Northwest Healthy Mama Contributor

If you don't already read the Northwest Healthy Mama Blog, add it to your list. A budding online community for moms who live and love in the Pacific Northwest, NW Healthy Mama is a great resource for learning how to maximize life in the beautiful and bountiful region of the country we call home.

"NW Healthy Mama was born when a love for the beautiful Pacific Northwest was paired with a passion for all things healthy and active. Here at NW Healthy Mama, we believe healthy is not a specific diet, but rather a frame of mind, a meal that helps our families thrive and an adventure outside with good friends. We believe in enjoying motherhood and loving our people well." 

I'm beyond excited to be joining the team as a contributor to the site and can't wait to gently remind everyone that Alaska belongs on the list of the amazing states that make up the fabled PNW.

Mom-Lovin Blog Hop #20

This week I am so excited be guest-hosting the Mom-lovin' blog hop along with Hannah, Lena and Andrea. One of my most favorite things about blogging is the community and I find that link ups and blog hops are a great way to meet other bloggers and find the little pocket of the blogging world that you feel most comfortable in.

So, here's what you do.

1 | link up all your blogs social media accounts here
2 | go visit the blogs of other ladies who have linked up their accounts and leave some love!

Our Guest Co-Host this week is one of my favorite gals! 

Whitney blogs at Life Alaskan Style and is a wife, mother, who loves Jesus.  Her family resides in Alaska- I get lost in the photos she shares of their life in that beautiful state.

Our Featured Mama of the Week: Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom 

Carrie writes a life style blog. Her most recent post is a fall home tour- super fun! Another recent post is a collection of photos on how to wear a blazer. I don't know about you but blazers sort of intimidate me... Maybe that is just me... It's probably just me. 

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<a href="http://www.rootandblossom.com" title="Root and Blossom " target="_blank"><img src="http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y532/Hannah_Terpstra/67ddaa98-6359-42d4-bb84-92ae21b49af6_zps84f1f0e6.jpg" alt="Joyful Life " style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Please, if you are new to the hop or have been here but haven't left a comment, please let us know on our own respected blogs that you are a new follower so we can be sure to follow you back! 

Also, If you are interested in co-hosting FOR FREE shoot Hannah an email at hannahsjoyfullife (at) gmail.com to get on the list, growing your followers couldn't be easier! 

guest posting and new way to comment

I'm so very excited to be guest posting over at Moons and Junes today! Shayla is off getting married and invited a few blogging friends to fill in for her while she's gone. I shared my fall picks for USA mom-made fashion for toddlers - check it out!

| just a little sampler of items I included |

In other news, I finally made the switch to Disqus commenting. I'm excited for the change, mostly because of the ease of replying and actually getting notifications when someone replies to me. Right now I'm not loving the fact that my old comments still haven't imported over, so if I haven't replied to your recent comment, that's why and I'm very sad about it! I love each and every comment and try my best to reply to every one of them as quickly as possible.

Happy hump day!!

Featured on Hand and the Heart blog today!

Last week my friend Andrea from Hand and the Heart blog asked me to answer a few questions for a feature post she was working on. I was more than happy to oblige and excited to be invited to visit her space! 

Today her post went live, and I'm telling you, you need to click over to her blog and get acquainted with five other lovely ladies she featured! Great way to 'meet' new bloggers and to find amazing, long-distance friends :)

11 things about me you may not have known

me: 1989

I was nominated for a Liebster Award (again) by Emily over at Sweet Summer Smiles, thanks Emily! I've already been nominated two other times (here and here), so I'm not going to follow all the steps this time. But I did want to go ahead and answer Emily's questions for me.

EMILY'S QUESTIONS

1. How would you describe your personality? This question: so hard. I took a cheesy personality test and these were my results: "The Loyal Friend: others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expects the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken." I think that's a pretty fair description that's pretty close to right on. For those of you who know me well, what do you think? How would you describe my personality?
2. Why did you start blogging? My sister had a blog and I wanted to join the club. I'm much more serious about it and regular ever since I had Riggs. It's so fun to be part of the blogging community!
3. What is your favorite snack? Right now I'd have to say Dark Chocolate Acai Blueberry bites from Costco (see this post).
4. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be and why? Right now it's blueberry picking season so I'd probably be across the bay from Homer at Steve's childhood home with Steve and Riggs spending all day outside together exploring.
5. What is your favorite activity outside of health and fitness? Taking pictures, editing them, and sharing them.
6. What is the food you eat most often? Winter: soup. Summer: fresh, local veggies.
7. What makes you happy? Other than the big obvious things (God, Steve, Riggs), right now it would have to be my tumblr page, On Walden Road.
8. What quality do you find most attractive in others? Confidence.
9. What is your guilty pleasure? Technology. I feel strongly about the benefits of being present in the moment and getting outside as much as possible and as a result find it important to try to be unwired as much as I can be. BUT zoning out on my phone (or laptop) is definitely my biggest guilty pleasure.
10. What is your favorite book and TV show? I am such a big reader, I don't think I could ever pick one book as my all time favorite. Maybe, if I had to choose, it might be Anne of Green Gables. I've read it too many times to count and it never gets old. As far as TV goes, we don't have cable, just an antenna, so probably the show we watch on the air the most is The Voice.
11. What is your favorite lyric from a song? Right now my favorite favorite lyrics are from Josh Garrels' version of Farther Along: "tempted and tried, I wondered why//the good man died, the bad man thrives//and Jesus cries, 'cause he loves 'em both//we're all castaways in need of rope"

