Oh, Internet... {92}

So obviously I've been away from blogging for a few months and, I'm sad to say, I've been away from reading blogs, too.  (Pregnant-Me mostly just wants to watch The Grand Tour on Amazon, shop online for baby clothes, and sleep.)  But this week I opened up my good ol' RSS feed again (how old school!) and followed my favorite bloggers this week and boy did I find some good stuff!

If you read nothing else from this list, definitely read this post from A Gentle Mother.  "...[T]here’s a big problem, for me, when it comes to balance. Namely, that’s it unachievable."  I needed this post.

Alison at Reconciled to You makes a very good point as she urges us, "Please Don't Give Up Social Media this Lent."  If digital witnesses to Christ all abandon ship during the most important season of the year, could we be missing out on opportunities to evangelize?

Katie at The Catholic Wife provided a wonderful reflection on the Fifty Shades trilogy- what are women really seeking when they read and watch these stories?

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {91}

We're going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival tomorrow- which gives me just a few more hours to finish our costumes!  (Talk about last-minute...)  Between all the October activities around here this week, I found these awesome things on the internet:

Check out this (hilarious) DIY Halloween-themed doormat at Jojotastic!

For a costume or even just for everyday office wear: check out this easy victory rolls tutorial at A Beautiful Mess!

The Sew and Tell Project shared a look at a pattern for DIY wings- my little one needs wings for her Halloween costume this year, but I cheated and bought some cheap ones.  Next year I should snag this pattern!

How do you put big love into small things?  (See what Erin at Humble Handmaid has to say!)

Angie at Yellow Pelican shares 11 things she loves about NFP (and we Geeks agree!)

Julie at These Walls recently discovered her parish's adult faith formation class and now I want our parish to start one, too!  I really enjoyed sponsoring Mr Geek in RCIA because the classes were so engaging!

So what all did you find on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {90}

Ah, October.  My favorite month of the year!  And it opened with some awesome stuff on the internet, like this:

My new favorite sewing blog, the Sew and Tell Project, shared a tutorial for a DIY candy bag for Halloween- it's super simple and super adorable!

The Modcloth Blog shared some super awesome outfits inspired by classic literature and I want all of them!

Speaking of outfits- Lauren at Fizz and Frosting is always one fashionable mamma (and if you hurry quick, you can enter her Sephora gift card giveaway!)

You know who else is one chic mommy?  Anna at In Honor of Design, who I thought just recently had a baby but obviously I'm mistaken because there's no way she looks that good...

Okay so over on Weddingbee, Miss Wishbone and her beau are getting married on Tax Day, so their save-the-dates were designed to look like W2's!  Go check it out!

Another insanely creative DIY that also happens to be sappy and romantic is this beautiful DIY wall art over on Bean in Love.

Better than Eden has a beautiful reflection on marriage- "Their marriage exists until someone has "changed," ours desperately hopes that we will be."  Go read it.  It's powerful.

And Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas is the queen of weekly roundups- she's got some wonderful stuff in her "This Week's Miscellany" post!

What awesome stuff happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet {89}

Uuuuuum I didn't post all week >.<  But I have a good excuse!  I promise!  And around about, oh, mid-October you'll be able to see what I've been working so diligently on :)  (Psst, I finally figured out Instagram Stories, so if you follow me there, you may have seen a sneak peek of what's going on at Casa Geek- and I'll be sharing more as I go!)

But thankfully other people blogged this week, so you can read them :)

Magic Kingdom celebrates its 45th anniversary this weekend!  How exciting!

So like I said, I can barely manage to blog once a week, but Julie at These Walls is signing up to post every day in October- that's definitely brave!

As our society pushes us to teach children how to read (and do math and use computers) earlier and earlier, are we potentially robbing them of the joys of reading in exchange for the hard skills?  There are a lot of great points made over here at Sew Many Wild Things.

Catholic Mom has a great list of 13 Ways a Busy Mom can Pray the Rosary.

Speaking of moms- If You Bring a Mom a Muffin is a lovely (and non-pushy) reminder of ways you can help a mom with a new baby at home.

Sterling Jaquith attended the St. Catherine of Sienna Set the World Ablaze Conference for Women, where she heard Meg Hunter-Kilmer talk about evangelization- and how we should talk about Christ the way we used to talk about that cute boy with a guitar...passionately and non-stop!

Jenny at The Littlest Way has something to say about the critics of St Theresa of Calcutta- exactly how can one hope to achieve sainthood in our modern culture if even Mother Theresa isn't good enough?

