I have not forgotten you...

...I’ve just been crazy busy the last two months with long work days, freelance projects and lots of obligations at home. We just finished building a new front porch and a back deck, and landscaping the yard has occupied more of my time than I could have imagined. We went to Asheville for a baby shower. I worked out of our New York office for a week. We took a long weekend in NYC as a family. We hosted a last minute dinner for friends who adopted a baby. There were birthday parties and holidays and cookouts with friends. We had life to live and enjoy and you, my little blog, became last on the list of priorities.

I think you can understand.

It’s not that I don’t love you my dear blog, because I do, it’s just that the relationship has changed over the last 5 years. Life feels normal-ish now and busy with the right kinds of things. My focus has changed. I loved the early days of writing here when it was all about decorating a nursery, learning about breastfeeding and cloth diapering. When connecting with other women who were adopting, or dealing with the struggle of infertility, or new moms, or even just readers who were interested in reading our story, made this all mean something.

But now there is less to update on that front. Life is a little more stable in regards to trying to make babies (we're not), adopt (we're not) and keeping a child alive and happy (still learning this). Raising a kid is very different than taking care of an infant, but some of those complexities and complications are things I don’t want to document here. I feel very compelled to protect my daughter’s privacy as she learns and stretches and grows into childhood. I think I had a tendency to over share things when it had to do with me because it was MY life and MY choice to share it, but my daughter does not understand social media and cannot understand how things online are truly permanent so I have to make the right choice for her. And that choice is to start keeping things like how we handle tantrums or potty training or just the complexities of childhood, a little more private. 

I also feel like the realm of social media has changed. We take in the world 140 characters at a time. We read in headlines and blogging is the opposite of that. There is not a strong appetite in me to write here in long form on a consistent basis anymore. It feels like the end of an era for me and you.

So what I am trying to say is, it’s not you, it’s me. I love you, my dear blog of mine, but I can’t keep the same level of commitment anymore. We aren’t breaking up, but we are taking a breather. I will be back to post things like before and afters of our home renovations, random updates on my life, links to love or cute photos from a vacation, but that's about it. And it won't be every week… it might be 1 time a month, maybe more, maybe less.  I can't commit. 

It's not goodbye, it's just... I'll see you when I see you. 

Links to Love

Happy Friday!  Here are some fun finds from around the inter webs:

This is the new nail trend. I think I like it! 

Has the PC culture gotten out of hand? Also a little essay on "mansplaining." 

“I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me.” The most famous post-it ever. 

Is Ron Swanson really Ron Swanson without his mustache? 

For my fellow Serial fans, a list of all the events since the series premiere. 

This is next on my recipe list. 

Really loving this sweater and these shoes.  

Also debating between these shoes and these shoes as my next "treat yourself" purchase. (I love that sneakers are in style again cause I've been wearing them for years resigned to the fact that I'd rather be comfortable than stylish.) 

I'm so excited to see "Saul" back on screen.  I also can't stop watching this. February 8th cannot come fast enough. Also, John and Rob - two of my favorite gentlemen together on screen. (All the heart eyes.)

Can you imagine sleeping in a castle? Yes please. 

I loved Emma and Reece and Rosamund and Rashida and Viola and Sofia. Awards season is so much fun!

Links to Love

Photo c/o Carrie Coleman

Some great finds from around the internet this week. Enjoy and have a great weekend:

Stretches for desk jockeys.

Have you heard of the term "Christmas creep"?

The conspiracy theory about #alexfromtarget

34 things about one of my favorite shows (in it's last season, sob)

So this is scary.

Toy Story 4 is coming.

Wanting this bag, this t-shirt and these shoes.

"It's October 3rd." Mean Girls reunite!

Like I Tweeted a few weeks back, anything you can do, coconut oil can do better.

Happy Weekend friends!

Bloglovin

Are you on Bloglovin? I just joined and love it!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A new look...

So the switch over to Wordpress was a total fail. None of my comments migrated over and then they shut down my site because some of some random link in a post from 4 years ago.

So I'm still on Blogger, but I decided to do a little upgrade on the site's look. It's minimal, but it focuses on what I like most - the pictures and words (not that huge header I used to have).

Hope you enjoy it! Happy weekend!

Please stand by...

