What You Need to Throw the Perfect Ball Themed Birthday Party

what you need to throw the perfect ball themed party at your toddler's next birthday.

Leading up to his second birthday, Miles’ toy obsession  was everything involving a ball.  And I know he’s not the only obsessed toddler out there! Since I love a good theme, I thought I’d run with a ball inspired birthday.  He had an amazing time! I definitely recommend a ball themed birthday party for your toddler that loves to play ball.… Read More

Mom Tales: Toddler Emotions at the Playground

Observations of toddler emotions and developing personalities!

Apparently, a large garbage truck is the most coveted toy amongst toddler boys at the playground.  It can stir big toddler emotions! I personally have never had any inclination to play with anything resembling a garbage truck, but to each their own.   Since it’s winter in Chicago, we’ve gone to a couple of different indoor playspaces. When Miles finds… Read More

Gray and Yellow Nursery with Easy DIY Wall Art

DIY Nursery wall art, gray and yellow nursery, nursery decor design, gender neutral

Dear Moms- the nursery is for you! And the baby of course :-), but  you are the one that will be there in the middle of the night breastfeeding, changing diapers, and generally spending most of the time with your baby.  If it’s your first baby, it can also be a very stressful and sleep deprived time.  This is why… Read More

20 Free or Cheap Toddler Activities to Beat Winter Cabin Fever!

20 Free or Cheap Toddler Outings to Beat Winter Cabin Fever! Ideas to get out of the house with your little ones!

February is tough!  The excitement of Christmas and the New Year has subsided and we are still left with the blistering cold weather.  As February begins, we all need a fresh list of ideas for things to do with our little ones! There are many toddler activities and projects you can plan inside, but sometimes you just need to get… Read More

Beginners Meal Planning on a Budget: With Sample Menu!

Beginners Meal Planning on a Budget with Two Week Sample Menu.

I’ve been cooking and meal planning for a while.  Not always consistently though.  As part of our save money live on one income mission 2017, we decided that our food budget needed the most work.  Like a lot of work!  So I set off to learn more and truly create a plan, a beginners meal planning guide that includes everything we… Read More

How to Take Adorable Monthly Baby Photos

Everything you need to know to take monthly baby pictures during your baby's first year.

Your baby changes the fastest in their first year, than any other time in their lives! It’s exciting watching them grow and develop.  It also goes by really fast.  Documenting their growth and development through monthly baby photos is a great way to capture all these changes! This is a fun way to document their changes and family members LOVE getting these each… Read More

How to Get Where You Want to Be: Creating a Vision Plan

Vision Board, Goals, New Year, Resolutions, Changing Habits

How do you get where you want to be?  I didn’t necessarily want to tell you my goals.  Don’t take it personal.  It’s not you, it’s me! 🙂 If I share, that means I have to answer to myself AND everyone else for areas where I fall short.  That’s part of the journey though. Trying new things and sharing when… Read More

4 Tips For a Calm and Spectacular Family Photo Shoot

4 Tips that are a must read before going to your next family photo shoot!

Halfway through our very first family photo shoot, Jordan looks at me and says, “Should we just call it? Let’s just put it down as a loss.”  I was right there with him and strongly considered it.  That is how badly our photo shoot went and how overwhelmed we were at the time. We learned some valuable lessons that will… Read More

How Others & Myself Judged my Decision to Stay Home

Stay at Home Mom, Judgement, Kids

I’m not going to lie, I was not feeling optimistic when I started writing down people’s reactions to quitting my job and staying home with my kids.  My expectation was that I would end up with a long list of negative statements and judgements.  I realized afterward that this was probably my own insecurities and hesitation around the change.  If… Read More

Why I Decided to Quit My Job & Stay Home With My Kids

Tips, Family Photo Shoot, Lessons Learned, Inspiration

In the end, it seems like it was decided for me.  Let me explain… I’ve seen many posts on how to afford being a stay at home mom, but in our situation it has been “How do you afford to still work?”.  I guess I’ve always wanted to do it all.  I wanted a family, but to also maintain my professional… Read More