For Christmas, June received the America’s Test Kitchen Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs from one set of grandparents. Inspired by the gift, she and I decided to bake something each week in the new year. For her, I hoped it would be a fun way to spend time together – and maybe gain some skills in the kitchen :) For me, I hoped it would be a way to set joy before us (per my 2021 goal) by slowing down; intentionally spending time in a hands-on, delightful way; and just enjoying each other. While we haven’t quite hit every week, we have hit most, and the practice has certainly brought joy to our family’s life.
To start, let me say that this cookbook is an ABSOLUTE SLAM DUNK. 95% of what we’ve made so far has not only been delicious, but literally the best version of whatever it is we made. (As in, the recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies turned out the best chocolate crinkle cookies I’ve ever tasted!) I suppose this shouldn’t be a surprise, since America’s Test Kitchen has built a brand on perfecting recipes, but it’s still delightful to know that a kids’ baking book can be fun and engaging without scrimping on quality!
June is 5 and just starting to read, so baking from this book is very much a joint activity right now. Even still, I try to step back as much as possible in every way I can and let her lead. Things she has learned to do: identify measuring cups and spoons, scoop and level dry ingredients, pour and measure liquid ingredients, crack eggs, set the oven to the correct temperature, open the oven door and slide in baking trays, stir ingredients by hand, work the stand mixer, scoop muffins and drop cookies, knead dough, and shape pretzels, among other things.
Of course, she does all of these things imperfectly (except measure baking soda – she’s quite an expert at that!). Everything takes longer. EVERYTHING is messy. Egg shells get in the batter. Flour gets on the counter and on the floor. Ingredients get spilled and wasted. Friends, the physical mess is HARD for me. Like, exposing-my-weaknesses-as-a-parent-ouch hard. In that way, it’s been a humbling but worthwhile exercise in growing in patience – because she is watching to see how I react when she spills something. Do I show frustration? Do I speak sharply?
Depending on my mood and how the day is going, those often feel like my natural reactions. But I try VERY hard (and usually succeed!) to instead say, “That’s okay! Let’s try again” or “That’s okay! Let’s clean it up together.” This does not necessarily come naturally to me, but it is absolutely worth the effort. (Cheesy but true: the times she’s looked up from stirring to say, “I love baking with you, Mama” make any wiped-up spill worth it.)
I’m also not the only one gaining skills. June sees I trust her and believe in her (even with something as simple as measuring an ingredient!) and that I view her as a capable partner, and that has built her confidence inside the kitchen and out.
All in all, baking has been such a joy for us this year! My mama heart hopes our time together is making memories that she’ll remember with happiness, and that we’ll add to for years to come.
To finish, a few of the favorite recipes we’ve made from the cookbook: — Simple Cream Scones (the very first recipe we made – SO good!) — Cinnamon Rolls (I normally don’t love a decadent cinnamon roll, but these were yummy!) — Soft Pretzels (very fun to shape and they turned out delicious!) — Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (SO GOOD – John’s favorite thing we’ve made this year!) — Chewy Brownies (I’d never made brownies from scratch – delicious! Though honestly, Betty Crocker’s are delicious, too :)) — Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting (gah SO GOOD) — Cake Pops (one of June’s favorite projects!)
We’ve also made Half-Baked Harvest’s Chocolate Banana Bread several times, and have plans to make Elisabeth & Butter’s Strawberry Cake this weekend with our most recent haul of berries!
Friends, I’d love to hear: if you have children, what’s an activity you love to do together? Or, what’s an activity you remember doing with your mom or dad growing up? If you have any questions about baking with a five-year-old, I’ll answer those, too :)
Happy early Mother’s Day to all of you friends who are celebrating this weekend, in any capacity! For those of you who are a mom yourself, know that I have full confidence that you are doing the very best job you can. Part of the reason I can say that is because I have a hunch that you love to learn (I think that’s something that unites all of us here!). And if, each day, you’re learning and applying something that moves you a small step in the right direction, you’re doing a great job.
This is something John and I have taken to heart from the very beginning. In one of my earliest parenting posts, I shared advice from friends that has stuck with us over the last five years. Remember, they said, you will know more tomorrow than you know today. And you know more today than you knew yesterday. Like us, they didn’t have too much “baby experience” before the birth of their son, and they marveled to us how much more they knew at the end of the first week of his life – like, light years different. That was so encouraging for me to hear, and I’ve found it to be true over and over, even beyond the baby years.
