Hannah Morrison

Mommy Monday: Your Q’s Answered!

Happy Mommy Monday, y’all! Today I wanted to answer YOUR most asked questions that came through a couple weeks ago for Mommy Monday topics. These are the quick and easy ones I can knock out in a blog post together. Others will be topics for post to come. These are random, all over the board kinds of questions. But, that makes it fun. 😉

  1. When will there be a baby #2? Yes, but no clue when. If I didn’t have to actually be pregnant again or could afford surrogacy… I would tomorrow. I am only semi-kidding about the surrogacy thing… 😉 This past week I was sick with a stomach bug and altitude sickness, though, (separate things, lasted a week between the two O_o) and I remembered what morning sickness was like… I wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer after that… ha.
  2. Did we register for a lot of baby clothes? YES. I registered for equal amounts in every size through 12 months. Then, regardless of how fast or slow my baby grew, I would know I have plenty of things waiting for K. I never was caught off guard that nothing fit him anymore. It was just one less thing to think about.
  3. Did we do baby led weaning? YES. Read all about it here!
  4. How did you transition from the swaddle? We sleep trained with the Dock a Tot from day 1! So initially, we slept Knox in a swaddle in the Dock a Tot in his bassinet. Then, when we moved him to his room a few weeks later, he slept exactly the same way in his room. Then we transitioned the Dock a Tot (swaddled still) to the crib! Once he could start to roll, we removed the Dock a Tot, and it was like we never changed a thing. We used the Love to Dream Swaddles and I swear by them. He slept swaddled until about 6 months. Because of the transitions we did, Knox really never struggled with changes. You can read more here.
  5. Teething Tips? Knox has had SUCH a slow roll with teeth. We only have 4 right now, so I don’t feel like we’ve had the treacherous teething experience others have… yet. It’s coming, I know it is because we have a whole bunch of teeth to come. But, thus far it’s not been too terrible. However, we use Copaiba Young Living directly on his gums and it seems to help a lot.
  6. What’s Knox’s current nap schedule? He always takes a nap almost exactly 2 hours after he wakes up every morning. It’s usually 2 hours. But, it can vary for sure. His afternoon naps are usually 1-3, but he is also fully capable of staying awake and being his happy self if we miss an afternoon nap.
  7. Favorite bottle? MAM and Doctor Brown’s!

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I hope this is helpful for you, but remember at the end of the day you’re a rockstar. Keep doing what your gut tells you is best for your kid!

xoxo,

Han

Happy Valentine’s Day! (+ My favorite Rom Coms)

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all! I love today, and it’s not just because of all the pink and roses. Or, because this time 5 years ago I was bouncing around with all my best friends in my first loft getting ready for my rehearsal dinner. 😉 Yep, I got married the day after Valentine’s Day. (Actually not even on purpose!! We moved our original wedding date up a month and it happened to be V-Day so we just went with it.) I love finding any reason to celebrate and feel good, and today has every opportunity for that. I sincerely hope that no matter what, you feel loved today regardless of “relationship status.” My favorite author, Shauna Niequist, said, “You are significant, with or without a significant other.” I think that says it so beautifully!

So every year we usually go out both nights, V Day and our anniversary. But this year we are doing a dinner tonight and a date night IN tomorrow night watching our favorite rom coms and making a fancy meal. We are going out of town next week for an anni trip to Angel Fire (!!!!), so I asked to do something simple on our actual anniversary. One of my favorite anniversaries we have ever had, no joke, was when Paul had to work that night, so I built us a blanket fort full of his favorite candy and foods and laid out all his favorite movies. I draped twinkle lights everywhere and it really felt so magical and child-like. Picture… the fort from The Holiday. If you know, you know! When he came home we had a slumber party and it was so much fun!

I thought it’d be fun to round-up all my favorite rom coms for you if you’re doing a date night in, too! I am a sucker for pretty much anything sweet, but these are my TOP favorite, go-to, seen them a thousand times movies.

Hannah (and Paul’s) Favorite Rom Coms for a Date Night In:

You’ve Got Mail

How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days

Ten Things I Hate About You

Sweet Home Alabama

The Proposal

She’s The Man

PS I Love You

To All The Boys I’ve Loved

Sleepless in Seattle

Pretty Woman

Our anniversary shoot for today’s post features my February Dress of the Month and I AM OBSESSED. It was also freezing with a wind chill of 23 degrees the day I shot these pics with Hannah from Cottonwood Road Photography… soooooo, I feel like I look cold in all of them even when I am trying not to look cold. L O L.

Managing Expectations: Valentine’s Day

Okay okay, so I think I have made it pretty clear… I friggn’ love Valentine’s Day. I love pink and red, I love chocolate, I love flowers, I love love, I love cute romantic music (like, here, on my Valentine’s Day playlist!), I love celebrating love, I love showing love to my closest friends, I love decorating for Valentine’s Day…

I mean, for real. I love it all.

