While I love playing around with makeup and changing up my look for special occasions, the products I use on a daily basis rarely change. With a busy 17-month-old running around the house while I try to get ready, I hardly have more than 5 minutes to do my makeup and maybe another 5 to do my hair before the day begins. It’s a fast and furious rush to get put together before the babysitter arrives. Any mommas relate? Almost … Read More
Yes, I sell things. You probably do, too.
Hello, my name is Madison and I sell things on the internet. And in person, too, but for the sake of this blog post, we’re going to focus on the business of selling things on the internet through direct sales (also known as MLM or “pyramid schemes” for the most cynical, and uninformed, out there.) For years I said that being involved in direct sales of any type was just not for me. Nope. Never. I didn’t want to leverage … Read More
Thriving in the Chaos of Motherhood
Confession time: I’ve never been someone who functions particularly well in a state of chaos. Raised primarily as an only-child, I’ve always been accustomed to a specific level and amount of quiet in my everyday. An introverted extrovert, I’ve always needed my own space to unwind and adored a quiet, tidy house at the end of the day. And then motherhood happened, and maintaining my sense of balance, order and peace became a whole lot harder. If I’m being honest, … Read More
KEEP Collective // Memory Piece
It seems fitting that the week I shared about finding hope in miscarriage over at Risen Motherhood, I would also share about a piece of jewelry that honors our babies, both living and in heaven. Holly Peterman, a designer with KEEP Collective, reached out a few months ago about working together to create a custom piece of jewelry, and after some thought I knew what I wanted to create. After some back and forth with Holly, who was super helpful mocking … Read More
Denim Shorts for Moms
I know we’re already half way through the summer, but it took me about that long to find good shorts for summertime. Now that I’m a mom, I feel like there is a little bit more of an obligation to dress with a bit more modesty, but I’m not about to hang up my denim cut-offs in favor of Bermuda shorts. I’m sorry, I just can’t. So, I’ve scoured the internet for the best shorts, asked you for recommendations, and … Read More
these are the good old days
There are no words to describe the joy it brings me being Ainsley’s mom. This child of mine? Well, like any other mom on the planet, I think she’s the most amazing, special and delightful kid I’ve ever met. After we got over the craziness of the newborn days, which weren’t my favorite, I found motherhood to be a fairly natural transition. It was hard to give up the freedom and independence I was accustomed to, but it was nothing … Read More
Picky Toddlers + Healthy Foods
I am no expert in feeding toddlers, but every time I post a photo of Ainsley’s lunches using the #EasyBabyEats hashtag on Instagram, I get a lot of questions on how the heck I get her to eat everything that I make. The short answer? I don’t! I never want to deceive you into thinking that Ainsley is the world’s best eater, because for a few months we’ve had some challenges with pickiness/feeding the dogs her food/only wanting to eat … Read More
A Safer Summer
Over the years you’ve probably heard me talk about sun protection and skin cancer prevention from time to time. Growing up with a dad who has survived two bouts with melanoma and numerous other skin cancers, I’ve become a little militant with my use and encouragement of others using sunscreen. I’ll admit that I haven’t always been so good about sun protection, but as I’ve gotten older I shudder at the thought of what I did to my skin when … Read More
We Can’t Have It All (and that’s OK)
I spent a lot of time while pregnant with Ainsley trying to figure out how I was going to “have it all” as a working mom, wife, friend and blogger. I read articles and strategized and figured that those who didn’t have it all were just bad at time management and prioritization. After all, we’re told that we can have it all everywhere we turn, right? But now, 15 months into this mothering gig, I’ve realized that just simply isn’t … Read More
Flying with a Toddler // What’s in My Bag
*Edited to say: Ainsley and I were supposed to fly out to Idaho yesterday. We had a tight connection in Denver (a little under an hour) and our flight was so delayed leaving Sioux Falls that we would have missed the flight all together. We checked into our options to get to Boise if we made it to Denver but missed our connecting flight, and the choices were less than stellar. We would have been stuck in Denver until 7 … Read More
What needs to be said about social media
I posed a shorter version of this on Facebook last week, but I thought it was worth expanding on in a post. You can find the original post here. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about social media. You know, posts about how people are “too perfect” or there is a pressure to feel more put together, to curate and create beautiful content. And on the surface I totally understand. I was having a conversation with someone not … Read More
Slow down, momma!
Like many days before it, one day last week I was rushed. We had been stuck inside for a couple days because of endless rain and cold wind, and I was, admittedly, going a little stir crazy being cooped up inside with a teething toddler who wanted to climb on all the things and a to-do list a mile long. That say, like every other day, I was trying to strike a balance between getting things done and being a … Read More