Get Outside

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 ... is t

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣

... is the thief of Joy. You know how the saying goes. And yet in the first year, I feel like everything is being compared. Is Heidi walking yet? Saying words? How many words did the girls say at this age? Her hair looks darker than the girls... I just want to yell STOP to all of it! I know it’s all innocent, but really why does it matter? I mean the girls are only three and these milestones are already so insignificant.

I feel even more pressure in some respects for Heidi to “compare well” on some milestones (I do not project that onto her. I am completely comfortable with her meeting her milestones in her own time) because she’s had Montessori parenting from the start, while the girls didn’t the first year. And there are a couple of myths caught up in what Montessori is that feed the comparison trap.

First, there’s the side which sees Montessori as an overachiever parenting style. I get it. Instagram is filled with beautifully arranged “shelfies” and clips of toddlers doing things that seem well beyond their years. And so we’ve gotten this false impression that Montessori is a parenting technique that yields “advanced” children. And it gives this false pressure to push our kids to be able to perform these advanced tasks like we see. But that is not what Montessori is at all, especially in the early pre-school years. Montessori is respecting and empowering our children to discover and develop at their own pace.

On the other side, there are people who see a lifestyle without all the contraptions and flashy toys and think the child is missing out on the latest and greatest for child development. A longer time frame to reach milestones seems to support their idea that the little one is missing out on something that would help them reach that milestone. But I promise kids had been learning to walk and talk on their own for ages

So I guess my point of all this is to shed some more light on what Montessori parenting is and to also assure you that you and your kid have got this mama!

Also Heidi took her 1st 👣 this weekend of her own accord, and we are so proud of her (swipe right in case you missed it)!!

𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 As I was working aro

𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜

As I was working around the house this weekend trying to catch up on all the things, I noticed that my plants 🌱 were wilting. I'll admit, I do not have a green thumb, and I very often forget to take care of them. Who's with me? They were looking very sad. I rushed to get a cup of water and water them 💦. And I can happily report they are revived; you wouldn't even know they were in a drought just a few days ago.

It was the perfect analogy to how I was feeling this weekend. After a big work week everything was wilting; my kids, the house, myself...

It's tough in those moments; when all your kids want to do is have you read them a story, and you literally cannot step away and oblige. But even in those moments, I knew we would be okay. A heart to heart with B&B revealed that even when mommy is too busy at work to even stop and read them a story, they still prefer me at home than at the office. And I knew that a little bit of wilting would be okay. Sometimes you just have to put your head down and get through the day or week or month or season.

I spent the weekend watering my life. We read stories, we colored our hair, we painted pumpkins, we folded 8 tons of laundry...

So mama if you feel like you are wilting, know that you are seen! Wilting and revival are a normal ebb and flow of life. Just put your head down and get through what you have to. I'll be doing it again this week too, but 🤞 taking next week off to just pour into my girls and myself.

#raisingwildflowers #girlsquad #girlmama #girlgang #mamahood #mamamusings #mamaanddaughters #honestlymothering #motherhoodmindset #motherhoodinspiration #motherhoodrising #joyfulmotherhood #motherhoodencouragement #momlife #mamablogger #motherofdaughters #motherhoodiskingdomwork #motherhoodthroughinstagram #motherhoodthroughmylens #encouragingwords #motherssupportingmothers #workingmoms #wahmlife #knoxvillemoms

Our #wildchild Heidi is putting Pampers #Cruisers3

Our #wildchild Heidi is putting Pampers #Cruisers360 FIT diapers to the test! #PampersPartner

These diapers are the only ones with an all-around stretchy waistband for a 360° gap-free fit that stretches, flexes and stays put through all of her crazy acrobatic moves. Check out her dance moves as part of the #360StretchChallenge with @pampersus and see how they hold up so well to all her wiggles.

Tag someone you know with a #wildchild and take the #360StretchChallenge to test it out for yourselves.

Also, if you are into Montessori Stand-up Diapering, these diapers are amazing for that because they are so easy to pull on and off while your baby is standing! 🙌 But they also very easily tear away if you've got a messy one to change.

#modernmom #momwins #raisingawildchild #wigglebutt #wigglewiggle #montessoribaby #montessorimom #montessoriinspired #mamalifestyle

Our @lilyjadeco bag looking stylish on daddy too 😍
Double tap for men carrying diaper bags 🙌

#FatherofDaughters #GirlDad #GirlDadLife #DadLife #DaddysGirls #RaisingWildflowers #SuperDad #TwinDad #TwinDadLife #JustLikeDad #DadBod #MrFixIt #HandyMan #realmencarrydiaperbags #FatherhoodRocks #FatherhoodMatters #FatherhoodUnplugged #FatherhoodRising #FatherhoodGoals

🍍 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒔

🍍 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒔 🍍
Double tap if you wish you were in Hawaii right now. Dreaming of our time in Hawaii for today's #tbttravel post.
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#raisingwildflowers #wildflowerspresets #raisingawildflower #travelstories
#travelthrowback #travelwithkids #islandvibes #hawaiilife #hawaiiinstagram #hawaiisbestphotos #hawaii🌺 #waikikibeach #travelkids #familytravel #littleadventurer #wandermore #exploremore #littleexplorers #beachvibes #familytravelblog #familytravelblogger #mamaneedsavacation

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘

First off, TGIF! I am so excited to have made it to the weekend. I know I've been saying I want to spend the weekend relaxing, but the truth is we're a sucker for outdoor adventures, so we'll probably be off somewhere exploring.

This is a tiny waterfall on a short hike about an hour from us. I took the girls here a few weekends back just to let them splash and play in the water. In true B&B fashion they wanted to wear their "marrying dresses" (you won't often see them not in a dress/skirt even on a hike), and I said why not? Just that little touch made the trip so much more magical for them.

