4 hours ago
Mom's Night Out by Tricia Goyer is a novelization of the movie, Mom's Night Out (which I actually have not seen yet). Allison is overwhelmed - with three kids her life is a constant circus of messes, and she can't figure out why she is not feeling fulfilled. In desperation she plans a mom's night out with her pastor's wife and her best friend, and the three of them set out to enjoy an evening of not having to worry about their kids. That is, until all their plans backfire!
This book was hilarious! For the first couple chapters I felt like I was reading pages out of my own life, and all the mishaps that occur as they just try to enjoy an evening out had me laughing out loud. Fiction book always gets high marks from me if it can make me laugh, and this one did.
I loved all the characters in this book, each lovably flawed. I could so relate to Allison, because she keeps trying to make their night fun even when plans start to fall apart, to the point of trying too hard to make it work sometimes (which is probably what I would do). I liked that the author wrote from the perspective of each character, and the side story of the dads' adventures in taking care of the kids were so funny. I also felt like the "moral to the story", presented by a biker named "Bones" was sweet. I'd definitely recommend this book to any mom!
Along with Mom's Night Out the novel, I also had the opportunity to review Mom's Night Out . . . And Other Things I Miss by Kerri Pomarolli, who is a Christian comedian.
This book is described as a devotional, so I was expecting some deeper insights into being a mom as I started reading it. I was not impressed. The points made at the end of each chapter were very surface-level, and the way the author tried to tie them into the rest of the chapter seemed like a stretch.
However, after I looked up the author and realized she was a comedian, and after I realized that this was not like a devotional in my sense of the word, I just started reading it like any book - and then I started to like it. And the more I read, the more I enjoyed it!
So many of these chapters are hilarious, and it definitely made my own hectic life as a mom feel more "normal". I so related to so many of the things that she jokes about in these chapters, and it had me laughing throughout the book!
I would not call this book a devotional, and if you are looking for a good devotional I wouldn't recommend this book. However, if I look at this book as a collection of encouraging and humorous stories for moms, instead of a devotional, I can honestly say I enjoyed it a lot! I'm passing it on to my sister, because I think she'll get a kick out of it too. And really, what mom couldn't use a good laugh in the middle of a stressful day of taking care of our littles? So if that is what you are looking for, I recommend it!
So I've read both of the books - now I just need to see the movie! Did any of you see it yet? Was it good? If it's anything like these books, I think I will enjoy it!
Note: I received both of these books for free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
I've posted my hospital packing list in the past, but I realized the other day that I never really expanded on that list! Since it was over three years ago, and since I've been asked about this topic more recently, I thought I'd go ahead and post a few tips on getting ready for the hospital for first time moms as a supplement to my original list. There are a few things that I was particularly glad I did when preparing for our hospital stays, so I'm going to focus on those here!
Switch to waterproof mascara in the last month or so of your pregnancy. I think I've mentioned before that you should pack waterproof mascara, so if you cry at the hospital you won't have mascara running everywhere. But really you should switch to waterproof before that, so you don't have to worry about black rivers under your eyes should you cry when you see your baby for the first time. And maybe you should cry in the mascara before the hospital too so you can confirm the waterproof claim, because my "waterproof" mascara with Clyde was a big, fat fail. If you can't muster up any tears, just watch this video. Or read this book. There you go.
Bring a sleep shirt. Just get out of the hospital gown as fast as you can. When Emily had her daughter she wrote about bringing a button-down sleep shirt to wear at the hospital after the birth, and I loved the idea. It's short enough for the nurses to check you postpartum, and the buttons are great for breastfeeding, but you'll actually feel cute. I loved having my sleep shirt with Gwen, and I got another one to use after Clyde was born.
Bring movies. You may not actually use them, but trust me, they are good to have. If you are admitted for some other complication before your baby comes (like our hospital stay a week before Wyatt was born), it will be nice to have something to watch besides the soaps that are on during the day.
Think about your clothes for photos. A lot of hospitals these days have professional photographers that will come by and take pictures of you and your new baby. Our hospital worked with Bella Baby, and I love having the shots of us together! If you are planning on getting any special pictures taken during your hospital stay, you don't want to be wearing the ugly gown they give you. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - with Wyatt I wore pajamas, and with Gwen and Clyde I wore yoga pants and a white t-shirt. But bring something casual that will look alright for pictures (if your sleep shirt is pretty enough, that might just work by itself too).
Have an extra bag you can grab quickly. I pack most of my hospital items in one bag, but there are certain things I need on a day to day basis - like my flat iron, or my glasses. I have an extra little bag that I keep those kinds of items in - that is just their permanent storage place for the last month of my pregnancy. Then when I go out and about, or when I go into labor, I can just grab that one bag with a few items and I'm good to go (instead of running around trying to pack last minute things into my main hospital bag).
If you ask twenty different mothers about their best tips for getting ready for the hospital, you'll probably get twenty different answers, but these were the things that I was glad I remembered! Moms, what were some things you did to prepare for the hospital? Comment below!
