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About Me

Hello! I'm a stay-at-home mom with a passion for personal finance and healthy living. Join me as a I explore budgetting, eco-friendly brands, gluten-free recipes, capsule wardrobes, and everything in between! Want to learn more about me? Subscribe below and check out the About tab!

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Monday kicks off the #fall10x10 challenge hosted by @leevosburgh and @caroline_joy. I shared my complete F/W wardrobe on Tuesday, and here on the 10 pieces I’ve chosen from that wardrobe to wear exclusively for 10 days/outfits starting October 22nd: 1. dark skinny jeans 2. green wool mini skirt 3. brown tweed mini skirt 4. leather riding boots 5. leopard pointed flats 6. cream fisherman sweater 7. camel cashmere sweater 8. chambray shirt 9. navy gingham shirt 10. grey chandelier sweatshirt I won’t be posting each outfit every day, but, instead, sharing a recap at the end of the challenge. If you’re new to the #10x10challenge, there are a few reasons to give it a try this season. If you have a full closet, but “nothing to wear” it will encourage you to use what you already own to help figure out your style and what you truly want to wear daily. It can also help you decide if a piece you never wear should stay or go; sometimes we just need a little encouragement to wear those forgotten pieces, and including them in your challenge does that. You can also find new outfits you wouldn’t have normally paired together. A style challenge is also a great introduction to capsule wardrobes. You may find yourself doing a lot of closet curating afterwards. I’m looking forward to seeing what my fellow #10x10friends will be wearing next week. Let me know if you’ll be taking part in the challenge so I can follow along!

Emma has been talking about space and being an “astronaut pilot” recently, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity for a family trip to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. But it turned into an impromptu mommy/daughter date when we realized James was not going to behave well enough to go out in public. On the drive to the USSRC, I felt awful that James (and Ryan) had to miss out. But I decided to push those feelings to the side (for now), and I made the most of it with Emma. We had a really wonderful time, and it was great to be able to focus on just one child’s needs for a bit. Later that day, I revisited the events that led up to James not being able to go. What was my role in all this? What did I need to change in my behavior to help my child be more prepared to handle stimulating environments? Do I need to adjust my expectations? Why did I expect two children with different strengths and weaknesses to behave exactly the same? I know I’m not the only parent who has experienced this situation which is why I share this story. I went back and forth for a few days trying to decide if it was worth chronicling publicly. My hope is that if you have similar struggles, you know that it’s okay and there are some questions you can ask yourself to help you when these situations arise again.

As the weather cools down, and I find myself spending more time at home, I’m drawn to the kitchen, digging through old recipes and searching for new ones that will captivate my family. We’re striving to eat more whole, less processed foods again, and that adjustment means a lot of meals that not every one is excited to gobble up. Especially my four year olds. Which means I have to put on my #lesswastewednesday thinking cap and strategize some ways to reduce food waste with young children. Here are a few of our current practices as well as things we hope to incorporate this season: 1. Keep portions small - I will put a tbsp of a dish on a plate for starters before giving them an actual serving. And then I’m still keeping the servings very small. 2. Feed your children foods that you and your partner can/will eat - If there are leftovers, you can eat them yourself. This is probably the most common practice among parents. 3. Keep leftovers to serve at your child’s next meal - I shared a photo of breakfast and lunch leftovers I was serving my children for dinner one night, and I received a lot of positive feedback. 4. Serve family-friendly foods - If you already know your children don’t like bell peppers, just omit them from the recipe or your kids’ plates. 5. Have a real talk about food waste - There is any number of ways you could do this. Start at the level your child will understand and keep it a part of daily conversation. We discuss food waste in relation to money and how we choose to spend it. The kids are learning that our family’s resources are not unlimited, wasting one means we lose out on something else. Is there anything you do to reduce food waste with children? I would love to hear what you do!

