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“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

Have you ever felt like you've lost your sparkle? Moms know that motherhood is filled with often repetitive, boring and demanding tasks that make us feel like we've lost our sparkle, our shine, the things that make us special. But I believe that if we lean into creativity, we can figure out what that sparkle is again. We can find ourselves again in what we're doing right now.  Motherhood offers endless opportunities for creativity, as well as challenges to it. But we are not afraid of a challenge, we are going to find out how to sparkle again. If you've ever felt dull, listen in! Jessica is here to help us find our sparkle again.  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

Sarah Lopez-Madrigal started offering academic help to kids in her neighborhood during Covid and quickly realized they were suffering from loneliness, anxiety and depression. She got to work creating a third space kids can get together outside, off-screens and in community with each other. WeBelong PDX offers comprehensive wellness-programs to kids and families and is all about helping kids thrive.  She's here today to talk about how social disconnection is killing us... literally. Loneliness is as bad for our health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day! (Yikes!)  Our culture of isolation and convenience is a breeding ground for what so many of us are struggling with: feelings of loneliness and helplessness. Sarah's mission with WeBelong PDX is simple: Lower Stress and Elevate Joy - and she's sharing how we can do that in our own communities starting right now.  She shares with us research that shows the importance of connection for living truly good lives, as summed up in The Good Life. She warns against us choosing perception over relationships, convenience over community and comfort over engagement.  She has a simple plan for healing our homes and our communities through social connection: don't wait for other people to ask for help, join a club, start your own get-togethers, engage in little interactions with strangers and leave the phones at home so we can truly enjoy the good life.   Recommended Reads: The Good Life  Together by Vivek Murthy The Upswing and Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

Perfectionism has some merits - and some downsides. Sitting with both enables me to move forward with freedom and hope.  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

A brief contemplation of legacy and purpose, and how I'm figuring out what mine is in this season I'm in right now.  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

Editing is a powerful tool we use to figure out what works, what doesn’t and what we should spend our energy on next. And it works for physical spaces like a silverware drawer and for our values and mental loads. Today, Jessica and Michelle discuss the POP method for editing. It starts with taking everything out, evaluating what you’re working with, and putting back only what helps you thrive in your current season.  We also talk about the Traffic Light Method for evaluating your commitments, how to talk about the mental load with your partner (and actually let some of it be carried by someone else), and pursuing clarity of purpose in all the incessant pinging of information   Quoted Jenna O’Brien from her Substack.  While you’re there, sign up for the Pretty Over Perfect Substack to get weekly updates! It’s new and it’s fun!  Also quoted,  Dust If You Must by Rose Milligan Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better To paint a picture, or write a letter, Bake a cake, or plant a seed; Ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there's not much time, With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb; Music to hear, and books to read; Friends to cherish, and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair; A flutter of snow, a shower of rain, This day will not come around again. Dust if you must, but bear in mind, Old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go (and go you must) You, yourself, will make more dust Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

I can't wait for you to hear from Khrystyne Jaspers of Space Jams today. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two kids in their 1-bedroom, 750 sq ft apartment and has a design and coaching business helping other small-space dwellers - but her wisdom applies to anyone in any size house.  We're diving into topics like what to do when it hurts to let go of something, solutions for small spaces, the intertwining of life and death and so much more. She is a true gem and you will love her!  Find a tour of her adorable apartment via Apartment Therapy here. Follow her on Instagram and on Substack.  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

As moms, opportunities for rest might seem few and far between. We are often dealing with sleepless nights and full schedules. But there are moments of rest: physical, spiritual and emotional that are available to us even in our busiest seasons. And that rest isn't just for when we've accomplished everything on our to-do lists. If we build it into our routines, it protects against burnout and equips us to be the mothers we truly want to be.  In this episode you'll find practical tips for embracing rest right now. Plus, how to write your own Motherhood Mantra, how to give yourself a real break and a brief history of the popularity of the tan (a bio-indicator of health).  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect