Hello my bloggy loves! Today I'm sharing an exciting link-up with you. It's an Instagram Blog Hop! If you're anything like me you're slightly addicted to social media. My favorite social media of all time is Instagram and I'm thrilled to be a part of this hop today. Be sure to check it out and make some new friends!

xo Sue

Welcome to the Instagram Blog Hop! If you're new around here, the Instagram Blog Hop is a party where you link up your Instagram account, find and follow new Instagram friends, and be continually inspired by what you see in your Instagram feed! No need to have a blog, just an Instagram account!

The Rules are Simple:

1. Follow your HOSTS:

Kimberly of A Night Owl | Instagram: @anightowlblog 
Emily of The Pink Elephant | Instagram: @mrsemshhh
Angie of Little Inspiration| Instagram: @blogali

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS:

Sue | Instagram: @lovefromesue

You can find Sue here:
Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

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Jaime | Instagram: @momstestkitchen

You can find Jaime here:
Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

3. Link up your Instagram Web Profile:

Just link up your new Instagram Web Profile (http://instagram.com/username) -OR- your web viewer of choice in the linky below!

4. Check out and follow a few fellow Instagram friends.

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the IGBH!

5. SHARE THE IGBH LOVE!

Before you link and run, we'd love for you to SHARE THE IGBH LOVE! We'd love to grow this lovely community, so we're asking you to share - with your friends, on your social media! Tweet about it, share it on G+ and Facebook or post about it on Instagram!

Tweet

My favorite thing about babywearing (with any carrier, sling, or wrap) is the freedom it gives us both. My arms don't get tired from holding Everly up. She's sitting comfortably instead of balancing on my hip bone. And we're free to enjoy each other's company without distraction. If I'm wearing a necklace she'll pull it and play with it to entertain herself. She can reach out and try to help me with whatever task I'm doing. She especially likes to help throw laundry in the washer, although she usually misses. 

This is my current favorite buckle carrier, or soft structured carrier, the ERGObaby Original. I love almost everything about this carrier. I love the waist band because is supports Everly's weight without putting pressure on my back. I have a bad back so this is huge for me. I love the padded shoulder straps. They're comfortable to me and they give Everly something to chew on when she's having a particularly hard time teething. I love the wide seat the material gives to her bum and legs. It fully supports her in the ergonomically correct way so she doesn't have future hip problems. I love that Everly is so comfortable in this carrier that she often falls asleep. I love the little hood that I use to cover her head when she falls asleep. It keeps the light from getting in her eyes and helps her sleep longer, plus it's lightweight so she doesn't get all sweaty! And I love the zipper pocket this carrier has just for moms. I can slip my keys, wallet, and cell phone in there while we're running errands and leave the bulky purse/diaper bag in the car. I love the different positions of this carrier. It easily switches from front to back and when we go on walks Everly rides like a backpack. Most of all, I love that this carrier will support my baby as she grows. Just to show it off, I put my five year old neighbor in this carrier on my back and walked around with her. I could still feel her weight a little, but not at all like I was carrying her with my arms. She really enjoyed herself and has since asked me to put her back in and carry her around just like Everly. 

There is one thing I don't love about this carrier. The back buckle. The waist buckle is easy to do myself. The back one is not. I can do it myself, but it takes a lot of ninja-like skills to stretch my arms to that spot on my back. Usually I ask someone else to do it up for me and if Everly and I are out running errands alone we manage it, but it's not easy. 

Overall the ERGObaby Original is an amazing carrier. The benefits to both mom and baby are definitely worth the price and the use I've gotten out of it has been wonderful. Even if I stopped using it tomorrow I'd feel like I'd gotten my money's worth out of it and my baby isn't even 8 months old yet. That being said, there's no way I'm stopping tomorrow! This is our easiest go-to carrier when we're out running errands or we want to go on a walk. We use it at least 4 times a week, if not every single day.

Do you have an ERGObaby carrier? Or do you prefer a different brand? I'd love to hear your stories! PS This is not a sponsored post. I just really love babywearing and I want to share info about carriers with all my fellow mamas. Be sure to keep an eye out for more carrier reviews in the future!

xo Sue

Everly and I are big fans of babywearing. It started 2 days after she was born. We used our very first ring sling (this wonderful Maya) and we both loved it. We've been babywearing ever since. I wear her every single day. When she was tiny and hated to be put down it was the only way I got anything done. If I needed to cook dinner she'd chill in the Maya or our fabulous Beco Gemini (a soft structured carrier or SSC). Nothing calmed her faster than being right next to her mama. 

Now that she's bigger she still loves a good carry. She's independent and explores the world around her but at the end of the excitement she always climbs back into my arms for some comfort and love. In honor of International Babywearing Week I had my sister take some photos of the two of us enjoying our favorite activity. These are our three favorite babywearing tools (in no particular order). The first is our SBP linen ring sling. The second, our Storchenwiege woven wrap (I have the Albert and we LOVE to wrap). Woven wraps offer so many different carries for mom and baby. They're amazing. And our third is the wonderful ERGObaby original carrier. It's comfy and easy and always gets the job done. 

I definitely don't consider myself a babywearing expert (though perhaps an enthusiast) but I've become the go-to girl for my pregnant friends looking for carriers. I'm going to do a few fun posts on different types of carriers and the benefits of babywearing so if you have any specific questions, please leave them in the comments below! Happy Babywearing!

xo Sue

If you remember, in August I went the entire month with no sugar and no flour. It wasn't quiet a paleo thing but it was similar. I meant to write more about it immediately after but lets be honest, life just got crazy. But since I've finished my month of no sugar and no flour I have some thoughts to share.

Most important first: if you're a breastfeeding mother you probably shouldn't do this diet. It affected my milk supply. I drank a cup of mother's milk tea every day for the month and it boosted my supply back to normal but for a few days it was kind of rough. It's a tricky time, breastfeeding, because you want to diet and get your pre-baby body back and at the same time you need those calories to keep the milk flowing freely. Conundrum. But back to the point. If you are a breastfeeding mama and you want to lose weight while keeping your supply up, definitely talk to your doctor about a healthy eating plan. This was perfectly healthy (I didn't restrict quantity, just type of food) but any major changes in your diet while breastfeeding can affect your supply.

The other thing I learned is this. I love food. Okay, I already knew that. But more than just enjoying food, I really love to cook and share food with the people I love. I will go into the kitchen and make anything my husband or dad request, all I need is a recipe. So to have such a restriction on my diet was difficult. Food became really boring for me. And I started not to want to cook or eat much. I had to eat because as I said before, Everly needs her food, but seriously. Boring. I tried to get creative with the restrictions but near then end I was eating the same thing every day, just waiting for the end of the month to come. I was bored of the diet but I'd made a commitment.

The thing I truly learned (or I suppose remembered) is to pay attention to everything I eat. Not just the main meals, but the snacks in between too. It's all about moderation, healthy choices, and sometimes saying no. I don't need a treat every day. I don't need to eat bread with every meal. Mostly, I just need to remember to take care of this body of mine. It's the only one I get.

What do you think about dieting? Or do you just call it healthy eating?

xo Sue