this new weekly series is because y’all are amazing and ask such great questions, but I’m not the best at keeping up with my DMs. I try to answer as many as I can, but between a sweet baby and all the other things that a marriage, a business, and a household entails (not to mention what I myself need), I try to step away from Instagram pretty frequently.
so I thought, “why not post a few questions a week of the sweet messages I do see? so in the off chance that someone else had that same question, they can also see the answer?”
and because oftentimes it’s easier to give thoughtful responses here instead of overloading your phone screen, and lord knows the downside to instagram stories and question boxes is that they disappear in 24 hours.
andddd also because I originally intended to post a monster of a FAQ blogpost, but that just seems to always be procrastinated. a weekly post of a few questions at a time seems much more doable in this current season of mine. :)
as always, thank you all for such kindness.
October 11th:
How did you get KK napping and sleeping so well?
KK is an amazing sleeper. I’m not sure how much of it is her to begin with, how much of it is that she is on a strict schedule (we follow the Taking Cara Babies routine), and how much of it is her Snoo - but I’m not willing to experiment. I’ll report back with the next kid, ha.
We started the Taking Cara Babies principles from Day 1 (we watched her Newborn course when I was 38-ish weeks pregnant), and I knew I wanted KK on some sort of schedule - I needed it as much as her. The fact that she has consistently slept a straight 11-12 hours a night since she was ten/twelve weeks old and solidly naps every day has helped me slowly get back into things that made me feel more like myself again. Like swim team on Tuesdays and Thursdays after she goes to bed. And meal prepping. And arranging flowers for weddings. Etc.
I also swear by white noise and Le Pause (both taught in the Taking Cara Babies classes, too). Bless them.
updated to add: KK is now transitioned to a crib - see this post on how that went!
Can you talk about your pregnancy journey? Getting pregnant, first trimester, etc?
see this blogpost :)
If I want to “Haley Wynn” my house/life, where do you recommend starting? I NEED this level of organization desperately.
Oh my gosh, this is so kind. I’m trying to think where I started. I think I started smallll. Like, something that I knew I did or used all the freaking time.
I talk in this blogpost about how I create and start routines. And what I do if a routine isn’t working. And some of my favorite organizational tools.
At the risk of sounding ridiculous, it all probably started with tweaking a few really boring things that I needed to do as an adult with an adult job. And because those became streamlined and I noticed how much stress was alleviated because they were streamlined, I was like YES. LET’S DO MORE.
I picked a designated day for laundry. I started menu planning (read that funny story here). I invested in leftover containers I liked. And I came up with a filing system I liked for all my (and eventually our) adulting papers. (Like car papers. And dog papers. And retirement papers. And health stuff. See my “filing system” highlight on my Instagram.)
I say pick a smallll thing or two to start with. See how that goes. Take your time - don’t do anything else until those first one or two things become a habit or system that you love. From there it snowballs.
Like, only after those first things became second nature to me was I like, “You know what? I’d really like a neater first aid + medicine inventory. And I feel so much better when I walk every day. Brett says he’d like to be better about grilling frequently - I wonder if he’d be open to grilling once a week? And what can I do so my console in my car doesn’t stress me out?” Etc.
Lazy Genius and Naptime Kitchen inspire me daily, if you’d like similar Instagram accounts.
ALSO. My 50+ Things to Do at Home, Haley Wynn Style blogpost was written with the intention of “yay let’s all get through 2020,” but I’ve heard lots of people have used it as a reference for Haley Wynn home/life ideas that could work for them, if that’s a helpful tool, too!
Do you recommend your Baby Brezza? Can you talk more about supplementing with formula?
Love our Baby Brezza and our bottles. Love love love.
Since Day 1, KK’s last feed of the day has been formula. I knew before getting pregnant that I wanted to supplement breastfeeding somehow - and it has worked beautifully for us. I don’t talk about it much on Instagram, simply because I know once I list my reasons why, my inbox will blow up with DM’s like, “ACTUALLY…” And I just can’t handle that noise. Especially because I think it’s awesome that everyone gets to choose what works for them and their baby.
So her last feed of the day has always been formula. Brett always gives KK the last feed of the day and he puts her to bed. Since Day 1. In the hospital she was born so big and for whatever reason (something with checking her blood sugar, but I wasn’t really listening. mainly because I had just given birth.) she was given a bottle of formula to supplement, and we were like, “Yes! How convenient! This was our plan anyway!”
read about our other postpartum favorites here
edited to add: here is my document on KK’s eating, now that she’s weaned + eating solids. You’ll find my favorite resources, my favorite tools, when/why she switched to formula, and what she’s eating each week.