Some of my favorite people to learn from about parenting are our in-real-life friends, and of course I’m always learning from and inspired by our own parents. And books. I love parenting books! But over the years I’ve collected a few other sources of parenting wisdom, ideas, inspiration, and expertise that are closer to real-time companions, in my ears or at my fingertips when I need a mid-day boost or encouragement to keep fighting the good fight of parenthood. I thought I’d share that list of parenting resources with you today! In no particular order…
Favorite parenting podcasts
Walk in love podcast | This is most definitely not a strictly parenting podcast, but T.J. and Brooke share often about the intentional ways they’re building their family culture. Our philosophies and goals feel similar, and our kids are around the same age (maybe 6 and 3 for them?), so it feels like we’re in the trenches together. Their episode about their Sabbath and weekly rhythm is a good place to start, and I always enjoy T.J.’s twice-yearly reports from the intentional dad mastermind he’s a part of (most recently here and here).
Raising Boys and Girls podcast | Of all the resources listed here, this podcast undoubtedly qualifies as the most “expert.” Hosts Sissy Goff and David Thomas are both authors and long-time practicing family counselors at DayStar Counseling in Tennessee. What a treasure trove of wisdom and experience they are! Each season of the podcast is a bit different, from interviews to walking through stages of development, but overall, their goal is to “help you care for the kids in your life with a little more understanding, a little more practical help and a whole lot of hope.” I really enjoy this one.
Merrick’s Art | Merrick is Janssen’s sister! She has three boys ranging from about 6 to 11, and though similar in parenting ethos to her sister, it’s fun to see how she applies it for a family of boys. The topic of Merrick’s blog (fashion) is of slightly less interest overall to me than Janssen’s, but I find many of her parenting posts helpful, like life skills she’s teaching her boys, their one-hour mom dates, a family economy, and tips for raising boys.
Risen Motherhood | Risen Motherhood “exists to encourage, equip, and challenge moms to apply the gospel to their everyday lives.” In the midst of the more fluffy things I read, it’s a solid reminder of what matters most in my role as parent, sometimes in more philosophical and sometimes in very practical ways.
NieNie Dialogues | I love reading about all of the intentional ways Stephanie and her husband build their family culture, live out their faith, share their faith with their children, and make much of celebrations big and small. The Nielsons have five kids ranging from about 8 to 18 and as with many of these resources, I love getting a peek ahead to what life might look like in a few years. I’ve particularly been inspired by their back-to-school dinners, complete with family theme for the year.
Favorite parenting Instagram accounts
Shay Cochrane | Shay is a commercial photographer and business owner who I’ve had the pleasure of working with in several capacities over the years. She is another total kindred spirit, including our shared love for intentional parenting, healthy and joyful marriage, and financial freedom. With two daughters about ages 9 and 11, she might be my absolute favorite person to follow on IG for the thought-provoking and practical parenting tidbits she shares, like talking about sex, thoughts on experiences over things, what it means to build a home, and strategies for navigating a crisis.
Alice Park | Alice is another photographer and business owner, and though I think our parenting styles might differ slightly more than some others on this list (she’s a little more Enneagram Type 3 than me, ha!), I love the nuggets she shares, like balancing mothering and working, raising resilient diverse children, and creating a home where your kids know they’re valued. She has a daughter who’s about 7 and a son who’s about 10.
Simply on Purpose | Ralphie is another mom to four girls, ranging from about 8 to 16, and she is a font of wisdom and practical tips for positive parenting. Out of all of these resources, I feel like she’s truly the coach in my ear, daily reminding me to look for the good, create momentum, be a safe space, and simply enjoy the gift of having kids in our home. She is REALLY good at breaking down explanations and providing examples, so if these topics are new to you, I think you’ll find her account really helpful!
There you have it! There are other moms and parenting platforms that I love and am inspired by, but these are the ones that consistently help me learn: the ones that teach me new ways of doing things and approaching situations, give me new ideas to try, and have me taking notes and screenshots.
I would love to hear: do we share any favorite parenting resources? Or do you have another to recommend? I’d love for y’all to continue my list in the comments!
File this under classic third child situation: baby girl will not have a dedicated nursery.
BUT – we still have some special plans up our sleeves, and since where our newest addition will sleep has been one of our most commonly asked questions, I thought we could chat about our plans today!
In our home, the master bedroom is downstairs, and we are grateful to have three bedrooms upstairs. June is in one, Shep is in another, and the third is our guest room. The guest room was the very first room we painted in this house (Benjamin Moore Healing Aloe – the prettiest soft green, which I still love!), and after we hung a pair of magnolia art prints on the wall, we dubbed it the Magnolia Room. It’s perfect for welcoming our mostly northern guests to our Southern home! Here is what it looks like today:
Since we live far from loved ones and my sister and her family visit for weekend trips often, it’s important to us to keep a queen bed upstairs. Because of this, this room will largely stay intact, but we will be making a few adjustments to accommodate baby girl! (On that note, I am very glad that baby is, indeed, a girl and not a boy, because the existing decor definitely skews feminine! We could have made it work if we were welcoming a boy, but it’s a much lighter lift this way, ha!)
