first let’s talk about how I designed + decorated my home the way I did
we all have our hills to die upon for parenting - like screen time, breastfeeding, private schooling, whatever - and I say, whatever you feel strongly about, lean into it. you do you!
one of my hills? i will have a home that i love, no matter the square footage and no matter the season we’re in. a child-friendly home…that encourages play…but can also weather the storm that is children…and is cozy and comfy for family time…and has plenty of organization and systems and routines…and is a decor theme I personally and authentically love…and still looks like adults live here. that is where I feel strongly.
(BUT! Let me pause and say if this isn’t something you feel strongly about, that’s totally okay! Ignore this post! Do whatever works best for you! But, if I’m speaking your language, read on, my love!)
many many years ago, I made a list of all the things I truly loved for our living space. (so this list has served us both in our teeny, tiny apartments, as well as our current home. and this list also serves me well when thinking in terms of a child friendly home.)
according to my list, I love whites, creams, beiges, navys, blues, pinks, oranges, golds, bamboos, wickers, rattans, leopards. I love displaying sentimental pieces and happy memories in our home - photos, maps, magazine clippings, pieces of art, whatever. I love white sheets, white towels, white cribs, white drawers, and white shelves. I love soft lamp lighting, as opposed to overhead lighting. I love the scent of light citrus. I love cozy seating, lots of blankets, and plenty of books. (The list goes on.)
first of all, The List makes it INCREDIBLY easy to shop and decorate. i am never tempted by things not meant for me - even if they’re a great price or even if they’re super trendy on Pinterest or even if they just look so cute in that girl’s photo. my list pinpointed what I truly loved. and really, I believe your home should only be filled with things you love. and I believe that’s still possible to do, even with little people running amuck.
(similarly, because The List helped me pinpoint what I loved, it also helped me create routines that took care of me, my family, and my home.)
also to note: Brett and I made a deal early on. He said I could decorate where we lived however I wanted, as long as he had plenty of comfy places to sit, plenty of Google Home products, and plenty of good food (and he said plenty of something else, but I’ll omit that and just let you fill in the blank). Highly, highly recommend a deal like this. I took that deal and RAN.
but really, this list helps me prioritize. this list showed me that what was truly important to me was, for example, having a cozy, child-friendly home that i also authentically loved. so I worked to make that happen.
woooooo, that was a novel. but you get the gist: creating a home that we love - no matter the season, no matter the square footage, no matter the amount of loud children - is something I feel very strongly about.
so, inevitably, that means I worked to create some systems we loved for allllll those darn kid things, and systems that would work both now and in the coming years. I wanted things that would allow for a child-friendly, play-centered home, but also looked like, you know, Brett and I still lived here. And I wanted things that could work now, and be adapted for when we have a house full of teenagers. and, I wanted to create a running list now so that I had a spot to update with new things we love in the coming years.
and by creating systems, we’re all on the same page. brett knows where to put clean bottles, where to put keys, where to put stained clothes. he knows where to find extra formula, where to find the baby thermometer, where to find our baby-related papers.
and, I’ll say this. it may seem like a lot to put this much work (both time and money) into a home filled with little mess-making people, but it has been completely worth it over and over again. if anything, by acknowledging what we truly want and need to have on hand, and by taking the time to think of ways to immerse those things into our home, we not only feel prepared, but our home feels cohesive. instead of piles upon piles of random baby stuff, we have intentional pieces, we have systems to store them, we have ways to display them so that they’re used.
as always, just sharing what works for us. take what works for you, tweak what you need, leave the rest. do whatever is best for you and your family!
ready?
our den + main living space
my design choices, cont.
90% of my furniture is ikea, secondhand, or TJMaxx - and therefore I do not freak out about anything being ruined. (and i’ll note now that things in our home are anchored to the wall.)
couches are secondhand and slipcovered - one of my monthly routines is to wash slipcovers, if needed. i have a workhorse of an upholstery cleaner that works on the aforementioned couches, but also weird carpet stains (a reminder to use this, if necessary, is also on my list of monthly routines).
we have a soft, cushioned ottoman (a leopard gemstone i found at Home Goods) instead of the traditional hard-edged coffee table. (at ten months old, this was arguably one of KK’s favorite toys.)
