Dave and I both thrive on routine and structure — and for the most part, our children do too. However, there is just something about a special surprise or a fun change in plans that can instantly cheer up even the gloomiest of days.
These special surprises and change in plans are usually very simple, very easy to pull off, and they are almost always free. I call it “Upgrading the Everyday”… and I try to do it at least once every day.
We’ve had a Costco membership for almost 4 years now and although we regularly talk about NOT renewing it, we always decide it’s worth the cost for our family at this point in life.Â
One of the requests I get ALLLLLL the time is to share the things I regularly buy at Costco — so that’s what I’m doing today!
I had SO much fun decorating the boys’ bedroom for our most recent “mini makeover”! I tried my best to tailor it to the boys’ personalities, likes, and interests — and I must have done a pretty good job because they were THRILLED when they saw their finished space.Â
This room has odd sloped ceilings and some other challenges to work around, but thanks to some creative storage and “out of the box thinking”, I was able to create a fun and functional farmhouse bedroom for our boys!
A few weeks ago, I shared a Reader Question, asking how you handle fundraisers… and today, I’m back with another Reader Question (one I get very regularly) regarding extra-curricular activities!Â
Along with so many of my readers, I am very curious to know how different families approach extra-curricular activities!
Back in May, I made a mental list of all the things I hoped to accomplish over the summer… I’ll be honest, I did NOT complete many of them!Â
Although it’s very unlike me to push so many projects and to-dos to the “back burner”, I did have a good reason, and looking back over the summer, I’m happy I made the decision to prioritize other things over my personal to-dos this year!
As I’m sure many of you can relate with, packing snacks and lunches was something I hated doing — I even had Dave do it for a while. However, this task has grown on me over the years and I’m now to the point where I actually enjoy it!Â
What made the difference for me? A simplified routine, some fantastic lunch boxes, and a few more tips that I’m sharing in today’s post!
Living in a 130+ year old farmhouse has been my dream for as long as I can remember… despite the fact that they are filled with crazy sloped ceilings, unique bump-outs, and weird closets that can make organizing a bit more frustrating!
One of the crazy closets in our house is in the boy’s new shared bedroom upstairs. I recently gave this closet a mini makeover and fully maximized the space! Come check it out!
Dave and I spend a considerable amount of time working in our yard… but our hard work pays off (in my opinion) as we have a very colorful yard that is enjoyable for both kids and adults to spend time in — not to mention we personally enjoy looking at it every day!Â
I’ve already taken several pictures of our yard this summer, but never get around to it… so today’s post is a compilation of many different areas of our yard over the past 3 months!
It’s August! Only a couple more weeks of summer vacation for our family — and then it’s back to school again for another 9 months!Â
Although the kids are excited for school, having everyone home for the summer is pretty high up there on my list of “favorite things”! I’m sharing a few more of favorites in today’s post!Â
Over the past few years, I have gotten so many emails and questions asking me to share more about how I prevent burnout.
These questions have been percolating in the back of my brain for months now, and I keep circling back to the ideas of “planning ahead” and “gradual progress”… I’m sharing more today!
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