As we jump headfirst into the school year, keeping up with energetic four-year-olds requires a few non-negotiables to keep the day running smoothly. From playground survival to quick desk pick-me-ups, here is the breakdown of everything on this year's "must-have" list! Caffeinated + Hydrated Tortoiseshel…

Today, we’re keeping the interactive fun going on the blog! If you loved taking last week's quiz to find your ultimate summer movie squad, you are going to love today's visual reset. As we drift deeper into August, the light starts to shift, the afternoons stretch a little longer, and our homes and routines su…

Welcome to another week of Blogust! As I prepare to turn 38, I sat down to answer 38 questions reflecting on this past year, creative routines, simple pleasures, and what I'm looking forward to in this next trip around the sun. What is the story behind why you started your blog? I started this blog as a creative s…

And just like that, the first week of school is officially in the books! The house has gone from chaotic summer energy to that quiet, post-first-week stillness, and I am sitting here taking a deep, grateful breath. Welcome back to The Friday 3-2-1 Reflection! Taking a moment at the end of a busy week to pause, count o…

I am so excited for today’s post because we are kicking off a brand-new, interactive feature for Blogust: our very first magazine-style personality quiz of the month! If you grew up in the 90s or 2000s, you know there was nothing quite as magical as grabbing a fresh gel pen, flipping through the pages of a glossy maga…

Heading back to work means building a brand-new rhythm! I’ve been spending time getting things organized for my classroom and open house, so naturally mapping out what the new, balanced daily flow looks like will help keep me productive and set up for success! Of course, if life has taught me anything, it’s that daily…

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but August... is curiously silent, with bla…

It’s officially August, which means my birthday month is here! What better excuse is there to pause, dream a little, and put together a fresh wishlist? Turning 38 calls for a little extra magic, so I gathered all of my absolute dream items into one mood board for this month’s edit. We are stepping into birthday season…

The final week of summer break has been full to the brim! Between back-to-school shopping, squeezing in those last-minute summer activities, and trying to soak up every remaining second of unscheduled freedom, I am definitely earning that earlier bedtime I’ve set for myself. For Fridays during Blogust, I’m trying out …

Grab your gel pens, pop open a blank slimline CD case, and get ready to write on a fresh silver disc with a Sharpie: "Summer Mix '96" (or whatever year held your favorite core memories). Before algorithmic streaming playlists took over, creating the ultimate late-summer soundtrack was a tactile art form.…

It is always a bittersweet time of year once the back-to-school supplies start hitting the store shelves. After what my kids have dramatically declared was the "worst summer break ever," I have never seen them so excited to get back into the classroom. And truth be told? I am just as excited to get back into…

Welcome to August—the keeper of late-summer enchantment and my personal New Year. There is a very specific kind of charm that settles in during this time of year. The sun lingers just a little lower in the sky, the late-summer afternoons feel warm and drenched in gold, and there is a quiet, gentle invitation to slow d…

Can you believe it's August already!? This time last week, I was sitting beachside and now, I’m getting ready to finish my 38th trip around the sun, gearing up for my second year back in the classroom, and hosting my 3rd annual Blogust challenge! Call me crazy, a little self-indulgent, or whatever you like, but I …

I can hardly believe we are turning to the final calendar page of summer. July has been a month of unexpected plot twists, deep heart resets, answered prayers, and so much simple, sweet quality time with the people I love most. As we officially wrap up the Summer Series today, my heart is just so full of gratitude. Th…

Can you believe we are just a few short days away from August? August has always held such a special place in my heart; it’s my birthday month, the golden tail-end of summer, and the home of one of my absolute favorite blogging traditions: Blogust! For years now, spending every single weekday of August right here with…

As the sun begins to set on another beautiful summer season, I’ve been feeling so nostalgic looking back through the blog archives. Over the last couple of years, our summer series have become such a sweet sanctuary for me; a dedicated space to slow down, share simple joys, romanticize the everyday, and connect with a…

Even though July is usually all about sunshine and summer heat, this year I kicked off a new (favorite) annual tradition: Christmas in July! There is something so magical about taking a quick, festive pause in the middle of summer to celebrate a little holiday cheer. Last week, my mom, my sister, and I set aside an en…

If there is one lesson this summer has taught me, it’s that life rarely follows the same schedule we map out in our planners. Back in June, I sat down with my girls, an Olipop in hand and season 1 of H20 on screen, and created a grand summer bucket list full of big hopes and dreams. But then... life got wildly chaotic…

Sweet Reader, if you have noticed a quiet space here on the blog over the last week, thank you so much for your grace and your patience. To be completely vulnerable, summer took a sudden, whirlwind turn behind the scenes. For a minute there, we were facing a massive, unexpected change that had my mind in utter chaos a…

We are officially three days into July, and if I’m being completely honest, my summer break has taken a turn I never saw coming. When June ended, I had this beautiful, romanticized picture in my mind of what July would look like. I was craving a slow, simplistic rhythm. I wanted lazy mornings, quiet afternoons with my…

Welcome to July, sweet friends! I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that we are officially stepping into the second half of 2026. June flew by in a chaotic blur of closing out the school year, resetting our home, and embracing the very first weeks of summer break. But as we stand on the edge of July,the true he…

Here is an honest check-in for you: Two days in, life hit. We hit a sudden financial tight spot, I lost access to my car for the week, my hormones crashed, and I found myself staring at a box of taquitos just trying to figure out how to stretch things until payday. I wanted to pretend I was sparkling right out of the …