Another year, another word of the year. In our case, we always base our word of the year on a chosen verse that guides our lives for the next 365 days. This year we’re taking it back to basics. Going all the way back to Genesis with God’s first words: let there be light.
Setting the stage for the holidays? We always know to sweep the floors, clean the windows, and wipe down the counters – but there’s a whole host of stuff to think about beyond that. Guests see the whole picture when they visit! Here’s a cleaning list that will make sure you get all the most important little crevices in ship-shape for the holidays.
This is gonna be straightforward and to the point. I’ve gotten a few messages on Instagram recently asking for advice on car seat installation. Lots of baffled, busy parents really just want the ONE car seat solution. The easiest car seat to install, one that can take them from infanthood up to elementary school and get switched from car-to-car in the interim. So here ya go.
I’ve talked about having a personal computer separate from my work computer, using kids messenger programs, and even trying voice control with TV. We’re BIG on tech around here. Having a travel laptop dedicated to being used on the road, though? That’s a hot topic. It’s controversial to integrate a screen into a vacation. Most families think this time should be devoted to personal connections. Here’s how our travel laptop helps us learn more, have more fun, and free up more time to spend together.
Chelsea and I have worked hard over the last decade to build our family. After getting married, we set out having kids straight away. Chelsea was building a career in marketing and I was struggling to find my own footing in the job market. Family finances weren’t always easy.
Last week, we trekked up to Los Angeles for a peek into some Grinch-y goodness. That’s right, it’s time to celebrate the holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood! We hung out on the backlot, ate some festive food, and saw snowfall in the park. That’s quite a sight for Southern California, I must say.
We always kick off the festive season with a Disneyland Christmas visit. It’s technically called Disneyland Holidays, but my family calls it Disneyland Christmas so we’re just gonna roll with that here. This is a HUGE tradition for us, and I feel pretty knowledgeable after visiting for years. If any of you are looking to celebrate the season in Disney style, here are my pro tips!
Our kids are constantly asking irritating questions like, “When you and Dada met, did roads exist or was there still mud everywhere?” I mean, WHAT? Are they asking if we predated pavement!? Perhaps this is a new version of saying someone’s older than dirt. In any case, I’ve been meaning to create a family album series for AGES, and I decided that the best way to start would be to make a photo book. I can now fend off my children’s barrage of questions by handing over tangible proof that Nate and I had a life before they were even a twinkle in our (tired, glazed-over) eyes.
We all crave our own space. A place to get away. A place that isn’t invaded by others, by other issues, other memories. A place with a clean slate to call our own and to escape to so we can process everything we’ve had to deal with throughout the day. Sometimes a quiet place to rest or just read a book.
A few people have asked how we manage all the rescue cats that I impulsively adopt. The answer? A BIG litter box! We have an auto-feeder and one of those self-changing litter box things, so the cats are pretty self-sufficient. As I said, though, the box is large. And the inside of our one-level farm house is pretty small. Ongoing renovations have shrunk our useable space even more lately, so the only place for our big litter box to go right now is a few feet from our dining room table.