Here’s a look at the plan, and then a few more details:
First, of course, we’ll add a crib. We’ll use Shep’s same white Jenny Lind crib, even though he’s currently occupying it. We figure we have at least until the end of the year without overlap (if we need it!), since our babies usually sleep in the bassinet in our room for the first few months. Once we move the crib into her room, we’ll add this beautiful magnolia crib sheet (with this floral design as a back-up) and eventually this muslin quilt.
We’ll also switch out the curtains. While I love the current curtains, they’re not black-out and don’t even exactly cover the entire window when closed. (Oops – one of my earliest commissioned projects :)) I’m planning to find a seamstress to make black-out roman shades with the gorgeous Poppy fabric by Lulie Wallace, which I think will tie together lots of the colors in the room and be a fun, feminine touch for baby girl.
Finally, we’ll hopefully switch out the dresser. There is currently a dresser in the room, which was a free hand-me-down from one of our cottages in Maine. It is lovely, but smells AGGRESSIVELY like mothballs. We have tried various things to air it out over the years, but none have made much difference and we don’t have much hope of further progress. We’re currently storing a few things in there that don’t really absorb smells or we don’t care if they do, but ideally we would like some storage for baby girl things. So, we may opt to replace this dresser with another one – maybe this one. If I could get an exact dupe of the dresser in June’s room, I would in a second – I still think it is the most gorgeous honey wood color!! Alas, it was a one-of-a-kind flea market find.
We’ll also likely take the opportunity to switch out the lamps for a matching pair, add some happy yellow artwork over the bed, and frame a few family photos for the dresser!
For those who are curious, we figure the room in this configuration should be just fine for at least the first 2-3 years of baby girl’s life. Our kids don’t keep too many toys in their room until they start quiet time, so it shouldn’t be an issue to preserve the guest room feel. After that, we might consider having two of the kids share a room, or shifting the guest room to be more custom for baby girl (but still keep a queen bed). Or, we might be in a new house entirely! We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it :)
Sharing these posts is always good motivation to nail down the details – now I just need to execute! T-10 weeks to go…
What is a household or parenting task other people hate, but you actually really enjoy?
For me, it’s organizing my children’s wardrobes. No, I don’t mean shopping for them or picking out outfits (though I do enjoy those things, too!) – I mean the nitty-gritty of making sure they have the right amount of clothes that fit and are seasonally appropriate, at the right time, in the right place (and managing the steady size drip of too big –> just right –> too small). Throw in hand-me-downs and donation piles and rips and stains and what to keep for posterity and kid clothing management can get overwhelming quickly (especially when you have multiple ages and genders to wrangle!), but I’ve found a simple system that has made this process a breeze and, yes, actually enjoyable. Since many of us are in the process of switching over our kids’ wardrobes from fall/winter to spring/summer, I thought we could chat about it today!
Here’s what my process looks like:
— We are lucky to get 80% or more of our kids’ clothing from my older sister, who has a girl a few years older than June and a boy a few years older than Shep. (Thank you, Jesus!) Whenever she delivers a fresh load, I go through it immediately and return to her anything that’s not our style or that we don’t need. Clothes that are too big go in a designated spot. This could be a bin in the closet or a box in the attic – for us, it’s the drawers in June’s dresser (one for each kid). Gifts that are too big or for a future season go here, too.
— Clothes that fit and are in season are stored in John’s and my bedside tables – more about that here.
— Whenever a piece of clothing is too small, too worn out, falls out of favor, or no longer fits the season, it goes in a big bin under June’s bed. It doesn’t matter where it came from, who it belongs to, or what will happen to it next – it just gets tossed in the bin. This eliminates SO MUCH decision making on a daily/weekly basis!
— Once in the spring and once in the fall, I pull out the under-bed bin, dump everything on the floor, and sort through it. (I usually time it to coincide with my favorite consignment sale!) I make several piles:
1. Favorite items that will be saved for our future kids or nieces/nephews. This pile is generous – we have plenty of room for storage and I promised my younger sister I would hang on to all the good stuff until she’s ready! This is not just a few pieces for posterity. These get stored in big labeled bins in the attic, sorted by size and gender. 2. Items to return to my older sister. This is generally pieces we didn’t end up wearing much – she consigns whatever I send back her way! 3. Items in good shape we no longer want or need. These get set aside to tag for the consignment sale. 4. Items that will fit next season (for example, June wore many of the same dresses this winter that she did last winter). These go back in the dresser in June’s room. 5. Items to donate or give away. This pile is usually small, since I try to consign most things, but sometimes includes items that are out of style or too annoying to tag (socks, etc.). 6. Items to toss. Things with holes or stains.
And that’s it! Clothes for the new season get moved from upstairs to downstairs, the piles are dispatched, and we’re good to go for the next few months! It’s super simple, but that under-the-bed bin is a true game-changer and makes upkeep so simple.
Now, of course, I’d love to hear: what is a household or parenting task other people hate, but you actually really enjoy? If you have any questions about kids’ clothing management, I’m happy to answer those, too :)
