Mentoring.

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch In 2017, I want to initiate changes + inspire others. Whether you’re following along with our family’s minimalism journey, or here to get a bigger in-depth look at how business, photography, and everyday life blends in our home… I’m happy to have you here. With that being said, I’ve also had a lot of requests for help or advice. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m an open book. I’ve been through many different arenas in life, and love to offer a helping hand to…

Orange + Cranberry Garland.

After deciding I was done with those SIX Rubbermaid’s crammed full of Christmas stuff, we began a different kind of Christmas decorating by using natural items only. I purchased a large bag of Cranberries at Costco for $3 – and four oranges at the local supermarket. Together, my children and I, created a new family tradition in which no one cried about. Here’s how to make your own Orange + Cranberry Garland. You’ll Need: 1 large bag of fresh cranberries. 4 oranges. string. a large embroidery or cross stitch needle. Directions: Pre-heat your oven to the lowest setting, ours was 175 degrees. Slice…

A different kind of Christmas + our Advent calendar.

As many of you know, minimalism and slow living seem to be taking over not only our home, but our lives these days. I’ll be the first to tell you Christmas preparations look a thousand times different now, than they did just last year. In the past, I would have lugged in SIX different Christmas Rubbermaid’s… full of decorations, stockings, garlands, ornaments, wrapping paper, etc. Decorating for the holiday season was no easy feat, and oftentimes cluttered the house with all things nutcracker, sparkly, and even remotely Christmas. The kids would kind of help… but because I’m so OCD about where everything…

The Global Guardian Project.

In the spirit of running with our latest Eco-Minimalism Post, we’ve also made the decision to become Global Guardians. What does it mean to become a Global Guardian, who are they? “We are a tribe of parents, educators, activists and artists who share a common goal. We want to raise our children to become guardians of our planet, to be inspired and empowered to care for the Earth in a way we adults haven’t. It’s no secret that we’ve created a mess. But we can do something about it today, while our children are young, that will teach them that proper…

Eco-Minimalism + our family.

In this family, we do nature. Our kids adore exploring outside, and my business (Alpine Baby Co.) reflects that. As we started our journey with Minimalism, first going through our belongings, it slowly crept into other aspects of our lives. Slowly but surely we were consuming less, but also finding other ways to respect our Earth + the environment around us. As Ryan and I dove into this whole other branch of minimalism, we started making new changes as a family, I’ll share these with you in the following categories. As always… please know that we are a work in progress &…

Minimalism + Kids | bringing back imaginative play.

So by now many of you have decided that you’d LOVE to live a minimalist lifestyle, but there’s one catch… you have kids. As we began our minimal journey in January of 2016 – I started paying closer attention to what we would consume as a family, and what items sat in corners untouched for weeks. I was always the Mom who wanted my kids to have baby dolls (and EVERYTHING that comes with), dress up clothes, a vast array of art supplies, all my childhood books plus books they picked from store shelves, the cutest rooms on the planet which involved all sorts…

Our Home-In-Progress.

So remember at the very beginning when I said becoming a minimalist + intentional family is a journey?! Well, we are right in the midst of ours. Welcome. I’m no expert, nor have we been practicing this lifestyle for more than a mere 9 months, but we’ve come a LONG ways. Our children have less toys, which equates to less mess for Mum later. I’ve found useless kitchen gadgets, multiples of just about EVERYTHING, and even hidden garbage (torn papers, wrappers, etc) throughout our home. If that isn’t a wake up call that we are over consuming – maybe our…

Intentional + Minimal | a new series.

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of requests from friends about our family’s minimalism or slow living journey, and where to start. There’s a lot of my heart in this topic, so I’ll be starting a new series posting once a week, or every other week about a different “type” of minimalism, and how our family of five relates. To begin our series I’m going to offer up some of my favorite minimal/slow living social accounts to follow, books, and beginning tips. As we continue, please remember that this process looks different for EVERYONE. Some might have a slow living mindset, but a house full of “clutter”.…

A Few Thoughts on Slowing Down.

As many of you know, my little family of five has been incredibly… busy lately. BUSY. I’m honestly starting to despise that word. The excuse and answer for literally e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. these days. Whether its a friend asking how are you, or wanting to make plans – wait friends? Who has time to actually nurture relationships…