I'm in the middle of switching from Blogger to Wordpress and so this blog might be MIA for a few days (hopefully not, but I am having technical issues already).

Thanks for your patience!

I'm still alive...

It's been an insane 2 weeks: life, family drama, so much work, and Brighton turned 2. 

Updates to come promise, promise! Hope you all are doing fantastic. 

Love,

Kara

I'm back!

40 days without social media was so much better than I expected. A lot happened over the last 6 weeks and I can honestly say that I was more present mentally, emotionally and spiritually than I have been in a long time. It was good to be away from the chaos and hustle that I feel whenever I am online, and I'm going to ease back into it slowly and set some boundaries so I don't slip into bad habits again.

So here is what I did over the last 40 days:

• Had my hair highlighted with this new method called Balayage. I love it! 
• Read a book in one day ("Brain on Fire").
• Finished 3 other books - "The Happiness Project", "Happier at Home" and "Children of Men".
• Bought a new house!!!
• Spent a ton of time on Pinterest and Houzz looking for remodeling ideas.
• Then spent a lot of time googling "Ikea Kitchens" and using the Ikea kitchen planning tool.
• Cleaned out every drawer, closet and cabinet in my house and donated a ton of stuff to the Salvation Army.
• Watched Friday Night Lights season 1 and 2 on Netflix (Texas forever!)
• Got a boatload of reclaimed lumber from a 100 year old barn for free that we plan to use for our new kitchen countertops.
• Taught Brighton how to climb a tree (don't worry it was a crate myrtle - they're very low to the ground).
• Cleaned out the attic and sold or donated a bunch of baby gear and toys.
• Celebrated 9 years of marriage to my better half.
• Got stomach flu from Brighton who proceeded to pass it along to my mother and Matt - that was a terrible week at the Motts house.
• Bought a stainless steel side by side fridge on the cheap via Craigslist.
• Then bought an entire set of stainless steel appliances (french door fridge, dishwasher, microwave and stove) from this lady who didn't like the "shade" of the stainless steel - people are crazy! Thanks again Craigslist. 
• Then sold the side by side fridge for more than we paid for it! 
• Planned a summer reunion party for my youth group friends. 
• Ordered our new kitchen from Ikea - it took 2 hours and a venti iced coffee and a few deep breaths to get through that one. 
• Put every single remodel task and cost into an excel spreadsheet - this is a massive and quick undertaking and organization is key. 
• Enjoyed some playdates with Brighton's friends at the park. 
• Had one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches of my life - from a food truck no less.
• Busted out the baby pool one hot Saturday afternoon.
• Closed on our new house!
• Took Brighton to her first Easter Egg Hunt in uptown Charlotte with all my friends and their kiddos. 
• Started packing. Packing is seriously the worst. 

Climbing trees

9 years of marriage to this one. I'm a lucky woman. 

Sunday afternoon playdates - she insisted on holding both their hands. 

Food truck Friday. Greasy foods, cupcakes and little friends. 

Baby pool for baby, cold beer for mama. 

Brighton and her little friends at the coldest egg hunt ever

Our new house!!!

So as you can see we did A LOT in the last month, most of which revolved around our new house. We have about a month of renovations in store before we move in and I'll do a more detailed post on the house tomorrow.

Cheers to Lent and cheers to getting a whole lotta stuff done in 40 days!

PS I missed y'all.

Giving Up Social Media

What would happen if I didn’t document my days through Instagram, Twitter, Vine, Facebook and Blogger?

Well I’m about to find out. I’m giving up social media for Lent. I normally give up something food related, but over the last year or so I have noticed that my habits have become increasingly dependent upon my iPhone. It is always with me, and I check social media more times a day that I should. It has sucked away my extra time, my attention and my energy. It has stunted my ability to have normal conversations with people I love. 

So it’s due time to give it up for a season – 40 days to be exact. I’m deleting the apps from my phone later tonight. 

I’m weirdly nervous and excited. I hope this will help me unlearn my bad habits – checking my phone at dinner, in the car at stoplights, during commercials, every hour at work when I have a break. 

What will I do with all that extra time? How will I start conversations without, "Hey I saw you did 'xyz' on Facebook/Vine/IG. How was it?"? How will I know what my friends are up to?! 

