still here, still squawking, still ridiculous.

i know that this blog has turned into a baby book substitute for my poor second-born child (i'm sorry william, i promise i will get you a real baby book like your sister has), and for that i...well, i don't know what. do i apologize? i don't think anyone was made that i went MIA. do i feel bad? kind of, but only for myself for not making my creative outlet more of a focus during this crazy time. i guess i feel like i miss the people who i interact with on this blog, and so maybe that's it. maybe i just say that i've missed you all, whoever you are that come here to read my ridiculous squawking about the important and unimportant goings-on in my head.i really like that this is a place that i can let my weird sense of dry humor show, and where i can update my faraway friends and loved ones, and where i can showcase my love of good old-fashioned home cooking and strong cocktails. and maybe write a heartfelt essay or two along the way that resonates with a few of you. this blog is not a blog like blogs have become over the past three years. and it won't ever be that kind of a blog. even if or when i get my editorial calendar back on track, it will never be belong in the shiny, curated part of the internet with everyone else's stylized (although maybe a little homogenous) stuff. and i hope that might be a tiny reason why people still read my blog...because it's just me. and if you like me for me, what more could i ask for?i have a recipe post lined up for next week, and somewhere, way down deep inside of me, there is some inspiration that's starting to bubble up through the sleep deprivation that is part and parcel of being a working mom of two little ones. so while the baby book posts will still be a big part of how this blog is happening, you'll start to see more of me sprinkled throughout this space. and i hope you'll be here for all of it.

[that got weirdly deep, and i didn't think it would. that's what happens when you give me a beer and let me type without thinking for a few minutes....]

well let's give a quick update into what's happening in my life besides the whole child-rearing gig, shall we?

• marriage is a whole different ballgame when there are two kids involved, but even through all the adjustments and general mayhem, i'm delighted to report that Mister Man and i are still very happily married. and what's more, we will have been very happily married for five years as of june 1. in honor of this momentous occasion, we've decided to take a rather large, rather fun trip to the united kingdom in the fall, and it has been so much fun planning it out together! this will be our first trip to europe together, and my first time back since just after college, and i could not be more excited to take a trip, just my love and i, all the way across the pond. more on that as it comes together!
• speaking of different ballgames...postpartum bodies are crazy. i won't get into details, so as not to scare anyone off from having kids, but let's just say that after baby number two, the snap back isn't as snappy as it was with baby number one. i was in a big rut of eating ice cream every night, and dangerously close to the "eff it all" mentality, when i luckily was given the opportunity to do some nutrition and fitness coaching with katie over at belle fitness and nutrition. holy wow you guys. firstly, she is basically superwoman. she runs her own business, solo parents THREE children a lot of the time, and still has the best attitude around. secondly, she just gets how to help people fit good nutrition and fitness into their lives where they are. i don't even have a gym membership, so she gave me some at home workouts, and they truly work (and i feel like i can make time for them, which is saying something). between her workouts and the nutrition program she works with, i've lost actual inches from my body in two months. i'm visibly slimming down, and it doesn't feel like i've turned my life upside down to do it. because i wouldn't have done it if it was too complicated. what i'm trying to say is, she's amazing. if you're in the market for a simple way to work good nutrition and fitness into your life, PLEASE check her out.
• i'm drinking so much coffee these days you guys. like, i'm wondering when it qualifies as a problem. i'm walking a fine line between enjoying my daily coffee(s) and being fully dependent on them. i'm starting to justify the lattes at work by saying they are part of my daily protein intake, but we all know that it's the espresso that i'm jonesing for. does anyone have experience in breaking a caffeine addiction while being sleep deprived that doesn't involve actually giving up all caffeine? i'm not really going to do anything about it, but just in case i find myself getting worse...
• i don't know if any of you noticed that i have a second instagram now...in the absence of having the energy to write actual blog posts, i've been really into instagram and posting little micro-blog posts there. i'm also very into instagram stories. i mostly tell ridiculous stories about things my kids do to me, and every so often i can be pretty funny if you're into that sort of thing. ANYWAY. if you read this blog, you're cool and you already know that i'm halfway crunchy and into cooking from scratch, and natural cleaning products, and just generally being as much like laura ingalls as i can be. but my instagram is also a place where a lot of my irl contacts follow me, and i just find that the engagement for the crunchy stuff wasn't there. i want people who like that sort of thing to be able to choose to see it and enjoy it if they want to. plus, i started posting a lot about essential oils, and i know that can trigger a lot of people because it's gotten a bit crazy these days (and essential oil people can be a bit nutty if we're being honest). so it all went into a separate account. all that being said, if you like that sort of thing (natural home and essential oil and simplified living), go ahead and follow me @withloveathome. also, a lot of people have asked so i'll say it here: i'm not a big seller of essential oils, but i am a big fan of them, so if you ever have questions, or want me to order you some with my discount, or want to order them yourself, please don't hesitate to ask.
• i am an AUNTIE!!! our gorgeous niece, grace, arrived on april 21, and i am so excited to be an aunt i could just scream. it's the weirdest feeling but there is something so cool about seeing your siblings have kids! Amelia is already obsessed with "baby grace", and she and William are only six months apart, so i cannot wait to see how their relationship grows as they get older. i love my cousins so much, they are some of my best friends to this day, and i hope for the same for my kids.

thanks for being here and for giving me grace and for loving my silliness through it all. i love you all right back.

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