“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” - Winston Churchill

The greatest retailers on Earth know exactly how to make us behave in their environments. Disney, Target, McDonalds and Starbucks influence our behavior with cues from the spaces they create to get desirable results from us. Don’t you think you should know how to influence your behavior and your family’s behavior in your own home?

Let’s dig into how color, space and lighting influence behavior, and how we can set ourselves up for success by helping our homes help us build the habits we desire!

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Sharpen your pencils and pack your lunches, we’re off to a new school year!

These seven habits have helped our family enjoy smooth(er) sailing through the chaotic time of year - and I hope they’ll help yours, too!

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

A few years ago I came home from vacation, absolutely dreading coming back to real life. Until I realized I could bring all the things I love about vacation into my every day life with my family. I figured out how to replicate the simplicity, aesthetics, spontaneity and celebratory aspects of my favorite trips - so that coming home is just as enjoyable as leaving on a jet plane.

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

We've all be there, dreaming of summer days in June, and over it by July. Summer is a change of pace that can be welcome, but tends towards irritating without some intention. Let's create a simple plan of action to have the summer you really want with your family by creating rhythms instead of schedules, picking passion projects, being prepared for meals and snacktimes, building traditions you'll enjoy for years to come, and doing things that bring you joy.

Get the Free Printable - Summer Essentials, right here!

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Marcela Zivkovic is back to talk about marriage during the young years of parenting - when babies are needy and time doesn't feel like it belongs to you. She brings her experience with infertility and then young parenthood to talk about ways we can shift the energy to love each other well, be each other's biggest supporters and build relationships that thrive and will bring us joy for years to come (even as the babies get bigger).

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Marcela Zivkovic is here with us today to talk about parenting by example and expectations. Marcela is a former teacher, current raciolinguistics researcher and mom of two girls in elementary school. We’re talking about how to set clear intentions for our families and then create the systems that help us meet them so we can have children that thrive, parents that thrive, and families we love being a part of. We get into how we can start by planning what we want to teach our kids, act out the lessons they’ll need to get there, reflect on what they’re learning and what we need to adjust, and then make those adjustments. Marcela brings her expertise from the classroom, her research into how words shape worlds and her hands-on experience raising her two young daughters right now.

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Mother’s Day is coming up and these five things I learned from my mom have been on my mind lately.

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect

Asking for help can be scary, especially for those of us who have been convinced we need to do everything ourselves. Today, we're breaking down how to shift our mindsets and ask for and offer help in order to build the communities we desperately want to be a part of.

We also discuss how the hormones of child-bearing and motherhood are meant to help us bond to our babies and create wonderful families, but are triggers for fear, anxiety and guilt when we experience them in social vacuums. We are designed to be in community with each other - and here are some practical ways to break through the thought patterns in our heads and start creating the villages we long for.

Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!

@prettyoverperfect