by MindOverMessy | Jul 8, 2019
The Best Way to Save Money on Organic Fruits and Veggies! How to use strategy and mindfulness to save on your organic produce budget. The easiest way to save money on organic produce is to simply stop buying it. I know that doesn’t sound helpful if you are wanting to...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 4, 2019
Why Being a “Mompreneur” Isn’t Actually a Good Thing I tried to keep it all neat and tidy, I really did. I work from home during school hours and then put on my “Mom” hat at 2:00 p.m. But of course, life happens and nothing about parenting is neat and tidy. There are...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 3, 2019
How to Hard Boil Eggs That Come out Perfectly (And Peel Easy) Every. Single. Time. I know, I know, making a hard-boiled egg should be easy and shouldn’t even require a post. But I have to tell you, I just couldn’t get it right and now that I have it perfected, I’m...
by MindOverMessy | May 28, 2019
“Help! My Son’s Friend Is Being Mean” – Mindful Tips for Preteens and Teenagers That Every Parent Should Know This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info. When my 12-year old was having some challenges with...
by MindOverMessy | May 27, 2019
Easy Shredded Chicken in the Crock-Pot with a Twist for All Your Favorite Recipes This recipe is so easy that it really doesn’t need much of a recipe, BUT we’re including it because it’s easy to throw in the slow cooker and have your chicken ready to...
by MindOverMessy | Mar 31, 2019
The “Must See” Tibidabo Amusement Park for Families in Barcelona, Spain In our travels, the amusement park that still stands out the most to us is Tibidabo Amusement Park in Barcelona, Spain. Which is saying something because we live close to Disneyland and Legoland...
by MindOverMessy | Dec 3, 2018
DIY Screen Slaver Costume from Incredibles 2 This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info. I seriously thought my costume making days were over. Last year my boys both found store bought costumes and I thought I’d retired my DIY...
by MindOverMessy | Nov 15, 2018
Grab a Mindful Moment with this FREE Guided Meditation Success! Check your inbox to decrease that mind chattering. Name Email GIMMEE! Grab a Mindful Moment with this FREE Guided Meditation Success! Check your inbox to decrease that mind chattering. Name Email GIMMEE!...
by MindOverMessy | Sep 12, 2018
DIY Cat in the Hat Costume – in a Pinch! On a Friday night my son mentioned he was going to be The Cat in the Hat for his school book report on Tuesday. Now, I knew a book report was coming, but he had planned to wear his old Ninjango costume for it so I...
by MindOverMessy | Sep 6, 2018
I wondered as I was buying a Groupon for a night snorkel with manta rays on the big Island of Hawaii – “Would it be too scary for my boys ages 8 and 10?” I mean, in the water, in what I assumed was the middle of the ocean, in the dark – yikes! I read ALL the reviews...
by MindOverMessy | Aug 23, 2018
This summer we saw Illusionist Adam Trent at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. If you haven’t been there it’s a huge venue and it was pretty crowded for a “magic show.” The show itself was entertaining, especially for my boys ages 8 and 10. BUT as a parent, this...
by MindOverMessy | Aug 5, 2018
Emily from retreathub has done the work for you to know where to host your next yoga/surf retreat and why in the world you would combine the two! Surfing and yoga as a pair has been growing in popularity for many years and for good reason. Yoga and surfing are both...
by MindOverMessy | Jul 30, 2018
I don’t think anyone was more surprised than I was when my Mom popped into my head in yoga shouting, “It wasn’t sad!” “It wasn’t sad!” I had known she was still around. I had known I could sometimes feel her presence. I had been to a medium and had it confirmed that...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 26, 2018
Is the School System Supporting Our Kids or Failing Them? I’ve been noticing millennials increasingly voicing that the college/university system isn’t working for them. They are graduating with large debts, high interest rates, low paying entry level jobs that provide...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 26, 2018
In all the years I’ve had a Facebook account, I haven’t seen a proud parent post around this time of year that their High School graduate son or daughter isn’t going to college. So in the spirit of rebelling against the system, I am going to be the first. I am proud...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 18, 2018
Places We Send Our Friends to Eat – EUROPE (With or Without Kiddos) We’ve been eating our way around the globe and compiled quite a list of super crave-able, and seemingly random, places. Seriously some of them I dream of flying back just to eat there. I am a...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 9, 2018
DIY Father’s Day Gifts That Are Super Cute & Easy These are adorable and easy DIY gift ideas for Dad. I don’t know about your husband, but mine always says “Don’t get me anything!” He says he already has everything he needs. But, who...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 8, 2018
Places We Send Our Friends to Eat in the U.S. (With or Without Kiddos) We’ve been eating our way around the globe and compiled quite a list of super crave-able, and seemingly random, best places to eat in California and now we’re adding others states....
by MindOverMessy | May 6, 2018
Once I understood I was empathic (the ability to understand and share the feelings of others), I was so relieved because it explained so much! It explained so much of what I was feeling, sensing, FEARING, which did not make sense. It explained why I could become...
by MindOverMessy | May 27, 2017
My seven year old loves a birthday party more than anyone I know. Yes I know all kids love to celebrate their birthdays but in the past he would barely sleep the month before to the point where we were thinking “this kid just cannot handle a party.” Even...
