LINKS || February 14, 2020

I dropped out of blogging this week. I mean whatever, nobody noticed, so it's cool. I'm consistent though - since 1988, January through March is my dead zone. I just wring out every ounce of motivation and inspiration and won't get recharged again until the sun comes out and the flip-flops are weather appropriate.

Until then, I am diligently reminding myself that I have a warm house, a healthy family, and a well cultivated closet of winter wear to take the edge off.

Hey - happy Valentines! Do you do anything? We don't. Never really have. Well, I guess "never really have" in the traditional go out, light candles, etc etc. sense. A few years ago, before Duke, we made a pizza and ever since, I've just decided that's our thing. So we'll make pizzas together tonight and Ryan might watch Mad Men with me even though he's sick of it, and I'll jump up in the middle of an episode to get his water or whatever.

1 || PINNING

 A disco ball in the bathroom? I'm into it. 

 These shoes keep showing up on my Pinterest feed and I have never been so influenced.

Pretzel Ice Cream Sandwiches 

2 || LISTENING 

 Did you ever make a mix-tape or burn a CD for your high school boyfriend? I did, and I spent a lot of time overthinking the lyrics of each song, curating Dashboard Confessional and Avril Lavigne super strategically. It’s hilarious now. 

It’s a new age folks and we don’t share music physically anymore, but that doesn’t stop me from getting way too serious about playlists. Here’s the playlist I have on repeat lately: 

 I highly recommend giving Halsey’s cover of Walk the Line a full listen. 

3 || LINKS 

Okay, sending you on your way to real writers. 

Now these are the kind of conversation hearts I want to see. #marriedforawhile 

Just kind of interesting to see the age spectrum of pregnant women, 20-50. I was 28 when I was pregnant with Duke and all I can say is hard pass on doing it again at 50. That ish is exhausting. 

If you’re into knowing what’s going on in the world, but also appreciate a gently funny delivery, you should read the Skimm. 

Tax things you should know if you got divorced in 2019. Nothin’ like a kick when you’re down. 

The Patron Saints of Valentine’s Day. Personally, I worship at the feet of Saint Jessica, Patron Saint of White Lies. I consider it communion each time I say “I love your persistence” to my toddler who has yelled “mommy mommy mommy mommy” no less than a thousand times into the crack under the intentionally locked bathroom door. 

 I should buy these. 

4 || READING 

I’m in the middle of two things. 

Last week, I scooped up 999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz and it is horrifying and riveting. It is so well researched and written, I cannot put it down. The writer is so talented with prose -- it hurts, because it’s so terrible and it feels unreal, but it is real, and feeling empathy for something so truly awful is painful. I really believe that I feel things so much more deeply now that I am a mother, and reading some of the interviews of these young girls being separated from their parents and not realizing in that moment that they would never see them again is particularly gut-wrenching. 

On a lighter note, I’m rereading The Paris Wife, which is an old favorite of mine. I’ve read it twice now, and this time I’m listening to it on audio. It’s about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, and I wasn’t so interested in the subject matter to begin with, but the writing is top quality. So engaging. 

5 || WORD OF THE DAY

6 || PLANS

So it's my last weekend at home before forcing myself to get out of my winter cocoon. Seriously, I've committed to plans for the next several weeks, and also completed a goal to actually schedule an appointment to have my wisdom teeth taken out (I've been avoiding it since last July), so I'm going to enjoy the heck out laying low. I have big plans to try making oat milk and get through a big chunk of the 999 book. 

Happy weekending guys!