a quick update

Whew! Sorry I have not been around lately to update my blog...I've traveled for baby showers and am now back and ready for this thing to happen! I'm 31 weeks as of today. My how time is now flying! For a while it felt like I might be pregnant forever :)

First of all, here is what I did this morning...the nursery is coming right along. A little preview of what Baby Bird will gaze upon...

And secondly, READ THIS BOOK, The Big Book of Birth by Erica Lyon. If you are pregnant, this is a must-read, in my opinion. A friend let me borrow this during my trip and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. I hesitated early on in pregnancy to learn 'too much' and freak myself out. Now that I'm solidly in the 3rd trimester, I feel like I can't get enough information!

This book is very straight-forward at walking you through early labor, active labor, birth and after. It gives a variety of women's accounts of their own births in short synopses. It somewhat promotes natural birth, but is also great at explaining many situations where medical intervention, epidurals, Pitocin, etc. are very helpful and necessary. I found it to have a fairly unbiased tone on each of these topics. Even if you're set on getting pain medication, I would read this for the great information and helpful stories. I can't go on enough about how much this book has subsided many of my fears and unknowns. Read it when you are ready to learn lots about birth, but definitely read it at some point.

Have any of you mothers or moms-to-be out there read really helpful books? There are so many that it is overwhelming. Early on I read "Bringing Up Bebe" and really enjoyed that as well...an American mom having and raising her kids in France talks about her experiences and observations on French parenting. It's a very enjoyable read and is pretty focused on raising independent children.

Please share things you have read that you love and have a happy rest of your Sunday ♥

New spring accessory. All-natural, bright lipstick.

New spring accessory. Bright lipstick., a photo by elletrain on Flickr.

Happy Friday! Today it is a little gloomy here and it was hard to wake up, so I'm glad to be talking about something bright and fun. I got bold this week and bought a new Spring accessory...bright red lipstick! I have finally been able to embrace the size of my smackers and am excited to put this lovely hue on them. Here's the key to wearing a bright color though...tone down the rest of your makeup. Wear just a touch of a natural blush and a little mascara. Only concealer on your lids or something really neutral. Your lips do all the talking. Heh.

In addition to being bright, this lipstick is also all natural, with good ingredients that aren't harming to me or the environment. This particular brand is ZuZu in color "Starlet." You can buy at this link or find it at Whole Foods or if you're in Portland, at New Seasons Markets.


I've recently been switching all of my cosmetics to natural products. It's not as easy as you might think because who wants to buy a bunch of expensive things that don't work? Not me. Here is where my next recommendation comes in... No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt. It's a really great read on all of the natural products they tested, what to look for and not look for in a good, natural product and shopping lists of their favorites for each beauty category. I can't say enough about how helpful this book is. I'm still in the process of switching a few things over, but so far I am in love with what I've gotten, at their recommendation. Please check it out. Here is their website which has additional great information. They are fun and not too crunchy, which is really nice for someone who likes painted nails and lipstick.

The reason I found this great book is from signing up for a really wonderful daily email. I know, I get too many emails as well, but this one is short. And worth it. It's called Very Short List and it is just that. It includes very interesting, artistic, short blurbs about really cool people/art/products/ etc. In today's email we got a link to Culture Kitchen Box, a program that sends you hard-to-find ingredients, shopping lists and instructions on how to cook various ethnic cuisine. Really fun if you want to have a dinner party each month and impress people with your fancy cooking skills.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone. I am going to hear Anne Lamot speak tonight and am SO excited about it. She is a brilliant, hilarious writer. If you get the chance, please read her books, especially Traveling Mercies and Bird by Bird. You will not be disappointed. Adios for now!