We recently stumbled upon Philips Hue smart lighting while researching creative nightlight solutions for our children. Our standard plug in nightlights were always getting lost (Rocco and Zelie found it very amusing to steal and hide them), causing an extra layer of craziness in an already crazy bedtime routine. With school starting back up for Gabriel, Veronica, and Max, we needed to find a better solution than hunting down hidden nightlights. Routines can make all the difference with 5 children, especially when it comes to starting and ending the day smoothly. I was mainly looking for a new lighting option that I could set the brightness and color tone, and that could automatically turn on and off at set times.
I think once you find your go-to makeup items, it can take 5 minutes to get your routine down. Skin care is the key to minimal makeup, but it is so nice to have a few items that help me feel awake and ready to face the day. This is a break down of 5 minute every day makeup routine as well as what I use when I want to dress up a little more. I use Beautycounter as a one stop shop for all my makeup, skin care, and hair care items since I know I can trust their ingredients to be safe, but they are comparable in performance to my old favorites.
(“The Great Pumpkin” storytelling night last year.)
I got to meet a few long time blog readers yesterday at a conference I was speaking at here in Atlanta, and it was such a highlight for me! Seeing faces and hearing stories from readers is what motivates us to keep going. I love my work, but this year was such a tough one personally which made it very difficult to push through. I do mean it when I say we appreciate each of you who visit our blog. Every message, email, or note encourages us. It has nudged me to get back to writing family updates because that is the heartbeat behind all we do.
We started our second year of hybrid model school with the kids, and it has definitely been a smoother start than last year when it was all new and a tad overwhelming. We decided to hire tutor help for Gabriel and Veronica because we were slow to admit that it was impossible to run a full time business, teach lessons, and chase two toddlers even if there were two of us. We tried so hard to do it all on our own, but finally raised the white flag. Thank goodness we did. There have been days Gabe and I wonder why we make things so hard on ourselves. Hiring help in business or home life always feels like a financial investment, and it also can be tough to find the right kind of help. We found a great fit for our kids, and are feeling life is back to a more breathable pace. Our kids are still really happy with their new school, and having more time at home so for now I am just happy to make it work! VIEW FULL POST
The start of school was a whirlwind month, so getting away with the kids for a few days was the best way to end the summer! I highly recommend traveling during the off season. No lines or crowds, warm weather, and overall smoother travels! Traveling with toddlers is a workout man! So thankful for this opportunity all the same. Here are a few highlights we managed to snap when our arms were free!
For over a year, we have managed to go without any major sicknesses, and even avoided the stomach flu (I feel like I am cursing myself by saying this). I did some instagram stories on my wellness account about how we were able to build up immune systems and gut health this year. I received so many questions that I thought I would go ahead and put it into blog post format as a reference point!
We had our first international flight this week to the Dominican Republic, and a first time on a plane for a few of our kiddos! I think they were more excited about the flight than the actual vacation. We were pretty lucky with low airport traffic and lines both in Atlanta and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and got through really quickly. (We shared some tips for getting through customs here.) Here are a few lifesavers for traveling with kids that especially came in handy on the plane!
This year we are back to the hybrid model school for our 3 older kids. On the days we head to school, we have some routines that help us get out the door on time. Having been through several mornings filled with mishaps, I finally learned that the morning power hour makes all the difference for getting started on the right foot. Our power hour routine changes depending on the day, but in this post, I am outlining how we start our school days, and what gets us all going!