I am not a fool, though, and I know Valentine’s Day is hard for some. I have been there. I know what it’s like to hate Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s your first one since a hard break-up. The first since somebody close to you passed away. Another year that you turned down a date because it didn’t “feel right.” Another year you’re dating somebody just for the heck of it, because on paper it looks good, but you just can’t find the real feelings for them regardless of all the reasons you’ve come up with that you SHOULD be madly in love with them. (That one is so freaking real for my story. And, take it from me, that was more painful than it was fun.) The first year you don’t have a date. Whatever it may be, I know it can feel like a spotlight is on your life every year when February 14th comes around, reminding you your life perhaps doesn’t look like you wanted it to or thought it would.

I had year after year of Valentine’s Days where I had dreamed up this spectacular, surprise Valentine sweeping me off my feet, bringing flowers to school for me, leaving me a surprise on the hood of my car only to come out of nowhere serenading me to my favorite love song… It’s fine, I am not a hopeless romantic at all… And year after year I was disappointed, because my expectations didn’t match the reality of my day. Either things fell flat or the person I wanted to show me affection totally didn’t return it. But had I come into the day with gratitude for the love I had in my life, which was an immense amount, I wouldn’t have found myself feeling lonely or less-than by the end of another February 14th solely because something spectacularly romantic didn’t happen to me that I had dreamed up in my head. You feel me?

But, here’s the funniest part of it all. Y’all, I have had the hopeless romantic, movie scene things happen to me and they all, despite meeting every fantasy daydream of mine, didn’t satisfy. I am not kidding you, a boy once wrote a song for me and played it on a piano at school after math class for me. I didn’t even realize in the moment what was happening- I for real thought it was a friend sharing a song with me that he had written… but not for me. And what should have ended with a huge smooch in my movie scene moment actually left me feeling “bleh” and a little guilty that I didn’t feel fireworks for this incredibly kind guy and his romantic gesture. Another year, a guy made a mum for homecoming for me with his mom, and I ignored his phone calls because I was scared he was in fact making me a mum and I didn’t want to deal with telling him I wasn’t into him like that… I woke up to a beautiful massive mum on my porch that morning that I later found out he left at 4 AM for me. Ugh, I was the worst. I wish I could go back to 16 year old Hannah and handle a whole bunch of things differently. But, alas, we can’t do that. But, no joke, I think about these things from time to time and want to vomit at myself a little. O_o Another year on Valentine’s Day, a boy bought me candy and a stuffed animal, and he wrote me a letter about why he thought I was great. And, once again, I was appreciative… but nothing. No sparks. Again, I left just feeling guilty.

Now flip it, while dating my now husband, our first Valentine’s Day was a joke. It ended in tears and a huge fight. Then, the next day I showed up to roses on my desk at work… but they weren’t from Paul. And, our fight escalated exponentially… as you can imagine. Y’all, you can’t make these things up. And once again, Valentine’s Day wasn’t this grand event and I felt disappointed. And again, that was with my NOW HUSBAND. Even the guy I was going to end up with left me feeling disappointed on Valentine’s Day when we were just 3 months into dating when it’s supposed to be magical and overly romantic… right?

So my point?? No matter what comes your way, Valentine’s Day could be disappointing or, perhaps, surprising to say the least. Or, it can really be the best day ever. But what changes that outcome? Your attitude and perspective. Not the perfect date or perfect boyfriend or romantic gesture from your spouse. I want to challenge you as this holiday approaches. No matter what your “relationship status” may be, I hope you set some expectations, but that they are expectations for yourself- not ones you put on others. Expect to enter into the day with gratitude and to bless the mess out of everyone you love. Send texts to each friend and family member in your life to express how they love you well. Send words of encouragement, gift people in line at Starbucks with a free coffee, deliver flowers to a friend at work who has had a tough season. Whatever it is, you can manage your expectations and use your “hopeless romantic” desire in a way that loves others well. This applies to you whether you’re single, dating, engaged, or married.

As a wife, I will not expect my husband to be anything he’s not on Valentine’s Day. If he isn’t a hopeless romantic all other 364 days of the year, he’s not going to be on Valentine’s Day. He will show me he loves me in ways that he wants to (and, he always does now… and he’s really good at it!). And, regardless of what love may be shown or romantic things may or may not be done for me on February 14th, I know without a doubt that I get to use the day to meet my own expectations of loving others. Does this make sense?

