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?!

Thinking Out Loud #1

After publishing so many random posts over the years on so many random days, I FINALLY decided to link up with Amanda at Running With Spoons for her infamous TOL Thursday post.  I am just all over the place with everything going on in my life currently and felt like I needed to add a little structure to my madness.  I have no idea if I will continue to do this weekly or if I can commit to this week only.  I'm a little delirious this week.  So here we go:

1.  I worked nearly 60 CONSECUTIVE hours over Labor Day weekend starting at 3am Sat morning.  Which means I slept for 2 hours that night.  Ohhhhhhhhhh I'm not kidding.  While everyone was picnicking, beaching, or just sleeping in, I was working.  I'm going on Day 11 of work here without a break.  Obviously if I didn't believe 100% in my work and care so much about it, I would not have made it through.  But having said that, vacation cannot come fast enough!

2.  I'm almost done booking my rooms on Airbnb.  I know what you're thinking.  My trip is less than a week away and I still don't have places to stay?!  See #1 for reference.  I literally have had no down time.  Plus, I am good at rolling last minute.  It's how I thrive.  I've booked a few rooms so far and the hosts I've been in contact with seem really inviting and genuine.  And then I read articles like this:

Ahhhhhhh!  Honestly, stuff like this does not freak me out, but please don't share this with my mother.  Because she will without a doubt book a flight to CA and follow me there! Ha

3.  On the workout front, I'm still not running and my leg is still bothering me :(  I took an entire week of rest, which did absolutely nothing!  So I started back up walking, lifting, biking, rowing and HIIT/strength exercises.  I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do.  I've been trying to ice it when I remember and foam roll more but MAN do I miss running :(

4.  I made these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread muffins from My Inner Shakti and they were pretty good!  (I cooked.  I know.  Blame it on the stress/sleep deprivation.)  The only thing I didn't particularly care for was the taste of the whole wheat flour.  I've never baked with it before but it made the muffins a bit denser and drier than I think they would have otherwise been.  So I'd prob use regular flour next time.  And maybe a bit more coconut oil to make them moister.

 

 



5.  I am currently addicted to this delicious coconut concoction:

6.  My work can be exhausting at times, but I love it and put my whole heart into it.  And then I get days like this.  I am outside, standing in the middle of a perfect living landscape, playing with a child, and I think DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?!

7.  I have a fortune-telling app on my phone in which I crack a little cookie and get some wise little words each morning.  It's stupendous.  This was one I got a couple days ago.  YES PLEASE

6 MORE DAYS!  I should probably finish booking my rooms and start thinking about what I need to pack?!  I have 1 day off this weekend.  My first in 14 days.  I plan on running around like a chicken with my head cut off accomplishing everything that needs to be done in 24 hours. 

And that's all I have for my very first Thinking Out Loud post. I hope your weeks are a bit calmer than mine!  Go forth and conquer my friends :)


Tell me something RANDOM!

What was the last recipe you made?  How'd it turn out?

Do you enjoy fortune cookies?!