podcastios

So I love podcasts.  I love them way more than listening to music.  My phone is LOADED up with them.  I listen to them as much as humanly possible but it's usually when I'm doing the dishes or cooking.  They make me look forward to those times.  So, I thought I'd do a little roundup of my favorites.  If you have any that you like, do share.  I'm always looking for a new show because like watching old shows on Netflix, I get addicted and then listen to like 100 episodes and then go through withdrawals.   1.  Joy the Baker - Oh my gosh.  I just LOVE this podcast.  Joy from Joy the Baker and Tracy from Shutterbean chat about all things.  They do talk a bit about cooking but mostly you just feel like you are hanging out with two of your friends chatting it up.  They are soo hilarious....I may have made Matt come into the kitchen and listen to bits and pieces a time or two...or like every time.  I'm pretty sure we'd all be BFFs in person.   2. This American Life - I've been listening to this one forever and I still thoroughly enjoy it.  I am so excited every Monday morning when it magically appears on my phone.  Matt listens to it too so we always talk about it and get way too invested in the stories.  Basically, it's a super well produced story telling radio program.  Sometime the stories come from headline news and sometimes they are super small.  Either way, they are incredibly well written and always give a new, untold perspective.   3. Simple Mom - I found this one through Joy the Baker.  Tsh from Simple Mom hosts this podcast and has a regular line up of co-hosts.  They discuss mostly parenting and mom issues but much of it is about simplifying, giving yourself grace, and general parenting encouragement.  I really enjoy this podcast and bring a lot of it into my everyday life.  It's perfect for when I'm frazzled from a long day with the little guy. 4. Paperclipping Roundtable - This is the podcast that got me addicted to podcasts!  Noell is the host and every week she has different guests from the memory keeping/scrapbooking/craft industry.  They discuss everything from scrapbook techniques to how to tell a deeper story.  It's a lot of fun to listen to and helps me think about story telling more.   5. The Kitchen Hour - I discovered this podcast recently and got through all of the episodes really quickly - there are only 10 and I'm hoping Meagin Francis continues to make more.  She made this podcast for people to listen to while they are in the kitchen getting dinner ready - as a way to make that time more fun.  She mostly talks about mothering but also discusses being on a budget, cooking tips, etc. I also listen to anything from NPR, We're About To Be Friends, and Adventures in Arting.   Do you have any podcasts you'd suggest???

kiddie car wash

Last summer, Matt made this wonderful kiddie car wash for Jonathan's first birthday.  The other kids LOVED it but he was a little apprehensive.  

We quickly learned that the first birthday party is a little more for the parents and less for the one year old.  He would've been just as happy (or maybe more) playing with his toys by himself at that point. 

So after the party, we stashed the carwash in a friend's garage because we were in a condo with minimal storage.  Fast forward a year, we are now in a house with a garage of our own and the carwash was returned to us (thanks for keeping it so long, Beth and Ed!!).  

It was a hot morning and we decided to bust it out.  

Look at that face!!!  I'd say he is a little more interested this year!  He had sooo much ... as did Matt and I.  And he had to bring ah - ah (the monkey) along for the ride.  

Here's a pretty good shot of the whole thing.  We don't have the sponges this year but honestly, with the little tykes truck, it's not as necessary.  It comes apart into two parts for easy, flat storage.  

 If you're interested in making one of your own, Matt claims it was pretty simple. Here is a tutorial from Lowe's that spells it out pretty clearly.  If you have any questions, let me know!  

I linked up to Making the World Cuter and Keeping it Simple.

you're not forgotten

So if you know me at all, you know about my current obsession with Shauna Niequist.  I know I am not alone in this.  I see people everywhere doing little book/food clubs for her newest book, Bread & Wine,  and can I just say I'm super jealous!  I want to be in such a club!  
Anyway, I digress... so she is just amazing.  She has a way of putting into words exactly how I am feeling and I swear she speaks right to my heart.  In Bread and Wine, she has a chapter called Enough.  The chapter is kinda a combination of two blog posts part one here and part two here.  At the end of the chapter, she says, "I'm practicing believing that God knows more than I know, that he sees what I can't, that he's weaving a future I can't even imagine from where I sit this morning."   It's the practicing believing part that hits me.  It's not that she already believes this and it's just second nature to her.  It is that she is practicing believing.  
Oh this is so where I am at.  My head knows that God has a plan, that he loves me more than I can ever understand, and that in knowing this I can rest secure.  But really?  Actually resting secure??  That is what is hard for me.  It's hard when the shit hits the fan and life is harder than you expected.  It's hard when you expect to be feeling better but you're still struggling.  It's hard when all around you the world is moving forward but you're still grieving.  It's just hard.  And yes, I have many a good day in there and then wham!  I'm back to a place of deep sadness.  
But it's the practicing part that still hits me.  I've had to say God's promises out loud to remind me that they are true.  I've had to voice them over and over into the air so that I hear them.  
Jesus loves me.
Jesus sees me.
Jesus hasn't forgotten about me.  
And it's true.  And this practicing believing these truths, promises that in my gut I know are true, it's the practicing that is making all of the difference.  It's the physically clothing myself with these truths that are making them real.
So I say to you:
Jesus loves you.
Jesus sees you.
Jesus hasn't forgotten about you.  

thoughts on missing the baby stage

There are all different types of moms.  Moms that LOVE the baby stage, the toddler stage, the kid stage, and I've even heard the teenage stage is wonderful although I'm terrified of it.  There are moms that love being pregnant and moms that hate it and I know that so much of this has to do with experience.  Some of my friends have the unfortunate situation of being so sick their entire pregnancy that it's hard to celebrate.  I had many food aversions and felt yucky the first trimester but all in all, I loved being pregnant.  
While I've loved every stage so far and wouldn't make Jonathan a baby again, a part of me misses those days.  My favorite moment is when J heard my voice and looked at me for the fist time.  Pure bliss.  It's an amazing connection right out of the gate... I miss snuggling with him and holding him close for hours on end.  My heart literally aches to have him all bundled up on my chest.  My arms feel empty because I want to hold him all day long.  

My JJ is seriously the sweetest boy ever.  He has an amazing heart, tells me "I love you" all of the time, loves to get kisses for his booboos, has more energy and life than I knew possible, loves to give kisses (tiss!!) and hugs, and is the happiest person I know (or maybe tied with Matt).  

And while I would never trade this wonderful bundle of personality for anything, oh how I long to hold a baby in my arms.  Maybe that's why I rock him extra long at night, sing as many rounds of "moon moon" as I can, give him as many kisses as he'll let me, and cuddle as much as possible.  
And as this has been spinning around in my head for awhile, I read this post by The Tiny Twig and it resonated so deep in my soul.  I'm a creator.  I love the creation of a new life and discovering that life.  I love the anticipation and meeting a new person.  And I'm reminded that this discovery process is just beginning.  I have an entire lifetime left of discovering who my boy is and loving the socks off of him.  I'm pretty darn excited about that.