Jaybird Blog

There’s a thrill that comes from making a new resolution. You identify a goal, decide to make a change and then start to dream. This is very much on of those twinkle-in-your-eye moments.

Welcome to the first Love Your Body Link-Up! I’m so thrilled to kick this off with Rachel and all of you, but before we jump in, I just want to say THANK YOU!

I went through a long period in college when it was cool not to sleep. Staying up til 3:00am to work on a paper was a badge of honor worn as I poured my fifth cup of coffee in the dining hall.

The Love Your Body Resolution is a biweekly series dedicated to loving + respecting your body. For more LYB Resolution posts, visit the archive.

Three beautiful dresses for three lucky readers! This post’s giveaway is sponsored by Karina Dresses.

There’s this quote that’s been going around the web, popping up on motivational blog posts and Pinterest boards, and getting quite a few virtual “mm-hmm”’s.

The Love Your Body Resolution is a biweekly series dedicated to loving + respecting your body. For more LYB Resolution posts, visit the archive.

Welcome to the first Love Your Body Link-Up! I’m so thrilled to kick this off with Rachel and all of you, but before we jump in, I just want to say THANK YOU!

Oh, resolutions. Health. Wellness. Lose that 5 pounds.

lamb stew / 5-spice porkchops / curried carrot soup / omelette jambon et fromage / butterflied roast chicken / chicken frito pie / spicy green skillet / gf chicken tenders / potluck lunch

When I think back on past workouts, lifting weights is something that always leaves me feeling completely wiped out—and stronger than anything else.

A week ago today, I got a text from Eileen: “Lady! Any interest in running the Shamrock Shuffle 8K? 5 miles through downtown and a beer party at the end.” Of course I signed up.

After far too long without exercise, I’m starting from zero miles and training to run an 8K race in March with two friends! Why? Check out my first post on my goal of running an 8K.

My definition of health has changed drastically since graduating from college. Honestly, when I was in school, I thought health just meant “not being sick.” If I changed my diet, it was about looking…

Let’s start with the most important thing: no one was injured. The second item of note: I was in a car accident on the highway on Wednesday night where a young woman rear-ended me, pushing my car…

Wow. This week flew by and was a bit of a mixed bag. I was able to mostly work from home, which was glorious and technically afforded me 10+ extra hours for doing-doing-doing…which for the most part…

Over-, under- or just plain whelmed, I’ve been all three this week. Take a normally busy schedule and throw in a totaled car, and you’ve got a recipe for nonstop phone calls, very little sleep and…

When food-loving friends get together, delicious things happen. Namely major waffle breakfasts.

This is a picture of my perfect morning: uncluttered table, colorful homemade breakfast, strong French press coffee, writing tools.

Do you think creativity is a given personality trait, or do you think it is a quality that can be nurtured and developed over time?

When I was a kid, my parents would joke that they were lucky to see a clear path from the bedroom door to the bed…unfortunately, though, it wasn’t a joke, and more often than not there was no path to…

Back when I lived in the suburbs, I built a cute little 4 x 4′ raised bed garden and put it in my yard. The first summer, I harvested crisp, curly spinach and endless armfuls of Swiss chard.

I am such a sucker for the little things: a sweet note, a cappuccino made by a real barista, a cluster of tart cherries sharing a stem.

It’s Monday, the start of a brand new week. Depending on your circumstances, this might be a day you look forward to or one that makes you panic.

You’ve heard it a million times: dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

So you want to be a blogger, huh? A capital-B Blogger with the domain name + online presence to prove it.

Before we get started, I know that while “sponsorship” is a huge thing in the blogging world, not everyone is a blogger. Let’s define sponsorship before getting started:

The absolute best thing about blogging is the sense of community. I started blogging to have a creative outlet and a place to share thoughts and recipes, but I found that blogs often have their own…

You’ve made something incredible, and you want to share it with the world.

There’s a reason productivity hacks are so popular. Search “how to be more productive” and you’ll find page after page of recommendations for apps, methods, tips and guaranteed-to-work secrets…

If I were a high school guy in the 1950s, I’d say that Jaybird is my best gal: I write here on the regular, and recently I’ve enjoyed sharing more personal essays.

Last Saturday I met Christine at Bar Pastoral, a cozy wine bar in Chicago’s East Lakeview neighborhood, and I really had no desire to ever leave.

Do you ever get friend-crushes on celebrities? Like “Amy Poehler, please be my best friend and let’s eat waffles together all the time”-type crushes.

This hefty pile is why I’m not allowed to go to book sales. It’s not about the cost–each of the books here cost 10¢ during the “stuff a bag” part of a library used book sale–but simply about the…

Over-, under- or just plain whelmed, I’ve been all three this week. Take a normally busy schedule and throw in a totaled car, and you’ve got a recipe for nonstop phone calls, very little sleep and…

Have you ever heard someone say that, to foreigners, Americans seem like golden retrievers?

One of the best parts of writing the Love Your Body Resolution series is hearing from you all about your experiences.

If you read using a feed or via email, come over to the blog today! I installed a new theme over the weekend and it’s looking all kinds of spiffy.

Even with a dream destination, traveling can be rough. Throw in a high volume of travelers on a tight schedule, overbooked airplanes and looots of little kids, and an otherwise average trip home…

I’ve got something brand new to introduce today: Smart Cookies! (and a picture flashback to one of my go-to recipes: paleo + vegan chocolate chip cookies)

There are approximately a zillion blogs out there, and I’d guess that a million are pretty darn great.

Home in motion: the idea that you can make a place for yourself no matter where you are–and no matter where you’re going.

Happy weekend, everyone! I hope you’re taking 15 minutes to relaaax and breathe and remember that you do not have to do everything to enjoy perfectly lovely holidays.