Be True To Yourself

 It blows my mind that this time 7 years ago I was starting this little ole blog. A place for me to come and write and process what Kyle and I were going through. At the time I never really considered myself a blogger or an influencer by any means, but blogging opened up a whole new world for me. Not only for opportunities to write and bring in money for our family as I worked with different brands, but also the friendships that I made with so many women who were going through exactly what we were. These women became my go to even though we had never met and we lived states away from one another. This little space I had created became such a blessing for us on so many levels.

I have not only made friends with amazing women who found my blog, but also brands that our family absolutely loves. We continue to buy their products and have them in their home because we love them, but also because we love the people behind them. 

The influencer/blogger world has increased ten fold since I started blogging. Every corner you turn there is someone new trying to "make it" in the influencer world. It can look like easy work, but let me tell you, it is not. It takes time and creativity to open up a door into your world and let everyone see how you live. 

Instagram definitely has become the top place to find influencers and we/they all have their own special little niche. When I started out, infertility was my niche. The niche I never wished I had been in, but never the less, we were there and I was in it for the long haul whether I wanted to be or not. I scoured the internet for women who were dealing with infertility and found so many that I could relate and reach out to. After our infertility journey and finally getting pregnant with Raegan, our niche then turned to family and babies. The niche that we are still in today and riding on this train has been crazy! 

Then insert Covid. Having any time to work, schedule posts, write blog posts, make IG posts, had become non existent. I had to start turning down collaborations because I just couldn't handle the stress of being pregnant, running a business, home schooling my kindergartener, and making sure the boys didn't kill each other. The joy of sharing our lives was gone and I struggled finding my way back. I was comparing myself to other bloggers who started around the time when I had. I nitpicked every part of my online presence. My posts weren't good enough, my pictures were awful, there wasn't any consistency with my feed, and so much more. I had to take a step back and remind myself what was really important. Family. It's how this little blog began right? Because Kyle and I wanted a family and finding joy in them was what what most important.

Once I found that joy with them again, I was able to take a breath and recharge. So if you are struggling with keeping up, I challenge you to find the joy with your family. Stop comparing yourself to the influencers online, because believe me, they don't have it all together. Their kids fight, their houses are a mess,  and they fed their kids macaroni for the 3rd time this week. Please tell me I'm not the only one!

And if you are looking to get started as a blogger or influencer, just do it! Be natural, real, and don't compare. You will grow your following of those who truly love you, for you! In the end, that's all that matters. Whether its 500K followers or 5 followers. 

Be true to yourself. In the end, you and your family's happiness is the most important.

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Virtual Learning 2020

 Well 2020 has definitely shaped up to be a little different than we planned! We welcomed our fourth child, Harper Kate, into our family in late June and are now starting at home virtual learning in early August.

Oy vey. The stress level was at an all time high for a bit, but we are definitely getting into the swing of things.

Last spring when we were forced to do at home learning due to COVID Raegan and I did all of her work at the kitchen table. She couldn't focus because the boys were running around and making a ton of noise. We knew if we had to do at home learning again in the fall we needed 2 things. Someone to watch the boys and Harper so I could focus solely on teaching Raegan and a new space for us to work.

Our house isn't that big so we decided her room was the best choice, but unfortunately the only place we had to do her work was the floor. So the hunt for a desk for her room began!

She got a bunkbed for her birthday so we had already started redoing her "big" girl room and we just continued it by getting rid of her dresser and putting all her clothes in the closet as well as getting a desk for her and I to do work at. The great thing is when she does go back to school she will now have a place to do any homework or just sit down and read or color. 

I couldn't love her desk more! I love that there are 2 sides to it so I can sit across from her and the shelving is amazing! I have all of her school supplies, computer, and her favorite books stored perfectly in these adorable bins from Target!

Her desk is now out of stock unfortunately, but there are still lots of other desk options on Wayfair. We love Wayfair for all our home needs. They are quick and cost efficient!

The chairs look like they are wood, but they are actually plastic! Easy to clean with a cloth or a magic eraser for anything a little more stubborn. They are out of stock in white, but lots of other cute colors!

Her room now looks so much more grown up than before. My little girl is growing up and so is her room!

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Master Bedroom Sleep Sanctuary

We've been in our house 3 years this month, which seems crazy to me! Time seriously flies by the older you get. The weeks FLY by it seems like. For those that don't know, we bought our house in 2016 and completely renovated it. Like gutted it, didn't live in it for 6 months, lived with my parents, got pregnant with Hadley, and got pregnant with Landon. To say that was the craziest time of our lives is an understatement.

So once we were finally in the house I began the decorating and goodness, it can take awhile, but it's always so rewarding when you finish each room. With 3 kids we need furniture and decor that we aren't going to cry over if the kids get stained, break, or color all over. Wayfair is the answer to our prayers! Their prices are fantastic and quality is great too! You will find Wayfair all over our house. We have used them in the living room, powder bath, kids' bathroom, Raegan's room, Landon's room, and now our bedroom.

Of course I do our room last, but honestly, I should have done it first. I hate a messy bedroom with a thrown together look. We've slowly bought furniture for it over the past 3 years and I am happy to say that it is finally done. This was the last part of the room that needed to be done.

Ugh. Just looking at these pictures makes me cringe! All the wires, bleck! We repurposed this table from our living room at our old house to our bedroom because honestly we had nothing to go here. I have been dreaming of the day we could get rid of it and put something much more useable and pleasing to the eye.

And that's exactly what this piece did! I couldn't love it more. It's the Lark Manor Castagnier 9 Drawer Double Dresser.  It's sturdy, distressed, tons of drawers, and comes assembled (my favorite part). I read some reviews that it splintered, but we haven't had that problem. It feels smooth to the touch, but still looks distressed. It was the perfect fit for our farmhouse vibe in our master room. It literally took me days to pick this piece out because they have so many bedroom furniture options! Our chair is also from Wayfair. I told you. They have literally decorated our entire home. The rest of the decor is from Hobby Lobby. My other guilty pleasure.

I look forward to laying in bed at the end of the day to watch TV now. No more wires. Just a beautiful view!

Wayfair has sponsored this post and provided the beautiful dresser for this post. All opinions are my own.

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