Was the weather the most talked about thing where you live this week? Because it sure was here. Sun! Blue skies! Windows open! All the emotions for Spring – especially when it actually shows up in early March! This weekend I originally planned on being out of town. Plans fell through, but it means that we have a rather free weekend before us and I am pumped. We are planning on some spring picnics, walks, taxes, lazing about our house, and maybe even unpacking the last box. Yep, going to go ahead and say that last one won’t happen. Here are a couple links from around the web of the things taking up space in my brain, because unpacking them here is the next best thing to actually unpacking that box.
Just chilling in the spring gardens of choice for city dwellers, ie Trader Joe’s flower aisle.
Different looks with white dishes. We have china stored away at my parents’ house, but until we live somewhere big enough to have a china cabinet (HA.), we just dress up or down our plain white everyday dishes. Love these ideas on creating different looks with minimal extra expenditures!
The Holy Shroud of Mr. Darcy is coming to DC in August.
Icebergs will also be taking over the District this summer! I loved the beach last year, so I can’t wait for this.
Did you mamas use birth playlists – apparently that’s a thing? I am deeply skeptical, but I would totally be fine for my experience to feel like a Soul Cycle class, followed by an Enya CD on repeat. Of course, as we still haven’t purchased anything, registered at the hospital, located child care for the fall, or done any other actual preparations — maybe I should prioritize my energy.
Well obviously this had me crying.
My friend Megan just had a little boy and her gender neutral nursery and baby clothes are perfect. I’m not a fan of most of the “boy” decor or overly cheesy clothing, so I take lots of notes when Megan shares something. I also like Grace’s boy bedroom – still simple, but fun pops of color.
Planning on using up some stuff in the fridge and cabinets by throwing this in the oven this weekend.
I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about changing how we talk about teachers. Like this one and This one . Teachers out there- do you want sympathy, or respect? Can both exist?
I feel that it is a special sort of torture that this is the year there are finally tons of cute one-piece swimsuits… and it will probably not be my biggest beach summer. But if it was, I would be all over this one or this one or this one. Although this one might actually be kind to post-partum hips.
It is political primary season, and if you aren’t paying attention because you believe your “vote doesn’t matter”… you are wrong. At least this year. I have followed everything pretty closely, though last night I did watch the Women Tell All episode of the Bachelor while James watched the debate. Which means that one of us watched reality TV where people more or less politely voiced their grievances and the other watched reality TV wrought with uncouth behavior. I will leave you to guess which was which. And if you are confused about the crazy math that goes unto primaries, the rules that are different from every state, and how maybe math might just save us- here is the chart that keeps me straight. With the primaries being crazy enough to maybe bring about a brokered convention, and Ben confessing love to TWO WOMEN, I would say that all of us are navigating uncharted waters this spring.
Happy weekend!
The Art in Life 
I simultaneously find it hilarious, disturbing, and almost offensive that it is a new concept to view a teacher as a “professional”. Also, I really wish Kentucky teachers were paid like DC teachers.
Agreed! It should be a given. And if it makes you feel any better, the cost of living here is so obscenely high (as are taxes), that that salary still doesn’t get you very far I imagine. For numbers perspective, buying a small 2 bedroom house in DC would cost close to 700k minimum. Plus, I hear that the schools are really rough that even the high salary doesn’t entice enough teachers.
I guess I should move to DC to teach. It is a weird thing to be in the teaching profession. People a lot of lip service to teachers, but I frequently find my professional integrity called into question by parents. I love my job, and I am never bored, but if/when I leave teaching it will be because I didn’t get paid enough to put up with entitled parents. Not kids. They are great. But parents are killing me.
I really just want you to move to DC for ANY reason. : ) And it is true- often kids are great but parents really can make it tough.
I didn’t use a playlist during either of the girls’ births. It could be great– but I liked having things quiet in the background. Jared and I talked a lot, and I prayed and meditated on Scripture on my own. 🙂 If I did make a playlist it would be classical music and Gregorian chant. Anything that’s going to anchor your emotions and make you feel calmer!
We are having a hospital birth, and partially it is because I find the hum of hospital machines beeping and clicking so soothing, which I know puts me in the SUPER MINORITY. I blame it on growing up with my mom working in medicine and watching a lot of Scrubs. : )
Haha, you and my sister-in-law are alike. The closer she gets to the hospital (while giving birth) the more relaxed she feels. I would be the COMPLETE opposite!
