#NeverDoneWithFun

#NeverDoneWithFun

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Chapter 2: A Love(-is-Love) Story

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2020 Didn’t Break Me

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The Perils of Projection Parenting

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Irish Coffee Boozy Cake Pops | Chocolate Irish Whiskey Cake with Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting | Boozy dessert treat for St. Patrick's Day revelry #stpatricksday #dessert #cakepops #baileysirishcream
celebrate

Irish Coffee Boozy Cake Pops

An Adults-Only Way to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day In my experience, you fall into one of two camps when it comes to cake pops: Love ’em in an obsessive way, because what’s better than cake mixed with extra frosting and then coated in chocolate? Or leave ’em, because soggy cake on a stick just doesn’t …

by Kate | #NeverDoneWithFunupdated on November 23, 2019March 1, 2019
Lucky Shamrock Chocolate Pretzel M&M Cookies for St. Patricks Day | Easy no-bake holiday treats with pretzels, candy melts, M&Ms and sprinkles #stpatricsday #holidays #shamrock #pretzelcookies
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Shamrock Chocolate Pretzel M&M Cookies

No-Bake Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day Pretzel cookies were a go-to staple for holidays in my house growing up. I think my mom got her zen on filling circle pretzels with white chocolate and placing an M&M in the middle. I’ll say she was really good at it … and those little cookies …

by Kate | #NeverDoneWithFunupdated on November 23, 2019February 28, 2019
Bailey's Irish Cream Boozy Buttercream Frosting #dessert #frosting #cakedecorating #cupcakes
nourish

Bailey’s Irish Cream Boozy Buttercream Frosting

Call me an old lady but Bailey’s over ice has always been one of my “unwind” drinks. I love the flavor of Irish cream. So at St. Patrick’s Day, I seize upon every opportunity to incorporate Bailey’s into every recipe I can. This boozy buttercream frosting is perfect for Irish coffee-inspired desserts because it’s a …

by Kate | #NeverDoneWithFunupdated on November 23, 2019February 26, 2019
St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Bait Trail Mix sweet and salty snack mix for kids and adults with cereal, candy, pretzels, more #stpatricksday #leprechaun #snacks #recipes #holidays
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Leprechaun Bait Trail Mix

A Quick and Easy Sweet Treat to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day It’s not quite March 1st yet … which apparently is a good thing, because Easton informed me today that nowadays, the leprechaun starts coming on March 1 and brings mischief daily (a la Elf on the Shelf). I’m pretty sure he 100% made that …

by Kate | #NeverDoneWithFunupdated on November 23, 2019February 26, 2019

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creative motherhood + lifestyle

hi, I'm Kate ...
hi, I'm Kate ...

inspiration & ideas for finding fun in family, fitness, food & more! Suburban Chicago mom cultivating creativity amid the chaos of #momlife

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  • When we took this picture yesterday morning, I was wearing black to show my dissent on Roe v. Wade. ๐Ÿ–ค As we were leaving our local 4th of July parade, the world got darker. We heard about another parade in another Chicago suburb. Highland Park - just an hour north. The scene of yet another mass shooting. ๐Ÿ’”

For so many reasons, this one hits too close to home. What if it had been us? What if it had been Wheaton? Could we protect our kids? Could their little legs run fast enough? Would our family get separated in the chaos? Would we all make it out unhurt? Why? WHY? Why does every parent have to consider these possibilities? And WHY do we keep letting this happen?

On the 4th of July, we had to talk to our 9-year-old, 8-year-old and 6-year-old about mass shootings. Because they happen so often now, we need the kids to know. We donโ€™t want them to be perpetually afraid โ€” but we need them to be prepared. 

Now when I look at this picture, I hear their questions in my head. Did people die? In real life? Kids like me? I hear Easton, the 9-year-old, matter-of-factly explaining to his brothers how to hide on a toilet seat in a bathroom stall so you canโ€™t be seen. I hear the steel edge in my own voice when I tell them that if it ever happens at their school, to stay quiet and do EXACTLY what their teachers say.

โ€œCould this happen at our school?โ€

โ€œCould this happen tomorrow at summer camp?โ€

โ€œMommy โ€ฆ this could happen anywhere, couldnโ€™t it?โ€

I canโ€™t lie to them. I wonโ€™t. The stakes are too high. And yet, itโ€™s hard to get out the words to confirm their nightmares โ€” to confirm every parentโ€™s own nightmare.

It could. And we need to fight until it canโ€™t.

Follow my new account @kate.writes.real.life for more like this โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ

#momsdemandaction #marchforourlives #enoughisenough #protectkidsnotguns #guncontrolnow #4thofjuly #highlandpark #lgbtq #lgbtqfamily #blendedfamily #twomoms
  • The past year has been filled with so many hard moments. Moments that challenged me. Moments that almost broke me.

But then there are the moments when it all comes together and I know exactly why I fought like hell to be here. Moments like these, when my heart could split open with the happiness Iโ€™ve found. No, scratch that โ€” with the happiness ๐™ฌ๐™šโ€™๐™ซ๐™š ๐™˜๐™ง๐™š๐™–๐™ฉ๐™š๐™™.

