littles, links, + loves // february 2016

I can't believe it's already the end of February...// littles //I also can't believe this little guy is already 14 months!  How is that even possible?!  Miles had a pretty big month this last month, taking his first steps and really starting to communicate with us.  He still speaks A LOT of gibberish, but he's forming more and more words and responds to pretty much anything we say.  Last night, he walked across a small room while MacKenna was at dance class!  I know that walking makes him a lot less of a baby, but I just get so excited when they reach those big milestones - and walking is HUGE!  It opens our lives up to so many more possibilities, and it'll make the warmer weather and time outside so much more fun (and easy)!MacKenna has been spending most of her time dancing lately.  She takes dance class on Thursday evenings and we are starting to get into recital season.  I think she is going to LOVE performing - mostly just because she'll get to dress up.  But, I also think she has that good, outgoing personality like her daddy.  (There's a reason why I'm a writer and you don't see many videos of me - the worst part about my training course this past weekend was having to get up in front of everyone and introduce myself.  You think as a teacher I wouldn't have an issue with public speaking but I LOATHE it...)  We've also been playing Just Dance on the Wii the past week instead of playing with the iPad before bed - it's been so much fun to play with her.  And I've also been reminded just how much I lack in my dancing ability.  My uncoordinated 4-year old is better than I am...// links //This could probably go under both links + loves this month, but I'll put it here since I have several things I'm loving lately.  If you actually spend some time checking out my blog, you might have noticed a few changes lately.  New header, new colors, new about me and side panel, etc.  A few weeks ago, I completed a course by Abby on how to build your brand.  We were given an assignment to complete every night for 4 weeks that allowed us to really find our blogging niche and voice.  The course got me to the point where I am comfortable marketing myself (which really is my brand - this blog) and reaching out to brands.  Like I said above, I am an introvert and never want to inconvenience anyone.  But, that also means I'm missing out on a lot of opportunities and I hate that.Abby's course really streamlined my process and I have seen a lot of positive changes in my interactions with brands, just by making a few tweaks to how I blog and promote myself on social media.  If you are a blogger, small or large, I HIGHLY recommend it!  And if you're new to my blog, possibly from some of these changes, thank you so much for reading and learning a little about me! :)// loves //I have been LOVING these Julia pants from Prana.  They are super comfy and I love the pockets in the back.  Plus, I absolutely LOVE the color.  My first year of teaching, my students would make fun of me for always wearing black pants (I own about 5 pairs of black workout pants), so having a fun royal blue pair is a nice change.  I find them too cute to wear to workout (they wouldn't make great running pants), but they would be awesome pants for some yoga!I've also absolutely been loving my French press lately.  I have a Keurig, but in my effort to produce less waste, I am trying to use my French press a little more to drink coffee - especially on the days when I am wanting more than one cup (which is most days).  I forgot how much BETTER French press coffee is.  It is so smooth and silky and just has amazing flavor.  I'm planning on buying a new bag of coffee at ALDI this weekend so I can keep making it a few mornings a week.  Less waste + awesome coffee = one happy mama! Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!  We are supposed to have great spring-like weather this weekend, so I plan on taking full advantage of being outside after being holed up all day last weekend!