When James and I were first trying to conceive, I was a bundle of nerves, crying at every turn, especially when getting pregnant didn’t go how I had (meticulously) planned it. We stopped using contraception and proceeded to “try” for the next year. When about 14 months had passed and I still wasn’t pregnant at … Continue reading IVF – The Second Time Around
Please note: this post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Happy Optimizing! Louise’s interest in books went from one to sixty in an instant. Until recently, she had a single book that she insisted … Continue reading Books My 18-Month-Old Loves Right Now
With an 18-month-old running around, it is harder than ever to finish all the housework to keep our happy home humming. After a few months now of being a stay-at-home mom, I think I finally figured one of the secrets—accepting that there’s always another chore that could be done and choosing to prioritize the list … Continue reading How to Finish the Housework With a Toddler
Everyone has their own risk tolerance, just like everyone has their own preferences on how to raise their children or how to prioritize spending within a budget. With COVID-19 cases continuing to increase as we approach the holidays, my family and I are planning ahead to try to have the best of both worlds. We … Continue reading Quarantining for Christmas
If someone had asked me at the start of the year what we were going to be doing for the holidays this year, I would have said: “We’re finally going to take Louise on the long trip to see James’ family in the Midwest for Thanksgiving, and we’ll be in Georgia with my family for … Continue reading Thanksgiving for Three
Our first trip with the baby was not the complete disaster we expected it to be. It was less than optimal, but I was proud of us for finally hitting the road as a new family with a child. We learned several important lessons about how to road trip more efficiently and more comfortably for … Continue reading Our Second Road Trip with Baby (Now a Toddler)
We freeze almost everything! Our kitchen refrigerator has a large freezer section, and we also use a stand up deep freezer in our garage. Taking time regularly to prep for our freezer and keep it organized has made weekly menu planning and daily meal cooking a breeze. Bulk buys that make sense As I talked … Continue reading Using Our Freezer Efficiently Saves Money & Time
My family and I are very fortunate. My husband and I are both college-educated and had the opportunity to start our professional, corporate careers during the post-Great-Recession economic boom. We each spent nearly a decade climbing that ladder before finding out we were expecting our first child. For a number of reasons, I was already … Continue reading I Became a Stay-at-Home Mom During COVID-19 Quarantine
With a great pantry (and linen closet and laundry room), grocery shopping any given week is usually a pretty straightforward task -- produce, dairy, some meat, a few freezer goods, a few dry goods. James and I purchase most of our household needs in bulk on a less frequent basis, roughly every four to six … Continue reading Grocery Shopping Staples for a Well-Stocked Home
I admit it. Our first road trip with Louise was not optimal. But we really learned a lot that should help us travel more easily down the road (ba dum bump). We had Louise mid-2019, and decided that we were staying home the following holiday season to keep our life as simple as possible. So, … Continue reading Our First Road Trip with Baby
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