I’m a high school teacher, and I can tell you that I would take respect over “sympathy” any day of the week. Something that’s pretty frustrating to put up with as a teacher, is everybody thinks they are an expert on my job (because everybody was a student at some point). Just, no. It’s pretty non-existent for a non-lawyer to give their unsolicited advice to a lawyer because there is a cultural respect for the profession, and a realistic understanding that a lawyer went through years of professional training for their job. As a teacher, I’m required to have a Masters degree (this, btw is where our lack of compensation really comes into play. Yes, a teacher’s salary looks good, until you add the burden of higher education costs, and compare the salary of other professions that require similar standards of education). I liked the first article you shared, but I can’t help thinking that this is a country of 50 states with so many complex problems. I’m glad that DC is making positive steps, but this is not the case in thousands of districts. I might be showing my political leanings here (pretty far left), but we can’t have a conversation about education without having a conversation about poverty, and how THAT is the biggest barrier to education. We can look at Scandinavian school systems all we want, but we can’t seperate that from the way their social welfare system works to ensure kids get the best start to life well before they arrive at school (e.g. Universal healthcare, parental leave, government substidised child care, etc). Poverty is a complex issue, but I find it to be the largest elephant sitting in the room, whenever the handwringing about education happens. Sorry about the long post, but you asked ☺️
I completely agree! I have taught elementary-college students (though admittedly, my experience with elementary, middle and high was one year each so it is limited!) and there are so many diverse problems, each unique to the demographics of the school. For instance, with my college kids, there isn’t the same “motivation gap” you find with apathetic high schoolers, but a student who is working 3 jobs to pay for college just can’t invest the same time in caring about their French homework as the student who just focuses on school. There is no cut and dried solution. I think that the urge to address things on the teacher side of it is because it seems “easier” to address, rather than trying to tackle the income equality problem and the fact that students do better when they are from homes that value education. And yes- that first article was HIGHLY DC specific. It’s from a publication that we love, but that focuses on DC life. Yet I do think it had interesting concepts for consideration!
I didn’t have a Playlist, but there were a few songs that really gave me courage and peace during labour and birth, so having that is a great idea if it encourages you, because pain is directly related to fear, so the more relaxed and connected and safe you feel, the easier the labour and birth will be.
Also I cannot recommend home birth enough, had one hospital birth which resulted in an ’emergency’ cesarean, but followed by two very different home births, I know that my own space gave me the most peace and natural non-interfered with births, which were definitely easier. That said if hospital is where you want to be, just know that listening to your body is way more effective than listening to a machine, as the machine ends up being what everyone pays attention to rather than you, and they are actually less helpful for keeping an eye on the health of the baby, contrary to what we are told. So going confident and knowledgeable in refusing procedures that are unnecessary is a really good idea. Also, stay at home during early labour as long as possible before you go in, then you will find everything goes more smoothly, because you are not hanging around in an unfamiliar place, but can just get on with birthing.
Do check out ‘Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth’ by Ina May Gaskin, it will give you a really clear and encouraging understanding of what happens in labour and birth, and boost your confidence in how well your body has been made, wherever you have your son. Anyhow, sorry for the mini rant, this is an area that I am passionate about women being empowered in, when a lot of medical culture can do the opposite. X
We went to a really good class that went through all the options at every stage of the hospital process, and what we could refuse and what all our legal rights were, and it made me very confident that I won’t get “bullied.” Plus, it is a practice and hospital that I have had some friends deliver at and all of them felt very empowered to make their own decisions throughout the process with good results. But reading that book is on my list! I think it is good to know, even if I end up doing all sorts of unnatural interventions.
Definitely, great to be more aware of how it all goes. A practice hospital sounds like a good shout and I am glad you are feeling confident. It’s just knowing that you really do have choice all along the journey, and whatever you go for, God will be with you in it. With my third, I laboured with You Make Me Brave on the Bethel Loft Sessions album which was a real encouragement and fairly apt (the line ‘as your love in wave after wave washes over me… You make me brave’ especially.) I hope I didn’t offend you btw. x
Not at all! I love hearing about any and all diverse birthing decisions, even if they are different than mine. 🙂