Exactly one year ago I was just about to finish up a week long IMSE OG training for school, when I took a quick break to search on Zillow to see if any new homes were listed on the market. I had grown so used to feverishly checking for new listings that I noticed Thursdays and Fridays were always going to be your best bet in discovering something new. Keep in mind we had just moved our wedding back a year and we were still very much in the middle of quarantine due to the pandemic. Looking back now, I really don't know what we were thinking. Nevertheless, we carried on.  I though ..read more

  Styling a bar cart or console table is one of my favorite areas in our home to decorate! I love the idea of having so much space to add small subtle details that can make a big impact. This space is different than an end table or coffee table because it won't have as much of a functional use for every day life, which makes it a little easier to incorporate special decorative accents. Since Jeff and I are just beginning to grow into our home, we are careful to leave a little extra space for us to add momentos from our future travels.  In contrary to my classroom, our home is fil ..read more

 Over the years I have loved acquiring and collecting books for every season and holiday. There's something so exciting about learning about different cultures and traditions, and celebrating along with the characters and my students. As educators or caretakers, we know it's so important to build a diverse collection of books and instill a love of celebrating our differences, as well as model acceptance, antirasist actions and working to stop implicit bias. I too have made a promise to do this necessary work in my classroom and as a (one day) future mom! I've rounded up some of my f ..read more

  The family room is the heart of our home so taking the time to make it feel extra cozy during the holiday season is a must! I've always dreamed of having a fireplace after growing up with one so it is very sentimental to me. I've layered in some neutral tones and added some wood to give it some warmth on the stone mantle. The mercury trees and candle sticks give it those holiday vibes without making it feel cluttered or busy. I've been eyeing up some expensive garland but decided to save some money and layered the garland I had with another affordable option (see below). This gave i ..read more

Jeff has had high hopes for creating a smart home for quite some time now and we decided to hold out for some Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials to finally make the leap! I have been enjoying the hunt for the best deals this season and I am happy to share with you what I have found, plus give you a little background on how you can get started at your home! If you shop from these links below, I earn a very small commission that helps support my blog.   Google Nest Hub  | Google Nest Mini | Google Nest Hello Video Doorbell | Google Nest Audio Smart Speaker ..read more

With so many of us staying at home this holiday season, creating a space that is warm and cozy has been at the top of my holiday priority list! I wanted our home to still feel comfortable without feeling cluttered. I've decided to go with natural and "fresh" looking holiday decor, with plenty of different types of greenery to add some texture. I put fresh in quotes because all of my decor is actually faux greenery, but I assure you that nobody can tell because it looks totally real! Plus it has the perks for not needing any attention.  I've shared all of the products that complete my f ..read more

  Our school has been offering students the opportunity to participate in Mad Science workshops. Mad Science is the leader in STEM and science enrichment and has been around for over 35 years. All their programs are created by a team of in-house scientists and then tested by their Kid Advisory Board to ensure the content is both fun and educational. They offer teachers workshops for students during the school day. Workshops cover a wide variety of different topics (depending on location) such as coding, the study of dinosaurs and understanding ecosystems. Some of the experiments kids do ..read more

I have quickly become the muffin WOman these days. It's been nice to sleep in during what would have normally been an hour or so commute for me. Nevertheless, Jeff and I have still been enjoying "a grab and go" breakfast- even when we're only on the go from one room to the next. It's easy enough if we have to hop on a call and creates little mess in the kitchen which seems to be impossible to keep up with these days. I can't even image what it's like for all you mama's out there! I'll admit that sometimes I enjoy a good boxed muffin just as much as the rest of us, but it's fun to get into ..read more

With all this time spent at home becoming our new normal, I've traded the construction paper, scissors and glue for some arts and crafts projects at home! A few years ago I purchased a pin board from Target in hopes of filling it with pictures and mementos, but as is tradition, time passes and projects like this go by the way side. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  A very small commission is earned with each purchase made from a link, which contributes to supporting the blog.  The beauty of a pin board is that really there is no "wrong" way to ..read more

The week leading up to Jeff's proposal had been my first full week back at school. I have tried time and time again to put the puzzle pieces together to try to figure out some of the big signs that I missed but honestly... much of it is a blur! I do remember Jeff had been working crazy long hours each night. He seemed stressed... not just your everyday averaged stressed... but the kind of stressed that made me ask myself, "When have I ever seen Jeff act so funny?" :) Oh right, did I also mention that he not only got locked out of his phone because his facial recognition stopped working and ..read more