Rehabbing Ripped Clothing

If your kids wear through their clothing, you'll want to read on!

Homeschooling: Elementary Math

Reading at the table.  Drawing Crystals and reading about formations.

For those who don't already know, we are a homeschooling family.  It's been a growing process and we've learned a LOT through trial and error.  My philosophy on how a child learns best has changed and developed over the years and through it all we have become unschoolers.  

Treehouse Daily: An Interview with Tiny Living Mom, Amanda

Through my business, Organic Fabric Company, I had the pleasure of meeting a very fascinating and resilient woman named Amanda.  Somewhat like myself (and countless others) she began a journey of healing after her body screamed for help while seemingly breaking down.  Her arch-nemesis--mold.

We've been in contact now somewhere around a year (if my memory serves me right) and watching her adventures through her Instagram feed and her blog has been amazing! She allowed me to interview her about her switch from conventional living to tiny living as her family moved into a renovated Airstream!  Read on and be inspired!

Update on My Sewing Desk!

So, I've had my desk for just under four months now and let me tell you... I am still totally loving it!  It was easy to build (I did it completely by myself--no help from my husband, just from baby Paul). 

Check out my Instagram stories to see videos as I built it!

My Finished Sewing Desk!

Breakfast on the Go: Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats are Our Go-To To-Go Meal!

For those who don't know, we work off a pretty simple rotation of meals.  Eating organic, avoiding msg, artificial food-coloring, and most dairy can make our diets seem pretty restrictive.  Most of the time we eat vegan.  A common question I get is, "What do y'all eat???  What do you feed your family?"  This is a family favorite--overnight oats!  It's easy, quick to prepare, and the ingredients can be varied to create different experiences for even picky taste buds!

I Can't Do It All... And That's Okay...

July was such a busy month in our home!  Abraham turned 6 years old, we continued shopping for and found a retail location for our online fabric shop, I finally began accepting help for my cloth diaper business, and I came to the realization that I can't do it all! 

Organic Beauty and Care - Comprehensive List

I get a lot of questions about our bath and body regimens.  For years our family has not used things with synthetic preservatives, artificial colors, fluoride, and artificial sweeteners.  Avoiding these things was really challenging in the years past.  We had to make a lot of our own goods.  Though some of our homemade products were great, others fell short of our expectations.

Delicious Slow-cooker Vegan Chili

Happy Tuesday!

I love making chili!  It's so easy, so delicious, and helps me rid my fridge of veggies I need to use up! Win-win-win!  Plus, it's a great meal to put together when Monday hits and the world seems to be filled with chaos!

There are only a few required ingredients:

Paul's Summer/Fall Capsule Wardrobe

Capsule wardrobes are a bit of  an obsession.  Because of my minimalist and sustainable attitude toward fashion, I have been de-facto wearing a capsule wardrobe for years, but only recently did I vow to do the same for my kids.  The most difficult to do this for was my newest son.  Babies need a lot of clothes, right?

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mexican Mother's Day.  This is the day I usually celebrate Mother's Day with my mom.  In honor of this day, I wanted to share something for newer moms.

For whatever reason, post-baby bodies are frequently included in my Instagram explore feed. Women sharing how they are working out at a few weeks post delivery and sometimes even bragging that they are back on track after a week. Posting photos of their trim tummies—absent of any evidence that a life had just grown inside their wombs. 

My New Sewing and Crafting Desk! Updated 8/1/18 with Photos!

Hello! 

I just got this beautiful new sewing desk delivered!  I'm working on setting it up now!  Check out my Instagram stories to see it as I build it!

My Finished Sewing Desk!

Babies and the Kitchen Sink

Today Paul is 16 months old! Today Paul still fits in the kitchen sink for baths, but not forever and not for long. I will miss these days with all of my heart.

Lay or Lie? Why is English So Difficult?

Let sleeping babies lie

"Lay" v.s. "lie"... oh me, oh my.  Seriously, this has to be one of the most confusing word mix-ups in the English language for me.  I always hesitate in using these words because I always know that I am likely going to use them incorrectly.  Most people will not notice, but it just bothers me that I don't understand the rule!

Breastfeeding a Toddler: Why I Continue Past the 12 Month Mark

Paul and me at 1 year and 3 months.

Here I am again.  My fourth earthly baby has reached the one year mark.  It has come so quickly that it feels like he was born a mere blink ago!  Celebrating the completion of the first year of his life comes with many exciting milestones from learning to walk, and increase in communication skills, and for many babies, weaning.

Simplifying Life: Is It Always a Good Thing?

To answer the question, no, not always.  I started this blog five years ago and so much has changed in that time.  In many respects, I feel like I am a very different person.  When I started writing on this specific blog, I wanted to share a lot of "life hacks."  Things that are easy, quick, simple, and require little effort.  All of that is fine, except that I've found--at least in my own life-- that quick and easy answers are not always the best answers.

How to Wash Bed Pillows in the Washing Machine

Laundering bedding is one of my least favorite chores.  Being a family of six, we have quite a bit of bedding and adding this into my daily laundry creates a mountain of blankets once a week.  What a lot of people do not realize is that it is not only the bedding that need to be washed, but pillows really need to be cleaned as well!  I know, who wants more laundry?! I think most of us would answer, "Not me," but if this is not already a part of your routine, it should be and it's so very worth the end result.

Why is My House Always Getting Messy? 31 Days to Clean - Day 7

So I'm getting back to my book 31 Days to Clean by Sarah May and I'm currently on day seven.  Day seven's reading is basically about the curse. 

As Sarah states it, the curse is not that we would have to work (there was work before the curse and we will again have work after the restoration of all things) but rather that we have unproductive and tedious work.

No Matter how many times I clean and have the kids clean up after themselves, I always seem to find a mess.

How to Better Manage Your Time: Even if You Have a Personality Type with a Poor Concept of Time

Time management is difficult for me. I’m often so caught up in a task that hours can pass by in what seems like the blink of an eye. In fact, my well-intended efforts to meet with someone are often delayed substantially because something that I think will take 10 minutes can take (rob) an hour of my time before I realize it! However, despite this issue involving time as a construct, I’ve found some simple ways to save time throughout the day and to keep too many tasks from stealing away your day.

Life-Schooling through Books

Library days are among my favorites. Getting to the library is always a challenge for us, especially right now that Paul is 13 months. I try to schedule library outings around nap-times, but he usually wakes shortly after arrival.

This past week’s outing came with a surprise...

Making Tax-Time Fun with a Few Pretty Things!

Alright, let's be honest--even if you are expecting a refund, filing taxes is never fun.  As a small business owner, it's even less fun, but I look forward to the little things!

Simple Valentine's Day Craft for Young Children

Happy February!  With Valentine's day around the corner, it's a good time to revisit fun activities!

Boho Driftwood Jewelry Display

Today I'm sharing this super cute and simple jewelry display! 

How to Clean Your Warm Mist Humidifier Without Chemicals

I’m doing something a little different today, but it starts with a short story.  During a nasty cold in our home, we decided pulled our humidifier out.  We were using an adorable Hello-Kitty cool-mist humidifier in our kids’ room, but needing a second and after doing some research, I realized that a warm-mist humidifier would be better for our family,

New Year: Out with Resolutions, In with Goals

With a new year comes the feeling of a clean slate, a new beginning.  I’ve never been one to make new year’s resolutions—I’d never quite understood why a resolution should begin on January 1st and not just whenever a person currently is.  Also, it always seemed to me that resolutions are quickly broken and abandoned.