i have pillows I love on our couches - pillows that are patterned and therefore conceal stains, but also pillows that use removable pillow covers. yes, this is more money up front, but I say it’s 1000% worth it. when a baby spit up on a pillow (happens), or a dog smears poop on a pillow (HAPPENED), i just throw the pillow cover in the wash. easy peasy. here is my favorite pillow source, but etsy comes in as a close second.
i swear by patterned rugs for the same reason i swear by patterned pillow stains and slipcovered couches. stains don’t bother me. (and, in the worst case scenario, i have my upholstery cleaner.)
and - whenever possible, I tried to get baby things in white, cream/khaki, and navy - not only to make it gender neutral for all my babies, but also so that they matched my home decor.
i swear by cloths, lots of cloths. kids are darlinggg, but messy. and i especially swear by burp cloths everywhere. the key is getting them in colors that match your home, IMO. so ours are pretty much slung over any and every couch or chair, and all our burp cloths are white (with pink or navy monograms, thanks to my mom.)
we grabbed the comfiest, ugliest electric recliner/rocker from our neighbor’s curb, which come find out was the greatest asset of all time for pregnant mommas and babies alike.
we have a nursing cart next to it when there’s a newborn in the home.
and before we get into more of this, know that it was important to me to have kid things seamlessly worked into our main area, since that’s where we spend the majority of our time. so - while it’s not everyone’s style - our den/wide hallway/dining-ish room serves as a play area. I felt veryyyy strongly about this, as I wanted to be able to keep an eye on my kids playing while I made food, did laundry, answered emails, etc.
here’s our daily schedule, if you want to see a glimpse of how I work her independent play and my routines/chores/adulting stuff into our day.
toy rotation + independent play + no playroom
we do not have a playroom, we keep a small number of kk’s playthings and activities immersed into our den (hence why I like to have things in our decor colors whenever possible), and we do a toy rotation.
follow my dear friend Kelly - she’s taught me everything I know. but know that we do a toy rotation, we practice independent play every single day, and both concepts are huge favorites over here, all thanks to her teachings.
another favorite? not having a traditional playroom. (kelly does this, too!) we instead immerse KK’s things into the main area of our home so that she can independently play while I do whatever I need to do nearby. this may not work for everyone, but for us, not having a separate playroom is BLISS. like, right now, my favorite time of day is right after KK’s afternoon nap - I cook dinner and she plays nearby.
my “toy rotation” highlight on my Instagram shows where toys are stored when they’re not in rotation. or keep reading!
our sensory tables + sensory play
kk’s play kitchen
kk’s books
since one of my big priorities is to have my children see me read, I love to buy tangible books and physical magazines. (one of my personal birthday traditions is to subscribe to a magazine or two for the coming year!)
so that KK also feels apart of that, we have a bookshelf of tangible books for her in our den and always incorporate books into holiday/birthday gifts. (like our Mr. Valentine baskets and Easter baskets!) we also love asking for magazine subscriptions for birthday/holiday gifts.
we always have kk’s tiny bookshelf in our den with seasonal, themed books rotated out each month -
i used this bookshelf and painted it white with this paint to better match our den
see our baby bookshelf with themed, seasonal books blogpost for more on this and for a full list of our monthly themes + our list of books
because another one of my hills to die upon was having a house full of books.
this monthly bookshelf is one of the big ways we decorate for holidays. here are the other things we prioritize instead of lots of holiday/seasonal decor.
in our cube unit we usually have this dish rack to hold several books that are relevant or interesting for whatever reason (but may not “fit” into our themed, seasonal bookshelf). right now she loves small, tiny books she can hold, so I put a few of those out. and Brett brought some vegetables in from his garden, so I added a vegetable book.
