Most mornings right now I’m outside with Clive before it gets hot, giving him a few minutes of gentle sun, his “sun snack”, what my midwife Shannon calls it, before it’s strong out. The other two are usually out there too in their pajamas, giving snacks to the chickens, Poppy in her rainboots even though it’s July, and I’ve got my coffee and no shoes on, and it’s become my favorite part of the day.

Clive is my fourth baby and the first one I’ve done this with from the beginning, and it makes me think about how scared of the sun I was when Poppy was born, how covered up I kept her, it feels so different now. I’m particular about summer more than any season, because the kids are outside all day and everything is touching their skin, the sun, the pool, the grass, the bug spray, so over a lot of reading and trial and error these are the items I trust and use, all in one place.

I have my Complete Non-Toxic Baby Registry Guide if you want the baby-specific things, but this one is for the whole family and just for summer.

For Sunscreen

If you change one thing this summer I’d make it this, because standard sunscreen has quite a bit of chemicals in it that I believe are more risky than sun exposure. We rarely use sunblock here, unless we’re going to be in the sun for awhile without shade, which rarely happens. My kids swim and play outside, they’re getting a little sun every day and I can’t remember the last time they got burned because they’ve built up what’s known as their “solar callus”. It’s the same idea as a callus on your hand, a little exposure over and over and your skin adapts, building up melanin and getting more tolerant so it can handle the sun instead of being shocked by it.

I’ve learned so much from Dr. Alexis Cowan, who has her PhD from Princeton and studies light and metabolism, and she’s the reason I started questioning what I previously believed about the sun… I used to be so scared of it! The research that convinced me is about outdoor workers, people who are out in the sun all day for a living turn out to be less prone to melanoma than people who work indoors, which is the opposite of what I’d always assumed. She explains that the real risk isn’t how much sun you get, it’s whether you burn. Skin that’s been covered up all year has nothing built up, so a full day of sun on vacation turns into a burn, and the burns are what do the damage. Those workers are getting more sun than those working indoors and burning less, because they’re adapted to it. A little sun daily is what builds that callus.

She also explains that being sun deficient carries real risk of its own, that when UVB hits your skin it isn't only vitamin D your body makes, it's a whole family of related compounds from that same starting material, plus a hormone cascade that includes the signal telling your skin to make melanin, which is what protects you. The same light that makes the vitamin D is the light that tells your skin how to handle it. And UVB is only around when the sun is high enough, here that's usually 10am to 4pm, so I make sure they're outside for a little in the afternoon too, not just first thing.

The part surprised me is that it starts with your eyes. When UVB reaches your eyes it sets off that hormonal cascade, and part of what that produces is the signal that tells your skin to make melanin. So if you’re outside in sunglasses, you’re blocking the message, your body never gets told to tan, and you burn instead. It doesn’t mean staring at the sun, it’s just letting light reach your eyes, even on cloudy days. She says the same about morning light, getting outside at sunrise, when it’s red and infrared and there’s no UV in it yet, is what preps your skin for the middle of the day. So I don’t wear sunglasses at the beginning of the day when I’m trying to tell my body to get ready for the sun. I still like the way sunglasses look for certain outfits, but by the pool or out in the garden I’ve gotten into the habit of going without. It’s a big part of why the kids are out there right after breakfast, they’ve eased into the day before the sun is ever strong.

So that's what we do. I don't hide my kids from the sun like I used to when Poppy was born, but I'm also not letting them get burned either, so if they've already been out for a a little and they want to stay out longer, that's when the sunscreen goes on, and after that I'll utilize shade. It's so nice not being as stressed about the sun! My vitamin D is in the optimal range now, and I'm not taking a supplement for it anymore.

When I do use sunscreen, I keep it simple, I look for zinc, and the fewer ingredients the better. Zinc works completely differently than the rest of what’s out there, it sits on top of your skin and reflects the light back, and non-nano means the particles are too big to pass through skin at all. The chemical ones do the opposite by design, they absorb the light, and they absorb into your bloodstream right along with it.

These are the ones I always avoid when I’m looking at sunscreen ingredients: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, avobenzone, oxybenzone and octinoxate. When they tested all six, every one was in people’s bloodstream after one day of wearing it, and two of them were still showing up three weeks after people stopped, so it isn’t passing through. Several of these are endocrine disruptors, which means your body reads them as hormones and responds to them. All this to say, I thought I was doing the right thing with the spray sunscreen I used to use, and it turns out I was doing my body and my hormones a disservice instead.