afterlight & tumblr

I don't know if you're a big app person, I'm not. I have literally two pages of apps on my iPhone total with no folders to speak of. But there are a few apps I could never live without (ok technically I could live without them but what I'm saying is I'd be very sad. and bored. except I'd probably read a few more books. but that's not the point...) and use all the time. Afterlight is one of them. It's a photo editing software app, and I think it cost a couple of dollars, maybe five at the most. It's so fun to play around with pictures and see how they look with different filters and exposures and textures.

I usually post my edited pictures to my tumblr account, ON WALDEN ROAD, to share there. If you have a tumblr account please share a link in the comments box, I'd love to follow along!

featured on the mom-lovin blog hop at Joyful Life!

Today I was featured on the mom-lovin' blog hop hosted by Hannah at Joyful Life and co-hosted by Lina at Root and Blossom. How exciting!

The mom-lovin' blog hop is a great way to meet other mama-bloggers and to get more involved in the blogging community. Head over and check it out!

sunny summer days in Palmer

The weather here has just been unreal for the last couple of weeks. This week it was in the eighties nearly every single day, which is just not normal for Alaska. We've been loving it! I wish the mosquitos weren't so bad at our house so that we could be outside in our own yard. Instead, we've been going into Palmer nearly everyday to enjoy the little breeze and the nearly bug-free atmosphere. Luckily there's lots to do downtown, all within walking distance. I love being able to park the truck and walk wherever we want to go.

Friday Fling Fun!

Every Friday Palmer hosts an outdoor market with food, homemade goodies, and lots of activities and music called the Friday Flings. Last week I met up with Sarah, her mom and her MIL and we walked around and enjoyed the hot, sunny day together with our babies. Then since Steve was working late we went over for dinner at Sarah's parents house. It was lovely!

Since the summer reading program started Riggs and I have made it a habit to go to the Library first thing on Monday mornings. We used to go on Tuesday mornings for baby lapsit, but I have a ladies Bible study this summer that meets at that time so we'll have to wait for fall to go to lapsit again (and then Riggs will be in the toddler class...excuse me while I wipe away my tears!!). We log the books we read for the summer reading program from the past week, then we pick out some new books to check out. After we're done there we almost always go and play at the park next door. It's a memorial for the original colonists that settled the Palmer area as part of President Roosevelt's 'New Deal' - you can read all about it here. Riggs loves to walk around in circles and look up at the flags, pointing to each one each time he makes a lap around them.

I just love living in a community that feels so small and close-knit yet has lots of places for us to go and learn and enjoy the sunny summer days. Do you have favorite places to take your kids to enjoy the summer days?

::Reading with Riggs::Summer Reading Program Week Two

It's already the end of week two of our summer reading program. We read eleven books this week, most of them at least twice. Curious George was read very nicely by daddy, Riggs always sits so still and listens so well when Steve reads to him before bed. My heart just melts into a big puddle when I see Riggs snuggled up in his lap listening intently while Steve reads a book to him, doing all the sound effects and different voices so much better than I do. I love it.

Week Two - 11 Books

1. Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton
2. The Story of Thomas Jefferson by Patricia A. Pingry
3. Colors Everywhere by Sam McBratney
4. Rabbits & Raindrops by Jim Arnosky

5. Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara M. Joosse

6. Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isodora 

7. Sweet Dreams Lullaby by Betsy Snyder

8. Duck & Goose 'Goose Needs a Hug' by Tad Hills

9. Curious George by H.A. Rey

10. Blueberry Shoe by Ann Dixon

11. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

Can't wait to spend more time at the Library on Monday to pick out some more books! We didn't have much time when we were there last week because it was right before naptime and Riggs was a little less patient ;)

Any suggestions for books we should check out? For Riggs or for me too!

Liebster Award Questions Answered!

