It's been awhile since I talked about Klout . To summarize, I'm no longer an Explorer, up until last week I was a Conversationalist, now I'm a Networker. How did I do it? (I had a baby, and I post lots of photos of my cat.) Read on for my secrets! First a quick review of the three Klout Styles: Explorer: " You actively engage in the social web, constantly trying out new ways to interact and network. You're exploring the ecosystem and making it work for you. Your level of engagement shows that you "get it," we predict you'll be moving up. " Conversationalist: " You love to connect and always have the inside scoop. Good conversation is not just a skill, it's an art. You might not know it, but when you are witty, your followers hang on every word. " Networker: " You know how to connect to the right people and share what's important to your audience. You generously share your network to help your followers. You have a high l...

One thing I haven't been getting a lot of lately is sleep. Today's Type Tuesday post features a duvet with a bedtime story as well as pillows with quotes from various stories sure to bring sweet dreams and words from dictionaries sure to increase one's knowledge. The Finds (top clockwise) : Bedtime Stories Duvet Cover, $65 GBP ; 20" x 12" Newsprint Pillow Cover, $36 ; 18" x 18" Type Pillow Cover, $17 ; 50 cm x 70 cm Pillow, R$18; The Star - Handmade Story Cushion, $48 . If you yearn to explore other places, check out Tok & Stok's Cities sheets, pillowcases, comforters, and duvet covers in white with black text or black with white text. I personally love the black with white text comforter paired with white with black text sheets and pillows for clean modern look. If only we had a second bedroom! Ciao Bella! Eden   Credits: All images taken by their respective sellers: Bantam Beasts , B. Poetic Home , The Bedtime Stories , Tok & Stok , an...

What follows is our labor story. For us, our labor - and the path it took - worked. We combined techniques learned in both the McMoyler Method and Mindfulness Childbirth and Parenting classes. For background noise, we chose Sounds of a Puerto Rican Rainforest complete with coqui frogs. We also played music by Ill Gates (for whom our daughter is named), Ganucheau, and Beats Antique. Our birth "plan" was simply to make decisions as they came and to choose a path that led to a healthy baby. Three preferences that we had were 1) to prevent tearing of the perineum, 2) to be as mobile as possible to allow gravity to help the baby descend, and 3) to avoid needles where possible. Our first big decision that we made (and reevaluated) was to start labor by inducing. (In my family, on both my mother and my father's sides, first babies are late. My aunt had three 10-month pregnancies. In none of my labor fantasies did I imagine delivering early or on time.) Originally we'd been u...