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  • January 8, 2019|

My Word of the Year for 2019

A new year doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop working on myself. I’m going to continue a lot of the habits that I created this past year and create new ones to continue to work toward becoming a better me. While I continue the habits that I started this past year, I want to shift my focus and work on being more intentional in other areas of my life. Last year I let my word inspire my goals and the way I lived and I can honestly say that it made a difference in my life. I’m really excited to see how the word that I’ve chosen for this year affects who I am as a person and how I interact with the world around me.
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  • December 6, 2018|

Christmas Cookie Decorating Date Night + The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

Rather than having my own sugar cookie decorating party to get gifts ready for neighbors and our contribution ready for parties, I invite Joe to join me and we make a date of it. Some times he helps me frost, but most times he’s the taste tester every step of the way. We turn on Christmas music or bring the small TV up and watch a Christmas movie while we decorate. Sometimes we’ll get all of the decorating done while the kids are decorating their cookies at the kitchen table, but a lot of times I opt to wait until they have gone to bed or are taking their naps.

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  • November 14, 2018|

Dividing Your Time with Both of Your Families During the Holidays and All Year Long

“How do you divide your time between the two of your families for the holidays?” It's one of the questions I get asked the most this time of year and one of the things that I think married couples worry about the most. Deciding how to spend your time for the holidays, which family traditions to participate, and making sure that you get quality time with each of your families while leaving room in the schedule for quiet nights at home and your own traditions can be a challenge.

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  • November 6, 2018|

How We Share Our Love with Our Furry Family Member

With two toddlers and many life responsibilities, it can be easy to feed, walk and bathe the dog but not remember to give them attention beyond that. We've had a lot of changes in our home the last few years and as we've adjusted, Howie has adjusted along with us. We have made an effort to show him more love on a daily basis, giving him the same quality of attention that we give to our children and each other. He is loyal and loving and always excited to see us and he deserves the same kindness and love in return.

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  • October 30, 2018|

9 Ideas for Fun Birthday Surprises to Gift Your Spouse

My sister-in-law used to tell me that by going big with the birthday celebrations those first few years of our marriage, I was setting the bar high for birthdays for years to come. That didn’t deter me in any way! Some years our celebrations are big and extravagant and others they are more low key. The one thing I try to incorporate into my husband’s birthday surprises each year is making him feel special. It doesn’t matter what you do for your spouse for their birthday, what matters is that they know you care and that they feel loved and appreciated and important in this world. I believe that everyone deserves that every day of their life, but a little extra on their birthday.

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  • October 25, 2018|

Four Ways to Record Your Love Story – At Home Date Idea

This at home date night activity could be a one time thing, happen once a month so you can keep things updated and journal as life unfolds, happen every so often until you’ve finished recording your story or it could be incorporated into your anniversary celebration each year. Here are four fun and unique ways to record your story together and strengthen your marriage and family relationships.

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  • October 23, 2018|

Eight Years Ago….

Five years ago I wrote our love story in more depth across a series of posts. I had a lot of fun reminiscing on the early days of our relationship as I read through those posts the other day. It felt like the perfect time to bring those posts back to the surface and share them with those of you who might not have read them before.

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  • October 18, 2018|

30 in my 30’s Bucket List

A few years ago I started a 30 by 30 bucket list, with so many other 20 somethings out there, but I never finished compiling mine and consequently, never completed it either. Over the last year, as I’ve been working on becoming a better version of myself, I decided I wanted to accomplish some things that I’ve always talked about doing but haven’t ever done. I created this bucket list of 30 things that I want to do in my 30’s. To me, having 10 years to complete everything seemed less overwhelming and it allowed me to dream a bit bigger but still reach for the low hanging fruit that I know I’ll enjoy as well. I had a lot of fun coming up with this list and I know I will have even more fun crossing things off of it.

