I must say, I love all the strong women vibes I am getting in the world lately. Having two young girls has really made me a strong feminist to fight for their rights and their right to be whatever they want to be. We talk to the girls all the time about being confident, talking to us about anything on their mind, telling them they can marry whomever they choose, and the like. But it’s still a hard time to... Read More Read More ...

On Goodreads.com, you can set a reading goal for yourself for the year. In 2018, my goal was 50 books. I finished 53 books in 2018. Here are the 53 books I finished this year. Part of this accomplishment was due to reading (or listening to) a bunch of audiobooks. I have found that I love listening to books and I can get a book done much more quickly this way. I will listen to books when I’m driving, waiting... Read More Read More ...

I had a close friend of mine ask me today if it was exhausting to have so many friends. After thinking about it for a second, I decided, yes, it can be. But I love that I have so many friends. And I love making new friends. I love learning about people and how we are similar and different. I love building friendships on new things and finding out more about them as we spend more time together. I love... Read More Read More ...

My fabulous friend just launched her new jewelry website, humble & heart. Look at that picture!? How gorgeous! But she doesn’t JUST sell jewelry….. What I love most about her business is that she donates $7 from each item purchased back to educators in her district! How amazing, right?!  So what a wonderful cause and great way to give to something while enjoying something beautiful! And Sara doesn’t just give to teachers. She is the most generous person, friend, and mother.... Read More Read More ...

A few years ago I went to a Girls in Tech event and met a few people I have kept in contact with. One woman recommended this program to me a couple years ago. I was not in a position to tackle that yet, but recently, it’s sounded like a great solution.  It is offered by York Solutions. They take people that are looking for a career change and want to get into the IT field and give them paid... Read More Read More ...

Chuck sent this link to me a while back. I have watched it a couple times and recommended it to many people. If you haven’t seen this and need to give fewer f*cks about meaningless crap in life, please watch this. Or if you want to know why I care less about x, y, or z….watch this. The following image is a slide from her talk.  And one of my favorite things she said was that you only have so... Read More Read More ...

Why am I so hard on myself? Why do I think I can’t do anything? Why do I have no ambitions or dreams?  Why can’t I be a better roll model for my girls, my boy, my kids? Why can’t I be more exciting to talk to? Or have something to talk about.  How do I get better at this? How do I overcome these fears, struggles, feelings of inadequacy? My husband encourages me and helps me and gives me... Read More Read More ...

I’ve been trying to find more time to read over the last year or so. It helps me keep my sanity and I love getting lost in a book. I also really love recommending books to friends and fellow love-to-readers. These three just didn’t do anything special for me. You may love them, but they weren’t at the top of my list. The Woman in Cabin 10 was one of those books that I saw all over the place. People... Read More Read More ...

Chuck’s grandparents made a trip up from Omaha a couple months ago and decided to stay with us. We knew that we had to get an actual bed for them to sleep on because 90+ year old grandparents shouldn’t have to sleep on an air mattress. So Chuck headed to Ikea to pick up a bed, some tables, a couple lamps and some bedding and he and his dad (with a little help from Alex), got to work building. I’m... Read More Read More ...

A fairly short time ago I met this wonderful lady, Lizzy. When I met her, I knew instantly that I wanted to be friends with her. We started chatting and soon started hanging out. When I found out she was an author, I immediately went online to purchase all of her books. Funny thing, I already had 2/3 on my kindle and didn’t realize it. I have now finished all three of her books (she’s currently working on a fourth)... Read More Read More ...

We had lots of fun celebrating our big 6 year old this past weekend.  On Saturday morning, Chuck and Maddie worked on making a birthday cake. She wanted to make and decorate her own cake this year. Chuck helped her bake and she did the decorating. (One was chocolate and the other cake was rainbow with white frosting.) She was so proud of herself! Saturday afternoon, we had a girls outing and went to see Fancy Nancy at the Stages... Read More Read More ...

This book was downright amazing. Here’s what the book is about; brace yourself. comedy = tragedy + time/rosé Twenty-seven-year-old Nora McInerny Purmort bounced from boyfriend to dopey “boyfriend” until she met Aaron—a charismatic art director and comic-book nerd who once made Nora laugh so hard she pulled a muscle. When Aaron was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, they refused to let it limit their love. They got engaged on Aaron’s hospital bed and had a baby boy... Read More Read More ...

Maddie turned 6 today. 6!? I can’t seem to wrap my brain around this! When I put her to bed last night, I cried a little knowing she wouldn’t be 5 in the morning. She’s grown into such a wonderful, kind, caring girl. She has flourished in Kindergarten and has made so many new friends. Her teacher always has wonderful things to say about her. And she loves school, which is such a wonderful thing. She decided she didn’t want... Read More Read More ...

Around a year ago, I went to a Geekettes meeting. One of the speakers was Meghan McInerny. She was funny and honest and real and someone I wanted to connect with. After 9 months or so, I got up the courage to email her and she agreed to let me come to her office at Clockwork. It was so kind of her to meet with me. She gave me some great suggestions and tips on re-entering the workforce. She also... Read More Read More ...

I read the book Love Warrior a while back. I read Glennon’s other book a few years ago and enjoyed it. This one I really wanted to love, but found it kind of forgettable. Here’s a bit about the book. Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out―three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times bestseller... Read More Read More ...

My dear friend in Seattle turned me on to the clothing from Princess Awesome. I hadn’t purchased anything myself until recently because my friend has sent the girls dresses for a couple years for birthdays or Christmas. Here are some of the patterns we have. (Rockets, Dinosaurs, Robots, Pi and Ninjas.) They have a new dragon pattern that I just got for my niece for her birthday (she’s adopted from China and the dragons were too cute!) I also bought... Read More Read More ...

I read Defending Jacob at the recommendation of a friend of mine. It was one of the best books I’ve ever read. Here’s a bit about the book: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life: his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob. Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in... Read More Read More ...

A friend posted a recipe for yogurt parfaits. I thought I’d give it a try and see if I could add a new breakfast to the handful the kids will eat. Turns out, it was a huge hit. I was happily surprised by how much they ate. The ingredients have now been added to my weekly shopping list. As an added bonus, I even like eating it. I hardly ever eat breakfast, but when I’m craving something sweet, this hits... Read More Read More ...

The Girl on the Train was one creepy book.  Here’s a summary of the book: EVERY DAY THE SAME Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she... Read More Read More ...

I read Me Before You last May right before the movie came out. A bunch of friends (mostly book club ladies) went to dinner then out to see the movie shortly after it was out in theaters.  Here’s a bit about the book: Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor,... Read More Read More ...