And here is my final encouragement to you, wherever you’re at and whatever life stage you find yourself in: You have a God who loves you so deeply. And, shocker, He loves you way better and more faithfully than even the best husbands or boyfriends. I mean it. I am not just saying “Hallmark-Worthy” things to make you feel a little better about a holiday. I am telling you, God loved you first and it’s because of that GREATEST love we have even a glimpse at His love through the gift of relationships. Our friendships and romantic relationships are literally just a tiny glimpse at the vast love our God has for us.

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Romans 8: 31-39 (The MSG)

No matter what comes your way, you have a God who loves you immensely. Exactly as you are, broken and -perhaps- a little jaded. He loves you.

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweet friends. Know you’re loved today (and every day).

xoxo,

Han

Mommy Monday: Playroom

Happy Monday, y’all! AND welcome to Mommy Mondays.

Here’s what I have discovered over the last year of blogging and being a new mommy… A whole lot of you are moms or mommies-to-be… and a whole lot of you aren’t. As you can imagine, trying to create content that is relevant  to everybody while also remaining an open book about my day in and day out (that is often obviously going to be centered around motherhood) has presented a weird combination of emotions trying to create content and write posts that make all of you happy.

So, here’s my solution: Mommy Mondays. This is where you will find all my mommy hacks, Knox updates, and -in short- all things baby. Of course, you’ll see Knox in my regular posts on Thursdays, too, from time to time, but Mondays are when mommy-focused posts will go up (if I have one that week!)

I hope this helps you guys! I know it will help me categorize my posts for you and make sure I am hitting all bases of my life on here. I like the “lifestyle” blog title and not “fashion blogger” or “mommy blogger,” per se. I don’t like being put into a category, so I hope this will help me remain an overall balanced blog for all things and all people in every stage of life.

Anyways, today’s post is all things PLAYROOM! We bought our first home two summers ago, and it’s been a slow crawl making things happen around here that I want done because a. time b. budget liiiife. Also we’ve discovered we both loathe entirely (use your best Jim Carrey Grinch voice) painting. So I have a list of about 20 things I want done in the house, from painting to new furniture to restoring old pieces, that I just cross off little by little. One of those things is turning the guest room into a more functional playroom/guest room for us. The guest room is necessary, because my parents come about once a month to spend time with Knoxy. But, other than that, the room is literally not even looked at right now other than when they’re in town. It feels like unused space that we could really use.

Currently we have my office functioning as a playroom/office/Presley’s room when we are out. So… a PlOfficeRoom? It’s working for now, but is definitely not long term. Believe it or not… I have big plans for my office space that don’t include a teepee. 😉  The reason I want a playroom, separate from his nursery, is to have a well-organized space for his toys and imagination to run wild. His nursery is a sweet space perfect for simple play, reading, and sleep. We have a rocker in there, and the room really is so small that there just isn’t much space more for anything else. I want the playroom to be a space he can throw things around and have his teepee out at all times (he freaking loves that thing… and so does Presley), and eventually a play house, etc. His bedroom just doesn’t have that space. I have began purchasing some items for our guest room to functional playroom makeover, and I wanted to share the entire end goal for any of you who may find yourself in a similar situation!

My goal with this room is colorful and fun, but also keeping in mind that if we grow our family while in this home this room will become Knoxy’s and the nursery will stay the nursery. I have picked out a CHEAP daybed that we can buy a trundle attachment for. This would be like having two twin beds in our guest room, but it shows as a sofa basically. It’s far more functional for us than a room which is 90% filled with a queen size iron bed.

The walls are currently a greigey-tan like the rest of the house (bleh, barf- I can’t wait until we paint the whole house, fingers crossed.) But, they will be painted Alabaster by Sherwin Williams with an accent wall of wallpaper.

Wallpaper Options from Shop B Darling:

Amos | Shepherd | Porter

Fun Rug Options:

Here | Here | Here | Here |

Cool Indoor Playset: Here

 

Finding “Me Time”

Alright, so a couple weeks ago I decided it was TIME. Time to make every appointment I have said I would make for the last two months and actually go to them. DUN-DUN-DUN (insert dramatic music here.) I called it “Self-Care Week,” and it. was. so. good. I cannot tell y’all enough, just like it’s so important to find time with your spouse (sans kids!!!!), how vital it is to find some “you time.”

I don’t care if you’re a mom, a wife, single, no kids, a roommate, living at home… whatever! You need YOU TIME. This is a daily need and then also, on a bigger scale, at least a monthly thing. Have a large chunk of time set aside to be alone, y’all.

I keep referencing this in things I write lately, because it’s just such an important realization: Jesus got away from crowds to be alone. And, I guarantee you it was to re-coop and become a better-equipped self for all the CRAZIES out there. 😉 Okay, Jesus definitely wouldn’t say it that way… But, human Hannah definitely does. I need to get away and re-coop, without Knox or Paul, to be a better mom and wife. Then, of course, as a couple we have to get away without Knox on a regular basis.

