Joyfully Thriving

Grace-Filled Frugal Living

Alaska Cruise Tips – 21 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Alaskan Cruise

Published August 05, 2019 Updated January 27, 2020 4 Comments

My husband and I recently returned from a wonderful cruise to Alaska. We took the trip (without our three kids) to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise - especially since it was to Alaska with lots to see and history to discover. Having never cruised before, we read a lot of Alaska cruise tips for months before we traveled.  You see, we had been saving since our wedding for a big trip like this. (Alaska was one of our 15 savings accounts and a great way to save for a special event like this.) We researched a lot online before we booked our cruise, and … Read More...

Summer Travels and Grocery Shopping

Published August 02, 2019 Leave a Comment

What a summer it has been in our household! I was amazed when I counted up the days from our various trips and realized we traveled 27 days out of the 61 in June and July. Needless to say, our family had a busy - and memorable - summer. It started when Andy and I took a cruise for our 10th anniversary to Alaska. For the first time ever, we took a trip without our kids! We had been saving since our wedding for a someday cruise to Alaska, and Andy convinced me that this was the year to do it. This allowed him to check off his 50th state - in his 40th year! We left the 3 kids with Andy's … Read More...

4 Birthdays in 3 Weeks – A Spring Update

Published April 08, 2019 4 Comments

After a busy and exciting March, it's time for a update on our family! Would you believe I now have a 5, 3 and 1 year old? I'm having trouble believing it myself. All of our kids have March birthdays, with my birthday following the beginning of April, so we celebrate 4 birthdays in 3 weeks in our family. Like I sad, it was a busy and exciting March! Lily started off the birthday celebrations with her 1st birthday. My Mom flew up from Texas, arriving on Lily's birthday, just in time for her party! We had our friends / her baptismal sponsors over for dinner with the grandparents. Lily was … Read More...

How to Do a Whole 30 on a Budget

Published February 27, 2019 Updated August 17, 2019 Leave a Comment

A lot of people do a Whole 30, but how many say they did it on a budget? Here are some money saving tips from a mom who completed a Whole 30 on a limited budget. Learn how to do a Whole 30 on a budget now! #whole30

I recently completed my first ever Whole 30. It was a difficult challenge but a very worthwhile one. You can read more about my Whole 30 experiences and all the lessons I learned here. Before I started, I admit my first thought was one of hesitation. Won't it be too expensive for us to do a Whole 30? Well, after successfully completing my Whole 30, I am here to show you that it doesn't have to be expensive to do a Whole 30. I want to share with you how to do a Whole 30 on a budget - just like we did.  This post may contain affiliate links. You can read more in my disclosure policy. Is it … Read More...

Whole 30 Resources, Tips and Recipes from My First Ever Whole 30

Published February 21, 2019 Updated August 17, 2019 7 Comments

Thinking of attempting a Whole 30? Here are some great Whole 30 resources, tips and favorite recipes from a busy mom of little ones who did the challenge too! #whole30

At the beginning of the year, my youngest sister shared that she was embarking on a Whole 30. I was intrigued and began researching it myself. A week later, my husband and I started our first ever Whole 30. It ended up becoming quite the long distance family affair as my other sister and her husband joined in, Andy's sister and her husband, my mother-in-law and my parents, all attempted Whole 30s. Some of us made it longer than others but we all embraced this challenge. I wanted to see if I could do this. I wanted to see if I could flatten my stomach after 3 babies. I wanted to cut … Read More...

When Your To Do List is Never Done

Published February 18, 2019 Updated August 17, 2019 16 Comments

Love this! I feel this way SO many times. It's nice to have hope when your to do list is never done. #momlife

This is a topic that I keep coming back to day after busy day so I expanded upon an old post with some new thoughts. It's a constant challenge of mine, as a working from home wife and mom. I hope you find some encouragement in these honest musings of mine and realize that you are not alone. Because there is hope when your to do list is never done. The day started out well enough. I was full of good intentions and motivation. I woke up an hour before the kids (as has become my best new habit) and wrote a custom book on the couch, cozy under warm blankets. All the kids actually slept past … Read More...

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