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Awaken & Begin

  • Mom Life
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  • Get-Up-Early
    How I Got Motivated to Get up at Five in the Morning
  • Email-management
    How to Keep Your Email Inbox Empty
  • Mange_email_inbox
    How to Get Your Email Inbox to Zero
  • What I Wish I Knew as a Mom of Two Under 15 Months
  • The Best Parenting Book I Have Listened to So Far
  • Simple Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
    7 Simple Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
  • What-I-learned-potty-training
    What I Learned From Potty Training Our 2 and 3 Year Old Girls
  • Potty-training
    How I Potty Trained Our 2 and 3 Year-Old Girls at the Same Time
  • Overwhelmed-mom
    How I Learned to Stop Being an Overwhelmed Mess (Kind Of)

Recent Posts

Get-Up-Early

How I Got Motivated to Get up at Five in the Morning

Productivity

This past week, I have been learning everything I can about getting up early. As a work-at-home mom, it started as my way of seeing how early I could get done working so I could have more of the day back to do other things.  Intellectually I was already aware that the earlier you get up the better, but the…
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Email-management

How to Keep Your Email Inbox Empty

Productivity

This post contains affiliate links. Read full disclaimer here. Last week I shared my strategies for getting your email inbox to zero. This week I’m sharing how to keep it that way! Never Check Email First Thing in the Morning The argument against checking email first thing in the morning is that you start out in reactive mode when you could…
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Mange_email_inbox

How to Get Your Email Inbox to Zero

Productivity

We all get behind on email. Whether it’s an email backlog of 100s or 1000s or more, it is possible to get through it all. Eventually.  I currently manage 3 inboxes: my personal inbox, one for my job, and one for my husband’s business. I got behind on a few of these inboxes and recently got back on top of…
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What I Wish I Knew as a Mom of Two Under 15 Months

Mom Life

This post contains affiliate links. Read full disclaimer here. What do I wish I knew as a mom of two children under 15 months? I received this question on Instagram and it meant so much to me that anyone would trust me to ask my thoughts on this big, huge, gigantic subject. I started to type a fast response on my…
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The Best Parenting Book I Have Listened to So Far

Mom Life

This post contains affiliate links. Read full disclaimer here. Everyone says there’s no owner’s manual for raising kids, and certainly not toddlers. Until now. Parenting books (and blog posts, social media posts, and YouTube videos) can make us feel like we’re falling short. They can sometimes make it seem like it’s possible to flow through our days with effortless ease in…
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Hello

Hi! I'm Annie. Welcome to Awaken and Begin! I started this blog several years ago to share my ideas about being healthy, remaining calm and centered, getting organized, and being productive. Now that I’m a mom, I’m making my best attempt at surviving and occasionally simplifying mom life. Read More…

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Our montessori-ish activity of the week last week, Our montessori-ish activity of the week last week, if I can call it that. Claire wanted to "play sand" outside today. I went to grab this setup and was honestly frustrated to find that one of the wooden pencils has gone missing. We kind of can't draw in sand with one pencil because you know whoever doesn't get a pencil is going to lose their mind. 

Soooo I went for a few backup activities and when they lost their luster, I resorted to enrolling Claire in my dishwasher loading tutorial, which evolved into "wouldn't it be so fun to clean your chair with this sponge?" Hahaha! But she truly LOVED learning about loading the dishwasher, and then clearly was super into scrubbing all the specks of food and dirt off her chair ❤️ It was kind of magical for about 5 minutes. And I decided that when all else fails, I can always enlist them to help we with cleaning. 

