Each year Justin’s family rents a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and it’s just the perfect week of relaxation and family bonding. There are now 10 grandkids, so everything is a giant production. We move slow, and we tend to split off a bit during the day, and come back together in the evening.
Read MoreWe've been back from our family vacation in Wisconsin for 2 weeks now, and I've finally gotten around to sorting through the myriad photos and videos taken on the trip. I realized how much there was to share, so I decided to break our vacation recap up into two separate posts, one for each week of the trip!
Read MoreJust over two years ago, my husband, my daughter, and I packed up everything we owned and moved from Minnesota to Florida. Since that move, we have added two more little boys to the family, and have made the drive back to the midwest 3 times. We opt to drive straight through, because we usually have our dog with us, and because unpacking multiple children, suitcases, and bags for a few hours of sleep in an unfamiliar hotel seems like a waste of time and money. The drive would be around 18 hours with no stops, but often ends up being closer to 20 or 21. Yes, you read that right. Almost a full day in the car with an infant, a toddler, and a preschooler. Yikes.
Read MoreHey! Long time no see! It's the July slump over here in blogland! Ok, not really a slump... more like summer travels and activities have kept us plenty busy! An 18+ hour drive to Wisconsin and back, preparing lesson plans for the upcoming school year, a birthday celebration, and just generally getting into the rhythm of caring for three children ages 4 and under have made the summer absolutely fly by.
Read MoreTheodore Scott
You are two years old! In some ways it feels like you've been two for so long. You're big in stature, big in personality, and now a big brother! I wrote in your first birthday post that you light up every room you enter. That holds true today! There is something about your curly blond hair and your goofy grin that attracts attention wherever we go. At the grocery store, Target, TJ Maxx, the beach, or the library, people stop us just to tell us how cute you are. You've got that je ne sais quoi!
Read MoreI was making great progress until about week 8 or 9, when I hit a weight loss plateau. By no means am I upset about this, but I did some research and brainstorming about how I could break through and continue to change my body composition. Here is what I'm changing up, and some things I'm continuing to do!
Read MoreOn Sunday evening we rolled back into town after two weeks of vacation in Wisconsin with our families. The usual 18 hour drive from Florida to Wisconsin ended up taking closer to 22 hours both ways. We always drive through the night when we make that trip, but this time we had to pull over at rest stops a few times to get some sleep. It might have something to do with having a newborn in the house...
Read MoreThe smell of coconut and banana scented sunscreen perfumed the sticky summer day as my sisters and I prepared to jump back in the pool. My mom had a "no TV before 6 p.m." rule every summer, so we took full advantage of the pool in our back yard. Our neighbor friends would flock to our house, because when you have 6 kids, what's a few more? We spent those long hot days playing "lemonade" in the pool, then laying on our towels on the driveway to let the sun dry us off. We then migrated to the front yard for an obstacle course or a round of capture the flag or SPUD. Our entire summer was spent in swimsuits, play clothes, and those parks & rec department baseball tees.
Read MoreWell, it's been awfully quiet on the blog front, and for good reason! We've been on vacation visiting family for the last week and a half. Of course, vacation with children is not really a vacation, is it? We're doing all the same parenting, just in a place without all the comforts and familiarity of being at home!
Read MoreDoes anyone else go through so many pajamas when their babies are little? Between spit up and blowouts, it feels like we fly through our stash of pjs faster than I can do a load of laundry. I can never have enough pajamas for the littlest member of our family, so when goumikids offered to send us some items from their shop in exchange for a review, I jumped at the chance!
Read MoreBefore I had my first baby, I remember being more nervous about breastfeeding than actually giving birth. I knew I wanted to make it work, but I was afraid it would hurt, or at the very least be uncomfortable. Now that I'm nursing my third baby, I realize that yes, nursing your baby can be painful in those first days and weeks. Yes, it can be tough if your baby isn't latching correctly. But once I got the hang of it, it really was a great experience, and much cheaper than formula!
Read MoreAs we prepared to welcome our third child into the world, I kept thinking back to how different it was from welcoming our firstborn. My sweet family threw me the most wonderful baby shower, and since we knew we were having a girl, we received piles of adorable dresses, onesies, and bows for our little one. In fact, she got so many clothes that we didn't have to buy a single thing for almost the entire first year of her life. It was amazing, and she had something new to wear every day.
Read MoreAnd just like that, half of 2017 has come and gone. So much has changed since our last family update, mainly the addition of a third child! We're starting to adjust to being a family of five, now that Lewis is 2 months old. The past 2 years have been a wild ride - we moved across the country, added Teddy to the family, started new jobs, got pregnant with Lewis, and traveled quite a bit in between. I'm looking forward to some continuity and normalcy for the next few months at least! Anyway, here's what we've all been up to the past few months...
Read MoreI have been blogging for a long time, but only recently started taking it seriously as a viable way to earn income from home. Once I made the decision, I began scouring the internet for resources to help me reach my goal of monetizing my blog faster. I spent hours upon hours pinning and reading articles about sponsored posts and affiliate income, searching for books about blogging (I learn best by reading), and adding ebooks and courses to my online shopping cart, then leaving them there, trying to decide if they were worth the investment.
Read MoreOur third baby will be 8 weeks old tomorrow, so as you can imagine, the topic of sleep has been on my mind! We've been very blessed with two amazing sleepers - both Pippa and Teddy slept through the night at or before three months, and really never had any major sleep regressions. At the risk of jinxing myself, I will say that it seems like Lewis will be following in their footsteps. He's been giving us longer and longer stretches at night!
Read MoreEver since our family moved to Florida, we've had the urge to discover all of the fun destinations our state has to offer. Since we've had two babies in our 2 years of living here, travel options have been somewhat limited, so we've been starting with easy day trips to the surrounding cities.
Read MoreHappy Friday! Hope everyone's having a wonderful week. We've been taking it slow around here and spending a lot of time inside due to rainstorms and humidity. The mornings have been lovely for getting outside for a bit, so we've been making it a priority, otherwise the kids get cabin fever! Meanwhile Justin and I have been sorting through some boxes that have been packed up in our garage since we moved over a year ago. We condensed from 7 bins down to 2, and I will be using the remaining empty bins to sort and organize the kids' clothes.
Read MoreWe live in an era where nutrition is incredibly confusing for the average person. One study says to eat less and exercise more. Another says carbs are the enemy. A few years ago we were supposed to avoid fat, now we're encouraged to consume "healthy fats." We're supposed to eat clean, but our food no longer has the same nutritional value that it did 100 years ago.
Read MoreBefore I had kids, I took for granted how easy it was to do menial tasks, like getting in the car, making a meal, or running errands. Now here I am with a 4-year-old, a one-year-old, and an infant, and nothing is easy. Going to the grocery store with kids can feel like an insurmountable task - a new mom's Everest. But little by little, you get better at it. You learn tips and tricks to get through those aisles, and before you know it, you're breezing through checkout like a pro. Just kidding, your kids will probably still be screaming and begging you for a sticker while you try to pay for your groceries, but it won't bother you as much.
Read MoreHappy Friday! We've had such a rainy week here in Florida, but we really needed it! Unfortunately that means the kids and I have been cooped up inside quite a bit, but we're managing. Lots of movies, puzzles, books, and trips to the library made it bearable, and I'm thinking Friday warrants a trip to Dunkin' for an iced coffee!
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