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {88}

Urgh.  Going back to work after vacation sucks.  I only worked two days this week- I specifically scheduled an extra day off after we got back in town to grocery shop and just generally recover from our trip- but those two days felt like twenty.

The highlight of this back-to-the-grind week?  These awesome things on the internet!

On the list of things I "need" from ThinkGeek we can now add this LED twinkling stars skirt.

Oh, Joy! has added OMG and YAY to the collection of letter vases found at Target (previously you could buy OK in stores, I think they're still available online).  I think I'm going to get the YAY ones to use for birthdays and such :)

Apparently I need to up my game for "wacky hair day" at school- here are some ideas on Make It and Love It!

Better than Eden has a genius list of things people need to hurry up and invent.

Bean In Love shows that the only thing better than sewing for one little girl is sewing for twin little girls :)

Shayla at Northern Exposure is celebrating four years of marriage to her lovely husband- go congratulate them!

There is a beautiful piece about moments of grace over on Erring on the Side of Love that had me nodding my head the whole time.

I really needed this reminder from Haley that although it seems like certain actions or habits are required in order to be a holy woman, it turns out you can be good and holy without them.

Along the same lines- ever notice how it's seemingly cool nowadays to bash your kids, your husband, motherhood itself?  Kristina at Calidrab talks about how maybe it's a good idea to take a break from that thinking every now and then.

There is a heartbreaking reflection this week over on Elizabeth Ministry that is exactly what I needed to read (and maybe I'll read it a few more times to make sure it sticks).

What all have you been reading this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {87}

Looking for something good to read this weekend?  Look no further:

First up: my dear friend Rabia is giving away a CD/DVD combo of both an audiobook and an animated short film versions of The Biggest Story.  Go enter!

If you're a parent of small children, have you ever been filled with a sense of dread at the constant advice to have weekly date nights to keep your marriage alive?  Me too!  A lovely post over on Sew Many Wild Things from a momma who has made it out of the trenches- that is, she's got babysitter-aged kids now- was a refreshing read for me.

I am slightly obsessed with HGTV's Fixer Upper and secretly want to move to Waco, TX.  Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas has given me yet another reason.

We've never been to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, but I'd love to go one day.  For those of you attending this year, the Disney Parks Blog has an adorable video detailing their costume rules!

GUYS GUYS GUYS there's a BB-8 waffle maker at Think Geek and I NEED IT.

While I think the stove looks kind of silly, check out this kitchen appliance re-color over at A Beautiful Mess!

What was on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {85}

Our vacation is almost over and I'll be sad to see it end.  We've had a wonderful time visiting with family and celebrating my sister's marriage.  It's been so relaxing to not have any responsibilities and a mostly empty schedule, just talking and playing and showing off our lovely little munchkin to my aunts and uncles and cousins.

In the downtime, I've had the opportunity to catch up on some blog reading, and I found a few things to share with you:

Lovely Haley is once again using Jane Austen to teach us life lessons.  (I, for one, am in the camp of people who sort of hate Emma, though I love the story.  I guess it's time to revisit her.)

Catholic All Year has a refreshing take on teaching modesty to young children.

Julie at These Walls makes a shocking confession: she thinks social media is not entirely awful!  (I agree!)

I found this great post on A Gentle Mother with her take on the bullying epidemic in our culture.

There's a great post on Sweet Little Ones about letting go of perfect (something I need a lesson in every now and then).

Real Catholic Mom has a similar post this week about remembering whose image and likeness we're created in (hint: not our own).

What all have you found on the internet lately?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {84}

Looking for a few interesting reads for the weekend?  Look no further!

Jamie at Petite Panoply is adorable, and I absolutely love the hairstyle she wore with this look.  I mean seriously.

That's Sew Kari made a beautiful little dress for her daughter for Easter!  I love that keyhole back!

Bean in Love painted a beautiful pattern on the concrete floor of her covered porch and I love it!

I may or may not have been stalking Dwija's newest addition on Instagram lately, so I loved reading this update over at House Unseen.

Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas provided a wonderful overview of liturgical living for the month of April.

What blogs are you really into right now?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {83}

*gratuitous adorable toddler photo*

Aaaaaand we survived another week!  Every year I say I'm going to buy Christmas presents before Advent even starts, and every year I fail miserably.  I checked a few more off my list this week, but this weekend I plan to get the rest done- to include the ones I'm making myself.  Wish me luck!

The internet was way more productive than me this week.  Take a look!

Rabia at The Lieber Family (hey girl, I see you!) talked about creating a family time capsule- such a cool idea!

I wish Kendra at Catholic All Year would throw a Pride and Prejudice birthday party for me!

