i write to you in the midst of a week-long solo parenting stint - i am kinda tired but like really not doing bad at all tbh? not without it’s hard parts for sure. i’m just determined to have a great time and it usually turns out that way (we did have wendy’s for dinner last night lol so that helps) but i am pretty exhausted. we’re having a great last few days before school officially starts for my big kids - i will somehow have FOUR of my five in school this year!? we just got done with the back to school night and everyone is just buzzing w excitement for the school year, makes me so happy.

anyways - here are some things i’ve been loving lately!

really loving these jeans - they’re barrel legged and elastic waisted, and the fabric is pretty substantial, but not stiff! literally SO comfy. on sale right now and so affordable! I’m in a M.

and the other affordable RTW jeans i swear by - these ones from old navy (see them twice in the outfit photos below)! i have two pairs of these and they are the perfect wide leg jeans in my opinion.

i am knitting a baseball tee right now and it is EVERYTHING TO MEEEEE. idk sometimes certain projects just really hit perfectly and are so inspiring and exciting and this is one of em. called the orsonero sweater and i’m knitting it in KFO cotton merino in the color cream and cascade 220 in olive oil.

some outfits i’ve loved lately!

i really enjoyed the sterling point series on amazon prime! if you somehow have not heard of sterling point may i kindly recommend it. let me tell you, loving the teen shows that have been popping up was really not something i foresaw happening but i’m a sucker for them! and this one far more than any of the others - the dialogue was so refreshing and realistic (ngl lot of f-bombs, so beware if that bothers you), i related so hard to annie and sobbed through the final episode. just very honest and real and heartwarming, i really enjoyed it.

another thing i’ve been loving - sally hepworth books! wow it has been awhile since i have enjoyed an author this much, i absolutely love her writing style. i finished the mother-in-law pretty quickly and am currently reading the good sister - completely hooked. mysterious but not too dark, love the way she tells the backstory, and she does character development realllly well. planning to read mad mabel next!

i have a big homeschool post coming soon but something i use every day that makes my life so much easier is my homeschool planner - i’ve used this same brand for the past four years and i really love it. structured enough, and not too complicated. i also use their kids’ planners for my big two - i write out their assignments for the week in it so they know exactly what to expect and its been great.

have to shoutout the stainless steel mason jar drink lids again bc i’ve used them every single day since i first bought them and am still so delighted by having the perfect to-go coffee situation that is not plastic cups!!!! they have genuinely added so much value to my daily life - and $15 for 2 ain’t bad. my MOST clicked on link and most purchased item i’ve literally ever linked lol, for good reason!

got my hair chopped on friday (!!!!) and it was high time - i loveeee it just below my chin, its my ideal length. can’t believe i went most of my life with longish-to-long hair. i am a bob girl through and through, i think its just so fun and cute, it FEELS good, takes less than five min to feel really put together, and i really do think it compliments my personal style really well. like for the coastal semi-girly/semi-tomboy vibes i have going most of the time, the bob seems to go better w it than my long hair did, idk if that makes any sense whatsoever!!!! the only products i ever use on my bob: texture spray and the bestttt dry shampoo ever. the dry shampoo was a recent buy for me but i’m not going back to powder or even the paste i used to use - this one is a LIQUID and takes like 30 seconds to dry and then your hair is like brand new. AND keeps the hair soft, not crunchy. smells good too! i first bought the travel size ($12) to make sure i liked it, and then upgraded to the full size.

and just a few more life snaps from lately :)

so excited to be back in this space more frequently!!

thanks so much for being here! hope you are doing SO WELL!

xo
han

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i first allowed myself to follow the thoughts through and think through the things i knew and the things i was doubting. giving that permission i think was key, and truly understanding the way God saw me. he wasn’t mad at me or disappointed in me for doubting, he literally created me and knows how my mind works. the doubts are not scary or threatening for him.

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we all know social media is a highlight reel, but i also think that much of the ‘relatability’ we see on social media these days is people wanting to remain in their own negativity and bring others in w them so they’re not alone and can feel better about staying in it. maybe thats a little harsh, i say it bc i have been that person. so i’m allowed say it lol. i have also talked before about a victim mindset and how its essentially enabling yourself not to try and change, i was stuck in one for years, i still find myself sliding that way occasionally, so when i sense negativity like that, i try hard to run the other way.

and in that same breath - i have been inspired to be vulnerable & to let you, my beloved substack readers, into some of the average everyday struggles i’ve dealt with recently, in hopes that you can see that, for all the creative and inspiring and happy content i share, i am still a very average person with average struggles. and that indeed every person out there has a life so nuanced and intricate, good sweet beautiful parts intertwined with heartbreaking and difficult ones.

so here are some things that have been hard for me lately:

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we recently got back from our annual camping trip that we lovingly refer to as “Family Camp” — we go camping with two other families every summer, planning the trip out months in advance. we’ve done big far-away trips and some closer to home. this is our fourth year doing it and it is truly something we all look forward to every year! we have eleven kids between the three families, ranging from age 2 to 11 - and they act more like cousins than family friends and it really is just the best time. having this fun week to look forward to each year is the best. we met these friends when we were all 18-19, doing a gap year program in the mountains, and we only recently started this tradition up four years ago!