The beautiful map on your kitchen counter! Where did you buy it?
Etsy. New Orleans was our first trip together. :)
for those that are new, see my “Kitchen” and “pantry” highlight on my instagram.
or my #hwdhometour on Instagram.
October 4th:
How did you get your Pelvic Floor Therapist recommendation? Do you recommend seeing one?
My Ob-Gyn referred me at my six week appointment! It was my plan all along to see one postpartum - no matter how difficult (or not) my recovery was. I cannot recommend it enough. I definitely cried after my first visit because I felt so destroyed — but MAN ALIVE did I see progress fast. It was so empowering and helpful. I love love love that I now have a complete set of tools of things I can do at home to help.
read about our other postpartum favorite things we did and prepped here
Why did you stop offering hand lettering? Your work is gorgeous!
Thank you so much. The short answer is - when I was pregnant with KK, I wanted to narrow down my multiple streams of income to the two that generated the highest hourly rate. :)
How do you wash your swimsuits?
I don’t. Whoops.
Do you have a maternity swimsuit recommendation?
I don’t! I just bought one in a size bigger for my third trimester. But, to be fair, I have a super long torso so my stomach never got that big this first pregnancy.
Tell me where to start! Just found you and want to get all the things in order post-Covid!
I’m so happy you’re here! I’d say start with my highlights on my Instagram - I try to save things there I (and most of you!) find valuable. The highlights usually direct you to any blogposts that would be helpful to reference. (Or, see my “blogposts” highlight to see those quickly!)
A lot of people reference my weekly menu plan and my Routines blogpost as well, if either of those are helpful.
ALSO. My 50+ Things to Do at Home, Haley Wynn Style blogpost was written with the intention of “yay let’s all get through 2020,” but I’ve heard lots of people have used it as a reference for Haley Wynn home/life ideas that could work for them, if that’s a helpful tool, too!
september 27th:
Do you cook all your meats on Sunday for the whole week? How do they stay fresh?
Yes and no.
For those that are new, Brett and I started a weekly tradition of Grill and Chill - he grills something for Sunday Dinner, and then I have him grill any other things that would be helpful to have for dinner that week. For example, he might grill salmon for dinner, and chicken breasts for the week. And I’ll use those chicken breasts for white chicken chili on Monday, burrito bowls on Tuesday, and tomato soup + chicken caesar salad on Thursday, for example. (Here’s the actual menu plan I’m referring to, if you want recipes!)
But. Whatever proteins he grills for the week, we try to only use through Wednesday or Thursday. So yes, he grills meat for the week. But we don’t use them the full week, if that makes sense. This is just works well for us.
I notice you don’t seem to eat a lot of red meat. Is that a preference or harder to freeze?
This is just because I’m a relatively picky eater (I work every day to try and get better so that I can be a better example for my kids - this is why I follow so many kid and toddler food accounts on Instagram - just because I find them so interesting). I actually find the texture and taste of a lot of meat icky, so there’s only a veryyy short list of types and cuts of meat I like.
Will you open hand lettering orders again?
As of right now, no. :)
I would love to see your full monthly/daily/yearly Google Keep lists.
This is so kind - thank you. For those that are new, I explain how I use Google Keep to list out my daily/monthly/yearly routines in this blogpost. And I list a whole slew of examples of what I have in my lists in this blogpost of all our Routines.
I only post glimpses of these lists in my Google Keep highlight on my Instagram. Just because I have personal things on there - and even though the vast majority of everyone is so kind, I try to protect myself from not-so-nice comments by not showing everything. :)
Can you link KK’s bookshelf? I can’t find it!
Here’s KK’s bookshelf and the white paint I used! Here’s her fall books and right now I’m eyeing some winter books. :)
september 20th:
is wynn your middle or last name?
middle
where’s your purse/tote/diaper bag organizer from?
here!
why do you only wear turquoise jewelry?
where did you and brett get married?
small restaurant wedding in Santa Fe. posted about it here if you like seeing wedding photos. slash Santa Fe recommendations.
(spoiler: we also did a margarita tour with our friends, a private cooking class in lieu of a traditional rehearsal dinner, and a sunrise first look amongst Tent Rocks. I treasure the photos.)
how do you condition your hair after swimming?