I love the look of this disco ball wreath from A Beautiful Mess!

Mary at Better Than Eden shared a beautiful reflection on how motherhood is a muscle.

Leslie at Life in Every Limb talked about That Time I Did Not Advent Right and I identified with every single word.

Along similar lines, Molly Makes Do reminded us that a little goes a long way when it comes to Advent.

Tacy at Picture a Skyline talked about The Difference Between Proselytizing and Witnessing- an important distinction to remember in an era of intense political arguments.

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {82}

Well, we survived Thanksgiving.  *phew*  So now it's time to get ready for Advent!

The ladies at Catholic Sistas are hosting an Advent Instagram challenge, and I plan to play along!  You should join in, too!

Here's some other awesome things happening on the internet this week:

Shayla at Northern Exposure celebrated her little girl's second birthday with a beautiful reflection on the past two years.

I love every way Jamie at Petite Panoply styled this awesome burgundy faux leather jacket- probably because it's such an amazing color with her hair.

"I firmly believe that a troubled world is all the more reason to keep having babies. They bring our family so much joy."  Catholic All Year shared her thoughts on having children in a scary, chaotic world.

The "war" we should be concerned about during the holiday season is the one on Advent- it's not Christmas yet!!  Read more on The Huff Post Blog.

The Whitford Life shared this really helpful guide to Advent for beginners.

Mary at Better Than Eden shared a free printable Catholic New Year's Resolutions guide that I'm definitely going to use!  (Also- I can't believe it's almost 2016!!)

What awesomeness is happening on your internet?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {81}

Today I get to indulge in one of my favorite activities: packing for a road trip.

Because tomorrow- we road trip!

Well, tomorrow night.  Really late tomorrow night.  We're going to put on jammies, stay up past bedtime, and then get in the car and drive and drive and drive (and hopefully someone will sleep and sleep and sleep for a good percentage of it).

So while I pack, you should read!  Specifically, read these awesome things:

Breenah at By Breenah wants to take Jim Gaffigan out to dinner.  (Me too!)

What It's Like to Play for Legendary Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer- we're gonna miss you, Frank.

"You don't want him using you as a pacifier, do you?  Well, yeah.  Kinda I do."  Check out this beautiful reflection on Better than Eden.

Catholic All Year shared How to Advent.  We're working hard to make sure Advent and Christmas are two distinct seasons in our house.

What awesomeness happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {80}

I realize it's been a while since I did an Oh, Internet... so it's time to rectify that!  Here are some of the most awesome things happening on the internet lately:

Make it and Love it shared a roundup of handmade Christmas gift ideas- time to get started!

Miss Emma at A Pinch of Pixie Dust had the most perfect Hallowe'en costume this year (as always)!

Kendra at Catholic All Year wrote about praying for the dead with children- and how we shouldn't shy away from the topic of death with little ones.

Sterling Jaquith shared five ways to be the peace center of your home- a very timely read for me this week.

Allie at Everyday Adventures shared a beautiful reflection on savoring the simple moments together.

Do you remember the exact moment you discovered you were pregnant?  Daja at The Provision Room does!

Ashley at Between the Linens shared 7 books to read aloud with your spouse.

I'm really getting tired of "the mommy wars".  There's a lot of effort being made to make sure we moms don't feel bad about ourselves if we don't live up to our Pinterest expectations, but now, apparently, it's cool to vilify those moms who are, in fact, mistresses of the domestic arts.  Amy at Motherhood and Miscellany thinks that's ridiculous (and so do I).

Jessica at Little Fiat speculated about why Sherlock Holmes is having a moment right now in pop culture.

What awesomeness happened on your internet the past few weeks?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {79}

First of all- thanks so much for all who entered the gift card giveaway last week- the winner has been notified!  I'd say it was a pretty successful first attempt at a giveaway, so I'll do another one soon!

Lots of awesome things happened on the internet this week- here are some of my favorites:

Miss Emma at a Pinch of Pixie Dust offered a review of the Legoland Hotel in Florida.  Obviously nothing can beat a Disney resort, but this still looks like a pretty fun place to stay!

A Beautiful Mess shared an awesome DIY for dressing up plain closet doors!

This article on Mothering.com clearly explains what Attachment Parenting is not.

Jamie at Petite Panoply looked adorable in this yellow shift dress.  (That silhouette has never been flattering on me but looks great on her!)

Catholic All Year talked about Enforcing the Rules When Family Isn't Supportive (which I'm sure is advice that we will never have to use in our household...)

