Welcome! Below are some of the areas of my life that I look forward to sharing with you. Click on any of the boxes below to learn a little bit more about me.
Marriage is hard y'all. Kyle and I have been married 6 years (it will be 7 years this August) and I have to say, we are just starting to find our rhythm. We have worked hard at our marriage over the past couple years since the birth of our daughter Hudson, and I'm so thankful we have. Our marriage probably doesn't look "normal" or "ideal" to outsiders, but we are finding what works for us in this season of our lives. Seasons is something you'll hear me talk about a lot. Being aware that seasons change, and giving yourself the grace to have different needs during different seasons can be life changing. Just because you made a decision that worked, and was the right decision during that season, doesn't mean that you don't get to come back and re-evaluate it when seasons change.
I am by no means a marriage expert, and so I yearn to learn and evolve in this area from now until forever.
I don't travel nearly enough, but it's something I love so much. Now that the kids are getting a little older, I hope to up my travel game a little!
Food. What's not to love?!? I love to cook, I love to eat, and I LOVE spicy food! My poor husband had never been subjected to so much spicy food in his life before he met me. But now, he loves it spicy too.
I struggle with finding the time to search out the perfect new recipe to try, go shopping for all the ingredients, and taking the time to cook with two littles ones in tow. But, since I'm home right now, I'm spending more time in the kitchen and I love it.
Now let's talk about toddler eating. Every kid is different, and my two couldn't be more polar opposite. My son Gage is the pickiest eater in the entire world I feel like. His list of favorites is short and even with his favorites, I feel as though he's rarely hungry. My daughter Hudson, on the other hand, is the world's most adventurous 2 year old eater. She loves ethnic, flavorful foods and is always wiling to try new things. So while many of the things I'll post about are favorite new recipes I've found (or created), some of the these posts will be based on kid approval too.
Food comes from the land right? I have zero green thumb, but I try. Each year I plant a garden and I get a couple good months before everything seems to be dead or overgrown. This year I'm determined to make it longer! I feel like the kids should know where food comes from, and growing our own veggies and herbs should help get them more interested, right?
Fitness and I have a love/hate relationship. I feel so good when I work out. But it's so tough to make it work in my schedule. I know, I know, we have to prioritize those things that are important to us. But seriously, how do I find more hours in the day?
Back when I was younger, I danced. I took and taught dance classes and I had a schedule. I was at the dance studio up to 5 hours some nights. My senior year of high school, I danced 40 hours a week. That's a full time job. But I also had a job (hello Hogi Yogi), and school. My life was full, but so was my heart. I loved dancing, and looking back, I really love the way it made my body look. Nothing is as total body as dance.
So, the current struggle, as a now 37 year old, is how to stay in shape (and accepting that I'm never going to look like I did when I danced 40 hours a week again) and finding the time, and the right balance of activities. Hello aging body, hello injuries. Hello feeling like an 80 year old woman limping around my house when I push myself a little too hard. Oh, how the body tells you when you've gone too far.
My current combination of activities includes Pilates (although not nearly often enough), walking, and time at the gym. Why can't I have a home gym, personal chef (because we all know abs are made in the kitchen!) and my super fabulous Pilates instructor come to my house once a day (you know, in my brand new home Pilates studio) Oh, if only!
So, here lies my dilemma. Fitness for me is always a challenge. It's always a work in progress. But, I'll help motivate you, and you can help motivate me!
Motherhood is the hardest, most emotionally taxing, under appreciated, most rewarding job on the planet. Any woman that tells you she has this whole mother thing figured out is not being honest with you. Just as you get comfortable, just as you find a good routine for you and your children, your children change, and grow. You change. Your circumstances change. Motherhood is ever evolving in your life.
Never stop growing. Never stop striving. Never stop learning. Never stop listening. Let the concept that motherhood is an evolution give you the grace to accept the imperfect days (or every day!), and the encouragement to continue working to be better, to do better.
I know it's natural to compare your kids to other kids, to compare your parenting to others' parenting. But don't allow yourself to become obsessive about it, and don't allow it to destroy the beauty that exists in your relationship with your kids. Be open to other ideas, other ways of doing things, and pull from that library when you need it. But don't hold yourself to someone else's standard, or worse yet, to someone else's representation of their parenting on social media. One of my favorite quotes - Be kind to everyone you meet, for they are fighting a battle you know nothing about. Don't judge others. It's easy to fall into that trap, especially when their child is screaming, or acting irrational, or spoiled, or whatever. But allow those moments to be the ones you extend the most grace you can muster to those parents. You have no idea what battle they are currently fighting.
I love the holidays, and I love throwing parties. I love hosting. But let's be honest. It's still stressful. There are the logistics. There are the Pinterest comparisons you're doing in your head. There are many Pinterest fails in my home. There is emotion with the holidays. For me, and for many. For me, there is a level of stress and emotion and expectation that all culminates in the perfect storm on holidays and on the days of parties in our home. I know I can't be alone here.
So, what's the answer? Stop celebrating? Ignore the fact that it's my kid's 5th birthday? No, the answer is in granting yourself grace and taking some time to really assess what it is that's important to you for that day. How do you make the important things happen, and how do you learn to stop sweating the rest of it?
I certainly don't have all the answers, and on Christmas, my husband might tell you I have NONE of the answers, but I have learned a few things over the years. So lets share some keys to peace on those days and just strive to make progress in this area.
Home. My house.
This is something that for myself, and I'm sure for some of you, is something full of emotion. Some of us love our homes, some of us hate our homes, some of us have good, or bad memories tied to our homes. Home is something that is meant to be safe, to feel safe, and to bring security. It is also something, thanks to the age of social media, that we compare like we never have before. We used to compare our homes to the other 5-10 homes we visited frequently, but now we compare them to homes decorated with unlimited budgets, by famous designers, for the rich and famous. Some of us have a better eye for things than others (I was not blessed with that, by the way), and social media seems to make that very clear to us on a daily basis. I've read some great books about making your home what it needs to be, but I'll tell you, this is an area I struggle mightily in. And, it doesn't help that my husband has zero faith in my ability to decorate or clean our home. (Ok, it's true cleaning makes me angry, but that's beside the point - more on that later!)
Do some of you share my struggles?
Shopping has to be one of my all time favorite things to do. Since the birth of my daughter, it has become more online than in-store, but it's still a favorite! I love finding adorable things for the house, for myself, for the kids, and I love finding new shops to support. Whether it is on vacation and finding a local gem in that city, or connecting with others online. Social media has made this so easy, and I love the wave of small businesses who do their business online that I can visit anytime of day or night. From the comfort of my couch, or in a free couple minutes while I'm out, or waiting for a friend for dinner and drinks.
Can we all agree that great shops and great finds save you time & bring you a smile. Whether it be saving you from making a homemade craft for your kids' birthday (can we say Pinterest-fail), or making you feel cute when everything else in your day seems to be a hot mess.
Shopping seems to get a bad wrap. Sure, it means you're spending money, but we all spend money, that's what makes our economy what it is, right? So, lets enjoy it, and share some of our favorite things. Who knows, maybe we can save each other time or money, or both?
