At this point, Elon Musk’s mission to Mars couldn’t come any faster. We’ve all been cooped up with nowhere to go and running out of ideas to keep everyone entertained. We’ve baked bread, planted vegetables, and made chalk obstacle courses—that I still am unable to get out of my kids’ clothes and our new sofa cushions, FYI. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not super enthusiastic about going
Read MoreThe Full-Body Stretch We All Need Right Now
Moving my body is something that’s really important to me, and I love to switch it up: running, yoga, classes, hikes. So exercising during quarantine has definitely been challenging. With nowhere to go, I’ve relied heavily on full-body stretch workouts from my friend and trainer Michelle Kuhnreich to fit in whenever and wherever (like the bathroom floor while I supervise the kids). It really doesn’t matter where I workout. Sometimes I just
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5.20 What’s On My Nightstand
We’re still adjusting to the new normal over here—will life with coronavirus ever feel normal?—and it’s very evident by what’s on my nightstand. The six items I’ve been obsessing over lately focus on my mental and physical well being. (And one is courtesy of my kiddo.) Every day we are all just trying to keep it together. What about you? How are you feeling these days? Are you still quarantining
Read More10 Postpartum Essentials
Since we just celebrated Mother’s Day, I want to highlight the importance of taking care of new moms and some postpartum essentials that can help ease the transition into motherhood. Sometimes, it feels like we worry so much about the baby that we forget about the person who just went through a grueling delivery. Giving birth is a life-changing event that should be openly discussed. It’s one of the most
Read MoreCelebrating Mother’s Day From Afar
She is about 5’ on a good day. Her blonde hair kisses the nape of her neck and her green eyes shine so bright. She makes everyone feel a ray of sunshine with her infectious smile (sometimes with pink lipstick on her teeth). I grew up on her Marion Cunningham waffles. I would watch her make the recipe in the evening and wake to the smell of the batter wafting
Read MoreHow to Start Your Own Garden
Four years ago, I was a girl on a quest to create a garden I could eat from. It started with a chicken coop, then we added three garden beds. Fast forward to today, and we now have eight garden beds, a vertical garden from Lettuce Grow, and too many (are there ever too many?) potted plants, including lemon trees, a peach tree, and blackberry bushes. Our garden keeps growing
Read MoreMother’s Day Gift Guide
Being on lockdown with my family for the past two months has made me appreciate all that women do even more. Sure, dads are wonderful and tons of fun, but moms–moms are different. Moms are the magic makers, the organizers, the worriers, the appointment keepers, the ones who get stuff done (even during a global pandemic). So, I wanted to put together a Mother’s Day gift guide to thank all
Read MoreWhat We’ve Been Cooking in Quarantine
We’ve always cooked a lot in the Padalecki household, but man—I’ve never cooked so much (or done so many dishes!) in my entire life as I have these last two months. And I know I’m not alone. With restaurants closed and takeout much harder to get these days, I’m pretty sure everyone is spending a lot more time in the kitchen cooking in quarantine. To battle the food boredom and
Read MoreParenting Through a Pandemic
When I first started this blog, I wrote about how I wished we’d all stop the mom shaming. (And yes, for some reason it’s always mom shaming, not dad shaming!) So I was thrilled when I heard that Lindsay Powers, who was editor in chief of Yahoo Parenting when they created the #NoShameParenting movement, wrote a book. Called You Can’t F*ck Up Your Kids, the book is a research-based, judgment-free
Read MoreFour Simple Ways to Use Less Plastic
Happy Earth Day! Being stuck at home has been a huge reminder for me of everything nature gives us. Even when there’s a global pandemic and I’m feeling anxious and scared, getting outside makes me feel better. Sunshine, feet in the soil, fresh air—I love it all. And since we’ve had extra free time with our thoughts lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to make the
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