
*Some affiliate links are used in this post. If you click on a link, I may get a few cents at no cost to you. Thanks so very much for supporting my blog :)
It's been a while since I've shared some links and loves from around the internet! The last post I labeled "link love" was in July when I shared toys & activities for road trips with babies/toddlers. Since that post, R got a few things for her birthday, so I can share a real-life experience. The water wow book from Melissa & Doug is really awesome, and I don't understand how it works. It's magic. MAGIC. My mom got R the boogie board for her birthday, and she loves it. There is also a case specifically for it, which I had no idea!
But I'm getting off topic of sharing new links with you... here we go!
This has been one of our favorite and most-used items for the past few years. As in, daily on multiple doors. Our house is just one floor, and what's nice about a Latchy Catchy is that Jordan and I can go in and out of rooms without worrying about the lock slamming and making noise, waking them up from naps (I'm pretending R takes naps! ha) or from sleep after they go to bed. There are lots of cute, fun patterns too!
I posted this essay last week on the blog and have received such great feedback, so thank you for reading and commenting! I'm still pretty bummed it didn't get chosen to be published on the site I submitted it to. I felt really good about it... better than anything else I've written and submitted. But I just hope that the person/people who needed to read it were able to find it through my blog!
Even if you don't follow tennis, you may have heard of the controversy surrounding the women's final of the US Open over the weekend. Admittedly, Serena Williams tends to find herself in controversy a lot, but I thought this article summed up the current issues really well and gave me some interesting things to think about in terms of how women are treated vs men in the world of sports.
I found this essay from Lore on Sayable so beautiful and thought-provoking. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby, and she's experienced a few miscarriages over the past couple of years. In this article she writes about the danger of saying "at least" to people when they share their struggles. She also wrote "what to do when your friend loses a baby," which I think is a good thing for everyone to read.
In other fluffier links, I know I talk about this website a lot, but they just had a great sale and I snagged a couple of tops for fall! Another reason I love Mindy Mae's Market is because they always offer free shipping, and every package comes with an inspirational quote on a white card.
This book recently came out just a few weeks ago, and I'm kicking myself for not pre-ordering it and getting some of the pre-order goodies they were offering. I started listening to Anne Bogel's podcast on my morning runs a few months ago, and I don't even care if you think it's nerdy that I listening to a podcast about reading. I've been enjoying it so much!
Speaking of things hanging out in my Amazon cart, I've had this cookbook in there for months. At this point maybe I'll just put it on my Christmas list.
I'm in a group on Facebook for working moms, and it's such an encouraging and supportive group of women! Someone recently shared this article from USA Today on the myth of the work-life balance, and I thought it was great (and a bit snarky, which I love!).
If you don't know, I'm kind of weirdly obsessed with my rain boots. We don't get a ton of rain in Oklahoma, but when we do, I like to have appropriate footwear! The ones I had for years finally bit the dust and cracked, and I thought I might splurge on a pair of Hunter's. Buuuuut, really in the end I just couldn't pull the trigger. I found Joules, which are super cute (cuter than Hunter IMO) and cheaper! There are more options on the website, but Amazon carries them too!
My favorite podcast is back after a summer break! If you have never listened to Risen Motherhood, DO IT. "Gospel-centered hope for everyday moms" is their tagline, and I just love this ministry and feel so encouraged by it. So much so that I support them every month out of my own blow money. I'm trying not to hold it against them that they rejected my article ;)
Finally, I know I've mentioned this before, but if you have a kid, you should check out the Kidizen app. I might be obsessed. It's basically a kid's consignment store online! People post items they are selling, and you can buy from them. I've found that it's not always a great deal for cheaper brands, but you can find some amazing deals, especially on fancier/name-brand items! I also just bought J his Halloween costume for $8, so it kind of has everything. It's not just clothes but swaddles, books, dress-up clothes, and even baby slings and things like that. Use my referral code theladyokie to get $5 off your first purchase.
Just a heads up that I might be taking a couple weeks off from the blog. There's a chance I will pop in next week sometime, but if not, don't worry if you don't hear from me until October! We have a lot going on this month, and I just don't know if I'll have time to log in. But either way, I hope you have a great rest of the week.
I so appreciate YOU taking the time to read my blog. I don't take it lightly that there is someone on the other side of this screen reading this. I hope you find a link or two to love from my post! :)


p.s. Find other link + love posts here.