We're excited to share some photos from our family photoshoot with our friend Ali Henderson. We went to one of our favorite local parks and had a blast capturing these precious moments. As a family, we love spending time outdoors and exploring our community. This park holds a special place in our hearts, and we always enjoy our time there…
Read MoreEvent planning is a complex process that involves anticipating needs and asking the right questions at the right time. Whether you're planning a lunch meeting, scheduling a speaker, or helping run a conference, it's important to understand the fundamentals of event planning.
Read MoreOver the past three years, I have frequently discussed and reflected on the relationship between thinking, communicating, and taking action. My observations created a deep frustration over how much theorizing and talking fall short of meaningful action…
Read MoreMusic is a powerful tool that can influence our mood and create a positive atmosphere. Whether you're working, cooking, or just hanging out with friends, the right background music can really enhance the experience…
Read MoreWe've been posting here on JacinthaPayne.com for over seven years now. The original idea for this blog was to create a place for me to share thoughts, create resources, and keep a log of the things we're doing as a family. It started as a blog that was "A Little Bit of Everything…
Read More“In the morning, when the moon is at its rest
You'll find me at the time I love the best
Watching rainbows play on sunlight
Pools of water iced from cold night
In the morning, it's the morning of my life…
We were thrilled to spend the week of Thanksgiving with Calvin’s parents that were visiting from Florida. It was a wonderful few days of spending time together, sharing meals, and creating new memories together. Thanksgiving has become such a dear celebration to me and our family and really sets a foundational tone of gratitude for the holiday season.
Read MoreThe hard things make us better and stronger. They open up the door for new things. Every no is an opportunity for a different angle or an alternate route to the destination - or in some cases a completely different and better destination than we ever imagined.
Read MoreThis month, we celebrated our son, Abner, turning 4 years old. Abner is very passionate about the things he loves: the color blue, good food, and dinosaurs. Every year we ask our boys what theme they want for their birthday. Their decision is usually based on whatever their favorite things happen to be at the time. So it’s only natural that Abner would request a T-Rex birthday.
Read MoreI’ve put together a collection of songs that fit this summer’s vibe. It’s perfect for listening to while cutting the grass, grilling, or sitting out by the pool…
Read MoreWhether I'm trying to be productive or taking a moment to stop, I've recently been asking myself the question, "will this make me a better wife, mother, or friend?" Sometimes, the best thing to do is work hard and get things done. But doing, doing, doing all the time can run you ragged. When I'm constantly doing and rarely stopping to be present, my energy levels decrease, my stress levels increase, and my patience is shortened. I've found that when I stop to sort through my thoughts and what I am feeling and just enjoy the moment, it helps energize me to do all the other things in life…
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot about life and the things that motivate me to do what I do.
So much of my motivation is centered around providing an environment for my children that is safe, loving, and creates a space to learn and grow. As I think deeper about why I want these things for my children, I obviously want what is best for them - but, I also want to keep them from experiencing some of the unnecessarily painful things I experienced in my own childhood.
Read MoreLife is full of joy and pain…and a whole lot of in-between.
Every day feels jam packed from the moment our feet hit the ground in the morning, to the moment our heads hit the pillow. Sometimes the day ends and you wonder “where did this day go?” Nothing was remarkably amazing or horrible, it just kind of happened. These days happen more often than we like to admit and they can feel discouraging.
Read MoreThe start of a fresh month is a great time to reevaluate the things on your plate and clean up your schedule. Here are four ways I reassess the ways we’re spending our time.
Read MoreEveryone is faced with hundreds of decisions throughout the day that need to be made in a split second. If left to making a decision simply based on how we feel in the moment, we could respond in selfish and unhelpful ways.
How can we quickly assess that we’re in the right mindest to make the best of even the smallest decisions throughout the day?
Read MoreOur mission statement communicates the things that we want to be true of each person that lives in our home. These are the values that we want to cultivate every day and extend to our family, friends, and others we interact with.
We simplified our mission statement even more and created something we could hang on the wall in our home as a regular reminder of what’s most important.
Read MoreThis last spring, we returned to the baseball field for another season of baseball. This was Emet’s first season of coach pitch baseball. We were so proud of him and the way he adjusted to playing without the tee. It was a joy to cheer him on from the sidelines as he played.
Read MoreI’ve released a brand new Spring Bucket List in my resources. Don’t let this season slip by and miss doing something new or revisiting some of your favorite traditions. Download the bucket list, write them down, and make it happen.
Read MoreThis month, we celebrate our son Emet turning 6 years old. Sometime over the last year, our boys discovered and quickly fell in love with the show Bluey. So it’s only natural that Emet wanted his birthday to be Bluey themed this year.
Emet, as we celebrate your 6th year, here’s a small list of things we love about you…
Read More2022 marks over five years of blogging. Over the years, I’ve written on a wide variety of topics from parenting and cooking to staying organized and setting goals. I’ve even brought in some friends to help contribute along the way.
Below you will find the top ten most read blogs from the last five and a half years. I hope you enjoy this variety of posts and that they’re helpful to you in some way.
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