It’s no secret that I have a hardcore love of children’s books, right? It’s a borderline obsession made less weird by the fact that I have two small children. But, the truth? My love for them would still be pretty freaking mighty with or without kids (check out this free printable of 30 of my favorites).

I also have a strange love of getting glimpses into the processes that go into creating things. It’s one thing to look at and appreciate a final product, but I think you understand it so much better when you get a good look at how it came to be. I thought it would be really fun to take a behind the scenes look at how one illustrator brought her kids book to life.

Brianna Baker is here to walk us through the process of putting together her children’s book, The Lion.

I like lists. Like, a lot. In fact, I have way too many of them.

One of my many lists is an Evernote note full of books that I really want to read. I keep it in Evernote so that I can add to it no matter where I am—whether I’m at my computer or out somewhere and using my phone, I can pull it up and add to it. It cuts down on the 47 half lists that are usually floating around my house and purse and pants pockets.

Since my list is getting long, I thought I’d share a few with you guys to see if you’ve read any of them or if you have any that I need to add.

Going gluten free has made me even more defensive than usual.

Why? Well, there’s all sorts of debate about this whole gluten thing. Most people will agree with the fact that there’s a percentage of the population who has a major problem with gluten. These people cannot eat the stuff without getting really sick. They have celiac. Since it’s diagnosable and has an official name, most people are OK with acknowledging that it exists.

Where you start to lose some of the believers is when you talk about gluten intolerance. This is not something very official. A lot of people have self-diagnosed themselves as having an issue. Other people (like me) have had medical professionals tell them that they “probably have an intolerance and should avoid it” or that their antibody levels are off and their celiac results may be a false negative. A colon biopsy can give you a definitive answer but… that means you need to go and get your colon biopsied. Uh, no thank you.

Here’s what I know.

If we’re out at a restaurant or something and I eat gluten by accident (say forgetting that sometimes flour is used to help bind meatballs), I’m bloated like I’m six months pregnant before we even get in the driveway. I feel sick and lethargic and I don’t want to talk to anyone. Sometimes my stomach aches and burns and twists so that the only thing I can do is curl up in a fetal position and sleep. After a few hours, I start to feel better but it can take days for the bloating and the overall feeling of grossness to leave me.

Call it whatever you’d like, but it happens when I eat foods containing gluten. That means I’d rather avoid the stuff so that I can function like a normal human.

I’ve been mighty quiet around these parts lately. I could pretend it was because I’m busy getting ready for our annual mini vacation next week, but that would be utter bullshit. The truth is, I haven’t even started thinking about getting ready for it—which is making me itch a little now that I am thinking about it.

Luckily for me (and you?) I just put together a guest post for the thredUP blog where I shared a printable list of ten pieces that can get you through an entire week’s worth of fun and sun (yes, really). I even made it printable, for anyone who wants to feel all official and physically check off their list.

For more info and a sample wardrobe that’s completely interchangeable, head over to the thredUP blog… and then come back here and tell me what you think! 😉

Is it doable or have I gone straight up cray cray?

Have you ever tried working out with a kid weaving between your legs? Or climbing on your back? Or (once they’re a little older) critiquing your form?

Let’s be real. Squeezing in a workout when you have kids (especially when they’re on summer vacation and you work from home) can be rough. Routines are thrown off completely and it’s hard enough to just conquer day-to-day tasks. Adding self care in seems like a total luxury.

But it’s not.

I’m a firm believer that if you want something, you’ll make time for it. It might mean cutting out other things that are less important, but if you really want it, you’ll make sacrifices.

This weekend I took the girls to their school to play on the playground and take their scooters around the track. I figured I’d get a nice walk in while they were doing their scooting. Um, wrong. If there’s anything all these years of motherhood should have taught me, it’s that nothing goes as planned. Ever. Ellie wandered slowly, dragging her scooter along beside her at a snail’s pace, while her sister sped around the track like there was Olympic gold at the end.

As we inched along, I got frustrated about not getting in the little bit of physical activity I thought was a given. But I quickly shifted my perspective before becoming full on doom and gloom.

I couldn’t walk briskly. So what? My meandering littlest one was happy as could be and I’d just have to make the most of it. Instead of rushing her along, I started doing lunges next to her. She found this incredibly amusing and so did her sister. We were all happy.

Why don’t I do things like that more often?! Being a mother means being a master of manipulation. You take the situation you’re presented with and you make it work.