I'm a highly sensitive introvert. What that means is that not only do I revel in time by myself, but some days I also find loud noises and visual clutter especially jarring. Today is one of those days. Unfortunately, today is also a rainy day in which my cooped-up children want to jump around like kangaroos amidst the seven bins of toys they have dumped out and moved on from. There is screaming, there is "play with me", there is wrestling, and bickering, and the general cacophony of … [Read more...]
Travel Tips For Families With Young Children
Traveling with kids is an adventure. It can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a major undertaking. Here are some of my tried and true tips to make it a little bit easier. 1. Try to keep some semblance of the normal schedule. This is probably my most important tip. Kids thrive on routine and normalcy (at least mine do!), so even though the activities surrounding naps and meals might be different, try to keep those core things that happen every day the same. For us, that meant making sure … [Read more...]
How I Decluttered My Pinterest (And You Can Too!)
Earlier this week, my Pinterest account had over 3600 pins and almost 100 boards. Call me crazy, but that seems a little excessive. What's the point of holding onto so much stuff, anyways? If this is supposed to be a place to save ideas and find things you want to use later, it might be time to pare down. So I did. As of this post, I have about half the boards and only a third of the pins left. I condensed my recipes into just a few broader categories. I got rid of individual holiday … [Read more...]
It’s Okay To Want A Day Off
What I'm about to say might be a bit controversial. Maybe that's why I'm posting it the day after Mother's Day and not on Mother's Day itself. It's okay to want a day off. It's also okay to think that's crazy. All last week, I saw various posts being shared about "the perfect gift for Mother's Day". There were a few different options, but one that I kept seeing is that "Mom just wants a day off" or "time to herself". The comments are divided here, but they're pretty much both extremes … [Read more...]
On Who I Am
It was the summer after 8th grade, and my family was taking the Disney World trip down to Florida. We were waiting at the airport, and I watched her walk past. Clack, clack, clack. Her black heels slapped the floor with each confident step, her carry-on rolling behind her, her Starbucks in her hand. She was calm and ready to take on the world at seven in the morning. She exuded ease and self-assurance, and I wanted to be her. Fast forward fourteen years, and here I am. I am not a … [Read more...]