Switch to waterproof mascara in the last month or so of your pregnancy. I think I've mentioned before that you should pack waterproof mascara, so if you cry at the hospital you won't have mascara running everywhere. But really you should switch to waterproof before that, so you don't have to worry about black rivers under your eyes should you cry when you see your baby for the first time. And maybe you should cry in the mascara before the hospital too so you can confirm the waterproof claim, because my "waterproof" mascara with Clyde was a big, fat fail. If you can't muster up any tears, just watch this video. Or read this book. There you go.
Bring a sleep shirt. Just get out of the hospital gown as fast as you can. When Emily had her daughter she wrote about bringing a button-down sleep shirt to wear at the hospital after the birth, and I loved the idea. It's short enough for the nurses to check you postpartum, and the buttons are great for breastfeeding, but you'll actually feel cute. I loved having my sleep shirt with Gwen, and I got another one to use after Clyde was born.
Bring movies. You may not actually use them, but trust me, they are good to have. If you are admitted for some other complication before your baby comes (like our hospital stay a week before Wyatt was born), it will be nice to have something to watch besides the soaps that are on during the day.
Think about your clothes for photos. A lot of hospitals these days have professional photographers that will come by and take pictures of you and your new baby. Our hospital worked with Bella Baby, and I love having the shots of us together! If you are planning on getting any special pictures taken during your hospital stay, you don't want to be wearing the ugly gown they give you. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - with Wyatt I wore pajamas, and with Gwen and Clyde I wore yoga pants and a white t-shirt. But bring something casual that will look alright for pictures (if your sleep shirt is pretty enough, that might just work by itself too).
(One of our Bella Baby photos with Clyde - I also brought that blue wrap thing for the photos.)
Have an extra bag you can grab quickly. I pack most of my hospital items in one bag, but there are certain things I need on a day to day basis - like my flat iron, or my glasses. I have an extra little bag that I keep those kinds of items in - that is just their permanent storage place for the last month of my pregnancy. Then when I go out and about, or when I go into labor, I can just grab that one bag with a few items and I'm good to go (instead of running around trying to pack last minute things into my main hospital bag).
If you ask twenty different mothers about their best tips for getting ready for the hospital, you'll probably get twenty different answers, but these were the things that I was glad I remembered! Moms, what were some things you did to prepare for the hospital? Comment below!
I requested The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith because I needed an e-book to read during middle of the night feedings with Clyde - it looked like a book with pretty pictures, and something that wouldn't be too heavy when I was already tired. I did not expect to love this book so much!
I had never read Smith's blog before, so I went into reading this book completely unbiased, and I have to say I think she gave so much good decorating advice. What I liked though was that this wasn't just a dry read about colors and decorating ideas - Smith also shares her personal stories and experiences throughout the book, and it made it really interesting to read.
So many of her suggestions inspired me to take a fresh look at my house. A few of the things that stood out to me:
-She talks about "quieting" a room - taking everything out of the room except for the "bones". All the decorations should come off the tables and walls so you can see what you have to work with and what improvements need to be made to the basics in the room. I was so inspired I did it with my living room, and I think I decided I need new curtains. I'm really done with the ones I have (actually I've been done with them for a while, I just needed some motivation to do something about it).
-I couldn't for the life of me find the right page, but Smith also mentions paying attention to where a person's eye goes when they first walk into the room. It wasn't a major point, but it really made me think about where that area is in my house, and how I could improve it (it's the hall that leads to the kid's bedrooms, which is also a part of our living room, and I think I'm going to go for it and make a gallery wall! Stay tuned.)
-She talked about not just looking for new or trendy pieces, but also using the pretty things you already have - the things that have personal history to them, like a vase you got from your grandmother, etc. Her talk about finding ways to incorporate what you already have, i.e. "shopping" in your own house, have already inspired me to do some redecorating - without even spending any money yet!
-Smith included a ton of great ideas for thrift store shopping and working with a budget as well, which I always appreciate!
This book is one that I'll probably be referring to again and again - I don't think it will stay on my digital bookshelf, because there were so many great insights and ideas for creating a space that you love. I know that I've been dissatisfied with my living room for a long time, and this book was the "oomph" I needed to reevaluate what I have, identify some of my bad decorating/shopping habits, and make the most of my space instead of just wishing it was different. I think people of all decorating styles could get a lot out of this book!
Note: I received this book for free from Booklook in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
For several years now I have used a writing program to write my blog posts, instead of composing posts directly in Blogger - and I have to say, I love it! I've never been able to go back to writing in Blogger since I started using a program, so today I thought I'd talk about a few reasons why I like it.
1. It allows me to compose posts offline. This was especially useful when we had a more finicky internet service, but when you are working with a writer, your post drafts are saved to your computer. So if you are not in a place where you can access the internet, you can still prepare blog posts, format them, and get everything ready to hit "publish".
2. It is easier to add and position photos. Maybe it's just my computer, but I always have a hard time moving photos around when I try to add them into a post in Blogger. With a writer, you can just drag photos into the post you are composing, and it's easy to move photos around in a post.
