“Our vintage little people town and play kitchen are high on the boys’ lists of favorites. I try to sit back and watch their imagination wander,” says full time mum-of-two and blogger Lindsey Badenhop (lindseybadenhop on Instagram)…
Lindsey Badenhop, 29, lives in Ohio with her husband Cory and their two boys, Hayden, three, and Finley, 18 months. She is a full time mum and runs the blog Being Badenhop.
Our mornings are … very laid back and slow. We wake up and snuggle for few minutes in bed. I nurse Finley, and then we all head downstairs together. Fin grabs a book, and Hayden heads straight to the toys, while I head into the kitchen, turn on the tea pot and record player, and start my morning chores.
I’d describe our house as … our spot. I am such a homebody and I love our days at home.
My kids mainly wears … nothing. I swear these days, I find the boys running around naked more often than not. It’s quite amusing, but totally drives me crazy at the same time. I dress them, they undress themselves. If they do manage to keep their clothes on, I’d say they are pretty much head to toe in either our favorite small shops, Zara, or vintage pieces.
I cope with clutter by … ignoring it. Seriously, most days I just have to ignore it, or I would find myself missing out on all those special moments while I was busy cleaning it up. And that’s not who I want to be for my children. But when I sit and really think about it long enough my anxiety takes over and I place it all in cute storage baskets that make me happy or I start the great purge of “insert day of the week/time of the year”.
Our favourite family meal is … pizza. We could eat pizza any day of the week, and since every pizza place is so different I say, why not!
I never leave the house without … snacks, my WildBird sling, and my cell phone.
When no one’s looking I … am probably doing something that is way too embarrassing to tell here. And dancing like a maniac.
Having a child has made me … the best version of myself.
I encourage creativity … by always having art supplies in the boys’ reach. There is a basket of Lego sitting out so they can build whatever they dream up, and our vintage little people town and play kitchen are high on the boys’ lists of favorites. I try to sit back and watch their imagination wander.
I’ll never be able to part with … my cell phone. I love the convenience of being able to snap a photo of the boys whenever I want and I make it a point to record them at some point of the day, every day. I am always in constant fear that I will soon forget these days, that they will all run together, and having these visual pieces are so important to me for that reason. They are growing so fast and I want to remember each and every perfect detail of their tiny selves.
Bedtime tends to be … quite the long process. After bath time, we all head upstairs. Then it’s bedtime stories, I love yous, and prayers. Fin lays right in his crib and falls asleep. Hayden is another story. Welcome to toddlerhood and the long list of excuses. “I need a drink. I have to pee. I need another drink.” We usually have to lay with him and it takes him several hours to finally fall asleep most nights.
When all else fails we … head outside for some fresh air or into the bath for a long soak.
Follow lindseybadenhop on Instagram: @lindseybadenhop