When I don’t, I lose it. I am short-tempered, angry, feisty, and don’t want to be touched. That’s not fun for anybody to be around, and I hate when I get to that point.

Most weeks, “me time” looks like a stroll at the grocery store with a coffee in hand alone. Or, it can look like getting my hair or nails done. Or, it could simply be getting to go back to my room with a glass of wine to read while Paul plays with Knox.

Alright, so I say all that to set up my extravagant “self-care” week. My “me time” doesn’t look this fantastic, but I wish it did. 😉

  • I got my eyebrows shaped and tinted with my girl Carrie after MONTHS of saying, “I gotta make an appointment.” No joke, I think I went from May to January without seeing her. Big news: Carrie is branching off from Southern Chic Wax to start her own company and I am so excited for her!! Start following her new journey, here. You can start booking appointments TOMORROW, Feb. 1st!
  • I scheduled my next hair appointment and dentist appointment (praises!). Sounds silly, but it’s really important to me haha. As far as hair goes, my bestie Bethany is the most incredible colorist, and if you’re local she is coming back from maternity leave in the early spring!
  • I went to TruDerm, which I documented on my Instagram, for my first experience with microdermabrasion. I loved it! It was painless, like a deep cleaning for my pores basically. The spa itself was gorgeous, everybody was so nice, and -honestly- here’s what I was most impressed with. Having never been to a clinical spa before, I was expecting a bunch of women with noticeable fillers. Just being really honest. But much to my surprise, from the person behind the desk who greeted me to the woman who did my facial (and everybody in between that I passed)… nobody had “too much” botox. I know that could sound a little judge-y… and I don’t mean it to. But as somebody who values natural beauty but also believes botox is a-okay and you should do whatever floats your boat… I just was really pleased to see an entire clinical spa with beautiful women everywhere with amazing skin and, for those who had it, well-done botox! It was the first thing I told Paul when I came home. I would 3000000% trust TruDerm with fillers on myself or people I know after having seen every single person in their spa and not thinking once “Aw man, they did too much.” I know that seriously could be taken wrong, so please don’t turn it into something. But, TruDerm has my absolute, hands down utmost respect for their work!
  • After 3 years of saying I want to… I finally went to see my first counselor. I KNOW! When I told some people this they asked, “Oh no! Why?” Which it totally understandable! A lot of people go to a counselor in crisis, and I am team ‘See A Counselor’ ALL THE WAY. For me, though, I just know there’s things I need to work through emotionally and spiritually from experiences in my life that I haven’t really dealt with before, and I am excited to finally do so. Some of the best, most admirable leaders I know see a counselor once a month just for the heck of it, and I honor that. I figure if they do, I should too. Already, I feel freedom from getting to talk about things with all walls down and no fear of saying something “I shouldn’t.” Anyways, go see a counselor! I dare you- it just might be the best thing you’ve ever done!
  • I spent a ton of time cleaning out my closet- tossing things I love but didn’t wear this past year in its rightful season (that’s my rule for purging!). I sold a bunch over on @shopthecakescloset, and donated the rest. It felt good to make some money on the side to put into my business and to buy some new jeans I desperately needed.
  • I did no alcohol for 3 weeks and no cake or ice cream. SAY WHAT? It’s true. My church does a fast twice a year, and our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting is always how we begin the year. I decided no glass of red wine like I so love at the end of every day, and no cake or ice cream. I don’t know how we made it with no cake or ice cream… but we made it y’all! Paul and I chose to fill our evenings with intentional reading instead of TV most nights during this time as well, which was so refreshing. I am currently reading It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa Terk’s new book… and well, let’s just say I was weeping 10 pages in. Every evening felt like space set aside for “me time” when I got in bed to read.
  • I painted my nails- yeah. I painted them. I have had paint-less nails for at least 9+ months…
  • Another huge deal for me is our gym! We chose our gym because with our membership comes up to 3 hours of childcare a day when we come to workout. So our gym membership is a little pricey… but I also credit it to half of my sanity, haha. Working out makes me a better self, and getting alone time does. And, my kid is getting to play with other boys and girls his age we wouldn’t otherwise know. It’s just all such a win! Worth every extra penny. For the new year, I decided to commit to myself going to at least three CLASSES a week in order to challenge myself physically and to meet people. It’s been so. much. better. for. me. I am just not the type of person who can push themselves in a solo workout. I will just scroll my phone while I lackadaisically use the elliptical for 45 minutes. But now, I feel sweaty and accomplished after a workout again, and I love it!

So, what do you do for “you time?” I am telling you, it’s a vital part of your schedule. And if you don’t set aside time for you… do it and you’ll see why it is. Love you guys!

xoxo,

Han

“Me Investments”

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