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Remembering the difference between the ‘climate’ and the ‘weather’ in your relationships. ☀️🌧️ This advice from my mom truly altered my brain chemistry when I think of the overall environment of our home/relationships (‘the climate’) and getting through difficult moments/seasons (‘the bad weather days’).

On letting go of desperately trying to control the outcome of who your children become and instead, embracing the privilege of getting to observe who they grow into.

It’s okay to struggle.

Surrender, surrender, surrender.

On grace for yourself and repairing. Love & limits > shame & chaos

Remembering it’s okay to set boundaries!

What a gift to DELIGHT and get to enjoy our children.

I think of this one a lot. No one understands the unique challenges or shortcomings I have in parenting my three girls and also at the same time - no one know the exact gift and privilege it is to raise them.

Make sure it’s a story worth telling.

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LIFE LATELY

• I’M AN AUNTIE! // Oh my gosh this has been wild! I have a nephew! I’m an aunt! My girls have a cousin! There’s a boy in the family! 🩵 I wasn’t surprised to become an auntie, but how EARLY it happened really shocked us all. The girls and I were in Ohio for my sister’s baby shower at the very beginning of August and she ended up having the baby that same weekend, five weeks early. Like literally got (surprisingly!) induced the same day as the actual shower! I got to meet baby Quinn at 12 hours old 😭 which was so special. I’m heading back up this weekend to see him again and support my sister/brother-in-law in any way I can! I can’t wait

• BACK TO SCHOOL // We are officially back to school here in Nashville (which feels so early compared to when I was younger/growing up in Ohio!). Lucy is in 3rd (!!!) grade, Winnie is in 1st grade, and the biggest update is that Daisy (almost 2) started a little school program too. She started at the ‘parents day out’ program her sisters did last week. We were all ready for some routine and structure, although there’s still lots of big feelings as we transition into a new season. shared a little bit more this and how transitions can be hard. We took a break this summer from organized activities, and rejoining this fall so this week we’re officially back into swim team (Lucy) and soccer (Winnie).

• OFFLINE AUGUST // I’m two weeks in to my ‘offline August’ where I’m logged out of Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Reddit. Instagram being the app by far the most and the latter two being the apps I go to in desperation (lol) and mindless (mostly unnecessary) scroll. There are a lot of parts of social media I DO NOT MISS, but some aspects that I do.

  • What I love/miss: I really love my Instagram as a place to document and digital scrapbook if you will. I miss being able to share in my joy in that space - although it’s been nice to keep it small and more private with friends and family instead lately. I love connecting with and chatting with my friends and community on there via DMs. I love (and miss!) seeing what all my friends are up to. I miss sharing funny/cute memes and posts to friends via DMs. I love TikTok for learning about so many things - recipes, how to apply makeup, DIYs, tips and tricks, etc.

  • What I do not miss: mindless scrolling or checking apps out of habit or boredom, ads, being bombarded with products I don’t need by influencers/brands, the feeling of comparison and FOMO that sometimes creeps up, the outrage/news/politics (I’ve kept up to date via NYT app instead) and… probably a lot more. Maybe I’ll share more about the full month off when I’m all done!

REFLECTIONS

While it’s been a very joyous time for our family welcoming baby Quinn, it’s also been a difficult and painful season at the same time. My grandma passed away this spring, and so every ‘first’ without her feels extra tender. She would have loved to be at my sister’s baby shower and delighted so much in another great grandchild. I so desperately wish I could call her to catch up about all the updates. My sister Katie and her partner Nikki said goodbye to their beloved 10-year-old Saint Bernard, Scout, a few weeks ago and the pain and magnitude of the loss can’t be overstated. Scout was a Christmas gift to Katie from my parents back in 2015 and so many family memories, stories, and chapters involve her. Dogs are more than just pets in our family and so losing Scout was/is devastating for all of us. The love and dedication and care Katie and Nikki poured into Scout was truly like nothing I’ve ever seen and my heart just really hurts for them.

This duality - being openhanded to the good and beautiful and joyful while holding space for the painful and difficult - isn’t a new experience for me. But it’s something I’ve been wrestling with lately once again. I wrote about this same thing just over two years ago below (originally shared here):

RECENT PURCHASES

• Just bought these leather flats in maroon - a friend raved about them and they come highly rated. Think they’ll be perfect for fall!

• This is my third or fourth time buying this, but just restocked on this Flash Facial mask. My skin feels so bright and glowy after! Here’s an older post of mine with other skincare favorites.

• I bought this BAGGU carry-on bag in San Francisco this summer and have used so much already. It holds SO MUCH, is easy to carry over your shoulder, fits on top of your suitcase and still fits under the airplane seat. Absolutely obsessed and wish I bought it sooner!

• My husband recently ordered me an Oura ring (!!) which I’m very obsessed with already! And because I’m just a little extra and felt like the ring needed ✨ a little something✨ , I added these thin stacking rings for a stacked look.

• How am I just now getting my first pair of Crocs? I ordered all three girls new Crocs and decided to buy myself a pair too - I picked out the pink floral embroidered Crocs and looooove them.

• Just ordered these emotions stickers to add to our girls’ calm down kit. Stay tuned for another post with all the details about our calm down kit!

• I bought this neck fan for our trip to Japan last month and have ended up using it on hot walks in this humid Nashville summer! Obviously not the most stylish or chic item but I don’t even care!

RECENT MUST-READ BOOK

Loved loved loved this book so much and still thinking about it. I’m always looking for excellent books - share any favorites with me below in the comments! 🫶🏻

NEWSLETTERS YOU MAY LIKE

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Fast forward 10+ years and we’ve stayed at a LOT of Marriott properties since, both as a couple and with our crew of now three young girls. My husband travels a lot for work and hit Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status this year (75+ nights at a Marriott will do that!). Yes, it's a lot of work travel for him, plus a good amount of personal travel in there too.

That being said, we almost always stay at Marriott properties when we travel, with or without the kids. Of course, there are exceptions to this - we have stayed at some delightful boutique hotels (need to do a whole other post about this!) and epic Airbnbs, but in general, we check out what Marriott properties are available in the places we’re visiting. Sometimes, we’ll discover or learn about a cool hotel first and then plan a whole vacation around that. Another perk of having a husband who travels a lot (leaving me solo parenting three kids quite regularly!) is an accumulation of Bonvoy points we can use towards personal travel.

I thought it would be fun to do a little Marriott hotel round-up of some great hotels we’ve stayed at over the years! While we still stay in our fair share of ‘regular’ Marriott hotels, most of these hotels are a little more upscale or just have something really unique about them. And they all hold really special travel memories for our family! For many of these destinations, I have a thorough travel guide and itinerary highlighting our stay that I linked below the hotel name so definitely don’t miss those! I have ALL my travel guides and itineraries saved HERE.

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1. JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa 🇮🇹

We visited Venice back in summer 2022 (our girls were 2 and 4 at the time). This was our fourth stop of trip after visiting Lake Garda, The Dolomites, and a kinderhotel in Croatia. The JW Marriott in Venice is on its own private island in the Venice lagoon! To get into Venice, you take the hotel’s complimentary boat shuttle, which was a fun short adventure in and of itself and, of course, was a huge hit for the kids! The hotel and island itself are just gorgeous. There are 40 acres of gardens, an adult-only rooftop pool, several onsite restaurants, and a dedicated family pool. There’s also a kids club (we stopped in to play/look around, but didn’t drop our girls off). The JW Marriott was truly such a special stay for us! I loved that it was such a peaceful retreat away from the crowds and chaos of Venice. But it was quick and easy enough to get into the city that we still got a true Venice experience too.

VENICE TRAVEL GUIDE

2. Suiran (Kyoto, Japan) 🇯🇵

This was our most recent Marriott stay from our summer 2026 trip to Japan! This was a kids-free trip for us, and we did a few days in Tokyo, followed by a few days in the Kyoto area. Suiran is a very small and intimate hotel along the Hozu River in the Arashiyama neighborhood of Kyoto. It’s close to the bamboo forest and lots of beautiful shrines and temples, and about a 25-minute drive or easy train ride into downtown Kyoto. Our room had a private onsen soaking tub, which was heavenly! We also loved the hotel’s daily ‘champagne happy hour’ with live music and views of the river. The Arashiyama area definitely winds down after 4/5pm, so if you’re looking for nightlife and a late night scene, this spot might not be for you, but we truly loved our stay here!

Stay tuned for my detailed Japan travel guide/itinerary post coming soon!

3. Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba 🇦🇼

We visited Aruba for spring break in 2025 and it was our first international trip with three kids. Daisy was ~6 months at the time! We split our time between two hotels, the Renaissance Wind Creek and the (new at the time) St. Regis. While St. Regis was certainly more luxurious, I wanted to highlight the Renaissance in this post because it was such a unique stay. The Renaissance Wind Creek actually has two properties next to each other - a family-friendly, oceanfront hotel (where we stayed) and a separate adults-only hotel on the marina. The real draw of the hotel is its own private island, Renaissance Island, that you access via an 8-minute boat ride from the hotel(s) to the island. The island is beautiful - clear shallow water, two beaches (Flamingo Beach is adults-only, Iguana Beach is family-friendly), and flamingos everywhere! We got to swim with and feed the flamingos and it was such a fun and memorable part of our time in Aruba. There’s a bar/restaurant on the island, plus several at the hotel itself.

I do want to call out that one downside (in my opinion) is that the hotel itself doesn’t really have its own beachfront. The kids did love the pool though! And we appreciated the larger room and more space for our family. It’s more of an urban setting (with a pool and along the water, of course), but the private island really did make up for it.

ARUBA TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

4. Marriott Cancun, An All-Inclusive Resort 🇲🇽

This was where we stayed during our most recent trip to Mexico with the girlies this past summer. This was our second time taking the girls to Mexico - there’s a direct flight from Nashville to Cancun during the summer and that makes it so easy to get down there! This hotel worked really well for our family! There are ~10 restaurants onsite and the pool area was just awesome for kids - there’s slides, a lazy river, a splash pad, and a large family pool (plus adults only pool). The all-inclusive option was great so we didn’t have to really think about $$ - we were able to say yes to allll the food options and mocktails (I swear the girls had like 5 per day lol). There were activities and live entertainment every night (and throughout the day) and just so much to do. The kids club is for kids 4-12 and was also a huge highlight for our older girls. It’s in partnership with CAMP and had such fantastic programming and staff. They truly begged to go every day, so ended up going for a few hours each day during Daisy’s nap!

We stayed at the JW Marriott Cancun with our kids a few years ago and that was great also. I don’t have any blog post itineraries highlighting our Mexico vacations, but have a bunch saved on this Mexico IG highlight.

5. Mount Juliet Estate (Kilkenny, Ireland) 🇮🇪

We stayed at Mount Juliet Estate during our UK & Ireland vacation in summer 2025. This spot is more of a splurge (thank you, Bonvoy points!), but it felt like we were staying in our own Irish castle! The grounds are absolutely stunning and truly felt like a fairytale! There are several walking/running trails, a fairy trail, gardens everywhere, and a kids playground. A huge highlight for the girls was the indoor pool (which our earlier Ireland hotel didn’t have). E and I traded off taking turns in the sauna and steam room while the other watched the kids. There were also adult and kids bikes you could borrow to explore the grounds, which Lucy loved. It’s about a 15-minute drive into the charming town of Kilkenny, which we did visit one day. But for the most part, we just stayed here and enjoyed the stunning property and had some R&R at the end of our two week vacation.

IRELAND TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

6. Monterey Beach Hotel (Monterey, California) 🇺🇸

Okay fun story about this place! When Eric and I were first dating, we drove down to Monterey to meet his parents for dinner (my first time meeting them!). We stayed at this hotel on the beach and they booked me my own hotel room while E shared a room with them. The hotel has since been renovated/updated and is a bit more upscale now, but it was kind of surreal going back 13 years later with our three kids in tow! We went over MLK Day weekend and spent our mornings exploring the Monterey area, our afternoons playing at the beach and swimming in the pool, and our evenings enjoying oceanfront s’mores and games of Monopoly Deal. We ate breakfasts and one dinner at the onsite restaurant, but another night opted to do a picnic dinner at the beach - very much our style.

7. The Westin Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach 🇰🇾

We first stayed here during our honeymoon in 2015 and had so much fun visiting again in 2024 with Lucy and Winnie. This trip was when we told the girls were having another baby, so that’s definitely an extra sweet memory from this vacation! The Westin Grand Cayman is centrally located right on Seven Mile Beach, which is the center of the hustle and bustle of the island. As we tend to do when we travel, we spent mornings exploring and more low key afternoons enjoying the hotel. The hotel had several activities included that were a huge hit for the girls - things like a temporary tattoo station, necklace and bracelet making, pool games, afternoon BINGO, and s’mores on the beach. There’s also kayak and SUP rentals, as well as large floating rafts in the ocean which the kids loved swimming to and jumping off of. We stayed in a suite here and loved having a separate (but connected) room for the girls to sleep in, two balconies, and a small kitchen area with a fridge, microwave, and sink. We ate a couple times at the hotel, but also ate while out and about exploring the island!

