• Lifestyle

    The Prettiest Everyday Dinnerware

    I received the Stone + Lain collection for free, but all opinions are my own. When my husband and I married, we went through the standard registry items of linens, dinnerware, and all the newlywed things. We picked out a pretty black and red dinnerware set that we later regretted as it cracked and chipped if you looked at it weird. I’m glad we also got a more formal set. After the years and our recent move, we donated the red and black set and bought a basic white set that is pretty much indestructible. While it works, I really wanted something to replace the B&R set in a pretty…

  • Lifestyle

    Emoji Day is July 17th

    Today is Emoji Day (July 17th), so I thought I’d share some tips on how to make learning fun with them! Whether it’s rainbow poop or a talking unicorn, emojis have become mainstream and a part of our everyday life. The Japanese word meaning “picture letter” has been used in almost every form of written communication. Some people even go as far as to say communication is more understood with emojis. They have become a fun way to express feelings and events across all spectrums with the use of a simple image that anyone can understand.   IDENTIFYING EMOTIONS Emotions can be difficult to process, express, and describe depending on the…

  • Lifestyle

    Attention Kids! Zulily has an Awesome Contest for Young Fashion Designers

    Superman costume with pajama pants? Backwards dress with mismatched socks? We’ve seen the sometimes crazy fashion outfits kids put together. At the end of the day, it’s all about expressing personal style and letting these little ones get creative. So while we may think these outfit ideas are a bit nuts, fashion is the perfect space to try anything and see what works. You might even be witnessing the next future Kate Spade or Christian Siriano! If you’ve been nodding your head reading this, listen up because I’ve got something I think you’ll love. Zulily is holding the most awesome contest for young fashion designers. Open now through July 31,…

  • Lifestyle

    The Sleep Ritual That Works for Me

    We all know the effects of a good night’s rest. We are calmer, more focused, less stressed and with more energy to handle what each day brings. Research on the subject of sleep has shown that it even clears waste from the brain and supports learning and memory. So while the body is sleeping, the brain is very much at work.   It’s no surprise that while we understand how important sleep is, many of us don’t get enough of it. As a mom, it’s almost impossible. Whether it’s the stresses of the day looming over our heads at night or the to-do list for the next day, it can be difficult to…

  • Lifestyle

    Sleeping with essential oils (and other things)

    I have a lot of things in my nightly arsenal to help me go to sleep. Sleep podcasts, meditation sessions, music, a notebook, diffuser, and essential oils. It wasn’t always like that. Every time my son doesn’t want to take a nap, or my daughter gives me the “but I’m not tired”, I want to tell them how they’ll regret it one day. I remember the ability to stay up until 3 a.m, waking up early to get to class. I also remember having long weekends where I could sleep until noon like it was no big deal. Like I said before, things are different now and sleep doesn’t come…

  • Lifestyle

    Arts and Crafts Station

    We have a LOT of empty toilet paper rolls in our house. My daughter makes a point to go around the house and collect them for a future project. We have 2 freezer bags full of them ready to be created into something. When we moved into our new house, I knew we needed a space dedicated to arts and crafts. The kids are at an age where it’s something they like to do, and a space dedicated to that is important (mostly so craft paper and glue aren’t all over the house). There is a little nook in the kitchen area that has been granted that space as a…

  • kid's bedroom
    Lifestyle

    Our Kid’s Bedroom

    When our kids were little, we had them share a room but split them up once we realized they kept waking each other up at night. Not in the sweet, playful way, but the crying, bedtime routine all over again way. With a toddler and infant, that was not something we wanted to go through every night. We made the guest room a separate kid’s bedroom. After the kids got older, our girl decided on her own to sleep in her brother’s room for company. His room started out as a guest room, so there was a full-sized bed there in addition to the crib. Over the years they would…

  • Lifestyle

    A Fairy Garden for Tinker Bell

    We are knee-deep into anything fairy-related over here. Tinker Bell is on repeat, we have countless dollar store wings, some pixie dust, and a fairy garden set. There is a house on the street where her school is that has a little fairy garden set that we see all the time. It’s got the little house, some glitter painted rocks and flowers. It’s super cute and she likes to take a good look at it all the time. My sisters gifted her a little garden kit and it was immediately built and put outside. Now she wants to make her own. We’ve been watching Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy…

  • scents
    Lifestyle

    The Power of Scents

    I just got my second COVID vaccine and after a good 48 hours of chills and body aches followed by extreme fatigue, I’m grateful to science that I am 2 weeks away from being fully protected. Everything we’ve been through this past year with the pandemic, the one resounding thing that is needed is calm. A pause in the day to make space to breathe, connect and let all the stresses melt away.  That may seem far-fetched given our daily responsibilities, but one simple thing we can do in starting on that path is to take in the power of scents. Of all five senses, the smell is the one…

  • tapestry
    Lifestyle

    How to use tapestry for small rooms

    Small rooms can sometimes be a challenge to decorate. You want the room to look bigger, not cramped, and be inviting and warm. Storage bins and shelves help with clutter, but where does that leave decor? Our new home has a different layout than our old one, with the rooms being smaller and the living spaces bigger. It’s been an adjustment in fitting in furniture and decor, and some creativity in storage has been needed. There are a ton of tricks out there that can help to make a room feel so much bigger than it is. Paint color, window treatments, fabric choices and strategic furniture are all great. Adding tapestry to a…