I’m a runner by nature. When I was a kid, I ran away from home and got lost in my backyard. I hid in the flowering mustard plants that covered the hill until I finally got hungry and ventured home. When I was 24 and my parents got divorced, I didn’t want to face the reality of a split family and all that would entail, so I rented an apartment
Read More7.20 What’s On My Nightstand: Camping Edition
After three-and-a-half months of quarantining, I wanted to take advantage of the open road and try to find a new horizon for our family. While it seems like an odd time to consider a summer vacation, I find that I do my best thinking when I can get outdoors and into nature. I knew the change of scenery would do us (well, me) good. Traveling by road with three children
Read MoreWhat It’s Like to be a Doctor on the COVID Frontline
I’m eternally grateful to all the brave doctors, nurses, and frontline workers who are facing COVID-19 head-on every day. One of them is my husband’s cousin Jeremy Padalecki, who is an ER physician. He works in freestanding emergency rooms throughout Texas, including in Corpus Christi, Austin, Round Rock, and Bryan. Personally, watching Jeremy graduate from medical school and witnessing him become the doctor he is today, I can attest to
Read More6.20 What’s On My Nightstand
Y’all (as we say in Texas), this has been quite the month! COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be easing up—cases in Texas are on a very fast rise—and we are all taking a hard look at ourselves and the racial bias in this country. It’s a heavy time, but I hope in a few years we can look back on Summer 2020 and be proud that we forged ahead with a
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
Read More5.20 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 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 MoreApril Quarantine Playlist
We are coming up on a month of sheltering in place at home, and—I’m not going to lie—things are tough. My brain is pulled in eight different directions all day long, and few things make me feel like myself. Along with nature (virtual and in real life), music has been providing some solace. Since we’re all in this together, I wanted to share my April quarantine playlist. (Fingers crossed there
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