The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful wonderland. Just hours from Seattle, you can find winding switchbacks that lead to craggy peaks, pristine alpine lakes the color of sparkling gems, and meandering trails through lush forests blanketed in moss. Living here grants you access to hikes plucked from fairytales. 

​With so many trails to explore, you may be thinking, "where do I begin?" Well, don't worry, I have rounded up my favorite hikes in the Pacific Northwest just for you. 

​Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the sun is shining - Spring has sprung in Seattle. It’s time to step outside and shake off those winter blues. To help sprout some inspiration, I’ve rounded up a few ideas for family outings. From farms to forests, fairs to florals, check out our list of fun, spring activities below. 

Do you ever wake up in the morning, walk into your closet and feel like you can't find anything to wear? I am right there with you. Most days, I stare absentmindedly at the clothes hanging haphazardly from their hangers trying to will an outfit idea to pop into my mind. That usually doesn't happen. What does is a pile of clothes strewn about my bedroom floor, much to my husband's chagrin.

To save our marriage (joking of course) and give myself more peace of mind, I've decided to endeavor on a mission to create a capsule wardrobe. I've been doing a lot of research, mostly scrolling aimlessly on Pinterest, and I've started curating a few key pieces. Where did I begin? Trousers! 

As a mom of three, I need clothes that can transition from work to play. They need to be comfy, and it's a huge bonus if they are also cute. That's one of the biggest reasons I love trousers. They are comfy, easy to dress up, look stylish, but they can also be dressed down with a pair of sneakers. 

So, what is a capsule wardrobe? It's a collection of items that can be mixed, matched and intermingled to create many different outfits from a few, carefully selected pieces. Rather than suffering from decision fatigue, capsule wardrobes help decrease the clutter in your closet, make styling outfits easier, and reduces waste. Theoretically, it can also save you money since you don't need as many trend pieces, but that remains to be seen given my spending habits recently.

Here are a few items I've picked up to start my wardrobe collection. Happy curating!

I love exploring the great outdoors with my kiddos. Seeing their faces light up with excitement when we hit the trails is one of my favorite things in the world. As a kid, I loved being outside, but Ohio didn't offer the towering mountain views, sweeping coastlines, vast old-growth forests and pristine alpine lakes the Pacific Northwest does. It's been such a joy meandering trails with my kids. It feels like I'm giving them an invaluable gift by fostering their imagination and allowing their adventurous spirits to blossom. Does that mean it's easy to get outside? Certainly not! But it's worth it. 

If trekking through the wilderness with your little ones in tow feels intimidating, that's okay. It was for me too. Planning a trip, packing all the gear, driving to the trailhead and then trouncing through the woods isn't always an easy feat. There is good news though. It's doable, and the more you do it, the easier it gets.

So, where do you begin? Here are a few tips and tricks.

I'm not going to lie; I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon. I love the convenience, ease of ordering, speedy shipping and the vast array of products only a click away, but there are also downsides. What do I hate? Impulse shopping! It's a serious problem.

If you're like me, you have spent hundreds of dollars adding products to your cart in hopes they will solve a problem - or you heard an influencer say it was the perfect dress and you opted in. Don't worry, we've all been there. 

Do I need another ceramic vase, faux tree or basic white tee? No. Will I buy them on Amazon if they are on sale? The likelihood is pretty high. What comes with buying a copious number of products all to be strewn about on my front porch much to my husband's chagrin? I'll give you a hint: it's not frugality. It's a keener eye for good products.  

Currently, Amazon's big spring sale is on, which means you can find hundreds of steals and deals a two-day shipment away. That's why I put together this post. Let's talk about which products I can't live without. If any of these things are currently in your cart - hit buy now!

These add-to-cart impulses are worthy of a splurge. 
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Don't let the title fool you; I care very, very much. I don't mean you should not care about anything. In fact, I would argue that you should care deeply - but you should choose those things with thoughtfulness. I care deeply about my family. I care deeply about my career. I care deeply about myself and fostering a relationship with the person I am, and who I want to become.

What I mean by care less, is that you can't care about all the things, for everyone, all the time. That Sisyphean task is pointless. It's exhausting and impossible, and it has taken me a long time to learn that lesson. I used to care about EVERYTHING. I cared what random people in the grocery store thought about me. I used to replay benign conversations over and over in my mind. I used to go out of my way to say yes to everything and every task. I used to apologize for things even when I wasn't at fault. I used to be afraid to try new things because I didn't want to fail or look like a novice.

