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When I first began pursuing minimalism about a year and a half ago, I distinctly remember a time when I had returned from the grocery store to a solid surprise. I’d only been out less than an hour while my husband watched our two daughters, but upon walking through the door, it appeared that the […]

Photo credit: @tanyashatsillo It was snack time and our two hangry daughters pulled at my pant legs. As I stood in the kitchen, watching the rain fall on the patio pavement outside our minimalist, Kansas City apartment, I pacified their pulling with a couple of fruit and chocolate muffins. We’ve been making muffins a lot […]

I always thought I’d be a “boy mom.” I had a house full of brothers, I went through a serious tomboy phase, and l loved sports. It seemed like life was preparing me to be a mother of boys— but that’s not the case. I am a mom to two beautiful daughters who twirl, sing, […]

Before I became a mom, Christmas gift giving was simple. I could count on gift cards from my parents, a book from my brother, and a sweater from my mother-in-law. The amount of stuff I brought into our home after the holidays was always manageable. But Christmas with children, I soon found out, was a […]

Lately I’ve been happily fielding a not-so-surprising question: “Why are you raising your family in a 1,000-square-foot apartment?” Well, actually, the question usually sounds more like, “Aren’t you looking for a house?”  While we certainly could be house hunting if we wanted, the truth is, we don’t have the desire. We did the live-in-a-house thing […]

image credit: Annaka Davidson Have you ever had a playdate go like this: children begin to play and immediately doctors kits are dumped out on the couch, toy bins turned over, play food strewn about the living room floor? The once-tidy home quickly losing it’s put-together feel? Do you sometimes find yourself wishing your kids […]

This week, February 25th-March 3rd, is Eating Disorder Awareness Week. In an effort to shed light on this struggle that many men, women, and children face, we are sharing this story in hopes to expand the conversation, raise awareness, and provide resources for those struggling with an eating disorder or interested in seeking treatment. Six […]

A couple years ago, a good friend came to visit. She had just read Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts and was overflowing with excitement — the book had left her with a new perspective on life. It had opened her eyes to the power of gratitude. And she couldn’t stop talking about it. “Our […]

I sat at the kitchen table of a new friend’s home recently. She has eleven kids. I have two. Needless to say, I was taking mental notes on any “mom hacks” I could glean from our conversation. Between sips of hot lentil soup and comments on the softly falling snow outside, the topic of laundry […]