My favorite now is:

Read more

If you’ve been wanting to start a garden but have no idea where to begin, this is the guide I wish I’d had our first year. I tend to over-research before I try something, and I like to learn from people who have done it, so I get why so many have been asking me the same thing: “Where do I even start with growing food?” That’s exactly what I’m walking you through here, start to finish, in the order I’d do it. And if you’re reading this in the middle of summer thinking you’ve missed your window, you haven’t!

I'll show you exactly what you can still get in the ground right now for July and August, with specific examples of what to direct sow and what to grab as transplants based on the space you're working with. I'm still learning myself, but this is the method we used to plant our spring garden, and we had a pretty good harvest for how low-maintenance it was (I share what we're currently growing and the mistakes we've learned from in this post)

The biggest thing I want you to hear before anything else: you don’t have to do it all at once. You don’t need a big yard or a dozen beds to grow your own food, you can do it with a relatively small space. If all you do is put a few pots of herbs on your patio, it’s a perfect place to start! So take what’s useful here, leave the rest, and don’t let the idea of doing it perfectly stop you from starting.

Why grow your own in the first place?

If you're wondering whether it's even worth the effort, believe me... it is! Once you've eaten a juicy tomato you picked from the vine, the store-bought ones are ruined for you, they have less flavor and they're so pale compared to the rich red of one you picked yourself. And it's not just taste, they're better for you too, because produce starts losing nutrients the second it's picked, ..so by the time the ones at the store have traveled and sat on a shelf for a week or more, a lot of that is already gone. That's why, if you're not growing your own, a farmers market is the next best thing, the produce isn't traveling as far since it's coming from local vendors.

But nothing beats walking out to your own backyard, and the part I love most is the control it gives you over your food, you know exactly what went into the soil and that there's no pesticides on it. It's changed how we eat too, we end up eating way more vegetables just because they're right there. I'll walk out and pick the chard and bring it in and make it, and it's gotten us eating more seasonally, just using whatever's growing at the time, lately it’s been beet greens, kale, chard, spinach. That ownership over what we're feeding our family feels amazing. We're not at the point where we grow everything we eat, we still shop to fill in the gaps and are figuring out how to store what we grow, but starting small and seeing that we could do it is what's gotten us to where we are now.

Before you start, here’s what to expect

The setup is the biggest part, and it’s a one-time thing. When we built our four beds last summer, Anthony put them together in one morning, we filled them with soil that same day, and we planted the following evening. So give yourself a weekend or a few evenings here and there, to go from nothing to fully planted. If you’re starting with a couple of pots on a patio, it’s even quicker, an afternoon.

After that it’s pretty easy. Most days it’s just watering and a quick check to see how everything’s doing, with a little more on the weekend. The hard part is the beginning, once it’s in the ground it pretty much takes care of itself. When we did our first small garden last summer, we didn’t even know to prune things for a bigger harvest, and we still barely did anything to it and got tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and all our herbs for very little effort. It kind of shocked us, like wow, if we could get more strategic with this, we could probably grow enough to feed our family once we had a system down.

That's exactly what I've put together below, the full step-by-step, including the part I needed help with the most when we first started: what to plant right now and exactly how to lay it out, whether you're starting with a few pots on a patio, one bed, two beds, or a full four-bed setup. I'll walk you through my whole plan, the specific varieties I'd buy, how many of each, and explain what goes where in every bed, so you're not guessing at any of it. I'm only in my second year of this, so I’m still learning too, but it's what worked for us, laid out the way I wish someone had done for me when we started.

Read more

Things are starting to feel very real now. I’m 38 weeks and Elliott came at 38 weeks. I keep having to remind myself that this baby could be any day now. I’m eating in a way to keep this baby in until 40 weeks because those last two weeks matter so much for development, which I talked about more in this post HERE. So hoping we have two more weeks, but we’re prepared now just in case it’s sooner.