And this all evolved after I said no to the 1000th request to watch Abby Hatcher (their current Netflix obsession 🙄) because I always say yes and there's only 1 season...so we've definitely seen every episode at least a few times. I endured a few tears and we learned that even if I'm not a natural teacher, I can at least pass on the craft of "attempting to keep a tidy house" to them 💖 •
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#momoftwogirls #momof2girls #igmama #momblogs #bloggermoms #childhoodmagic #motherhoodunplugged  #dailyparenting  #mynameismama #honestmotherhood  #writeyouonmyheart #momtogs  #teammotherly #ohheymama #mommytime #motherhoodlens  #momtog #childofig #my365 #motherhoodsimplified #simplemoments #montessoritoddler #montessoriinspired
The organization of this cabinet was a Valentine's The organization of this cabinet was a Valentine's gift from my husband ❤️ I just went to grab a pan for lunch and it was so nice! I don't have a before picture, but hopefully we can find an organizing system for this other mess over here 😎
Claire LOVES this new activity. I had seen it on @ Claire LOVES this new activity. I had seen it on @hapafamilyvlog a while back and figured we would eventually get there. I noticed a few weeks ago that she has been counting EVERYTHING and remembered this "puzzle" so I got it and it has been a hit! At the moment I'm focusing on having stuff available to do with counting and numbers (although I'm not brave enough to let her have access to all these pieces anytime she wants so I watch closely because she WILL put them in her backpack for later🤣). This montessori mindset is helping me get more clear about what to put in storage for another time (they watch plenty of TV too ✅). •
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#momoftwogirls #momof2girls #igmama #momblogs #bloggermoms #childhoodmagic #motherhoodunplugged  #dailyparenting  #mynameismama #honestmotherhood  #writeyouonmyheart #momtogs  #teammotherly #ohheymama #mommytime #motherhoodlens  #momtog #childofig #my365 #motherhoodsimplified #simplemoments #montessoriinspired
Our flower arranging from earlier this week 🌸 I Our flower arranging from earlier this week 🌸 I got these at Trader Joe's and spent way too much time debating which flowers to buy. The pink ones were a bit droopy but they were just so pretty, I had to decide that they were the ones that brought me joy 💖 The girls were definitely a bit annoyed that their flowers were falling down 🤣 This is Emma's arrangement, on our dining table. Claire has taken a liking to bringing her flowers to "mommy's room" and puts the vase on the bedside table next to the bed ❤️🥰•
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#momoftwogirls #momof2girls #igmama #momblogs #bloggermoms #childhoodmagic #motherhoodunplugged  #dailyparenting  #mynameismama #honestmotherhood  #writeyouonmyheart #momtogs  #teammotherly #ohheymama #mommytime #motherhoodlens  #momtog #childofig #my365 #motherhoodsimplified #simplemoments #montessoriinspired
We did our flower arranging again earlier this wee We did our flower arranging again earlier this week 💖 I found the girls new vases to use and managed to get their trays ready when they didn't notice this time 😁

I also thought I would mention that these little pouring containers - we use almost everyday. I use them for flower arranging so they have water to pour into the vases themselves, syrup when they have pancakes or waffles, tea when they have tea ☕️ 

And I got a cute photo of Claire, then she insisted that I take a "silly" picture of her 🤣
I'm feeling inspired to arrange everything in 🌈 I'm feeling inspired to arrange everything in 🌈 order thanks to @thehomeedit ...but my life isn't all ROYGBIV perfectly neat and tidy boxes. So enjoy picture 2: the constant work in progress that is the laundry room 🧺 But I am determined to #konmari this place. I also recognize that being Kon Marie'd or Home Editted doesn't mean just a snapshot of perfection. It's more about having systems to manage the constant flow of stuff that comes and goes through the house on a very regular basis. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, that's just a little something I'm working on 💖
I've been afraid to let the girls paint...because I've been afraid to let the girls paint...because = mess...but I found these glue stick shaped paints that dry really fast and stay contained and they love them! Also some cute smocks 💖 so this is our painting speed at the moment. The first time they used them I just gave them red, yellow, and blue. I'm feeling the minimalist mom vibe these days ❤️
I got some craft supplies last weekend and we made I got some craft supplies last weekend and we made some Valentines to mail to some people ❤️ These crafty idea posts usually stress me out to see because I feel totally not together enough or on it to make pink play dough or decorate valentines boxes in a timely manner 💖 I somehow got it together enough to buy some felt stickers and self stampers and pink cards, and am currently working on clearing all the literal and figurative junk from my life. It's a work in progress 💖
These girls truly love flower arranging. It might These girls truly love flower arranging. It might be one of my favorite Montessori-inspired activities ❤️ I think I'm getting better at managing it too. I'm letting them put more flowers in the same arrangement and they turned out so pretty this time 💖 I need to get better at cutting the flowers before they see them though. I'm feeling like making this a weekly activity - my mom gets the credit for that idea! The idea for this activity originally came from @hapafamilyvlog 💖 I'm now on the lookout for some cute little vases. Emma loved saying "smell!" and then jamming the stem with a bunch of flower buds in my face 🥰•
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#momoftwogirls #momof2girls #momblogs #bloggermoms #childhoodmagic #motherhoodunplugged  #dailyparenting  #mynameismama #honestmotherhood  #writeyouonmyheart #momtogs  #teammotherly #ohheymama #mommytime #motherhoodlens  #momtog #my365 #motherhoodsimplified #simplemoments #montessoriathome #montessoritoddler #montessoriinspired
Scandinavian elf princess 💖 @newbielovers Scandinavian elf princess 💖 @newbielovers
This was part of my bday gifts one week ago today This was part of my bday gifts one week ago today 💖 It says "luxury jewelry candle"... I thought that was just the brand 🤷‍♀️ But now I'm about 1/3 through it and this clump of shiny foil looking area on the side has started to emerge. I think there's a surprise of some kind inside 🤷‍♀️ will share updates 🥰 It smells yummy! And I'm 39...also @jodiesweetin just turned 39...I didn't know we were the same age and born so close together. That made me happy to learn 💖
I have been meaning to share the story of our litt I have been meaning to share the story of our little tree and keep trying to post it but then get distracted. So I'll keep it short: we donated our normal sized tree last spring so we could have uniform organization in our garage. Still working on that, but I must say I have loved having a little tree as much as I love having a little house. It's so light to take down! And it fit in the storage bin ❤️ which made me so happy. I guess I thought we had to have a big tree, but I don't think that anymore. 🎄