I wear a cap while swimming (I’m sure you do too - I just wanted to list it for others who are reading!), so that helps. I use a conditioning shampoo and when my hair is really bad, I do what I did back in the day of competitive swimming and put olive oil in my hair.
september 13th:
do you recommend your elvie pump? does it have different levels of suction? why did you do the elvie over any other kind of pump?
I know there are mixed reviews, but so far I am so incredibly obsessed with this pump. I love that I can wear it while doing other things. Right now I don’t pump all that often since I’m always home with her (#2020 #covid), but I do always pump before going to Saturday morning swim team. In fifteenish minutes, I’ll unload the dishwasher, reload the dishwasher, make coffee, answer emails, and pump ten ounces. Because of that, I’m THRILLED with this gadget.
FAQs: I find it works best when I do tasks that don’t require bending over. I like to wear a non-nursing, sports bra bralette tank top type thing from Aerie and that seems to work best for me since it keeps everything nice and supported. I chose the Elvie over other cordless pumps because my insurance covered part of the Elvie. You can choose different suction levels. The parts fit in our blessed sterilizer.
see my full list other postpartum favorites - and everything else that made the first three months of KK’s life a delight - here.
how do you keep your reusable rags + linen napkins white? do they replace your paper towels?
I’m a Bounty snob, and Brett goes through an absurd amount of paper towels, so mainly because I couldn’t afford our paper towel habit, we moved the paper towels under the sink (out of sight, out of mind) and we bought two sets of reusable rags and two sets of linen napkins. I can’t tell you the last time we used a paper towel.
FAQs: I wash them every week on Towel Tuesday. If I can remember, I try to soak the dirty rags/napkins in whitener (I’ve used this or this) before throwing them in the wash — or I’ll just add whitener in the washing machine. I keep a basket in our pantry where we throw dirty napkins/rags - for whatever reason, it does not smell. I have no reason for getting white napkins - it’s just a personal preference. I got our linen napkins on sale (during a Black Friday sale, maybe?) and we consider them one of our best investments.
where are your door racks from?
container store. see the “closets” and “pantry” highlight in my instagram to get a better visual of how I use the one on our pantry and the one on our hallway closet.
link to your Christmas Eve Box tradition, please!
best thing you did to prepare for baby? I’m due in november with my first!
ooooh, that’s hard. I made a list of all the things that worked reallyyyyy well for me personally, so there might be something you find helpful there!
september 6th:
enneagram? myers briggs?
4w3. infj.
link to the nail polish you said you keep in your purse as your go-to?
here you go! 99% of the time this is what I have on my toes and I keep it in my purse for when my mom inevitably wants to grab a last-minute pedicure.
what are you reading? I need a book recommendation!
I save all of my all-time favorite reads here.
how do you create routines? and stick with them? I need help!
see this blogpost.
what do you do when a routine isn’t working?
also answered in this blogpost! I talk too about what I do with my routines when seasons change - like leaving teaching or having a baby. :) I also talk in the next section of questions about what I do if I miss a routine, and how missing a routine can actually make me better at maintaining a routine.
august 30th:
where do you get your swim stuff?
SwimOutlet.com! Here’s my coach’s affiliate link that I shop through.
what do you do when you miss a routine?
I truly don’t force a routine if I’m not feeling it. Because oftentimes, missing a routine reminds me how much I love and benefit from that routine. (But, alternatively, if I notice that I’m not craving that routine when I do skip it OR I’m skipping that routine frequently, it might not be serving me in this current season of mine, or the routine itself might need some tweaking.
Like, let’s say smoothies. I aim for a daily smoothie. At first, it NEVER happened. I skipped all the time. And I realized, I hated hated hated taking a million bags of frozen stuff out of the freezer and I hated hated hated getting my blender out. So I tweaked the routine by moving my blender to the counter and by prepping smoothie packs ahead of time. (Smoothie packs explained better on the “smoothie” highlight of my Instagram.) Once I did that, my routine success sky rocketed. And really, I only get 5-6 smoothies in a week even though I aim for daily - I do not beat myself up about this! Simply because I know the 1-2 days a week I skip that smoothie, I realize how much I crave it. So missing a routine sometimes makes me more successful at maintaining a routine, if that makes sense?