CAYMAN ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE

8. Palace Hotel (San Francisco, California) 🇺🇸

This hotel holds more pinch-me memories. Back in my early 20s, I once babysat for two nights for a colleague who was in town for work with her kids in tow. I was very new in my career (and could certainly use the extra cash), and I remember thinking this hotel was so fancy! It felt very distant from my regular life in San Francisco at the time. Fast forward ~15 years, I now have three kids and we’ve stayed at the Palace twice as a family. We lived in San Francisco for 8 years and my husband still goes back for work monthly-ish, so we’re very well-versed on all things SF, and this is my favorite place to stay. The rooms aren’t huge, but the hotel is STUNNING and has an indoor pool, which is basically unheard of in San Francisco. I also love the location within the city — you can easily jump on any form of public transit (BART, MUNI, cable car, etc.) to get around. We’ve had a great breakfast here every time we’ve stayed, but always eat other meals out. There’s SO much good food in San Francisco!

9. Pine Cliffs Hotel (Algarve, Portugal) 🇵🇹

We visited Pine Cliffs back in 2019 while I was pregnant with Winnie and Lucy was just 18 months old. Little did we know this would be our last international trip for a long time due to the pandemic! The Pine Cliffs property is in the Algarve area of Portugal, ~3 hours from Lisbon by car. The property is HUGE with absolutely breathtaking views of the cliffs and coast. There’s multiple (indoor and outdoor) pools, tons of restaurants, a kids club and playground, and more. For some reason I never wrote a Portugal itinerary and travel guide (which I’ve done for almost every other trip!) and so I don’t have all the nitty gritty details locked in my memory anymore, but remember this being a truly special Marriott property.

10. The Reykjavik EDITION (Iceland) 🇮🇸

This was a kid-free trip for us (although we’d love to get back to Iceland with the girls!) where we drove alllll over the southern coast of Iceland. We stayed the Reykjavik EDITION for our last two nights of the trip. The hotel was so chic and centrally located to tons of restaurants and shopping. The lobby is gorgeous, with a bar and fireplaces, plus there’s a cute coffee shop, an onsite restaurant, and a rooftop bar. Breakfast was included both mornings, and one night we did an appetizer-style dinner at the rooftop bar, which was a popular, lively spot both nights we were there. There’s also a great gym and spa area with a sauna, steam room, and a massive hot tub.

ICELAND TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

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At first, I was confused — wait, did that actually just happen? Did someone really yell that across the theater? I felt embarrassed, overwhelmed, even ashamed. Looking back, of course, we’d done nothing wrong. Our two-year-old had done nothing wrong.

My husband quickly moved to get Daisy out of the theater, and as he was walking out, the same man yelled, “GET THE F*CK OUT!”

Yes, you read that right. 😳🤯😖

Again, this was Toy Story 5.

We saw the movie on a Monday at 3:45pm, more than two weeks after it came out. There were fifteen people total in the theater, including our family of five. There were seven other showings of the same movie later that evening. The man was there with his girlfriend or wife, without kids of their own. People without children are, of course, welcome to see movies whenever they like! But I’d assume adults choosing a matinee of a children’s movie wouldn’t be so bothered by… actual children being there. And outside of being bothered or annoyed, I never expected someone to scream profanity at us. We’ve had our fair share of eye rolls, stares, rude comments under their breath, etc. from strangers throughout our 8.5 years of parenting, but this was a new low.

A grown man interrupted a PG-rated movie by yelling R-rated language at my toddler and my family.

My husband and Daisy spent the rest of the movie in the lobby while I stayed in the theater with Lucy and Winnie. I was rattled and my heart was racing the entire time. I sat there rehearsing things to say in my head, barely able to follow the movie, acutely aware of my own safety and my daughters’. In the end, I decided not to approach the man or say anything. I didn’t want to escalate a situation with someone who felt unpredictable and dangerous, and I wanted to model calm for the girls.

During the movie, he apparently stormed out and complained to the manager about us, which my husband overheard while sitting in the lobby with the baby this man was so angry about.

Afterward, the girls and I waited to use the restroom because I saw him and his partner heading that way, and I genuinely worried about whether he might be armed. This isn’t me being paranoid. It’s a very real and valid concern for many of us. Especially in a state like Tennessee, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country.

The theater staff were all quite young and clearly weren’t equipped to handle the situation, though they did comp us five movie tickets afterwards. The manager checked in on us a couple of times after hearing from both my husband and the other man (which I found out after the movie). Obviously, once you’re on the other side of an experience it’s easy to think of what you could of or should have done. Looking back, I wish I’d demanded he be removed right after he said those words to us. But in the moment, I was in shock, and my priority was staying calm for my kids.

Eventually the man left the theater and we drove home. I was still rattled and bothered by the experience hours later and ending up sharing about it on Instagram & here on Substack. Hundreds of people reached out - with empathy, understanding, kindness, solidarity, their own stories. Most of these people had kids, but many others didn’t - and were still baffled by the story and situation.

We talked it over with our older girls later, and at one point I said, “Well, you know what Taylor Swift says…”

They both immediately answered: people throw rocks at things that shine! (I could think of a few other TS songs that applied here: Karma, Bad Blood, Mean, the list goes on and on….)

The experience was a reminder that some people still need to hear this:

CHILDREN ARE ALLOWED TO EXIST IN PUBLIC.

Toddlers aren’t out to ruin anyone’s day, and parents are genuinely doing their best. I’ll keep teaching my kids to respect other people’s space, and I ask that you extend us the same grace.

Yelling profanity at a toddler in the middle of a kids’ movie, with other children in earshot, is one of the ugliest ways I’ve seen a family treated in public.

I shared the below words a couple years ago during a family vacation in Europe after we encountered a rude stranger. The words still ring true!

I recently saw another parent share about a similar experience where she took her kids to a movie and encountered very rude adults. Here’s a blurb from her post:

Children and their mothers should feel like they belong, not like they are intruding.

If a child is actually acting out in public, I promise you the mother knows, and she cares much more than you do. Under no circumstance does she need to be informed by a stranger that her child is misbehaving.

Offer a helping hand, or hold your tongue.

Have some grace and recognize that children are allowed to be children.

To the loser from the 3:45 showing of Toy Story 5 at the Green Hills mall earlier this week, I hope you have the day and week you deserve.

Our family will keep shining in the meantime. ✨

P.S. If you’re a parent who has felt judged or shamed for your children simply existing in public: you’re doing nothing wrong! It’s rattling, especially the first time, or when you run into someone genuinely combative, like we did at the movie theater. I promise there are so many more kind, understanding, loving people in the world who know and accept that kids will be kids. Sending love your way! 🩵

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“Why does your body bend like that?”

My five year old asks me while pointing to my stomach. Good question — why does my body bend like that?

My short answer, while crammed in a tiny bathroom stall at 7am in the Atlanta airport with her and her sister, is that because all bodies are different. My belly bends and that’s okay. She seemed satisfied with that answer and we moved along.

I think about her curiosity later. How to answer the question she asks, the same one I’ve spent years asking myself. I’d do anything to not have my daughters judge, critique, and evaluate their bodies the way I did for so long. To not have my daughters believe the lie that having a flat stomach is somehow a mark of success, validation, or worthiness.

Why does my body bend like that?

My body bends because it held you, grew you, nourished you, protected you.

My body bends because it changes and evolves as I get older — I have to remind myself this is perfectly normal and natural.

My body bends because have you ever had just out-of-the-oven bread, fries at 10pm, a crisp glass of rosé on the beach, Monday night nachos, homemade pizza from a friend’s pizza oven, cacio e pepe in Italy, pancakes as a brunch appetizer with your girlfriends, fondue on Christmas Eve with your family?

My body bends because it’s mine and I’m going to do my best to accept and care for it, after so many years criticizing it, hiding it, wishing it were smaller, flatter, less.

Yes, my sweet girl, my body bends because I’m alive and this is the body I was given and just like yours, it is GOOD. 💗

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I wrote and shared these words three years ago. My daughters were five and three at the time, and since, they’ve grown from the ‘littles’ phase to big kids - now six and eight. We’ve since welcomed a third daughter, who is 21 months.

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to consider my body postpartum given the baby I grew, birthed, and nourished is nearly two. But maybe postpartum is less of a time-restricted period after physically delivering a baby and more of an experience - the before, and the after. Post means ‘after’ and partum means ‘birth’ or ‘bringing forth’ - there is no time limit on the word, although our culture seems to often think of the postpartum period as weeks, months, maybe a year. Certainly most wouldn’t say I’m in that phase now. Although my body sometimes still feels like it all just happened.

Growing and birthing and feeding children from your body for years isn’t something that just stops when the calendar shifts. Outside of actual weight and the number of the scale, my body changed from having kids, especially after the second. The physical shape and the way weight and muscle sat on my figure was just different than before. Even when the number of the scale ‘bounced back’ to the pre-pregnancy one.

But back to the ‘why does your body bend like that?’ question from my daughter and my reflections on it and words I shared. I think at that time, February 2023, I mostly felt okay with my body. Acceptance. Appreciation. Gratitude. And I know at that time at least, when we were very much in the middle of a ‘body positivity’ (or at least neutrality) movement, other women were feeling a little more at peace with their bodies.

But something shifted - and I want to talk about it.

And most likely, my words aren’t going to be all that eloquent or even have a tightly wrapped ending or insightful conclusion. And I’m aware that this topic in general - body image, size, weight loss, etc - is loaded and nuanced and people have a lot of feelings about it. But writing has always been a way for me to process my life experience, and this has been something on my mind. Maybe some of the words are feelings you’ve wrestled with too. 💜

It no longer feels like ‘all bodies are good bodies’ lately because everywhere I look, it seems like ‘all bodies are smaller bodies’ these days.

It seems like squishier bodies are less common these days with a new surge of everyone getting a little (or a lot!) smaller. A body that bends - and women that are genuinely okay with that - feels almost counter cultural these days. And I personally have felt the weight of having to do a lot more internal processing and reflecting and digging into why it feels harder lately.

This post is not a knock on GLP-1s, or those who are on one. I know for many people, the drug has been a great experience. There’s data showing some very positive side effects for many GLP-1 users. But the mainstream presence of the drugs certainly can’t be ignored - it’s no longer the inaccessible treatment only a select few had access to (and didn’t talk about). 1 in 8 Americans are now on a GLP-1 medication. The global GLP-1 drug market could reach $200 BILLION in the next four years. There’s no denying that it’s here and happening and many people, celebrities and social media influencers and your colleagues and the moms at school pickup, are on a GLP-1.

Again, the purpose of this post and my reflections is not at all to judge, shame, or criticize. I am 100% for body autonomy and people making decisions for their own body. Instead, I’m trying to wrestle with the feeling of trying to stay in the place of acceptance, appreciation, and gratitude for my body, when seemingly, that feels less common these days.

A few years ago, a friend said something that stuck with me and is similar to how I’m feeling about weight loss. She shared that it seemed like everyone around her in her early 30s was getting Botox. She hadn’t really thought about it and didn’t think she needed it, but seeing and hearing everyone get it for themselves made her question - wait, should I be getting Botox too? Not in a ‘I should do what everyone else is doing, follow the crowd’ kind of way, but in a I’ve never-thought-about-this-but-apparently-everyone-else-is soooo should I be too? kind of way.

That’s kind of how I feel right now. While I’m not interested in being on a GLP-1, seeing everyone else get smaller makes me question - should I also be getting smaller? Seeing so many others look amazing and feel amazing in their smaller bodies makes me question if I too should be trying for a smaller body. I genuinely thought and felt at peace with my body for years - through pregnancies, through nursing three kids for 3+ years of my life, through regular ups and downs of weight fluctuation that come with time and age. And yet lately, I’ve second guessed myself more and more.

It’s less about other people’s bodies and their choices and maybe more about what it implies about mine. If rapid and easy weight loss is now an available and attainable option that so many people are actively choosing, what does it say about me for not choosing it? I’m not saying there is pressure exactly, but just a subtle noise.

It feels weird to feel weird about my body in my mid/late (?!) 30s when arguably, I thought I’d be more self-assured and at peace with my physical body than when I was younger. And sometimes I am! And yet —

I want to be strong. I want to be able to pick up my kids and dance and wiggle and go on long walks and lift weights and swim laps and rollerblade and MOVE. But more importantly, I want to feel good. I want to feel good and at home in my body. And I do, most of the time. But lately the clamor of insecurity and doubt feels louder than the quiet peace and acceptance and appreciation that I want to get back to.

Exercising and moving my body has always been therapeutic for me. While I wasn’t a very athletic kid, I’ve always been fairly active. But after a traumatic loss of a friend in high school, my therapist recommended moving my body (when at the time in my depression, all I wanted to do was sleep). I started going to the gym and running and eventually swimming laps. Movement became a form of medicine for me and for the last 20 years, it’s been a constant. It’s never been to lose weight, but instead to feel good, to feel strong, to reap the mental and emotional (and yes) physical benefits of exercise. Even now, I notice that my body feels differently when I don’t work out for a few days.

By the way, there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to look a little different! Whether that’s leaner or stronger or whatever. I think, for me, the mental/emotional part of the journey feels trickier. I want to feel confident and comfortable in my body, I want to be strong, and I want to lead by example for my three young girls.

