Some of my best memories of childhood are walking around picking dandelions as you go adventure outside just knowing it’s going to be the best day.
Spending a whole day outside getting dirty, swimming and being with family are my fondest memories and it’s what I strive for my children’s childhood.
Especially now.
So when my 4-year-old son came up to me while we were playing in the backyard after I was home from a long day at work and handed me a handpicked dandelion just for me I was so happy.
And then when my 2-year-old daughter followed suit and soon I was blessed with a bouquet of dandelions my heart burst.
So of course we had to make a wish on some of our dandelions, pick them apart and keep a couple as well.
As the days are becoming warmer and Summer finally is almost upon us I strive for dirt filled finger and toenails, chasing butterflies, bug hunting, riding bikes for hours, a day full of swimming.
There’s something so magical about a young learning mind. Creating fond memories for them that they will think back on when they are older just like me reminiscing on a dandelion.
So next time you see a dandelion, I hope you don’t get annoyed about the weed in your perfectly green lawn and think of it instead of happier Summer days spent soaking in the warmth that the world has to offer.
Peel apart the petals, make a wish and a perfect time to make some memories with your littles because it’s ones they will always remember.
A fun fact about me, I am a huge true crime junkie. So why not make it into a blog post?
Also though? I get super scared during scary movies. Like jump out of my seat and eyes are covered scared.
Kind of funny but oh well.
I have been loving podcasts lately, as a busy working mom, they are so easy to turn on while I am cleaning around the house or even during a long drive while the kids nap. Specifically True Crime Podcasts so I am here to share my favorites that I have been listening to lately.
There is just something about a voice that keeps you hooked.
Plus I love that during a lot of True Crime Podcasts they shed light on cases and give families potential to get justice or to even get unsolved cases solved.
Here are my top 3 favorites I have been hooked on.
Crime Junkie
Hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, these girls will make you feel like you have met new friends! I love Ashely’s voice and her story telling is phenomenal. They banter back and forth and I love how they exchange their theories to each other. These two girls have a soft spot for the cases they talk about though and I love how they advocate so much for the victims discussed on their podcast. By far my favorite to listen to and if you aren’t already it just might make you a true crime junkie as well. Listen here.
True Crime With Kendall Rae
Hosted by Kendall Rae, the passion she has for the victims she talks about and their families is remarkable. Another thing I love about supporting Kendall’s podcast though is she is always raising money for good causes and she truly connects with her fans. On top of all that goodness though she really knows how to hook you during her podcasts. I first started out watching her Youtube video’s which are amazing as well but I was so happy to hear she brought her stories to the podcast world because now I can bring her along on the go. Listen here.
Crime Weekly
Hosted by Derrick Levasseur and Stephanie Harlowe. So I first decided to listen to Crime Weekly because I absolutely love Stephanie Harlowe! She first created YouTube videos as well and she is awesome. When I heard she was on a Podcast though I was so excited and her and Derrick make a great team! Derrick is a retired police detective and private investigator so it is awesome getting his take on the stories they talk about and he gives great tips!Listen here.
Of course Serial and My Favorite Murder are favorites as well and are just iconic that first started the fame of true crime podcasts, I love finding ones I can really connect with and that tell stories just as well. These three are defiantly worth listening to and I look forward to their new episodes every time!
I think if you asked anyone though, they would all have something different to say about what happiness and success means to them.
For me? Happiness is a slow Saturday morning with my family. Breakfast, coffee with my husband and a morning routine that went as smooth as a babies bottom. Success would be living simply but being able to provide for my family everything they need and be able to give as much as I can to those in need.
Everyday life though, It can defiantly take a toll on how your mind perceives things. One thing I don’t like is negative thoughts! I like a clear, free, happy mindset and it’s defiantly hard to accomplish but it’s one thing I take pride in having.
I try to do little tasks that help get me there and I am even trying to incorporate new ones this year to help keep my mindset positive even more. I am here to share with you 6 ways to help change your daily mindset to be your best self each day.
Positive Morning Routine.
I am starting off with one I am still working on. Mainly I am just not a morning person. I have found though that your morning really does set the tone for the whole day.
Create a relaxing morning routine that helps bring positivity to those early wake up’s. Make your favorite breakfast, sip your coffee slowly. Plan out your day.
Or even make this into your evening routine if you need to.
Do A Weekly Or Daily Brain Dump.
These help so much. Get out your favorite notebook and write down all your thoughts or things you need to do or want to do. Sometimes my mind gets so boggled with ideas and I love putting pen to paper and jotting them all down.
It does not have to be pretty, it’s just a way to help you get things off your mind and put into perspective what you want to accomplish. I love brain dumps.
Get Outside.
Need to clear your mind? I always say the best way to do it is to get outside. Fresh air is just so good for you.
I love a long walk to help alleviate stress or negative thoughts.
I love getting outside and playing with my kids, it feels freeing for myself and for them I am sure. Fresh air is a wonderful cure of a mindset that needs some clearing.
