Lifestyle

Morning routines honestly, rarely happen right now for me. But when each baby ages out of nursing in the morning, I do try to inject a few little things into my morning to set the tone for the rest of the day. Routine or not, those first few minutes of your day determine the general direction of your day. Of course, you can change that direction at any time – but why not start on a positive path?

I’d love a new kitchen, but we know that is not always possible. I have figured out that even if you can’t actually get a new kitchen, you can make yours feel brand new! If your kitchen is feeling a little overwhelming, rather than inspiring as it should be, it’s time to give it a refresh. Whether you have some canned goods hiding in the back of your pantry from 10 years ago or your utensils drawer is out of control, you need a new year kitchen reset!

Looking for the perfect getaway this summer – where you don’t have to worry about leaving your new babe behind, or your daughter who wants to experience everything you do?

If you’ve been craving time away, but see the value in your kids having that experience too, Wanderlust Family Retreats are for you.

The key to shopping for a baby is what is useful? Gifts should be practical, for both baby and parents. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this gift guide full of perfect presents for baby!

After all the craziness that teachers go through throughout the year, they deserve a LOT of love – especially during the holidays! I’m surprisingly ahead of the teacher gift game this year and was able to get some of the options below that I know my kids’ teachers will actually use. Skip the chocolates and candles and get something unique!

After living exclusively in our homes for a year and a half, is anyone NOT a foodie at this point? If you have a foodie in your life or you’re a foodie looking to spoil yourself this season, this gift guide has everything you need.

As a mama of four under 6 years old, this gift guide was something I had to do anyway! From educational toys to an indoor ball pit, this has a pretty good range of options!

For the mom in your life – this might be the hardest gift giving you do! You want to get her something that shows effort while also being useful, fun, and within her style. We have a lot going on – so the last thing we need is more stuff that we don’t need. If you’re struggling, I have two guides for you! These are all things I would want, lol!

Whenever I get the chance, I love to host get-togethers with friends at my place! Hosting is one of my favorite things to do, mostly because I have too many kids to go places. 😛 If you’re heading anywhere this holiday season, I gathered some cool options to bring to the host/ess.

Thanksgiving – truthfully I feel like it kind of snuck up on me. Can you smell the turkey yet at your house? lol. A super fun time of year spent with family, friends, and loved ones you haven’t seen in what feels like ages. Annnnd of course, amidst all the fun and good times can be some extra stress trying to get everything planned.

If you haven’t started journaling yet and you don’t know where to begin, I put together a few of my favorite prompts. You can answer them now and again in a few weeks or years, so you can reconnect with your current self. Remember to take your time and get into the right headspace before you begin. This whole process is meant to be a benefit to your mental health, so don’t stress too much!

In the nine months of pregnancy, we have to figure out how to make our current wardrobe work for us, alongside finding new pieces that fit the baby bump! Fashion might be on the back burner for a mom-to-be, and that’s OK! We all need a good pair of sweatpants, too, if you ask me!

Over at 23 N Market St in Lancaster, PA, the Central Market sits full of local stands that should not be missed! If you’re in the area, stop in for a coffee, some fresh produce, and a chat with the local legends!

Tech Neck. Computer Neck. Text Posture. Whatever you call it, it’s becoming a more common issue than ever before. Working from home has been a large contributor to this growing number. Tech Neck affected around 85% of office workers before, now that number has skyrocketed. Yoga can be a huge help with pain relief after a long day hunched over the computer!

Snack time is pretty much all the time if you ask me, lol! I love having tons of different options on hand at the house to fill any craving, from crunch to chew, sweet to savory. But! I don’t usually care for snacks that are totally void of nutrients or satisfaction. Having easily accessible, healthy, and flavorful snacks around is important when you are looking for a healthy relationship with food. I look for snacks that have a nutritional profile other than just carbs and sugar. Why? Because the more you snack on empty, the more you continue to reach for empty. Don’t get me wrong, we all love carbs, but finding snacks that have protein, fats, and fiber are going to be more beneficial in the long run.

We’ve been doing a lot of switch-a-roos since we moved into this house last year as we try to figure out the perfect layout for who goes where. Once the girls found out what a bunk bed was – they needed to have that, and I thought “well, that frees up a bigger space for an office and guest room!” (Plus, maybe they won’t come down into our bedroom every night. That was wishful thinking.)

As a working mom of three, I feel the need to have something for myself in order to keep my sanity — can you relate? While so many people are able to focus on their morning routines, I often find myself lacking one because I don’t always have the flexibility in my schedule. With unexpected wake-up times, cranky toddlers, and three different breakfasts some days, I choose to focus on me and my self-care in the evening.. And yes, sometimes that includes a 10pm dinner in peace. Thankfully, we have passed the stage where our kids wake up in the middle of the night asking for a bottle, so the evening is really the best time for John and I to focus on ourselves!

