Author: Lindsay

Madelyns 3rd Birthday: A Pastel Carnival to Remember

To celebrate my daughter turning three this year, we wanted a theme to capture all the joy, fun and laughter she brings effortlessly to our life. So we created a pastel carnival inside our home and it turned out magical! I wanted our guests to feel welcomed by the atmosphere and littles to play freely and have fun.

Majority of the indoor winter birthday we hosted on our back porch. We hired a face painter and balloon artist who added such a special touch to the day! Each kid chose what image they wanted painted and chose balloon art such as princess wands, animals and hats.

This wood pallet I found in my garage from another event. I wanted a unique way to display cotton candy. I played around with some string and placed this right next to the dessert table. Which held the most delicious Confetti Cake with vanilla icing and animal cracker pastel cupcakes.

All of the adorable supplies in this room came from Amazon including these hats, plates, DIY stickers, and balloon decorations! We rented a long kid size table with 12 chairs around to sing happy birthday and complete their sticker crafts.

Each guest left the carnival party with a bag including a personalized thank you sticker.

My daughter talks about her birthday party constantly. Frequently asking when she can have another birthday. Some may say she is too little to remember a birthday party this extravagant, which can be true. But that doesn’t matter to me. These early years are flying by and days like this let me hold on to her sweet memories a little longer.

I hope she always feels as special as she did on her birthday party day. This was a perfect way to celebrate another year around the sun with our beautiful Madelyn.

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Even on the Hard Days, Don’t Stop Dreaming

Motherhood is beautiful, captivating, awakening- but absolutely never easy.

There are days when the sink is overflowing, my toddler has thrown four tantrums before lunch and I still have not finished my coffee. It can be second nature to forget who you are, as you are sprinting around the house on empty to fill the needs of your family. But what I have realized, or tried to put into practice, is that life does not stop for anyone or end when you become a mother.

Cliche, but I feel like I was born again. I have found a deeper meaning in my abilities and strengths after becoming a mom. Having to juggle all different roles and hats has brought new revelations. I wanted to change the direction of our life. One where we focus in on what moms can do, not what moms cannot do since they have littles attached to them.

“You have a promising career, loving husband, healthy children and home, what else could you possibly want?” This question haunts me. I felt selfish for wanting more in life. For even entertaining the thought that something might still be missing. I thought for a second, people must be under the impression that my children are not enough for me. When on the contrary, my children have sparked a fire in me I can’t being to explain. They view me as their absolute hero and that in itself, is enough to keep going.

Why wouldn’t I want to show them the traits of being hard working and motivated? I want them to be encouraged in the hard seasons, to set meaningful goals for themselves, and to follow through even when it’s not easy.

Motherhood has a way of making us questioning everything. We question the meals we prepare, the time we spend on screens, our daily routine. Ourselves and our capabilities.

If today feels heavy or the goals feel distant, just take one small step.

Write down your top three goals in life long term- financial, spiritual, realistic

Read or listen to an inspiring podcast.

Share your ideas with the village who supports you.

“In embracing motherhood, we don’t lose ourselves- we unlock who we’re meant to become.”

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Mini Pizza Kit

Gather little hands and big imaginations- our Mini Pizza kit is the perfect way to bring joy and connection straight to your kitchen. Thoughtfully crafted for families with young children, each set includes everything you need to make a delicious pizza.

Our all natural dough, with only flour, water and yeast added inside is carefully paired with a side of shredded mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce. No additives, no fuss, just real food and lasting memories.

Whether you are preparing the table for a friday night dinner or a rainy day activity, the Mini Pizza kit invites your children to participate in something along side of you. This activity is meant to encourage independence, foster creativity and build connection through hands on cooking.

I grew up basically inside a Pizza shop everyday. My dad has been making pizza his entire life – as well as many other delicious meals. The art of preparing a meal comes easy for him, never even a thought . Now I get to watch my daughters experience the exact same of love, found through cooking meals together.

If you know your toddler would absolutely love this kit, check out our local store through Instagram to place an order.

Made with care by Nest & Bloom—growing together at home.

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Choosing Better for our Family

Lately, I have felt such an urge to focus more intentionally on our families health- especially as a young mom raising two littles. The more I have learned about all the harmful and unnecessary ingredients hidden in our food, the more swaps I have made.

