For instance: I have tried quite a few gluten-free bread recipes out there, and this one TAKES THE YEAST CAKE, hands down. It is so yummy, I guarantee you will be salivating by the oven door, counting down the seconds until you can get it out.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread from Barefoot in the Kitchen.

Vegan/Paleo Fudge Brownies from PopSugar! (Note, as long as you don’t THINK of them as brownies, they make an amazing, “I can’t believe it!” dessert).

“Skinny Monkey” cookies from Once A Month Meals. These things are so healthy, I let the boys eat quite a few this morning. They are only made of gluten free oats, applesauce, bananas, peanut butter (we use the super healthy stuff at TJs), and get their chocolate flavor from a dash of cocoa powder and cinnamon. They take just 5 minutes to throw together, and only 10 minutes to cook!

It goes without saying that I am in no way being sponsored for these recipes. They are just so good, I had to share them with you all.

If you would like to follow my Pinterest board (with 3 other collaborators!), filled with all sorts of other gluten-free and healthy stuff, click here.

Robin @ Homegrown Living

Isn’t her baby just the CUTEST THING EVER??? Sorry, Sarah, hope you don’t mind me stealing pictures of your adorable girl. She even has my sister’s nickname– Nell!

What I found so refreshing about this blog post was her absolute honesty. It was helpful for me, as well, to realize the immense amount of guilt and shame associated with “failing” at an all natural birth. I’ve always struggled with empathy in every area of my life– I try, but I’m just really bad at it, turns out.

Sarah’s post helped me to understand the other side of things so that I can avoid hurting feelings. Out of all my friends who’ve had babies, 90% of them (including me) had a ROUGH labor with their first baby. Around half of those ended up in the hospital with an epidural, despite the fact that they took tons of measures to avoid it. By the grace of God, I made it through my 22+ hour labor without transferring or needing drugs (although G did come out BACK OF HIS NECK first! Yikes!). But it’s safe to say that I could use some help with empathy in this area.

Also, she was RIGHT ON with how her struggles with breastfeeding changed her outlook towards mothers who use formula. My first two weeks breastfeeding were literal hell-on-earth, full of tons of cussing and “WHY GOD, WHY??”. Then, when he was 10 months old, I had to use two months worth of formula on him because I got pregnant again. I’m so grateful that my experience with Anthony has been the complete opposite, but I’m also glad that it wasn’t my FIRST experience, or else I wouldn’t be able to understand the other side of it. If feeding Anthony had been my first experience with breastfeeding, I’d have probably put my foot in my mouth about a dozen times, then fallen flat on my face when I struggled the next time around.

I just read this woman’s blog, and cried and cried. A little family of four, told by the doctors during pregnancy that their 3rd baby had Anencephaly and would only live for a few hours after birth. The mother chose to continue the pregnancy anyways. Her last few blog articles outline the one precious day they got to spend with him. She doesn’t sound depressed or defeated, just grateful for God and His mercy.

I am all tears over here, and just cannot.even.imagine.

Now, off to change a HUGE poopy diaper. Gregory has now stopped his playing 3, I count 3, times, to grunt and make “that face”. Two of them, he actually had to hold onto the furniture for support. Oh man. The joys

Also, she totally had my vote when she mentioned Jim Carey’s movie, “Liar Liar”

Mommy Guilt is like that scene from “Liar Liar” in which Jim Carrey enters a bathroom, throws himself against the walls, slams his head into the toilet, and rubs soap into his eyes. When a confused observer asks what on Earth he’s doing he says, “I WAS KICKIN’ MY ASS! DO YA MIND?”

I understand the act of kicking one’s own ass. I do it all the time.

What I don’t understand is why some ladies insist on making everything worse by kicking each other’s asses.

I explained that I really have no patience for these kinds of blogs– I like real, and I like honest. Sometimes, it’s inspirational to read someone’s blog when they have it all together, (because, come on, let’s not hate on competent people, you know who you are), but inspiration is not always what I need. Instead, sometimes, I need to read about someone who wants so so badly to give up, but chooses to overcome instead. On certain days, this kind of encouragement isn’t just helpful, it keeps me sane.

So, I thought I would list a few of the blogs that I read, in case you, too, are a mom that needs to keep sane once in a while. I’ve included the blog by posting the link to one of my favorite articles from each:

Little Miss Momma on Momma Guilt: Although I didn’t include it, you need to read their love story! It’s so sweet that she decided to write it down in story form for her kids to read someday

The Wiegands on how she lost her 3rd baby at 14 weeks. If you turn on your volume, her blog plays such pretty music. Love it! Also, she has the most gorgeous kids I’ve ever seen. So, I guess if you have ugly kids, don’t read this blog (gotcha! every mother thinks her kids are the cutest thing ever, right?). They are also poor as dirt, which makes them extremely relatable

Momastery on 7 years of marriage and 3 kids later. I don’t agree with everything she says, but I gotta hand it to her, she’s encouraging. Big time. If you want to laugh until you pee your pants, just read her archives. There’s one post about Target that had Courtney and I crying. GO for it.

Caved In: When Parenthood Collapses Around You on refusing to feel Mommy Guilt, no matter how hard others might push it on you. I included her blog because she’s a fulltime working mom (a nurse) and provides a good dose of the “other side” for me to understand and try and relate to. Her son is just a few months behind G, so it’s fun to compare notes.

Pam, I’ll send the giftcard with Jesse on Monday to give to Rich

So, be a friend. Leave a comment. Thanks

And #1001. Feels weird.

Those of you who read this blog and know how often I post, it’s no surprise that this is the 1000th post! Yes, you read that right!

Here’s a recap of when and why I started this blog:

In August of 2007, Jesse and I moved across the country to a little town called Dallas, Texas. We didn’t know a soul. We had no idea what church we’d be attending. I had a small part time piano teaching job, and Jesse was about to start his MA in Philosophy at the University of Dallas.

I started this blog as a way to connect with my friends and family back in CA. It seemed like there were so many pictures and so many stories. A blog was a convenient way to share it all without having to individually email everyone I loved and cared about.

Since then, especially since becoming a mother, it has evolved into a way to keep me from becoming too isolated– too myopic and lost in my own little world. In general, there is a great deal of danger in “mommy blogs”, as they can lend towards judgement and criticism. For me, however, the benefit outweighs the risk at this current juncture.

One of the greatest benefits that I’ve received from writing this blog is the feedback and encouragement from readers. It not only helps me feel connected, but it also gives me valuable insight and advice.

So…to celebrate/reward everyone who reads this blog, I’m going to mail a $5 Peets or Starbucks gift card (your choice– Peets is FAR superior, as we all know, but not everyone has a Peets nearby!) to one random person. To enter for a chance to “win”, just leave a comment! That’s it! I’ll use a random number generator to choose the winner.

The deadline is Jesse’s birthday, 11:59pm (EST) Thursday January 5th! Ready, set go!

And, for kicks, here are some of my favorite posts throughout the years!

To remind us how far we’ve come!

Why we fast

Ode to my Giant Beanstalk

Why preschool can be AWESOME!

Ode to my home-grown tomatoes (can you tell I LOVE food?)

Why Motherhood is HARD