"Words to the Wise"

I was definitely in the perfect mood to read this article so I did laugh a LOT.  If you have had children in the recent past, you will probably laugh too.  How can kids be simultaneously so adorable and so infuriating? 

Dinovember

As a parent there are always an infinite number of ideas that you wish you could implement for your kids that you know just aren't ever going to happen...Dinovember is probably one of them - but it rocks.  It reminds me of Elf on the Shelf, which is a fun idea too (though I'm not totally comfortable with the conditional approval it entails).  I just love the creativity of Dinovember and the imagination, wonder and curiosity it promotes.  Another one to store away for some day.

Custom Built-In Luxury

I have started to dream of a house where there is tons of storage strategically built in to the house that is perfectly accessible but also HIDES all of our CRAP.  I walk around my house and all I see so much stuff!  I am being reminded that that's not what I really want in my heart of hearts, but I still find homes like this very inspiring.  Magic closets and beds that fold away seem so dreamy at this point in my life! 

Love is With Us

I wouldn't usually post this type of thing on here, but I can't let myself forget about this.  Brene Brown is a very inspirational person who I first heard about through her TedTalk on vulnerability and another one by her on shame.  I was very surprised when someone sent me a link to an interview with her on a religious topic.  Knowing she was an academic, I assumed she was not religious.  Wow.  I was blown away by her simple but incredible thoughts in this short interview.  God is love, and God is with us, are the two foundational concepts that I have been relying on for the past several years in the midst of major upheaval when it comes to my basic beliefs.  To have someone articulate those ideas in a clear, understandable, but also incredibly intelligent way was so meaningful to me. 

Winter Story Telling

As I've mentioned before, I have dreams of a library appearing in my house some day.  Before that, a reading nook would be lovely.  Before that, a decent book shelf would be great...

In the meantime, I will collect inspiration.  This is a post full of great ideas.  They require some prep and thought (I think I'm doing well when we get to the library once a month) but the ideas are just so rich and so inviting.  Especially for the coming season.