The Honest Truth

Man, oh man, is this article a powerful and accurate read…

To those of you who have stood by my (anxious) side,

please read this article.

And let me officially say, thank you.

Fine Print

Six surefire ways to be unlovely listed here.

Fine Print

The Discipline of Discomfort

While I am not big on making new year's resolutions

{I always end up forgetting what's on my list by February},

living a life free of fear and anxiety 

is a somewhat lifelong "resolution" of mine, if you will.

As you may know,

I struggle with anxiety. 

I fear the unknown,

and at times (okay, most times), 

allow that fear to dictate my decisions and actions.

I have been aware of this about myself for some time now,

and truly desire to take steps in challenging those irrational fears 

that creep into my head and make me a little nutty.

I dream of living a life that evidently displays the freedom that comes from 

trusting in the Lord and His plan for my good.

While this article does not discuss God or trusting in His plan,

it is a great reminder that in order to live a life free of anxiety,

we have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

It is true that God has grown me the most

when I have been the least comfortable.

Fine Print

This woman, she speaks my language.

Carol was honestly the single most encouraging person to me post-c-section.

Her second, Collier, and my first, Greta,

were born on the same day in the same hospital.

We recovered just rooms away from each other. 

Alex, Carol, and her husband, Drew, 

actually went to college together at Wake Forest,

but I had never had the pleasure of meeting sweet Carol

until the day after our babes were born.

I have not written about Greta's birth because 

it has left me truly humbled, and honestly, pretty speechless.

It was brutal.

It was harder than hard.

Looking back on those 5 days spent in the hospital and a visit to the ER, 

I can't seem to find the words that would accurately describe

the immense pain, the immense joy, and the immense frustration

that came of that beautiful day.

I had a couple of complications that muddled my "experience" of having a child.

And you know who I turned to in my darkest hours?

Carol.

Sweet, just-met-her-in-my pajamas Carol.

While I am sure she has counseled so many women

 through the brutiful experience that is a c-section,

I feel like she was directly referring to me in her quote below:

I mourn AND rejoice for my c-sections and I am called to do the same for others – 

for I know the heart of a c-section. 

 I check-in.  I talk openly about the gross details of the after-math. 

 I name the rational and irrational feelings I had.  

And I hold the hope when others are too lost in the pain of recovery – 

preaching the good news that beautiful new life is born from the death of our expectations 

and the endurance through the long nights.

And, I am here to say, YES, CAROL, YES! 

THANK YOU 

for preaching to me when I was lost in pain.

THANK YOU

for holding onto hope for me when I could not.

THANK YOU

for your transparency toward me and to others.

It is a gift.

THANK YOU.

Fine Print

A good read on common courtesy.

I found the following sentence to be entirely convicting:

"While there is much to be praised about a focused individual 

who completes tasks in a timely manner, 

true success is found in one who works diligently 

while also loving and respecting others."

Fine Print

Another killer article from one new mommy to the next. 

Fine Print.

These words are amazing words of honest encouragement 

from my friend, Carol, to all new moms. 

Her blog is full of Fine Print for sure!

Fine Print

A friend recommended this book to me 

when she found out I was pregnant.

She said it saved her life in the first few months of motherhood.

I found it at Half-Priced Books for under $5.

Score!

Dr. Karp's theory of using the 5 S's 

{swaddling, side/stomach, "shushing", swinging, and sucking}

to calm colicky babies seemed to make sense to me.

We will definitely give it a try

but I want to know if you read this book,

and, if so, how did the 5 S's work for you?

Also, did you read any other helpful books during pregnancy

that prepared you for motherhood?

What are your thoughts on Baby Wise?

Fine Print

So, I am sure you have all heard of this book, Unbroken.

And while I will admit it is an excellent book and an even better story,

I really didn't enjoy reading it.

It took me over 6 months to trudge through.

I started in June and finished right after Christmas -- 

it is a long book but I am not that slow of a reader.

The story is harsh, and at times, that's an understatement.

I really thought this would be the perfect read for me

since I have always been fascinated by WWII.

However, I completely underestimated my stomach 

when it comes to reading about human brutality.

The story is beautiful... in the end.

It's just getting to the end that is quite an awful experience,

or at least it was for me.

I would recommend this to anyone who has some time to kill

{you probably only need about 2 weeks if you are not a wuss like me}

and can stomach brutally honest descriptions of human suffering.

Fine Print

It didn't take me long to finish this amazing story by Marcus Luttrell.

I had heard about this book when it was originally published in 2007

but was hesitant to read it because my best friend's cousin

was one of the unfortunate men who lost their life during Operation Redwing.

It was obviously a devastating loss for her and her family

and it seemed horribly insensitive to pore over a book recounting her tragedy.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago...

The book club I recently joined was currently reading Lone Survivor.

I struggled to "get into it" at first but I swear after the third chapter

I could not be seen without my KindleFire open to this book.

The writing is not incredible but the story truly is.

After reading this book, I have so much more respect for the men and women who serve our country.

Even more, I have the utmost respect for our Navy Seals.

This is a great read before the 4th because you will walk away

 proud to be an American.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Fine Print

I am not usually one to read "diet" books.

In fact, I don't really believe in "diets" but

if you have ever had a meal with me

you already know my stomach is not one of steel.

In fact, I can truly suck the joy out of dining with all my high maintenance-ness.

Anyway, things were getting a little out of hand 

(details are completely unnecessary -- trust me it is for your sake)

so I went to a gastroenterologist  a few weeks ago, 

and he seems to believe it is an intolerance of some sort: gluten or lactose.

After testing negative for celiac disease, 

I am relieved to know my intestines are not actually

attacking my immune system and the rest of my body.

We don't know for sure but it is probably an allergy of some sort

which can be managed by dietary restrictions.

So, for the time being, I am eating (trying to at least) a gluten-free diet.

It has been super hard and not fun

but Elizabeth Hasselbeck's book, The G-Free Diet,

has been amazingly helpful and encouraging.

Do any of you struggle with gluten or lactose? 

I would love to know your secrets.

Fine Print

I am currently reading the grad school recommended 

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott.

I do not usually read the "suggested" books listed on the syllabus

 but we reviewed a lot of material

using these principles last semester

and let's just say...

it left me thirsty for more.

What "fine print" are you enjoying these days?