Live Simple

3 reasons you should travel with young children

3 reasons to take your kids to see the real (non-Disney) world.

I am frequently told that it’s a waste of time to travel with kids because “they won’t remember it anyways”. Parents who are more experienced than myself usually advise me to wait until our kids are older–maybe 10, 11, or 12 years? I smile and nod politely—but the truth is I disagree. We recently returned …

A Case Against Childproofing

American mother Debra Ollivier gave birth to her first child in Paris. When her baby reached the age of mobility, she shares, “I baby-proofed our apartment with rubber edge liners, covers on electrical sockets, latches on windows, locks on drawers and toilet seat guards… my French neighbor Genevieve took one look at our place and …

Birth Story + How Breastmilk Saved My Baby

My Not-So-Simple Birth Story + How Breastmilk Saved my Baby

When you are pushing out a baby, breathing is important. When I woke up on the morning of my due date with the worst cold I have ever had, I was scared. I couldn’t breathe.  The thought of making it through another unmedicated labor and delivery in this condition was terrifying. It was the early Spring …

What to pack in your hospital bag

What to pack in your hospital bag

As an aspiring minimalist, I like to pack light. But I also make sure that I am well prepared. When I decided what to pack in my hospital bag for labor and delivery, I was equipped with some excellent advice from fellow moms. I found this advice to be invaluable. Today, as I finish packing for baby …

simple birth plan

A Simple Birth Plan + Why Every Mom Needs One

Every expectant mother needs a simple birth plan. Even if the plan is just to “have a healthy baby”. Here’s why. Let me take you down Metaphor Lane. I went to the hair salon recently. I told my stylist that I wanted bangs. A super cute photo of another brunette with bangs inspired me and I …

Getting Started with Backyard Chickens + Our Upcycled Chicken Coop

I am not going to lie, I think chickens are kind of gross. But after touring some outdoor classrooms in elementary schools, I was hooked on the idea of buying backyard chickens to create “unplugged, hands on” education in our own backyard. As with most of my ideas, the conversation with my husband, Mr. B., went something like …