We are only a few weeks away from Easter which was always one of my favorite holidays. I'm excited to share my personal traditions and tips for creating memorable holiday experiences for my kiddos, from thoughtfully curated Easter baskets to a family-friendly Easter brunch. Discover my son's favorite healthier Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe—a simple and delightful treat that's perfect for Easter morning.

Last week, my family and I had the most amazing spring break trip to Disney World in Orlando! Personally, I believe that experiencing the Disney magic at this age, especially for my 3-year-old, was absolutely perfect. Although our week away felt more like a "trip" than a "vacation," I'm certain that the memories we made will last a lifetime. I'm really excited to share our complete itinerary and some travel tips with all of you who are planning or considering a Disney vacation.

And here we are, one year later. McKenzieMonday Blog has published 37 unique posts - something I'm incredibly proud of. I've covered a wide range of topics, from navigating life with a toddler and a newborn, sharing my breastfeeding journey, and discussing the challenges of returning to work after maternity leave. I've also delved into planning birthday parties and weekend getaways, creating gift guides, and sharing my goal setting practice. I’m so excited to see the next year and phase of this passion project. Happy 1st Birthday to the McKenzie Monday Blog!

I recently got back from my first ever cruise experience. I had so much fun & plenty of opportunity to relax- exactly what I needed. The best part? I went on the cruise as a bachelorette trip to celebrate one of my oldest friends. Although I was just along for the ride and not the planner of this trip, I wanted to share my experience and things I loved if you need any insight for an upcoming cruise, girls' trip, or bachelorette.  

Only one year ago, we didn’t know our sweet Kelly Rae. We didn’t even know she would be a girl! Oh, what a year it has been.  The one-year birthday was not only a big milestone in Kelly Rae’s life, but also in our breastfeeding journey together. I’m so proud of my girl and me for making it one full year exclusively breastfeeding.  

Kelly Rae, affectionately known as "my girl," recently celebrated her first birthday which gave us the perfect excuse to host a fun, pink, girly party with a Disco Cowgirl theme. In this post, I'll share everything I used to plan this sweet party, from invitations and decor to the menu.

Welcome to 2025! If you're in the same boat as me, where the first few weeks of the new year flew by, rest assured that you're not alone. And honestly, you don't need a new year or a Monday to begin anew. Hopefully, my tips for finding direction and getting motivated will help you start wherever and whenever you find yourself reading this. 

As we step into the new year, I wanted to give you a brief rundown of all 26 books I devoured in 2024, along with my ratings. If you're on the lookout for light-hearted books to add to your 2025 reading list, look no further than the curated selection below.

Wow, December is upon us, and it's not only one of my favorite times of the year, but also one of the busiest! I wanted to share what our family has been up to, our cherished traditions, and some gift ideas for everyone on your list (that can still be ordered in time for Christmas!). Hopefully, some of the things we've been doing can inspire you to incorporate them into your own family traditions.

We've just wrapped up all the birthday celebrations for my son, Lane, and I can't believe he's already 3 years old. I wanted to give Lane the party of his dreams with all his friends at our local park, and of course, with a Paw Patrol theme. I'm excited to share with you all the logistics and supplies I used to make this Paw Patrol extravaganza happen.

As I reflect on my pregnancy journey and, more importantly, the past nine months of having Kelly Rae in our lives and becoming a family of four, I've come away with several key takeaways. So, in the spirit of sharing my experience and taking the opportunity to reflect on my personal journey, I want to share nine things I've learned after spending nine months with my baby girl. My hope is that you can find solidarity and comfort in some of my experiences, no matter which stage of parenting you find yourself in. 

I can't believe it, but in just a few short weeks, my baby boy will be turning three! In preparation for his birthday, I've compiled a gift guide featuring the things Lane has loved throughout the past year, as well as a few items that are on our wish list for his birthday this year. If you're anything like me, always on the lookout for the latest and greatest gift ideas for the toddlers in your life, I hope this list can assist you when you're searching for something fun, practical, and endorsed by the best toddler I know. 

While searching the internet for some cozy and fun fall decorations, I stumbled upon several versions of “make your own welcome mat” and many fun crafts that incorporated your children's hand and/or footprints. That's when I got the idea to combine the two and create my own Halloween welcome mat with my kids' footprints turned into cute little ghosts. It was such a sweet way to capture this moment in time with my kids and a fun activity for us to do together.

When my toddler starts bawling because his sister snatched one of his toys, I usually hit him with a classic line like, "Hey, we have to share with our sister." More recently, my toddler has started telling his sister to play with her own toys. Now, as a parent, I'm struggling to find the right balance. Sharing is an essential skill to learn during childhood, but if kids share sometimes or only share certain toys while keeping others for themselves, is that enough? 

Can you believe it? My newborn is now a 7-month-old baby, embarking on the exciting journey of eating solids. As a mom of two, I'm familiar with this process, which is both thrilling and a little nerve-wracking. Just like with my first baby, we're introducing both purees and age-appropriate solids to Kelly Rae. We've decided to combine purees with baby-led weaning because it is what works best for us.

I have no qualifications, am not a designer, and wouldn’t even say I have “an eye” for it, but I loved the process of decorating both of my children’s nurseries. I spent countless hours searching for nursery inspiration because, let's face it, I needed all the help I could get. But now, I want to share that inspiration with you, so you can create a beautiful nursery for your little one too!

To help you make the most of the remaining summer days, I've put together a comprehensive list of everything that I keep in my pool bag. Most of these things we have in there at all times which makes the process easy for getting out the door and maximizes our time actually swimming instead of just getting ready for the pool.

For anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, expecting a second child, I want to offer some reassurance: I genuinely found the transition to be easier the second time around. Now, I understand that every baby and every situation is different, but having gone through it before, you have a sense of what to expect. You're a seasoned parent, equipped with valuable experience, and you can lay the groundwork to set up your new life for success.

A few weeks back, my husband and I embarked on a fantastic adult-only trip to Nashville for a weekend getaway, accompanied by a few of my high school friends. I put together a loose itinerary and made a few reservations in advance. As I've done in many of my blog posts, I wanted to share the details of our weekend escapades, highlighting the things we enjoyed and what we might have done differently. My aim is to assist you in planning your own Nashville adventure with your closest and dearest friends (trust me, it's an experience that will create lifelong memories!).

We're finally back home in Austin after a whirlwind 10-day trip to Pennsylvania. This year's trip was particularly special because it was our daughter's first time traveling. That meant my husband and I had the pleasure of flying with both a baby and a toddler. Now that we're on the other side, I can confidently say that our trip was a success! So, I thought I'd share my Plane Packing list with you—the list of everything I packed for the plane ride with my toddler and baby. My hope is that you can save time by using my list instead of brainstorming your own.