Outage

Grrrrr. Our internet went down last night at home. It was probably a good thing because I was able to get to bed early. Since we had no tv either it meant that Nick and I could spend some quality time talking, which ended in an argument about which tv show is better: The Wire or Breaking Bad. Again, probably a good thing I went to bed early.

Also, Comcast can't get a technician out until Tuesday. Yeah, Tuesday. Good thing we're hitting the road this weekend.

That's right. We're taking off this afternoon to visit my fam in Minneapolis! Woohoo! Party time!

Food! Fun! Family! Maybe the MN State Fair?

You can always follow along via Twitter and Instagram here.

toot toot

I'm from the Midwest, where we're not the kind of people that do a lot of bragging. That being said, I would like to (quietly so the neighbors don't hear) toot my own horn here for a sec.

I've been working with an agent to get commercial/print jobs for a while now and only recently booked my first print ad. For Motorola. Not too shabby, eh? The whole thing was pretty awesome. You can read more about my experience at the photo shoot here.

I had no idea when the ad would be up (I probably should have asked), but I got a text from a friend at the airport asking if this super large person on the wall was me. O'Hare. Terminal 3. It's not up all over the country, but for me it's a pretty big deal. Oh yeah, and I get paid for it. Mama's going to get herself something pretty. :)

toot. toot.

Protect that noggin!

Apparently It's Helmet Day for me. I saw this super cool motorcycle helmet this morning:

Also, I discovered Belle Helmets last night and had to share today! First off, you should wear a helmet when you bike. I know that not all bike helmets are very pretty, but I love my helmet because it's super sleek and sexy. Yeah, I just called a bike helmet sleek and sexy. But seriously, mine is matte black and round and totally cool. But Belle Helmets even beat mine in the coolness factor. These helmets are totally rockin'!  Good looking helmets are out there, people. Here's proof.

So every Belle Helmet is hand-painted by the founder/owner Danielle Baskin. She can paint on a motorcycle, ski, or snowboarding helmet or she can even paint on a helmet you already own.

Here are my Belle faves:

Orange. It's all about the details. I love the little produce sticker you see in the bottom left corner.

Oak Woodgrain. Not sure why, but this helmet reminds me of my Grandpa Don. He would call people roundheads. For some reason I look at this helmet and think: knucklehead. I would totally wear this helmet. Does that make me a knucklehead?

Tarot Card - Major Arcana. There's something soft and romantic about this helmet, but it's hard and sturdy and protects your head. Nice juxtaposition. Plus I like tarot cards.

Phrenology Chart. Here's where it gets real, folks. Phrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull. And this is a helmet with a phrenology chart on it that goes on YOUR HEAD! Love it.

Très belle!

Belle Helmet images are from www.bellehelmets.com

Mmmmmm, sardines.

Swedish design! Spill-resistant! Awesome!

Check out Mimi the Sardine on the mini social today. Their eating accessories for kids are machine washable and cute to boot! I'm especially partial to this little stripey design.

You can learn more about the founder, Pia Andersson, here.

Baby food fun!

Jo is really getting into food these days. She loves blueberries and yogurt and oatmeal. Hooray! It's probably the cutest thing in the world when she takes a bite and then says, "Nomnomnomnom!"Actually, I'll go ahead and say that it IS the cutest thing in the world.

We're lucky enough to have our sitter (and my super rad friend) Sooz making Jo's food. Super lucky baby, right?

It's surprisingly easy and actually very quick. Nick and I stocked up on a bunch of fruit/veggie/grains: mango, kale, apples, oatmeal, banana, avocado, quinoa, sweet potato, red pepper...you get the idea. 

You only need a few other things:

Food processor. Check.

Ice cube trays. Check.

Plastic bags. Check.

From there it's unbelievably simple. 

Cook your ingredients (if you need to). This is cooked kale. Jo also likes to chew on the kale stalks.We call them kale riblets.

Blend 'em up!

Freeze in your ice cube trays. Put the cubes in plastic bags in the freezer.

Take out a cube when you need it. Yummy!

Some of Jo's faves are:

• kale, applesauce, & raisins
• mango, apple, & quinoa
• red pepper, yogurt, & white beans
• sweet potato, carrot, & apple
• oatmeal

Really, the combos are endless! 

