Playing in the Leaves | Fall Tradition

by SimplyHollyJo on November 18, 2019 , No Comments

Can I call it a Fall tradition if it’s only happened for two years? Is that a tradition yet? I plan for it to be one. The boys LOVE playing in the leaves. My oldest talks about it all year with joy and excitement. He continually asks when the leaves will be falling again and how long until we can rack them up and throw them around. He dives head first into piles. My youngest was very excited this year as well. So much so that he had a meltdown when we actually picked the leaves up. He soon calmed […]

Gift Ideas for Toddlers | Wish List Ideas

by SimplyHollyJo on November 14, 2019 , No Comments

It’s November. Some people are already decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even here. So I thought I would share some gift ideas for toddlers. Are people asking you for Christmas ideas for your family yet? I started getting the requests in October. So I knew I needed to get my lists in order. I personally use Amazon Wish Lists for my entire family. It helps me keep everything in one lace since I can add things from website all over the internet, and then just let family members join to see the list. Some times I still end up […]

City Center Library Family Session | Lenexa, Kansas

by SimplyHollyJo on November 11, 2019 , No Comments

I may have nerded out a bit when I was asked to do this session in the new City Center Library. I was SO excited. Libraries are so fun to me, and it was something I had never done before. New adventures and jumping out of my comfort zone, can be really fun! I was not disappointed. Stacks on Stacks Gone are the days of the old, giant stacks. At least here. I love those things. The ones that move when you crank them are some of my favorite. You don’t get quite the same feel with the shorter stacks, […]

Fall Family Session | Mill Creek Streamway Park

by SimplyHollyJo on November 4, 2019 , No Comments

I love family sessions. And this one at Mill Creek Streamway Park in Shawnee was gorgeous. First of all we had a little one celebrating his first year! He was feeling under the weather but still rocked it with some fun help from Mommy. He’s a busy cruiser according to his Mama, but since he wasn’t at 100%, he was more interested in sitting and relaxing. I’m glad I grabbed the car to give him something to enjoy! We captured his shots first to make sure he was in the best mood possible. Then we got some fun images of […]

This is How I Do Laundry | My Laundry Hacks

by SimplyHollyJo on October 28, 2019 , No Comments

Laundry. Never ending laundry. I deeply relate to this: I recently starting listening to the Coffee + Crumbs podcast and they do a “How we do _____” and they did one on laundry. It got me thinking about how I do laundry, and I almost wanted to be able to respond to them while they spoke. Am I the only one that does that while listening to podcasts? Anyway, I decided to share some of my personal “hacks” and tips for laundry. This isn’t a “perfect” method by any means, and it won’t work for everyone, but it’s what works […]

Wedding Day Tips and Traditions

by SimplyHollyJo on October 22, 2019

Today I’m going to share with you a short list of wedding day tips and traditions. Please feel free to let me know if I missed anything, but I hope these help your day run a little more smooth, and a lot less stressful. The Dollar/Money Dance The dollar/money dance is a dance where wedding guests pay money – any amount they want – to have a dance with the bride or the groom. The best man and maid of honor are traditionally in charge of gathering the money. The DJ plays as many songs as needed depending on the […]

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 […]

Planning Your Wedding Day Photography Timeline

by SimplyHollyJo on September 30, 2019 , No Comments

Getting it all done: At the end of your wedding day, one of the few things you have to remember your big day are the photos taken. It’s the photographer’s job to capture the events, people, and feeling of the day. Photographers know that they are being depended upon to capture all of those great moments, and to do my job to the best of my ability, I need some help from the bride and groom. Below are some tips on how to help your photography experience run more smoothly and make your wedding day just a bit less stressful. […]

Finding a Rainbow | #WordlessWednesday

by SimplyHollyJo on September 25, 2019 , 8 Comments

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 […]

Our Square-foot Garden | #WordlessWednesday

by SimplyHollyJo on September 18, 2019 , 5 Comments

Do you garden?

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 […]