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the biggest thing that was semi-new wa…

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for the others that look forward to prime day to save on things you need and use and would buy anyways, these links are for you! i will not be sharing any clothing links, bc to be honest, i h8 the idea of amazon dupes…

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i have recently beens so inspired to spend the majority of my knitting time working on staple pieces rather than statement pieces. taking a bit more time to knit a piece that will be worn repeatedly over years is so much more appealing to me now than knitting a statement piece that gets worn only a handful of times. i think this is a tricky aspect w soc…

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if you’re new here, my three big kids go to a charter school two days a week and we homeschool the other three days. at school, they do history/social studies, science, math, literature, along with a bunch of other fun activities, and at home we do math and language arts. after two years of full time homeschool, this year was truly such a wonderful change of pace for us and feels like the perfect fit for our fam - maybe will share more on that in a later post. anyways - they had their last program day of school the last week of May, and I had big plans for their first official day of summer break - only fun things for lunch, treats at a favorite bakery we hadn’t been to in awhile, a special park that isn’t a usual spot, pizza and movie for dinner. i was planning to be FUN MOM all day long and was stoked about it. and without going into too much detail or violating their privacy: my kids had a hardddddd time and the day was not fun, it was quite rough. putting it lightly lol. had me grouchy af and wondering why the hell i was so excited for summer, and wondering how on earth i was going to survive it with my kids home all day every day. i talked with zach about it when he got home from work and then we came up with a summer plan. i want a fun 90s summer without the consumerism and without me having to do everything.

i will preamble this by saying: for someone who absolutely lovesss to be spontaneous, i actually really thrive with a bit of structure. like i desperately need it, my kids do too. and i think the sudden lack of it at least partially contributed to my despair over the wide open summer. so the structure that you see here is as much for me as it is for my kida, and its not in place so that they never have free time or never have any fun lol - its in place so that they are able to have that free time and fun. discipline creates freedom. we get the things done that we need to get done, and then we get to do what we want to do. this concept has helped me so much the past few years!!!!

another disclaimer: my parenting philosophy is basically high expectations for my kids, with high support from us. we expect a lot from them, and will also do whatever we need to do to help them achieve those expectations. we are trying to raise good people, who are hard-working, who can face adversity, who can do difficult things, who know who they are and what they’re capable of. with this summer plan, and with these small repeatable tasks that they’ll do every day of summer, we are teaching responsibility, and they are building confidence and competence.

ok without further ado, here is THE SUMMER PLAN ™️

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happy summer break to all who celebrate! i suppose if you don’t have kids who are in school/homeschool and yourself are not in school, probably summer break doesn’t mean what it does to me lol. but summer is basically here and we are STOKED. i love getting to the end of a homeschool year and looking back on our hard work with pride, and then doing every…

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hi pals happy monday! hope your weekend was lovely. ours was! we had time w family, soccer games, gardening, chores and errands, a movie night - and today we’re doing some house projects for the first half of the day and a family adventure for the second half!

after church on sunday, we got lunch and brought it to a park w some fam thats in town and it w…

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the main points:

• the biggest thing that has helped me is to just repeat meals. our breakfasts are almost always: oatmeal/baked oatmeal, eggs & toast, yogurt bowls, PB toast. our lunches are a mix of the same sorts of things week to week, and our dinners are the same. our kids more or less know what to expect at every meal, and in the season of life we’re in now, this works and keeps everyone fed and healthy. one day i will cook elaborate recipes again!

• i gave up on all organic everything years ago. people message me and ask me if i prioritize buying organic anymore and my answer is mostly no. a big part of it is that i’ve healed from what i now look back on and see was orthorexia. the amount of anxiety i used to get around feeding my kids was WILD.

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have been loving me-made may! had every intention of posting something every day this month for it but i have not kept up …

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fast forward to this year - so many people told me to try nicer yarns, i did, i fell in love, and now i have officially caught the spring/summer knitting bug. obsessed. cant stop researching breezy tank patterns and summer cardigans and new plant-based yarns to try. (also can’t stop ordering new plant-based yarns to try 😬 woopsies). i have also said yes to multiple test-knitting opportunities simply bc its a warmer weather pattern, and i couldn’t be more pleased!

anyways — here are some projects that are on my mind!

first up: the marielle cardigan - inspired by gillian stevens’ mabel cardigan!

would love to do this in a cotton yarn, or maybe drops belle/sandnes line, or KFO cotton merino held double. i’m thinking a dusty blue orrrr maybe just a cream color like the pictures!

i came across this photo on pinterest and reverse image searched it, desperately hoping there was a pattern, and found it on ravelry!

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hey pals happy friday! hope your week is going wonderfully so far! here are all the random tidbits i have kept in my notes app this week and last that i wanted to tell you about lol

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