Mary from Better than Eden posted on Elizabeth Ministry about Learning to Love in All the Wrong (to us) Ways.  I think something that a lot of people miss in discussions of the Love Languages philosophy is that marriage purposefully makes us live outside our respective comfort zones, and that challenges in learning to love each other is not a detriment to marriage- it's the whole point of marriage!

Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas is a nerd after my own heart- this week she wrote about How Hogwarts Prepared Me for the Liturgical Year.

And in honor of this week's historic visit by Pope Francis- 6 Times You Were Flat-Out Lied to About Pope Francis.  Silly media.

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {78}

Super short Oh, Internet this week but lots of substance!

Infarrantly Creative shared a delicious-looking slow cooker recipe for Thai peanut chicken- have I mentioned how excited I am that it's slow cooker season?!

Love this blue skirt on Jamie over at Petite Panoply- and those shoes!

Oh Joy! has been blogging for 10 years!  Whaaaat?  Go congratulate her!

There's a Hocus Pocus -themed show at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year.  Yet another reason why I want to visit Disney in October one year...

Catholic All Year shared her secrets to teaching kids to read.  We're not quite worried about learning to read yet, but we've already started step one!

Oh, Internet... {77}

I know it's kind of late, but if you're sitting around this Friday evening looking for something to read, look no further:

When Marriage Feels Like Work: what a tragic thing when people encounter difficulty and would rather walk away than face it together, like they said they would at the altar.

Should I Let My Kid Dress Like a Weirdo?  And this is why Simcha Fisher is so awesome, in case you didn't know already.  Crazy hair colors and odd clothing choices do not a bad kid make.

It's OK to Skip Your 20's and Start Your Life: It's like Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas just gets me, you know?

What Does a Doula REALLY Do? I'm thinking maybe next time, we get a doula...especially if she's like Mary...

11 Affordable Online Fabric Sources: It's that time again- Hallowe'en Costume Making Time!!

Jamie at Petite Panoply did an adorable Little Shop of Horrors cosplay!  (And she looks fantastic as a blonde!!!)

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {75}

It's naptime on a Saturday- the perfect time for Mommy to catch up on her blog reading.  Here are some of the best things that happened on the internet this week:

I quite literally laughed out loud at this // *by XKCD*

Shayla shared a beautiful reflection on gardening and life over on Northern Exposure.  This was pretty timely for me, as lately I've been struggling with the need to better provide for my family, and stressing out because it's just not happening fast enough.  Perhaps I should take a deep breath and just grow where I'm planted.

Hallowe'en is right around the corner, which means it's time to blow the dust off my sewing machine and whip up some costumes.  So of course, I'm getting distracted by all sorts of awesomely simple crafting tutorials on the internet...

My little one loves wearing skirts, but she needs to wear shorts underneath.  Enter: this tutorial on Make It and Love It for a simple skirt with shorts attached.  Freaking.  Genius.

Also on Make It and Love It: this elastic bookmark with a big adorable bow!  I know several ladies who would probably appreciate this as a Christmas present...better get to sewing!

Bean in Love (who, by the way, was on the cover of Mobile Bay magazine, what??) shared this genius solution for a temporary change-up to a lamp shade.  (Spoiler alert: it involves elastic.)

And finally, the single best thing that happened on the internet this week (well, for me, anyway):

Catholic All Year shared an absolutely incredible post on How to Raise Good Little Catholics.  If anybody reading this blog is looking for gift ideas for my daughter's birthday and/or Christmas, literally any of the things Kendra links to in this post would be welcome.  Any of them.  (All of them!)

So what happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {74}

Yeah so I didn't blog at all this week.  Oops.

But lots of other people blogged this week!  And they wrote things that are way more interesting than anything I could come up with anyway :-P  So check 'em out!

Kendra at Catholic All Year talked about things she doesn't do with her newborns (anymore).  I really think our culture has turned pregnancy and child-rearing into cute hobbies or fun status-symbols as opposed to, you know, life, and as such, we've made it into a high-maintenance exercise full of specific do's and don't's that just don't fit every family.  They say babies don't come with instruction manuals; in reality, there are thousands of manuals out there, and it can be overwhelming to pick the right one, so it's refreshing to hear that you really can just write the book yourself.

Better than Eden gave some wonderful tips about breastfeeding she's picked up in her 8 years of practice.  I think the major takeaway here is, once again, books and doctors and the internet can provide you with a wealth of information, but you have to figure out what's right for your child.

Carrots for Michaelmas hit the nail on the head yet again when she wrote about how you should totally take your kids to places where you're not supposed to take kids- because children are people, too.