Today and every day, Iโ€™m thankful to be right here. โค๏ธ Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours ๐Ÿ 

๐Ÿ“ธ: the oh-so-patient @hbphotography630 

#modernfamily #blendedfamily #buildalifeyoulove #lgbtqfamily #twomoms #familyphotos #familygoals #thanksgiving #lifeafterdivorce
  • Partners โค๏ธ๐Ÿ”Ž๐Ÿ•ต๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ•ต๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ
  • Questionable parenting decision: Taking three boys ages 5-8 to @medievaltimes_chicago for Motherโ€™s Day. Youโ€™d think two moms would know how to do โ€˜our dayโ€™ better. ๐Ÿ˜‚ There was some whining, some tears, some beer, and some light-up weapons ... but somehow a lot of fun too. 

Life these days is far from Insta-perfect but itโ€™s mine โค๏ธ
  • โ€œ๐™ธ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š๐šŽ ๐šŠ๐šŒ๐šŒ๐š’๐š๐šŽ๐š—๐š๐šœ ๐šŽ๐šก๐šŒ๐šŽ๐š™๐š ๐š ๐š‘๐šŽ๐š— ๐š ๐šŽ ๐š ๐šŽ๐š—๐š ๐š๐š›๐š˜๐š– ๐š๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐š—๐š๐šœ ๐š๐š˜ ๐š๐š‘๐š’๐šœ...โ€ 
- ๐š๐šŠ๐šข๐š•๐š˜๐š› ๐šœ๐š ๐š’๐š๐š

Sometimes a moment changes everything. A kiss. A sunset. A friendship thatโ€™s suddenly more. 

a #loveislove story is on the blog tonight ๐Ÿ–ค

#thisisus #lovewins #lovestory #samesexrelationship #lgbtq๐ŸŒˆ
  • ๐™„โ€™๐™ข ๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ก ๐™๐™š๐™ง๐™š. 

2020 was a year when a lot of things broke. 2020 didnโ€™t break me โ€” but it did show me things in my life that were broken. 

In the months Iโ€™ve been missing on here, Iโ€™ve been navigating hard things at home. And hereโ€™s where I landed: ๐—œ๐—ป ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ, ๐—œ โ€œ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐˜…๐—ฒ๐—ฑโ€ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ. ๐—•๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜.

It has been broken for a long time, and all weโ€™ve been doing for months on top of years is pretending โ€” and hurting each other in the process. At its core, 2020 was not a year defined by fixing (or breaking) my marriage. It was a year about learning how to trust myself. 

I havenโ€™t written in months but I finally, ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ have words to say. More is on the blog today at last because Iโ€™m ready for what comes next. More make-or-break-me moments ahead ... but I havenโ€™t broken yet and I donโ€™t intend to. Day by day and moment by moment, Iโ€™ll get through.

If youโ€™re navigating hard things this year too โ€” divorce or anything else โ€” youโ€™re not alone. Trust that there will be happiness on the other side. I do. ๐Ÿ’œ 
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#inbeautyandchaos #honestmotherhood #bedeeplyrooted #holdthemoments #motherhoodintheraw #teammotherly #motherhoodrising #documentingmotherhood #divorce #divorcedmom #divorcesupport #divorcedparents #neverdone
  • I think I needed a little Christmas magic more than I knew, and an evening downtown this weekend was exactly right to discover it. ๐ŸŒŸ ๐”น๐•–๐•๐•š๐•–๐•ง๐•– ... in Santa. ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿผ In the spirit of the season. โœจ In yourself. โค๏ธ In whatever reminds you of the magic of the holidays.๐ŸŽ„ Just make sure you still believe in something. ๐•€ ๐••๐• . โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’š
โฃ
Whatโ€™s your favorite winter holiday tradition?
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#neverdonewithfun #chicagogram #chicagomomblogger #macysstatestreet #walnutroom #holidaymagic #christmasinthecity #chicagochristmas #covidchristmas #christmas2020
  • The city at the holidays never fails โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’š Chicagoโ€™s @artonthemart is free, outdoors, easy to social distance, and entertaining enough for 20 minutes. You can never have too many lights at the holidays! ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŽ„ โœจ #artonthemart #merchandisemart #chicagogram #christmasinthecity
  • Exhale. Breathe. Look to the future. Believe itโ€™s all possible. Today is a good day. ๐Ÿ’™
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#bidenharris2020 #voteforchange #election2020 #betterdaysahead #keepfaith #possibility #united
  • Iโ€™ve been making a real effort lately to experience all the moments of my life instead of just documenting them. So Iโ€™ve been less present here in favor of being more present with the people I love. Reprioritization is hard but with the holidays around the corner, necessary. ๐Ÿ’œ

Speaking of holidays ... certainly the strangest Halloween weโ€™ve had but not the worst one. ๐ŸŽƒ Watch my stories for the epic candy chutes in the neighborhood!