by MindOverMessy | Mar 28, 2017
A lot of people are genuinely surprised that yoga and surfing go well together. They’re two different things and you wouldn’t even think of using them in the same sentence before. If you’re a surfer, did you know that you can benefit from yoga? As a yogi, did you know...
by MindOverMessy | Jan 27, 2017
Redefining what it means to be “Strong” for Boys When I first had my sons, I had this preconceived notion of what it meant to be strong. I thought it was falling down and not crying, not really needing to discuss emotions, being really assertive in sports,...
by MindOverMessy | Nov 6, 2016
I think it can make people really uncomfortable when kids cry. They fall, hurt themselves and the first thing we yell is “you’re okay!” We don’t know if they are okay or not but they are crying in public, sometimes loudly, and should they be? Does that mean they are...
by MindOverMessy | Nov 6, 2016
Now that I’m aware I have sensitive children (one HIGHLY sensitive), I can recognize it in other kids and want to share the tools that have really helped me to honor their sensitivities and see it as the gift that it is, rather than the disruptive force that it...
by MindOverMessy | Jun 3, 2016
When my Mom passed away I was heartbroken. My sister, mom, and I were like a triangle of connection. When you talked to one, the information got to the other. We all knew what was happening in each others lives and how each other was feeling. It was the kind of...
by MindOverMessy | May 31, 2016
Yoga is challenging. Any time a pose seems easy for me it turns out I’m doing it wrong. The instructors will say things like, “Um…What happened here?” Or my personal favorite when I thought I finally got a pose down to perfect, “Are you this way because of an injury?”...
by MindOverMessy | Apr 28, 2016
I scanned the room and noticed the class was almost full and saw that one of the only spaces available was near the open door. I prefer my yoga on the warmer side, but thankfully the day wasn’t too cold and as I rolled out my mat I wondered how I was going to do with...
by MindOverMessy | Nov 30, 2015
Your little super hero will love you for making this! It is so fun to let them turn on the lights and fall asleep under their favorite super hero city scape. I think this concept would easily work for any of the super heroes with their silhouettes on canvas too, but...
by MindOverMessy | Nov 11, 2015
This year I broke up with the sewing machine to make this costume and I couldn’t be happier. If you are a person, like me, who rarely uses the sewing machine, it can feel like such a battle! The way I want something to look and my actual skill set, sadly, are...
by MindOverMessy | Sep 28, 2015
My five-year old wanted a Batman-themed room, but we compromised on a Super Hero theme instead. I was concerned we would get everything Batman and he would decide he liked Captain America or The Flash better. So far we have Batman bedding, a few pictures, and now...
by MindOverMessy | Sep 17, 2015
When I saw the cake in a jar idea, I fell in love. I am usually known for my cupcakes (well my kids love them anyway), but this year I wanted to do something different. I figured with the cake in a jar, even if the cake crumbles or the frosting gets sloppy, the...
by MindOverMessy | Sep 15, 2015
We recently had a movie party theme where I served these adorable cakes in mason jars. We try to follow Michael Pollan’s “real food rules” for eating when we can, and because my eight year old is super sensitive to dyes, so for this cake we went with his philosophy,...
by MindOverMessy | Sep 9, 2015
No Sugar Added White Wine Melon Sangria with a Twist Sangria has been around for centuries and is very common to find in Spain, Greece and Portugal. It’s basically, wine, sugar and fruit (yum!). But I found the sugar too sweet in most recipes and since we try to cut...
by MindOverMessy | Aug 7, 2015
Who is Sarah Amento? I don’t actually know. I did not know her personally when she started showing up on my Facebook feed because one of my friends was “liking” her “Fighting Cancer with Sarah Amento” posts. After a while the posts caught...
by MindOverMessy | Aug 3, 2015
Well it’s the time of year that I am starting to think about Halloween costumes. My seven year old usually comes up with something he is dying to be but cannot be found in a store or online. This year is no exception! He would like to be a California Condor or a...
by MindOverMessy | Apr 28, 2015
Four years ago when my son wanted to be Jake from the Never Land Pirates and Disney did not sell it yet, I felt panicked. I was super worried that if I made it he would be the kid in the costume that looked like he made it himself or was completely unrecognizable. But...
by MindOverMessy | Apr 16, 2015
“Oh my gosh,” as my five year old would say, we are drying up here in Southern California! We recently vacationed in Palm Springs, a place that already knows it’s a desert, and I was really inspired by how their plants give the place a calm and...
by MindOverMessy | Mar 31, 2015
About five years ago, my friends and family seemed to go through a baby boom during which time I went to many a baby shower and many first visits to the new arrivals. I began making these baby announcement posters because I wanted something to bring to the hospital or...
by MindOverMessy | Jan 20, 2015
Almost six years ago, my sister and I were having conversations about whether or not our straight-laced Mom could have taken up smoking pot. She was mentally sharp one minute and completely confused the next. She would call at 2:00 a.m. to talk as if it was 2:00 in...
by MindOverMessy | Nov 20, 2014
Before we figured out my son’s sensitivity to dyes (see our story here) and a better way to parent him, I was at the end of my rope. He was three and most days defiant from morning until night. Every day was a power struggle between us. Each night I would look...
Welcome! Our modern lives can be so hectic that it is so helpful to find easier ways to get a healthy meal on the table, meditate even if the kids are loud, and stay active any way that we can fit it in. This blog is dedicated to making Mindful Living Easier. Find Out More...