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  • October 16, 2018|

Things I Do Regularly for My Mental Health

When I decided to work on myself this year, I didn’t realize that my mental health was going to play such a huge role in how I felt overall. This summer I was diagnosed with anxiety, another story for another day, and that diagnosis has made all the difference in my life these past three months! Beyond taking medication regularly, I’m more mindful and aware of my emotions and the feelings that anxiety brings up. I have been able to pep talk myself out of feelings of overwhelm that show up for no good reason and threaten to ruin my day. I’m also more intentional about what I do with my time each day and have noticed that the things I do combat my anxiety almost better than the medication that my doctor prescribed.

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  • October 11, 2018|

Five Ways I’ve Invested in Myself this Year

At the beginning of this year, I decided that I was going to make it a year when I made myself a priority. Over the past few years, I’ve lost myself in pursuit of being the best wife, mom, employee, student, friend, daughter, sister, etc. that I can be. It was by no fault of the people in my life, I only have myself to blame. I’d put my own care on the back burner and ended up in a rut that I felt like I couldn’t get out of. I’ve done a lot to invest in myself this year and to be the best me that I can be. It probably comes as no surprise that as I’ve become a better version of myself, I'm better in the other roles that I fill in my life as well.

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  • October 9, 2018|

Marriage Advice for Newlyweds – Six Ways to Create a Long Lasting Marriage

I’ve heard something about marriage recently that I've had a hard time grasping. I guess there are people who go into marriage with the plan that it will be their "first" or not last forever. To me, marriage is a lifelong commitment and I do everything in my power to make it last that long. I understand that things have to end in some situations, but I can't imagine going into such a serious union planning for it to end. Creating a marriage that will last a lifetime takes effort, it won't happen just because you're hoping for it.

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  • September 27, 2018|

Five People Who Should Consider Life Insurance in their 20’s

This topic has been on my mind a lot lately for two reasons. One, Joe and I just transitioned our life insurance policies over to another company so we've been discussing the topic frequently. Two, I've heard of so many people passing away lately and not only are their families left behind, mourning the loss of their loved one, I've often heard mentioned the financial burden that they are left with at well.

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  • September 20, 2018|

9 Fun Daytime Date Ideas for Married Couples

Every once in a while, we like to step outside our regular date night routine and go on a date during the day. Day time dates are our favorite for a lot of reasons. Activities and meals tend to be cheaper during the day with happy hour prices and matinees. If we go on a day date, we can go while our kids are napping and not feel quite as bad about leaving them, especially if we’ve been gone a lot for work the week before. I generally have a lot more energy earlier in the day than at the end, so I’m better at conversation, and tend to have a lot more fun because I’m not tired and wishing for an early bedtime. We’ve also found that because most people go out for date night or with their families at night, places tend to be less crowded during the day time. If you haven’t been on a day date in a while, put one on the calendar now!

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  • September 18, 2018|

Why You Need to Compile a Home Inventory and How to Do It

Whether your most valuable possession is the toaster oven you splurged on with gift cards from your wedding, or that china cabinet filled with your grandma’s best china and you picked out to display in your front room, you need a home inventory. I wish that I’d continued to compile ours after I started it our first year of marriage. If I had kept that up and added new items as we purchased them, it wouldn’t feel so overwhelming to do it now. You could even turn this project into an at home date night. Send the kids to grandma’s for a few hours, put on some music, drink smoothies and work together to catalog all of the things that you own.

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  • September 13, 2018|

Date Night At Home – Dinner By Moonlight

As much as I love getting out of the house for a little one-on-one time without the kids, sometimes we’ve had a long week and staying home sounds so much better. One of my favorite things about date night at home is getting to enjoy a dinner together alone. No kids requesting something we have to get up from the table for and no people to watch and distract us like at the restaurants. There’s just something cozy about spending time together at home.

