In January of 2016, I found myself inside our tiny rental with a six-month-old who napped twice a day. Quite frankly, I was bored. In an effort to channel the boredom, I started experimenting in the kitchen, making meals while the baby slept. And in this monotonous “napped trapped” season, Naptime Kitchen was born. While the baby slept, I cooked.
When I began sharing small cooking tips, time-saving ideas, and home hacks online—most of which my own mom taught me—I quickly realized that although these things were second nature to me, many people had never heard of them. Whether I was offering ideas for quick and easy weekly meal plans, strategies for organizing the playroom, or a simple encouragement for struggling new moms, I quickly grew a passion for sharing what I was personally learning.
As my own family continued to grow, I cooked a bit less and started to write more. From the mundane moments to deeper reflections on my own upbringing, I found that writing not only helped to ground me, it also allowed me to process the day-to-day challenges of being a mom. What shocked me the most was how much other people resonated with my words.
Fast forward seven years, and Naptime Kitchen is still going strong. With loads of dry shampoo, four kids, and a rambunctious household, I hope to show a side of social media we all desperately want: the normal side.
Whether it's a recipe, kitchen tip, home hack, or bit of perspective, I am so glad you're here and hope you stay a while! I hope to bring some laughter and joy into what can often be the mundane, overwhelming task of feeding your family and keeping a home. I seek to make meals that are budget friendly and relatively easy, and inspire you to create a home that serves you. A home you and your family can rest in and call your own.
We had two sets of friends come to town last weekend, one staying with us and the other at an Airbnb close by. The temperature dropped drastically Friday night and by Saturday it was cold and raining. Our house became the hangout spot for the weekend. At one point, every single surface had stuff on […]
I turn 35 today, and this is the biggest thing I’ve been muddling over: For most of my late twenties and early thirties I was bringing our four children into the world. While they (and Nate) are still my number one priority and use of time, the role is changing. I am not pregnant or […]
When you’re eight years old and the team you’ve watched every regular season game for makes the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and your dad splurges for tickets and you think it’s all for you but really it’s a lot for him because this is something he would have done with his own […]
#SHOWERINTHEDARK Allow me to make a case for why showering in a dark bathroom is life changing. We are around so much stimuli all day long. Screens and schedules and news and notifications and kids and the list goes on and on. We need a break, but a trip to the spa isn’t in the […]
It’s that time of year again…the newness of the school year has worn off and it’s #Thursday: I had a wise friend tell me that one day my kids would come home from school and begin to melt down for no reason at all. The mere suggestion they take their lunchbox out of the book bag […]
Over the summer I took the kids shoe shopping and it was one of the most visceral feelings I have had of missing my grandfather since he passed away last September. I got in the car upon leaving and sat in the parking lot and cried. My grandfather always had an appreciation for well-made […]
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