Maybe I’m reading into it too much? Maybe I’m spiraling about something that genuinely…doesn’t need to be something I think about? Probably that. Despite externally sharing this post, I know that the root of all of this is internal business, working through my own doubts and feelings.

I am grateful for a body that has the ability to move. I am grateful my husband thinks (and tells me) I’m beautiful. I’m grateful my three daughters delight in me and think I’m beautiful, too. My oldest loved the song Best Day by Taylor Swift and one time after hearing these lyrics: “It’s the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarves. And Daddy’s smart and you’re the prettiest lady in the whole wide world”, she smiled and said that’s what she thinks about me. 😭

Who the heck cares about my lower belly and the size of my thighs when my sweet daughter believes that about her mom? I know that in my core, but sometimes those pesky voices of doubt and self-judgment and comparison try to yell louder.

I feel the juxtaposition almost daily. Knowing I am more than my body, than the way it physically looks, and sometimes just struggling with it. There are certain body parts I’m more self-conscious of than others, while knowing at the same time, that body part and its size doesn’t define me. For example, sure, I would like my arms to be smaller, more toned. And also, they are the same arms that my mom and her sisters and her mom and my sisters have. We would joke that big arms just run in the family. And when I think of those women, the size of their bodies is so inconsequential to who they are and what they mean to me. The size of my grandma's arms were the last thing on anyone's mind in her final days. And when I reflect on the millions of stories and memories with her, not one of them has to do with the size of her physical body.

I think of not just my sisters and mom and family but my closest girlfriends - their bodies are the least interesting thing about them. They are smart and creative and funny and kind and generous and observant and thoughtful and wonderful. How they look in a swimsuit means literally nothing to me.

I’m not sure why it’s easier to be so harsh on myself when I’d never say or think about someone else I love. So I sit with the uncomfortable (and sometimes contradictory) feelings and wrestle with the questions: how do I turn off comparison mode? How do I allow both to exist - believing people can choose what they want to do with their body, while not ‘taking it on’ that I should do the same? What does confidence look and FEEL like in this stage of life? What can I do to appreciate the body I have right now?

It’s been three years since that innocent question in the airport bathroom from my daughter: why does your body bend like that? And while I still believe every word shared, I have to acknowledge the current in-between place I’m in when it comes to body image. And maybe there isn’t a destination, but it’s a journey I’ll be on for my whole life. But the answer will forever remain true — my body bends because I’m alive and this is the body I was given and just like yours, it is GOOD. 💗

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I asked around for recommendations and learned about Melodie Madden Adams, a Nashville-based makeup artist. I loved her vibe and the way she explained how she structures her sessions, so we booked. She came right to my house for a 90-minute lesson and we had THE BEST TIME.

It felt less like a lesson and more like getting advice from a really talented, cool big sister. The session covered a personalized makeup bag edit, feedback on our morning and evening skincare routines, application tips and technique coaching, product and shade recommendations, and customized beauty notes to take home. What I loved most was how attainable she made everything feel — Melodie has clearly done her homework on products, so she came with amazing dupes and budget-friendly finds alongside a few worthwhile splurges. Plus, we had gorgeous makeup done for a fun Saturday out in Nashville!

Today, I wanted to compile some skincare and makeup tips and lessons Aimee and I learned, but a bunch of products Melodie recommended that I immediately ADDED TO CART. Here we go!

TIPS & RANDOM LESSONS WE LEARNED!

Your foundation shade probably needs to change with the seasons. I bought new foundation in March — purchased two shades, tested both, and even had a Sephora employee shade match me! Despite all that, Melodie thought my foundation was still a little too light! I didn’t think I’d picked up that much color between March and May, but apparently I had! Melodie recommends having a few shades on hand to mix or swap depending on the season.

Underpainting: This was a new-to-me technique! Underpainting means applying your bronzer, blush, or contour before your foundation — not after. The result is that gorgeous “glow from within,” sun-kissed look. I’ve never done this myself (or even heard that term) but really loved the way it looked on me after Melodie applied my makeup this way.

Tap, don’t swipe: Always tap products into your skin rather than swiping or rubbing. This goes for foundation, concealer, blush, pretty much everything. Rubbing and swiping tugs at your skin over time, and it also moves product around rather than pressing it in.

Blush order: Apply cream blush first, then set with a powder on top to lock placement. I’ve never really used powder blushes and have always used cream blushes, but loved the look of this too.

Shaving your face: Okay even those three words kind of scare me, but…stick with me! Melodie asked if we’d ever tried dermaplaning — essentially shaving your face to remove peach fuzz and allow makeup to sit better on skin. I’ve had it done professionally during a facial a couple times and I’ve had hit or miss experiences whether it looked good/felt worth the $$. But Melodie told us she uses a disposable Bic razor every other day. Your hair does NOT grow back dark and stubby! This part was definitely not planned for the session, but I had those same razors, so we did a very spontaneous face shaving session with Melodie coaching us. If it’s good enough for a professional makeup artist’s regular routine, it’s more than good enough for me.

Nix face scrubs: When we were asking about different products, she mentioned that physical exfoliating scrubs are too rough for your face instead, just use on your body only. Same philosophy as above: you want to avoid anything that tugs, pulls, or creates friction on your face.

Ditch the makeup wipes too! Unless it’s your only option after a late night, makeup wipes pull and tug on skin. There are so many better (and cheaper!) alternatives — more on that in the products section below.

YES, almost everything from rhode is that good. :) We specifically asked her what she thought of Hailey Bieber’s cult-followed brand and she agreed - it’s goooood. I personally love the Pocket Blush and Peptide Lip Tint!

ULTA and Target accept skincare and makeup returns. I already knew Sephora had a generous return policy, but had no idea ULTA and Target did too! I’ve always felt a little overwhelmed buying drugstore products because you can’t sample them first. Knowing you can just return what doesn’t work makes me more likely to actually try them out.

WHAT WE BOUGHT AFTERWARDS 👀💄

Most of these items are under $20!

Skincare

SUNSCREEN: Sunscreen is a non-negotiable! Melodie’s top pick is the EltaMD UV Daily SPF 40 Face Sunscreen Moisturizer — she called it the best of the best. I’ve been very consistent in my sunscreen usage for years, mostly using the Supergoop dupe, Elf’s ‘Whoa Glow’ SPF 30. Now that I’m in my late (!!!) 30s, it feels like the right moment to invest (and I’ve also heard others rave about EltaMD for years!). On no-makeup days, I also love the SkinPharm Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 44.

CLEANSING: Melodie raved about the MakeUp Eraser — it removes makeup with just water and is much gentler than wipes. I ordered the 7-Day Set to try, so can use one each day and then just wash them! For a deeper cleanse, a cleansing balm or oil is the best option. A cult favorite is the ELEMIS Cleansing Balm, but Melodie’s recommended dupe is the Elf Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm — I ordered it already and used last night for the time. Very into it! I’ve also loved Bioderma Cleansing Oil as a pre-wash makeup remover (originally shared about that in this post!)

FACE WASH: I’ve never been loyal to one cleanser, but just ordered the Thayers Milky Hydrating Face Cleanser after Melodie’s recommendation — under $15!

RETINOIDS: I’ve heard great things about Tretinoin, but it requires a prescription. Melodie suggested starting with an over-the-counter retinoid instead — used at night, after washing your face, and before moisturizer. She recommended this gel retinoid (under $20!) and said it’s often more effective than many of the expensive versions out there. Immediately ordered!

PEEL PADS: I’ve been purchasing Dennis Gross Peel Pads for years and Melodie raved about them too! They're pricey, but really impactful! It’s a two-step exfoliating treatment that helps with texture, tone, and brightness.

VITAMIN C: An unexpected budget win: Trader Joe’s Vitamin C Serum at $9.99! Not available online, but you can buy in stores. I purchased during my shopping trip yesterday and going to see how this stacks up against my more expensive Vit C serums.

MASKS: All three of us bonded over our regular Amazon repurchase of the BIODANCE Collagen Masks. I wear mine all night (but you can do for a couple hours too) and think my face looks a lot fresher in the morning.

Makeup

SETTING SPRAY: Melodie swears by this drugstore setting spray — I ordered it immediately and can confirm our makeup stayed on alllll night after she used it on us earlier in the afternoon.

BROWS: I’ve tried Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze more times than I can count and it always looks flaky on me. Melodie recommended the NYX Brow Glue (~$10) and I loved the way she styled my brows and made them seem fuller and fluffier!

LIPS: Melodie says the Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm in ‘Slip’ looks universally flattering on literally everyone. This is in my Sephora cart to order soon!

FOUNDATION: Melodie shared that the Maybelline Fit Me foundation is a great drugstore option! She recommends picking the shade you think matches you best, then buying the two shades on either side — that way you can mix for a perfect match as your skin tone changes with the seasons.

SHOP ALL MAKEUP & SKINCARE

I really don’t share about makeup all that much (because again, I’m in no way shape an expert or anything!) but had fun putting this together! Hope you enjoyed!

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Our oldest daughter just hit her 18th country, and we’ve taken all three kids to 5 countries together (currently ages 8, 6, and 1). At this point, we know exactly what works for our family when it comes to travel gear — and that’s what I’m sharing today. I’ll be doing a deep dive into the strollers, car seats, and luggage we’ve used and loved at different stages of family travel.

Before I dive in, if you’re looking for destination inspiration, I have detailed travel guides for every country we’ve visited (with and without kids), plus a ton of U.S. destinations, all saved in my Ultimate Travel Guide.. 🌍

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STROLLERS

We’ve also used several different strollers over the years going from one to two to now three kids. I shared a 7 Strollers I’ve Owned in 8 Years of Motherhood post before, but here’s the travel-specific strollers we’ve owned and used over the years:

• Mountain Buggy Nano: this was our first travel stroller and has been allll over the world with us! It’s lightweight at 13 lbs and is quick and easy to fold and carry. There’s a handle strap so it’s easy to hold on your shoulder too (perfect for quickly folding to get on and off the NYC subway!). For the price, it’s truly an excellent travel stroller that we got a lot of life out of!

• Zoe Twin+: When my oldest two girls were younger, we decided to get a double travel stroller and this worked really well for us in that season! Most double strollers are a lot heavier and bulkier, but this one isn’t and somehow still fits through doorways despite being a side-by-side double.

• Joolz Aer+: Last year, I decided to upgrade our travel stroller to something a little more substantial. I wanted something lightweight (this one is 13 lbs too!) and easy enough to travel with, but still elevated and a little sturdier for day-to-day adventures. I got a ton of great feedback on IG, and decided to go with the Joolz Aer+ and I LOVE IT so much. I wish I got it sooner!

CARSEATS

We’ve used a few different carseats and boosters over the years depending on our family’s needs and the age of our kids.

• From newborn stage to ~2 or so, we used the Costco Scenera Next - it’s lightweight, compact (usually fits three across) and is under $50. It’s a convertible carseat so can be used rear facing and forward facing up to 40 lbs.

• When our kids outgrew that one, we moved to the Cosco Finale 2 in 1. It’s also a lightweight combination seat, so can be used with a 5-point harness up to 65 lbs or a belt-positioning high-back booster up to 100 lbs.

• We bought two Ride Safer Vests a few years ago when our kids were then 3 and 5. We’ve since had to buy another bigger size for my older daughter, but these have been a game changer for travel! They are lightweight and compact (we often pack them inside the girls backpacks!) and work by correctly positioning the vehicle’s seat belt across your child’s body. So nice to not have to haul (now 3!!!) carseats when we travel.

• We’ve used this large carseat travel bag for years. It can hold multiple carseats!

LUGGAGE

While I prefer to carry-on only and not wait for bags, that’s not always possible these days with three young kids! When we need to check a bag, I often use my own Away ‘The Large’ Checked Bag and this will usually hold ALL the things for my three daughters. We also have several Away ‘The Bigger Carry-On’ suitcases and will use those too. Two years ago for Christmas, we got Lucy and Winnie *their own* luggage and backpack sets and they have been a huge hit! They each have the STATE Logan Carry-On, plus the STATE Kane backpack. Depending on the trip length/destination, they will use these or sometimes we pack everyone all together in the Away bags. They always bring these backpacks for trips though! I have lots of packing cubes, but the BAGGU version is my favorite (plus have exrtas from Amazon/TJ Maxx).

I’ve used all sorts of diaper bags and backpacks over the years when traveling with kids, but I keep coming back to the BAGGU Cloud Bag. It holds SO much, it easy to wash or wipe down, and just works better for me than a backpack. I use the BAGGU pouches to organize different kids items inside my tote bag.

SHOP KIDS TRAVEL GEAR

RELATED POSTS ABOUT FAMILY TRAVEL:

• The 7 Strollers I’ve Owned in 8 Years of Motherhood - a look at which strollers we’ve owned in our time having kids so far!

• Kids Travel Activities I Packed for 2 Weeks in Europe - highlighting all the kids travel activities/entertainment I packed (and still often bring along for other trips)

• Packing for 2 Weeks in Europe with Carry-ons Only - sharing a very detailed packing list and how we managed to travel with carry-ons only for our Europe trip!

