How did we get here? Let's say ten-ish years ago, you told me I would be homeschooling five human children. Well, I would have spit my Mike's Hard Lemonade straight in your face (it's summertime and we're eating tacos on the porch, by the way. I politely hand you a towel to wipe your face because I'm nice like that.). Rewind to ten-ish (okay maybe 12)...(TWELVE?!?) years ago. I had one human child, was working as an elementary school counselor, and was, quite frankly, miserable. Do you ... VIEW POST

A day in the life: homeschool edition

Get them reading with the Tower of Books Challenge
Parents and kids everywhere are feeling the 'end of the year slump' as summer approaches and dreams of closing up the books mix with summer plans that often don't involve a lot of reading. We began feeling that familiar slump after taking a mid-year break of our own (beauty of homeschooling year-round) that left me looking for new ideas to inspire more independent reading in our house. Thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers, I found a great way to get them reading with the tower of books ... VIEW POST

Simple Activity Station Ideas for Kids
I'm often asked, "Jess, how do you function with five kids and a circus of animals?" The answer? Girl Scout cookies and wine (I kid, I kid...mostly...more milk than wine). Cookies aside, since beginning a life of schooling/working at home, I've found that we are all happier when we have options - lots of options. So, I'm going to share a few of my simple activity station ideas for kids that will keep them (and you) happy! Simple Activities - Stay Organized! Before jumping into ALL OF THE ... VIEW POST

Homeschool Organization Made Easy – Whether You Homeschool Or Not!
I want to start off by saying this is a post for anyone. You don't have to homeschool to grab these organization tips and items that I've found to help make living a busy but organized life just a little more attainable. If you're a parent with kiddos who attend a public school, you've probably realized that learning/activities happen at home, regardless. Kids are busy these days which means you are, well, extra busy these days. It can be hard to navigate how to balance the chaos. So, grab a ... VIEW POST

Pumpkin Spice Slime
Looking for a way to make an absolute slimy mess that will probably stick in every nook and cranny in your home and drive you absolutely batty? Terrific! Have I the activity for you! Alright, seriously, it's not *that* bad. In fact, it's actually fantastic and I'm a big fan. I've been trying to fill our Halloween week with easy (key word) crafts and snacks so when I found a recipe for pumpkin spice slime I went all in! Pumpkin Spice...Slime? That's right. It's slime. With a pinch of ... VIEW POST
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@the_moody_mortal
✨️🌙 What is your body telling you?? Will you listen?? 🫠🌙✨️
#inspiredlife #listentoyourbody #funny #moodygrams #schittscreek
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🌙✨️ Luna...present wrapper/inspector extraordinaire ✨️🌙
🫠🐈⬛️ Do you have a helpful paw or two at home?? She is very pleased with herself... 🐈⬛️✨️
#catsdoingthings #cat #catsagram #catsoninstagram #petsagram
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🌙✨️ Moments that have inspired me this week 👇
✨️ the way the light moves and shifts in the evening
✨️ the sound of hummingbirds
✨️ creative moments
✨️ meditative time in the greenhouse
✨️ impactful & emotional performance by @3rdlawdancetheater @gabby_giles
✨️ mama bear and cub rambling through the neighborhood
✨️ cheese.
🌙 what has sparked a flame for you, this week? 🌙
#theater #artistsoninstagram #createcommune #homeinspiration #summervibes
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✨️🌙 Would you join us for a magical movie night at the Moody Manor? 🌙✨️
✨️ @hopperspixar was great, by the way. All five kiddos ranging from 5 to 14 laughed throughout. Luna enjoyed hummingbird watching and the moonrise was spectacular. ✨️
🌙 We created this setup with a simple pull down projector screen and portable projector (along with plentiful snackage, obviously). 🌙
✨️ What would add to movie night, mortals? ✨️
#movienight #pixar #outdoorliving #familyfun #homeinspiration
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✨️ Life as art ✨️
🌙 I`ve been embracing these small moments, living, noticing...and have found so much beauty in it all. Holding on to these slices in time that are there and then gone. 🌙
✨️ What small moments have you noticed this week? ✨️
#family #home #momentslikethese #artofliving #dailyinspiration
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✨️🌙 Lose yourself for a moment, won`t you? 🌙✨️
✨️ So I`ve been having the AI blues, lately. I go from feeling motivated by it to keep creating out of spite (like, nothing can take the place of our human madness to imagine, you know?) to feeling so bogged down and discouraged by the damn thing. How about you? ✨️
#mellow #inspiredbynature #moodygrams #realart #artistsofinstagram
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✨️🐈⬛️ Can you relate with any of these, mortals? 🐈⬛️✨️
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Lately, I’ve been trying to catch my breath…willing myself to breathe after a whirlwind of activity. But, I’m often left feeling as though I can’t breathe deeply enough. It’s almost as if the air is void of oxygen and I’m left gasping. Do you ever feel that way? As if the best and worst parts of life are hopelessly intertwined — laced together — it’s almost impossible to diverge yourself from it all? So, you just kind of flop into a heap, desperate to land in a place that will hold, even cradle you….to simply rest? …to quiet the world?
That’s energy for you, I suppose. As a empath and creative with a brain that moves faster than my body…I often find myself in this space. A space living with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and EDS that requires me to care for myself…and lands me in a bad place when I don’t.
And I am desperate. Desperate to give all of myself to my family, my friends, strangers, to spiders drowning in a pool of water, to every project, every idea, every cause…desperate to do more, always.
Maybe you`re a casual visitor of that place of desperation or perhaps you live there, tucked beneath the mountain of expectations you’ve placed on yourself. While I can’t pull you out of that space, I will sit with you…hold your hand, and invite you to breathe with me. Have a seat on my couch — with a cat on your lap and a mug in your hand? Share some queso with me? ....no jerks allowed... ✨️
#lifelessons #livinglife #chronicpain #goodlife #homeinspiration
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✨️ Camping...but make it whimsical, anyone? ✨️
🌙 We kicked off camping season with friends & have high hopes for many adventures this year. This will be our third season in our camper (North Trail by @heartland_rv ) that I`ve been customizing with all of the magical touches (yes, you can wallpaper a camper 🤣) ✨️
✨️ Luna enjoyed her first camping trip - hiking in her @yourcatbackpack - catching her first fish - chasing butterflies in the grass ✨️🖤
🌙5 kids...3 dogs....& 1 camping kitty later, we are exhausted but there is nothing quite like a rocky mountain high, is there? 🌙
#campinglife #campingtrip #summervibes #coloradolife #getoutside
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