3. Photos are resized for you and uploaded in one batch. When you add photos to your post, you can either choose the exact dimensions you want it to be, or in some writers you can even drag the corners of a photo to size it a precise way. Then when you upload your post, everything is uploaded in one batch, and the sizes of the photos are exactly how you sized them in the writer. This makes the uploading much faster because the photos are not being uploaded at full size, and it saves me work and space in my Picasa albums by re-sizing photos for me.
Those are the main things I like about using a writer, though I'm sure others could list more benefits that I haven't really utilized. So what writer do I use?
Windows Live Writer For PC
I first started using a writer when I had a PC, and the program I used was Windows Live Writer. If you are a PC person, you are in luck! I loved Live Writer, and I've never been able to find another program that is quite the same after I switched to Mac.
I was pretty sad to not be able to use Live Writer anymore when we switched - I've adapted a lot since then, so I don't remember all of the things I could do with Live Writer that I lost. But I do remember the photo-sizing options being more smooth and easy to use because you can drag the corners of photos to size them a certain way. Live Writer also formats the program so that it looks like the format of your blog - so you can really see how the post is going to look before uploading it.
I think it also allows you to edit posts that have already been published, and I seem to remember being able to back up my posts from Live Writer (correct me if I'm wrong - it's been a long time). I think you can also choose to have your photos uploaded to a website other than Picasa, which is nice if your Picasa albums fill up. All perks of Live Writer. And the best part is that you can get it for free! You can download Live Writer for free here.
MarsEdit For Mac
I did a lot of research after switching to Mac, and I finally decided on getting MarsEdit. It's similar to Live Writer, and it looks like they've even improved a lot of things since I downloaded my current version - you can now edit the HTML of a post in MarsEdit, and they've also added a preview feature and an option to format a template to match your blog.
With the version I have, you can only compose drafts in MarsEdit, you can't update posts that have already been published. You also can't resize images by dragging the corners (you have to pick the size you want when you add them to your post). I'm not sure if those things are different in the new version or not.
Live Writer is definitely the best out there, but I've actually come to really like MarsEdit too. It still allows me to compose posts offline and save drafts until I'm ready to publish them, and it still is way nicer for dealing with photos. I wouldn't trade MarsEdit for composing in Blogger.
Unfortunately you actually have to pay for MarsEdit - I think it's $40 from the app store? We got a free gift card to use for apps when we bought our Mac, so it didn't really cost me anything extra at the time. You can try a free 30 day trial of MarsEdit here.
Do any of you use a writing program for your blog posts? What is your favorite program? What are some of the reasons you like your writer? I can only speak about the two that I've used, so I'm curious to hear what you all think!
A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley is the story of Laura Gant, who comes home to Georgia for her mother's funeral only to learn that her father has been seen around town - after he was thought to have drowned years ago. As she begins to clean out her mother's house she finds clues to a family history she was never aware of, and she starts to get her hopes up that her dad might be alive after all.
This book gave me the feeling of musty smells and peeling paint, but in the best possible way. The descriptions of the town and settings were so colorful, and there was an undertone of creepy mystery through most of the book that added to the overall charm of the story. There was also a subtle romance through the book as Laura is thrown together with her old flame as she investigates.
As I was thinking back on the story, I'm not sure I have read a book that was as interesting as this where so little actually happened! I thought it was very well written, and it kept me interested without even needing to use a lot of action, which is not easy to do. The characters were really believable and likable, and I liked the subtle character growth through the story. The ending was good and fit really well with the tone of the rest of the book, I thought.
I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes a mixture of drama and mystery.
Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Clyde's nursery reveal is coming eventually - I'm trying to decide whether to add some name art to his walls before I write the post, but I thought I'd go ahead and share the quilt I made for him now!
I've made quilts for both Wyatt and Gwen, so I knew I was going to make a quilt for Clyde too. I like making my own quilts/crib bedding, because I just usually don't find pre-made crib sets that I really like - this lets me pick my own colors and fabrics. They don't turn out perfect by any means, but I'm not entering it in competitions or anything - I just do it for my babies! I have fun with it!
I got the idea for this block-y quilt from this book. I'm not really a traditional quilter (I wouldn't really call myself a quilter at all, really, I just make them when we are adding to our family). I like big, chunky pieces because it's so much faster to sew together! This book has tons of fun ideas for modern-looking designs.
I just sketched out how I wanted mine to look, figured out how big all the pieces should be, then I arranged them all on the floor before I sewed them together to make sure I liked the way it looked with the different fabrics and patterns.
After I put all the pieces together I took it to my old neighbor who does the actual quilting for me. She picked this cool flame pattern, and I like the way it looks! After I got it back from her I just folded the extra backing over the edges and sewed it down for the border.
I really like the way it turned out, and it looks great in Clyde's nursery!
I feel like I should come up with a name for the final product, something more interesting. "Baby Boy's Quilt" is a little boring - the colors actually reminded me of the beach, which may have influenced the theme I picked for the nursery. . .
Maybe I'll call it my "Surf's Up Quilt". Or "Anchors Away Quilt"? Or maybe I'll steal the baby shower theme name from Ashley and call it my "Ahoy, It's A Boy! Quilt"! Something like that anyway.
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