Our Easter Photos | Pandemic Procrastination

by SimplyHollyJo on April 27, 2020 , No Comments

Happy belated Easter! I actually took these Easter photos ON Easter Sunday. Motivation finally hit the Saturday before to set it up, and the flow of our Easter Sunday, combined with the rainy day, allowed for me to get some shots of the boys for the big day! I was so excited to get a shoot done. Especially since I LOVED our Easter photos last year! My oldest was pretty game for photos and I was super thankful for that. My youngest, as usual, was not so interested. Thankfully I still ended up with a great assortment of awesome shots. […]

Capturing Life During a Pandemic | Go Where the Light Is

by SimplyHollyJo on April 24, 2020 , 7 Comments

As a photographer, I have actually been leaning a bit on my photography to help with the stress and “new normal” caused by everything currently going on. I have been trying to pick up my “big girl” camera more often and capture life in and around our house. Simple moments that create snapshots of our lives. As I was compiling them, I realized they kind of fall into different categories or strategies, so I’m going to share some short tips on capturing life during a pandemic. Quiet/Independent Play When your kids are quietly playing or interacting, try to get it […]

Our Favorite Yard Toys (So Far) | Toys for the Outdoors

by SimplyHollyJo on March 30, 2020 , No Comments

I love being outside and getting my kids outside as well. I am a big fan of yard toys as well. Mainly because I enjoy games and exploration, and yard toys can help pass the time in fun ways. Some days we are more about playing in the dirt and what nature gives us, and other days we are all about games, water play, and activities. So today I’m going to share some of our favorite yard toys! Yard Games Jacobs Ladder Such a fun tossing game that can be used by people young and old. My kids love practicing […]

A Hope for Spring, A New Struggle | #AllThingsNew

by SimplyHollyJo on March 27, 2020 , 1 Comment

March is almost over and Spring is officially here. I had so much hope for Spring. Back in July/August of last year, I fell into one of my usual “funks,” and it somehow carried over into Winter. I have been dreaming about sun on my skin and grass under my feet. Of digging in the dirt, and playing in the water. But life doesn’t always go as planned. After a Winter of household sickness, and then trying to get myself out of the house more after our recovery, I had really started depending on the idea of Spring and Summer […]

Emerging Love Languages and Getting Out of the Way

by SimplyHollyJo on February 21, 2020 , No Comments

I first learned about Gary Chapman’s Love Languages while in collage. I quickly read through the book and thoroughly enjoyed everything that he laid out before me. Sitting on the driveway of the parents of my then boyfriend, now husband, the four of us discussed the 5 primary love languages and guessed at each others top two. It was a fun and lighthearted conversation. We have carried those tools into our marriage and have reflected back on them time and time again. Now that we have two little boys, I have thought a lot about the love languages and how […]

Loving Yourself as a Mom | Love After Babies

by SimplyHollyJo on February 18, 2020 , No Comments

Loving yourself as a mom. So much to unpack there. Right now I want to talk about how having kids has changed how I view myself, how I talk to myself, and simply how I love myself. We are our own worst critics. We are the ones that we talk to the most day to day, and we often don’t say very nice things. This is something I’ve been aware of, of course, but the significance of it has only heightened since becoming a mom. I am so much more aware of how I talk to myself, in my head […]

5 Ways to Boost Immunity in Children

by SimplyHollyJo on January 27, 2020 , No Comments

Winter is here. Immune systems are taking a beating, and growing as well. I’ve written before about natural ways that I like to fight through colds, but today I’m going to talk about some ways that my family and I (toddlers included), try to boost immunity to reduce sickness in the first place. As a mom who loves home remedies, treating illness naturally, and avoiding antibiotics if I can help it, I do a lot of research and “experimenting” with new things. Does this mean I hate antibiotics? Definitely not! They are an amazing tool that helps so many, but […]

Clay Pot Christmas Crafts | Christmas Crafts with Kids

by SimplyHollyJo on January 6, 2020 , No Comments

This last Christmas was the year for clay pot Christmas crafts. It all started when I saw a screenshot on Facebook of a clay pot Christmas tree ornament as a kids craft. I thought that would be fun and easy to do with the boys, so I got to work. My mother-in-law kindly picked me up a couple of different sized clay pots while out and about. I had planned to pick them up one day, but the store I went to didn’t have any. I then decided that I needed pots with holes in the bottom so I purchased […]

Kids Christmas Photos | Taking Photos of Your Kids

by SimplyHollyJo on December 23, 2019 , No Comments

It’s ALMOST Christmas Day! Every year I have big dreams about my kids Christmas photos. I have SO many ideas and then the big day sneaks up on me and the moment has passed. Or my kids are in MAJOR photographer’s child mode and refuse photos. I never know what I’m going to get. So I’ve learned to relax more and just go with what I can get. This year my oldest was game. Mainly he wanted to open up everything in the studio setup, so I went with it. Not what I was planning, but it worked! Part of […]

Gift Ideas for Toddlers and Preschoolers | Wish List Ideas

by SimplyHollyJo on December 9, 2019 , No Comments

December is already almost half over! Christmas is only weeks away. Are you ready? I’m not sure I am. It’s such a crazy season. If you’re looking for some ideas for gift ideas for toddlers and preschoolers, here are some of our house favorites, as well as items on our own wish list! This post is a round up of individual posts that I have created, so click on the images below to take you to whichever post you would like. Each list then includes links to the items at Amazon or Ikea, but many are also available at places […]

16 Gifts for Winter Toddler Energy | Wish List Ideas

by SimplyHollyJo on December 5, 2019 , No Comments

The colder months often mean less time outdoors. Even in families like ours where we just try to dress for the weather and play anyway (hello many benefits of being outdoors, even in the cold or when sick!), it’s nice to have things to do with all that child energy. So here is a no-so-extensive list of 16 gifts for Winter toddler energy . 1. Mini Trampoline Jumping is a great way to expend energy. There are so man ways to jump, and it’s great exercise for bodies big and small. I actually had an adult one with a handle […]

Big Ticket Gift Ideas for Kids | Wish List Ideas

by SimplyHollyJo on November 27, 2019 , No Comments

Sometimes my husband and I like to get one big gift for the boys, sometimes a family member wants to go big on a gift, and sometimes I just like to dream about fun things to have. Here is a short list of some Big Ticket gift ideas for kids (some are just big, not all that pricey) that I think are awesome. Also, if these are on your list, maybe they are the things to watch out for this coming Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Gymnastics Kip Bar ($208) If you’ve been reading all these wish list idea post you might […]