• How to Make Mom Friends (Good Ones)

      by SimplyHollyJo on October 7, 2019 , No Comments

      It’s so easy to isolate yourself when you become a mother. Especially in those first months with a newborn. It’s very important for mom’s to find mom friends. I know there’s a little bit of a stereotype with “mom friends.” People think about “mommy wars” and judgy ladies on social media. That’s not the kind of mom friends I’m talking about. I mean real friends.  The only problem…you have to put yourself out there to find them… Here are a few of the ways I have gotten more involved in my community to help me find my motherhood/sisterhood “village.” Find […]

      Motherhood
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    • The Importance of Self-Care for Moms | #MotherhoodMonday

      by SimplyHollyJo on September 23, 2019 , No Comments

      Self-care is so important. I’m serious. Everyone talks about it, but not all of us commit to it. I remember feeling SUPER isolated as a new mother. I was in a new town, a new state, I was an introvert, and I was taking care of a helpless newborn when I was on an emotion rollercoaster and hardly sleeping. Sounds great, huh? The newborn is rough for all sorts of reasons, but every stage of motherhood brings its own ups and downs. We as mothers need to always remember to take care of ourselves as well. It’s not selfish, it’s […]

      Faith, Motherhood
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    • 5 Strengths of Mom Introverts | #MotherhoodMonday

      by SimplyHollyJo on September 16, 2019 , No Comments

      As I’ve said previously, I am an introvert. I am also a mom. I am a part of the mom introverts clan! That can bring all sorts of struggles within motherhood when you are almost constantly surrounded by people who need something from you. With that being said, we can’t forget about the benefits of being an introverted mother.  I mean it’s so easy to look at extroverted mothers and wish for what they have. To get discouraged by seeing how easy things seem to come for them. They are involved in their community, running all over town with their […]

      Motherhood
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    • Struggles of the Introvert Mom | #MotherhoodMonday

      by SimplyHollyJo on September 9, 2019 , No Comments

      Hi, I’m Holly. I am an introvert mom. We all have our own struggles in life, and motherhood, but today I’m going to share some of the top things that I often struggle with as an introvert mother. Lack of Alone Time Introverts, by nature, recharge through alone time. That doesn’t mean we don’t like people, we just need alone time to recharge. As a mom you don’t get very much alone time. I spend my days as a SAHM feeding, playing with, driving, feeding again, and deep breathing with my kids. Any time I have without the kids is […]

      Motherhood
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    • Evenflo Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Wagon Stroller Review

      by SimplyHollyJo on August 13, 2019 , 7 Comments

      I was lucky to be chosen as a WeeSpring Parent Panel member years ago when my first was just born. I have thoroughly enjoyed the few programs that I have been able to participate in, and today I’m happy to share a review on the new Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Wagon Stroller from Evenflo. First thing’s first… Is it a Stroller, or a Wagon? It’s BOTH! For the last year or so I’ve been noticing the “stroller wagons” popping up here and there. I thought they were great inventions. The boys love wagons. I also love that you can use them […]

      Gadgets + Gizmos, Kids, Motherhood, Recommendations + Reviews
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    • Room-Sharing for Toddlers | A Transition Story

      by SimplyHollyJo on June 19, 2019 , No Comments

      Room-Sharing : A Goal Room-sharing. It’s been on our mind for years. It was a goal we always had. I just always felt that it would be nice for the boys to share a room. It would give them bonding time, help with the dreaded scared of the dark/scared of being alone issue, and it would also help when traveling that they would be use to not having their own room. Mom-Fear The problem was that I was scared to pull the trigger. The boys were sleeping well and I didn’t want to change that. I didn’t want to go […]

      Kids, Motherhood
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    • Four Ways to Ditch the Mom Guilt

      by SimplyHollyJo on May 3, 2019 , No Comments

      Mom guilt is real. It is rough and can feel constant. Especially in this day and age. Today I’m going to share some things that greatly help me fight the mom guilt monster. Get around other moms As the saying goes, “It takes a village.” True story. When you surround yourself with other parents, in community, you share stories. You share your lives. When you open up about your experiences you start to realize that a lot of us are all going through the same exact things. Rough days, awesome days, in between days. It opens your eyes to realistic […]

      Motherhood
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    • How to Encourage Your Kids to Go Outside

      by SimplyHollyJo on March 22, 2019 , No Comments

      Are you trying to encourage your kids to go outside more but aren’t really sure where to begin? Well, I am still a work in progress, but let me share a few ways that have helped me… Go Outside This is pretty self explanatory. Go outside. Step out of your home and move forward. Most kids want to be where their parents are, even if they don’t want to admit it. So when you model going outside, or making the outdoors a priority, then your kids will follow. (You can sneak back inside later if you want.) Explore Once you’re outside, […]

      Kids, Motherhood
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    • Valentine’s Day Mini Session | Olathe, Kansas

      by SimplyHollyJo on February 18, 2019 , No Comments

      Happy Valentine’s Day mini session post season! So the last few weeks have been full of snow, suddenly warm weather, more snow, and lots of photography fun! I finally got my studio completely set up, my Valentine’s Day decor just right, and little ones to destroy it. It was a lot of fun. I got some great shots of my boys and I’m thrilled! Wyatt was originally uninterested in actual photos, only my gear. But once the setup was complete he was a photo pro for about 2 minutes…which is all you really need for a kiddo! That’s why they […]

      Kids, Motherhood, Photography
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    • Surviving Hand, Foot, and Mouth | Round Two

      by SimplyHollyJo on December 20, 2018 , No Comments

      I hate hand, foot, and mouth. It really messes up my schedule.  As I discussed in a previous post, the boys came down with hand, foot, and mouth previously. Then about a month and a half later…spots started showing up on Wyatt’s diaper area. Okay, at first I thought it was just diaper rash. Maybe I left his diaper on too long? No biggie.  I sent him off to stay the day with Grandma and Grandpa like usual. He came back the next day and I went to change his diaper again…red and white blisters everywhere.  NOOOO!!!!! I think a […]

      Crunchy Living, Family Wellness, Kids, Motherhood
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    • Surviving Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

      by SimplyHollyJo on December 3, 2018 , No Comments

      I survived hand, foot, and mouth disease, and this is my story. They always tell you that adding kids to any equation means getting sick more often. “They” do not lie. Growing up I had my share of illnesses. Obviously I started out as a kid as well! But as a teen and beyond, I didn’t get sick much. I would get maybe one cold a year, and I got either a stomach bug or food poisoning on the first day of senior year. Fun stuff. In college I started dating Joey when his sister was only 5 months old. A […]

      Babies, Kids, Motherhood
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    • A Solution for Moms and Morning Coffee | Mom Hacks

      by SimplyHollyJo on November 19, 2018 , No Comments

      All moms that like coffee know the “problem” with trying to drink your hot coffee in the mornings. You get distracted, or dragged away, only to find your once warm and comforting coffee cup hours later, cold as an iceberg. Eventually I just dealt with it. Chugging it down whenever I got a spare moment. the main problem with that is that I don’t drink coffee for the caffeine. I don’t feel like caffeine helps me at all, I simply like the taste of black coffee. Quality black coffee. Yum. No matter what I did though, it was almost always […]

      Motherhood
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