When I first started working out years ago, it was mostly because I wanted to be smaller, skinnier, fitter, leaner, or whatever other buzzword the fitness gurus wanted you to buy into. After becoming a mom, movement stopped being about changing my body and started being about protecting my mind. Reasons went from skinny to sane, real quick 😅 Some form of intentional movement > clears the mental fog. > gives me more patience. > reminds me I’m capable of doing hard things. > helps me show up as a better wife, mom, employee, and creator. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. I still have my fair share of nights where you’ll find me standing over the kitchen counter eating Oreos. 😂 But I’ve learned that taking care of myself isn’t about getting it right every single time, but rather about doing the things that make you feel good, consistently. Sometimes it’s an intense bike ride, other times it’s a walk around the yard. This year a goal for me is to make one other investment in my health, and see a dermatologist because I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’ve never seen one in my entire lifetime 🙈 Not everything that makes you wealthy shows up in your bank account. Sometimes it’s simply being grateful you get to move your body today. that’s a kind of wealth I’ll keep investing in 🫶

Maybe it’s just my algorithm… but lately it feels like the only version of a “dream life” I see online starts with quitting your job. 🙈 And if that’s your path, I’m genuinely cheering you on.👏 But I also think there’s another way. One where you keep the stable job while slowly building the life you want outside of it. Where financial freedom matters more than looking successful. Where your home is collected over time instead of finished overnight. Where you’re encouraged to spend less, buy better, and find joy in ordinary Tuesdays. If you’ve been looking for that corner of the internet… I think you just found it. 🤍

I think I’m finally at a place where my brain can think about decorating and designing our home, but I need your help. Budget is obviously a factor and none of these projects will happen overnight, but I’m trying to decide if I’m on the right track with my ideas or if your brilliant mind has others I should consider! This is a long one, but you get a mini to house tour in the process. 😂 Also we love our @threegirlscurtains in the dining room - they pull the entire space together, don’t underestimate what curtains can do! House tour, design input, DIY design, design help

TBH this coop build felt like a reality tv show sometimes 😆 Approximately 847 trips to Menards, the “this is our last day building” that somehow turned into five more, and the many moments we questioned our life decisions thinking getting chickens two weeks into moving in was a good idea. Delulu I tell you what ☠️ But, against all odds… we finished the coop and somehow still like each other 😂 and if you follow me, you know that the coop has been finished for almost two months now (and she’s beautiful!!) I’m V behind on editing, but you can fully expect a part 2, 3, and 4 coming your way - just don’t hold your breath lollllll

If you ask me what I’m going to do when I retire early, I’ll tell you I’ve got no f*cking clue 😆☠️ because do I want to retire early??? Absolutely yes. But do I actually want to retire? Not really. Our FI goals are all about creating optionality in our lives. Retiring early, retirement takes, early retirement, work optional

One of my favorite parts of creating a home is watching it come together one thoughtful decision at a time. From unboxing to hanging the final panel, this was one of those projects that felt immediately worth it. 🙌 I spent a long time deciding on fabric, color, and style because I wanted something timeless that would grow with our home, not something I’d want to replace in a few years. One detail I thought was especially thoughtful is that @threegirlscurtains washes every panel before shipping, so they arrive clean and ready to hang. Safe to say... I already can’t imagine this room without them. Curtain Style: Lucy Color: Light Khaki Unlined, Memory Trained, pre-washed

I feel like I could do this trend a billion times over, I’ve already got a home building edition one coming your way too. 😂 Any you agree with? worth the money trend, worth it, expensive but worth it

I can’t believe I used to think I was meant for the big city 😂 Growing up, I couldn’t wait to get out small town Wisconsin. I wanted to see more, do more, build something that felt entirely my own. For the longest time, I thought that meant I had to leave, move somewhere entirely new. Funny how life changes you. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized that doing things differently was NEVER tied to where I live. I could build the life I wanted anywhere. Do things the way I wanted to, anywhere. Somehow, I ended up building it right where it all began. But I notice the things I used to overlook. The familiar faces. The community events. Back roads, and Friday night fish fry’s. There’s also something really beautiful about the lifestyle living in a rural community gives us. We can live below our means without feeling like we’re missing out. We spend Saturday mornings baking at home, and random Friday nights at free community events, cheering at little parades in neighboring towns. We go to the different parks and grab ice cream from local shops, but we realize that making memories don’t have to cost much at all. I still have big, big dreams. I mean you know me, I like doing things my own way. 😂 But these days, I don’t feel like I have to leave home to become the person I was meant to be. As it seems, home was never holding me back, it’s right where I’ve needed to be all along.

For us, credit card points have become a way to spend, guilt free. Could we redeem them as statement credit?Absolutely. But I know myself well enough to know that if I did, I would never buy the little things (or sometimes big things!!) that wouldn’t break the bank but make me feel guilty for spending on them because I don’t reallllly need them. Instead, we let the points accumulate until there’s something we’d like to have but don’t really want to spend cash on. Sometimes it’s practical, sometimes it’s a small upgrade, and sometimes it’s just something that we’ve been eyeing up but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It’s a tiny mindset shift, but it makes those purchases feel intentional instead of impulsive. Of course, this only works because we treat our credit cards like debit cards. We use them for purchases we were already going to make, we never carry a balance, and we pay them off in full every month. The rewards are a byproduct of our spending, not the reason for it. I’m always fascinated by how differently people use their rewards. Are you someone who cashes them out right away, saves them for travel, or waits until there’s something specific you want? Credit card strategy, credit card points, credit card spending, intentional spending