2020 is tryin' to knock us down, but us small biz owners gotta take care of each other so we can all keep going! 💪 Today I want to share the love and introduce you to my people! If you have a promotion going on right now, please comment below with what you do, who you do it for, and what your promotion is! I'll be highlighting YOU throughout the day in my stories! Keep your head up, friend. 🌈 We can do this, together. Small biz has always been better together! 
So thankful for this little family. 💗🎄 J and I had a quiet night in last night and got to talking about how we never could have imagined this life. 4 beautiful babies! We’re coming up on 10 years and can’t wait to see what adventures the next decade holds! Happy Thanksgiving y’all! 
Now and Then 🥰👉 Exactly one year ago in front of our tree. My belly got smaller and my ornaments got bigger 😂👌🎄 Oh and a cute baby, too. I know everyone says this, but I can’t imagine our family without baby Claire! She was the sweetest surprise in 2019 and the gift that keeps on giving. Fitting that she’s a December baby. She’s brings so much joy and hope and wonder to our family! (PS: How is she almost 1?! 😭) 
Before and AFTER!!! I can’t believe how these girls turned out. I shocked myself 😹 I’ve been putting this project off for almost 6 months. Ever since Gigi and Poppy handed this table and these chairs down I knew I wanted to find a way to upcycle them to fit our colorful style. Problem is.... I have 4 kids 😜 Any sort of fabric reupholster job was just out of the question. It would be a giant waste of money since these are our everyday chairs and I don’t want to constantly be fussing over our kids keeping them tidy at every meal. So I did something crazy and I can’t believe how it turned out. . I chalk painted them (leather included) with @magnolia brand chalk style paint and then waxed them back to a soft buttery texture. Even I am shocked at this DIY result! This has been my biggest redo project ever and I’m in love! Swipe for the before and tell me what you think! . Next up: wallpaper, new light, and drapes to complete the look 😍 . PS: I painted a fabric bench years ago and it is still in great condition. That’s what gave me the courage to go for this idea! I’ll keep you updated how they hold up! 
The magic is BACK!!! 🎄🙌🤶 2020 needs a big ole dose of cheer so I put a tree in almost every room 😂 10 out of 10 recommend twinkle lights in every nook and cranny! . I partnered with @decoratorswarehouse - for their Home for the Holidays Christmas Tree Challenge - to bring my colorful tree and mantle dreams to life and I’m OBSESSED! 🤩 We created this vintage meets whimsical yet still so beautifully classy look with their collection of FAB Christmas decorations. It’s a toss up, but I’m gonna say that navy and gold plaid ribbon is the star of the pretty show! But those faux fur poinsettias... 🤔 and those Christopher Radko ornaments.... ahhhhh i can’t choose! What do you think of this year's look?! Comment below and let's chat Christmas cheer 🎅 . Then head on over to see the next tree in the challenge (there’s 11 more in the loop!) - @bluegraygal! Kelly used the same navy and gold check ribbon I did but the look is TOTALLY different! She created a warm rustic look with navy, red, and metal accents. So fun! Merry Christmas time, y'all! #DWChristmasAtHome 
Parenting is such a long journey that often feels like a mix of "Fingers crossed I hope I'm doing this right, is anyone listening to me, and tomorrow let's reset and try this again." . But then this. . The magic of motherhood is in the unextraordinary for me. . I don't need grand gestures. It is treasures like these that keep me moving one wobbly step in front of the other. . One of our parenting values is that we cultivate kindness over performance with our children. Jeremy and I could care less about what kind of grades our kids get in school. Sounds crazy, but it just doesn't matter in this house. We want the best for our kids, but we value cultivating character through kindness, respect, and love over performance in this family. . I care about raising adults who care about others. ❤️️ . And while many many days I feel like I need to hit the reset button AGAIN, there are precious glimmers that the work is being done in their tiny hearts. The work is being done in my heart, too. . No real way to wrap this up perfectly, but just wanted to share that if you're a Mama and you're feeling a little bit like you can't measure up to the Pinterest perfect dream life you imagine is on the other side of some of the women you follow online, just know that the simple things are memorable, good, pure and lovely, too. . Here's to treating YOURSELF with more kindness, too! 
