We have slowly updated our deck and patio spaces over the last three summers, and it has become a place where we spend the most time Spring, Summer, and Fall! (For instance, this post shows what the deck looked like back when we moved in and here is the patio makeover. ) Today I wanted to share a few tips for outdoor patio care and keeping outdoor furniture clean as well as how to clean those outdoor rugs! It’s actually simpler than you may think.
VIEW FULL POST
I asked my husband Gabe to write today’s post in honor of all the fathers and father figures out there fighting the good fight….
Early on in my career as an educator and mentor, I saw how an alarming number of kids lacked confidence. Not the type of confidence that comes with the belief in their ability to succeed at a given task, but the type of fundamental confidence that is rooted in security.
It became clear how adolescents more than anything need to feel secure and safe, so that when challenges arise in their lives, (ie: family challenges, peer challenges, school challenges, financial challenges, and so on) they have an internal foundation of security they can pull from. The type of security that can allow their personal identity to gradually develop with a confidence in their own self worth. Now, as a father of girls, I see the experience I gained as a mentor and teacher to these young ladies with priceless value as I raise my own girls. Here are a few main actions I am practicing to positively instill self worth and confidence in my daughters….
VIEW FULL POST
Our family was able to head back to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge,TN for a mini family vacation a few weeks ago which was a prime time to visit! You may remember our last visit a few years ago, and you might have spotted the commercial we made there that aired in the midwest and southeast through this year. I wanted to share some of our favorite places to visit in this area that our kids loved, and you can watch the commercial our family made (with Dolly herself!).
VIEW FULL POST
I have gone through birth 6 times now, and you would think it is something that starts to get a little easier. However, as I approach my third trimester, I I feel the anxiety starting to creep in. It wasn’t until I read Sydney’s description of healing from a past birth experience in order to prepare for a more peaceful one that I knew I had some work to do. It was like a lightbulb moment of realization that I still hold onto so many what-ifs and memories from a few hard experiences that I haven’t fully faced and worked through. Let me back up a little bit…
VIEW FULL POST
This is a gift guide full of items Gabe has used and loved! We hope this Father’s Day gift guide offers some fun speedy delivery options for the best men in your lives!
VIEW FULL POST
I’ve written a bunch about switching to safer ingredients in all areas of personal care for myself and for my kids, but I know I have shared a bit sporadically on social media. I hope this master list of pregnancy safe skin, hair, and personal care favorites can be helpful for many of you also trying to live a cleaner lifestyle!
It’s really cool to see that the information surrounding our under regulated personal care industry is actually becoming more mainstream news (hey Vogue!), which will allow companies to make better decisions of what they are putting on the shelves. Here is a helpful break down of WHY it is so important to understand what we are putting on our bodies every day. I think when we are expecting a baby, it makes us even more aware of the importance of keeping chemicals out of our bodies since it directly impact our baby’s health as well as our own.
VIEW FULL POST
This was one of those partnerships we have been excited to share with you. Thank you to Weber Grills for sponsoring this post! You won’t want to miss Gabe’s humorous r-etelling of The Perpetual Flame…
Growing up, I was raised in Milwaukee where summer hospitality and hosting is synonymous with grilling. My childhood was filled with the sweet aromas of beer brats, italians, kielbasa, stadium style dogs, marinated chicken, burgers, and every conceivable cut of beef cooking and caramelizing to perfection on a hot grill. Whether it be our sacred tradition of baseball tailgating, a regular gathering of friends, or simply an evening meal on a hot day (we didn’t have air conditioning growing up, so my parents often did not want to use the stove in the summer), seared glory was never far away. We grilled so much at our house, in fact, that my father built a special paved area of the yard which housed our three (yes three) different types of grills, one for wood, one for charcoal, and one for propane, as well as a large stock of corresponding fuels to feed each grill. All three, my father mandated, had to be a Weber.