I also plan to use this space to put books about an upcoming life event. like books about the location/mode of transportation when we have an upcoming trip. :)
we loveeee our custom-made board books (I use the “baby board book” section of this website - this link should give you a discount) of various important people (or important topics) in our lives. like, we have several on aunts and uncles, one on mama, one on daddy, one on kk’s favorite puppy, one on grill and chill, and on on our some of our favorite family traditions and rituals, etc.
we also subscribe to a few magazines for KK (Ranger Rick Cub, Highlights Hello, and BabyBug - she LOVES them!!!) and usually I’ll tuck them in that aforementioned dish rack.
our favorite toys + things
see this post for a round-up of allllll our favorite toys and things from birth until now.
our dinner table + kitchen area
see my whole post on our favorite cooking + eating + kitchen items here.
also. a meal rotation + dinner themes.
see the full post here. implementing these into our home was life-changing.
our desk, our filing system, our Google Home, and other things that save our adulting selves
because hi, parenting can be hard. and I don’t want to waste precious energy on “OMG where is that [insert random adulting paper here}!!!!!!” or “OMG this pile of random adulting papers cluttering up my [insert area of home here] is driving me crazy!!!!!” or “OMG I’m so tired of you asking me where everything is!!!!!!” needless to say, our systems we created not only save us energy, but also help our marriage. create systems that work for you and your family.
a lot of this section is an excerpt from my “Our Prepared-ish Home” blogpost
above is our beloved two-person desk. it used to be in our home-office, but when brett took over that room to work from home 100% of the time, I wanted a place that I could use as a desk (and a place I could check emails while KK was playing). So we moved it to back up to our den couch - a console table and desk in one, if you will. it makes that weird space between our den and our dining room/floral studio 1000% useful. and now I can quickly check an email or order groceries while KK plays in the den.
it’s three alex drawer units from Ikea, with a kitchen counter on top. the end. (sorry, I didn’t link the kitchen counter top because I can’t for certain remember which one it is. I just remember, at the time of purchase, it was $45ish dollars.)
also, can you tell I love mixing in a whole lot of white Ikea pieces in my home? I’m not even finished yet.
I love that the drawers can grow with us - for now they hold alllllll those random things you need to run a household (looking at you, tape!), but they can also eventually also hold homework supplies or art supplies.
this desk is also where we keep stationery, notepads, stamps, etc. because I don’t need envelopes or stamps all that often, but I’m so glad I have them when I do.
i personally love love love personalized stationery. it makes me so darn happy. so i put a little money away each month, and in the month of March I splurge on a new set of personalized notepads, notecards, stationery, address labels, whatever. simply because it makes me so happy, and simply because my birthday is in March. it’s the most wonderful annual tradition that brings me so much joy. and, as an added perk, I’m always prepared to write a note, for dear loved ones, dear neighbors, and dear clients.
see my full list of how I celebrate my birthday here
truly this desk area is the hardest working area of our home - this instagram post gives a quick tour.
the biggest jewel is that basket on top of the desk. this basket used to be one of my postpartum recovery boxes, but now it’s a drop zone for any important paper/thing that I need to deal with…but don’t feel like dealing with now. mail, bills, gift cards, invitations, receipts, shipping labels, etc etc etc. it all goes here. and in random bursts of energy, I’ll go through the box. but until then, everything is contained and, more importantly, Brett and I know where everything is.
see all my postpartum favorites in this post.
here’s a whole post on how we file all those adulting papers - like tax documents, house papers (closing documents, hoa stuff, property taxes, home insurance, blue prints, manuals, etc etc et freaking C), car stuff, vet records, health papers…EVERYTHING.
i can’t recommend this and the above box enough - both Brett and I know where everything is. and that is marital bliss.
special shout out to our whiteboard system. a clear and concise system to let Brett know how he can help me with adult/household/life/emergency things. like in march, he changes out the batteries in the smoke detectors for me. please and thank you. (and hi, my kids will see that our home and marriage requires teamwork and communication. and that mama asks for help.)
we also loveeeeee our fridge calendar. because while we used to love our joint google calendar, we learned we do better with something tangible that stares us in the face.
also. create lists. truly some household inconveniences (and marital spats) can simply be avoided by remembering to take care of (or take inventory of) what we already have.
so let’s create a list and write out each month. now think about, what are some things you’d like to do (or would be suuuper helpful to do) during certain months of the year? appointments, chores, tasks, celebrations, traditions, holidays, anniversaries, etc? which month(s) would you like to check some household things or check the expiration dates of things in your emergency stash? write it all down. brain dump it all. here’s my yearly list.
similarly, what are things that would be helpful to do every single month? write it all down. here’s my monthly list.
i truly believe by having these lists, I have more energy and more patience.