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  • September 11, 2018|

How We Store Our Food Storage in a Small Living Space

This next year I’m hoping to build shelves in our food storage room so that I have space to slowly start building a bigger food supply each time I go grocery shopping. There are a lot of great lists on Pinterest to help you build up your supply, one item at a time. This is one of my favorite resources for building your food storage over the course of a year, using only $5 a week. That’s the list that I’m currently planning on using to build up our food storage supply in the coming year.

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  • September 6, 2018|

My Routine for Perfect Date Night Hair + My Favorite Hair Products

Over the last few years, I've found myself doing my hair in the morning less and less. Even though I recently made it part of my daily routine, there are some days when I decide to use that time on other things. But no matter what, I ALWAYS do my hair for date night, even if it's right before we leave, and I usually spend a bit more time making it look just right for the occasion. I have a goal to do my hair and makeup more often for myself and to show my husband that I still make an effort as part of my daily pursuit of him.

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  • August 30, 2018|

Budget Friendly Date Idea for These Last Summer Nights

I'm both excited and sad that summer is coming to a close. This past week there's been a slight nip in the air and I even put on a sweatshirt the other day. I'm excited for a new month and the changes to our routine that are coming. While the weather is still warm, we're sneaking in a few outside date nights. This date activity is free and can be done when you aren't able to get out of the house or after dinner when the babysitter is home putting your kids to bed. It can be romantic or it can be silly, but it's a great opportunity to relax and connect together.

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  • August 28, 2018|

How to Have Spontaneous Dates + 10 Spontaneous Date Ideas

Just because a date is spontaneous doesn’t mean it has to be frantic or stressful or even unplanned. (Sounds counterproductive right?)  In fact, planning your spontaneous date nights can be a really important factor in having a spontaneous date night. Parker and I have a list of dates that we would like to go on a some point and then we go from there. We made our initial “date bucket list” when we were dating and then have added to it as we’ve crossed things off or thought of new ideas. 

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  • August 21, 2018|

Grilled Chicken/Turkey Breast – My Favorite Recipe for Summer Barbecues

For as long as I can remember, every time my family hosts a summer party in the backyard, my mom grills turkey (or chicken) breast. When this recipe is on the grill, I'll pick it over a hamburger or hot dog any day! The meat is juicy, flavorful and makes enough for a crowd. If there is enough left at the end of the meal to take home leftovers, the turkey/chicken makes great sandwiches, salads, wraps, etc. It's even yummy cold!

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  • August 14, 2018|

Growing Together Instead of Apart

A lot of the things that we've gone through together could have easily pushed us apart. We could have let the stress, frustrations and disagreements get to us, but instead we used them to make us a stronger and better couple. The journey that we've been on together encouraged me to make my marriage more of a priority and has taught me not to take the little moments and the things that my husband does for me for granted.

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  • July 26, 2018|

Six Things That Help Me Find Daily Balance and Routine as a Wife and Mother

When I quit my full time job to stay at home full time with my kids earlier this year, I knew that I was going to have to make a lot of adjustments. I've been working to find a daily routine that works well for our family and I think that I finally have a good thing going. Every day isn't perfect and there are still a lot of days when I feel like life defeats me. But the days when I do these seven things, I notice that I'm happier and so is my family. These are the things that have helped make me a better wife and mom.

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  • July 17, 2018|

The Breakfast Food That Makes Me a “Fun Mom”

Belgian Waffles with fruit, ice cream and Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce are more of a dessert, but because they're waffles, I justify eating them for dinner and even breakfast. This is one of my favorite foods from childhood and one that I always looked forward to introducing my future family to. This is a meal that can turn an ordinary day into a special occasion! I'd like to think that meals like this make me a "fun mom" in the eyes of my kids.

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  • June 21, 2018|

Why You Should Take a Marriage Moon Together

You've heard of the honeymoon and the babymoon, but have you ever been on a marriagemoon? We have been on a lot but until now, we've never called them that. At least twice a year, we take a night or two and get away for a romantic weekend, or I guess a second honeymoon together. We usually stay close and we don't spend much money, but we make it special and we use the time to connect with each other. We've been doing this since the beginning of our marriage and it's always been a game changer.

