My Favorite Books About Grandparents

October 2019

Have you ever noticed all these goofy holidays that keep popping up? Any given day, it could be National Bubble Wrap Appreciation or National Punctuation Day. Listen, both of those things are important, but is it necessary to have a day dedicated to them around the nation?! One major holiday that I’ve come to love, though, is Grandparent’s Day! Now, I know it’s behind us, but grandparents are always worth celebrating – plus, with fall and winter holidays around the corner, it’s the perfect time to spread the grandparent love with your littles. And let me tell ya, there’s quite a few beautiful books that honor these special people in your life, and I’m going to be sharing some of my personal favorites.

THE TRUTH ABOUT GRANDPARENTS / GRANDMA’S PURSE / DRAWN TOGETHER

Best Ice Cream Shops In Austin

October 2019

By Jessica Lee

I worked at an ice cream shop in high school, so just walking into one sends a wave of nostalgia through me. My days were spent making waffle cones, decorating ice cream cakes and scooping hundreds of cones. It wasn’t a bad gig.

Honestly, I don’t have that much of a sweet tooth, but when it comes to ice cream, my fiance, Alex, claims to be an expert. No matter how full he is, he always finds room for a cone. So when I suggested we do some “research” for this post, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. And I don’t blame him! There are a bunch of great spots here in town to grab a scoop…
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No Baby Unhugged

September 2019

Since becoming a mom, there is nothing more important to me than spending quality time with my baby. I juggle being a full time mama and a full time blogger – so I will take every free moment I get to soak up cuddles, hugs and kisses with my sweet boy. With so much going on in my brain at all times (“don’t forget to email that brand back!” or “we’re almost out of diaper wipes” or “oops, I forgot to pump before his next meal!”), checking things off my to-do list so that I can be totally present with Jude is top priority these days.

Best Cheap Eats In Austin

August 2019

By Jessica Lee

I’ve been traveling a lot these past few months, and it feels so good to be back in Austin with no big travel plans in sight. Sometimes it’s just so nice to be home. I’m looking forward to getting back into the routine of things: cooking at home, going for morning runs, and enjoying these long summer days.

Lately, I’ve been trying to save some money (weddings are expensive!), so when I do eat out, I’ve been sticking to spots that don’t break the bank. Luckily, Austin has a ton of really amazing, inexpensive options. From a hearty bowl of pho to the best breakfast tacos in town, here are my favorite cheap eats in the Texas capitol…

Strawberry Summer Cake

August 2019

By Jessica Lee

During the summer months, I pick up a pint of strawberries at the grocery store every week. I’m crazy about those sweet berries and find myself snacking on them every day knowing that they only taste this good for a few months…

3 Page-Turning Thrillers You Won’t Want To Put Down

August 2019

By Eugenia Vela

Even though I’ll admit to being glued to my phone most days, I do try to have at least a couple of books with me when I travel. I’ve experienced long flight delays and train rides that seem to go on forever, stretching across cities and countries with no end in sight. What I’ve learned is that an absorbing page-turner is the absolute best kind of book to have in my carry-on. Give me a twisty mystery or a creepy thriller and I am HOOKED, hastily turning the pages until I reach that unexpected, satisfying end. I know I’m not alone in this, or we wouldn’t have uber successful movie adaptations of Gone Girl or Girl on the Train, right? So if that sounds like your thing, get ready…
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GIVE ME YOUR HAND / IN THE WOODS / FINAL GIRLS

My Favorite Delivery App

July 2019

Things I love about living in 2019…(this is about to get very “first world” here)…oat milk, backup cameras, craft beer, DVR, Google Maps…to name a few. Another high up on the list is Favor – an app that allows food, beer & wine (!!) and grocery deliveries. Clearly, I am all about convenience over here, ha! But in all seriousness, I am SO excited about today’s post because Blake and I use Favor ALL. THE. TIME. Like…I’m talkin’ multiple times a week. Sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) at the end of a crazy busy day, the last thing we want to do is prepare a meal and do dishes. This is when one of us whips out the Favor app and orders a meal that’ll bring instant joy (umm…pizza does that, 100%). We press that orange Order Favor button in the app and an instant sigh of relief washes over. Before we know it, we’re catching up on The Bachelor, walking Jude to sleep and digging into our favorite pizza – without ever leaving the house (…and in our comfy loungewear, ha!).
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A big thank you to Favor for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

4 Children’s Books that Reflect the Diverse World Around Us

July 2019

By Eugenia Vela

Ever since I watched You’ve Got Mail around the age of 8, I was sure I wanted to own a children’s bookstore when I grew up. I remember Meg Ryan’s character saying, “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.” That line stuck with me for good. I still believe it, which is why I am so passionate about getting books in the hands of children. I am fortunate to work in a bookstore that has a large Kids section, and I meet parents and young readers every day who are looking for books that will introduce them to new concepts and whisk them away to mysterious faraway lands. I believe books can have a huge impact on us from an early age, and it’s important to give kids books that introduce them to those mysterious lands as well as reflect the beautifully diverse world around us. Here are a few of my favorites…

The Last Stop On Market Street / All The World / We Sang You Home / Dreamers

Healthy Taco-Ish Salad

July 2019

By Jessica Lee

There’s no shortage of Tex Mex food in Austin. And while I love it (chips and queso are my weakness), sometimes I want something a little more on the healthy side.

That’s where this salad comes in. It’s filled to the brim with fresh vegetables, yet it still satisfies those inevitable Tex Mex cravings. The quinoa makes it surprisingly filling, and the dressing is divine. If you happen to have leftovers of the dressing (which I doubt you will), save it for dipping raw vegetables into. Plus, the salad saves really well, so you could easily meal prep it for lunches throughout the week!

Motherhood: 4 Month Update

July 2019

My how time flies! Our little guy is already four months old! Actually…as I write this, he’s 4.5 months old now (ah!). We’ve been busy bees over here with Jude. He’s rolling over, discovered his hands (and he would tell you they’re delicious), has graduated from the Solly wrap and we’re not onto our Ergo carrier (…and my back is thanking me for this haha), and he’s got a new sleep routine! As for me, motherhood has gotten significantly better than since I last wrote about it (in this post) – the baby blues are long gone (though I still have my cry-from-stress moments at times…Jude continues to hate the car…!), I’m more confident in living by my “mother’s intuition” and have been embracing that voice in my head and feeling in my gut, and overall just feel like I’m “out of the fog” so-to-speak as our new normal has set in and is here to stay – and it’s been so much fun!

Last week I asked my Instagram readers what questions they’d like for me to answer about motherhood, postpartum, and our journey with Jude over the last 4-months…so here we go!

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