• Why We Love Our Water Table | Outdoor Toys for Kids

      by SimplyHollyJo on May 18, 2020 , No Comments

      We are currently on our second water table, and we love it. It gets so much use and the boys ask to fill it up daily. So I thought I would give some information on our water table for mamas on the hunt. Years ago, when my first turned one, we were gifted a water table similar to the Step2 Duck Dive table. It was round, simple, and had a crank in the center to turn the water. I was hesitant at first and I don’t think I opened it for a while. I could only imagine the destruction my […]

    • Realistic Expectations for My Kids | Surviving Parenthood

      by SimplyHollyJo on May 31, 2019 , No Comments

      As a mom of two toddlers, I sometimes have a difficult time keeping the expectations of my kids within normal range. I don’t have a lot to base my gauge on  since I was never really around a lot of small kids while growing up, or ever really. I’ve only recently dove into the world of little ones.  Some days it’s easy to remind myself that they’ve only been on the earth for a very short time. They are just trying to figure out the many, many things that are happening to them and around them. Other times mom guilt […]

    • How to Treat a Cold Naturally

      by SimplyHollyJo on April 10, 2019 , No Comments

      As a “crunchy” person, I usually treat a cold naturally. I have also spent most of the last 4+ years either pregnant or nursing, therefore I had additional motivation to not use over the counter medications. Even before kids though, I was known for my “crazy” concoctions that I would use when feeling under the weather. Today I will share some of those crazy things.  Here are some of my go-to options for “treating” a cold naturally: 1. Saline Rinse My go-to treatment for sinuses is a neti-pot. I use this one and love it. I do it morning and […]

    • How to Encourage Your Kids to Go Outside

      by SimplyHollyJo on March 22, 2019 , No Comments

      Are you trying to encourage your kids to go outside more but aren’t really sure where to begin? Well, I am still a work in progress, but let me share a few ways that have helped me… Go Outside This is pretty self explanatory. Go outside. Step out of your home and move forward. Most kids want to be where their parents are, even if they don’t want to admit it. So when you model going outside, or making the outdoors a priority, then your kids will follow. (You can sneak back inside later if you want.) Explore Once you’re outside, […]

    • My July in Photos | 2018 Project 365

      by SimplyHollyJo on September 29, 2018 , No Comments

      July. We bought a house. We took our first kid free vacation in years. We spent as much time outside as we possibly could. Itty Bitty slept through the night for 3 weeks straight. THREE WEEKS! Then it ended painfully. But he’s been back at it since mid-late August. That’s right son. Mama is not fun to be around when she’s sleepy!