Guess I'll have to figure it out the normal way - by spending time with people and engaging in real conversation again. Wish me luck. 

See you around April 20th!

PS for some great blog reads in my absence, check out my Daily Reads page! 

A break...

Taking the rest of the week off since we are at the beach!!!

Have a great week!

Jamberry Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the Jamberry Giveaway is....

Rebekah!

Please email me at matt and kara adopt [at] gmail [dot] com. 

Love Affair With Beauty: Nail Tips - GIVEAWAY CLOSED

For the introduction to this little series, click here. 

My love affair with beauty started as a young child sitting in my mother's salon all those afternoons after school. I wanted to share the best tips/tricks I have learned from my mom and her salon co-workers over the course of many years. Some you might have heard these before and others might be new to you. (I'm sure most of them can be found on Pinterest or in a beauty magazine - nonetheless, I still wanted to share them!) 

Jamberry nail wraps!!

• Push your cuticles back after a shower or bath - they'll be soft and easy to groom.
• When possible, file (don't cut) your nails into the shape and length you want. Cutting can cause brittle nails to break. Use a fine grit file to keep the edges smooth.
• If you polish your nails a dark color, start with a base coat of clear or pale pink. This will protect your nailbeds from discoloration.
• To make a bright nail polish color really pop, use a white base coat first.
• Let your nail polish dry with warm (not hot) heat for at least 20 minutes before any activity.
• Buy a small paint brush and dip it in nail polish remover to clean up any mistakes around your cuticles and fingers after you polish.
• Take folic acid if you want stronger, longer nails.  

In conjunction with these tips, I am hosting a giveaway sponsored by one of my lovely readers, Alison , a consultant at Jamberry Nails.  

A few months ago one of my girlfriends starting using Jamberry nail wraps and I loved the designs and value. I ordered a few different designs from Alison and after watching the instructional video, was able to apply my first set of nail wraps in about 15 minutes! The nail wraps look great for up to 2 weeks without the typical issues of polish (like chipping, cracking and peeling), plus 1 sheet gives you 2 manicures and 2 pedicures!

Alison is giving away 3 sheets (designs chosen by the winner) to one of my readers!

How to Enter

Leave a comment and let me know your favorite design from Jamberry. 

Tweet about the contest for an additional entry (be sure to tag me @karamott).

Contest closes on Friday, June 28 at 6pm EST. 

Winner will be picked via random generator. 

Contest open to U.S. Residents only.

Disclosure: This giveaway is being sponsored by the consultant. I purchased all the Jamberry items with my own money and my opinions are totally my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Giveaway Winner!

And the winner of the Pampers Giveaway is....

Kristin who said "I am expecting my first in a few weeks, but I imagine our noisemaker will help the both of us get to sleep!"

Congratulations!!!

Kristin please email me at matt and kara adopt [at] gmail [dot] com for instructions on how to receive your prize pack. 

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter and share about your essentials for your baby's sleep routine. It was great to hear your wisdom!! 

Happy Monday!

Pampers Giveaway! - CLOSED

When Brighton turned 3 months old and started sleeping 8 plus hours a night, Matt and I knew it was essential to have a bedtime routine in place. Every night Brighton gets an infant massage, we read a few stories, she nurses, and we change her into a fresh diaper and pajamas. While we still cloth diaper during the day, having a diaper that can last 12 hours is essential to ensuring that Brighton gets a good night's sleep. We have used Pampers as our disposable diaper of choice and the Baby Dry line lives up to its name - we love the overnight protection it provides!

Pampers is giving one of my readers a chance to win a Sweet Sleep Time package valued at $100 consisting of:

Pampers Baby Dry diaper pack  

Pampers Baby Dry diaper coupons 

Pampers Wipes 

Pampers Wipes coupon
Constellation B Glow Animal
Good Night Moon book
Brown Bear, Brown Bear book
Where the Wild Things Are book

Also, for more coupons, visit coupons.com to get a $1.50 printable coupon to use on your next purchase of Pampers Baby Dry diapers. Valid until 6/30/13.

How to Enter

Leave a comment and let me know what is essential to your baby's bedtime routine. 

Tweet about the contest for an additional entry (be sure to tag me @karamott).

Contest closes on Sunday, May 12 at 11:00 p.m. EST. 

Winner will be picked via random generator. 

