Staying Healthy While Traveling | Biokult

by SimplyHollyJo on August 21, 2022 , No Comments

Living in a different state than family and friends means more traveling through the year, and trying to stay healthy while traveling. It’s always difficult on our bodies when we get out of our routine and home normals. We do not eat the best on travel days, and we don’t always eat the best while away from home either. There’s a lot more eating out with family, ordering in due to hectic visiting schedules and outings, and more sweets as well due to holidays and family celebrations that our travel is often scheduled around. This change often leaves us susceptible […]

What Loving Yourself Looks Like | Motherhood Journey

by SimplyHollyJo on February 18, 2022 , No Comments

Motherhood allows for some interesting opportunities, quite often. This month, I was driving with my kids. I don’t remember exactly how it came up, but we were talking about who we love. We were possibly making up songs about loving people, because we are a family that turns anything into a song. I said something about loving a few people. My oldest repeated me, and said that I loved myself. I had t said that the first time around, but I did when I continued my list. He then asked me how do you love yourself. I instantly had a […]

Adding a Third Baby to the Mix

by SimplyHollyJo on December 17, 2021 , No Comments

I’m currently three months deep in the baby phase with our third baby. It’s a stressful and exciting phase that has me thinking back to my previous baby phases. I almost feel like a first time mom with the amount of information I feel like I’ve forgotten. Not to mention how much temperaments change from baby to baby. First Time Mom Life With my first baby, I lounged around at home, watching Call the Midwife (SO much crying), and attempting various tasks around the house when I could get a moment of baby free time, unless I could somehow do […]

Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto | A Review

by SimplyHollyJo on October 27, 2021 , No Comments

We recently tried out a local pizza joint. Moving to a new area means finding new sources for yummy food. The pizza is tasty, and giant as well, but when actually went into the restaurant, we found little a giant menu of deliciousness. They not only have yummy pizza, but pasta, salads, calamari, and garlic knots. When I saw the creamy chicken al pesto, I knew I needed to try it. My husband is not a fan of pesto, so I hardly, if ever, get to eat it at home. So I ordered it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even my husband […]

Monster Pop Big-Time Butter Popcorn | A Review

by SimplyHollyJo on August 12, 2021 , No Comments

I was recently chosen to test out a batch of Monster Pop popcorn snacks in butter flavor. To say that the boys and I enjoyed the opportunity would definitely be an understatement. My youngest LOVES popcorn. My oldest loves to watch popcorn pop in our favored Stir Crazy popcorn maker. They were both excited to see a box full of popcorn show up. Even my oldest tried it and said it was pretty good for popcorn. He’s simply not a popcorn kid. More for me and the youngest! I will say that I was a bit bummed by how the […]

Pact Dream On Me Kids Pajamas | A Review

by SimplyHollyJo on June 4, 2021 , No Comments

I have been eyeing Pact clothing for years. I simply never pulled the trigger. When I saw the Dream on Me Kids pajamas on MomsMeet, I was thrilled! I’m always looking for good pajamas for my kiddos. I am one of those moms who isn’t really a big fan of character, well, anything, and I prefer my kids pajamas to be more on the simple side. Not only are these kids pajamas, just that, but they were also good quality, and created by a quality company. A Few Things About Pact Pact is an apparel company full of beautiful options […]

Finding the Light at Home | Illuminate

by SimplyHollyJo on May 21, 2021 , No Comments

We recently moved to a new house, in a new state. It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of months, and I’m still working on “finding” the house. I need to get everything put away to start feeling “normal” again, and to help our family function better. What better project for me right now, as a photographer and mother, than to use this time wondering around the house putting things away, to find the light at home. I’m not afraid of showing the chaos in my own home, but while actually moving in, I find that chaos extremely stressful at […]

The Messes of Motherhood | Shifting Priorities

by SimplyHollyJo on March 19, 2021 , 1 Comment

A Day of Messes I just sidestepped a duplo block. I’ll deal with that later. The messes abound today. There is a full train track in the corner of the room with de-railed trains all around. A tub of legos sits on the table with lego pieces scattered on the floor. I remind myself not to step between the couch and the coffee table.  There’s a pasta sensory bin in the middle of the kitchen table. Trucks, cars, scoops, and randomly added toys strewn about both inside and outside of the bin. It’s somewhat contained, right? It’s good child entertainment. […]

A Song Full of Memory | Playlist of Life

by SimplyHollyJo on March 2, 2021 , No Comments

One of the recent blog hops from Exhale, a writing group that I’m in, was called “Playlist.” You were meant to take a song that evoked a memory, and share that memory in writing. At this time I thought it was an amazing prompt, but absolutely nothing came to mind for me. It doesn’t help that I don’t get nearly as much time as I use to to listen to my own music anymore. My kids are either anti-music, or only want kids music, depending on the day. I tucked the prompt away though, because again, I knew it was […]

Self-Love in Letting Go of Perfection

by SimplyHollyJo on February 19, 2021 , 2 Comments

Lately, I haven’t written much. Honestly, I’ve wanted to, but I haven’t been feeling inspired. I tend to go through phases of having so much inspiration and things to say, and then I go through times where I simply feel silent. I’ve learned that being okay with these ups and downs is a personal form of self-love. Am I’m growing to be okay with that.  It is so easy to get tied up in the “Do’s and Don’ts” of life, to feel the pressure of doing things the “right” way. But honestly, we are all human, and we all fall […]

Cinnamon Roll Recipe Grain-free, Low Carb | Boiron Acidil

by SimplyHollyJo on December 29, 2020 , No Comments

I recently went down a delicious path of “perfecting” a cinnamon roll recipe. My mother has celiacs, my sister and her husband are low-carb, and I have been anti-gluten and most grains for some years now. I was tested for celiacs, and it came back negative, but I have alway noticed how negatively my body reacts to grains and sugar, so I try to avoid them for most of the year. Mainly, I’ve noticed how they send me into a depressive state. That never means good things for my over-all health. So I decided to perfect a recipe that my […]

Remember to Savor the Everyday Moments

by SimplyHollyJo on November 20, 2020 , No Comments

There’s a lot to be stressed, worried, and frustrated about this year. But there’s also a lot of wonderful things happening as well. Some of them are on smaller levels, and not as often spoken about, but important, nonetheless. So the topic of “savor” is perfectly fitting for this season.  Finding Inspiration When I first started reflecting on this word, a lot of things came to mind. Thanksgiving is coming up soon, so there’s people, food, and celebration, and honestly, there’s a lot of love and happiness around me in general. But what really stuck to me in the end, […]