It is overwhelming and frustrating to read boxes that say “organic” or “protein filled” when this does not exactly mean healthy. Instead, disguised by the wording, these items contain high levels of fructose corn syrup, seed oils, preservatives and toxic dyes. Since understanding all the ingredients to stay away from is like a foreign language, I downloaded the YUKA app. Scanning everything I pick up might take me a little longer in the food store, but I can actually read the labels and understand which packaged foods have the least chemicals.

We started shifting towards whole foods, ingredients as close to their natural state as possible. Fruits, vegetables, grains, clean protein is the foundation of our meals at home.

Some examples of simple swaps our family has made:

  • Crackers: Get rid of the goldfish, and grab whole grain versions with simple ingredients
  • Yogurt: Switched to Stonyfield Organic Plain Yogurt, my toddler loves to add honey, chia seeds and berries to create her own parfait!
  • Meat: 100% Grassfed beef – rich in antioxidants and lean protein factors
  • Snacks: No more fruit snacks, granola bars or my toddlers favorite “yogurt raisins.” Instead I make snack plates including vegetables and fruit, such as cucumbers, carrots and strawberries.
  • Bread: Switching to whole grain, Dave’s Killers bread – helps with digestion and keeps my littles fuller between meals

I did not expect to see a difference right away, but changes in our moods, energy and sleep became visible after a few weeks. The deeper we looked into how our food choices were impacting how we felt mentally and physically, the more obvious it became. All the over processed snacks and sugars were playing a huge part in our stress level and moods.

My toddler eventually stopped asking for “snacks” since the moment she opened her eyes. Now she enjoys a mid-day charcuterie board cut up with colorful fruits and vegetables. Her sleep has drastically improved and she has fewer complaints of her “belly hurting.”

Our home feels calmer and our bodies feel lighter when we are not surviving on preservatives and toxins. We are not perfect, we slip up at times. We do not count calories or limit our bodies to food. You will still find soda cans in our garage or ice cream in our fridge. But now, we are more aware of the effect food has on our bodies and want nothing less than our children to feel whole, healthy-strong.

If you are just beginning this journey, start small. Do not overwhelm your house with all organic swaps. Start in the pantry and make one better choice at a time.

“Nourish gently, and the whole home blooms”

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Spring At Home: Nature Inspired Activities

This is the season when our days start to feel lighter, awakening both the spirits and creativity inside us. It’s the season that inspires me the most to embrace into something new, an outdoor activity to try, or possibly start a new business venture. This season has grounded me in ways I didn’t know I needed. I am deeply content in motherhood, surrounded by all the love imaginable. Yet, I am still eager for growth, to really capture all life has to offer. This spring has been an awakening. Not in a loud, dramatic way but I can sincerely feel a shift in my soul towards a different way of living.

Nest and Bloom is meant to create a natural rhythm to your early childhood and motherhood days. Whether you need to fill an hour of time before prepping lunch or your child is absolutely refusing to come inside from the backyard. These activities are simple, easy and only require items you have at home or found in nature.

Materials: Cardboard or sturdy paper, colored markers and a basket

Head outside to match items in nature to each color

This encourages curiosity and builds color awareness

Materials: Flower petals, paper, glue stick

Go on a walk and let your toddler pick out as many flowers as they would like.

Create artwork that deepens nature connection and increases fine motor skills

Crafting with nature allows us to gain connection to the world around us. I hope these nature inspired activities help you create memories with your enthusiastic toddler. Take your time, be present and let natures beauty lead the way.

Happy Crafting!

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In the Garden, We Grow Too

From tiny seeds to tender moments- why the garden is more than just soil and sun.

This spring, we planted our first garden boxes with a few vegetable seed packets, some fresh herbs and a super curious toddler eager to help.

In our daily life, which seems at times rushed and going way too fast; gardening offers us time to be still, patient. We are encouraging our children to wait, observe and trust that their seeds will slowly transform into something beautiful. Gardening gives us time together in an outdoor space for us to connect, without distractions. I’ll ask her questions like “what vegetable do you think this seed will turn into?” “what does this flower smell like?” She stops for a moment and thinks, challenges herself.

