Hi everyone! I’m a mom to two sweet girls (Addison is four and Molly is one!) and have been married to my husband, Alex for five years. We live in a beautiful farm town in Illinois and love our busy, crazy, fun, wonderful life. I’m a freelance graphic designer at Laura Kathryn Creative and have the honor of working with some incredible creative businesses and entrepreneurs. I love being a business owner because it allows me to feel fulfilled in both roles as a mom and career-driven creative.
How do you take care of yourself so that you’re physically and mentally prepared to be your best self for your loved ones?
It is a challenge and something that I have to work hard to make happen every day. When my body, mind and heart tanks aren’t filled daily, it’s hard to be the wife and mom that my family deserves. Finding pockets of time throughout the week to fill myself up is crucial! I’ve started scheduling “personal field trips” once a week to rejuvenate myself and enjoy some quiet. Sometimes it’s getting a massage or pedicure, but other times it’s as simple as spending an hour by myself browsing a few of our local shops and enjoying a cup of coffee.
What’s your favorite beauty secret?
Honestly, WATER. My skin is a direct reflection of how much water I’ve had the day before. I try to drink a gallon everyday by having a glass as soon as I wake up, before and after meals, whenever I feel hungry, and right before bed. Sometimes, I’ll infuse fruit to keep things exciting and finding a cute water tumbler helps tremendously. :)
Also, I’ve found that simplifying your beauty and makeup collection saves so much time when I’m in the morning rush to get out the door. Get a smaller makeup bag that holds just the essentials and you’ll be surprised how little you actually need to feel fresh and ready for the day.
What’s your favorite outfit for a quick, polished look?
Fall is in full swing here in the Midwest! A long sweater or tee with a pair of leggings and Tieks is my go-to these days. It can be dressed up or down with accessories!
Whats your favorite quick-prep dinner for your family?
If I can throw it into the crockpot, flip a switch, and it’s ready hours later, that is my kind of dinner. I don’t love spending hours cooking in the kitchen (I’m more of a baker!), so if I can knock out most of the prep on Sundays, our weekly dinners go so much smoother! This is one of our favorites!
Tell us your favorite Instagram account to follow, and why?
This is so hard! I head to Instagram for visual inspiration, so any account that inspires me and evokes a creative emotion from me is a favorite. Design-wise, I love following @handsoneveryday. It’s a digital shop account founded by two designers and their feed is full of stunning visuals, videos and styling.
What tradition or routine is important to you?
Our evening family time is a routine my husband and I are pretty protective of. Our days are full and busy, so spending the evenings unwinding, eating together, getting outside for a walk, putting our girls to bed, then watching our favorite shows together while catching up is a precious time that is a MUST for our relationship.
What’s in your purse?
At the moment, a pair of sunglasses, a camera lens, perfume, a pen, an invitation for an upcoming local event, scraps of paper with scribbled notes, an unused diaper, baby wipes, an empty bottle, and my race bib and medal from a 5K I ran last weekend. Time for purging session!
Where do you find your inspiration?
I love a beautiful coffee table book. One that’s filled with big beautiful photographs and illustrations and gorgeous typography. I have a nice collection of art / lifestyle books that I’ll flip through when I’m in need of a creative boost.
We know you’re a busy lady! How do you balance all of your work responsibilities along with your home and personal life? Any tips for our readers?
Get organized, get realistic about what you can actually manage, outsource, and leave room for white space. My business and work does not take priority over my home and personal life, so all family items and events get scheduled first. Then, I realistically schedule client work so I can spend ample time serving my clients well. I batch as many tasks as possible to save time and energy. I started outsourcing tasks that take me a lot of time and that I don’t enjoy doing – like photographing my work and deep cleaning our house – so I can spend that time doing what I love and what I’m good at. And, white space. Don’t fill up every hour of every day with thigns to do. I take pride in keeping a whole page in my planner empty! It gives me the freedom to decide what is most important that day and allows me to enjoy an activity without having the pressure of checking it off.
What’s your favorite app (or other tool!) for helping you do life?
I do not know where I’d be without the Notes app on my phone. I love that I can sync it with the desktop version, which makes writing IG captions much easier! I keep all gift list ideas, grocery, memories, funny things my four year old has said, etc. It’s my dumping ground for mental clutter and random ideas. When I’m not near my computer and an idea comes to mind, I head right into the Notes app and jot it down. Then, when I’m at my computer, it gets moved to Asana (another lifesaver) or a Google Doc.
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