Living in Laundry

When Killian was a month old I was a ball of anxiety worried about doing everything “right” even though I knew nothing was ever going to “right” again. I wanted to do everything myself and thought if I took someone up on their offer to help me (clean my house, hold him, feed him, calm him, etc.) it meant I was failing. The first month of Maverick being here I was worried all the worry’s I had with Killy would come flooding back. Lucky for me it’s been the opposite, I’ve loved most of every moment of being a mom of two. Don’t get me wrong it’s still hard, I still dread the nighttime, I still have anxiety about certain things (like going in public with the two kids by myself). But, the other stuff has gone away; I know he won’t break if someone else holds him, if you want to clean my house please come, if you want to rock him to sleep please do it, if I feel like I need help I will ask.  I wish I could’ve been the mother I am now to Killian when he was this old. I wish he ...

Originally wrote early 2019.  I’ve always wanted at least two kids and then I had one. It started the day we had Killian (feels like at least) the questions of “when will you be having #2?”. Ugh, I seriously hated this question. I know it’s natural to ask, I do it too. But it can be sooo intrusive and just awkward sometimes. Not everyone understands how intense that first year can be or just the plain fact that growing a human inside you kinda sucks. It took me a long time to even give the thought of actually having another child a true thought. I always wanted at least two, I have an older sister and my husband has an older brother. So naturally we both want Killian to have at least one sibling but, holy shit these things are hard to take care of. I love being a Mom, it’s literally the only thing I ever wanted. In elementary school I dressed up as a stay at home mom for career day once. I never thought about how truly draining, mentally and physically this whole mothe...

If you don't have the space for a true  gallery wall or you are like me and like to change things around every month (or week) this might be the solution for you! We had this blank wall (that we filled with a clock) for over a year and I was ready to commit to  something,  I just wasn’t sure yet. That is until I stumbled upon the Instagram account of  Erin_Sunnysideup  .  Her home is not only #goals but according to my Pinterest boards I’ve been low key creeping on her home for the past few years and didn’t know it 😬. So I saw that she had this perfect shiplap framed area in her home that she uses as a photo wall and it was love at first sight! This is my Husband and I’s recreation; I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It’s definitely one of my favorite projects we have done and I can’t wait to see how I use this over time! After Before The little guy loves it too! Since this is something you will customize to yo...

Welcome to a place I hope you can feel at home; I’m Crystal and I live in Southern California with my Husband, Scott and our son, Killian. I’ve always felt the need to help others through words, as a kid it was a simple conversation with the other kid being bullied, teenage years was a note passed in class or left in a locker, as a hairstylist I was let into the brains of my clients and now, we write captions under a photo for the entire world to read (and hopefully find it somewhat relatable). Now as a Mom, I find myself talking in my head all day telling myself that all of this [this mess, these tantrums, the sticky boy fingers, and the endless PILES of LAUNDRY] is all normal and it’s ok.  I’m not sure yet what will become of this space but I promise to always keep it authentic. May it be a parenting story or a home project I hope it will somehow keep you going and fuel your day. I find that sometimes the best way to help someone is to let them into YOUR own head, so, wel...