When we bought this house our entire living area was a tad dated.  The dark brick fireplace wasn’t exactly out of place among the shag carpet and wood paneling. (Shoutout to the random sound system hole in the wall…. that gave a direct view into the bathroom.)  It wasn’t really the look I was going for so we quickly updated all of it, but the fireplace was put on the backburner. I didn’t want to paint it, but I didn’t know what else to do with it! So it just sat there.We recently got new furniture ^ and that fireplace was killing me. 🙄  (Ignore the random collection of pumpkins.)…

A couple of years ago I read the most genius idea I’ve ever seen…. ditching birthday parties for a “day of yes”. Yaaaaassss!! It’s not that I can’t plan/throw a fun and festive birthday party, but for me the money that I spend on decorations and food and cake and on and on and on… I could spend on experiences! I mean is it just me or is anyone else already overloaded with “stuff”? My kids need zero more toys. So every year I give them their options: have a party or have a WHOLE DAY that they plan and then we’ll have cake with family. So far the day…

My kids are HORRIBLE with keeping up with their shoes. Seriously horrible. I’ve bought bins, wall hangers, they have full shelves available in their closets… their shoes still just disappear. If they don’t disappear then they get left outside, stomped through puddles, scuffed up and if they by some miracle survive then their little feet outgrow them in a few months  anyway. 🙄 I know I’m not alone in this! Isn’t this the plight of every mother? This school year Skye is homeschooling so I’m only uniform shopping for Mason. *praise God* I bought him ONE pair of Nike’s that were more for quality vs price. I’ve given him the…