There's so much to be thankful for! 🤎 All my si There's so much to be thankful for! 🤎 All my siblings under one roof again, going to bed each night with my best friend, and the best kids I could ever dream of. 

This year, I've really realllly focused on slowing down. Being 'in the moment' with the kids and doing my best to connect with them a little bit each day. To clean the house because it makes me happy but to also not to let the mess get to me when there's something more important to do, and sometimes that thing is just sitting on the couch with my loves. I've learned to work hard at my job but also close the laptop at the end of the day and walk away. I've learned that social media is a great place to connect with people, not EvErYtHiNg needs to be shared and no one goes hungry when I don't post for a few days. 

So many lessons I'm grateful to have had this year because we are better for them 🤎🤎🤎
A little more on our first 24 hours with our sweet A little more on our first 24 hours with our sweet cradle care placement. She's now with her adoptive parents and I feel so blessed that we could be a small part of her story. We're continuing to pray for her, her bio mom, and her new family as they adjust to all the things that come with first-time parenthood. It was so hard to say goodbye but I'd do it 1000 more times!
The last time we had a cradle care placement I got The last time we had a cradle care placement I got a lot of questions about what cradle care is and how people can get involved in it. I wanted to create a longer video about what our first 24 hours was like with a new cradle care placement and then I realized reels can only be 90 seconds! 😅 So here's the first part of my cradle care rundown. Let me know what questions you have!
The other day I saw a comment on a post saying tha The other day I saw a comment on a post saying that if you choose to have children, they should take priority in your life and everything else comes second, including your marriage. Well, sure, while it's your responsibility to do right by your kids and raise them to the best of your ability, I think putting your marriage first actually does just that in many ways. Here are a few I thought of:

Putting your marriage first teaches your kids that they're not the center of the universe. We can make our kids feel special and meet all of their emotional needs while not teaching them that they are always first. It would be a rude awakening for them once ther leave our home if we do. 

Putting your marriage first gives your children a huge sense of stability. If there is instability in your life that you can't control, they'll continue to look to you and your spouse as their guiding light through it. 

Putting your marriage first also teaches our kids how they should treat their spouse one day. They'll learn how to handle conflict, how to stay unified, how to sacrificially serve each other. If kids get the massage that they come first, they may very well treat their future spouse that way as well. 

Would you add anything to this list?
What’s something you wish you did more since hav What’s something you wish you did more since having kids?

I remember a time when life was a blur of getting out of the house to go to work, managing the front desk at a small optometrist’s office, pumping in the bathroom at work, and getting home at 6 (some days, 7:30) for what little cuddles David had left in him before his bedtime at 8. And then you wake up and do it all over again. It was in those early days that I couldn’t remember who I was. And even if I had the time to “be myself” again, I’m not sure I would even choose to do the same things I had liked a few years earlier. I was changing and growing but rarely had the time to even think about how or why. 

Fast forward a few years, and I can say it *does* get easier. It is possible to give much of yourself to your family while still reserving some energy to nurture your own spiritual, physical, and mental health. Of course, when you have a baby that doesn’t want to be anywhere but in your arms, that gets a little more tricky, but that phase doesn’t last long, I’ve learned. 

It was during that crazy time when our first baby was still a baby that I said, “That’s enough! I have no idea who I even am anymore and I’m curious to find out.” So that’s when my blog was born. And from there, it took to Instagram and from there, writing books. 

It’s still a balancing act that I don’t get right much of the time, and most of the time it looks more like a pendulum, where I sway from being a great mom to a mediocre one but a great writer and vice versa. But all that to say, even in the baby era, you can take the time to rediscover who you are, what you love to do, and nurture those areas in your life. 

What’s something you wish you did more since having kids?