Less Is More.
Another work in progress for me is decluttering. I never realized what a toll clutter can take on you.
It creates so much stress, always having to pick up things or move things or organize things. It takes up so much time and energy.
I am going through one room in the house whenever I get the chance and it has felt so freeing creating a less is more atmosphere in my home.
Find A Hobby You Enjoy.
This is a big one. I love hobby’s. They are such an outlet to a more positive mind.
Find something you enjoy doing and use it as a way to be happy.
I love reading, writing and doing fun DIY crafts with my kids. They make me happy and I always feel better after finishing a good book, writing up a storm or making something fun with my kids.
Find something you love.
Erase The Negativity.
Remove negative things from your life. It may be hard sometimes but it’s worth it.
Listen to positive Podcasts, life yourself up with encouraging words.
Give yourself the strength to end the negativity and bring only positive into your life.
I think this is something we could all work on as human beings in general.
Your mindset is so important and I hope this has helped you find something to help make you happy!
If you have your own ways to stay positive and keep the joy flowing in your life please share them below with us all!
I’ll be honest with you all, I’ve never been the best at achieving my New Years goals. it all sounds so great while planning it out on paper but then life just keeps happening and sometimes it’s easy to get away from them.
This year though, I am determined to stick to my goals. Stick to my guns and knock them out one by one.
My goals for this year, each one I tried to pick out that would just better my life and my families life in general. To focus on what I really want to accomplish.
Here is a list of my goals for the New Year.
Be more intentional
Save money
Finish updating our house
Blog more
Get the kids outside, even in the winter months
Declutter the each space in our house
Have a more minimalist house
Limit my screen time
Carve out more time for date nights and friends
Become a morning person
Work on my fitness
We have so much updating to our house to finish and I hope to do that this year so we can be happy with it. With updating though, I also want to become as minimal as possible. It’s a tough thing to do but I feel like that and organization will bring my stress level down a ton when at home.
A long with that, my family is my biggest goal. Get the kids outside more and to experience more. Date my husband more. Become a morning person so I have some time for myself before work and the chaos of the day to reflect on my goals and make sure they happen.
Less screen time and get my body moving instead. Work on my fitness and my health, physically and mentally.
I tried to choose things that all tie in together with each other so they are easier to accomplish for me.
I am just hoping this New Year brings everyone happiness, health and a whole lot of love. We all need it and I think after the last 3 years we all deserve it.
I hope we can all get back to the simple things in life that matter the most to us all.
What are your New Year goals? I would love to hear them! Share them in the comments and let’s help each other achieve our goals!
Although you still have your occasional date nights, Valentines Day sure does change once you become a parent.
The best part though? It’s still so much fun, but instead of romantic quiet dinners as a couple, it can become a loud family date night.
I’m here to give some great ideas to celebrate Valentines Day as a family. It is after all, a day full of love and what better way to spend it than with ALL the people you love the most?
Let’s check out some fun ideas for the family below 👇
Ice skating/ roller skating night out.
How fun does this sound? Ice skating is such a fun winter activity in general but I feel like it, along with roller skating if that’s what you prefer could be such a fun Valentines family date. I wish my kids were just a bit older so we could do this as a family this year!
Family game night.
These are always my favorite type of nights. Game nights are so fun for any type of night but it would be a great Valentines Day family date! Order a heart shaped pizza to go with it and you’re all set.
Movie night in or movie at the theatre.
There are finally good movies coming out again and movie nights are such a great classic family night idea.
A trip to the bookstore.
Grab a hot chocolate, a heart shaped treat and hit the book store! Pick out a good book and have a cozy family reading night.
Family karaoke night.
Along with game night, I think karaoke is so much fun even if I do have a terrible voice. Get creative and have fun! I’m sure the kids will love it as much as you do.
There is so much you can do to have a great Valentine’s Day while including the kiddo’s.
I hope some of these ideas helped you out and as always, thanks for reading!
Happy New Year, friends! I hope your holidays were filled with love. We had the BEST holiday season. I loved just spending time with our daughters and my husband. We made so many memories!
I wanted to share with our community a challenge my family agreed to do this year. You may have heard of it… 1000 hours OUTSIDE challenge!
It can be REALLY hard to WANT to go outside in the winter, when it’s 7°F outside, and actually do things. I mean there are the usual outside activities like, sledding, snowman building, skating and snow ball fights, but what about those cold days, where there is just no snow.
I wanted to share some tips, ideas and some links that I have found super helpful! The team over at 1000 Hours Outside has a ton of great resources and that’s what I used to start finding fun activities. I will link their website here.
Make sure you have really good snow gear! That’s my top tip. Invest in a nice warm winter coat. We went with the Columbia Bugaboo II coat for both of my daughters. I like it because it’s a 3 in 1, so the can wear it all year long! My younger daughter always gets the hand me down snow pants from her older sister. Insulated boots are a must, too!