brett and I have a shared Google Sheets document titled, “if haley dies” with our log-in info to a myriad of household-related websites. you know, the stuff Brett would need to access should I pass away (or, more realistically, when Brett doesn’t want to pester me for the log-in info while I’m still alive. or, or! when I just straight up forget a password. regardless, this document comes in handy ALL THE TIME.)
what started out as a document that was kindaaaa a joke about how the majority of passwords are created by - and known by - me since I’m in charge of the majority of our day-to-day tasks, turned into a “oh wow, this is actually helpful.”
and TO BE CLEAR: it’s not actually our log in info. it’s a spreadsheet with different categorical tabs, the name of whatever website (mainly because I don’t even think Brett could tell you the name of our vision insurance company, for example) and perhaps a link to the log-in page, and a code for the password that only Brett and I know. for example, when I have “s!” written down as our password for our phone bill log-in, you have no idea what that means, but Brett and I know exactly what twelve-letter password we should use.
I swear by having a baby binder
aka the spot where I put any and all baby-related papers
I got a three-inch binder and shoved it full of sheet protectors for all the registrations, manuals, proof of purchases, spare pieces, tiny screw bags, hospital documents, informative flyers, etc
see my “baby prep” highlight on my Instagram for a visual of this!
my sister came over to help postpartum and I was able to hand her the stack of hospital papers with clear instructions of where they should go
aaaand, I must give a special award to our Google Home products
brett once told me I could decorate however I wanted, as long as he had plenty of comfy seating, plenty of dinners, and plenty of Google Home products (and technically he asked for “plenty of” one more thing, but I’m omitting that one and you can just let your imagination run wild). to which I said, YES YES WHERE DO I SIGN. so here we are.
but I will admit, slowly acquiring what I think is every possible Google Home product out there has been really nice. (we usually buy one with our black friday fund.) our smart doorbell allows us to turn off the chime so that the dogs don’t bark and wake KK, allows us to see who’s at our door, and allows us video footage of if a package was stolen. our smart lightbulbs allow us to turn on (or dim) lights with just our voice — which was SO nice when KK was brand new and nursing at 2am. our google home app let’s us see our cameras, turn on our lights, adjust the thermostate, etc all without being home. and our cameras show footage for if we would ever need to show police or insurance of an unfortunate incident. etc. etc. etc.
brett wants me to clarify he has phillips hue lightbulbs. SO SORRY, THIS IS NOT MY WHEELHOUSE.
and while this isn’t technically what makes a child friendly home, I wanted to mention it regardless - we got a life insurance policy on brett. we depend on brett’s income. should something happen to him, KK and I would be greatly affected, not only emotionally, but also financially. the minute we got a twenty-year term life insurance policy on him of 10x his annual income, I felt such a sense of calm. and that reassurance and protection is priceless.
(we’re getting a policy on me soon as well.)
our beloved hallway storage
still obsessed with this hallway project. I wanted hallway storage that wouldn’t make our hallway seem narrower, and I wanted storage that could adapt and change with us as our family (and needs) changed. right now, toys are stored here.
it’s three ikea shoe cabinets. i changed out the hardware (not linked, because I was not pleased with the company’s customer service. but if it helps, know i googled “chinoiserie knobs”). brett removed the original tops of the cabinets, and replaced it with one long piece of wood so that the three units appeared to be one continuous piece. (brett found through internet search the color of paint to use to match the ikea paint - I’m sorry I don’t know the name or link to this!)
other faqs about the gallery wall/frames/storage unit found in this instagram post.
that sentimental jar explained in this instagram post.
we currently store kk’s toys and dog treats/things in this piece - and I like that the bins are narrow so that I have to be reallyyyy intentional what goes in each.
we keep our favorite, basic, always-a-hit toys in here - like balls, Magnatiles, blocks, etc. when time is standing absolutely still, I”ll open the bottom drawers and let KK go to town.
but what I love most is that this is a piece we’ll grow into. like, while it may be toys right now, it can easily become something more geared towards older kids and teenagers in the future.
toy + book storage
we have a small bookshelf in our den where I keep monthly, themed, seasonal books, and we have a small cube unit in our den with kk’s current toys. (see the above section on our den for more on these.)
but when toys and books are not out in the current rotation, they’re in storage. and for that, we have two ikea kallax units anchored to the walls - this is where we store allllll our kid books + kid toys when they’re not in rotation. (some toys are also kept in that aforementioned hallway storage unit.)