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  • June 20, 2018|

The Man I Didn’t Even Know I Needed

In the seven years that I've been married to Joe, I've realized that there are things that I needed in a husband and didn't even know I needed. Joe is the perfect man for me. I fell in love with him for who he is and I fall more in love with him every year that we are married. He's the perfect match for me on every level. Whether we're out on a date laughing together or working our way through one of our trials in life, he compliments me and helps make us the good team that we are.

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  • June 13, 2018|

The 5 Minute Marriage Challenge

I recently had a friend and marriage counselor share with me that she challenges couples to spend 15 minutes of uninterrupted time together daily. This time should be distraction free meaning no phones, TV, or other electronics and no personal or house projects. 15 minutes is totally doable and most days you could probably give your spouse more of your day than that. Today I'm only asking you to commit to five minutes a day, with the challenge to go above and beyond that time if you can.

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  • June 6, 2018|

Are You Investing in Your Marriage?

When you plan for your future, you decide the age that you want to retire, what type of lifestyle you want to live after retirement, and how much money you'll need to live that way. From there you decide how much money you need to be investing now in order to reach your goal. The sooner you start investing for your future, the better off you will be when you get to that point. When I think about marriage as an investment, I view it in a similar way. I envision what I want my marriage to look like years from now and determine what I need to be doing every day to make sure that happens

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  • May 24, 2018|

Date Night In – A Date Night At Home Cookbook

The Date Night In Cookbook takes at home date nights to a new level. With full meal menus for every season, and date night inspiration behind each one, there’s a recipe in this cookbook for everyone. Be more intentional with your date night at home and prepare a meal together for your date. "Whether you love cooking together, are looking for ways to change up your date night routine, aren't going out as often to save money or are looking for new hobbies to enjoy together, I think you'll love the Date Night In cookbook. "Date Night In is the story of nourishing a relationship and the food that brings us together."

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  • May 23, 2018|

How Your Marriage Could Benefit from a Few Date Nights at Home

A lot of stages in life make it difficult to get out of the house or put money toward a babysitter and a date every single week. The good news is, you don't have to wait until you have extra cash, a night off or even a large chunk of time together to go on a date. At home date nights have become one of our favorite things over the last couple of years and they could benefit your marriage as well. By being more intentional and a tiny bit creative with your time at home, at least one night a week, you can still make date night a priority in your marriage every single week.

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  • May 18, 2018|

Am I Paying the Babysitter Enough?

I have wondered on multiple occasions, how much I should be paying our babysitters while we're out on a date. And it's a question that I revisit time and time again. Once I settle on the hourly rate that we pay our babysitters, I start to wonder if that should vary based on the time of day they're at our house, whether the kids are napping or not, if the sitter has to put together a meal, how late at night we're gone and whether or not they had the kids pick up their mess before we got home.

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  • May 17, 2018|

How to Make the Best Use of Your Date Night Time with a Babysitter

When you have a babysitter at home with the kids, you are free to spend quality time together without potential interruptions and the distraction of the to do list that you have at home. Make the most of that time and use it to strengthen your marriage relationship. You don't have to do something grand and elaborate to make the most of date night, but being intentional with your time will make it count. Some nights we come home from our date and I find myself wishing I'd thought of doing something different or planned ahead better

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  • May 16, 2018|

Six Tips to Keep Your Babysitters Coming Back

In the three years that we've been parents, we've only ever had our nieces, parents or siblings tend for us, but I've still worked hard to make the experience a positive one for them so that they'll want to continue tending our kids. Now that we're looking to diversify our babysitter pool, I have been thinking about these things more than ever. What are the things we can do to make babysitting our kids a fun experience and make our home one that sitters are excited to come back to? These are just a few of the things that we've done or are doing to make babysitting a positive experience for anyone who enters our home.

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