Thinking Out Loud #2 (and I've Been Published!)

Oh Hiiiiiiiiiiii!  Two posts in two days this week?  Lucky lucky you.  Or maybe not.  This is going to be a whole bunch of random rambling!  So many things on my mind.

So, I'm linking up with Amanda at Running With Spoons for my 2nd Thinking Out Loud post today.  Let's commence.

1.  If you have a moment, check out my VERY FIRST EVER PUBLISHED ARTICLE over on Nannymag.com!  And please share it with every single human you know! HA  Of course I'm incredibly excited to finally be published somewhere (I was literally on cloud 9 yesterday when this went live!), but even more than that, the content of what I wrote about is something I'm incredibly passionate about.  The US trails all other developed nations in our support for families and young children and something needs to change.  This should not be happening in one of the richest nations on earth.  If you're so inclined, check it out and spread the word.  And hopefully you can catch the incredibly well done documentary on your local PBS station this month (check out www.raisingofamerica.org for more info).  And hey, I'm now one step closer to my dream of becoming a REAL LIVE WRITER!  In the words of the one and only Jerry Seinfeld, the wheels are in motion, my friends.

2.  In regards to #1 up there, I think I forgot to share on here that I'm an editor at Nanny Magazine!  I've been doing it for a few months now (virtually) and really enjoying it.  More wheels, more motion.

3.  I was home this past weekend for my nephew's Christening and had the chance to reconnect with so many friends and family members.  I spent some time visiting with my grandparents who gave me some concord grapes from their grapevine, which were SO sweet this year!  Then, I spent a couple hours helping my aunt weed her garden.  I know nothing about gardening so I pulled a few plants up by mistake but she didn't seem to mind :)  I visited my friend the night before she ran her very FIRST half marathon ever!  I had planned to be at the finish line the next morning but the time coincided with the Christening so I gave her a pep talk the night before.  I'm happy to report she finished!!!  I also got to reconnect with another friend who I hadn't seen in ages and was missing so much.  Andddddd I got to see a bunch of my favorite little people too (some in their Halloween costumes)!

4.  Also, my sister in ATL sent me this pic of my niece in her Halloween costume and I've been looking at it at least 3x/day since she sent it to me!  I can't handle it.

5.  I tried this Larabar flavor last week.  Sadly, I would not recommend.  Super dry and I couldn't even taste the coconut in it?!

If you're looking for a really good vegan chocolate coconut bar, I'd recommend the Chocolate Coconut Bliss from Raw Revolution.  They're my favorite:

6.  Started this post on a positive note and ending on one too.  I saw both of these graphics on social media recently and absolutely loved the words.  I hope one day goodness and kindness rule the earth.  Is that too much to ask?

Go be the change you wish to see in the world, good people.  Happy Thursday!



If you read my article, what do you think about the state of family and early childhood support in the US?

What were the best Halloween costumes you saw over the weekend?

Have you seen any inspiring images online lately, as opposed to the bad news that usually inundates our feed?!