I’ve mentioned a time or two that Nate works a shift schedule in his role as an emergency first responder for the county. He’s on for 12 hour blocks, three or four days per week, with overtime often adding up to 20 extra hours weekly.
Our family was hit with that gnarly flu last month, and everything got thrown out of whack around our house. It’s all errands and doctor appointments and an obnoxious amount of time spent in the car while we get back up to speed. In order to avoid the drive-thru as much as possible, I’ve been toting along veggie muffins as a handy (and healthy!) snack.
The first day of childcare with my first son was fairly typical. I’d read numerous studies about the benefits of childcare (I’m a former elementary school teacher, after all) and I knew that socialization would do him good. We started with a half day for practice, we implemented a brief goodbye routine, I sent him in with a lovey from home and tried to act super-confident before secretly dashing to the car and loudly sobbing about my baby growing up. My second son’s transition was similar.
And then came child number three.
Visit California recently reached out to me for my experience and expertise to help spread the word about National Plan for Vacation Day. They wanted my take and advice on helping people better use their unused vacation days. I love traveling with my kids – especially in southern California – and proposed a plan that they loved and agreed to sponsor for our blog. So this is my take on how to use those stowed away vacation days to improve your standard of living!
Camping is a great way to have fun with family and friends, but it can be very costly if you jump into it without planning ahead. Today, we’re sharing how you can enjoy the camping experience without a second mortgage for gear.
This may come as a shock to most of you, but I’m kind of a minimalist in the kitchen. I prefer not to keep a ton of complicated ingredients around, sticking instead to some versatile basics that lend well to a plethora of different recipes. That’s why chia seeds have become a fast favorite around here. They store for months without any fuss, and they work as easily into a chia pudding as they do a salad dressing, pancakes, protein bars, jam or muffins.
Christmas has come and gone. You’ve got all sorts of fun new technology itching to get out of the box and get put to good use! We’re here to help, with quick and easy rundowns of all our favorite new smart home gear to get your New Year house ALL jazzed up. First on the list? Amazon Alexa and her best pal, DISH. Oh yeah, these two pieces of tech mastery play super well together.
It’s time for our word of the year! You may recall that Nate and I always pick a word of the year that comes from a bible verse that speaks to us. There’s always a specific word or short phrase that jumps out at us, and we usually do a little craft or make a frame to display that passage in our home. We keep it in our hearts to guide our decision-making from month-to-month. This practice has had a massive impact on our lives.
I’ve received a couple messages on Instagram lately asking what my DEAL is with farmers. “Are you a farm family?” one curious follower asked. “I’ve noticed you post pictures of goats and tractors, but you also travel a bunch soooo I’m wondering how that works.” It’s true that my love of homesteading and my love of travel are in direct competition with one another. Such is life when you’re the daughter of a flight attendant and grew up in a farming neighborhood!
Life is an adventure that is full of many twists, turns, lessons, hardships and joys. Hopefully, the overall net result is something that leaves one satisfied and fulfilled. Some vest their value in family and some find their pursuits aimed at the overall experience. Some seem to wander aimlessly while others are driven toward something great. I went to high school with plenty of aimless wanderers. They bounce off a lot of things.