Next business dream: Christmas Tree Decorator. 🤶 I think it is meant to be. 🎄Do you have a random job or biz idea that literally sounds like a dream? This is mine. Thinking I’ll deck a whole lotta halls when I retire just for fun 😂😍 Because let’s face it.... I’ll probably never really want to retire. Creative work fuels me! 
We take Christmas decorating very very seriously round here 😂🎄 Tree Day is November 1st. Our little Martin fam tradition that officially became a set date last year as I was hugely pregnant and wanted to prep all the holiday things before Claire’s arrival. We had no clue if she’d come on her New Year’s Eve due date or come early, so I was ON IT come November. The house was decorated in the first week(ish) and I had presents all done by the start of December. And guess what... I LOVED it. I loved being way early so each December day was slow and sweet and magical. And baby girl arrived on the 17th which was the best present ever for me - Extra snuggles + I didn’t have to keep fearing I’d miss out on the best day of the year!🎄💗 And now I wouldn’t want it any other way. A little crazy? Yes. Probs. But wait.... no. Only crazy in other people’s opinion. Not mine. I’m mighty thankful on Thanksgiving when my house is twinkling and the joy of Christmas is WAY too good to only last 25 days. Also... 2020. This year could DEF use some extra holiday magic! This year I got to partner with @decoratorswarehouse for a whole new tree and mantel look and I can’t WAIT to show you real real soon! 
4 kids deep and I can tell you: I’m gonna miss this. I’m gonna miss the chunky thighs and the baby giggles and the long snuggles. I’m going to love watching each of my children grow and learn, but there is something so magically sweet about this baby age. So right now I’m choosing longer rocking sesh times over higher business goals. I’m a-okay making just what we need to provide and saving the hustle for another day (if ever). If you listened to my interview on @annadkornick - first, thank you! I’ve had great convos in DM about it. What I think is important to remember that my story is mine. The way I run life and business is mine to own. It isn’t the RIGHT way. Simply A way. These are simply my priorities. And that is the whole point of the entire show. What are yours? When you look at the goals you’re chasing in life and biz... are they what YOU really want? Or are they carbon copies of what you think you should be chasing based on someone else’s American Dream... Maybe your parents? Maybe the way your industry peers do things? Your friends? A book? Is there something specific you can think of that you feel pressured to do “because that’s just what everyone does?!” I’d love to hear about it! 
“Work smarter not harder. Duh. Sounds great. But like how does that actually go again?” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ☝️ That’s the conversation I had in my mind every time I heard the phrase “work smarter not harder.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve read the 4 Hour Workweek. I knew what work smarter not harder meant in theory, but actually putting that into practice never quite clicked. I’d nod in agreement that it should definitely be a priority, but nothing really ever changed in the hamster wheel of running my business. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ That is until 2019 when I did the extreme. I took my foot off the gas, and as my friend @annadkornick called it, I put my business on Whole30. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I likened it to a child with an allergic reaction. When that happens, you take away all the more notorious foods that can cause a reaction and slowly add them back in until you figure out exactly what is the root of the problem. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In my case, I took away all the tasks we believe we “should do” and slowly tested adding them back in to figure out what tasks brought in a direct return on time investment and what tasks weren’t really necessary to move the needle. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It sounds crazy and it kinda was, but I now know without a shadow of a doubt what is smart work and what is just a lot of work for work sake - resulting in actually working less while making more. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Anna invited me on her podcast, It’s About Time, to talk all about our story, how I structure work so that it fits into our life, how Jeremy and I worked to be set for retirement by 35, and why the digital model has been such a blessing in our journey. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Tune into the Episode - Break the Mold: How to do Work, Motherhood, Time Management and the American Dream YOUR Way with the link in @annadkornick bio. I'd love to hear what you think! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here’s to throwing out the “rule book” and doing life and business on your terms. 👏