—

Shout-out to the makers of this GORGEOUS dress that I could literally live in 💙 @daughtersofindia
It's not possible to be in a sour mood when you're It's not possible to be in a sour mood when you're around that smile 🥰
A few photos of life lately. We've said yes to a f A few photos of life lately. We've said yes to a few placement calls but they've fallen through (that's how it goes!), we're kind of doing baby-led weaning with Cleo?, Josh and I have been setting up my new desk and I've learned more about keyboards than I ever needed to know 😅 So grateful for this family of mine.
The absolute best dad 🤍 We'd be lost without hi The absolute best dad 🤍 We'd be lost without him. He grounds us, speaks truth, and shows incredible love and kindness to each of us. I could not think of a better partner for life. 
@joshuadaviddamon
I leave tomorrow for a work trip and while it's on I leave tomorrow for a work trip and while it's only one night away, the last time I spent a night away from the kids was over two years ago and the last time I was away from Josh was maybe four?? 

I'm very lucky to feel like I can leave for a couple days without having to worry that the kids will have everything they need, shoutout to @joshuadaviddamon 🩷 

But I will miss them a tonnn. But hey - maybe a night without having to make bottles or little legs kicking me in their dreams will be nice?? Just for one night, tho 😉
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Family · January 23, 2021

A Tour of Our Home

It’s hard to believe that almost a year ago now, we bought our first home. Although it took a lot longer to move in than we expected (you know, given the whole global pandemic thing), Josh and I have really enjoyed getting to make it our own – we’ve never been able to do that before!

Overall, I think the touches in our home would be described as minimal yet cozy and inviting. I never want to fill spaces just to fill them, but I want each piece we add to our home to have either a practical purpose or create an inviting aesthetic.

The dining room

In the kitchen/dining arena we had a goal of making it look minimal but homey. We were able to pull this off with a white and natural fiber rug that brought a light contrast to our dark floors, simple plastic and wooden kitchen chairs (the perfect chair when you have little kids IMHO), and 

Here are a few of the pieces we’ve brought into our dining area:

Farmhouse tabe

We actually purchased our specific table from a local builder here in Greenville but I’ll link a similar table. I love that it’s so long and we can fit our extended family around it when they visit! I also like that it’s a lighter wood than our floors.

Dining room chairs

I am in love with our kitchen chairs. Sure, they’re not the most chic option, but the fact that I can get chocolate milk off of them with a wet paper tower has me drooling. I also think their minimal look just fits well in this space as well.

Dining room rug

When we first moved to Greenville, I had several Instagram friends tell me that we should check out At Home while we were working on furnishing the house. I was blown away! They have great prices AND a great selection. They are probably one of my favorite stores now. 

Modern farmhouse plant hangers

At first, Josh and I bought these plant hangers without knowing what exactly we were going to do with them and I absolutely love how they came together! Not only that, but these Devil’s Ivy plants have done so well, even when we stayed with family for 10 days around the holidays.

Our bedroom

This is one of the rooms that took us the longest time to figure out what we wanted to do with it. However, once Josh and I installed these gorgeous prints from my favorite artist, Kendra Castillio, it felt like the calming blue and green tones brought it all together. 

Bedding

We have a couple linen sets from Piglet in Bed that I’ve mixed together here. Josh and I LOVE linen sheets. I feel they give you the perfect mix of weight while not making you hot and they only get softer over time. We’ve used their bedding for a couple years now and love it.

Mattress

Before recommending a mattress, I wanted to make sure I spent some time using it first to see how we really felt about it. Josh and I have really enjoyed our Avocado Green Mattress. It’s rated America’s #1 natural mattress! It was extremely easy to set up in our room and we also love the Avocado Green non-toxic pillow with adjustable fill.

My office

This is a part of the house where I spend a lot of my time. And for the longest time it was just a desk, and a chair. That is until Josh decided to set up a standing desk for me! He seriously went all out and I love it.

Then, we decided to create an extra sitting area on the back side of the office that was more cozy. We picked up this vintage chare from one of my favorite local bookstores. Here’s a link to a similar chair.

Wide screen monitor

This is great especially when I have to Zoom into a meeting while simultaneously getting some other work done. 

Blue Yeti Microphone

First of all, I love the stand that comes with this microphone but as Josh is really into desk setups, he had to make it custom. I’ve used this mic for recording podcasts, voiceovers, and videos and I’m always extremely happy with the quality!

Headphone holder

My dad made this! The quality is like none other and you can grab one for yourself from my parents’ Etsy shop!

Office chair

Linking a similar chair here.

Printer

In my opinion, this printer is the best bang for your buck. It connects via bluetooth to my phone or laptop which makes printing super easy!

