Today we’re bringing you 7 tips for enjoying summer with the kids home - whether you’re a working or at-home parent during these months of freedom, and yes, some chaos. We’re all about setting our intentions for the season ahead so as to fully embrace the extra time we get with our little ones - and set flexible frameworks for everyone to enjoy. We chat about what to do about summer meals, snacks and slowing down! 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

We’re back with part two of organizing with kids in mind: talking household routines, systems and schedules that keep us from drowning. We discuss how and when to purge without making your family hate you, plus how to get out of the endless cycle of accumulate/purge. We also talk about setting up routines that keep the home from getting out of hand, and how to get kids involved with chores and feeling like a part of how the house functions. 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Organizing with kids in the home is a whole new ballgame - and the family’s needs change frequently through ages and stages. Today we tackle some of the common sticking points for young families: toys and laundry. We discuss how we are handling these in our own homes, as well as guiding principles for everyone. Finding solutions that work for our families begins with discovering what kind of maintainers we want to be, and what level of cleanliness or organización we desire. Let’s get started! 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Everyone needs some tools for remaining the adult in tense parenting situations. Jessica and Michelle go back and forth about the different stages of childhood and how to handle big emotions from someone going through it, and someone looking in from the outside. 

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@prettyoverperfect

Join us for a fun episode discussing all the latest: Barbiecore, Unexpected Red, Dumb Homes Paper Planners, Girl Dinner, Maximalism and more! We discuss these trends and whether we think they’re a bop or a flop. 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

We all need more fun in our lives: fun creates bonds and lowers stress. It can be easy to put on the back burner, but the truth is that fun deserves to be prioritized in our lives. So we’re strategizing for incorporating more fun, and giving out some free (or nearly free) ways to have more fun with your spring break! 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Have you ever heard of the Pennebaker Method? It’s a protocol of using expressive writing to move through traumatic or stressful situations in order to find more peace and hope in their aftermath. It’s completely free and available at anytime to anyone, which is one of the reasons we recommend it - no matter what you’re going through it could help! People who use the method widely report feeling much better in body and mind after the practice. Here we discuss it in detail and share our personal experiences using it to work through our own real life hang ups.

If you need to remember the protocol for your own use remember the Es: write for at least 15 minutes, on 4 separate days about the Event, your Emotions (at the time and now) and the Effects on your life.

Though it can be an intense process to write expressively about something painful in our past, we also discuss the science of why it works to face these things head on. When we  bring the situation out of our subconscious through language, we can handle it with our whole mind, which helps our systems regulate and our spirits find peace.

This episode is based on information from the Huberman Lab Podcast: A Science-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve Mental and Physical Health 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

When you are grieving the loss of a loved one, a dream, a job or a home, your brain enters an anticipatory state seeking resolution. This process requires neurological rewiring and is painful and chaotic. But, when we understand what grief is, we are also better able to move through it effectively, finding peace and hope.

As humans we are united in our fragility, and all of us either have or will experience grief in our lives. Knowing a little bit about what grief is in our brains and bodies can prepare us for our own experiences, and help us love others well in theirs.

This episode is largely based on information from the Huberman Lab: The Science and Process of Healing from Grief. 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Reframing is a powerful tool that allows us to expand our perspective and grow from our instinctual response to stimuli in order to create actions, thoughts and habits more in keeping with who we truly want to be. Our automatic response to a situation or season may not serve us or our futures very well, so we discuss 6 scenarios we are currently practicing reframing in our own lives. We talk about expansive gratitude, romanticizing our season of life, and  being generous with our love. We also answer questions like, "What to do with guilt,” and wonder what it would look like if we lived our daily routines as if we had begged to be here. 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

It is increasingly easy in our culture to neglect our need and desire for rest - a break from all our striving to simply be in the moment, whether to enjoy what we are doing, process events and emotions or build relationships. But what the heck even is rest? Why is it so difficult for us to allow ourselves to rest? On this episode, Jessica and Michelle discuss all this, plus ways we can prioritize and sanctify rest, giving our minds and bodies the relief we need and crave. Plus, practical ways we are incorporating intentional rest into our lives this year.

The book, "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker was mentioned, as well as this podcast episode featuring Jennifer Dukes Lee on Holy Hygge.  Michelle loves this episode of the BEMA podcast about the story behind the story of Creation and the command to rest. 

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect