restful productivity to live deliberately & avoid overwhelm 

The Moving Finish Line of “Done”

The Moving Finish Line of “Done”

As an overachiever, I can be my own enemy. My own critic who raises expectations. I constantly move the finish line after I accomplish a goal or a difficult milestone. I do not stop and enjoy the achievement. I tell myself that I will. I say to myself in the hard moments when I have…

When My Reading Plans Fail

When My Reading Plans Fail

My Story & My Struggles as a Reader I have a deep love for reading. Books, and the words within them, are treasured in my house. I have shelves of well loved books and stacks ready to read. However, I have struggled to have consistent reading time for years. Does that surprise you?  When I…

How I Read Every Day

How I Read Every Day

Why Getting A Lamp and Taking My Shoes Off Helps Me Read. I have a deep love for reading. I have worked to cultivate the consistent habit of reading for as long as I can remember.  When I arrive home from a family vacation I am annoyed that there was no time to read. I…

Encouragement for the Mom of Young Kids

Encouragement for the Mom of Young Kids

To the mom of young kids, I see you.  I hear your need to just sit in silence without anyone touching you. I get it that the laundry situation is impossible. I understand that the floors need to be swept and that you can’t even think straight. Tiny humans are hard in so many ways. …

Why Hobbies Matter

Why Hobbies Matter

My Story –   I have found that hobbies have become an important part of being “just April”. Myself. Just me. Not all the roles I play and things I do. But just me, creating something for the sake of creation. I used to tell myself that I will have hobbies when my kids are grown,…

Pivot – A Change In Plans

Pivot – A Change In Plans

I love plans, routines, schedules, charts, lists… all of it! But I also understand that I am not the all-powerful Oz who knows everything that will happen or take place. This means that while I can attempt to plan for all contingencies and events, it is impossible to do so.  Kids get worn out, it starts raining, things fall apart,…

My Summer Planning

My Summer Planning

How I Plan For Our Summer Break As a kid, summer vacation was full of so much freedom. No school! Backyard slip ‘n slides and popsicles that stained my t-shirt. Reading all my favorite books from the library. Playing Mario Brothers on the Nintendo. It was effortless and free. But now I am a mom,…

Thinking About Summer

Thinking About Summer

How I do spring cleaning with my planning. It is spring. The Palo Verde trees are blooming and it is heating up during the day. As I rummage for my flip-flops in my closet, I begin to think about our summer plans.  What will this summer look like? What adventures will we have? What kind…

Whole Foods & Healthy Habits

Whole Foods & Healthy Habits

My transition to whole foods and healthy habits. In 2019 I had reached a tipping point. My health was affecting my daily life. I was feeling tired all the time, had stomach issues often and was eating the SAD (Standard American Diet). My meal planning was more about what I could get on the table…