Live edge desk

So this is a desk that Josh and I actually built together. We bought the legs off Etsy and a large wood slab from a luber worker in Virginia and sanded, stained, and finished it together. It was a super fun project! Here I’ll link a very similar desk/table from Etsy.

What is your favorite piece from the list? 

In: Family · Tagged: avocado mattress, cotton mattress, decorating, furnishing, greenville, home decor, home office, linen bedding, natural mattress, new home, organic mattress, sc, south carolina

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Comments

  1. Karissa Bradley says

    February 5, 2021 at 3:17 am

    Your house is SO LOVELY. I love how open the floor plan is, and I’m diggin your choice in rugs!

Next Post >

Cultivating Quality Time With the Kids This Holiday Season

Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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There's so much to be thankful for! 🤎 All my si There's so much to be thankful for! 🤎 All my siblings under one roof again, going to bed each night with my best friend, and the best kids I could ever dream of. 

This year, I've really realllly focused on slowing down. Being 'in the moment' with the kids and doing my best to connect with them a little bit each day. To clean the house because it makes me happy but to also not to let the mess get to me when there's something more important to do, and sometimes that thing is just sitting on the couch with my loves. I've learned to work hard at my job but also close the laptop at the end of the day and walk away. I've learned that social media is a great place to connect with people, not EvErYtHiNg needs to be shared and no one goes hungry when I don't post for a few days. 

So many lessons I'm grateful to have had this year because we are better for them 🤎🤎🤎
A little more on our first 24 hours with our sweet A little more on our first 24 hours with our sweet cradle care placement. She's now with her adoptive parents and I feel so blessed that we could be a small part of her story. We're continuing to pray for her, her bio mom, and her new family as they adjust to all the things that come with first-time parenthood. It was so hard to say goodbye but I'd do it 1000 more times!
The last time we had a cradle care placement I got The last time we had a cradle care placement I got a lot of questions about what cradle care is and how people can get involved in it. I wanted to create a longer video about what our first 24 hours was like with a new cradle care placement and then I realized reels can only be 90 seconds! 😅 So here's the first part of my cradle care rundown. Let me know what questions you have!
The other day I saw a comment on a post saying tha The other day I saw a comment on a post saying that if you choose to have children, they should take priority in your life and everything else comes second, including your marriage. Well, sure, while it's your responsibility to do right by your kids and raise them to the best of your ability, I think putting your marriage first actually does just that in many ways. Here are a few I thought of:

Putting your marriage first teaches your kids that they're not the center of the universe. We can make our kids feel special and meet all of their emotional needs while not teaching them that they are always first. It would be a rude awakening for them once ther leave our home if we do. 

Putting your marriage first gives your children a huge sense of stability. If there is instability in your life that you can't control, they'll continue to look to you and your spouse as their guiding light through it. 

Putting your marriage first also teaches our kids how they should treat their spouse one day. They'll learn how to handle conflict, how to stay unified, how to sacrificially serve each other. If kids get the massage that they come first, they may very well treat their future spouse that way as well. 

Would you add anything to this list?

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There's so much to be thankful for! 🤎 All my si There's so much to be thankful for! 🤎 All my siblings under one roof again, going to bed each night with my best friend, and the best kids I could ever dream of. 

This year, I've really realllly focused on slowing down. Being 'in the moment' with the kids and doing my best to connect with them a little bit each day. To clean the house because it makes me happy but to also not to let the mess get to me when there's something more important to do, and sometimes that thing is just sitting on the couch with my loves. I've learned to work hard at my job but also close the laptop at the end of the day and walk away. I've learned that social media is a great place to connect with people, not EvErYtHiNg needs to be shared and no one goes hungry when I don't post for a few days. 