• Flying with 2 Kids - Tips and Tricks - chatting about the logistics of traveling with two kids vs. one and dives into nitty gritty details about how I plan for travel with kiddos

• Roadtrip Tips - alllll the ways we survive long road trips with kids!

• Long Flight Tips - this post covers tips for cross-country and international travel, including how to deal with red-eyes with kids, etc.

• Flying with Babies and Young Toddlers - focuses on traveling with babies and younger toddlers, including traveling with breastmilk/formula, baby-wearing, and more

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I have so many reflections (#luckyandireflections) that I’ve shared on IG over the years that I’d love to re-share over here on Substack every now and then. So that’s what I’m doing today, plus a brain dump of other things happening in our little corner of the world. Let’s get into it!

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REFLECTIONS: DEAR SOON-TO-BE NEW MOM

Originally shared November 2019

Dear soon-to-be new mom,

You cannot yet fathom how everything is about to change. you might, like I did, aimlessly wander the aisles of Buy Buy Baby, trying to make it all feel more real. You might, like me, read all the books to prepare for this big life change in an attempt to feel in control. You might, like me, text friends asking things like “so how will I know when labor is starting?” Short answer: you’ll know. 😅

Here’s what I didn’t realize before becoming a mom:
➖ You will be more tired than you thought possible. Everyone tells you this, but until you experience the sheer exhaustion for yourself, it doesn’t really set in how deeply important sleep is
➖ You will worry about things you didn’t even know were possible. Take a deep breath and stop Googling at 2am.
➖ You evolve into a new version of yourself, one you sometimes hardly recognize, and the identity shift can often feel strange. Ride the waves of emotions and let yourself grieve the things you lost from your life “before”
➖ You will feel a new weight of responsibility. Someone will be relying on you for their very existence and that can feel daunting at times
➖ You will sometimes feel isolated, on this island of motherhood all alone — reach out, ask for help, say yes to any and all support. People are here for you!
➖ You will feel like you’re failing over and over again, but really - you will be doing a great job. You will by no means be “a perfect mom”, but you will be *the perfect mom* for your child. Try to remind yourself that, especially on the hard days. 💛

But most importantly — you will experience more JOY than you knew was possible. the first time you get to hold your baby, when he/she smiles, when he/she learns a new skill...it’s all surreal and special to watch. Your heart will explode with love daily. And you get a front row seat to experience life all over again, through the eyes of a child and it’s simply wonderful.

Prepare to be amazed.

Love,
An always-learning, still-evolving mama a little bit further along the magical journey of motherhood ✨

LIFE LATELY!

• Anyone else have Noah Kahan’s new album The Great Divide on repeat?! I’ve hardly listened to anything else since it came out - love love love it!

• Last weekend we went to Vancouver to celebrate my sister’s graduation! We lucked out with PERFECT weather and really loved our time there. One highlight was renting bikes and biking along Stanley Park seawall - it was such a fun and memorable morning! I have more Vancouver recommendations saved over on my Instagram @luckyandi.

• We are down to 8 (!!!) days left in the school year for Lucy and Winnie - WILD! Summer starts so early here in Nashville (and school goes back early too - the beginning of August). While summer is my least favorite time in Tennessee (🥵🦟), I’m determined to make it a whimsical and fun summer as a family! We are going to get working on a summer bucket list to help make everyday/life at home this summer feel special.

• We’re doing a yard sale this weekend. We did this last spring and Lucy and Winnie had SO much fun! My dad is driving down to help since E will be out of town, and we’re going to be selling a bunch of random baby/kids stuff, homewares, handmade bracelets by Lucy, coffee, popsicles, and more.

• This our first summer where ALL THREE (!!) KIDS will be doing grandparents/auntie camp! In June, the girls will spend time up in Ohio with both my parents, followed by time with two of their aunties. In July, the girls will be in California with their grandparents for a week. I’m excited for them to have quality time with family, a break for myself (!!), and potentially to make this a summer tradition.

RECENT PURCHASES

• Currently wearing this oversize cropped t-shirt in the ‘Rosette’ color today and really like the fit of it!

• After seemingly hours of ‘research’ comparing the Lands End and L.L. Bean tote bags last summer, I ended up picking the L.L. Bean tote (navy, long straps, zip top) and it’s been an awesome beach/pool/travel bag. I want an option that’s slightly smaller depending on what I’m doing/how much kid stuff I’m schlepping around, so I recently decided to get the same L.L. Bean tote but in medium size in light teal (also with long straps and zip top). Excited for it to arrive!

• I have been wearing these $15 sunglasses nonstop!

• Lucy and Winnie (and their friends) love climbing and playing in our front yard tree. We recently bought this tree swing rope climbing set and it’s a huge hit!

• I’ve been looking for a dresser for our room for SO long and just not loving the options (or price) of what I was seeing online. I finally found one on FBMP that was a great price, the right size and style, solid wood, and has a bunch of storage. Maybe I should do a little round-up post of my favorite Facebook Marketplace finds soon?!

PHOTOS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

We recently got family photos taken and I wanted to share! Honestly, my kids were WILD and chaotic during the entire 15 minute mini session, but I’m glad our lovely photographer Jordana was able to capture a few cute ones highlighting this fleeting season!

PREVIOUS POSTS YOU MAY LIKE

• The 7 Strollers I’ve Owned in 8 Years of Motherhood

• 4 Small Changes We’ve Made for Easier Weekday Mornings

• Reflections on Having a Third Baby & Her First Year of Life

• 25+ Chic Diaper Bag Alternatives

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BACKSTORY:

We first toured our house in August of 2018, purchased it and signed papers in September, and officially moved from San Francisco to Nashville in October. We had come from a ~600 square foot, plant-filled apartment to a ~2,000 square foot, 100+ year old home that also had a…not so lovely garage.

We knew immediately that we would NOT be parking our car in the garage. It was gross, falling apart, and had significant termite and rot damage. We honestly felt worried about our then 8-month-old baby and small dog somehow getting hurt in/from the garage. Then Eric had an idea: what if we turned the garage into a greenhouse?

We’ve always loved plants and filling our space with greenery, and this felt like a creative, meaningful way to turn something ugly and unused into something beautiful and functional. This type of project was/is right up E’s alley! He’s a curious, hands-on problem solver who gets genuinely excited about figuring things out. I, on the other hand, was just excited to have something beautiful to look at and eventually enjoy!

The entire greenhouse building project took about seven months from start to finish, and we hit plenty of bumps along the way… weather, the learning curve of a project this scale, and a surprising amount of paperwork. Codes, neighbor complaints, applications, approvals — who knew building a backyard greenhouse would require so much!? We went into the entire project quite naive and it was absolutely a ‘learn and figure it out as you go’ kind of project.

But here’s how he built it and a little update on the greenhouse space now, nearly 8 years later!

STEP 1: OUT WITH THE OLD

We started by tearing down the existing structure. Grab a pair of work gloves (spend a little extra on a good pair, your hands will thank you!) and a sledgehammer and start swinging. Begin with any siding, windows, or doors, leaving the frame intact. Once you’re down to the studs, use a jigsaw with a wood-and-nails blade to cut out the wall sections and knock them down.

E did all of this alone, and after the first wall came down, the amount of rot in the structure meant he could essentially just push the rest of it over. That being said, we highly recommend having a friend help with this part, and testing the structure as you go so nothing collapses on you unexpectedly.

STEP 2: CLEAN UP!

Haul away all the debris. We got rid of A LOT, but saved some of the original siding, a couple of old doors, and several windows to integrate into the final greenhouse. We also found license plates from the 1920s tucked inside — those got cleaned up and saved (and eventually on display in the greenhouse). Our backyard looked like a construction site for weeks. This cleanup phase was not glamorous.

STEP 3: COLLECT OLD WINDOWS

This step was easier than expected because at the time, tons of renovations and remodels were happening in the neighborhood. We would literally walk in alleys around our house see what people were tossing, and ended up sourcing most of the windows for the greenhouse this way. I love how every one of them is slightly different and adds character and visual interest to the space! Facebook Marketplace, garage sales, estate sales, and auctions are all great places to find old windows too.

STEP 4: PLAN THE FRAME

Using salvaged windows means you’ll have a uniquely irregular layout to work around — treat it like a puzzle. We laid all the windows out and used 2x4s of various lengths between them to build out four mostly-glass sides for our 10×14’ greenhouse.

A few things we’d do differently: collect all the windows you plan to use before you begin framing, and draw out the full structure in detail before you pick up a single board. Also, use pressure treated lumber! It costs more, but it’s non-negotiable for an outdoor structure. We had one non-treated 2×4 on the ground and after inspections, we had to tear it out and replace it halfway through the project. Learn from our mistake!

We also had a gardener friend recommend installing a fan for air circulation, so we added a solar-powered attic fan into the back wall. So glad we did!

STEP 5: BUILDING THE ROOF

The most straightforward option for a greenhouse roof is corrugated plastic sheeting attached to the rafters. We went a different direction and because we had collected so many salvaged windows, we decided to use those for the roof too. It’s beautiful and we have zero regrets, but we will say: we have enormous respect for builders and for Eric’s high school geometry teacher. This part was HARD!

Start with a long ridge board (2×6) and attach your rafters with birdsmouth cuts on either side for support. Like the frame, plan your window placement on the ground first so you know exactly where the rafters need to fall. Attach rafters using hurricane ties, frame in the windows with 1×1” boards, fill gaps with silicone sealant, and use white asphalt roof panels along the ridge beam.

STEP 6: FRESHEN UP THE SURROUNDINGS

The area around the old garage was pretty bleak, so we worked with a local contractor to add a small deck on the front. We were already having a deck built on the back of the house, so it made sense to add in the greenhouse deck to this project. The deck gives the greenhouse a proper entrance and covers the existing concrete slab underneath. My mom also came in and planted flowers and greenery all around the structure, which completely changed the feel of the whole space! We still have the hostas she planted in 2019 along the side of the greenhouse!

STEP 7: PAINT!

The most exciting step of the greenhouse project was one of the finishing touches – painting! We hired out this part, but used Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior in Whisper White for the entire interior and exterior of the greenhouse. Painting the whole thing one clean color is what made it feel truly finished.

STEP 8: BUY PLANTS

When the greenhouse was first completed, we had a good amount of plants, but it’s now FULL of plants and such a lush space! If you’re looking for dangly plants (which look great hanging over the edge of a shelf), you can’t go wrong with golden pathos or english ivy.

OUR GREENHOUSE NOW

Since we finished the build, the greenhouse has been featured on Apartment Therapy, A Beautiful Mess, Domino, Green Wedding Shoes, Style Blueprint, Your Home & Lifestyle Magazine, and many more publications!

In 2020, I encouraged E (who is not a big social media person, haha) to start a dedicated Instagram account for the greenhouse. Before that, I’d been sharing it on my own account @luckyandi, and several posts had gone viral, but I didn’t really want to share about plants on a regular basis. But I knew people loved the greenhouse and learning how to better care for plants! E launched @eastnashgreenhouse, and later on that year, TikTok. That same year, I had the idea to start renting the greenhouse out for photo shoots and small events. We’ve been doing it ever since! It’s turned into a a space where thousands (!!) of people celebrated and captured special moments — engagements, graduations, baby announcements, weddings, newborns, birthday parties, family portraits, and more. You can book it here if you’re in Nashville and looking for a unique spot!

One of the most special ‘big moments’ at our greenhouse was last May when we hosted my sister’s wedding in our backyard!

But honestly? More than any of the press or the bookings or the follower count or the fact that there are quite a few other greenhouse venues in Nashville these days, the greenhouse is just a really special place to be! It’s where we’ve had slow Saturday mornings with coffee, where friends have stayed too late drinking wine, where the kids have had tea parties and dance parties and yes, have also broken a couple pots and spilled over many plants over the years. It’s really such a delightful, beautiful space and I’m so proud of for building it and grateful to have it as a part of our home!

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LIFE LATELY

• April seems to be flying by! The girls only have a few weeks left of school (eeeeep!) and we’ll be into all things SUMMER ☀️🌻🍉⛱️ over here! As fellow parents with school age kids know - May is absolutely NUTS. There’s a million activities and things happening as the school year wraps up. We got this!💪🏼

• I GET TO BE AN AUNTIE! My sister Kerry is pregnant and OMG I am so excited! My sisters have been/are such wonderful, engaged, loving, involved aunties even from afar, and I’m so excited to get to love on my new NEPHEW! Yes, a boy! Coming from a family of four girls and now being a mom of three girls, this is an extra big deal.

• is running the St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll marathon here in Nashville this weekend and us girlies are ready to be a cheer squad! So proud of him!

• We just started Daisy’s ISR lessons this week! ISR Infant Self Rescue is an intensive, 4-6 week water safety program that teaches children to save themselves from drowning. Basically, they learn to swim until they need air, rotate to back to float/get air, and then continue swimming to side of pool or steps. This is something both Lucy and Winnie did when they are younger and we were really glad that we did. I’ve shared more about our ISR experience in the past HERE.

• We’re going to Vancouver in early May for my sister’s grad school graduation! My parents and sister and brother-in-law are coming too, so it’ll be a big family thing. I haven’t been to Vancouver since July 2017 (despite having a best friend there!) and I’m very overdue for a visit!

