love your everyday mom life
I love stockings!! It’s one of my favorite traditions. I have such good memories of stockings as a kid, and I LOVE picking out stocking stuffers for our kids. But, I really don’t like filling it with random crap that breaks or gets boring in 3 seconds. Here are the stocking stuffers we’re doing in […]
This post is meant to be an all-in-once resource for Christmas with kids. It has a LOT packed in, hence the table of contents. Everything from modeling gratitude & generosity to Advent ideas to figuring out how MUCH (or little) to actually get your kids & what are the best toys that last for years […]
Have you ever heard of a Jesse Tree? “Using a Jesse Tree at Advent involves a series of 25 daily scriptures, devotional readings, and symbolic ornaments. Each day’s theme teaches a piece of redemption history, beginning with creation and culminating with the birth of Jesus. It is visual, interactive, and adaptable to all ages. A […]
I’ve grown to really like celebrating Advent the past several years. The word “Advent” comes from a Latin word meaning “coming.” There’s something about the anticipation. The set-aside time and space to look at the Giver of all good gifts. To remember that He became the greatest Gift we’ve ever known. I want my little […]
YNAB is by far, our favorite online budgeting tool for tracking spending and money management. YNAB costs $6.99/ month (billed annually), and the most frequently asked question I get about it is, “Why pay when there are free budgeting tools available like Mint? Is YNAB worth the money?” This YNAB review is meant to answer […]
This slow cooker vegetable beef soup/ stew recipe is from my faithful red plaid Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. If you don’t have one, get one! It’s a staple for all the basics in cooking!! Vegetable Beef Soup [Slow Cooker/ Crockpot] Ingredients 1 lb boneless beef chuck pot roast, cut into bite size pieces 1 […]
Ever feel guilty that you order too much last minute takeout? You’re just tired by the end of the day… it’s understandable. Or maybe you have every intention of making dinner tonight, but then the baby doesn’t nap well and needs to be held, and you can chop veggies very well while holding a 1 […]
Our first 2 kids are 17 months apart, and the first few months with our second baby were SO hard. I basically felt like, “WHAT DO YOU TINY PEOPLE NEED FROM ME AND WHY DO YOU NEED IT ALL THE TIME?” While our 17 month old could communicate decently with 2 word phrases and hand […]
In this post, you’ll learn how to build a capsule maternity wardrobe on a tight budget. We had 4 babies in 5 years (no multiples!) while paying off debt AND living on one income. So, if you are looking for some tips on a maternity wardrobe that doesn’t break the bank, I’m your girl. I’m […]
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to meal plan for a whole month (even if you hate meal planning). With 4 small children running around, I don’t want to spend a lot of time meal planning. So, I set up a system where I can now plan breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for an […]
I hear people bemoaning the darn grocery budget all the time! It’s so hard to know how much groceries “should” be costing. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “how much do you spend on groceries?” or “What should your grocery bill be?” In the last couple years that we’ve been paying off our […]
Today I’m going to share about how to survive a road trip with toddlers. We had 4 kids in 5 years, and always lived out of state from one side of our extended family. We love to visit them, and we sure as heck aren’t going to load a baby, a toddler and 2 preschoolers onto […]
Becoming a parent can be hard on your marriage. There’s a big learning curve, trying to figure out your new roles as parents, and how to communicate with each other. You don’t want to talk about your kids all the time, but when you finally get a quiet moment alone, you kinda can’t help it. […]
Today I’m going to outline a very effective plan for consistent 1 year old discipline for you to use with your toddler. From our experience of having 4 kids in 5 years, it’s never too early to start setting expectations and training your little ones. 1 year olds understand WAY more than we realize. It […]
Let’s be honest. The title of this post is ridiculous. Nothing could ever totally help you with preparing for baby. But, should you find yourself expecting a baby (or hoping for, adopting, or fostering a baby), there are a few things that might make the transition to mommy life just a tad bit easier. 1. Find […]
I used to be drowning in laundry. With 4 kids under 7, there were clothes everywhere all the time. Dressup play = clean clothes all over the bedroom floor. Outside play = wet, sandy, muddy clothes all over the mudroom floor. Potty training…I probably don’t need to elaborate on what potty training does for the […]
Whether your food budget is $100 per month or $1,000 per month, if you want to stick to the food budget you’ve decided on, you have to know how to track your grocery spending. After all, if you have a budget, but don’t know how much you’re spending, then do you really have a budget? […]
I’ve been wondering how I could contribute to starting the third world war. I decided that blogging about infant sleep training would be a good next step. I mean, if there is anything that can get some mommas’ panties in a bunch, it’s talking about sleep training or breastfeeding philosophies. But seriously. Here’s my disclaimer. […]
Before I had children, back when I was a perfect mother, I subconsciously imagined that our mornings would be slow and cozy… I thought it would be fun to have the kids come crawl into bed with me, and we’d all wake up slowly together. There were also unicorns jumping through rainbows in this figment of my imagination. But here’s the […]
First of all, if you are a new parent, CONGRATS! Kids are an awesome gift and you will sleep again. I promise!! Getting a newborn feeding schedule in place will help your newborn baby with tons of things: Regulate your baby’s metabolism Learn the difference between days and nights Help them start sleeping longer stretches […]