So many lessons I'm grateful to have had this year because we are better for them 🤎🤎🤎
A little more on our first 24 hours with our sweet A little more on our first 24 hours with our sweet cradle care placement. She's now with her adoptive parents and I feel so blessed that we could be a small part of her story. We're continuing to pray for her, her bio mom, and her new family as they adjust to all the things that come with first-time parenthood. It was so hard to say goodbye but I'd do it 1000 more times!
The last time we had a cradle care placement I got The last time we had a cradle care placement I got a lot of questions about what cradle care is and how people can get involved in it. I wanted to create a longer video about what our first 24 hours was like with a new cradle care placement and then I realized reels can only be 90 seconds! 😅 So here's the first part of my cradle care rundown. Let me know what questions you have!
The other day I saw a comment on a post saying tha The other day I saw a comment on a post saying that if you choose to have children, they should take priority in your life and everything else comes second, including your marriage. Well, sure, while it's your responsibility to do right by your kids and raise them to the best of your ability, I think putting your marriage first actually does just that in many ways. Here are a few I thought of:

Putting your marriage first teaches your kids that they're not the center of the universe. We can make our kids feel special and meet all of their emotional needs while not teaching them that they are always first. It would be a rude awakening for them once ther leave our home if we do. 

Putting your marriage first gives your children a huge sense of stability. If there is instability in your life that you can't control, they'll continue to look to you and your spouse as their guiding light through it. 

Putting your marriage first also teaches our kids how they should treat their spouse one day. They'll learn how to handle conflict, how to stay unified, how to sacrificially serve each other. If kids get the massage that they come first, they may very well treat their future spouse that way as well. 

Would you add anything to this list?
What’s something you wish you did more since hav What’s something you wish you did more since having kids?

I remember a time when life was a blur of getting out of the house to go to work, managing the front desk at a small optometrist’s office, pumping in the bathroom at work, and getting home at 6 (some days, 7:30) for what little cuddles David had left in him before his bedtime at 8. And then you wake up and do it all over again. It was in those early days that I couldn’t remember who I was. And even if I had the time to “be myself” again, I’m not sure I would even choose to do the same things I had liked a few years earlier. I was changing and growing but rarely had the time to even think about how or why. 

Fast forward a few years, and I can say it *does* get easier. It is possible to give much of yourself to your family while still reserving some energy to nurture your own spiritual, physical, and mental health. Of course, when you have a baby that doesn’t want to be anywhere but in your arms, that gets a little more tricky, but that phase doesn’t last long, I’ve learned. 

It was during that crazy time when our first baby was still a baby that I said, “That’s enough! I have no idea who I even am anymore and I’m curious to find out.” So that’s when my blog was born. And from there, it took to Instagram and from there, writing books. 

It’s still a balancing act that I don’t get right much of the time, and most of the time it looks more like a pendulum, where I sway from being a great mom to a mediocre one but a great writer and vice versa. But all that to say, even in the baby era, you can take the time to rediscover who you are, what you love to do, and nurture those areas in your life. 

What’s something you wish you did more since having kids?

—

Shout-out to the makers of this GORGEOUS dress that I could literally live in 💙 @daughtersofindia
It's not possible to be in a sour mood when you're It's not possible to be in a sour mood when you're around that smile 🥰
A few photos of life lately. We've said yes to a f A few photos of life lately. We've said yes to a few placement calls but they've fallen through (that's how it goes!), we're kind of doing baby-led weaning with Cleo?, Josh and I have been setting up my new desk and I've learned more about keyboards than I ever needed to know 😅 So grateful for this family of mine.
The absolute best dad 🤍 We'd be lost without hi The absolute best dad 🤍 We'd be lost without him. He grounds us, speaks truth, and shows incredible love and kindness to each of us. I could not think of a better partner for life. 
@joshuadaviddamon
I leave tomorrow for a work trip and while it's on I leave tomorrow for a work trip and while it's only one night away, the last time I spent a night away from the kids was over two years ago and the last time I was away from Josh was maybe four?? 

I'm very lucky to feel like I can leave for a couple days without having to worry that the kids will have everything they need, shoutout to @joshuadaviddamon 🩷 

But I will miss them a tonnn. But hey - maybe a night without having to make bottles or little legs kicking me in their dreams will be nice?? Just for one night, tho 😉
It was just about a year ago that I sat in this ve It was just about a year ago that I sat in this very chair to take pregnancy announcement photos and here she is today, all smiles and two teeth. I can’t believe in the year year she grew in my tummy and now she’s here and we couldn’t imagine life without her.

Ps. I'm obsesseddd with her sweet sweater 🥰 @reesemyersco

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