I’m Loving

Chatbooks

Chatbooks is an app that collects all the photos from your social media and phone and puts them into cute, little 6-inch photo books. I love them! It takes all my Instagram photos and captions and mails me a book for $10 with free shipping. I have my account set to automatically send me a book as soon as I have enough photos to fill one. I take pictures most often on my phone and Instagram and don’t take the time to print somewhere so Chatbooks takes the effort from having to print and organize them. You can get your first photo book free with my coupon code.

CozyPhones

I often have trouble sleeping so sometimes I will turn on an old episode of “Parks and Recreation” on my phone and turn it face down so I can lay in bed and just listen to the audio. My husband didn’t appreciate the noise and wearing earbuds while laying down is just not very comfortable. I heard about CozyPhones on a podcast a year ago and I have been using mine ever since. They are so comfortable!

Menstrual Cup

I can’t really believe I am talking about this, but I am going to talk about it because it really is pretty great. If you want to skip out on this conversation, feel free!

I have been thinking about trying a menstrual cup for a few years now. I wanted to get away from the chemicals in traditional products, and honestly what I was using just wasn’t that comfortable anymore after having kids. I didn’t want to spend $30 on something I wasn’t sure I would like though, so I kept putting it off.

I recently found one on Amazon that was a decent price with good reviews so I decided to go for it. There are tons of different brands; I bought the Blossom Cup. I used it for one cycle so far and I am never going back to anything else. There is definitely a learning curve but it is not that hard and it is totally worth taking the time. Plus, it is reusable so I am not spending money monthly anymore. If you have no idea what I am talking about or want to go down the rabbit trail of too much information, I found this YouTube Channel Really helpful.

I’m Reading

‘Shalom Sistas’ by Osheta Moore

In a world that has been feeling increasingly heavy, I have been struggling so much with how to practically engage and make a difference without being completely overwhelmed. This book has given me the encouragement and tools to do something and not feel helpless to make a difference. I especially love the encouragement that small, everyday choices matter.

“Shalom Sistas” is broken down into manageable manifesto points that made it easy to actually apply them in my everyday life as a stay-at-home mom. I really appreciated the fact that Osheta reminds readers that they can’t do all the points all the time. Too often, it is easy to get discouraged and feel like if I can’t do it all so why bother? I really loved this book and recommend it highly.

‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown

I am only 1 chapter into “Daring Greatly” but I have already marked quite a few pages that I want to take notes on. I feel like that can only mean more great things to come.

From Amazon: Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Dr. Brené Brown dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”

‘Of Mess & Moxie’ by Jen Hatmaker

I actually listened to the audio version of “Mess & Moxie” because it was available first from the library. Since Jen reads the audio version herself, I am actually really glad I went with that version. It was so fun to listen to. I love that Jen writes with so much humor and honesty.