I talk in this blogpost how I create routines and what I do if a routine isn’t working.
you say you’re on a swim team. what do you mean?
it’s called a masters swim team. google it! they have teams nationwide. one of my best decisions in my adult life was joining. the people I swim with (and my coach!) are arguably some of my favorite people. I’ve known them all now for six-ish years? they’ve been with me through all my post-college adult milestones. i even swim with our amazing pediatrician!
favorite source for hooks?
anthropologie.
what swim workouts do you do?
on Saturday mornings I try to swim with my Masters team. when I swim on my own, I’ll print out a workout from my coach, or I just swim until I work through whatever is on my mind. sometimes that’s a sprint, sometimes that’s a slow roll. sometimes it’s an hour swim, sometimes it’s twenty minutes. i just listen to what I need + I never force anything.
august 23rd:
did you still put collagen in your coffee while pregnant?
how many kids do you want? when will you try for baby #2?
I want four kids (Brett says no more than three) and I want the next one, like, yesterday. My sisters and I are all eighteen months apart, so I’d love to have a similar timeline. And now that I have KK I realize I freaking love having a baby. Love love LOVE.
where is KK’s name from?
she’s named after my mom, so her full name (and my mom’s full name) is julie kaye. my mom’s childhood nickname was KK - and we call my sister Auntie KK since her first name is Kara - so we slid that on over to be KK’s nickname, too.
brett calls her Jules. I also call her Pudding because Miranda once used that in an SATC episode on Brady, and I tried it out, like, two hours postpartum. it stuck ever since.
what’s KK’s nap schedule right now?
she’s three months right now, and we follow the Taking Cara Babies daily routine. right now she feeds at 7ish am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 6:30ish pm (she sleeps through the night). then whenever she’s tired - usually 75-120 minutes after a feeding - she naps until the next feeding time. this works well for us.
this is explained better in the Taking Cara Babies classes. I’m definitely butchering it.
why the farmers market on sundays? why is that a weekly thing?
fresh, seasonal food, supporting local farmers, weekly time with brett (99% of what we love to do together involves food. we started going to farmers markets together when we were dating and it’s a tradition we’d love to continue with kids). plus it’s easily one of the most baby-friendly activities to do in the world. we love it.
also i believe everyone should have a sunday ritual that resets and recharges them for the week. I love a long walk, a farmers market date (and possibly swinging by our favorite kolache place from college - makes for the sweetest, most nostalgic sunday morning that’s also baby-friendly), and Grill and Chill.
august 16th:
hardest part of being pregnant during covid? (my third trimester was when the state of texas shut down for two months, for reference.)
not being able to swim. I was so panicked about giving birth and healing and caring for a baby and all the unknown - I really would have benefitted from my swims to clear my head. and, I’ve been looking forward to swimming in my third trimester almost my whole life, so I was really, really bummed about that. I cried all the time in my third trimester.
on the flip side, not being able to have visitors in the hospital was amazing. we loved getting to just soak up time as the three of us.
here’s a blogpost that recapped my pregnancy + everything that helped me.
where’s your leopard ottoman from?
home goods. i swear 99% of my entire house is from tjmaxx, homegoods, or hand-me-downs from my childhood home. I save most other sources in the various highlights on my Instagram.
what would you say are your five best routines? like, most beneficial? I really want to start some routines, but not sure where to start.
I talk in this post about how to create and start a routine based on your priorities, as well as what I use to keep myself accountable. and what I do if a routine isn’t working.
but! if you’re asking what my five routines I would consider my top five - like which of my routines I would say are my ones I’d prioritize over anything else? okay, okay. hmm. when I had a baby, I gave myself grace to get rid of every single routine for as long as I needed just to survive. and I added routines back slowly as I missed them. the ones I missed the most (and added back first) were menu planning each week, implementing a daily walk, choosing a designated laundry day(s), filling water cups each morning, and taking magnesium. I’d love to also say a smoothie routine, if I’m allowed to cheat and add in one more.
see my full list of daily/weekly/monthly/yearly routines here.
what budget software do you use?
every dollar plus.
what would you say is the must-have item for babies? new moms?
oh, that’s so hard! i never answer this because it truly depends on everyone’s priorities + lifestyle + preferences + baby. so I really can’t say, because what I might consider a must-have, might be something that didn’t work for you or your baby.
i do list out in this post what I consider to be my absolute favorite things I had for that newborn phase. (it’s not all things - mainly it’s a list of what I’m glad I had/prepped/ordered/did before KK arrived, if that helps you!)
