FAMILY

Warm hearts, cozy winter accessories + grateful kids

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m self-conscious about entitled children. It’s one of my biggest fears as a parent, so in a world where it’s ME ME ME all of the time, we are working overtime to implement gratitude in all things! Please bless I’m not the only parent banging my head on my palm at times? Read on for 4 areas we are focusing on:

Continue reading “Warm hearts, cozy winter accessories + grateful kids”

FAMILY

Staying connected while disconnecting

I’d say we are pretty laid back parents.
But when it comes to schoolwork – – – work before play! ALWAYSSS.

We’ve partnered with ACER to make those homework moments happen, even while making sure the boys explore this beautiful world.

With all we have on our plate lately, weekends are pretty much my saving grace.
I love disconnecting from the outside world, shutting down + reconnecting
with my best friends.
If I had to guess, I’d say a big reason why people don’t go camping or get out/disconnect often is because of inconvenience.   Or people relying on you back home to keep things afloat? Who knows?
We have found more joy in our little camper trailer this summer than anywhere else.
Honing in on the right products that make getting away a LOT less work, has been a total game changer.

I intentionally seek products that will withstand wear + tear
of our three wild life-filled boys!
Acer Spin3 has surpassed the durability test this summer
+ has allowed Jonah, along with the rest of us, to not fall behind while living on the go.



Jon + I  are both self employed,
so we often need to stay connected back home.
The Spin 3 has become our key to living the best of both worlds.
We can be connected however closely we want to be,
while still being away.
Ya know’msayin?


The wide screen (which flips a 180 will stand on it’s own)
has been perfect for the “learning hands” in our family.
I appreciate it’s durability + have enjoyed watching our boys fall in love with studying.
Ask me again when high school rolls around.

When I found out Jack was a girl,
“OH GREAT, now all the things in our house are ALWAYS going to be broken.”
was pretty much the first initial thought that popped into my mind.
But surprisingly enough, the Spin 3 is the least of my worries.
It’s durability is unmatched.

Funny story: The second week into kindergarten was Jonah’s first week with homework. Neither Jon nor I could figure out what the teacher was asking him to do. I wrote on a sticky note for his sweet teacher to clarify for us – – – but I think it fell out before he got there – – – he brought his packet back home because it was incomplete.

We work hard to limit screen time in our home.
Technology plays a big role in our life.
We’ve tried hard to make big strides in the right direction.
We’ve hit study habits right on the head right out of the gate.
We have fingers crossed learning continues to be a source of positivity.

No play without finishing homework packet! This is samesies all across the board. Whether we are home or in the mountains!
I consider myself a pretty laid back parent,
but when it comes to screen time,
I’m not so bubbly if they don’t keep their world. 😉

3 quick camping tips to make camping easier with kids: 

1. Grocery shop on the way to the canyon: Leave the kids in the car with your husband + take your sweet uninterrupted time 🙂 We like to eat tinfoil pizza pockets, put strawberries on our smores, + roast starburst.  I usually plan for dinner, breakfast + lunch the following day.

2. Pack one bag for alllll of you.
Think in layers!
Right now is an exceptions because the air is getting crisp. I bring more layers + coats + jackets, etc. But the remainder of the year – – -the lighter we pack the better.
The only thing worse than regular laundry is CAMPING laundry. 

3. Load a movie onto your Computer before you lose service:
Reason 29 of 100 why we love Acer! We have been watching movies to fall asleep now that the temps are dropping. It’s too cold to do much else outside of the trailer once the sun goes down. These simple memories are ones that I’ll long for one day, I just know it.

A few of our favorite camping movies:

– Matlida
– The Nightmare Before Christmas
– Sandlot
– The Big Green





If it were up to me, I’d be disconnected every single weekend
from now until the end of time.

Thanks for following along with our camping adventures this summer! If you have any questions about camping with littles or ACER, please feel free to reach out.

FAMILY

3 ways an effortless treasure hunt made me a better mother

Over the weekend we treasure hunted.
It’s been on our #parrishfambucketlist for forever.
But this time it was different.

1. CHECK THE CLOCK AT THE DOOR:
We set aside 2 hours. (obviously didn’t tell them that) + turned off distraction.
Turned off work.
Turned off the life that they don’t really even know exists?
Isn’t that a mind blowing thought?
We let the boys make allll the rules.
Jonah has been putting together letters to make words at school, so believe me when I tell you watching him make the treasure map that WE ACTUALLY FOLLOWED, was absolutely priceless. I cried a few times. Surprised?

2. SOCIAL MEDIA CAN KISS IT: I often think social media is ruining all of us. Damaging many of our relationships. Or maybe I should step back + speak for myself. Where are our intentions? I want to remember everyyy detail of my kids lives, but is that just a lame excuse masked behind “intention” or do I really mean it? Life is often different in my journal, so is this how I realllllly feel when I snap 89 photos of the same scene?! #heartdrop NOTE TO SELF: Actions speak louder than words. Especially to kids.
Moments like these remind me that I gotta shape up. I went to a lunch meeting with with Mel Robbins (author of 5 second rule) a few weeks back  +  when she flat out told us to  STOP TAKING NOTES if we really wanted to start learning – – –  I was like whoaaaa. You’re on to something woman. Our scavenger hunt went undocumented on social media. ON PURPOSE. I didn’t take any phone pictures. I was trying some new settings on my camera because the lighting was unique, but doing it without the intention of posting kept my intentions right where they needed to be. Being fully sincerely present is a rare gift now days. To ourselves. To our loved ones. To anyone we genuinely care about. Would you agree?