Also, I feel compelled to start sharing more photos of the mess because as nice as it is to share the groomed photos, it's not exactly fair in my opinion when it's not a true picture of of how it really is. So enjoy the last 2 pictures: just a few of the junky messes in our house that are driving me crazy at the moment 🤣 but, I am determined to get organized and I'm happy to share my progress along the way 🥰
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#homeorganization #kitchenorganization #gettingorganized #organizingideas #homeorganizing #containyourself #organizeyourlife #organizedhome #getorganized #getorganised #letsgetorganized
Emma hair update 💖 her curls ❤️🥰❤️ Emma hair update 💖 her curls ❤️🥰❤️
I normally find putting away Christmas decorations I normally find putting away Christmas decorations to be annoying/depressing/burdensome. But I'm excited to finally get my garage bins labeled and organized so it has actually been kind of nice to start putting a few things away. The tree stays though. At least until my bday this month because that's tradition 💖
My bedroom/office update I have been working on ov My bedroom/office update I have been working on over the past few days. Don't be fooled though - there's still a final junk pile in this room, and the rest of the house and our closet will be keeping me busy for the foreseeable future. But I genuinely love getting organized. And also I think it's a lie that you just have to get tidy once and then you can relax and not worry about it. It's a constant thing to be organized and I'm feeling a strong "I can't live like this anymore" vibe against the clutter at the moment 💖 •
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#gettingorganized #organizingideas #homeorganizing #containyourself #organizeyourlife #organizedhome #getorganized #getorganised #letsgetorganized #homeorganization
Throwback to when it was Christmas Eve, my Christm Throwback to when it was Christmas Eve, my Christmas tree candle still had a little life left, and I ate way too many overdone cookies just because they were there but also under the guise of creating a realistic Santa cookie plate experience...for no one but myself because no one else noticed or cared 🤣 Oh and the sidebar was decluttered for about 30 seconds 💖
The scene from about 2 am this morning. I like tak The scene from about 2 am this morning. I like taking my perfectly staged photo so I can remember that moment when...swipe 🎄❤️
We "made" cookies for Santa...I bought cookie doug We "made" cookies for Santa...I bought cookie dough and we added green icing and red sprinkles 🎄Merry Christmas ❤️🎄
We had fun at the @sharemoresmiles Christmas party We had fun at the @sharemoresmiles Christmas party last night 🎄 We took a party bus to the @phoenixzoo to see the Zoo Lights! The lights were beautiful and the girls stayed up later than ever in life. Claire is decidedly our party animal 🤣🎄Oh and Michael was right...most people did not get our sweaters 🤣 However, it was fun to hear "I don't know MARGO!" Yelled our by a random zoo-goer in close proximity 🎄•
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#christmasvacationmovie #zoolights #officechristmasparty #uglysweater
Getting ready for the @sharemoresmiles Christmas p Getting ready for the @sharemoresmiles Christmas party 🎄
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