I put together my F/W wardrobe a few weeks ago, but now that the #fall10x10 challenge is next week, I wanted to share what I’ve settled on for the season. I’ve added a few new/used pieces, mostly to replace items from last year that were worn out or no longer fit. I’m really excited to be bringing more skirts into my closet. I love the utility of shorts, but it’s tough to find flattering and comfortable styles. And since I’m no longer spending my days on the floor with babies, I feel more drawn to skirts and dresses. Also, my muscular thighs and calves look a lot leaner in skirts than shorts so I usually feel more confident in these styles. So I have 3 new skirts for F/W, and I am loving them so far. I’ve also added two new pairs of pants, bringing my bottoms grand total to 6! I don’t think I’ve had that many bottoms in a cold weather wardrobe since 2014 so I’m interested in seeing which pairs I’m more drawn to. I also have 14 tops, 4 outerwear items, and 5 pairs of shoes. I’m feeling really good about the versatility of my wardrobe, but, unfortunately, I know I’m not “done”. I’ll need to add some tights if I want to continue wearing the skirts all winter. I’ve been in search of a cream silk camisole to pair with my navy boucle cardigan. And my leopard flats hurt my toes after a few hours wear so I’m hoping to replace them with a better fitting pair at some point. I share all this to help support the point that if you look at my wardrobe, and it makes you feel bad about where you’re at with your capsule, know that perfection is not attainable, and we all are just a work in progress. Be happy with your progress and what you’ve achieved, and feel inspired to stay on the path towards a life that is curated for you.

Annual ceremonial lighting of the Leaves candle 🕯🍁🍂🎃

To end Community Helper week at school, the kids dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up. Which when your mom is a minimalist with strong opinions on purchasing stuff, that means “what they want to be when they grow up using items we already own”. When initially asked, Emma said she wanted to be an astronaut (we picked the right hometown for that 🚀✨🌎 ) and James wants to be a ghost 👻 There was no convincing him that’s not a job 😂 But using what we own, James is a builder “who builds cool towers” and Emma is a doctor “like Dad”. The chances that they actually come back home with all these toys are slim, but I’m glad I didn’t cave and run to the store to buy a bunch of stuff just for the occasion. Halloween costumes are another story, and I’m still not sure how we’re doing those this year, but this minimalist journey isn’t about perfection. I’m also trying to implement #WeekendsOffline again so I’ll locking myself out of IG, thanks to the new settings on iPhone, until Monday morning. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

My best impersonation of an fashion influencer 💁🏻‍♀️🎃 Shout out to Sprouts for not chasing me and every other person off the premise when we use your merchandise for a photo shoot. But bigger shout out to my friend Michelle (@theberryvine) who made me take this photo even though I didn’t want to, and now I LOVE it. Three years ago, we had been living in Alabama for almost 6 months, and I still had not made a single friend. I spent 50 hours/week home alone with the kids, and the only people I interacted with were my husband, the apartment complex staff, and the cashiers at Target. I was beyond desperate for adult interaction and connection. And now, I have not only Michelle, a fellow twin mom, Beautycounter fan, Pure Barre client, and minimalism enthusiast, but I have enough local friends that I am struggling to find the time to devote to them all. Three years ago I could not have dreamed I would be in this place having so many amazing people to call my friends and being so happy. The difficult periods we have in life, no matter what they are, they will always be temporary, and they will always make you more appreciative of the good times. If it’s not already here, your good time is coming.

I shared these photos on my Facebook last week, but I feel like they’re definitely worth re-sharing. The 1st photo is the present (4 years, 1 month) and the 2nd is 4 years ago (1 month old!) My life was complete when these sweet babies came into the world, and they still make my heart feel like it’s bursting at the seams. ❤️❤️ #hoopertwins

Between a Stats exam, lots of time spent at the barre studio, my husband having performance reviews (for himself and his employees), and everyone, but Emma (who was sick the previous week) being sick, last week was a doozy. But we’re all feeling much better now, and I’ve started sprinkling in some fall decor around the house! As a minimalist, I walk a fine line with seasonal decor. I love a casual stroll through the Target fall/Halloween section, but I almost never put anything in my cart. Instead, I try to decorate with items I already own or consumables. For instance, on the media center I have a small pumpkin that I will cut, bake, and purée at the end of the season for use in recipes. I found the pinecone outside years ago, baked it in the oven to kill any insects, and scented it with cinnamon and clove essential oils. And the small leather bound books are editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy from my husband’s book collection. For me, these items are enough to signify a change in the seasons. I have a few more relics of fall around my home which I’ll share at a later date. If you’ve already started decorating for fall, what do you use? And if you haven’t, how can you be more intentional with your decorations this season?

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