These little seeds give her something meaningful to focus on and care for. Helping in the garden has become my daughters favorite thing and I am so grateful to watch her grow alongside the things we plant. I love seeing her face light up with a new growth or running to grab her watering pot to assist beside me. Watching her make this deep connection with the earth so effortlessly reminds me that my own silly worries are pea size compared to this huge world.

I certainly didn’t grow up with a green thumb, acres of land or a manual on how to keep plants alive. Honestly, I used to avoid even looking at plants when I was in stores. I thought I didn’t have space in my life to care for them the way they needed. Well I was wrong. We started small and let nature do what it is meant to do.

I knew I wanted to only plant vegetables or fruit that would not go to waste. Just so happens these were some of the easiest plants to start with: tomatoes, lettuce, basil and strawberries. We even added some cucumbers and jalapeños. Threw a marigold plant inside the box. Since our daughter is flower obsessed, we carved out a space in our yard and sprinkled a variety of wild flowers and zinnias along the fence with the hope they will bloom bright.

Gardening has never felt like one more thing added to my to-do list. This process has become easy, gentle, and fulfilling to my soul. The best part, my daughter fits right into this space. Similar to our motherhood journey, gardening requires us to show up daily with love and hope-even when the results are invisible at first.

Childhood should be slow, simple, and full of curiosity. Gardening offers simply that.

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Nurturing Wellness

The moment we become mothers, our entire understanding of “wellness” shifts. We are no longer just caring for our body, we are responsible in nurturing the mind and bodies of little humans too. Becoming a new mom while also working as a health and wellness nurse changed the way I viewed my own body.

I’ve encouraged rest, balanced living, and seeking emotional care within my patients but found focusing on my own wellbeing draining. After filling everyones cups during the day, I could not possibly think about filling mine. This way of living was not working for our family, so with a strong support system behind me we started making small daily changes to our routine at home.

One of my biggest challenges as a new mom, especially with two children, was the rushed and chaotic mornings. We would all wake up at the exact same time and the day immediately was off to a bad start. I was completely drained before 9AM. Now, the help in having a routine set up and habits formed has transformed our mornings.

Starting the morning off with a grounding routine leads to children feeling secure and balanced. Our family benefits significantly from having consistent routines. This means clothes are laid out the night before, diaper bag has to be packed, breakfast and snacks are prepped and the kitchen is cleaned. When my house wakes up the focus is now on getting ready for the day. There were plenty of days I felt like even changing out of my pajamas was too big of a task. When I started fully getting myself ready, my mood instantly changed. This also showed my three year old that getting dressed and brushing your teeth are fun things to do and never argues, except when she wants to wear her Frozen dress for the third day in a row.

If I do not have food prepped, I simply do not eat. Introducing this task to my toddler has only encouraged her to try more foods. A staple in our home is overnight oats. Quick, easy, and I can make the night before. My toddler has enjoyed helping me meal prep with cutting up fruit and pouring ingredients into the mason jars. You can easily pack in nutrients to these jars like greek yogurt, chia seeds, any type of fruit.

Blueberry Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp peanut or almond butter
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 banana sliced
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Caring for these two young girls has pushed me into a whole new realm of health and wellness. We aim to prioritize movement every day. My kids thrive on moving their bodies. We take stroller walks to our local parks and playgrounds, ride our scooter/bike through the neighborhood, or play outback. On days that weather keeps us inside, creating an obstacle course with stepping stones or dancing to “Pink Pony Club” on repeat also will do.

One of the best ways we nurture emotional wellness in our home is creating space to reflect on the day. Either my husband or me will ask our three year old simple questions like, “What was your favorite part of today?” “Can you tell me a moment you were happy/sad?” “What do you think mommy/daddy favorite part of the day was?” This meaningful time helps her process those big emotions, feel heard and go to bed without any unanswered questions. Which she has a lot of these days.

You don’t need elaborate strict routines. Just showing up for the day and feeding every one in your house, is enough. If you want to start pouring back into your cup, focus in on the areas in your life you have neglected lately.

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RV Family Adventure: Super Bowl 57

It was only fitting that after the Eagles won the NFC Championship, we would find a way to get to the SuperBowl. My initial thought: Are we really bringing our one year old along for the ride? Seems risky, but let’s go for it. Since actually entering the game was out of the question, we found the most feasible and fun way to accomplish this trip. We rented an RV!

