I’ve listened recently to a few podcasts from fellow mommas who work for themselves talking about maternity leave and setting yourself up to check out when a new baby enters your family. When I worked a traditional 40 hour/week job before Ainsley was born, I took a traditional maternity leave that entailed checking out completely from all work responsibilities for 12 weeks. It was lovely, and going back to work full-time after Ainsley was born was soul-crushing for me at … Read More
Breastfeeding Round 3
I’m writing this post while 30 weeks pregnant and before baby’s arrival because I’ve gotten a few questions about my plans once baby boy arrives and if I plan to breastfeed. Maybe it’s a personal question for some, but since I’ve blogged about our journey with both Ainsley and Collins, it is something I’m happy to talk about. Breastfeeding has been a topic that has been really tough for me. I can see/understand the value that it has for baby … Read More
Traveling // La Playa Beach and Golf Resort – Naples, FL
We just returned from the most wonderful four days in Naples, Florida, where we stayed at La Playa Beach & Golf Resort and took in some much-needed SUN as well as rest and relaxation. In light of our need to cancel our trip to Iceland for Ainsley’s ear surgery we decided to squeeze in a really quick four day vacation while we could. Our days as a family of four are seeming more and more numbered, and with the girls … Read More
Transitioning to a Shared Room
As we prepare for baby brother to arrive in less than three months, I’ve been on a mission to get all the “big hurdles” taken care of. There have been a few looming items that have been on my pre-baby mental to-do list. Now knowing what it’s like to transition to having a new baby in the house while also having other kiddos to care for, I think my desire to tackle these items sooner rather than later is stronger … Read More
My First Experience Using a Travel Agent // Heather Christopher Travel
Hi Friends! Today I’m SO excited to share all about our family’s experience using a travel agent for the first time as we planned our trip to Iceland! But first, let me back-up and give you a bit of background on our travel history and how this all came about. Because a year ago I would have told you that a travel agent was absolutely NOT for me, and now I’ve totally changed my tune. Here’s why: First things first, … Read More
Making an Income as a Blogger
Back when I first started blogging nearly a decade ago (what?!) I had no idea that blogging was something you could make a living doing. I saw a few other bloggers at the time who blogging as a career, but the entire concept was a mystery to me. It wasn’t until a few years later that I started to dream about possibly making blogging something I could do as a career, or at least part of a career, if I … Read More
Flexible Work Schedule // How I Make It Work
Sometimes I look at my life these days and I can hardly believe how different it is from what it looked like just four years ago when I was working full time, blogging and Joe and I didn’t have any kids. It’s amazing how much can change in such a relatively short period of time, isn’t it? I’ve always been someone who loved working and wanted to continue working after we had kids, but as a child who watched my … Read More
Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Hi Friends! I can’t believe Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Crazy right? I feel like it’s snuck right up on me – paired with the fact that Collins’s birthday is ON Mother’s Day this year and we are getting ready for Iceland, I’m helping run a preschool fundraiser the six days leading up to our trip and getting ready to spend this coming weekend with my Beautycounter team leaders on our yearly incentive trip. Whew! So, I haven’t … Read More
Potty Training Round 2
We are currently deep into potty training (day 5!) with Collins and I thought it was worth putting a blog post together on the topic since I’ve gotten lots of questions on Instagram about the whole process. I’m NOT an expert, but I can definitely provide you with resources from those that are experts. Book We Read and Loved // Oh Crap! Potty TrainingThis book is both super easy to implement and understand AND fun to read. I didn’t think … Read More
Pregnancy Fitness Guidelines + Workout Faves
First things first, I’m not a medical professional, so please consult your doctor on any workouts you plan to do while pregnant. This is my experience with this baby and this pregnancy only. 🙂 As a miscarriage momma, I found that with both my pregnancies with Ainsley and Collins (more so Ainsley) I brought a lot of fear to my workouts. I had a lot of self-imposed rules I followed (no high impact activities, no running, obsessive about heart rate, … Read More
Favorite (Comfy!) Shoes Round-Up
About a year ago I came to a major realization: I needed more shoes. I know many women joke about having too many shoes, but I was in the opposite camp, sticking with the same very small rotation of shoes day in and day out. It wasn’t until I was getting ready for a Beautycounter trip last year that I noticed how lacking my shoe selection was. Over the last year I’ve tested a lot of different shoes. Since we … Read More
100 Unique Boy Baby Names
Hi Friends! Some of you probably saw that over on Instagram I asked for baby boy name suggestions since we are having THE hardest time settling on a name for this baby! Boy names = not our strong suit. I think we have a couple favorites we are deciding between, but many of you messaged me asking if I would share the name suggestions that came in. I figured the best/most long lasting way to do so was over here … Read More