i noticed a huge difference in KK between 18 and 24 months, so instead of doing one big post, I’m breaking it up by month. here are her ten favorite things at 19 months!

(see the full list of favorite things from birth until now here!)

i noticed a huge difference in KK between 18 and 24 months, so instead of doing one big post, I’m breaking it up by month. here are her ten favorite things at 18 months!

(see the full list of favorite things from birth until now here!)

I normally don’t do dedicated freezer cooking days. here’s how I usually stock my freezer.

but when I was a teacher, I definitely would do a freezer cooking day (or several) at the end of summer to make the back to school transition easier. having a few meals on hand really helped those first few crazy weeks/months.

and nowadays, i also always appreciate dinner help, no matter how that looks. brett gets an extra paycheck twice a year, and I do like to use that as a tiny bit of permission to spend a little more on groceries and do a freezer cooking session to help out Future Haley. especially now that the weather is beautiful, and I don’t always feel like cooking.

(I also like to do a freezer cooking session as one of my birthday traditions - more on those traditions here!)

unexpectedly, brett was taking KK to his parents, so my Saturday was suddenly wiiiiiide open.

and I decided it would be super helpful if I made a few dinners to throw in the freezer for Future Haley.

(and yes, this may sound 10000% boring to you, and that’s totally okay! having some uninterrupted time in the kitchen sounds heavenly to me. and if I’m able to help out Future Haley in the process, even better!)

if at all possible when freezer cooking, I like to have a few appliances going (slow cooker, IP, etc) while I assemble some casserole-y things. maximizes my time!

here’s a few potential things I might make!

a few things you must know:

1. i wanted a home that prioritized play. my college degree is in learning and development, I used to be a teacher, and I know the invaluable benefits of play - therefore I wanted plenty of play worked into our home’s layout.

2. and I didn’t want - at least for the time being - a closed-off, separate room with a door for play. i wanted kk and future siblings playing near me. I wanted to be able to cook or work on household stuff or rest or do whatever I need to do, all while able to see them playing (and they can see me). which means I needed play things worked into the main living area of our home.

3. but I didn’t want my home to feel like a primary-colored toy store. i wanted the play things cohesive with our home’s decor - I wanted it to still look like adults lived here. which meant buying things in white (or painting things in white), and keeping things in white or wicker baskets, as white and wicker are two big decor components in my home.

this felt like a pretty tall order, but I managed to get it done and I’m in love.

of course, like with everything else, this will all change as our needs change. but for now I’m smitten.

okay, let’s tour the play areas of our home!

we have a bag of toys that I keep near both our Evacuation Bag and our Emergency Tub, which means it’s kept where we shelter for tornados. which means if I need to occupy/distract KK in either of these situations - sheltering or evacuating - I have easy access to some special toys.