Letโ€™s talk costumes. Did you dress up?

p.s. you guys always know where to find me if you need me ๐Ÿ˜˜
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#neverdonewithfun #latergram #funmom #chicagomomblogger #covidhalloween #quarantinehalloween #trickortreat #pinterestmom #diycostume #boymom #momofboys
  • Letโ€™s talk collagen. Are you using it? What do you think?
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Iโ€™ve been using it for three months, switching it up between capsules swallowed in the morning and collagen peptides added to my breakfast smoothie or coffee. Itโ€™s tasteless and dissolves fast, so you can really add it to anything.
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What I love best about the effects are my nails. Iโ€™ve bitten my nails my entire life because they were brittle and always breaking. Collagen has transformed that and I canโ€™t go back โ€” I love having manicure-able nails at last. Plus, my hair is thicker, stronger and longer than ever. Beauty supplements for the win!
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Iโ€™ve teamed up with my favorite brand @ForestLeafNutrition to give you the chance to try collagen, or any of their other supplements. 
โ €โ €
Hereโ€™s how to enter to win: 
1. Like and save this photo.
2. Follow @ForestLeafNutrition and @neverdonewithfun.
3. Tag your friends in the comments. Each tag is an additional entry!
ย 
Good luck!ย Giveaway open Sunday, October 25 through Wednesday, October 28. Winner will be selected and announced October 29. Open to U.S. residents age 18 and older. This giveaway is not associated with nor endorsed by Instagram.
ย 
#ad #sponsored #ForestLeaf
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#giveaway #giveawaypost #giveawaysofinstagram #wellnessblogger #livewell #collagen #takeitoutside #bloggermom
  • This one. The apple of my eye or a bad apple? ๐Ÿ™ƒ Iโ€™ve recently coined the, ahem, โ€œdiagnosisโ€ Attention-Seeking Syndrome (ASS) for Sawyer. Heโ€™s classic second child โ€” if heโ€™s not heard the first time, heโ€™ll just say it again louder. And oh, the sass that comes out of that adorable mouth.
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But then when he steals into my bed at 4 a.m., all long limbs and soft curls, he still fits perfectly in the cradle of my arm and the Sawyer-shaped space in my heart and well ... #thisismotherhood
  • Every year on family photo day, I whisper comfortingly to myself: โ€œAll you need is one.โ€
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Because you donโ€™t need a whole album. You donโ€™t need 200 glamour shots or even an entire Christmas card gallery. You just need one.
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Thanks for capturing our family so perfectly in one shot, @wescraft.family. I only needed one ... but as usual, you overdelivered and I canโ€™t wait to share more ๐Ÿ’—
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p.s. a genius photog is everything ... but some serious bribes donโ€™t hurt either. Just sayin.
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#thisisus #familyphoto #mytinytribe #fallminisession #fallfamilyfun #pixelkids #raisingboys #momsirl #honestmotherhood #chicagomomblogger #wescraftphotography
  • Why am I not sleeping at 4 a.m.? My second grader goes back to school today. Wearing a mask, with one-way lines and 6-foot markers taped throughout the whole building, water fountains covered, desks like islands in the classroom.
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And Iโ€™m not ready. Iโ€™ve waited for this day since March 16 ... and now Iโ€™m not ready. Itโ€™s safer to keep him here with me, where I can shelter him. 
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Not from the virus โ€” but from the harsh realities of life. The things that are uncertain and uncomfortable. A weird new reality that adults donโ€™t even want to navigate. 
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He goes back to school today because a sheltered, protected, safe life isnโ€™t really living. So this morning Iโ€™ll make sure his mask is on and his courage is up. To take on the next thing. Covid second grade first ... the whole world after that.
โฃ
Time to let go. And let him fly without me.
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#motherhoodunplugged #parentingwithoutfear #biglife #intentionalparenting #rawmotherhood #pandemicparenting #hybridlearning #firstdayofschool #maskup #youcandohardthings #letgo
  • Secret weapon for a good nightโ€™s sleep for this tired mom? A hotel bed all to myself ๐Ÿ˜‰
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But since thatโ€™s not real life, Iโ€™m so glad I got to test @sugarbearsleep vitamins. These vegan gummies help me turn my brain off at the end of the day to fall asleep faster and stay asleep until morning. The blend of melatonin with magnesium, valerian root, L-theanine and so much more is gentle and I just wake up refreshed, never groggy.
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Thanks @influenster and @sugarbearsleep for helping me find that elusive shut-eye. I had no idea how much I needed it. ๐Ÿ’œ#complimentary #productreview
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Do you fall asleep easily? Whatโ€™s your secret if so?
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#sugarbearsleepvb #contest #complimentary #neverdonewithfunfinds #welllnessblogger #sleephealth #sleephygiene #selfcare #influenster #voxbox #sleepgoals #tiredasamother
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  • Healthy Cookie Dough Smoothie Bowl | No refined sugar, clean eating breakfast recipe #cleaneating #breakfast #smoothies #healthyeats
    nourish

    Healthy Cookie Dough Smoothie Bowl

  • create

    Easy DIY Kid-Craft Handprint Keychain

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