• I’m just about to wrap up my semester at Belmont. This is my fourth semester teaching in the PR & Social Media department there, and I really love it. I love getting to learn alongside students, love the energy of a college environment, and have found it so rewarding to take a small part in my students’ educational and eventual professional journeys. I received this note from a former student last week and it truly made my day! I’ve been meaning to write a newsletter about my journey to becoming a professor - stay tuned for that!

GRIEF JOURNEY

I shared an eulogy I wrote for my grandma, who passed away at the end of March. Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful words both here and on IG, and for listening to me share about her. It sort of feels weird to talk about grief publicly, because I know that so many people have experienced profound loss that is different than losing a grandparent. My grandma lived a full, long life and wasn’t afraid to die - and I’m so grateful for so much time with her. And yet -

Grief still comes in waves. It hits me on Monday afternoons, which is the day of the week and time of day she passed away. It hits me on Tuesday and Thursday mornings as I drive to Belmont, because that’s when I’d usually call her to catch up. It hits me when I’m eating an apple (she grew up and lived her entire life on her family’s land and apple orchard). It hits me when someone I haven’t seen in awhile tells me they heard the news and are sorry. It hits me when I see the moon and stars glassware she used to collect at an antique shop. It hits me when 18-month-old Daisy does something new and I want to tell her about it. It hits me when my girls bring up a story visiting the farm. It hits me looking through old photos and when certain songs come on. It hits me when I think about my mom’s loss - the loss of her mom, and I empathize so deeply because I am devastated thinking of losing mine one day. It hits me when I think about telling her something and realizing I can’t anymore. The list goes on and on. Sometimes my eyes well with tears. Sometimes it’s literally like I’m losing my breath for just a moment. Sometimes it’s sobbing uncontrollably. Sometimes it’s just an ache that lingers for a bit.

Anyway, I don’t have a sweet way to wrap this section up, except to say - I’m okay. But navigating losing a loved one - even when it’s not tragic or unexpected - still feels really hard and sad some days.

I wanted to share an exquisite children’s book about friendship and grief that is a must-read. It’s called Ida, Always and it follows the story of two polar bear friends in New York City. I learned about the book years ago from a friend, purchased it for my mom after her dad died in 2021, and recently re-read it when home for my grandma’s funeral. It really is so beautiful and special and I highly recommend.

WORDS THAT RESONATED WITH ME

I read this book last year after a friend recommended it to me and told me it reminded him of (what he’s heard of) my grandma’s farm. The main character is a mother of three girls who lives on a cherry farm in Michigan (my grandma has three daughters and an apple orchard/farm in Michigan). I ended up buying the book for my grandma to read, too. This quote from the book is so beautiful, and reminds me so much of her.

There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else. Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows, and unbelievably, those things get knocked aside as well, until one morning you’re picking cherries with your three grown daughters and your husband goes by on the Gator and you are positive that this is all you’ve ever wanted in the world. - Ann Patchett, from Tom Lake

RECENT PURCHASES

• I recently replaced the not-so-great, too-short curtains we’ve had hanging in our guest room since we moved in (…eight years ago) with THESE CURTAINS and I’m so happy with them! They look really high-quality at a very affordable price! Four panels for the two windows was just about ~$100, and they look way nicer that I’d expect at that price point. They also have so many length options, so you can really find curtains that fit your window perfectly.

• Not recent given I bought it last summer, but this bubble machine is used at our house every single day.

• I bought the sweetest custom name banner for Daisy’s room from @baileydavisdesigns and I love it SO much! She only releases custom orders every so often and I’m so glad I snagged one!

• Y’all know I love Nuuly, but I’ve been also using it to shop as well. I am OBSESSED with this Celia B dress and ended up purchasing it for $17!!! Here’s a newsletter sharing 20 Nuuly rentals that I ended up purchasing and here’s my referral link for $30 off your first Nuuly subscription.

RECENTLY READ

My Kindle recently fell in the bathtub and I’ve been disassociating and pretending I don’t need to address that. ANYWAY! Here’s a couple books I recently read:

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Today we are here to honor Marilyn Miller. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Andi Teggart and I’m Linann’s daughter and one of Marilyn’s twelve grandchildren. I have the privilege of getting to share a little bit more about who she was and what she meant to me today.

We were recently watching old home videos over at my grandparents house. The videos started with my grandparents as young adults and moved into their time as newlyweds, young parents, and then different milestones over their four children’s lives. The videos continue as Ted and Marilyn welcome a grandchild and quickly welcome many more. The videos show birthday parties, Christmases, family reunions, and regular weekends captured over time. Throughout all these videos, I kept noticing changes: hairstyles evolving over the years, kids getting bigger, more candles on birthday cakes, seemingly a new baby joining the family every year or so. But some things never changed at all. First, of course, grandpa’s video camera skills remained shaky and slightly out of focus over the years. More importantly though, what didn’t change despite years upon years of videos and even more years not caught on my grandparents camcorder: the steady, constant presence of my grandma.

I saw myself grow up through the home videos and realized there’s only a few people who have known me that long and loved me that long. Who have been there and watched and prayed over and encouraged every single chapter of my life, every milestone. Who have unconditionally loved every version of me, and told me so, regularly. A lot of people don’t have that. And I did for 37 years of my life. What a gift.

While it’s not all captured on shaky home videos anymore, our family’s story has continued to grow. The babies that once sat on my grandma’s lap years ago have gotten married, many have had their own babies. Since that early video of my grandma as a teenager on the farm, she’s welcomed four children, twelve grandchildren, and 27 great grandchildren with more on the way in 2026. And while the family grew and grew, my grandma cared deeply about the big and small milestones and updates we each had. I remember calling my grandparents to tell them I had a boyfriend, when I got a promotion at work, when I got engaged, all three times I was pregnant. I have many voicemails saved (one below) — my grandma calling me to check in, asking about the weather in San Francisco, thanking me for sending her photos, asking how my kids were, telling me over and over that she loved me and was praying for me. I remember introducing grandma to my daughters over FaceTime, and when she got to snuggle them in person for the first time. She loved babies so much. The steadiness of my grandma continued over and over, always there in my corner.

While it’s impossible to fit it all in one speech, I’d love to tell you a little bit more about my grandma.

She was born on June 14, 1937. She was the daughter of Wallace and Viola Keeney and lived her entire life on the Michigan homestead and farm that’s been in her family since 1828. It’s hard to talk about my grandma without mentioning the land, the farm, the Keeney homestead where she lived her entire life and died. The farm being the backdrop of so many of my own childhood memories — hide and seek in the cornfields, visiting the animals, playing ‘school’ in my grandparents basement, hanging out in the sand pit by the big tree, tractor rides down the lane on a snowy Christmas. I think most of us in this room have some sort of memory from our time on the farm.

She was married to my grandpa, Theodore, for 64 years. He passed away in 2021 which was a devastating loss to her, and to our entire family.

My grandma was incredibly hardworking, took great pride in tending to her land, and knew many of her customers by name. Reading the hundreds of comments on the farm’s Facebook page brought tears to my eyes — the impact she’s had on her local community outside of our family is tremendous.

Marilyn was an excellent cook and baker. I can guarantee you’ve never tasted better rolls and applesauce than hers. She made not one, not two, not three, but NINE different types of homemade pies (and multiple of each type) for my wedding and people still rave about them (and just the fact that my then 78-year-old grandma made them all!). She was an entreprenuer and pioneer in Michigan farming. She loved to read. She loved family history and was constantly documenting and collecting photos - she had cabinets filled with photo books and walls filled with 3x5 prints of people she loved and who loved her back. She was generous, often outrageously so, just like her dad. She was a good listener and also gave the best back scratches. She was strong-willed, hardworking, fiercely loyal, and deeply family-oriented. She truly was a force to be reckoned with.

My grandma’s faith was at the cornerstone of who she was as a person. During a recent conversation, we were talking about Heaven and she said she’s ready to go home. I asked who she was going to see first, thinking initially she was going to say grandpa or her parents or her sister, my aunt Donna, but she quietly said with tears in her eyes — Jesus. She wasn’t afraid to die. In fact, another thing she shared not that long ago on a phone call was the simple and profound statement: “God has been so good to me.”

At my sister’s wedding last May, my grandma said something to my sisters and I that has stuck with me. She shared “watching you kids grow up has been the honor of our lives.” She truly delighted in being a grandparent and was so good at it.

And while my grandma’s physical body is no longer with us, her spirit lives on — and I get to see bits and pieces of who she was and is, firsthand, in her family.

I see parts of my grandma in my cousin Todd, through his sturdy and faithful presence and visits to my grandparents over the years. I see it in Erin through the way she raises and loves her girls. I see my grandma’s faith come to life in the ministry work three of her grandsons do. I see it in my sister Kerry — she’s a good listener like my grandma. I see parts of grandma in Tim’s work ethic and drive. I see it in my sister Katie who is never afraid to speak her mind, just like grandma. And I see my grandma in me, too.

And it trickles beyond her own children and nieces and nephews and grandchildren and into the next generation. I see it in my eight-year-old daughter Lucy, who is deeply fascinated by family history and our ties to the land. And I see it already in my six-year-old daughter Winnie, who is a bit stubborn and strong-willed — just like grandma.

What a legacy she left behind that gets to continue on in those who she loved and those who had the privilege of loving her back.

My relationship with my grandma was one of the easiest and most profound relationships of my life. I never had to impress her or prove myself to her. She’s always been there for support, for sharing in joy and heartbreak, for encouragement and re-assurance, a steady ship in the beautiful, chaotic storm of life.

I know I’m not the only one who is going to miss hearing the words “we’re praying for you, we love you” on the phone or in a handwritten card. Who, even if you didn’t hear those words, you knew that Marilyn was constantly praying and interceding on your behalf. Who knew that someone steady was always there, always in your corner, always home for you.

One of the videos we played a few weeks ago was my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary video and the final song lyrics really resonated with me, especially in the final weeks of my grandma’s life:

When it’s all been said and done / There is just one thing that matters / Did I do my best to live for truth? / Did I live my life for you? / When it’s all been said and done / All my treasures will mean nothing / Only what I’ve done for love’s reward / Will stand the test of time / And I will always sing Your praise / Here on Earth and ever after / For You’ve shown me Heaven is my true home / When it’s all been said and done

We take comfort knowing that my grandma was greeted with the words well done, good and faithful servant. Our family will forever mourn her presence, as Heaven rejoices as it welcomes her home. 🤍

I started using Nuuly with the intention to only rent, but slowly started buying pieces I wanted to keep. You can absolutely just rent — that’s the whole point! — but I’ve found so many pieces I loved beyond the rental period and was able to purchase them at a fraction of retail (sometimes 80%+ off!!). Nuuly also has a Nuuly Thrift section where you can buy items directly without it counting toward your rental allotment. I’ve found some great gems on there for under $20!

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite rentals-turned-purchases over the years!

Quick note: this post is not an ad. My Nuuly subscription and all Nuuly purchases are my own (but yes, a partnership does sound awesome!). I’m just a huge Nuuly pusher and super fan. 🙃 That being said, here’s my referral link for $30 off your first Nuuly subscription!

$30 OFF NUULY SUBSCRIPTION

DRESSES / JUMPSUITS

Anthropologie The Katerina Button Down Dress - recent purchase that I somehow got for $17 (!!) after being deeply discounted, plus a $20 off promo from Nuuly. I received so many compliments on this and know I’ll get a lot of use out of this dress!

Celia B Edenic Dress - this feels SO me. Rented it and then saw it on Nuuly thrift for $25 (!!). It retails for $255! Have already worn multiple times, including to work, on date night, for Friendsgiving, and more.

Saylor Lincoln Maxi Dress - this is a great brand to look for on Nuuly! I first rented this dress while pregnant and loved it, and then rented again about a year postpartum. It was marked down and just felt really EASY and cute so I bought it.

Farm Rio Superbloom Maxi Dress - this was probably the biggest ‘Nuuly splurge’ I made (usually I buy things from Nuuly that are super discounted, and this was only like 20% off retail price). It felt SO me and so perfect for spring.

Anthropologie Belted Cardigan Sweater Dress - this was in my first postpartum Nuuly and made me feel so put together but still felt like I was wearing pajamas/a blanket.

Anthropologie Long Sleeve Mini Dress - bought this from Nuuly thrift for ~$20 without renting first. It’s so cute with cowboy boots!

Siddhartha Bansal Tiered Printed Maxi Dress - wore this to my sister’s rehearsal dinner and it just felt SO special. Decided to buy it to wear for other dressier occasions (or to let a friend borrow, which I’m always happy to do!)

Siddhartha Bansal Smocked Maxi Dress - I first rented this when pregnant with Daisy and loved it. This designer is really incredible! Decided it would be a good fancier dress to have (plus strapless = nursing friendly!). I’ve also wore this as a skirt with a top over it!

Free People Golden Hour Maxi Dress - rented twice and finally decided to buy it. Really so pretty!

The Ragged Priest Wavy Coveralls - THESE ARE SO FUN!

Meadows Aurora Midi Dress - this was one of the first Nuuly things I’ve purchased in 2023 and I still wear it several times every summer/spring since!

