love your everyday mom life
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 […]
Have you tried meal planning time and again, only to feel like you end up spending more money and having to throw food away? If so, I’m glad you’re here! My menu planning system is THE BEST, SIMPLEST step by step system for beginners to learn how to meal plan. This 7 step process will […]
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 […]
We had 4 kids in 5 years… I was pregnant or breastfeeding a total of 64 out of 76 months between 2012 and 2018. So, if you are looking for some tips on a maternity wardrobe that doesn’t break the bank, I’m your girl. Because while we were having all those babes and figuring out […]
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 […]
We have always lived out of state from one or both of our families. As newly weds, we used to enjoy the 7 or 8 hour car rides together… listening to new music or podcasts, reading aloud, discussing life, stopping as we please for coffee & bathroom breaks. Those days are long gone though. Fast […]
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. […]
Our 4th child just turned 1, and I can say for sure: it’s never too early to start setting expectations and training your little ones. 1 year olds understand WAY more than we realize. It might seem silly because those 1 year olds are so darn cute! Toddling around, giggling at peekaboo, pulling everything down […]
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 […]
There is an infamous 4 month sleep regression that happens sometime around when a baby is 4 months old. Coupled with typical postpartum exhaustion and/ or depression, it can be exhausting and overwhelming for even the seasoned mama. You can help your baby through this sleep regression and I plan to offer some explanation and […]
Confession: I’ve use to think Aldi was gross. I thought that you would only shop at Aldi if you had to. And if you could possibly afford to shop anywhere else, you obviously would, because ew, Aldi. I don’t know why I thought that, and seeing as how I’ve done most of my grocery shopping […]
Our zero-degree-freeze-the-snot-inside-your-nose midwestern winters are in full swing, and we are officially hibernating. I bought 3 months worth of food and we’re not leaving the house until April. The freezing weeks of winter here cause us to get a little bit creative with our indoor activities. And by creative, I mean, my kids play with our trash. […]