Saturday my friend Melissa over at Fawn Over Baby nominated me for a Liebster Award*! Since I was already nominated last year and participated then, I'm not going to do the whole 'shebang' again and nominate other people, but I thought it'd be fun to share 11 random facts about myself and to answer Melissa's questions :)

11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

| 1 |

I believe in God and prayer and the Bible

My favorite verses right now are found in Colossians chapter 3, verses 12-17.

| 2 |

I love living out in 'the country'

| 3 |

I was born in Anchorage, Alaska 

and have lived in Alaska all the 26 years of my life

| 4 |

Like Melissa I grow more and more fearful of flying the older I get

which is weird, since I used to love taking trips

| 5 |

I want to travel around Canada and the lower-48 states in a camper with Steve 

and see lots of National Parks and historical monuments

this would seriously be my dream vacation

| 6 |

I love traditional gospel hymns

| 7 |

I also love country music

| 8 |

I refuse to eat shrimp 

| 9 |

We were going to name Riggs 'Rowan' up until about a week before he was born

We even have Rowan in our maternity pictures

and I made a stocking for him with Rowan on it...but man he is just such a Riggs!

| 10 |

The only other places I've lived other than Anchorage are 

Homer, where Steve grew up, and Palmer, where we live now (and love!)

| 11 |

Becoming a mother has changed my life in ways I never imagined 

and I thank God every single day for the precious gift that is our son

QUESTIONS FROM MELISSA

1. What inspires you the most these days? Summer and leaves and blue sky and sunshine.
2. What are your hopes and dreams for your blog? I want to have a record of our lives during Riggs' early childhood and I want to enjoy writing and keeping it. I also love connecting with other people that I would never have 'met' if it weren't for blogging. 
3. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Right where I am now. Second choice: Author living in a sweet little house somewhere writing bestselling novels.
4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Right where I live now, Palmer, Alaska. Other choices would probably be certain parts of Canada, or Ireland. Or Scotland. Or England. 
5. Where were you born and where do you currently live now? Born in Anchorage, AK. Live in Palmer, AK.
6. What is your favorite comfort food? French toast with warm maple syrup.
7. What is your favorite indulgence? Going out to eat with just Steve somewhere fancy, and not worrying about Riggs the whole time.
8. Who is your favorite author and why? L. M. Montgomery. Every single one of her books is so full of feeling and the characters so believable and lovable and the descriptions so real and beautiful. They're like old friends to me.
9. If you could have a celebrity best friend, who would it be? Prince Harry? I've always wanted to be friends with him, he seems really fun and princely. Maybe Kate Middleton too. Yes, I'm a little obsessed with British royals...
10. Where is your "Go-to" place to shop online? To be honest, I hate to shop online. I guess Amazon would be where I have purchased the most items online. College books, and baby stuff and camera accessories. For clothing, probably J.Crew, but I think Lululemon might be on it's way to being my new favorite.
11. Do you have a DIY project that you are most proud of? ( share link if available) Probably some of my sewing projects are what I'm most proud of. Last year I made a quilt for my nieces birthday and I just loved how it turned out. Click here to see all my posts labeled sewing. 

*The word Liebster is German and means dearest or lovely. The award is given to newer blogs with 200 or less actual followers and provides a nice way for fellow bloggers to meet and publicize their site to the general public. If you would like to know more just give it a Google. While it isn't an actual award, it is still so nice to be recognized.

Reading with Riggs :: Summer Reading Program at Palmer Public Library - week one

Whew, that was a long title! We're big readers in my family. Growing up, we'd have dinners once in a while where we were all allowed to bring a book to the table (usually when my mom wasn't home - thanks dad!) and we'd all just sit in silence and read while we ate. There's just something so comfortable and relaxing about getting caught up in a good story.

It makes sense then that every year when school got out, my sisters and I were always so excited for the summer reading program at our library. I think we participated every year, or at least signed up and started strong. As I got older, I remember how much I loved keeping track of all the books I read, slowly writing down each title on the packet the librarian would give us for that purpose.

So when I went into the Palmer Library earlier this week and saw that their summer reading program was starting up, I was so excited to sign Riggs up. Not only am I happy to share a tradition that I loved as a kid with him, but I'm also glad to sign him up because he loves to 'read'. He spends at least an hour every single day looking at the books in his room. He points to the words and says, "ba-da ba-da ba-da" and squirms excitedly as he turns the page, then continues to repeat that process on each page. Right now his favorites are any of the yellow covered Curious George books, for some reason he just loves them.

I've done a series over the last year sporadically that I called ::Reading with Riggs:: and I plan on continuing to do so for as long as Riggs likes to read and for as long as I continue to blog. For the next seven weeks I'll post a special summer reading program edition each week with updates on what books we read and other reading-related activities we did.

Each week kids in Riggs age group have to read/be read 10 different books. Riggs likes to read the same books over and over, but I'm going to try to read him some new books each week. This week we checked out a few books from the library - Riggs' first time checking out books ever! I want to try to have all ten books read and recorded by Friday in case the weekend is too busy.

Week One - 12 books

1. Moby Dick (a baby lit book) by Jennifer Adams
2. All of Baby, Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler
3. Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
4. Alaska's ABC Bears by Shannon Cartwright
5. Curious George Learns to Count from 1-100 by H.A. Rey
6. Curious George Plants a Tree by H.A. Rey
7. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
8. Nobunny's Perfect by Anna Dewdney
9. Moongame by Frank Asch
10. Wake-Up Kisses by Pamela Duncan Edwards
11. ABC's of Kachemak Bay by Ann Keffer
12. This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

Are you involved in a summer reading program at your local library? Share some good book ideas for toddlers!