TOPS

Fenareta Heraia Linen Blend Blouse - this looked so beautiful and interesting to me, and I feel like my closet is lacking some pretty tops! Only worn once so far, but will definitely wear again when it warms up.

BOTTOMS

Anthropologie Tiered Space Dust Maxi Skirt - I ’m usually a more colorful gal, but I really liked this skirt and I’ve worn so many times since buying it!

DONNI Rib Kick Flare Pants (Green) - I’ve seen style and rave about these pants and decided to rent them. They’re an awesome lounge pant - stretchy, thick, comfortable. I love them!

Anthropologie The Base Jump Pants - rented these when pregnant and they were marked down to literally $10. So comfy and cute and still wear all the time!

SWEATERS/ JACKETS

Pilcro Draped Denim Oversize Duster Jacket - perfect layering piece!

Celia B Bia Fleece Jacket - I rented this for our Switzerland trip in fall 2023 and loved it so much! I still wear it all the time in the winter (including today!)

Damson Madder Macy Bandana Jacket - loved that the jacket is reversible, so you can wear the ‘bandana’ side or a gingham side.

Anthropologie Colorblock Long Liner Coat - I have gotten SO much use out of this coat. Truly the cost per wear has to be down to like $1. It feels like a neutral, go with everything coat.

Farm Rio Crochet Cherry Cardigan - SO FUN and playful. Brought me so much joy and still does when I wear it!

Vigoss Quilted Coat - easy, comfy layering piece for in-between weather days!

$30 off your first Nuuly

RELATED POSTS

• Favorite Nuuly Rentals During Pregnancy

• My Favorite Nuuly Rentals (2024)

This is a post I started working on awhile ago, and I had too much fun going down a little memory lane of what strollers we had when. And making that little ~visual timeline~ showing what strollers we had when. A few caveats and reminders before I dive in!

• I don’t think MOST people have transitioned through or purchased as many strollers over the years, but this has been what’s worked best for us in real-time. Our physical home location, family size, priorities, needs, and budget has evolved over the years and so we’ve swapped strollers in and out to fit. Some of the strollers we’ve had for nearly 8 years, and a couple of them worked for our family for only 1-3 years.

• All of these strollers were purchased with my own money. I would have loved to partner with any of these brands in a gifted/collab capacity (and tried lol) but alas, none were gifted or discounted.

• I’ve included current prices of strollers in the post - many of them have newer models and have gone up in price since we purchased years ago

• Strollers have a fairly good resale value on FBMP! All of the strollers we no longer have we’ve been able to donate or sell on FBMP, with many of the ‘fancier’ brands (NUNA, Zoe, Thule) at a pretty good secondhand price. Friendly reminder: Do not buy (or sell) used carseats!

• Lucy was born in 2018, Winnie in 2020, and Daisy in 2024. Lucy and Winnie are almost exactly two years apart, and Daisy is ~4.5 years younger than Winnie, and 6.5 years younger than Lucy. Based on their age gaps, different strollers worked best for us in that season of life.

Let’s get rolling! 😝

NUNA Mixx Next

This was our first stroller and a baby shower gift from my in-laws before Lucy was born! I did a bunch of research as a soon-to-be first time mom and was deciding between the UPPAbaby system or NUNA. I ultimately decided on NUNA and this stroller (and carseat combo) was with our family for many years. All three of the girls used this stroller and carseat! You can easily connect the Pipa infant carseat to the Mixx Next stroller, but the main stroller comes with a seat is also reversible, so the baby can sit facing you or facing out. The stroller fits kids up to 50 pounds, has all-wheel suspension for smooth rides, an adjustable handlebar (great since Eric and I are a full foot apart in height!), a large basket for holding allllllthethings and overall has a sleek, modern design. We ended up selling this in 2025 after we transitioned Daisy out of the PIPA infant seat and into a convertible seat. Side note: we are big NUNA fans and have used the Pipa, Rava, and Exec carseats for many years.

• Years We Owned: 2018 - 2025

• Price: ~$1000 for stroller, ~$1550 for stroller/carseat combo

• Shop: NUNA Mixx Next (stroller only), NUNA Mixx & Pipa Travel System (carseat & stroller)

Mountain Buggy Nano

We bought this stroller when Lucy was a few months old, because we wanted a lightweight, versatile travel stroller so we didn’t have to lug around the NUNA Mixx (‘our at home stroller’) on planes. I raved about this stroller on IG for years and know many of you purchased it! It’s been to 10+ countries, countless flights, and many many adventures. It’s lightweight (13 lbs), fits in the airplane overhead compartment, has a full recline for on-the-go napping, and a surprisingly large basket for being a travel stroller. This stroller served our family so well for so many years, and we could have kept using it for many more, but I decided more recently I wanted something with slightly sturdier wheels (so we could use beyond just travel). This truly is SUCH a good travel stroller, especially for the price!

• Year We Owned: 2018 - 2025

• Price: ~$200

• Shop: Mountain Buggy Nano

Joovy Zoom 360 Ultralight Jogging Single Stroller

This is the stroller we ended up having for the shortest period of time, but really helped solidify that a jogging stroller was a good fit for our family. And I’m NOT a runner/jogger despite the only photo I could find of this stroller below :) We bought this soon after moving to Nashville so that Eric could run with Lucy. We loved having a jogging/running stroller as our ‘at home’ stroller, whether it was for proper runs or just big neighborhood walks.

• Years We Owned: 2019 - 2020

• Price: $300

• Shop: Joovy Zoom Jogging Stroller

Thule Urban Glide Double Stroller

We upgraded from our single Joovy jogging stroller to a double jogging stroller and Eric picked out the Thule Urban Glide Double Stroller. We bought this as a shared Christmas gift to each other in 2020, when Winnie was almost one and Lucy almost three. We had used single strollers up until that point, but wanted an option to push both girls (and yes, sometimes Jack🐶 ) at the same time. The Thule double was our main at-home stroller for years! It’s definitely large and bulky so wouldn’t really fit well in the back of a vehicle, but the huge wheels made it SO easy to push, even as the girls got bigger. We sold it in 2024 when we found out we were having a third (surprise) baby and knew we wouldn’t need a double stroller anymore, as Winnie was nearly five at that point.

• Years We Owned: 2020 - 2024

• Price: $1000

• Shop: Thule Urban Glide Double Stroller

Zoe Twin Double Stroller

After being so happy with our double jogging stroller and loving the option to have a seat for both young girls, we decided to try out a double travel stroller. I had heard great things about Zoe strollers and that’s what we went with. The Zoe Twin double stroller is light (especially for a double!) at 19 lbs, is easy to fold, has a deep recline, and somehow (?!) fits through doorways easily. We traveled a lot with this stroller when Winnie was 1-3 and Lucy was 3-5 and also kept it in our car as our go-the-go stroller for awhile. I was overall happy with this stroller during this phase of life, but Eric (who is 6’3 thought it was hard to push/too low).

• Years We Owned: 2021-2023

• Price: $529

• Shop: Zoe Twin Double Stroller

Thule Urban Glide Single Jogging Stroller

After selling our double jogging stroller in 2024, we knew eventually when Daisy got a little bigger, we’d want a jogging stroller again! We had been really happy with the Thule brand (and able to sell the previous one for a good chunk of $$ on FBMP) so bought the single stroller version. The stroller holds kids up to 50 lbs, has an adjustable handlebar and large basket for all the snacks/blankets/kid stuff, and has huge wheels making it smooth and easy to push. We still have this today and it’s our main ‘at home’ stroller that stays out on the porch and comes on all of our neighborhood walks and adventures.

• Years We Owned: 2025 - Present

• Price: $800

• Shop: Thule Urban Glide Single Jogging Stroller

Joolz Aer2 Travel Stroller

This is my most recent stroller purchase and THE LAST stroller I’ll be buying for our family. Last year, I decided that while the Mountain Buggy Nano had worked well over multiple years and in numerous destinations, I wanted to upgrade to something slightly more elevated and study. I asked my IG community for feedback and the Joolz Aer2 was overwhelmingly a top favorite! It’s only 13 lbs, super easy to fold with one hand, and has been truly what I wanted - light and easy enough to travel, but also sturdy enough for regular life. We use this for all of our travels, but also keep it in the car for on-the-go adventuring and errands. I have the dark green color and love it so much! When I ordered it last fall, I kept saying to E… WHY DIDN’T I GET THIS SOONER?

• Years We Owned: 2025 - Present

• Price: $579

• Shop: Joolz Aer2 Travel Stroller

SHOP STROLLERS

Do we like this type of newsletter? I’d love to know! xoxo

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Thanks for reading! I love hearing from you, so always feel free to shoot me a note!

Hope you had a beautiful holiday season! We spent some time in Ohio and then were back here in Nashville to celebrate Christmas. It was a sweet and cozy time with surprisingly warm weather and lots of good quality family time. We were all ready for some structure and stability to our days - the girls are happy to be back in school and to see their sweet friends again!

A CHAOTIC BRAIN DUMP OF RANDOM THINGS I WANT TO SHARE 🫶🏻

• A few months ago, I ordered a Brick. It’s a small, magnetic square device that temporarily blocks distracting apps and websites on your phone. I keep it on our fridge and try to Brick every night around ~7:30 until the next morning to curb mindless scrolling before bed and when I wake up. I also try to take longer stretches with my phone ‘Bricked’ and full days every now and then. Eric uses it and loves it too! The phone’s screen time limits never really worked for me, but for some reason, having a physical item that blocks me from being on apps (I Brick TikTok, IG, FB, and Reddit) has really helped. You can get 15% off the Brick through this link.

• My sister gifted me a New York Times subscription for Christmas and I’ve been so delighted by it! I really have enjoyed reading articles on the app and have already made ~10 recipes on the NYT Cooking app. Truly was such a great gift!

• Y’all know I love love love Nuuly! It’s truly been a game changer for me in terms of getting dressed and feeling confident. I need to update this post, but here’s a post all about my favorite Nuuly rentals and here’s my favorite pregnancy Nuuly rentals! Right now, you can get $30 off your first month of Nuuly through this link! 💃🏼

• The girls got a Tincan phone for Christmas! It’s a WiFi-enabled landline phone where the kids make and receive calls to a list of approved contacts. They have several friends with Tincan phones so have them on ‘speed dial’, but we also programmed grandparents and auntie phone numbers too. There’s been a couple of product/brand hiccups (delayed shipping, server issues, phone not working on/off, etc.) but when it works, it’s been delightful. It’s so sweet to overhear the girls talk to their friends and catch up with family. Plus they’re learning a new skill - how to communicate on a phone without a screen! And I’m hopeful the company will get it all sorted out so it’s working consistently soon.

• We’ve been playing a LOT of family games lately, but the top pick for the girls is a card game called Monopoly Deal. No joke, we’ve played at least one game (but usually…3-10) every day since we got it. It’s a card game version of Monopoly and each game takes just about 15 minutes. It says 8+ but Winnie picked up on it quickly so I’d say 5/6+! We’ve had a lot of fun playing together!

  Here's a bunch of kids games we have!

COUPLES OFFSITE 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏼

Eric and I recently did a little weekend getaway and decided to make it into a little inaugural annual offsite. We spent the weekend at Evins Mill Resort outside of Nashville for this offsite weekend and it was so lovely. We definitely want to go back with the kids this summer.

We weren’t overly formal prescriptive, and I’m not sure ‘offsite’ is even the right word. I guess it was more of an intentional reset to reflect on the past year and plan and dream for the year ahead. It was casual enough that we were able to have intentional conversations, but in a laid back setting (i.e. goals for the kids while sitting at a dive bar, finances chat while drinking coffee on the porch, etc.). Here’s a few of the topics we chatted through:

• 2025 recap - what went well, what was hard, favorite moments, etc.

• Finances - a look at the last year and some financial goals/plans for 2026

• Travel - mapping out our year and where/when we want to travel

• Kids/Home - aligning on house projects and updates/purchases we want to make, plus resetting on kid-related topics like chores, allowance, and other opportunity areas and friction points we could improve on this year

• Goal/Intention planning - for ourselves individually, as a couple, and then also for our kids.

  • We started one morning at breakfast journaling our goals/intentions into buckets like mental, physical/health, personal, family, professional and then narrowed in on what we wanted in each bucket in 2026.

  • Then later that afternoon, we chatted about goals/hopes we have for each of the girls this year and ways we can help them in those areas.

Not only was our kid-free weekend fun and relaxing, it felt really nice to sync on some of nitty gritty life things and understand how we can support one another better, work together on our shared goals and dreams, and make improvements to help our household/family run a little smoother! 10/10 recommend.

WAYS TO HELP OTHERS 🫂

• You may have heard the devastating news of a Columbus, Ohio couple killed in their home at the end of December. Spencer and Monique Tepe were good friends with my brother-in-law, Taylor. Their very young children were home at the time and are now without their parents - it’s absolutely horrifying. ❤️‍🩹 The entire situation has rattled me deeply and is so heartbreaking. Here is a GoFundMe to support their young children and immediate family caring for them.

