Thanksgiving is *right* up there with my favorite holidays because I mean, FOOD! Amiright? Last year we stayed home and had the teeniest tiniest Thanksgiving feast with just the three of us and lots of Facetimes with our friends and family from afar. This year though, we are vaccinated and ready to talk turkey! I am so excited to celebrate with family again that I have already started testing my menu and making plans for my holiday table, and I did a little test-run at my house thanks to Walmart! read more

As we enter week 8 of being at home, I’m starting to feel like we’re hitting our stride and finding some new routines that make this not-so-normal situation feel a little more normal. The weather is starting to feel like spring and that is helping a LOT — getting fresh air and playing in the yard was a major mood-lifter this weekend. And there have been lots of silver-linings too, like finally having time to work on big house projects (I have some great before and after posts coming soon) and tackling my stack of to-be-read books. I’m finding it’s a delicate balance of keeping busy and cutting ourselves some slack these days. I’ve got some timely updates in this week’s download with Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day on the calendar, plus lots of reading list reviews, garden plans, and some kids stuff — scroll down to read more!  read more

Like many people, we’re looking at least a few weeks of school and activities being cancelled. I am a little stressed trying to figure out how I’m going to get work done and keep Jane occupied at home for that time. I took a deep breath after my mild panic and surveyed our closet where we store toys and craft supplies, and even dug into my “snow day” stash I was saving for snowstorms that never arrived this year. As I was wrapping my head around how to pace out these projects and activities over the next few weeks, I thought I’d share some of my ideas and favorite toys and craft supplies with the hope this list might be helpful to others in the same situation! I linked everything below with some context for how we use, play, and extend the time on each activity, and included a few of my favorite sites I use for kids activity inspiration as well.  If you have good ideas or resources for keeping kids busy during this time please share them in the comments! read more

Given everything that’s going on in the world right now, our St. Patrick’s Day plans don’t exactly look like we planned and that’s totally okay. I had gotten together a bunch of inspiration and ideas for a little party we were having for our local St. Patrick’s Day parade (it’s a BIG deal in our little town!). Parades and parties have been cancelled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a mini-celebration at home with our families. If anything, making some green cupcakes and special holiday treats are a good way to pass time and take our mind off things, right? Scroll down for some fun ideas, and give them a pin to save for next year’s bigger and better festivities! read more

I’m dedicating this week’s download post to all things Valentine’s Day! Swapping out my usually book list with some of my all-time favorite romantic-reads, rounding up a few local brands with lovely Valentine’s gifts, sharing kid-friendly ideas for celebrating the holiday, and pulling some sweet treat recipes to add to your sweetheart menu from my archives!  read more

I’ve always been someone who gets hyped over the new year. I love a fresh start, I love clean to do lists, I love resetting goals and the whole clean-slate thing. It usually gives me so much energy and momentum, but man this year has not been that way! I have been sick, Jane has been sick, we’ve been operating in a cloud of sinus infections, ear infections, and general exhaustion. I even had to cancel plans on my birthday so I was in a reallll cranky spot! Over the weekend I rallied for a girls night out with my best friends’ and today is the first day since the start of 2020 that I’ve felt like I can breathe (literally and figuratively, ha). So I’m trying to get back in the game — a little bit slower in my start than I anticipated — but with lots to share. read more

I am a full-fledged, 100% extreme, organizational nerd. But! Even I can use some help in this area and love following Corinne at Grid + Glam on instagram for all of her expert tips and frameworks for getting things organized. I started to adopt her Sunday reset method to set me up for success when I’m feeling overwhelmed with a busy schedule. And during my own week-long New Year’s house organization overhaul, I’ve loved leaning on the advice she shared with her followers about setting up systems that work long-term. To kick off a week of posts here on the blog about New Year’s Resolutions and starting 2020 off on the right foot, I’m so excited to share this interview with Corrine from Grid + Glam! (See my other resolutions posts in the series here about eating healthy and going green). 

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We are in the home stretch for holiday preparations (I need to start wrapping gifts!) and I thought it would be the perfect time to share some easy ideas for a simple Christmas dinner! On Christmas Eve my family usually spends the afternoon at a family friends house for an annual party. When we arrive back home there is a short window to prep dinner, so I’m always thinking of creative ways to make items ahead of time and use some shortcuts to speed up the time in the kitchen. My friends at The Honey Baked Ham Company shared some of their delicious products with me, and I used them to design a tasty Christmas menu. read more

I can’t believe how fast the month of August has been flying by! Summer is fleeting, so I’m very grateful for a weekend ahead with no plans. Going to soak it all up, get my toes sandy, and maybe make some s’mores with Jane (one of the last items we haven’t tackled on our summer bucket list!). Before I hunt down my marshmallow and graham crackers, I have a round up of new recipes, recent reads, and a few other random tidbits to send us into the weekend — happy reading! read more

We had the best holiday weekend full of sunshine and barbeques and outdoor time. To kick things off for our weekend of fun, we started on Saturday by taking a trip into Boston to visit the Franklin Park Zoo. We took Jane last year around this time and she was just starting to walk around on her own, so I was excited for her to experience it at this new age where she’s zooming around and interested in everything. We met up with our good friends and got there right when it opened, ready to explore! Jane was so excited to look at the maps (she’s obsessed with maps) and figure out where to start. read more

 
 
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