Intentional and holistic rhythms, routines + systems to support your children, your home and yourself.

start here »

Free Printables

Weekly Rhythm Free Printable Cards

"Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday,Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest ...

Seasonal Mealtime Planning

The theme last week on my Instagram page was “Nourishing Little Minds and Bodies” and as a part ...

Seasonal Mealtime Blessings

Over the years we have sung and said many blessings at our table. Saying or singing a blessing ...

Instagram

View

Open

View

Open

Why write out a family manifesto or values statement?

Because this is the foundation you can draw from whenever faced with a decision you need to make with the family.

The thing is, making the right choice doesn’t always feel easy, especially when you are trying to meet the needs of varying schedules, children’s ages and the demands of work & home life.

Comparing the pros and cons of any choice in light of how they align (or not) with your values bring a lot of clarity and presents an opportunity for creative decision making.

The example in the image above is just one. I realize sometimes there are much, much harder decisions to make.

I realize not everything is in our control but writing things down and drawing from a foundation everyone agrees on is empowering and grounding.

Do you have a family practice similar to this? How does it serve you best?

View

Open

1, 2, 3.

A Family Manifesto can also be called Our Values and Vision Statement, a Family Culture, Our Family Values or just be a series of statements with the title In This Family We…

The very first step not included in this image is to choose a specific time and date you will start creating this document with your parenting partner and/or children if they’re old enough to contribute.

Put it in the calendar and add something fun to experience like listening to music, enjoying a treat and a glass of wine or cup of tea!

View

Open

View

Open

This week we’ll be dipping our toes into creating a family manifesto and why it is you might want one in the first place.

The deeper part of this work, along with printables, prompts and resources to support you can be found in my Autumn in the Home course (link in bio). Enrolment closes soon so if this content resonates and you want to take real action steps towards a more conscious, intentional home life- make sure you join now before it’s too late.

🍂 🍁

View

Open

Missed posting yesterday because I was so focused on getting our little ones to bed earlier.

Bedtime is directly related to dinner time and so this week has been less about rushing through the bedtime routine and more about getting dinner on the table by 5:15.

No matter what time dinner is, above are some tips and ideas for you to revisit and reconnect with at the dinner table.

View

Open

Many of you have been asking for a sample bedtime verse.

This is a favourite in our home. 💫

View

Open

Simple bedtime routine for children ages 2-10ish.

💫 Which step or transition from one step to another is the hardest? Which is the easiest?

View

Open

This week we’re covering bedtime routines but before we do that I thought I’d get into the deeper WHY.

Why do we want to ensure a strong bedtime rhythm and consistent bedtime for our children?

Because sleep is one of the most important contributors to growth, brain development, mental health and overall wellness and children need a lot more sleep than adults. 😴

Your children likely need to rise at the same time each day in order for them to get to school or childcare or so that you can get to work or just because you like maintaining a steady home routine and rhythm.

⏰ Take this weekday wake up time and work backwards the numbers of hours they need for sleep minimum - this is the latest time that they should be awake on a regular basis (*see below about naps).

If your child is active, has long days outside of the home, is unwell, going through a growth spurt or just generally seems to need more rest to feel good, then it’s best to schedule their bedtime based on the upper limits of sleep needs. I have one child in particular who has always needed the maximum amounts of sleep.

According to this chart all of my children ages 6, 8, 11 and 13 are getting enough sleep right now, but when they start school in a week and we have earlier wake up times, their bedtimes will need to adjust to match this change.

Do your children generally get enough sleep? Where does the challenge lie for you? I’ll try to connect in stories through the week to help out with any tips and ideas.

*the table includes time spent napping so you will need to adjust night time sleeps according to how much sleep your baby or toddler gets napping each day.

Reference: https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/healthy-sleep-habits%3famp=true

View

Open

As the school year nears and the days grow shorter many parents (including myself) are trying to pull back bedtime to match the earlier mornings many of us will be experiencing.

This week I’ll be sharing ideas and tips on simplifying the last step of the day: the bedtime routine.

Drop your questions in the comments! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

View

Open

Do you use cookbooks for lunches? 👍👎

I hope this week has given you lots of food for thought 😉 and some lunchbox inspiration.

Happy weekending!

View

Open

View

Open

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼Share some of your favourites below and save this post for future reference!

#schoollunches #lunchbox #hotunch #kidslunchbox #kidslunchideas #nourishingfood #nourishingfoodforkids

View

Open

View

Open

Take a piece of paper 📄
Write down your child’s top 10-20 favourite hot meals and their ingredients 🥙
Stock up on ingredients at the end of the week or early Saturday 🥕
Prep lunch ingredients on the weekend - veggie sticks, dips, soups, cooked grains, grilled meats 🔪
Repeat 🔁

View

Open

This week will be all about packing school lunches

- simple planning tips
- how to properly pack a lunch thermos so food stays hot
- hot lunch ideas
- favourite lunch idea cookbooks

🍁 🍱 🥗 💼🍴

View

Open

View

Open

This year we are packing 4 lunchboxes a day!! 😱

I have been packing lunches for a decade now and have tried a number of containers. We were encouraged to pack waste-free lunches when my eldest started pre-school and we have generally stuck to it with an occasional exception. For the most part packing zero-waste also saves money as prepackaged things like babybel cheese are much more expensive than cutting up your own chunks of cheese.

Here are my top five lunchbox recommendations:

@lunchbots sectioned containers are easy to clean and versatile. I use their quarter sectioned box the most for children’s morning snacks and their half sectioned box for two sandwich halves

@planetbox although we don’t use the canteen style tray system as often anymore (it just doesn’t seem to hold enough food and it all needs to be the same temperature) I LOVE their small round containers- the ones for dip and the flat circular ones for cut up veggies, muffins & breadrolls. These are totally leak proof, easy to clean and don’t wear and tear like other containers can

@thermosbrand has hands down the best thermos collection there is. I have tried other insulated containers and the food does not stay as warm as it does in our @thermosbrand 10 ounce food jars. I have 2 for each child so that in the dead of Winter they can have a warm snack (eg. porridge w/ maple syrup) AND a hot lunch (eg. chicken noodle soup)

@kleankanteen stainless steel water bottles are durable, easy to clean and have spouts that make spills less likely. I like that the mouth is wide so it’s easier to clean and I like that they come in two sizes. Sometimes if I feel my children aren’t drinking enough I’ll pack a smaller second one filled with some kind of green or red juice powder to entice them to drink more

@soyounginc kids lunchboxes are really well insulated, easy to wipe out for daily use and fit flat and compactly into backpacks. They also come with adorable designs that children love

Share some of your favourite lunchbox items & gear below

If I could add one more it would be beeswax wrap 🐝 for bread & snacks. I’ll be dedicating an entire week to WHAT we pack in lunches soon!

View

Open

View

Open

Intentional and holistic rhythms, routines + systems to support your children, your home and yourself.

Free Printables

Weekly Rhythm Free Printable Cards

Seasonal Mealtime Planning

Seasonal Mealtime Blessings

Instagram

Quick Links

Journal