read more about this in my post about our baby bookshelf (and alllll our kid books).
although the wicker baskets are for toys not being used in our toy rotation, most of these baskets are currently empty - ready for us to grow into. we can use them for kid things or toys, but they can also be used in the future for clothes or whatever. again, I love that this works for us now, and could potentially work for us in the future.
but most importantly, I love that these display the books and conceal the clutter.
we also have a bin of toys that stay out of our rotation and out of our normal storage: Fourth Quarter Toys
Fourth Quarter Toys: affectionately known as the “Oh S&*%” bin. Aka Mom doesn’t feel well or for whatever reason needs quiet and something to completely distract/consume the babies. This bin of rare slash never-seen-before toys to the rescue. This bin has toys that we may have received as gifts that I don’t personally want as a part of our toy rotation for whatever reason. Or toys that I don’t want to deal with in our toy rotation on a regular basis (too many pieces, annoying sound, whatever). Or toys that I find secondhand/on sale that I purposely save for this box to take care of Future Haley. In this box it goes.
Seasonal toys are stored in our seasonal boxes. Like, we save ocean-themed bath toys and, say, puzzles for our annual beach trip. So into the Summer box it goes. (This post explains our Fall box, and this post explains our Winter box.)
kids bathroom
when we have a younger baby, we have our baby bathtub on a hook. when we don’t, we have this non-slip bath mat, and I’ll hang it on the hook to dry (or when I want to clean the tub).
we have this basket in our bathtub for toys
i can’t emphasize this enough: we love having two stocked changing stations in our home. i imagine we’ll love it even more as our family grows. our house is only one story, but having a changing station in both the kids bathroom and our room (which is near our kitchen and den) was quite the lifesaver, as going to this bathroom every time a diaper needed to be changed would’ve gotten old really fast.
speaking of, at each station we love…
this wipes dispenser to grab wipes one handed (the weighted plate in this gizmo makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE)
the blessed diaper pail that traps alllll the smells
aquaphor. all the aquaphor. for everything.
the baby spatula for spreading that aquaphor
a big ol bottle of my favorite hand sanitizer
a small basket of toys. this means I am changing a diaper on a still baby, as opposed to wrestling a bucking bronco.
and see my instagram “baby prep,” “baby,” or “bedroom” highlights for a visual of this!
and we built an emergency stash of diapers in all sizes. read more about how we prepared for any and all baby poop situations (and, you know, natural disasters) here.
laundry room
i keep a five gallon bucket in my laundry room with water and oxyclean. in it goes any stained clothes so that they can soak, and then I just add the contents to the next load of laundry. and between KK’s eating, brett’s gardening, and my general existing, we’re always adding to that bucket.
for now, our laundry room door stays shut. but eventually, I’d love to get this bucket off the floor - maybe with some sort of shelf above the dryer.
see my cleaning schedule blogpost for my easy laundry schedule.
our stroller also chills in here. and I can easily charge any stroller fans (or travel white noise machines) with the nearby plug without having to take everything off the stroller.
yes, I zip-tie toys to our stroller. because while I love for KK to have something to chew, I got tired of worrying she dropped (or flung) it on our walks.
we have these hooks on the back of the door for leashes/baby carriers/whatever. and our ironing board is hung on the wall with one of these guys. (although brett misunderstood how high I wanted it hung. it’s fiiiiiine.)
this post explains the bulletin boards.
this post explains how I keep important instructions inside of cabinets.
ALSO. create system for laundry that works for you. there, i said it. I didn’t realize how much of a stressor laundry could be until i automated ours.
now I assign certain days to laundry. towel tuesday and fresh sheets friday, for example.
and on the other days, one of my morning routines is to check and see if we would benefit from a load of laundry that day. see my cleaning schedule post for more.
no more laundry drama. no more feeling like I was “behind” and no more feeling stressed that the laundry was overwhelming. bam, more mental space freed up.
more hallway storage
right off our garage and laundry room, we have a little nook for what we assume was supposed to be a mudroom situation. but being new, first-time homeowners, we didn’t have the disposable income for a project like that. so we took brett’s childhood dresser and stuck it there as a drop zone for our keys, my purse, brett’s multiple pairs of sunglasses, shoes, etc. right now we also have a big ol bottle of my favorite hand sanitizer there (something we did for postpartum, but ended up being reallyyyy handy for a pandemic).