I loved watching their pretend play as they were mermaids at their Grotto. Imaginative play is definitely one aspect of childhood where I lean outside of Montessori and embrace more of a Waldorf approach. I think there is so much power in the creativity and self-direction of this kind of fantastical play. And I am all about instilling beauty and wonder into my girls' childhood.

Wishing you a little bit of magic this weekend and challenging you what's one small way you could add a little magic into your kiddos weekend?✨

Here's a few ideas:
- Picnic in a park
- Find a creek or some puddles and let them jump in fully clothed
- Add some flowers to the dinner table
- Pancakes for breakfast
- Stop the ice cream truck or go to your favorite place for some ice cream cones
- Pillow fight before bed
- Snuggle up and read a chapter from your favorite childhood novel
- Have a ballroom dance in your living room
- Paint their toenails
- Put your phone away for the weekend

Have more good ideas? Let me know below! ⬇️

#raisingwildflowers #girlsquad #girlmama #girlgang #flowerchild #childhoodunplugged #beautyofchildhood #magicofchildhood #1000hoursoutside #raisingawildflower #raisingawildchild #letthembewild #slowchildhood #lifeoutside #lifeoutdoors #rootedchildhood #hikergirls #childreninnature #littleadventurer #imaginativeplay #waldorfkids #waldorfinspired #wildimagination #creekplay #knoxvillemoms #knoxvillelife

𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒂, 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒚

Boy do I wish she could! But I am super excited about this new laundry detergent we've been using called Earth Breeze. I'd made the switch to other toxin-free, eco-friendly products around the house, but hadn't found a laundry detergent solution short of making my own, which I just haven't had time to do. So I am super happy to have found @myearthbreeze, which offers toxin-free and eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets delivered monthly to your door for only 20¢ a load. The whole sheet dissolves in the wash to clean your clothes and doesn't have any bleaches or dyes or other harmful chemicals. I love the fresh scent. It smells so good! And the package itself is biodegradable and recyclable so no plastic cluttering our landfills.
Good for us and the earth 🙌🌎

You can get their product here: https://earthbreeze.com/shopnow

#raisingwildflowers #modernmama
#toxinfreeliving
#toxinfreemama #greenliving #greenmama #earthfriendly #ecofriendlyproducts #toxinfreehome #greenhome #betterforyou #betterfortheplanet #momletterboards #letterboardquotes #letterboards #letterboardmom #mamalife #mamalifestyle #lifewithlittles #earthbreeze #montessorimom #montesssoriathome #montessoritoddler #mindfulparenting

𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍

𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍

The hills are alive with the sound of music! 🎶
Just a weekend trip to Austria…. I mean Max Patch, NC.

With big travel plans put on hold, many families are turning to staycations and exploring locally to fill their vacation calendars. After a big 2019, our plans for 2020 have always been to lay low. Thankful we live in the foothills of the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains and have lots to explore. But if there is one thing I learned last year on our road trip, it’s that there is beauty and wonder everywhere you look. Yes, every state has its gems! So, I challenge to get out and explore locally this summer.

Tell me what is your favorite local gem?

#raisingwildflowers #knoxvillemoms #exploremore #explorelocal #littleadventurer #littleexplorers #getoutdoorsmore #hikeitbaby #hikergirls #hikerbabes #hikingwithlittles #knoxvillelife #865life #ashevilletrails
#exploreasheville #hikingfashion #1000hoursoutside #wildflowerspresets #raisingawildflower #girlsquad #girlmama #girlgang #flowerchild #childhoodunplugged #getoutsideandplay #beautyofchildhood #twinsplusone #twinmamalife #lifewithlittles

Throwback Thursday Can you guess this famous natur

Throwback Thursday
Can you guess this famous natural landmark in Oregon? ⬇️

Driving down the Oregon coast and hanging out at random beaches (and waking up on a beach) was one of our favorite parts of the road trip. It was also a one of the more surreal feeling parts of my road trip.

I decided the night we were in Portland to drive down the coast instead of taking the interstate to get to San Francisco. I had a couple of days of wiggle room built into my schedule (my only real deadline was to get to New Mexico in time for the hot air balloon festival) and wasn't having much luck with finding places to boondock along I5. So I turned west on a whim and ended up on a three (long) days drive down the coast.

There's something really strange to me to be out in the world far from home doing something completely out of the ordinary. Can anyone relate? I remember the first time Brad and I went to Europe, I just kept having this feeling like we were playing hooky from life. Are we really allowed to be doing this? I definitely had this feeling at different parts of the road trip, and it was really strong as a I drove down the Oregon Coast with no real plan (usually I could rely on my timetable to keep the feeling at bay) and spotty cell service.

As eery as the feeling is, the older I get, its something I am drawn to. Not necessarily the feeling, but the realization that there are infinite possibilities for our existence and we're the only ones standing in the way of choosing between ordinary and extraordinary. Of course there's tons of things to balance (finances, marriage, kids, etc.), but really if Brad and I wanted to live on the Oregon Coast, we could make a way for this to be our reality.

Are you where you want to be? What's keeping you?

"I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question." - Harun Yahya

#raisingwildflowers #50stateroadtrip #50stateschallenge #usatravel #visittheusa #familytravel #roadtripswithkids #littleadventurer #travelingwithtoddlers #vanfamilies #roadtripusa #all50states #havekidswilltravel #tbttravel #travelthrowback #exploremore

A Dozen Easy Ways to Get Outside with Little Kids

Get Outside · April 22, 2020

A Dozen Easy Ways to Get Outside with Little Kids