• We seem to be bombarded with bad news and horrifying headlines, including the recent murder of Renee Good by ICE officers in Minnesota. Then add in the layer of being gaslight and lied to directly by our country’s ‘leaders’ - it’s such a weird experience. If you’re inclined, here’s a donation link to support The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, a nonprofit org that provides free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota. Also…abolish ICE.

GRATITUDE LIST ✨

Gratitude is something that’s always been really important to me, and something I’ve talked about a lot online. Way back in my early blogging days in my 20s, I would share weekly Thursday Thankful Lists sharing a bunch of random things I was grateful for. But lately, I’ve been a practice that’s has really been pushed to back burner. It’s not that I’m NOT grateful, but I guess I haven’t been as cognizant about really thinking about, recognizing, and stating the things I’m thankful for in a given moment.

The news and everything going on in our country/world feels extra heavy right now (again) and it feels even more crucial for me to get really tangible about the big and small things I’m thankful for. Here’s a short list today:

My health and the health of my kids / the ability to and gift of movement / the way Winnie scrunches her nose when she smiles / watching Lucy read to her sisters / Daisy napping on my chest (something that doesn’t happen as much anymore) / Feeling seen and validated / Iced matcha with strawberry cold foam / Getting lost in a good book / The way the light pours into the back of our house on sunny afternoons / My parents / Handwritten cards from my grandma / Friends who you can just pick up right where you left off with / Not feeling the need to impress someone / Feeling comfortable and confident in who I am / Super comfy oversized sweaters / Watching my kids learn a new skill and feel so proud of themselves / Jack snuggles / Olivia Dean on repeat / Warm and sunny January weather

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HOW ARE YOU GUYS?! Hope everyone is hanging in there!

Ioriginally wrote most of this newsletter in November, but here we are basically at mid-December and ~2 weeks to Christmas and just now publishing. Eeeeep, ‘tis the season!

I haven’t done an old fashioned ‘life lately’ newsletter in awhile, which was the premise of this newsletter when I started it many years ago. I used Substack as a brain dump of sorts to share about all sorts of things that were on my mind, but more recently have shared more topical posts. I’m curious - do you like the life lately or the most focused topic newsletters?

Excited to catch you up on some/most?? of what’s been happening in our little corner of the world.

LIFE LATELY

• Daisy is sleeping through the night! For the past week and a half, she’s been sleeping through the night without one of us waking to feed/soothe her. For the last 14ish months, I’ve gotten up with her every night at least once, usually twice to nurse or soothe her. She’s been sleeping mostly independently for a few moths now, but we never had a plan or strategy for middle of the night wakings. And then one night, she started sleeping through the night and kept doing it. I’m a new person!

• A few weeks ago, I went on a girls trip to Boston with my college friends turned sisters and ugh, it was so so so so stupid fun and silly. We were in college together then all lived in San Francisco in our 20s, but now are spread out all over. I’m so glad we made the time to get together and I’m already craving our next lurdies offsite. 🩷

• I honestly get really annoyed when everyone is like *~I’m so busy~* but whew, this season with school aged kids feels really FULL. I mean the holidays kind of always are, but it feels even more so now that Lucy and Winnie are a little older. There seems to always be school events or fundraisers or themed days or something to do/remember. I know I’m not the only one who is like OMG WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW?

• I recently wrapped up my third semester teaching at Belmont! I taught a Social Media Planning and Management course, and partnered my students with local Nashville-based small businesses/organizations. This semester, we worked with Hometeam Pizza, Apple & Oak, and Second Harvest Food Kitchen. The student teams put together campaign ideas and a comprehensive social strategy for their clients and I’m so proud of them! And also, I’m proud of the course I put together - I would have loved to get real-world experience like this and work with real businesses in undergrad. Semi-related, here’s some of my professor ‘fits.

• Lucy joined the swim team! We’ve always been very focused on water safety and swimming skills - both Lucy and Winnie did ISR lessons starting at ~18 months and ‘regular’ swim lessons starting at age three). This fall, she joined Nashville Aquatic Club and we’ve been excited for her to participate in a sport where she can grow individually, but also be a part of a team environment. She’s had one official swim meet already and two more coming soon. So proud of her!

• Last month, I did a little Instagram crowdfunding to support families in our Title 1 school community who are impacted by SNAP cuts. Both strangers and friends were so generous and in six days, there were $900 in donations! THANK YOU to those of you who donated.

KIDS HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS!

This is a big brain dump of all sorts of random gift ideas for kids! I’m also sharing more ideas over on Instagram (saving to this Gift Ideas highlight) when I think of them!

GIFT IDEAS FOR KIDS

Honestly, I have more fun finding stocking stuffer gifts than the ‘regular’ presents. I put together a bunch of ideas in the collection linked below:

BIG KID STOCKING STUFFERS

The girls are super into games lately, and so one of their shared presents this year is a bunch of new family-friendly card and board games. Linked the ones we ordered and a few other highly rated kids games below:

KIDS GAMES

One thing all three kids (7, 5, 1) do almost every day is obstacle course / gross motor active play. Things like Nugget couches, tumbling mats, stepping stones, climbing toys, wobble boards, tunnels, etc. We’ve had most of these active play toys/gear for years and truly it’s such a great gift because you can keep adding onto your collection.

OBSTACLE COURSE/ACTIVE PLAY GIFTS

Lastly, here’s a bunch of ideas for one year olds/young toddlers. These are toys Daisy has and LOVES! (Again, many of them we’ve had since Lucy and Winnie were younger)

ONE YEAR OLD GIFT IDEAS

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WORDS THAT RESONATED WITH ME

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Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff, The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak, The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty.

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Somehow, I was able to curate and share a super detailed gift guide last holiday season (while snuggling with a two month old newborn? How?), but… that isn’t in the cards for this year. And that’s ok!

But I did start writing what I’m calling a random brain dump of kids gift ideas I’ve saved in my texts with my mom/sisters, email drafts, Notes app, the million tabs open on my laptop, etc. Here’s a bunch of kids gift ideas!

FOR BIG KIDS

• Suitcases! This was the girls big Christmas gift last year! Both Lucy and Winnie have the STATE Logan Carry-On Suitcase and the Kane Backpack. They are SO cute and fun, and the girls only use them for travel so they feel extra special to them.

• Magazine Subscription - I shared a whole post about kids magazine subscriptions we have/had over the years. This is such a great gift for kids, and my post has the magazines organized by age!

• Tincan phone - so excited about this!! Tincan is a screen-free, kid-friendly home phone where kids can chat with approved contacts and other Tincan users without screens/a smartphone/Internet. A bunch of the girls’ friends also are getting a Tincan phone, so I know they’ll LOVE getting to call their friends (and also their grandparents and aunties!)

• Art supplies - we always replenish art supplies around the holidays. Lucy loved these magic color-changing markers at the FAO Schwarz store in NYC and I also grabbed her a new watercolor paint set. These sticker books were a huge hit this summer, so would be a great thing to add to a little art gift, too!

• Puzzles and games - the girls love puzzles and games, so this year, we’re adding onto our collection. A couple I’ve purchased for Christmas this year: Bluey Scavenger Hunt, Hurry Up Chicken Butt and Bop It! You can find more kids games and puzzles saved here.

• Custom Bag Charm Bead Kit - Lucy loves jewelry making, and we bought her this customized bead box for Christmas! It has her name on it and custom beads, plus 350+ brass, zinc, glass, ceramic, and acrylic beads. Here’s a more inexpensive option (with plastic beads - but still looks so cute!).

• Toniebox - I know people love the Yoto too, but we’ve been a Tonies family for years and the girls STILL listen to it all the time (more on this below). Would make a great gift even for ‘big kids’

• Legos - both girls LOVE Legos, and we usually get them one big set for Christmas / their birthdays. They’ll often get smaller sets from family members, too.

• Bike, scooters, or roller skates - The girls are all set with their current Guardian bikes and Micro Kickboard scooters, but both would make great holiday presents! I’m thinking of getting them roller skates. The girls went roller skating a few times this fall and loved it!

• Custom Photo Books - I’ve been making these for the girls after our big trips every year! I’ve used CHATBOOKS for years - it’s easy to do right from your phone (via their app). I think the code code LUCKYANDI20 still works!

• An experience coupon book - this was E’s idea and I’m so excited for this gift! I used a Canva template and customized it with little activities and experiences for each of the girls. My plan is to print it on thick paper and maybe tie the coupons together into a little book. Here’s a couple experiences/activities in the book: bagel date with dad, family movie night - you pick the movie, 3 extra books at bedtime, nail date with mom, trip to the trampoline park, family sleepover, choose a dessert to bake together, $15 Target shopping trip, 45 minute Lego building with dad, art museum visit with a friend

Kids Games & Puzzles

FOR LITTLE KIDS

One gift I love for little kids (and a gift that you can slowly add to over time) is a dress up station! This was Lucy’s two year old gift and something we’ve had 5+ years later - with many more dresses, kids high heels, crowns, wings, tutus, etc. later! Here’s more about our kids dress up / costume station! (FYI Facebook Marketplace is a great place for secondhand kids costumes!).

I recently shared a video that went viral with ‘big’ gift ideas for one year olds. These are items we own and love - many that we’ve had for years and the girls *still use* as they have gotten older!

Here’s a couple of ‘bigger’ gift ideas for one year olds / toddlers (and the full list of gifts for toddlers is linked below!)

• Play Kitchen - We got our first one when Lucy was one and it’s been a regularly used toy at our house since! This is a great gift because you can always ‘add on’ to the gift over the years with new kitchen accessories and food. I have an old blog post about play kitchen accessories saved here

• Toniebox - we’ve had a Toniebox since Lucy and Winnie were ~2 & 4 and they *still* listen to it every night (as well as during roadtrips, during quiet/rest time, and more). Daisy recently really liked playing with the characters and listening to the songs and stories and her big Christmas gift is her own Toniebox! I bought the newest version, the Toniebox 2, with the Ms. Rachel Tonie!

• Fisher-Price Farm - Daisy LOVES this toy!

• Nugget Couch - We’ve had since 2019! This is used all the time at our house… for sleepovers, obstacle courses, movie nights, fort building, little kid climbing + slide, the list goes on…

• Stepping Stones - these are used by kids of all ages! We have the set of 6 stepping stones, plus two wobble boards (huge hit with slightly older kids). The stones can be used for all sorts of open-ended play - stacking, sorting, spinning, balancing, building, and more.

• Kids Push Bike - this was one of Daisy’s birthday presents! Currently on sale!

• Activity Center - I’m partial to Manhattan Toy’s activity center (former client), but there are all sorts of great, interactive wooden activity centers out there.

1 Year Old Gift Ideas

Okay, that’s all I have for now, but I’ll share more gift ideas as I think of them over on my Instagram ‘gift ideas’ highlight!

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‘Tis the season for coming up with gift ideas for kids! One type of gift that has been a huge hit with my girls - and doesn’t add more stuff to our house - is magazine subscriptions.

We’ve had several different kids magazine subscriptions over the years, and they’ve become some of my favorite gifts to give and receive. The girls get so excited to check the mailbox and see a new magazine waiting for them, and I love that magazines encourage reading, spark creativity and curiosity, and feel like an experience rather than just another toy.

Whether you’re shopping for your own kids or looking for a thoughtful gift idea, here are my favorite magazine subscriptions organized by age group! Note: I’ve included the subscription prices of each below, but many of them have additional holiday sales so may be at an even lower price point!

FOR BABIES/TODDLERS (0-3)

Hello Magazine by Highlights

• Price: $50 annual subscription (12 issues total)

• Overview: Each issue follows a theme (example: Sounds, Farm Animals, Food) and has 16 pages filled with read-aloud stories, simple activities and colorful images. The magazine is durable (babies can’t rip it) and easy to wipe clean. We first received this for Lucy’s first birthday and have saved several magazine issues years later!

Subscribe to Hello Magazine

Babybug by Cricket Media

• Price: $29.95 annual subscription (6 issues total)

• Overview: Durable board-book style magazine with simple stories and poems, and sweet illustrations. My parents ordered this for Daisy recently and we’ve enjoyed getting ‘baby mail’ for her!

  Subscribe to Babybug

FOR PRESCHOOL & LITTLES (3-6)

Spark Magazine

• Price: $75 annual subscription (12 issues). You can use code ANDITEGGART for 30% off your subscription!

• Overview: Thoughtfully designed, interactive 25-page kids activity magazine. We’ve had a subscription for a year now and the girls LOVE this magazine so much. Winnie literally asks when the next one is coming all of the time. Each issue features activities like Color by Number, Hidden Objects, Spot the Difference, and more so kids come to expect the different activity types and love doing new ones each month!

• Note: The magazine says it’s for kids ages 4-8(ish). I put it in the ‘for preschool and littles’ section of this newsletter, but Lucy still loves this magazine at almost 8!

  Subscribe to Spark Magazine

High Five by Highlights

• Price: $50 annual subscription (12 issues total)

• Overview: This magazine features 36 pages of stories, puzzles and activities perfect for the preschool/kindergarten age range. The magazine also supports school skills like reading, math, and problem solving.

  Subscribe to High Five

Ladybug by Cricket Media

• Price: $36 for 6 issues

• Overview: The magazine features nonfiction stories, poems, and illustrations about animals, nature, space, and more. This magazine is more reading/story-focused than creative activities and puzzles. Winnie has this subscription now from my parents!

