have been thankful for:
🎵: The Chilled Classical Covers playlist on Spotify allows me to listen and sing along to some of my favorite hits without worrying about my kids hearing anything questionable 😆
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX21hEmly67Fg?si=nFo4mE5IR3akRwREJfG6uA
🚽: This treasure might be TMI, but here we are. My husband and I are going on an epic Grand Canyon glamping adventure with his company, and I was silently freaking out about peeing in the wild. Then I found this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KRH27KL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4XGVZ65CYZ1WZ0C8XVV3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Guys. My anxiety about peeing in the wild is completely gone.
🫖: With all the allergies and sore throats, tea has been my favorite afternoon treat. Yesterday my big boys asked for some, and I obliged and gave them tea biscuits to go with the tea. Look, if all I do is give my boys a love of the library, reading, and having high tea, I will feel pretty good as a mom.
📖: Between Erin’s Lent study and my church’s lent study, I’ve been reading a lot of Psalms. My new (to me) favorite thing is to use the YouVersion app and have the Psalm read to me. Another favorite thing is this local duo who are putting all the Psalms to music and releasing one a week. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Bywk7V8eOM4KlPoqqP2Co?si=dKIk50dKQTGZzyM0y7kH_Q
Okay, gotta go. Cranky baby needs a nap. And so does the baby. 🤪😂 Love you all.
P.S. Will any Swipes be at the Dallas live show and want to meet up???
Peeing in the wild is one thing, but I considered hiking Machu Picchu and pooping in the wild gives me SO MUCH anxiety, it's a 3 day hike.
Yes, why are kids still waking up in the middle of the night. I told my son the other night "I'm just not available to be a parent right now" because the tiredness is SO REAL. But then he told me the next morning "I love your brain", so I agree about the gratefulness. I'm also here to echo giving tea to kids. My kids all LOVE a good cuppa in the afternoon with some toast and it's nice to pretend we're cozied up in England somewhere instead of cold, soggy, late March Chicago. Hugs friend!
Saving that Classical Covers playlist - thank you!! Oh and your sleep worries just instantly transported me back to days with a toddler and a newborn and I had a visceral reaction. It is so, so hard to not be sleeping when you desperately need to be sleeping. IGlad you are getting some rest!
Heh heh. I have a TinkleBelle - which we call my "peepee shooter" because we are v mature. I like it! My main advice is to practice at home. And I find that it works best with stretch clothes like leggings and yoga pants. I had a deep unfortunate low rise jeans experience once. Never again!
Erin, Happy Birthday week! You are a gift to all of us and I hope you feel so loved and celebrated (and that your day includes something Zac Efron related). You’ve made an impact on my life and speaking of gratitude, I’m so grateful for you!
Gratefulness is exactly what I needed to read and add to my life today. I need a reset.
Friends, it’s been a WEEK. I’ve moved into an apt in November and over the past month, it’s become more apparent that I can’t stay there. The landlords just don’t care, it’s not in the best shape (though I was assured that it would be fixed up) and I genuinely don’t feel safe. I’m so discouraged bc I just wanted to find a place and settle in and having to pack and move/convince my landlords that they need to let me out of my lease is making me so sad/annoyed/blah. I know it’ll be okay, it’s just been a hard few days.
The treasures in my week have been the beautiful, spring weather gracing the northeast, sweatpants from Target (joylab brand) and seeing Death on the Nile with a friend(it was SO GOOD).
I'm so sorry about your apartment! 😔 I wish more landlords cared beyond the investment/passive income. I hope you find something better soon!
Oh no, Kristine, I’m so sorry about your apartment. I’ve been there before and not being able to feel totally comfortable at home is the worst!! Praying a solution will present itself soon!
Thank you so much Lauren! 💕💕
Also, when I was 8, I was sung to at a restaurant (Bugaboo Creek to be exact) and it haunts me to this day. My grandma arranged it and she was so proud of herself and I was shocked and dismayed that it was happening. There was a moose hanging on the wall (on theme) and it even sang with the crew. 10/10 do not recommend.
Hahaha the moose detail! That does sound... memorable. And not in a good way!
100% not in a good way 😂