Honestly, we didn’t make it far. I think that was the best part. Had I been in charge we wouldn’t have been on the same block for longer than 15 minutes. A genuine reminder to SLOW IT THE CRAP DOWN, GP. Which is the 3rd reason this simple treasure hunt changed my life. I swear to you these boys in my life teach me waaay more than I’ll ever manage to teach them. 

xx

FAMILY

An easy tip to getting in more photos with your kids

Or your spouse. The same rules apply across the board. Whatever the setting. 

We had a few extra minutes before meeting Jon after work a couple nights ago.
We went for a drink run for a pick me up after some angry man who was upset I didn’t turn left quick enough for his liking, wanted me to know I drive like a grandma.
Read about it: HERE! 

Continue reading “An easy tip to getting in more photos with your kids”

FAMILY

My Podcast Interview with Chrissy Powers

Chrissy Powers, a long time internet friend of mine, launched a new podcast: Sure, Babe.
I’m honored to be her first guest + mostly stoked she didn’t stop the interview cold turkey
when I slayed the world record for how many “like”+ “ummm” + “ya know what I mean’s” quoted in less than a minute. #covereyeemoji


| dress |

In fact, I contemplated even sharing it because I’m sincerely embarrassed. Continue reading “My Podcast Interview with Chrissy Powers”

Baby

Spoonfuls of Love + a GIVEAWAY

Jack + I are finally finding our footing now that the big brothers are in school.
Isn’t it so weird that once they start, they’ll be in school pretty much the rest of the time they are under our roof? I already miss the days of the sky is the limit, but am so proud of the boys. THEY LOVE SCHOOL! And we look forward to hearing about their adventures the minute they get home.  Continue reading “Spoonfuls of Love + a GIVEAWAY”

FAMILY

Promptly Journals

I’m absolutely elated to release our collaboration with Promptly Journals!
We’ve been working together on these designs all summer + seeing them come to life has been a truly humbling experience.
This project lives deep, near the softest parts of my heart  + I really hope your family enjoys them as much as ours does!  Continue reading “Promptly Journals”

FAMILY

CHANGE OF PLANS

Wellp. . . all my late nights finally caught up to me.
Smack dab in the middle of our family Halloween Party this weekend.
#everypartyneedsapooper

I spent the morning finding white sweats for our stick figure family costume.
Jon came up with the idea + I was stoked to run with it.
But my heart pretty much ate itself
when we stopped at Zurchers quick, before we met Jon after work .


To keep it short, the kids were NOT into our family costume idea.
Like, at allll.
But Halloween is for the kids right?
#facepalm
I cried for a hot second, ditched the original plans
+ let them pick out whatever the crap they wanted to be for the party!

Rigg : Batman | Jack : Robin  | Jonah : Charizard

We lost the costume contest by a mile, but I still came home feeling good about life.
MINUS the fact that I crashed before Jack.

When you see our family dressed as a stick family one day,
promise to judge us as parents, k? 😉

Do you lean towards family themed costumes?
xx

FAMILY

FALL IS HERE!

If you’re wanting to visit Utah, come in the fall.
The colorful leaves are INCREDIBLE,
the coziness is at an all time high,
you can smell pumpkin a mile outside of the mall,
AND we aren’t living in a snow globe juuust yet. Well. I take that back – – – some days we are.
But you’ll be sweating by noon, so don’t layer up too hard.
IE: we met our designer up at the lot tonight
+ it took me the rest of the evening to unthaw? Like I’m still cold.

The Church we love + belong to, has a General Conference twice a year
+ this last weekend was one of them.
We listened to it on KSL while we finished up a big paint project
that I AM CHOMPING AT THE BITS to share about.
It’s been a long time coming.


Gaahhh feels like so many surprises just around the corner.
Are you annoyed yet?
HA!
Please don’t give up on me just yet.

Clearly I’m up to my ears in work projects but I’m also elated with gratitude.
Juan is the best partner in crime I could ever ask for.  EV.VERRR.
I MEAN IT, TOO. He’s the coolest human I know in real life.


Digging caps this season! HERE + HERE : a couple favorites.

This is the most random mumbo jumbo post,
but we’ve been busy + I felt like letting you in (or cliff hanging)
on a few things we’ve been up to.
Chat more soon!xx, G

Travel

6 things to do in Clearwater Beach, Florida


I’ve been to Florida a few times in my life, but never to Clearwater Beach. I REALLY hope this won’t be my last time, that’s for sure! THE BEACH WAS PERFECT, guys. Like insane. Right across the street from our hotel. I thought it’d be fun to put together a guide as far as what we did while we were there — now that I’ve gone through the 3,000 photos we snapped! Continue reading “6 things to do in Clearwater Beach, Florida”

FAMILY

Something Scary, Something New

How about that time last Friday I couldn’t wait for Jon to get home to show him Jack’s new Llama costume + he couldn’t wait to get home to show Rigg his new 4 wheeler!!
He surprised all of us.
I would have blown the cover for sure, so it’s best he didn’t tell ANY of us. HA!
We weren’t planning on going camping, but we couldn’t help it.
The mountains were calling. NATURALLY.

Continue reading “Something Scary, Something New”