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A Unique Mother’s Day Gift Guide for Mental Well-being
As Mother’s Day draws near, it’s time to celebrate the incredible women who nurture our families with boundless love and unwavering strength. Let’s break away from conventional gift-giving norms this year and opt for something extraordinary. Mental well-being is vital, and what better way to honor mothers than with unique Mother’s Day gift that cater to their self-care and mental health? In this carefully curated gift guide, we’ve selected items designed to empower mothers on their journey toward mental wellness. Nature Walk or Picnic: Escape the chaos of everyday life by organizing a tranquil nature walk or a peaceful picnic in a nearby park. Prepare a simple yet delectable homemade picnic filled with mom’s favorite snacks and delights. Immerse yourselves in the beauty of nature, creating cherished memories together in the serenity of the outdoors. Handcrafted Photo Album: Capture precious memories in a meticulously handcrafted photo album or scrapbook. Compile a collection of printed photos showcasing heartfelt moments shared with mom and the entire family. Add personal captions and artistic touches to create a truly unique keepsake that she will cherish for a lifetime. Cozy Loungewear and Relaxation Accessories: Encourage mom to embrace comfort and relaxation with a luxurious loungewear…
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Embracing New Beginnings: Why We Chose to Sell Our House and Embrace Apartment Living
My husband and I faced a decision: sell our house and move into an apartment. Our reasons were many, including a promising turn in my husband's career, freedom from debt, and a need for flexibility and mobility. The weight of our accumulated debts had become a burden, overshadowing our dreams and goals. With the sale of our home, we saw an opportunity to relieve ourselves of this financial strain and chart a new course towards financial freedom.
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The Best Gift to Give to a New Dad for Father’s Day
I had planned on writing this post a couple months ago, right before Father’s day, to share what I think is the best gift to give a new dad, but then we got some really exciting news that changed our lives! A little back story: My husband and I have been in the process of adopting an infant since October 2021. It has been an extremely long process, where our patience has been tested! Adoption has always been something we wanted to do. I’ve been wanting to adopt since I was a teenager, and I am pretty sure we talked about adopting on our very first date! The process has been long, with a lot of ups and downs, and we have been tested with our patience! Well, all that waiting has paid off, and on May 1st, at 8 am, we finally received the phone call that we were matched! We could not be any happier!! This was one of the best days of my life! Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have been a little bit hard for us these past few years. One major reason is because we have been dealing with infertility. My husband and I have…
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Dear Infertility… You Suck
Dear Infertility… You suck. You are a silent enemy, creeping in when I least expect and choosing to stay. I never expected you. I assumed that getting pregnant would be so easy. You showed me how naïve I was. I thought I could ignore you, keep myself busy. But you continue to show up, make your presence known. In all the questions from well-wishers who ask, “how many kids do you have?” or “when will you start having kids?” I see my husband goofing around with my nieces and nephews, I see him holding my playing, laughing with our friends’ kids. Like daggers to my heart, reminding me what I do not have. And then there are those who jokingly say, “Are you sure you want kids? Are you really sure that you are ready for all of this?” They say it innocently. They do not know you, Infertility, like I do. But, oh my heart. It feels like I am being stabbed. They do not know that I had been thinking about having children leading up to the decision to start trying to conceive. That was over two years ago now. Infertility, you have given me plenty of time…
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15 Easy and Budget Friendly Fall Activities
This past weekend my husband and I went to the Washington State Fair. It was a lovely time! We ate way too much fair food, which surprised me a little. I haven’t been to the fair since going gluten free, so I wasn’t sure what options I’d have. Plenty apparently! We also walked through the showcase room where people were selling so many products. Let me tell you, these sales people were on point that night. As soon as we walked in, there was a man selling a massage gun. He suckered Dakota in right away, and then as I tested it out he talked price with Dakota. Usually I’d be able to say “no, let’s find a better deal online”, but in that moment I was too distracted getting my own massage. Next thing I knew, we were walking away with a freshly purchased massager. “Ok, no more speedy purchases” I thought. Then we walked past a women selling hair gadgets. I walked right past her and she called me over, before I could say no, she sat me down on the stool and started running this straightener comb through my hair. All the while showering me with compliments…
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Intentional Living // The Blueberry Park
A few days ago, my husband and I went to a blueberry park near us. I haven’t been there since I was in middle school. Harvesting blueberries from my own garden recently triggered a memory of the blueberry park. And so, I let my husband know about it and we took a trip down there. After about an hour or so of gathering blueberries, we took them back home and I wash them, and then I was able to make a really yummy blueberry crisp with them. It was by far the best blueberry crisp I’ve ever had, and I don’t think it’s from my cooking. Those blueberries were awesome! I really enjoyed being there, collecting my own blueberries. It was really peaceful, and it made me think about intentional living. Slowing down, and really appreciating the simple things. Not only that, but there is just something about going out, gathering (not from a store) your own food, and bringing it back home to make something with it. Maybe it’s my hunter/gather instinct being awakened. Maybe it’s my love for free things. Either way, it is such an enjoyable experience. I see so many posts on “slow and simple living”.…
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Lessons from my Garden // Patience
We planted a garden this past week! Dakota and I have been talking about doing this for a while, and so this past week, we made it happen! I happen to follow some people on Instagram who either have these beautiful hobby farms on a nice property, or they have moved out to the middle of nowhere to start a homestead. I see all their pictures and I fantasize what my life would look like if only that could be me. I’ve started to see this trend of homesteading. Now listen, I love a good trend! I definitely feel that hype and excitement that goes along with certain trends, and I would love to jump on board with them! Especially when it comes to simple, clean living. For example, last year I jumped in on the sourdough bread trend, making my starter from scratch and then making my weekly loaf of bread. I loved it! But listen. Not everybody needs to go start a homestead. If that is your dream and vision, and you are able to do so, then go for it! But if you are like me, living in the suburban areas, it might not be possible to…
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6 Reasons Why Laughter Really is the Best Medicine
When was the last time that you busted a big belly laugh? Where you were laughing uncontrollably for a good period of time? A few weeks ago we went with a couple friends to go visit the game farm. I shared a little bit about the game form in this post. It was so much fun to go with our friends because the animals were super active and wanting to be fed. The animals were shoving their heads into my car to get a bite of bread we were just laughing and laughing. As I was laughing and snapping photos and being present with Dakota and our friends, I noticed the tension and life stressors just seem to melt right off of me. Right before that weekend I had some stressors come up with work with a possible schedule change. I was having such a hard time getting that out of my mind and just enjoying the present moment with my friends. However, once we started busting a gut laughing, all that stress disappeared. I was able to just be there is that moment without a care in the world. And I actually felt a lot better the rest of…
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A Thought on Simple Weddings
Sad, but honest truth… when planning my wedding, I was worried that it would be too simple, or boring, or that the pictures would be lame on social media. These were some of my darker thoughts during the wedding planning season. And they weren’t just my thoughts! Other brides have shared with me similar thoughts. But when did weddings become more about the pictures you would post on social media than the celebration of two people joining their lives together? When did it become having that perfect day with everything just right so that it could be a Pinterest worthy wedding? When did the decorations, flower arrangements, venue, food, cake, dress, and whatever else become more important than the people involved? Yes, some weddings are Pinterest worthy. They are stunning! Everything looks like a fairytale. But that shouldn’t cause you to worry that your wedding won’t be beautiful, and have fun planning and decorating your own special day. And it’s not just weddings. We live in a culture that lives for keeping up with the Jones’s. Everyday I see posts of the cute things that people buy at their Target runs. I see amazing trips people go on. Beauty products…