Another tip, make sure you prep the water for cocoa BEFORE you go out! That way it’s ready when you come in from the chilly outside.
Next year, my husband and I are going to try to make an ice rink. We thought about doing it this year (and we may still if I can convince him), but he’s afraid by the time we get it up to use, it’ll be time to take it down (LOL). There are so many great ideas on Pinterest and google on how to build. When we do ours, this year or next, I’ll be sure to share that tutorial!
Another fun thing I saw was building an igloo! A friend of mine, her husband and her two kids are actually working on one right now! I can not wait to see how it turns out! we have our fort (I will insert a picture below) and it is so fun. I love watching the girls use their imaginations when they’re in it!
How do you track each of the 1000 hours you spend in the great outdoors? A coloring sheet of course! They have so many options for trackers. They hold a contest on their social media each year to design the next years trackers. If you’re crafty, it’s a great opportunity to share your art.
I hope you use these tools and resources to help enjoy winter again! I’ll update you in the spring with how many hours we will have on the tracker!
We kicked off summer with an INCREDIBLE vacation to Port Austin, MI. It is our favorite spot to camp, and we go back as often as we can.
We tent camp, and I could write a whole blog on camping with kids and a dog. It’s a lot of work, but the work is totally worth the reward!
I wanted to talk about this awesome small town at the tip of Michigan’s thumb! This is the second family trip we’ve taken, and we plan to go back again as a yearly tradition.
We always camp at a Michigan state park, Port Crescent State Park. It is called that because the park is on a crescent shaped bay right before the Saginaw bay.
The water is shallow and crystal clear and super sandy for many yards out. It is perfect for kids or young swimmers. The sand bar was insane this year. It actually started at the shore which is something I have never experienced at a Michigan beach.
The sunsets are INCREDIBLE. I live on the east side of MI, so we get stunning sunrises, so experiencing sunsets is my favorite part about the trip.
It’s also a pet friendly park, so we were about to take Addie with us! She REALLY enjoyed digging in the sand with the girls. She loved exploring all things!
There is plenty of hiking and fishing you can do as well at the park. There’s also a nice playground and two bathrooms with showers if needed!
We kayaked one year to a very famous rock structure, Turnip Rock! That trip was so much fun. We rented kayaks from Port Austin Kayak. We rented them for the four hour time. It took roughly two hours to get to the rock structure. It was totally worth it. My phone died just before we got to the structure, so I borrowed an image from Huron County Park’s website.
There is also Caseville up there too! That is home of the “Cheesburger Festival”. Yes it is a festival dedicated to cheeseburgers. Such a fun little town.
We loved traveling so far and are planning another trip in August! Do you have any recommendations in or near MI?! Let me know!
AD- This is a paid advertise in collaboration with Basic Invite. All opinions are our own.
I don’t know about you but I love a beautiful card. I have a habit of saving some of our favorites because sometimes you just can’t get rid of a beautiful card or invite! Yes, hoarder alert I know.
Plus, being a family I’ve found how much I enjoy doing holiday cards! So much fun, we did them for the first time this past Christmas and I am hooked.
So when Basic Invite reached out to us, it was so exciting! I am almost sad though because I would have LOVED to use their invites for my wedding and baby shower a couple years ago. I am happy I can use them for all my holiday needs and business cards though.
With new engagements, graduation invitations, and holiday’s always coming up I feel like Basic Invite provides a wide variety of options for all and we are so excited to share with you!
Here’s a little bit more about the company itself and all they have to offer.
Almost Unlimited Colors- Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design, you can change the color of each element on the card. With over 180 colors to choose from, you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it. This is what sets us apart from almost any other online stationery company.
Custom Samples- Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers to order a printed sample of their actual invitation before they place their final order. They can see the paper quality and how it will print in real life and make sure the card is perfect.
Over 40 Different Colors of Envelopes- Basic Invite has over 40 different envelope colors to choose from. With so many options, customers can make their envelope match the invitation. All of Basic Invite’s envelopes are peel and seal so the envelopes can be closed quickly and securely.
Address Capturing Service- Basic Invite offers an address capturing service that allows customers to share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media to request their friends and family’s addresses. The addresses are stored in the customer’s account and can be selected during the design process. Basic Invite offers recipient address printing at no cost on all card orders.
Foil- Foil cards are available in gold, silver, and rose gold. Customers can choose flat or raised foil on all of Basic Invite’s foil designs.
I think the most exciting thing right now is graduation party invitations! They have tons of fun and gorgeous graduation templates to choose from and with everything happening it’s so important to make our seniors feel special still!
We’ve received a sample kit and the way they are packaged is so beautiful, I almost didn’t want to take anything out because of nicely it was all packaged and put together. Highly recommend Basic Invite for all of your needs. I will be ordering my future holiday cards from them from now on and I can’t even wait.
They gave us a coupon code for our readers. Right now you can get 15% off your order with the code 15FF51
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