One insane part of life is how your opinions of things can change on a dime. I was never really into the 4th of July celebrations for some reason.  Maybe it's my love for so many other cultures or my dislike of the summer heat, but good ol' Independence Day just was never a highlight of my year. Don't ask me why! I know fireworks are fun! But turn all of that upside down now, because it will forever be one of my favorite days to celebrate with this little firecracker-angel-blessing being "Born on the 4th of July."

We've been in the dinosaur phase a LONG time, you guys.  So long that I was feeling officially tapped out on ever running around making dino toys roar, reading another dino fact book, or watching one of the MANY Land Before Time stories (the songs get rough, guys. Even Reba McEntire as a Pterodactyl can't save 'em).  So this morning while the baby was snoozing, I tried out 3 different dinosaur themed preschool skill activities, and by golly THEY WORKED. 100% engagement! I'm pretty sure all of these ideas could be themed with any type of animal or characters with which your kid is OBSESSED.  They build in literacy and math skills and help you not go crazy during playtime. WIN WIN!

​The first one is for reading, the second for art, and the third for math! 

​When I was first contacted to review the new Ergobaby Omni 360, my first thought was that I didn't need a second Ergobaby carrier. But I thought, hey I can at least share my thoughts and give it away afterwards. Now that I've tried this one this year, you can pry it from my cold, dead HANDS! (Hahaha, kidding. Dramatic much?) 

No but really, I love it. This is a great improvement on the previous Ergobaby designs. Here's why...

I was given this Ergobaby Omni 360 in exchange for an honest review, and this post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

My blog has been a little silent recently, but I have a really great 7-pound-11-ounce reason, you guys!  On the 4th of July our daughter Joie Flannery made her debut.  It took me a long time to write and have the nerve to publish Rowan’s birth story from 2+ years ago, but — as I said then and even know to be truer now -- reading birth stories while pregnant was really helpful for me personally. So sharing this topic is important to me. 

Birth is a CRAZY thing, y’all. It’s insane how it can even be possible and how *differently* it happens with each mother and each baby.  I expected things to go similarly (or at least partially the same) as Rowan’s birth, so I was really surprised with how unique it was. ​
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​And cue the DISCLAIMER: This is a natural birth story that went the way I was hoping… which is not how all births go.  I hope this journal is encouraging for anyone fearing birth or wanting a natural birth to know that sometimes it CAN go just as you plan and hope.  I also don’t like for people to call me a hero-mom for having a natural birth… All moms are heroes for undergoing the most life-altering experience that exists. Those who endure complications should get way more props than me.  I’m a proponent of being patient and trusting God with your birth — and then (when 100% necessary) welcoming the help from modern medicine when it’s needed. ​​

This past weekend, my sisters-in-law threw me a baby "sprinkle" that -- as I mentioned in my last baby sprinkle post -- is pretty hard for people to actually do when a new baby is involved.  It was probably more accurate to say we got drenched and showered with baby girl goodies. 

They reserved Studio Bham which is such a great spot to have a bridal or baby shower.  It's just the right intimate size while also being open and having all the set up items you need.  I'm always a big fan of how events turn out there. 

The "baby in bloom" theme was right up my alley and perfect for spring .. lots of flowers (wrist corsage by Gold Leaf Floral), greenery, potted succulents for game prizes + herb and flower seeds for favors. 

I've been wanting to write this post for a long time.  Since this blog serves as a journal for our kids, I thought it would be interesting to share the results of my ancestry testing that my dad got us for Christmas.  Has anyone reading this done one of these tests? I'd love to hear your thoughts as well... especially if you did a different kind. 

We did the ancestry.com spit-in-a-tube test and mailed it off.  I've been into working on my family tree for a whole decade now, and it has been very interesting to me. I've found criminals and queens and that my paternal grandmother is first cousins 8-times-removed with Elvis. 

I found the exact town in Ireland where my maternal grandmother's family lived before immigrating.  When I took her there, I was able to say, "Well this is it! We are driving through the town!"  It was basically just a farming area with not much to see... but it was special to us.  

Happy first day of SPRING! In honor of my birthday month and the official start of spring, I'm really happy to be hosting a $100 gift giveaway to use on the JORD site! One person will win $100, but everyone who enters will receive a consolation code worth $25 once the contest ends! [Scroll down to the bottom of this post for more giveaway details.] 

After wanting a wooden watch for a few years, I was really excited when JORD contacted me about reviewing one of their new styles. I've been wearing my watch for a few weeks now, so here are my thoughts...

In 2016 I had a resolution of working harder to lift up others instead of being in my own emotions all of the time.  On a day to day basis, we are all just trying to survive adult-life/mom-life that we hardly have time to make grand gestures for our friends beyond big milestones like baby showers or birthdays. 

The Leslie-Knope-created "Galentine's Day" holiday is a perfect excuse or reminder to lift up your gal pals.  Let's be real... most women being really emotional puts a big hurdle for female friendships.  We keep tabs of things like "well they haven't initiated hanging out with me, and I've asked 2 times. Fine I guess they never want to hang out with me."

Well that's not how Leslie Knope thinks, my friends! She will bombard you with friendship and make a binder about all your favorite things. She doesn't take things personally and skulk back into a surface level friendship. It's definitely a lesson in being more intentional and thoughtful with your friends.

Bertha from Chic in Academia ran with this idea and hosted a fun "mom's night in" Galentine party at her house this month, and it turned out so sweet!  I was able to do some calligraphy origami place cards for the dinner table, and they turned out exactly like I pictured in my head! whew!