My husband owned an RV previously, so the thought of traveling around this way excited me. We set the expectations low since again, we were traveling with a one year old who still drank 4 bottles a day and demanded a nap. But what could go wrong?

Our first night we drove right to Glendale, AZ from Las Vegas to sleep before the big day; Super Bowl. We snuggled into a spot on someones ranch and went right to sleep. I used the app KOA to book our stays!

First thing in the morning, we made our way to the stadium and found the perfect spot to watch the game – PopStroke. The perfect spot for the three of us to sit comfortably outdoor in the shade, watching the game, with a playground and mini golf course attached. Honestly could not believe we stumbled across this restaurant bar accidentally.

Places we saw during our three days

  • Cathedral Rock, Sedona
  • Chapel of the Holy Cross
  • Red Rock State Park
  • Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village
  • Grand Canyon (but husbanad made a wrong turn and we were in a snow storm almost falling off cliff, we did not accomplish)
  • Hoover Dam

With an unexpected snow storm, a bad wrong turn and a painful loss for the Eagles, this trip still managed to be beautiful and unforgettable.

I went into this trip with low expectations, but wow did our one one year old surprise us. She was calm, curious and smiled the whole time.

With my child beside me, I’ve seen places through brand new eyes. So here is your reminder: don’t stop.

Take the trip. Pack lots of snacks. Life can still be wild and spontaneous, just now with a baby on your hip.

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Building Your Own Village

They say It takes a village, but no one really tells you how to find one-especially when you are deep in the trenches of motherhood. In the beginning, staying home was way easier to manage than trying to coordinate the perfect time in between naps, lunches, and meltdowns. But I knew my children and I needed something more, another connection.

What helped me build my own village was having a consistent group of other young moms to start “mom walks” with. Something simple, predictable and a great physical outlet. When you are taking those daily walks you are releasing stress, building connection and nurturing your own mental health. This does not have to be a well though-out plan, just a stroller, your babies and a walking path.

Your village becomes way more than just company- It is a space you go to vent, learn and grow in motherhood. It’s where hard days are heard without judgment and little wins like your child sleeping throughout the night is celebrated. Motherhood friendships help us remember who we are outside the chaos of each day. This connection matters more than we realize. And our children feel the same.

Our children watch us as we make time and space for others, show kindness and develop trust. They learn alongside other children, sometimes keeping us busy with the sharing issues, but we are learning to handle it together. While each play date may be different than the last, they begin to build their own friendships- playing, laughing and learning to walk through life confidently.

Your village doesn’t have to be loud and flashy. These people are supposed to ground you, lift you up, inspire you in motherhood. This might be the other mom at the park you see weekly, a coworker turned family, or a group chat that keeps you laughing out loud.

Motherhood isn’t meant to be done solo. Go to story time. Visit the park. Let the village in.

“The way we love our friends becomes the way our children learn to love theirs.”

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A Gentle Journey through Motherhood

Learning and Growing-Together

Motherhood, like the seasons, comes in waves. Some days bloom with ease. Others stretch me thin. As a mother working from home with a toddler and a baby, our home is rarely ever quiet but always full. In the midst of nap times, deadlines for work, and scattered toys, I’ve found a gentle way forward.

I may not always be available to read a quick book or go outside and play. But I started seeing a difference in myself and my children when presence is prioritized. I moved from one task to another, telling myself I will slow down after- after I submit this email, after the laundry is folded, dinner is cooked. But my children do not live in the “after,” they live in the “now”. I do not want to miss this precious time because I am doing everything else.

This season has challenged me more than I imagined. It’s asked me to be better, be present, keep showing up even when I am exhausted. They are learning the world one moment at a time and I’m learning to guide them through it.

I’ve come to see how much my children are learning not just from what I teach, but from how I live. They are watching, absorbing the environment created around them from their very first breath. The tone I use, the way I handle stress, how I care for our home – It all speaks to them even when I am silent.

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware. Every move I make directly impacts them. We are both growing side by side- me, becoming the mother they need; them, becoming exactly who they are meant to be.

“These are the days that shape us- not through perfection, but through presence.”

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