  Subscribe to Ladybug

Magic Playbook

• Price: $151 annual subscription (12 issues) or $14 each

• Overview: This is a soon-to-launch activity magazine for kids ages 3-6 founded by & , the founders of @themagicplaybook. Everything they share is so sweet and looks really special! Each issue has 20 activity pages, seasonal crafts, learning games and creative prompts and ideas. I recently backed their Kickstarter and am so excited to gift Winnie this Magic Playbook subscription!

• Note: Currently available for pre-order through their Kickstarter campaign.

  Pre-order Magic Playbook

FOR BIG KIDS! (6+)

Highlights Magazine

• Price: $50 annual subscription (12 issues total)

• Overview: The classic children’s magazine featuring 40+ pages of stories, puzzles, Hidden Pictures, science experiments, and activities that encourage reading and critical thinking. This is perfect for elementary-aged kids who are reading independently.

  Subscribe to Highlights Magazine

LEGO Magazine

• Price: FREE

• Overview: Free subscription with 5 issues per year featuring Lego building ideas, comics, and activities. A great no-cost option that kids absolutely love finding in the mailbox! We recently picked up the magazine at the LEGO store in NYC and then signed up for the free subscription - Lucy can’t wait for the next issue!

  Sign up for the free LEGO Magazine!

SPIDER Magazine

• Price: $36 annual subscription (6 issues total)

• Overview: Specifically designed and written for kids who are reading on their own, this magazine features stories, science, poems, STEM challenges, and interactive activities to spark curiosity and develop critical thinking.

  Subscribe to SPIDER Magazine

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We’re officially 2+ months into school, and as any parent with school age kids knows, mornings can be pretty chaotic!

The girls usually wake up around 6:30am on their own and we’re out the door by 7:40-7:50am. There’s a lot to do for both Lucy and Winnie in that hour-ish, plus caring for Daisy, and often getting myself ready to leave by 8:30am to teach. Eric travels quite a bit for work, so there are many mornings where I’m solo parenting (here’s an example morning in the life).

Here are four small and easy changes we’ve made that have helped make mornings just a little smoother:

1. Breakfast and Dinner List on the Fridge

We’ve never been huge meal plan/prep people, but recently noticed we needed to make a shift to ease the mental load of what we’re eating on any given day. Plus, it was annoying to have the inevitable whininess of someone not liking what we decided to make. 🫠

We started making ‘what’s for breakfast and dinner’ lists on Sundays and putting them on the fridge so the girls can see what the plan is—no surprises. We don’t always have a specific meal in mind, but will do broad categories like “Mexican” or “rice bowl” and figure it out from there. We rotate through the same breakfasts, and the girls know if they don’t like something (for example, they can be hit or miss on eggs), they can make themselves cereal, oatmeal, or a frozen waffle. I literally just write everything down on a piece of construction paper and put it on the fridge - nothing fancy. 😊

2. Portable Hair Basket

I shared this awhile ago on IG, but we made a switch in how we store hair accessories and supplies. It used to be in a bathroom drawer, but it was always annoying to drag the girls in there to do their hair, or have to go back and forth to grab different things.

Now we have a hair basket that usually lives in the laundry room but can easily be toted around so I can do their hair wherever. Small change, but it’s been so helpful to have everything consolidated in one area and be able to move it around as needed. I saved all of our go-to hair supplies here!

3. Morning checklist on fridge

Similar to the breakfast/dinner list, I made a quick morning checklist on the fridge for the girls to reference. This was especially helpful right when we were transitioning from summer to back to school. Now they seem to have everything memorized, but we still have it on the fridge for the girls to reference in the mornings if needed.

Here’s what’s on our morning checklist:

• Eat breakfast

• Pack lunch

• Brush teeth

• Make bed

• Get dressed

• Put lunch from fridge to backpack

• Make sure folder is in backpack

• Make sure water bottle is in backpack

• Brush hair

• Take vitamins

• Put shoes and socks on

Again, this was something super simple - just wrote down our list on construction paper and put on the fridge. When the girls were younger, I used this customized routine chart for them and it was really helpful!

4. Sock basket on the porch

This was another simple but impactful change. Post-renovation, the girls’ bedroom is upstairs and we keep their shoes in baskets on the front porch. We were having hiccups when they were about to leave but forgot socks upstairs. So we decided to keep a basket of socks on the porch, right by the shoes. No more running upstairs (which took more time and usually involved some complaining!).

Some people like to pack lunches the night before and set clothes aside the night before. I can totally understand how this would be beneficial/helpful to many, but it doesn’t really solve a need we have. The girls now pick out their own clothes - and even if they picked out something the night before, they would both change their minds by the morning. I typically have more energy in mornings than at the end of the day, so would rather pack lunches before school anyway.

That’s it for today! Hope you are all having a lovely week and enjoying the fall weather. 🍂

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Having a third kid hasn’t completed me, but I was whole before having Daisy and before having any kids. Having a third kid hasn’t fixed me, because I wasn’t broken.

But in a lot of ways, having a third child has healed me.

There were parts of my motherhood story that we’re finished yet. And parts I didn’t know were still wounded. My story is ongoing and evolving. But I have gotten to rewrite and live this third chapter a little differently.

Daisy was the baby I wasn’t sure we’d have. There hadn’t been closure on whether or not we’d have a third kid, but for years I sort of just thought we were probably done. And accepted and had peace about that, even knowing I’d probably always long for one more. And then I very unexpectedly got pregnant.

It’s hard to imagine life without her now, of course! But I think the wrestling of ‘so should we have a third kid?’ part has allowed me to really soak up this baby. Our last baby! And be so grateful to get to do it all over again.

Another chance to have a different postpartum experience — one where I wasn’t a wound up, ‘deer in headlights’ new mom, and one where I wasn’t navigating parenting with a newborn and toddler during a pandemic.

Embracing rest and slowness and SAVORING this season with her. For weeks in the early postpartum days, we took mid-day naps together. I couldn’t do that with Winnie because I also had two-year-old Lucy to care for. And with my oldest, I was always doing, going — desperate to figure out how my new life as a mom would work with my old life, not slowing down at all.

Seeing Lucy and Winnie’s delight and joy in being big sisters to her — the same joy I have in getting to be a big sister. Getting a front row seat to watching their sister friendship unfold has been so special!

Getting Daisy dressed and remembering Lucy and Winnie at this age, in the same outfits: remembering that moment in time and that version(s) of myself as a mother and feeling proud of how I’ve grown.

Delighting in ‘Daisy’s first everything’ as a family. First time trying food! First time sitting up! First time in the ocean! Everything felt brand new and fun to experience together.

And soaking up and appreciating the ‘small’ and ‘ordinary’ moments with her that we didn’t get to have with a baby in 2020 - library story time, restaurants, airplane rides, trips to the beach, running errands, meeting friends and family in person and not through a phone screen, etc.

Acknowledging how hard it is. Acknowledging how fast it goes.

Embracing the ‘the days are long, but the years are short’ cliché. Living within the ‘two things can be true’ space. It’s hard and it’s messy and it’s exhausting and it’s the most meaningful experience of my life.

Feeling confident and at ease in who I am as a mother and a person. Not comparing myself to others, not obsessively tracking or trying to solve an equation of how to make it easier. Just trusting my own intuition, wiser, and more comfortable with who I am.

I thought I’d feel so sad by the marking of a new chapter. But it just feels like gratitude. I sit in the dark, thinking of the dark night she was born 365 days ago. And as I rock her and admire her, all I can think is: thank you, thank you, thank you.

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We spent two weeks in the UK and Ireland this summer with our three kids and I wanted to share a breakdown of how we spent the 14 days away! We could have absolutely spent the entire two weeks in the English countryside or Ireland alone, but ultimately, we’re happy with how much we were able to fit into this trip.

Here’s how we spent our 14 days in Europe this summer!

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DAY 1: Landed in London after our (direct!) overnight flight from Nashville. Our goal was to fight jet-lag and stay awake! ☀️ We checked into our hotel, stopped at a cool food hall (Mercado Mayfair) for a late lunch, and wandered around Hyde Park. Successfully kept the older girls awake until 7pm and slept HARD.

DAY 2: An unexpectedly full and fun day! We started our day at Princess Diana playground, where we played for hours and had coffee/bagels in the park. From there, we walked around Kensington Gardens, then went to Afternoon Science Tea at the Ampersand Hotel. Afterwards, we did a quick stop at the Natural History Museum, a late afternoon lunch, and then spontaneously took the Tube over to see Big Ben and then walked around St James Park. I’d recommend breaking these activities up into two days vs one, but it ended up being a really fun day for us!

DAY 3: We started our day taking the Tube to Platform 9¾ at King's Cross for a Harry Potter photo opp, then went to breakfast and playground nearby before going to Borough Market. We did dinner later on at Dishoom (delicious Indian food). Honestly, we struggled a bit this day between everywhere being so busy, the unusually hot weather, and some big feels all around. Not every travel day is perfect or smooth, and that’s okay. 💛

DAY 4: We started the day with pastries at the hotel - a smoother start to the morning! We took a double decker bus (an adventure in and of itself) to Regent's Park and spent the entire day there – a paddle boat ride around the pond, two different (incredible!) playgrounds, a picnic lunch, and big walks. We did a ‘progressive dinner’ walking home - stopped at a few different places for drinks, food, and ended the night with gelato!

DAY 5: Travel day! We took the train from London to Salisbury, picked up our rental car, and made a stop at Stonehenge. On the way to our hotel, we stopped for lunch at a cute pub (Prince Leopold Inn) where the kids played in a creek while we ate. We got to our hotel and spent the late afternoon and evening swimming, exploring the property, and having dinner.

DAY 6: This was our Bath exploring day! Started at admiring the view at Pulteney Bridge and then toured the Bath Abbey. We stopped for coffee and pastries at Bertinet Bakery, and then just wandered into shops in town. We stopped for lunch at The Scallop Shell, then back to the hotel for swimming and a picnic dinner on the hotel lawn. Watching the girls run around giggling this evening is one of my favorite trip memories. ✨

DAY 7: We drove to the village of Lacock and explored in town and Lacock Abbey (where they filmed some Harry Potter scenes – big hit with girls!) From there, we drove to Bradford-on-Avon for afternoon tea at The Bridges Tea Room and bopped around the town. We found a good rhythm and did the same as the afternoon/evening before: back to the hotel to swim and for a picnic dinner.

DAY 8: This was our Cotswolds adventuring day! We visited three villages: Bourton-on-the-Water (loved the Model Village and playing in the river), Bibury (most beautiful village in England – seriously!), and Castle Combe (felt like stepping back in time). It was lots of driving, but very worth it to see these charming fairytale villages ✨

DAY 9: BIG travel day. We drove from Bath to Bristol, returned the rental car, flew to Dublin, picked up a second rental car, and drove 4 hours to Killarney (with a glamorous McDonalds-for-dinner stop along the way). It was a looooong day with kids but we made it!

DAY 10: This was probably a bit ambitious after a long travel day, but we ended up waking up the next morning and doing the Ring of Kerry drive. We stopped at Ladies View, explored the village of Sneem, took in the breathtaking Kerry Cliffs, had amazing seafood chowder in Portmagee, visited Ballycarbery Castle ruins, and ended at Rossbeigh Beach where the girls collected shells. We stopped for dinner back in town at Killarney Brewing. It was a long, but very good day!

DAY 11: After two days of driving, we stayed and explored in/around Killarney. We started our day at Muckross House & Gardens. It was beautiful, and the girls surprisingly loved the house tour and especially the working farm with all the baby animals! We did a quick walk to Torc Waterfall, then the girls highlight (maybe of the entire trip?) – the sheepdog demonstration. We ended with Murphy's ice cream before heading back to our hotel for dinner and to let the girls explore and play.

DAY 12: This was our travel day from Killarney to Kilkenny, but we decided to make it an adventure and stop at a few cool places. We broke up the drive by stopping at the amazing Mallow Castle playground, Cahir Castle to explore a well-preserved medieval castle, and then Rock of Cashel (more castle ruins type). We checked into our last and final hotel and swam, ate dinner, and explored the hotel grounds that night.

DAY 13: After 12 days away, we could tell the girls needed downtime. We spent most of the day at our amazing hotel (pool, walks, onsite playground, fairy trails), but ventured into Kilkenny for lunch at Left Bank and to see Kilkenny Castle. It was a much more low-key day, but the the slower pace was needed before our long trip home.

DAY 14: Travel day home! We had breakfast at hotel, and then drove to the airport to begin our adventure (thankfully, also direct flight) back home! ✈️

WHERE WE STAYED:

• London: 47 Park Marriott Residence (4 nights)

• Bath: The Bath Priory (4 nights)

• Killarney: Lake Hotel (3 nights)

• Kilkenny: Mount Juliet Estate (2 nights)

DETAILED BLOG POSTS:

This newsletter is just a quick recap of how we spent our days - I shared a ton more in detail in three blog posts below.

LONDON TRAVEL GUIDE

BATH & COTSWOLDS TRAVEL GUIDE

IRELAND TRAVEL GUIDE

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