If one asked me to what do I think one must principally attribute the singular prosperity and growing force of this people, I would answer that it is the superiority of its women. —Alexis De Toqueville, De La Démocratie En Amérique

WHAT WE LOVE THIS WEEK

Maira Kalman. I still owe this woman an ode. My ode-owing is stacking up. What I wouldn't give to live next door to her so we could be real friends instead of imaginary ones. And The Pursuit of Happiness is one of my favorites of her books and especially applicable ahead of President's Day. Pick one of these up and you'll not only fall in love with Maira, but our country again. And for your kiddos (and let's be honest, you too), spark their patriotism and knowledge of former presidents with her Looking at Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Everything.

The #choosingtolovemyself campaign. A few of our favorite instagrammers—Melanie Burk, The Small Seed, and Beauty Redefined—have teamed up with others to make this month of love all about learning to love ourselves and helping our daughters do the same. You can read more about it here. As Maira Kalman wrote: "I call my aunt in Israel. She is 92. And I ask her, 'What is the most important thing?' And she answers, 'Self-confidence.'"

Last minute Valentine's ideas. Because we pretty much operate on last-minute-standard-time. Thankfully, our friends at Caravan Shoppe have us covered. We'll take one of these, and in honor of Tracy's new pup Ringo, one of these as well.

Leo on love: "But the law of loving others could not be discovered by reason, because it is unreasonable." —Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

COMING NEXT WEEK

Finding time to read when there's no time to read. This has become all too real for me these past couple weeks, which is why (cough, cough) that long promised review of When Breath Becomes Air hasn't happened yet. The good news is I finished and happened upon some great tips for finding time to read along the way. It's a win/win.

In honor of the #choosingtolovemyself campaign, we'll feature books every young girl should read.

Our first real book club post of the month. Have you started yet?

Posted by Rachel