This Week:

Before becoming a parent I would have laughed my booty off if someone told me that strollers can cost over $1000.

But this past week I found myself ‘researching’ all sorts of strollers in various price ranges. You see, for the past year we’ve been using (and loving) the Chicco Lightway Plus stroller. We registered for this stroller for our baby shower with the expectation that we would use it for a while and buy a ‘nicer’ stroller when we had a better idea of what we wanted. (Because, obviously, we had no freakin’ clue what a stroller was supposed to do before we had a baby.) Anyway, the Lightway Plus is basically an umbrella stroller (albeit, a heavy one) that can also be used with a carseat. It’s kind of magical.

However, we live in an area of the city with pretty crappy bumpy sidewalks and the little wheels on the Chicco Lightway Plus just weren’t cutting it anymore. So it was time to upgrade.*

* Also impacting our decision to upgrade was the fact that we want more kids and so one day we will need a convertible stroller anyway. I figured if I know we’re going to eventually buy a newer, nicer stroller, I’d rather enjoy it now than to keep waiting until I have a full uterus again.

(They don’t show up well in this picture, but the shoes I’m wearing are these *in a different color* and I wear them every single day. They are perfect for summer!)

After asking a lot of people (who all gave us different answers) and perusing the internet for far too many hours (and finding all different answers) we decided on the UPPAbaby Vista. So far, we absolutely love it.

I would be more than happy to share all of my thoughts behind choosing this stroller, but this post isn’t even about strollers, it’s about what you should be reading over the weekend. So let’s get back on track, shall we?

Worth Reading:

“I find that an increase in the level of social involvements is worth up to an extra £85,000 a year in terms of life satisfaction. Actual changes in income, on the other hand, buy very little happiness.” (here)

“Tossing around every What If thought is not going to change our reality. Our What If’s rob us from living our life to the fullest. Our What If’s can make us cower & hide. The amazing news? We have the power of prayer & His Word to turn those What If’s into Whatevers. Daughters. Sons. Sisters. Brothers. Think about whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.” (here)

“But even leaving aside questions of how to distribute that wealth, the widespread disappearance of work would usher in a social transformation unlike any we’ve seen. If John Russo is right, then saving work is more important than saving any particular job. Industriousness has served as America’s unofficial religion since its founding. The sanctity and preeminence of work lie at the heart of the country’s politics, economics, and social interactions. What might happen if work goes away?” (here)

“He’s inviting me into living differently. He’s inviting and knocking and wooing and I keep looking around distracted for more bread. He’s pointing out the leaven of the Herods of the world, the ones telling me to hurry up and produce and ship, and he’s warning me of how something as small as selfish ambition could ruin the whole batch. But I can’t hear it because I’m all, Where is the bread! I need me some bread! There isn’t enough. I’m not going to be okay.” (here)

I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying the weekend!