but anyway! i love having a dresser here for the hidden storage. this dresser is mainly a catch-all for our photos (we had a hallway dresser in my childhood home for this purpose, so i wanted one, too) but I also throw in miscellaneous decor/home projects, as well as extra driving/walking things (sunglasses, extra masks, stroller fans, travel white noise machines, keys, etc.)
we have hooks everywhere in our home - to make sure everything has a designated spot, to keep clutter off the floor, to put our most-used things in easy-to-access spots (but not so easy-to-access that babies can get into it. BLESS.). we even had an unused wall near our front door transformed with two rows of three of these - perfect for our growing family, and that lower row perfect for toddlers and younger kids to use in the coming years so that they too have a space for their things. it’s now one of the hardest-working areas of our home.
are you sensing a theme yet? I want a home that grows with us. and a home that works for us. so while yes, some families would’ve put a sassy bench or a great piece of art in this strip of hallway, we personally needed hooks.
also want to point out my going-to-the-pool-with-a-baby/toddler/kid bag is hung on this wall and always packed and ready to go. this post has alllll my summer essentials.
also shout out to our beloved baby hiking backpack. because I believe your schedule, your budget, and your home should reflect your priorities. and hiking together is one of ours. so the hiking backpack stays out on an easy-to-see hook. just like my swimteam bag.
across from our Wall o Hooks is a great hutch of my mom’s. and on it is a big jug of my favorite sunscreen. because we’re fair skinned and because we live in texas. and because sometimes the only way we remember to do things is if it’s staring us in the face. (this quick instagram post explains more.)
similarly, i recommend investing in a big ol bottle of your favorite hand sanitizer, and placing it in a high-traffic area of your home. we have four bottles, each placed in either a main hallway, where we drop our keys, or our diaper changing stations. and both because I love the scent and because it’s in a convenient spot, we use them all the time. highly recommend, especially whilst in the throes of diapers.
stocked first aid + medicine cabinet
because if we have an incident or ailment of some sort, the last thing I want to do is hop in my car and go buy what we need. so I take care of Future Haley and keep a stockeddddd first aid and medicine cabinet. I have a whole post on it here, if you’re a visual person.
here I also keep helpful handouts - like that blessed list from the doctor of medicines I could and couldn’t have while pregnant - pinned to the wall.
and on my yearly tasks + expenses list, I have under the months of September and March to check my inventory - does anything need to be replenished or replaced? you’re welcome, Future Haley!
if you want to know more emergency-type stuff we keep on hand, see my blogpost here on Our Prepared-ish Home
traditions, photos, and gift wrap - oh my!
in the past year, we’ve been asking ourselves about each and every holiday and celebration: “what would truly excite us about this day? what do we want do together? what would be fun to do now and as our family grows? how can we make this day a special celebration? what traditions do we want to have as a family?” and while, yeah, it was because we now had a child and I wanted our lives peppered with joyful traditions and intentional celebrations, there’s also another added bonus: simplification.
because, as one of my favorite books ever talked about, there is power and freedom in deciding once. because we waste energy when doing the whole dance of, “I don’t, know, what do you want to do this year fo {insert holiday or celebration here}?” if you can pinpoint right now what you authentically love for that holiday and what would genuinely get you excited for, say, valentine’s day, assign it to that day. do it every year. decide once. no need to reinvent the wheel every year if you can figure out now what you’d love - we have plentyyyy of other things in our life to have to think about.
so like, we decided we wanted to do this for halloween dinner. and this for our christmas gift tradition between brett and me. and this for valentine’s day. and this for my birthday, and this for easter. and this for our wedding anniversary gift. and this every sunday dinner.
and have you noticed? all these traditions can be easily done at home in this season of babies. because i believe in really leaning in to whatever current season we’re in.
