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What to Do with Kids – Easy, Inexpensive Activities during Winter

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I am SO SO EXCITED to introduce a new post series with you! For the final weeks of winter, I plan to share 4-5 simple, inexpensive and easy activities you can do with your kids while stuck inside on a weekly basis! The nice thing about it, you can do them at your leisure or whenever you have the supplies available, but most of these activities can be done using items you have on hand at home!

My husband and I try really hard to switch things up around here and keep it fresh for the kids. Generally speaking, we go a little stir crazy in the winter when we feel we are doing the same old evening routine. We tend to feel overwhelmed on weekends at the thought of “what in the heck are we going to do with these kids” (particularly when everything is closed down).

I plan to share the graphic below every week on Instagram, so feel free to follow along and same them so you are able to look back at if you run out of things to do! So, not only are we looking forward to doing some of these activities, I hope this helps you beat the winter boredom and makes your kiddos happy!

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Let’s Look: Coffee Bar Area

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Good morning and happy Wednesday! Today, starts a new year of “Let’s Look…” with some of my favorite bloggers to take a look at my coffee bar area! Excited to be sharing this little area because it is used EVERY.DAY! One thing I absolutely love about this space is switching up the decor on metal tier stand on a monthly basis! It is fun to have a little seasonal pop of color in this area. Now grab yourself a cup of coffee and let’s chat my coffee bar!

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Flower Power – Cut Garden Must-Haves

Happy Monday, friends! Today I am talking FLOWERS and could not be more happy to do so! I’ve been getting so excited sketching out new plans for my cut flower garden and wanted to share a couple favorites and tips with you! This will be my third year with a cutting garden and even if you have the tiniest bit of space in your yard, I recommend starting one! The neat thing, it doesn’t even require a ton of experience or hours of care if you select the right flowers! Want to fill your home with fresh flower bouquets this summer?

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Tip Jar: Budgeting for 2021

This past weekend, my husband and I sat down to do our annual exam of our household budget and savings plan for the year ahead. We thoroughly look at our budget and realistically examine potential expenses and find ways to cut/save money for the upcoming year.

We have built out and customized an awesome excel sheet template which is an extremely helpful resource for us. I can share if anyone is interested! Having a firm understanding of your budget can allow you to prepare for future expenses (i.e. school, home projects, home maintenance issues, etc.), reconsider what items are truly important and remove things that waste money all while challenging yourself to become a better saver. This sheet is what helped us make the jump for myself to become as stay at home Mom (and of course my husband’s career, we were blessed) – we number crunched and saw the opportunity was possible!

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Motherhood Monday: Buried Alive – Toys Edition – How to Handle All the New Gifts

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Good morning! Happy Monday and Happy New Year to you! Welcome 2021, I hope you are super sweet to us all 🙂

I’m sure everyone is still recovering for the holiday season – I know we are! This weekend, my husband and I took the time to sit down and regroup taking a thorough look at our budget and things we want to tackle. The main thing we both agreed on – donating, purging and reorganizing the house.

If you remember, the kids and I actually went through our toys on Giving Tuesday and donated a lot to make “room” for Santa and also give to those who are less fortunate than us. Along came Christmas and the onslaught of toys so, we decided take another look at the toys we had, where they were being stored and whether or not things should be donated or thrown away – again. We were able to find a lot more, so you can say I was pleased to rid of the clutter! I also went through my closet and found so many things to give away!

Today, I wanted to share some of our methods to keep the clutter under wraps AS BEST WE CAN because hey, we’re dealing with a 1,3 and 5 year old!

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Thursday Thoughts: New Year, New Me? Altering a Norm to Better Oneself By Serving Others

Happy New Year’s Eve! When I think back on 2020, it is easy to think back on the not so great things. Our “norms” have been transformed completely. Instead of moving through our crazy, chaotic and busy lives, we were forced to slow down, cancel our plans and adjust to a quarantine life.

While that was an inconvenience and could be viewed in a negative light, I want to rather view 2020 in a more positive light. What were some things that came to light for you in 2021 and how can you apply them in every day life? Slowing down, accepting that God is in control and communicating that message to myself has changed my mindset. It became evident to me when reflecting on the year, that the goal for myself and my family this year is to challenge ourselves to help and serve others. How can I be a better person, friend, citizen. There are so many things out of our control and the selfish approach would be to take control of it all ourselves and do things without realizing its affects on those around us.

In 2020, I feel I’ve personally been tested in so many different facets of my life. Between politics, relationships, parenting, zero normalcy, social media and a wild main stream media challenging our daily lives – I was able to find what triggers me in terms of becoming angry, impatient, judgey and distrought. Discovering these triggers has been a huge eye opener and really allowed me to see what is TRULY important a little more clearly. Actions speak louder than words but when words are needed, how do you use them properly?

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Weekend Rewind: 12/21/20

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I hope you all had a great weekend and are feeling festive coming into Christmas week! We are getting so excited for Santa to come and spent the weekend finalizing some to-do’s and enjoying some festivities before it is too late! I am also looking forward to crossing off some spiritual to-dos as well to make sure I am fully prepped for Christmas Day and also heading into the new year.

Today I’m sharing a little weekend rewind! I haven’t done one in a while so here is what we were up to this weekend!

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Friday Favorites – 12.18.20

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One week until Christmas, ahhh! In all seriousness, I am so so excited for the big day – we could all use some holiday cheer and His Presence to make our lives better!

I spent the week getting some things crossed off my to-do list and getting caught up on various things. While I miss the beach, warmth and sunshine – we are so happy to be home! Sharing some pictures from our little getaway below!

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Holiday Gift Guides 2020: Functional Gifts for Kids

I meant to post this yesterday, in fact I had other posts scheduled for the past couple days, but LIFE and VACATION got to me! I am back and hoping to stay ahead of the game! A major goal of mine is to be wayyyy more organized and structured in the blogging world come 2021.

Wrapping up my gift guides with Christmas nearly a week away, I figured I would share some FUNCTIONAL gift items that kids will love, but also YOU will love as well because hey, they’re needed! So here they are, some gifts that are both functional and fun. These gifts aren’t necessarily toys – they have a dual purpose and most likely will satisfy a need in your household! Happy shopping!

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Friday Favorites – 12.11.20

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Whoooaaa hoo! We made it to the weekend! I am dragging my feet this morning as my husband and I board a 6 am flight..yikes! We are so excited for a nice little get away and some warmth, but are really going to miss the kids. Thank goodness we have the most amazing families ever! The kids are in great hands and will have so much fun with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!

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Tip Jar Tuesday: DIY Christmas Cards

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It’s beginning to look like Christmas around here! As we speak we are getting hit with a winter storm so today, I am feeling those Christmas vibes! We were able to take some family Christmas photos this weekend and I will let you in on a little secret, every year I’ve done them myself. I know they aren’t the most amazing, but for free, I’m loving it!

I have a Sony a6000 camera – I purchased it after our honeymoon and was advised by the sales associate that it takes great quality pics, is very portable and acts as a DSLR camera. Now, would I love a DSLR camera, YES, but this was what I decided to purchase 5 years ago, so we are making it work!

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