Twenty Thirteen In Review

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Am I the only one still grappling with the fact that another year just passed us by? Where did it go? 2013 was a very eventful and exciting year for us! Here are the highlights:

4 Tips for Surviving Pregnancy the Natural Way

One of the big things I never thought about before I got pregnant was how to get by while avoiding harmful chemicals. There are so many things we use in our daily life that are potentially harmful to unborn babies. Many of these were things I didn't even consider until suddenly I couldn't use them anymore. And of course there have been other pregnancy side effects that need to be treated that left me wondering, how?

Currently

I think it's kinda ironic that the last time I did one of these posts was exactly 11 months ago. Where has the year gone. It's such a shame I didn't write more of these in 2013 since I do love these kinds of posts :-/

Pawn by Aimée Carter

Pawn by Aimée Carter
Harlequin Teen (November 26, 2013)
ISBN: 0373210558
347 pages
Age 14+
Buy Here for $9.39
My Rating: 4/5

What's In My Kelly Moore Bag? & The State of my Business

I love What's in my bag? posts and I especially am loving this one I am doing right now. For a really long time I have been wanting a purse camera bag. You know one of those gorgeous ones that don't look like camera bags from designers like JoTotes, Epiphanie, or Kelly Moore. I have wanted one so badly that for years I entered every single giveaway one of these companies has offered, to no avail. And despite my coveting, I just couldn't justify spending over $100 on a bag I would use exclusively for a small part of my business.

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
Harlequin Teen (January 28, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0373210965
ISBN-13: 978-0373210961
256 pages
Ages 14 +
Pre-order Here for $13.31
My Rating: 3/5

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner 
Disney-Hyperion (December 10, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1423171020
ISBN-13: 978-1423171027
384 pages
Ages 12+
Pre-order Here for $11.81
My Rating: 4/5

Blue Moon Roasted Turkey

While we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, every few years I'll end up making a turkey on Black Friday because they are the cheapest they'll get that week. This year worked out nicely because my FIL was in town helping Luke with our living room remodel. We invited over a couple more friends and had ourselves a real feast.

Cyborg Monday & Chapter 1 of Cress Review

"What is Cyborg Monday?" you ask. Well it is a clever marketing campaign Mac Teen Books has cooked up for the upcoming 3 book in The Lunar Chronicles series, Cress. Now you guys already know how much I loved Cinder & Scarlet, so I am dying for Cress to come out in February. I am actually trying to find some way to snag my hands on a full version ARC.

How to Use your Cell Phone in Another Country for Free

Travel + Leisure December 2013

I've been catching up on my magazine reading and one of my subscriptions is for Travel + Leisure. While it specializes in luxury travel which is not our scene, it definitely has a bunch of awesome ideas like this tip for packing a suit in a carry-on that would have been handy on our Summer Vacation.
One of the articles in the October 2013 issue was about using your cell phone internationally. A recurring recommendation is the app Viber to make wifi calls and texts for free. While I haven't used it personally, it was also popular among the other delegates in Latvia. The problem for me was that you had to have the app in order to communicate with people, so it didn't help us once we were there.

What I Wore: 22 Weeks Pregnant

I don't believe I've ever done one of these posts but I've always wanted to. I love the format Rachel at Smile & Wave uses for hers and especially that we are pretty close in our pregnancies :)
My bump started showing pretty early (around 8 weeks) but my belly has just exploded in this past month. I am constantly getting comments about if they've made sure there is only 1 in there. I've been taking it in stride, especially since Minion does have a huge head. An 83 year old man in our Congregation actually said, "Well you're gaining weight!" But I couldn't even be offended because I know he's old and just doesn't have a filter anymore and means well, and of course it's true after all...lol.

Bucket List Items We Crossed Off on our Summer Vacation

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So I'm starting to doubt if I will ever blog in detail about our summer vacation around the world. I am actually finally working on our scrapbook for it and that way our memories will be preserved for ourselves and IRL friends. So you'll have to forgive me if they never make it here. If you don't follow me on Instagram, you can go check out our trip hashtag #Parkerstaketheworld2013 to see all the photos we and our friends posted of us in sequence. All  our accounts are set to private so you may not be able to view all of them.
But today I wanted to share with you guys some of the unexpected things we got to do on that trip that I always dreamed of doing but never thought would actually happen :)

Dialogues on Midwifery

Once I got pregnant I immediately watched The Business of Being Born. I think it should be a required viewing for every pregnant woman because the points it makes are incredible. I love the facts it shows on how beneficial having a child as naturally as possible is while acknowledging that some labors do need to be handled by a hospital because of complications. Plus watching it helped reaffirm my decision and prepare me for some of the negativity we've faced.

My Decision to Birth with a Midwife

The biggest controversy in my pregnancy so far is my decision to use a midwife for my prenatal care and delivery. While I appreciate that most people are being well meaning and coming from a place of love and concern, some of the reactions and comments we have received have been less than kind.
As background, both Luke and I were midwife babies. I was my Mom's first and only baby, Luke was his Mom's second child but first via midwife. Growing up my Mom always spoke fondly of her delivery choice so midwifery was something I was always open to. In fact it just seemed like the option that made the most sense to me.

Nursery Plans

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So I've written before about my love for the Montessori nursery and floor bed. I think it is safer, more practical and economical. But as we've settled in here and are preparing for Minion's arrival, I don't know if it will be the best option for us. 

Curriculum Planning: Kindergarten

Keeping with my curriculum planning theme this week, I wanted to share Minion's Kindergarten plan. Doing the same as with Pre-K, I downloaded Calvert's Kindergarten Course Outline.

Curriculum Planning: Pre-K

A couple weeks ago I shared my thoughts on education. Well this week, I want to share the fruits of my research labor and what I have planned for Minion. Of course this is a preliminary guideline that will be adapted and modified based on Minion's abilities and interests.
For starters, I have been pinning any school related ideas and projects for some time now. So when I started my curriculum research, I started there.

Photo Books vs. Scrapbooks

As a graphic designer, I have been smitten with the concept of photo books since they came out. I love the digital design aspect of them and the fact that you don't have to invest in tons of supplies and embellishments. I also love the emphasis on photos. While whimsical embellished scrapbook pages are beautiful, I love the clean crisp look a photo book offers.

It's a Boy!

We had our first sonogram on Tuesday and everything looks good and Minion is a boy! :) We are super excited! We already have his name picked out but I'm thinking that I won't be sharing it in such a public setting. I haven't decided yet how many privacy precautions I will take with our little guy and the internet. And I may adjust and adapt my policies as time goes on but for now he will continue to be Minion on here :)

Thoughts on Education

Ever since shortly after Luke and I got married, I have had fun reading early childhood development and homeschooling books. I always felt silly about it, but education is actually a subject I am really passionate about and enjoy.
Both Luke and I were homeschooled - he until 8th grade and myself through high school while duel enrolling in elective classes and extracurricular at the public school. We both always tested high amongst our peers and love to have thought-provoking conversations on deep topics. So having a smart and well educated child is very important to us.