My kids' nurseries have always been something I liked to work on after they were born. Though I would always start with something while I was pregnant — a blanket or a mobile — I just like the idea of working on the room when they are here and while I get to know them.

I always had it in my mind that we would travel lots while I was on mat-leave. And luckily we were able to go some pretty wicked trips in when we had my son — Florida, Portugal, Iceland, California, and we even managed a road trip to Minnesota before he was a year and a half. And now that we have a second little bundle of joy, we’ve added an all-inclusive trip to our list of travels with littles. So now I feel like I have enough knowledge about what to pack while travelling with an infant and a toddler and have my tried and tested lists that I turn to each time we have a trip coming up.

After having a baby, there are a lot of things that change, of course, but one of the biggest changes may be in the way you and your partner act (or want to act) as a family. What kind of values do you want to bestow on your offspring? What character values do you hope they embody? Lead by action is a wonderful way to set the right impression no matter the age of your child(ren) but sometimes it can be tough to get everyone on the same page. I think a family "brand" foundation might be just the thing to get the whole family on board.

Okay, so the title is a little misleading. I LOVED being on mat-leave. Well, okay maybe not at first. The first few weeks after having a baby for me as a new mom were HARD. Happy and joyous yes, but also really painful, and draining, and just plain hard both physically and mentally. But, there were a few pretty key things that I can attribute my sense of well-being during mat-leave to and I'll list them for ya here!

For me, this past year (or two, but who's counting) has been perhaps the most volatile as far as life-changes go and there are many, many reasons both big and small that have lead me to where I am this very moment. This is a little summary for myself about why I decided to open an Etsy shop.

At 10-weeks postpartum, this is my short list in a long read of a few key things to remember for next time (should I ever find myself having a baby again).