Baby Friendly in Indiana

Indiana is a short drive from Chicago, especially when there's zero traffic. When Nick and I first met he was finishing up a degree at Purdue so we both did the Chicago/Indiana trek many times.

Nick happens to be a beer guy and loves 3 Floyds which is located in Munster, Indiana. He's been to Dark Lord Day (ominous sounding, right?) many a time, but has never actually been inside the brew-pub. So he wanted to bring the fam for some good beer and good eats.

3 Floyds is surprisingly very baby friendly considering their tough image. Babies and kids are totally allowed. As soon as we sat down a server brought over a high chair. No one glanced sideways at us even when Jo was throwing Cheerios on the floor or banging her sippy cup on the table (perhaps because the loud punk music drowned it out?). I also nursed Jo at our table with no problems. Big win in my book!

So go ahead and bring your fam to 3 Floyds -- just make sure to get there early as there is always a line. 

Party Animal!

Jo just loves to dance. We've gotten into the habit of turning on music right away in the morning and leaving it on all day. She's just a party animal.

Her newest thing is dancing while nursing. She doesn't even stop eating. She just dances and eats and dances and eats.

Rock on!

New Pattern!

So I worked up a new pattern over the weekend. Raglan sleeves, Peter Pan color, snaps in the back, totally unisex.

Lucky JoJo got a new shirt out of it. Here are a few of the fun shots I got during our Etsy photo shoot today.

Fab Alert - Flensted Mobiles

Scandinavian, family-owned, and handmade: it's the trifecta of awesome-ness. Check out Flensted Mobiles on Fab.com today. Here are two of my faves:

Nursing Acrobatics

Jo likes to move while she eats these days. It's like she's doing acrobatics...or yoga.

I saw this comic from Heather Cushman-Dowdee the other day and laughed out loud.

Some of my favorite super-cool online mamas

More boob love for World Breastfeeding Week! Here are some of my favorite breastfeeding advocates (and overall rocking moms) online:

The Badass Breastfeeder
The Progressive Parent
The Feminist Breeder

Has anyone participated in a nurse-in lately?

Nursing bras to the rescue

More fun for World Breastfeeding Week!

It's hard for me to find a bra that fits and feels good. It's even harder to find a nursing bra that fits and feels good. Probably because I have a baby making it difficult for me to get out and shop so I order bras online and hope they fit only to return them and order another size (and repeat if necessary).

Then I found Bravado! -- specifically the Allure and Body Silk. I just love them!

Allure Underwire  Nursing Bra

The reviews on Amazon are spot on. The Allure is a fantastic bra: sturdy, comfortable, and even pretty (not a common trait in many nursing bras). No seams to show through your clothes and the underwire doesn't poke you in the armpit. The material isn't the softest, but I always wear nursing pads so that doesn't bother me at all. The cup size runs small so order one size up.

Body Silk Seamless Soft Cup Nursing Bra

The Body Silk is so soft and (yes, I'll say it) silky. For a soft cup bra it has tremendous support and doesn't create the uni-boob that many soft cup and sports bras can. I could wear this bra all day and all night.

These bras are a bit pricier than many of the bras at maternity stores (running around $45-$50 each), but they are sooooooooooo totally worth it, especially if you plan on nursing for a while.

My favorite NIP accessories

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

Ok, I'm going to start off saying that women should nurse in public wearing or not wearing whatever they want. Some women feel comfortable just lifting or unbuttoning their shirt. Others prefer to cover up with a blanket or other accessory. It's all good.

Personally, I don't like using a blanket or cover when Jo is nursing in public. Jo doesn't like it either. I try to wear things that are easy to shift around for easy access, and I feel more comfortable with a little coverage over my chest (but not covering Jo's head). So scarves are perfect for us. Especially extra long scarves. I just wrap it around and around and around my neck and it drapes quite nicely during nursing. I tend to wear a scarf often anyway so I don't even have to put anything additional on.

I also really love Jo's little UB2 bonnet as a nursing accessory. The brim is super wide so it can hide a bit of my chest while Jo's face is still uncovered. It covers the side-boob thing too so I don't always have to lean one way or the other as Jo latches on. Plus it's super cute!

 

Happy nursing!