I used to limit myself because of all the things I cared about. Eventually, I didn't want to care at all, and that didn't serve me or anyone else well. 

Today, I care, but I'm purposeful about the things I care about.

Should it matter if someone looks sidelong at me in the grocery store. No. I have no idea the struggles they are facing, and I can't control them. What I have control over is how I treat others. 

To worry about everyone and everything. That goal: to please everyone. It is unattainable. That woman, she is fictious. But most importantly, that woman shouldn't be the standard for what makes a woman good. 

I am trying to be unapologetically myself. I am setting more boundaries. I am speaking up when I feel uncomfortable. I am trying new things and immersing myself in activities that used to feel scary. 

I want to be someone my daughter wants to grow up to be. 

I want her to feel comfortable being herself. I want her to be goofy. I want her to be brave. I want her to face challenges with determination. I want her to stand up for herself. I want her to be proud of who she is. 

I want a million things for my daughter. And, I want those things for me too. 

Before becoming a mom, I read so many parenting books - libraries full of mommy-to-be, preparing for baby, what to expect books. My eyes crossed and my mind swam trying to consume the endless pages of tips and tricks. I envisioned the person I wanted to be for my child. I thought about all the attributes I wanted to embrace - kindness, empathy, strength, playfulness, creativity. I was anxious and excited to welcome our bundle of joy into our family. I prepared as much as I could. Then one day, I was holding my baby in my arms, and I thought to myself, "what am I doing?" All of the sudden, you're thrust into motherhood. Time stands still as a dream becomes reality and everything around you seems to fade away. I remember in that first moment, I felt as if the world had shifted on its axis. Granted, it was probably partially due to the pain medication, but it was like I had changed - and I wanted so badly to be the perfect mom for him. 

My whole life, I have wanted to be perfect. Not surprisingly, I have yet to achieve that lofty goal. I was never the prettiest; never the smartest; never the funniest; never the most athletic. I constantly felt like a failure. I'm still trying to figure out where and when that strong, overwhelming desire sparked into my existence, but it's very old in me, and it's caused a lot of pain along the way. 

As a new mom, that feeling reared its ugly head like a wrecking ball to my gut. I wanted everything to come naturally. Instead of realizing it was normal to not feel things immediately click into place, I again felt that familiar pang of failure. I felt like I wasn't meant to be a mom - and that was soul-crushing. I felt like I wasn't enough, and so, like I had done so often throughout my life, I folded into myself. I believed in my heart I wasn't good enough. I believed I was a failure.

It has taken me almost 40 years (and three beautiful children later) to understand that perfection isn't attainable, and that is okay. 

Today, I have a new goal - a new vision for myself. I am speaking up when I have a need. I am setting boundaries. I am listening to myself. I am finding joy in little things. I am giving myself space to be reflective. I am learning to let go. I am moving my body more. I am trying (and sometimes failing) to drink more water.

Being a mom is an incredible gift. It is love embodied. It is fulfilling. It is joyful. Being a mom is a million amazing, wonderful things. 

Being a mom is also hard. It challenges you in ways you never expected. It tests your patience. It feels impossible some days.  

Being a mom is perfectly, imperfect. 

I wish I knew all those feelings could simultaneously be true. You can love being a mom and not feel like a good mom. You can feel like you're failing and be exceeding expectations. You can be happy in this stage of life and also feel hopeless and depressed. 

Especially as I came out of the haze of diapers and sleep regressions, I had a hard time reconciling who I was, who I was becoming, and who society wanted me to be. I got a little lost. 

Motherhood is like being thrown out of a soaring airplane and having to invent a parachute as you plumet toward the ground with only a paper clip, sleep sack and shoestring. My point is, you sort of make it up along the way and pray it works out. 

Did my parachute work? Of course. But did I land smoothly? Most assuredly not. Is that okay? Yes!

So, that's what I am trying to do now. I am finding myself. I have found so much contentment learning about myself through journaling, introspection and (as corny as it may sound) healing. This blog is going to be a fun way to channel all the creativity that has bubbled up in me again, and hopefully a place where I can share my journey. 

I don't need to be perfect. I need to be happy being me - and that starts by listening to my heart and learning from its wisdom.