(of course - like our routines - the minute something is no longer serving us in our current season, we let it go and we reevaluate.)
but for now, that deciding once makes things so easy. so even when I’m not feeling well or man, I’m tired, or hi, i have a toddler and a three-week old, those family traditions are automated, guaranteeing us a special celebration. and my yearly tasks + expenses list veryyyy simplly + plainly reminds me (or brett) what to do. order halloween tamales while nursing a bebe? check. order our wedding anniversary gift while babies nap? check.
see this blogpost on our simple systems for photos + memories.
see this blogpost for how we simplified traditions, holidays, gift wrap, gifts, and celebrations.
my car
we set aside money each month so that each May we can get our cars deeeetailed. we also have a monthly car wash subscription that gives us free reign of vaccuums and a drive thru wash as often as we want. while i appreciated these before, I reallyyyy appreciate it now with a bebe.
and let’s be real. sometimes I just want to get out of the house, but wandering the aisles of TJMaxx or Target is just wayyyyy too risky? off to the carwash we go.
in the back of my car (I have a Subaru Outback with a hatchback), I keep this lovelyyy changing station. In the pockets I have tons of extra diapers, aquaphor, baby bum brush, poop bags, plenty of baby wipes, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, extra clothes for me, and extra clothes for KK. best thing I prepped while pregnant.
see my baby prep blogpost and my postpartum favorites blogpost for more.
if you’d like to see the non-baby stuff I keep in my car for emergencies/minor inconveniences, see this post
in my car I also keep pouches of applesauce and a big bag of Cheerios, should KK (or I!) become hangry
I also keep a tub of toys - like our toys in our den and our changing station toys, this tub of toys also gets rotated out.
side note: we have a separate tub of toys called our Road Trip Toys hidden in our closet. these toys, under no circumstances, get touched unless we’re going on a road trip.
I keep my favoriteeeee baby carrier in my car
this is my favorite all-time baby carrier. i wear it allllll the time and it’s so freaking comfortable. (like, I wore four month old KK for hours while helping my sister move.) but instead of keeping the carrier in our home, I keep it in my car. that way, if I need it at home, I grab it from the car. if I need it at my parents’ house, I grab it from the car. if I need it at Costco, I grab it from the car. if I need it for the doctor appointment, I grab it from the car. if I need it wherever I am, I grab it from the car.
also in my car?
a travel white noise machine. i can’t tell you how many times this has saved our behinds. (same applies to the spare towels and that roll of paper towels I keep in my car, too.)
and our marriage + our individual selves
because our marriage (as well as our individual selves) sets the tone for our child-friendly home, we thought of ways we could nurture ourselves and our marriage, even without leaving home.
we got a puzzle board that’s kept high up on our dining room table with loose pieces in the drawers.
we invested in and prioritized reading, as another hill I have to die upon is I reallyyyy want our kids to see us reading. so while I have some books on my phone on the kindle app (so that I can easily read in moments of waiting), I mainly make sure I invest in tangible books and magazines so that it’s clear that Mama is reading, not scrolling Instagram.
here’s how we prioritize reading, how I find time to read, how I like to read, etc.
here’s my list of my birthday traditions - one of which is to subscribe to a magazine
here’s how we store + display + organize our books in our home
here’s more on KK’s bookshelf where I switch out themed, seasonal books each month
we pinpointed date ideas that were baby friendly. we hung our beloved baby hiking backpack on our Wall o Hooks so it would stare us in the face, started a weekly sandwich night to ensure we always had adventure food on hand, and purchased a Texas State Parks pass.
we really leaned into the weekly ritual of grill and chill. we decided our wedding anniversary tradition was to splurge on this monthly at-home thing we love. both things we can do at home with babies, and easily continue to do so as our family grows. we’re enjoying this season instead of wishing for days past,
we invested in a stroller I love that could both grow with a family and handle our serious mileage of walks and farmers markets.
brett’s reallyyyy into coffee, so we love to get him coffee bean subscriptions from his favorite roasters. (like this one!)
because i loveeeee farmers markets, but realistically we can’t always get out the door to attend them. so I signed up for a few local deliveries to support farmers and eat seasonally, to satisfy this love of mine while in the current season of babies. (and, as an added bonus, my beloved produce box I like to order means we easily eat - and expose KK to - a variety of produce without even trying. WIN WIN WIN.)
if you’re local, I love this delivery service. (if you say that you heard about them from me, Haley Wynn Baribeau, you and I both get $10 off!)
and I also order weekly eggs from this guy.
brett wants to find another CSA to support, too
and, when i’m not pregnant, we sign up for the wine clubs for two separate wineries that we discovered - and loved - while dating. it’s not only the best dose of monthly nostalgia (along with that monthly wedding anniversary present), but it also makes us feel date-ish, even at home in the throes of diapers and weeknight dinners and early bedtimes.
let’s talk a little more about me
as we’ve talked about, I’m currently in the season of bearing children and raising babies. and I think it’s suuuuper important to take care of myself - as well as create a home I love. and hi, for me, creating a home i love is a form of taking care of myself since it’s a high priority for me. and, you know, because I recharge at home.
