Learning to Hand Letter

So... I've been pretty MIA, and honestly, I'm okay with that. It will happen occasionally - I'll have dry spells, and then I'll have weeks where I post almost daily. Anyway, if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you have probably noticed that I am learning hand lettering. I am seriously addicted - it is so much fun!

So. I'm obviously a beginner (just started learning last week, hello!), but here are the resources that I have used and that I like.

1. Hand Lettering 101 This book is a great resource for the super beginner (like myself). It is very basic. Like super basic. It touches on faux calligraphy and teaches you a basic, lower case alphabet. It also has some projects and shows you options for a fun sans serif printed alphabet. Yes, I know it is sold out - order it anyway and it will ship as soon as it's available.

2. Tombow Brush Pens Writing with brush pens has a bit of a learning curve, but these were recommended by some pros, and the more I use them, the more I love them.

3. Creative Lettering and Beyond This book is so much more intensive than Hand Lettering 101, and I recommend it as a second book. This book talks about chalk lettering, calligraphy, faux calligraphy, and watercolor, and it shows multiple alphabets, flourishes, embellishments, and gives fun DIY project ideas. I am loving it!

4. Watercolors and brushes If you just want to hand letter, you don't really need watercolors and brushes, but I love the painted look, so I went ahead and got these. If you do watercolor, keep in mind that you'll probably want some good watercolor paper. I've been using cardstock on some of my practice sheets, and the watercolors smudge.

5. A good eraser I block and draft my pieces in pencil, and then trace over with pen or paint for the final project. Once the project is dry, I erase the pencil marks.

I'm sure as I learn more, I will have more recommendations, but this is what I've used so far as a beginner!

Our Ten Favorite Children's Books

If you know me or have been around here for a while, then you know that I love  to read. Being able to escape into a book is an amazing thing (a gift, even), and reading is one of those things that I truly believe everyone should learn to enjoy.

I have tried really, really hard over the past few years to make sure that my kids love books as much as I do. I got lucky, because my kids love books. Callum's favorite thing is to run into their room, grab a book off the bookshelf, bring it to me, and cuddle up with me while I read to him. Every night before bed, he and Elsie have to have at least two bedtime stories before they are satisfied.

Basically, we do a lot of reading in this house, so I thought I'd share some of our favorite children's books with you. 

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. This is Callum's all-time favorite book. I think, on an average day, we read it 5-6 times.

2. Harold's Purple Crayon Treasury by Crockett Johnson When Elsie was younger, we would read this book every day. She absolutely LOVES Harold and the purple crayon. This book is great because it is a compilation of five adventures.

3. I love you, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt and Cyd Moore I actually found this book at a garage sale when Elsie was a few months old. It quickly became one of our favorite stories, since I call my kids silly names like "Stinky Face" on a regular basis.

4. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss This is on the list because it's my favorite story to read to the kids. I get really into it - voices, actions, the whole shebang. It's like Cat in the Hat dinner theatre at our house when this book gets read.

5. A Treasury of Classic Stories I love that this book is full of classics like Oliver Twist, Treasure Island, and Black Beauty. These were stories that I loved when I was younger, and ones that every child should know.

6. Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein This is a silly, fun book that I picked up at Target a while back. Callum loves to read it with me.

7. Mr. Brown can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss Callum and Elsie both love this book! It's so fun to go through and make all of the sounds with Mr. Brown.

8. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein This is a classic story, and one that I think every child should have in their collection.

9. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault Elsie loves to read this book with me. Plus, it's great for helping kids learn their letters.

10. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney This was my absolute favorite book when I was little. I try to read it to my kids a couple times a week. 

What are your favorite children's books?

Living with Depression & Anxiety.

Some days are better than others. I suffered from PPD/PPA with both kids. I got over it with Callum pretty quickly, but then we moved a few months after he turned one, and depression and anxiety reared their ugly heads and made an appearance in my life again. 

With exercise, I was able to sort of moderate and things got a little bit better, but then my knee started acting up. I went and got an MRI, thinking something was torn, but it was just extreme chondromalacia, and the doctor's solution was to cut out any and all physical activity that caused pain. Well, since even taking my dog for a walk or going up and down stairs causes pretty intense pain, I've had to cut out all exercise. I swam for a while, but it's to the point where even swimming is painful, so that's out, as well. 

Not being able to exercise has basically thrown me into a downward spiral, and, I'm not going to lie - things have sucked. Here's the thing - I know I am so blessed. But when you are suffering from depression and anxiety, it's really, really hard to see that. You feel so alone and isolated, even when you have a ton of people who love you and care for you.

On the good days...

It isn't a struggle to get out of bed.
The thought of going out and being around other people doesn't completely paralyze me.
I am able to get dressed and get ready for the day by putting on makeup.
I actually play with my kids.
I am patient.
I enjoy talking to old friends.
Being a mom is enough.
I can be genuinely happy for others and their success.

But on the bad days...

I dread the moment my kids come to my room and drag me out of bed. 
It is a struggle to get dressed. 
Leaving the house is terrifying and just doesn't happen. 
I have a short fuse and am very impatient with my kids. 
I sit on the couch and just don't move until one of my kids forces me to. 
The smallest thing out of place makes my heart race and causes me to have a breakdown.
I avoid contact with anyone and everyone. I push people away. 
I feel lost.
I feel like a failure.
I look around and I feel stuck.
I see other people's success and I allow it to make me feel like a lesser person.
I feel like I've failed as a human being.
I feel like my intelligence is wasted on motherhood.
I feel like I'm not enough.

Now, I know that depression and anxiety can change a person so much, and I know that they are changing me, so please believe that I'm doing my best to not let them beat me. And really, this has all just been weighing on me for a while, and I needed to get it off my chest. I don't really want comments, so I've turned them off. <3