Contest open to U.S. Residents only.

Disclosure: This giveaway is being sponsored by Pampers. I received a gift package as part of this blogging/trial program. These items are not intended as payment for any favorable opinions.  I truly do love Pampers diapers!!! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Links to Love

Here are some fun finds from the internet this week:

This will be my first Mother's Day and I am eyeing this necklace, and this one too.

Boston, oh Boston. What else is there to say? Here are some moments from that day.

Have you watched House of Cards yet? It's a hit.

Brighton has more clothes than any child needs, but I still want to buy her this, this and this.

I don't normally link to super popular blogs since everyone has most likely read their posts, but this was so good that I had to. Eventually, I might be in the exact same spot as her and her words were so insightful and wise.

My pastor's first book is now out and I am so excited to read it.

My friend Jessi just relaunched her shop and the new site is amazing.

This was written about Crossfit last summer, but it still makes me laugh.

Weaning leads to depression? I'm totally struggling with this right now.

Tattling on bad parents? Never a good idea.

I loved the first film, barely tolerated the second, but do we really need a third?

How to find the right haircut for your face shape.

I love Grumpy Cat.

And finally, this quote. A little hope for all of us today.

Taking a break...

...till next Monday! Have a good week!

The Survey Results and Our Decision

Thank you to everyone who took our survey and left comments on the post. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your feedback and honesty! It had a massive influence on our decision about opening the blog to sponsors and advertisers and hosting giveaways.

First, here are the results of the survey:

• It was almost a 50/50 split between liking and disliking blogs that offer sponsorships/ads.
• Only 1/3 often read posts with product reviews; about 1/3 rarely read them.
• 50% often enjoy giveways; another 40% sometimes enjoy them.
• 56% agreed that 1 giveaway a month is the right amount.
• 42% rarely visit sponsored websites and 46% only sometimes visit them.  
• Product reviews are best when the blogger has paid for the item themselves; otherwise it seems dishonest.  If they don't pay for the item themself a lot of you said that you wished the review was more realistic.
• If a blog has too many ads / buttons on their site it is distracting; however most of you said you don't look at the ads at all. 
• Giveaways should match the blogger's style/site and should be limited to once a month.
• If a blog has sponsors, they should match the host blog's style/aesthetic. 

Our decision is this - we will NOT sponsor/host companies, other blogs or shops on the blog, nor will we conduct product reviews (where the product is given to the blogger for free). 

Matt and I talked about how much work goes into hosting sponsors - the behind the scenes coordination, the adding of buttons and ads on the blog itself, payment details, plus the posts dedicated to ensuring these "advertisers" are getting their money's worth. And a company sends you something to review, pays you for the review, but can you truly be honest about it? I wouldn't want to promote something that I didn't believe in or truly like. However, we are open to hosting giveaways on occasion. I blog for ErgoBaby and they are a huge fan of doing giveaways through their guest posters; I also know a few other companies that I would be glad to host a giveaway for. (I'll add an official policy thing on the blog soon.)

Also, a few of you noted in the general comments section that you'd like to hear from my "silent partner" Matt every once in a while. ME TOO! So I am going to beg him to write something here every once in a while - he isn't comfortable writing in general, but I agree that his voice needs to be heard.

Again, THANK YOU for your feedback and opinions!!! I have the BEST readers out there!

Guest Post: Ergobaby

Please come visit me over at the Ergobaby Blog today!  

My guest post is about traveling with an infant.

Also, thank you for voting for us over at Top Baby Blogs! We were in the top 10 as of this morning! You can vote once a day, every day!

A Vote?

Top Baby Blogs has reset their site again! We have found so many of you through the site.

If you enjoy our blog, would you take a moment and vote for us? Click the brown button on the right side of the page (or below), then the owl on the left in the new screen.

You can vote once a day, every day. Thank you for your support!!

We need your opinion!

I have been thinking about opening up the blog to sponsorships and advertising, but wanted some opinions from my amazing readers first. 

If you have about 5 minutes, please fill out THIS SURVEY for Love, Matt and Kara. Your answers are anonymous and will be a huge help in our decision. 

Thank you!!!

*Update as of 8pm EST. The survey is now closed. Thank you SO MUCH for your opinions and responses! I will share a little of the data next week and let you know our decision.