I realized I do best with some consistency to my days. so regardless of our rather inconsistent schedules (brett can work anywhere from 7am until midnight and sometimes I have weddings/meetings). i created a loooooooose rhythm to our day - a rhythm that could be applied whether brett was working late, brett was off from work, I had a wedding, or I had nothing on my schedule for weeks. and that changed everything for me and my naturally anxious mindset.
are there any daily/weekly rhythms you could put into place to provide some structure and to help you prioritize those things that are important to you? i truly believe your home, your schedule, and your budget should reflect your priorities. and I created a loose daily rhythm to reflect mine.
I found a skin care routine, I took vitamins, I prioritized rest.
more details (and links to my favorite products!) listed in my blogpost on my daily schedule
I created routines that took care of me, my family, and my home.
see this post
this quick instagram post talks about the two keys I learned about myself for successful routines (especially postpartum). when I remember these two things, I become incredibly consistent in my routines.
I figured out a water routine that worked for me to get 100 ounces/day while chasing babies
here’s the instagram post of how I figured it out - this could help you pinpoint what you personally need
and here’s the water bottle I have four of. because in this season of life, I needed something spill-proof. and baby-proof. and could go from the floor to my desk to my car cup holder to my diaper bag to my swim bag to my pool to my table to my wedding to my kitchen. and, as an added bonus, KK loves drinking from it. (but, with it being spill-proof, I don’t worry when she picks it up, knocks it over, or drags it across the floor.)
and I really focused on creating a wardrobe that would serve me well through all the transitions of pregnancy, postpartum, nursing, chasing babies, cleaning babies, diaper changing babies, etc etc etc. because i think having a few pieces you love and that make you feel good - even in the midst of the above transitions and in the midst of day to day life - is the ultimate form of self-care.
I got a virtual color consult to learn what colors look best/worst on me. (highly, highly recommend.)
i invested in clothes that made me feel good, that were flowy and comfortable to work for whatever season of motherhood I was in, and that were machine washable. because let’s be real, while I want to feel good, I don’t want to freak out too badly when KK puts her bean-smeared hand on my sleeve.
side note about my clothes philosophy: 95% of my closet is a solid color that’s a good color for me. i don’t have a capsule wardrobe by any means, but even paring down to 95% solid colors is hugely simplifying. (and makes shopping less overwhelming + less tempting.) and really i only buy solid-colored clothes because I like being able to mix and match all my clothes depending on my mood, the occasion, and the season…and if I’m leaving the house.
also, I only wear turquoise jewelry - explained in this post. also hugely simplifying - makes getting dressed less overwhelming and shopping less tempting. and hi, i automatically have a signature look. one of the best gifts I’ve ever received were some turquoise earrings that were perfect for daily wear, courtesy of the dearest, most thoughtful friend. I wear them while doing dishes and changing diapers and I beam.
on a similar note, we created Easter baskets that are summer-themed. meaning everyone gets a new swimsuit, new swimhat/sunglasses, new swim towel, new swim shoes, whatever. mom and dad get a basket, too. 1) because we need these things anyway with all the time we spend near water during Texas Summer, but also 2) because I deserve stuff I look good in. I struggled with swimsuits during pregnancy/postpartum - not because I was self conscious, but because I didn’t invest in a new suit, so I was trying to make one of my pre-baby suits work. (my nursing boobs were like LOLOLOL.) so I’m veryyy excited for this annual tradition.
also. invest in a robe (and slippers!) you love. i already request to be buried in my beloved robe. both pregnant and postpartum haley got serious mileage out of it, and I still felt super pulled together, yet cozy.
There you have it. All we’ve done to create a child-friendly home we love in this current babies-and-diapers-and-spit-up-oh-my season of ours - and I’ll update this post as we get further down the road with more kids and older kids. Thank you for being here!