A Knotted Life talked about why she is a Mrs Mom and not a First Name Mom and it really made me pause and think.  Growing up, my mom was sometimes Mrs LastName and sometimes Ms FirstName depending on the context (my friends from school tended to call her Mrs and she introduced herself as Ms FirstName as a Girl Scout leader and band mom) and I think that when Chief is in school, I'd like her friends to call me Mrs Geek (well, you know, my real name).  Right now, at daycare, all of the teachers are Miss FirstName and so it's sort of easy to stick with that naming convention- I've introduced Chief to my friends by their first names, because that's what I call them in her presence.  But they don't seem to enforce the honorific at school, so she calls her teachers Amy and Stephanie and Trina and Cathy (well, Amy and Samedi and Tweena and Caddy) and I really do think it's important to show respect to these adults by at least adding the Miss at the front.  I think I'm going to make more of an effort with the way I introduce Chief to people (although my friends don't seem to care and would probably be a tad weirded out by having a toddler call them Mrs, even if that is how they've chosen to be known as married women).

And then on the not=baby-related-front:

When's the last time I raved about Jamie at Petite Panoply?  I feel like I don't do that enough... (I mean seriously her hair.  It's like I need a little eyedropper tool in real life so I can just steal her exact hair color and plop it on my head.)

A Beautiful Mess talked about the purchases and decor in their various houses that they have no regrets about- since it's easy to have regrets when making bold decorating choices.  I cannot wait until we buy a house (you know, a century from now, when we can afford it) so we can make our own bold decorating choices...

What awesome things did you read on the internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {73}

I'm sitting here on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon when there are chores waiting for me that are not going to do themselves...

But first I wanted to share with you some of the best things I found on the internet this week:

A Beautiful Mess shared a simple and delicious buttermilk biscuit recipe.

A Pinch of Pixie Dust made me want to stay at the Yacht Club Resort in Walt Disney World next time we go...

Kaelah Bee looks adorable, as always.

And most importantly: Catholic All Year wrote everything you need to know about Cecil the lion and moral relativism.

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet...{71}

My sister bought her wedding dress yesterday!!  (You know, the sister who was crazy enough to ask me to take her engagement photos.)  I wasn't able to go shopping with her, but I did pin some suggestions to her Pinterest board as sort of virtual support (and texted back and forth with my mom who took pictures during the actual shopping trip, of course).

And during my virtual dress shopping adventures, I perused Alfred Angelo's latest offerings for the Disney Princess wedding gown line.

via Alfred Angelo

The wedding gown from the new live-action Cinderella, ladies and gentlemen.  And you can also get it with the embroidery all in white- but why would you want to??  It probably costs as much as my car, but by golly if we do an elaborate vow renewal (we won't be doing an elaborate vow renewal, most likely) I am TOTALLY WEARING THIS DRESS.

You know what else I found on the internet this week?  Lots of awesome stuff!

The ModCloth blog interviewed a beautiful girl named Abby who is wise beyond her years.  Go read it and be inspired.

The amazingly talented Bean In Love extended the lives of some sweet little dresses for her twins by turning them into skirts.  So precious!

The always fashionable Petite Panoply proved that redheads can wear red (and look awesome while doing so).

Speaking of fashionable- how is it that Kaelah Bee manages to accomplish everything that she does and still look so cute?!

A guest poster on Make It and Love It shared a simple tutorial for adorable monogrammed zipper pouches that I'm itching to try.

Miss Black Cat on Weddingbee shared a tutorial for gorgeous embroidered handkerchiefs made with the same lace she used for her veil!

A Pinch of Pixie Dust took us on a tour of the new hub around the castle at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World- the moat is gone, replaced with grass!

Do you read House Unseen?  You definitely should because Dwija is hilarious.  Like this list of three "tips" for doing laundry.  I feel ya, girl.

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {70}

I don't know about you, but I'm itching for another vacation.

To substitute, I took a little vacation on the internet this week.  Here's where I went:

Catholic All Year shared a SUPER awesome overview of the Catholic faith

Petite Panoply is fabulous as always.

Molly Makes Do made an adorable Doctor Who skirt for herself (and jammies for her son!) and now I'm itching to make something from my ridiculous fabric stash!

Make It and Love It introduced me to the wonders of Craftsy- I'm going to look at some photography classes!

A Beautiful Mess talked about how to chose a color story for your home.

Bean In Love made re-upholstering chairs look super easy...almost deceptively so...

Infarrantly Creative shared an incredible makeover for a cheesy old chandelier.

Where did you go on the internet this week?

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Much love,
The Geeks