I get it. Emergency Preparedness is overwhelming.

I grew up in Houston - I’ve lived through many hurricanes. (In fact, my parents only live near me now because a hurricane destroyed my childhood home.) So while Emergency Preparedness isn’t exactly pleasant, I’m here to gently tell you it’s so necessary.

It’s not a matter of if a rainy day will come - it’s a matter of when.

And I’m of the believer that something is better than nothing. There’s always more you can do to be more prepared for emergencies, so starting somewhere is all you need to do. Each year I think of other things I should do, and I slowly add a few things to ours as time and finances allow.

So I get it - finding a place to start Emergency Preparedness is hard.

Here’s 10 easy things you can do right now for emergency preparedness - 10 tiny things that pack a big punch, but that also cause some serious momentum. Future You will be so grateful.

We love our weekend adventures.

They take quite a bit of work on our part, but we learned if we do these thirteen things before and after our adventures, we have a much more successful, enjoyable day.

y’all know our eating out budget is tiny.

but also? with prices these days, eating out is so dang expensive, my WORD.

(not only because of inflation, but because Brett is a bottomless pit.)

so, whenever we head on an adventure or head to the pool or head almost anywhere, I pack food.

and while my beloved glass containers are what I prefer for leftovers, stainless steel and plastic are what I prefer for taking food with us.

here’s a round up of my favorite goodies to do so.

Twice a year - once in September and once in March - I check our medicine stash and first aid stuff. I check expiration dates, I restock anything on which we’re low, I give the area a good wipe down. This tiny, tiny routine saves our bottom multiple upon multiple times a year.

(My Yearly Tasks + Expenses List reminds me to do this routine…and any other task that occurs during only certain months of the year. I swear by this list for lessening my mental load - household chores, annual appointments, family celebrations, holiday traditions, etc etc etc.)

And any time we’re not feeling well, I make sure afterwards to do a quick spot check to make sure I’ve replenished what we’ve used, if needed. Like, we just had a cold go through our house, and today I added cold medicine and tissues into this week’s grocery cart so that we’re ready for the next inevitable round of sickness.

Because that’s one of my tiny ways I love to take care of myself. When I don’t feel well - or when I’m caring for a sick kid - one of the last things I want to do is run to the store or place an order. So I keep a few must-haves on hand - things we always reach for when we’re feeling poorly. Future Haley is always so incredibly grateful for this act of kindness.

Is there anything you could order now for Future You That Doesn’t Feel Well?

Here’s 20 things we keep on hand for when we don’t feel well!

in the past years, 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.

(of course - like our routines - the minute something is no longer serving us in our current season, we let it go and we reevaluate. so it’s totally fine if and when traditions need to change!)

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 six-month old, those family traditions are automated, guaranteeing us a special celebration.

and i want my kids to grow up and know that their mom loved her daily life, but she also loved holidays, traditions, and birthdays.

and because life is short. and i want mine peppered with joyful rituals and intentional celebrations.

here’s what we do for july 4th.

For our wedding anniversary, we celebrate Our Family’s Birthday. Read more about that dear tradition here.

And so in lieu of a traditional wedding anniversary gift, we do a joint family gift - ideally something we could enjoy for the years to come.

And this year, for our sixth wedding anniversary, I decided to do a Family S’mores Kit.

And it couldn’t be easier.

in the past years, 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.

(of course - like our routines - the minute something is no longer serving us in our current season, we let it go and we reevaluate. so it’s totally fine if and when traditions need to change!)

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 six-month old, those family traditions are automated, guaranteeing us a special celebration.

and i want my kids to grow up and know that their mom loved her daily life, but she also loved holidays, traditions, and birthdays.

and because life is short. and i want mine peppered with joyful rituals and intentional celebrations.

ready?

every Sunday, we Grill and Chill.

(PS Here’s an olddd post on the six reasons we love a weekly Grill and Chill.)

Brett grills (or smokes!) something for dinner, and he also grills (or smokes!) some additional protein(s) for the week. This completely revolutionized our weeks. I menu plan based on whatever Brett’s grilling on Sundays - that amazing chicken he makes may get used for burrito bowls on Tuesday, those sausage links may be for sausage wraps on Monday. The best!

(PS Here’s this week’s menu plan.)

And every Father’s Day, we invest in a few great grilling/smoking tools and/or cooking toys for our Sunday ritual. And they get used all year long, year after year. The best investment, the most joyous gift!

(PS Here’s our three Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts and traditions!)

Here are some of our favorite Grill and Chill toys and tools!

I love the pool. I’ve always been a swimmer, and my happy place is the pool. We prioritize room in our budget to join a gym with niiiiice pools, and we’re there year-round all the time. Either to play as a family in one of the indoor or outdoor pools, or for me to swim laps in one of the indoor or outdoor pools. So I have it down to a science what I bring.