One of my 2020 family goals is to get an allowance system going for the boys. They are very interested in money and want money to spend but, being five and six, aren't great at managing their money (of course!). As in, they like to get it out and play with it, or give it back and forth to each other, lose it, and usually want to know what they can afford to buy once they have about three dollars. Chris and I want to have ongoing conversations with the boys about money and to set them up to have... Read more →

In the spirit of MAGIC in 2020 I created a list of 20 easy-to-do things that will add magic to my year. I'm imagining the list might be especially useful on bleary-eyed days with a newborn or on days we feel not quite on top of parenting three kids. Basically on days when I'm not feeling the magic. At those times I hope I'll remember to look over my list and choose something to add a little sparkle to my day – several of the items would also brighten someone else's day. I've listened to Gretchen and Elizabeth on the... Read more →

Lately I've been loving my evening routine. I haven't always had such a structured evening routine or intentionally spent so much time on myself before getting into bed, but now that my routine has evolved I find myself looking forward to it every night. The parts that include getting the boys ready for bed are pretty easy and enjoyable but I especially enjoy my evening habits that are just to help me wind down and relax. I know our evening routine will change so much once our baby arrives so I wanted to capture what my evenings look like right... Read more →

The copious amounts of art that my boys produce is at once precious and overwhelming to me: so adorable! Yet so so much of it. But I think I've found a solution that captures their hard work but takes up very little space in our house. Presenting: the kid art photo book! Years ago, when Dash started bringing home adorable artwork from daycare, I quickly realized that the pages of construction paper with hand prints and glued tissue paper would accumulate. And fast. I had heard about taking photographs of art work against a white poster board background so I... Read more →

We have a baby to get ready for! We're excited to set up a room and make a space for our baby girl I loved the nursery we set up for the boys. It was genuinely a space where I loved to be and we spent a lot of time in there. That's what I want to create in this nursery too: an inviting and functional space where we enjoy being. I'm finding myself drawn to decor that is clean, bright, and colorful. I want the feeling to be cheerful. I'd love to share the ideas and inspiration that I've... Read more →

Hello third trimester! Just about 12 weeks to go which feels like a short amount of time when I think of all we need to do to get ready or when I look at the calendar. But 12 weeks also feels like a long time when I consider I have 12 more weeks of gaining weight and getting progressively less comfortable. But either way I'm happy to be in the final stretch and getting closer to meeting our girl. I love going back to read past pregnancy posts and am so glad I wrote several during my first pregnancy. When... Read more →

I love the way we started 2020: I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve and slept for eight hours (yes!), I went to a morning Orange Theory class, and then we spent the day at home organizing my office and the garage while the boys biked around with friends. I love starting the year with the habits I want to continue. I also potted new succulents for my office since I have a loose tradition of planting something new on New Year's Day. This is going to be a big year and I'm excited to get... Read more →

New year, new DECADE. Hello 2020! I'm always excited for a new year but I feel especially good about 2020. The number itself is so nicely symmetrical which makes me happy. Plus can you believe we get to live in the year 2020?! I can remember sitting in elementary school and having to figure out how old we'd be in 2000, 2010, and 2020. I can't remember if I had any specific thoughts about what I might be doing at 36 in 2020. It was probably pretty unimaginable to 11-year old me. I bet I thought 36 seemed really old.... Read more →