Have we had enough time to reflect about ourselves and how we take care? Probably! For many, the last year has included introducing a new routine like skincare, fitness, or dietary in some way. Personally, I have really been able to lock in an important part of my day – morning movement. It sets me up for a MUCH better day than if I didn’t do it at all. Sure, it’s not something I *want* to do when I wake up in the morning, but the benefits outweigh those excuses. If you’re a parent you know that time for yourself comes far and few between, and when that time comes – it’s hard to make a decision. So what I’ve done is curate a list of a few things that you can try on as a fun way to treat yourself before winter is over.

If you’re not new here – you know that a huge part of what I do is look for new ways to nourish my body inside and out. (If you are new here – welcome!) I definitely noticed my skin getting drier and drier as we got deeper and deeper into the heart of winter. The coldness outside and the dry air inside is what perpetuates the situation, but luckily there are many ways to keep your skin hydrated and moisturized to head beautifully into Spring. Did you know that your skin is your largest organ?! Gotta protect and support it!

Whether you’re new to working from home or it’s been your longtime gig, you’ll like this post. Well, if you are a snacker like me – you’ll like this post! As someone who has managed business from home for 6 years now, I’m well aware of the tendency to wander over to the fridge and pantry and mindlessly make snacking decisions. I wanna start off by saying that snacking isn’t automatically bad, and you should feed your body when you’re hungry! It’s more about what foods you choose and how to tell when your body actually needs them.

Like most people, we will be staying home this year on Valentine’s Day. But if I’m being honest, we’ve always been pretty low key about it! This year I’m excited to incorporate some ideas to include the kids this year, since Valentine’s Day is falling on a Sunday and they’ll be home with us!

Brace yourself for “wellness season”! AKA when everyone tells you the trendy ways you can get healthy and feel your best. And while there are definitely some cool brands and products out there, after 8 years in wellness, I can tell you there are four rather easy and simple ways you can approach this and feel a million times better before you drop a ton of cash on those trends!

As we continue practicing social distancing, the holiday season might look a little more unique in 2020. However, I wanted to share one of my favorite holiday gathering ideas, a healthy happy hour! You can take this idea and get creative with it given your circumstances – you save this in your pocket for next year, or do a healthy happy hour with your family, OR even try it out over Zoom! – I love this concept and wanted to share it.

Gratitude means so much to so many of us during the next two months. We have holidays to spend with family and reasons to reflect on what we are grateful for more than ever. So how do you practice your gratitude? I want to chat about the various ways you can center yourself and practice gratitude each and every day this holiday season – and hopefully it will carry into your daily routine into the new year!

If you’ve been following my journey, you know that a huge part of my life is nutrition and wellness. Having focused on a mostly plant-based diet for almost a decade, I constantly find myself re-evaluating and assessing how I am getting the key nutrients my body needs to thrive. As I’ve shared before, keeping up with my crew is a full time job, so I make it a priority to find easy and efficient ways to nourish my body. I am always re-evaluating the multivitamins and supplements I am taking, and have some tips for what I look for!

I think most kids under the age of, like, 10, get up early, right? I have a solid 9 more years of early mornings, but my morning routine has kept me sane. *if something is constantly viewed as terrible – it will be terrible* So I try to treat my mornings like a gift. An early gift that needs lots of coffee! 😛

What I mean by that is – how can I make these mornings more enjoyable and actually work for me?

Self-care, finding time for YOU – it’s super buzzy, I know. I don’t know how to say it without sounding like a wellness trend – but your wellbeing is SO important. Now, more than ever, it is important to find time to unwind and let the stressors in our life fade away as much as possible. That cortisol and adrenaline can only surge for so long!

Sure, there’s always the “light-a-candle-and-meditate-method” but I wanted to bring you a variety of relaxation techniques and activities to help you unwind after a long and stressful day.

What you might not know is that there are a lot of oils out there which can cause you the opposite effect you are looking for. Marketed as “healthy” they are not always hitting the mark. Sometimes they are easy to spot – ie an oil you are purchasing off the shelf, but some are already added to the batter of your favorite processed foods. Yep, even those “healthy” ones! Always look on the back label of the products you buy at the store – oftentimes you will see an oil or two added into the ingredients that you might not do if you had made the food yourself.

We all have our big “no-nos” and rules in our homes, but one major rule that most people think I am crazy for is absolutely no shoes inside of the house. Anyone who comes into our home has to wear socks or go barefoot, or wear booties which we keep in supply LOL. Beyond being crazy, which I am, here are my reasons why!

While many people are aware of the benefits of oil diffusing there are so few resources that provide additional uses for essential oils. I’m so excited to share with you some ways that essential oils can be used in your everyday life that you’ve likely never knew about! (I didn’t!)