youth librarian, and an idea.

Photo by StAugustinePics.com. Thanks!

It goes without saying that I love my job. If you've met me, you know what I do for a living. I'm the Youth Services Librarian at a public library. I serve patrons ages 0-18, plus their families. That's a HUGE age spectrum, which is sometimes challenging. Regardless, I love it.

So, what do I do all day? Well, I certainly don't fulfill the stereotype of a stuffy old librarian shushing children. My department is loud, colorful, and busy. I lead storytimes, sing, perform, locate resources, choose books and related materials for purchase, collect statistics, visit schools, help out at local events, design flyers, take photos, serve on school advisory committees, partner with local businesses, present at conferences, plan and execute programs ranging from early literacy to fitness, to cooking! No two days are exactly alike at my job, which keeps me on my toes and excited.

I'm going to toot my own horn here. I'm good at my job. It feels like it's what I'm meant to do with my life. I love connecting with my community through my library, connecting people with resources and even other people. Becoming a mom made me realize just how lonely it can be as a parent. Having activities like what I offer at my library allows parents to connect with people going through the same issues. It's made a world of difference in my life as a mama to have other parents around me to discuss the joys and difficulties of having a child.

All of this brings me to my idea.

I want to produce a podcast. On my own time and dime. I'm going to combine my early literacy knowledge and storytime skills to create a twenty minute podcast for parents and/or caregivers to listen to and interact with their children. Songs, rhymes, lapsit bounces, and more--bringing a baby storytime right to their device.

From my searching so far, it seems like this doesn't yet exist. There are some storytime podcasts, yes, but those seem to be people just reading stories. Not interactive programs for caregivers and their children.

So, here's my public declaration. Now I've got to stick with it. Anyone have experience putting together a podcast and want to lend a hand? ;)

two years.

Wow. It's been almost two years since my last post, and I feel our entire world has changed. The baby bump is now a toddler named Kai. He's 19 months old, and a force to be reckoned with. He's charming, silly, stubborn, and the sweetest boy I could've ever hoped for. I really am the luckiest mama.

Paul. My amazing husband is a stay-at-home-dad, a student at Flagler College, and a part-time caterer for the Purple Olive restaurant. He takes care of us. I am so proud of the father he has become, and what an incredible example he is for Kai.

Also! We no longer live in St. Augustine. We moved just south of the oldest city, to one of the newest cities in Florida. Palm Coast is where we now make our home, in a lovely house with quite a bit more square footage than our little bungalow on the island. Additional bedrooms have become very important, since my awesome younger (not little, haha) brother is living with us. It's been so much fun having him here, and it makes me so happy whenever I see my brother & Kai together. It's plain to see that they adore each other.

I got the urge to start the blog back up a few weeks ago. I think listening to podcasts is what really spurred me on, coupled with the fact that Kai has begun sleeping very consistently. Miracles do exist! ;) But in any case, I hope to update here more often, now. There are some fun ideas I've been thinking on, so perhaps this old blog will become a venue for them. We will see.

To follow along in our day-to-day fun, you can always check out my Instagram feed. It's my favorite social network!

bump: weeks 13-23.

Things got real quiet around here for a while. Life happened, obviously. Getting pregnant, summer craziness at the library, taking over new responsibilities and being promoted to Youth Services Librarian. All good!

Paul and I are thrilled to be expecting our first child! We're having a little boy, and the whole experience is just blowing our minds. My tummy is growing every week, and I've even been feeling his strong little kicks and jabs the last few weeks. It's been amazing to be on this journey with Paul. Every day I get more glimpses into what he's going to be like as a father, and I thank my lucky stars that I am with this man. He's going to be staying home with our little guy, and I just know he's going to excel at it. My mind is at ease knowing that we don't have to worry about daycare--the cost and the feeling of handing over our child to someone we don't know.

Anyway, I thought I'd compile the photos we've taken so far. It's fun to look at them all together and see how much he's growing. I'll pop back in again soon and try to get back into the groove of updating. :)

meal plan : week 21

We've been eating so much good food lately which has somehow not ended up on the blog. I need to do a little round up sometime. But for now, here's our meal plan for this coming week!

monday: vegan fajitas
tuesday: roasted carrot soup with miso
wednesday: yellow split pea dal with steamed broccoli & cauliflower
thursday: black bean burgers with a tahini & lemon dressing
friday: homemade pizza with quinoa flour

catch up.

Sorry for the radio silence! I went away for about a week to attend a library conference, then things sort of went crazy. But good crazy. There are a lot of changes on the horizon, and we couldn't be happier about them! Fingers crossed that certain things fall the way we're wishing. ;)

So, what else have we been up to?

-began attending a beginner's ballet class
-went away for a 4-day library conference in Orlando
-presented at said conference
-visited Disney every night during that conference
-was joined by Paul for the weekend at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter
-surprised my mom for Mother's Day and loved every second of it
-soaked up some more precious time with my nephew
-enjoyed a visit to the library by a Disney performer with a true passion for what he does
-got excited by a friend's spectacular news
-taken on a lot more work
-readied our porch for summer

It's been a great few weeks! We'll be back to your regularly scheduled meal plans & more very soon! ♥

worn : savannah & a straw hat

On our way to a bridal shower in South Carolina, we stopped off in Savannah to pick up a little addition to our gift. It was my first time there, and now I wish we'd had more time! Historic Savannah was charming and filled with the cutest shops. While we were there, I also bought this perfect straw hat. It's just the thing for my summer wardrobe!

dress: ross | shoes: famous footwear | hat: anthropologie | belt & handbag: kate spade

meal plan : week 18

Last week's meal plan was so, so good! We broke out of our comfort zone while still eating healthy and sticking to our low-carb diet. Paul's first time making ahi tuna was a huge success! He was a little nervous making it, but he needn't have worried--all of his food always turns out perfectly. Another standout from last week? The tofu steaks with mushroom gravy and parsnip mashed potatoes. All vegan, all delicious.

Now for this week's eats!

monday: indian-lentil cauliflower soup (oh she glows cookbook)
tuesday: potato & leek soup
wednesday: easy chana masala (oh she glows cookbook) with 5-minute whole wheat naan
thursday: big vegan bowl
friday: portobello "steak" fajitas with ezekiel tortillas (oh she glows cookbook)

You might've noticed in the last two weeks that a lot of meals on our plan are from blogger Angela's new cookbook, Oh She Glows. After following her blog for years and loving the recipes, I'm thrilled she came out with a cookbook! All of the recipes are vegan and simple enough to put together. As a challenge to myself, I was to cook every recipe in the book! I've completed six recipes so far--all of them perfect! Check back later for more updates on the challenge!

What are you eating this week?