We leave the house every. single. morning.

For me, it’s one of the things that helps me most as a stay-at-home mom.

But what also really helps me is deciding ahead of time where we’re going.

This means three things:

anyone who knows me knows I love my sleep. when I haven’t gotten enough rest, I unapologetically cut my to do list down to the bare minimum, just to ensure that I have plenty of time to prioritize more sleep. both my morning routines and my evening routines are basically centered around making sure Haley has enough rest.

• read more about my weekly to do list here

• read more about my morning and evening routines here

so all that to say, I’m a huge fan of our bedding. and while maybe one day we’ll splurge on some niiiiice bedding, in this season of young kids (read: messy), lots of dogs (read: messy), and no time for high maintenance laundering (or worrying), the bedding we have now is just wonderful - both affordable and comfortable.

so here’s a breakdown of our current bedding, as well as some simple systems we use to take care of what we have. because for me, systems are the key for both rest and contentment. the best.

Brett and I recently got back from a solo getaway to Chicago.

Before that, I hadn’t been on a plane in four years. Between KK’s birth, a pandemic, a molar pregnancy, the six months of mandatory bloodwork (and grief) afterwards, Joey’s pregnancy (and being too nervous to go anywhere), and the first few months of getting into a groove with two kids - I just haven’t really gone anywhere, much less been on a plane.

So packing for Chicago, I felt rusty.

But now that I’m home I’m thrilled to say it was all like riding a bike.

Brett and I traveled a good amount before kids (remember the 12 Trips in 12 Months?), so getting back on a plane and exploring a new city with my love for a long weekend was the most wonderful way to reconnect as a couple, as friends.

Here are my 10 Travel Must-Haves, years ago and now.

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.

If you missed it, HERE’S 10 easy things to do right now for emergency preparedness.

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 our emergency stash as time and finances allow.

Here’s the five things I’m working on this year:

because it’s hard coming home from a trip, I like to do 5 things before a trip to make it easier on Future Haley.

I’m reading the best book. It’s all about how time is our most precious resource, and that we should not only pinpoint what specifically brings us joy, but also curate weeks filled with those things. And I feel like I love doing that already, but this book is full of practical advice, tangible takeaways, and new perspectives, that even I’m over here feeling newly inspired.

Armed with a fresh list of new things that I love, I decided to turn them into some fun goals for this school year - goals to prioritize joy and magic amongst my day-to-day.

Here they are!