Monthly Mentionables {September}




I had a baby this month!

Not just worth mentioning, but worth celebrating, I'd say.

While rocking our already unstable world, he is a precious gift whose only demands seem to be to be held, fed and held some more.  Though life is a bit of a blur right now, I'm trying to see through the fog to capture these mental pictures and special moments that are so fleeting.

So because of this new life that is shifting mine, this month may be a bit light (mainly because the time is ticking...my husband agreed to strap him on in our Moby wrap while he roasts coffee so I could sneak downstairs and write baby-less for a couple hours).



Here's what I've been into this month:

Books:



Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, by David Bayles and Ted Orland
As a trained actor, my husband has an entire shelf designated for books on faith and art. I plucked this one off the shelf one night in hopes of inspiration as a writer. Written by two different people, I definitely preferred one of the writers over the other, though the writers themselves were never identified.  That said, it was a quick read and offered many good thoughts for those in creative fields as they confront their fears of insignificance and inferiority and combat perfectionism in themselves.  This book is an optimistic cheerleader on the sidelines for those who are in need of a bit of a pep rally for themselves.





The Cloister Walk, by Kathleen Norris
My husband actually picked this one up from the library and thought I'd like it.  It has been my companion through the night vigils of nursing (at least after the initial first week of binge-watching the last season of Downton Abbey).  As we have been attending a liturgical church recently, I found this book about Ms. Norris spending many months at a monastery to be fascinating.  The format was a bit convoluted for me (which could be because I was reading it in a slightly hallucinatory state) and confusing to follow since it was a composite of essays she had published in various other publications.  It also seemed to be about 50 pages too long, but it was enjoyable enough that I stuck it out to the end.  My husband and I especially enjoyed her thoughts on celibacy and marriage and found a lot to discuss in those chapters.  I would recommend it if you are at all interested in the monastic life or are a life-long evangelical dipping your toes in liturgical life.


Podcasts


God Centered Mom
Connecting with Your Kids in Any Circumstance:: Jim & Lynn Jackson 

Stay in Your Hoop:: Vela Tomba

The Art of Nurturing Boys:: David Thomas


The Boob Group
(seriously!)  This was new to me, but has a lot of different great episodes on breastfeeding for the nursing mama!

Tongue Ties and Lip Ties: Symptoms, Treatment and Aftercare


Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

What to do When You're Unsure How to Begin

Your Writing Can Change the World


Pass the Mic
Current Events: Keith Lamont Scott, Terence Crutcher, and NMAAHC

A Pastoral Perspective on the 2016 Election


Pandora Stations I'm Enjoying:

Fernando Ortega

Josh Garrels

The Weepies


T.V. 
(Now that I'm nursing around the clock, I seem to have more time to watch T.V. in the wee hours of the night.)

This is Us
(tailor-made to fill the void left behind by Parenthood)



Thought-Provoking Articles from the Web:

Getting Hurt by the Church Doesn't Mean You Should Abandon God, by Elizabeth Trotter for Relevant

I Am Not Labeled, I am Named, by Alia Joy for SheLoves Magazine

The Sugar-Coated Language of White Fragility, by Anna Kegler for Huffington Post

Stop the Revolution, Join the Plodders, by Kevin DeYoung for Ligonier Ministries

That Is Not My Jesus, by Travis Eades for Huffington Post

Yes, We're Going to Talk about IT {The Grove: Sexuality}, for Velvet Ashes (this includes lots of links to great resources for those in all walks of life!)


For Fun:

Sleeping Baby Has No Idea She Becomes the Star of Cosplay During Her Naps 

Hilarious Parenting Comics, for Scary Mommy


Find Me Elsewhere:

The Best Years of Our Lives for the Mudroom

Falling Off the Missionary Pedestal for SheLoves Magazine


In Case You Missed it on Scraping Raisins:

The New Normal 

39 Weeks: These Strange Days 

~~~

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Linking up with Leigh Kramer: What I'm Into 


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