The Blog

For the past year, I have set my alarm for 4am, worked out at 5am and would return home by 6am to begin the morning school routine for seven children. Although I found success in the fitness portion of that schedule, the physical strain along with class cancellation fees when I couldn’t make it, left me mentally worn out. In an attempt to maintain my health and fitness goals while making this process more convenient and more available to my entire family, I created a stylish fitness space in one bay of our garage.

One of the most common areas that people struggle with is bookcase or shelf styling. There are often many surfaces of different sizes so naturally, deciding what to put on those can be difficult. In an attempt to assist with this common problem, I have put together a few steps and essential pieces for styling your bookcases, built-ins and shelves.

Although my teenage daughter and I are on top of our skincare routine and take a proactive approach to preserving our skin, the men in our family are lacking behind significantly in this area of their life. In an attempt to assist my husband and teenage son with their skin needs, our family tried the Every Man Jack line for a week and have selected our favorite scents and products for the men in your life!

Less than 24 hours after all four of our cars were broken into in the driveway of our affluent and guarded neighborhood, I woke up to the headlines, “Three Arrested After Two County, High Speed Pursuit Ends in Nashville.” What we had originally brushed off as a teenage prank become much more serious after I received a call from our neighborhood security guard. This was not a teenage prank but a serious crime spree organized by armed criminals.

With seven children, ages two to sixteen, this room was designed to be a place where the older children could watch movies with friends while also serving as a cheerful place where the young ones could create and explore. I wanted this room to grow with my family yet I wanted it to be a stylish space. I didn’t want a room filled with primary colored tubs that resembled a preschool…I wanted a whimsical space that I could relax in despite that mess and chaos that occurs.