Just yesterday I was talking to Poppy, my oldest, and I said that she wasn't able to do something because "the baby is sleeping" at which point she laughed and reminded me that Holland is 5 now and no longer a baby. But she is. She is my baby. And even after her sweet Doggy themed 5th birthday party where we celebrated her - and her love for dogs -  I am still having a hard time grasping that she is getting older each day!

I recently spoke with Brooklynn, the owner and creator of Reese Hayden Studio, to get the scoop on how she got started making these gorgeous clay earrings of hers. Brooklynn is the boss behind the beautiful handmade earrings that I am currently obsessed with and I was dying to hear all about her up and coming business!

Even as a professional Event Planner, hosting a dinner party at my home for  our closest friends can be daunting! What makes dinner parties so nerve-wracking for me, although it may be different for you, is figuring out the precise timing of the food while still trying to be a good hostess and mingle with guests. No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen while all of their friends are enjoying themselves!

Among the many valuable lessons I find important to teach my three children, being grateful and giving back to those less fortunate is by far my top priority. 

I am so excited to be back and debuting a brand new website to launch! Isn't this so exciting? I know I am super excited! The anticipation of this has been killing me for months now, but I wanted to make sure that I was ready to fully commit prior to launching this to the public. I had so much fun doing the Live Instagram launch last week with you all! I am so grateful for all of the love and support that surrounds me and encourages me to pursue my dreams with this website!

The 12-week pregnant rule. Sort of like the “Wait 30 minutes after eating before swimming” rule. It’s really rarely said aloud but almost everyone thinks it. You may or may not suggest it. You may or may not encourage it.  But guaranteed, you always think it. The moment you hear “You’re pregnant” the first thought is “I have to wait until 12 weeks to announce it.” Ok, maybe not your first thought; other thoughts might be “Oh crap!” “Again!?” or “Finally!”. But shortly after, you likely remind your spouse and the few close people around you who knew the moment you tinkled on that pregnancy test – “DO NOT TELL ANYONE FOR ANOTHER 7 WEEKS!”. And, should you be the recipient of such exciting news shared by a friend – don’t you always ask “Are you passed your first trimester, yet?” without hesitation? It’s not anything to be ashamed of or to feel guilty about. As women, we know. We know this unspoken rule. We live it. We breathe it. We hear it. Our doctors suggest it. We suffer through it.

I’ve never been a fan of the negative connotation that has on entering your 30’s. I don’t understand what is so bad about turning 30. Why does it have to be so miserable? Why must our 30’s be feared on our last day in our 20’s?

Even as I sit here and reflect on what it is that I want to write about in relation to being 30 vs 20, it is hard for me to grasp that I am actually 30. To be clear – I am 30 + 2.  

​Don’t get me wrong; this is not a “I cannot believe I am 30, I feel old, wah, wah, wah” post. Quite the contrary. This is me admitting that I am that salmon swimming upstream. I am the 32-year-old who has never felt better. I am so proud of how far that I have come and where my life is headed and I know that the confidence I have gained in my 30’s is a major contribution to that.

I think there is a wide misconception that being a mom of 3 children makes me (or any parent) an expert at parenting. Let me just shut that down right now. What being a mom of 3 actually means is that I know as much or as little as every other parent but that I am reminded of that 3 times more than a parent of 1 child. Being a mom of 3 means I learn things 3 times, I try 3 different ways of doing things (and, actually, this should be 3 x infinity), I fail 3 times (on average), and I have 3 very different little humans that stare up at me for answers – with most questions that need to be answered in 3 different ways in order to satisfy their different personalities.
Expert, I am not. Experienced, sure.