We just had our home visit with my midwife and this one was different from our regular appointments. Typically I go to her house but she came here specifically to go over all my supplies, walk through the full plan, and make sure everything’s in place. I always leave my appointments with her having learned something I didn’t know going in and this one was no different. I took notes on everything and I want to share all of it here, what she covered, what’s in my labor kit, and what I’m doing for postpartum recovery. I’m feeling more prepared for this birth than any of my others. Full post continues below for my Substack family:

If you missed my earlier pregnancy posts you can find them here: My Midwife’s Labor Prep Plan and My Complete Non Toxic Baby Registry Guide

Read more

This is my fourth baby so there's no registry this time around. But if I were doing this for the first time, this is everything I'd put on one. It's a pretty comprehensive list and I spent quite a bit of time thinking through each category, what I use and why I use it.

With Jadyn I had a baby shower and the guests were so generous. I had diapers for a year which, as a 19 year old young single mom at the time, was the biggest relief.

That was almost twenty years ago though, and things were simpler then. The baby gear world wasn't what it is today, and my budget made most of the decisions for me anyway (I did splurge on a rhinestone sparkly pacifier, so I wasn't completely practical about it). And I also got into credit card debt at Gap because I would always buy her new flats when I got my paycheck (another story for another time). Being a different era, non-toxic materials weren't something I thought about. It was more about what she needed and what looked cute.

With Poppy, fourteen years after Jadyn, I felt like I was starting over completely. I bought SO much. Things that looked essential on every list I found, things other moms swore by, things that came highly recommended and lived in a drawer for a year before I donated them. With Elliott I got smarter, bought less but better, and did a real deep dive on why non-toxic mattered for what he was eating, wearing, and sleeping on. With this baby I feel much more prepared and clear on what I'll be using the most every day.

When I’m looking at any product for a new baby, the main thing I’m thinking about is what’s touching their skin. Babies absorb so much more than we do and they’re in close contact with everything around them from the moment they’re born. The materials I try to avoid, especially for a newborn, are synthetic fragrances, flame retardants, PFAS, phthalates, and phenoxyethanol. What I opt for instead is organic cotton, glass, solid wood, and stainless steel where I can. GOTS and USDA Organic certifications matter because they mean someone outside the brand verified the claim.

You don't have to be perfect about any of this. Do what works for your budget and your life. But if you're going to prioritize somewhere, start with what your baby is against the most. The mattress, the sleepers they're in around the clock, whatever they spend hours touching every day. We co-sleep and I babywear for naps, so for us that means an organic cotton mattress, organic sheets, and an organic wrap. Every family looks different but the question is the same: where is your baby spending the most time, and what is that thing made of?

Quick note before we get into it: everything here is based on my own research and what I've chosen for my kids. I'm not a doctor or a toxicologist, just a mom who has spent way too many hours reading ingredient labels and falling down research rabbit holes comparing different products and marketing claims. Take what resonates, skip what doesn't:

Baby Gear

Car Seat

The car seat is where I’d tell you to pay the most attention because flame retardants show up in almost everything in this category, often in the foam rather than the fabric, and brands don’t always tell you that. Some will say the textiles are flame retardant-free and leave out what’s happening in the foam underneath.

Flame retardants are good to avoid because they’re linked to hormone disruption, developmental delays, and neurological problems in children. They migrate out of foam over time and accumulate in dust, which babies end up ingesting. They also don’t prevent fires (which is what I originally assumed they would do), they slow the spread by a matter of seconds, which is why more and more manufacturers are finding ways to meet safety standards without them entirely.

We have both the Nuna PIPA infant seat and the Nuna Rava convertible. Nuna's entire car seat line is flame retardant-free and PFAS-free, which is rare in this category and a big reason we chose them. The Rava works from birth so you could start there, but we used the infant seat in the early months because when the baby falls asleep in the car you can snap the whole thing onto the stroller without waking them. Once they outgrew it we moved to the Rava and have used it since. If budget allows for both I'd get both. If you're picking one, the Rava gives you more longevity.

The Chicco KeyFit Max ClearTex is the most accessible flame retardant-free infant seat out there. The ClearTex line covers everything including the fabric, foam, inserts, and even the labels, and it’s Greenguard Gold certified. It’s widely available at Target which makes it easy to add to a registry. Just make sure you’re buying specifically the ClearTex version since Chicco’s other lines are not FR-free.

Brands I’d steer clear of include Cybex, Evenflo, Graco, Joie, Cosco, Axkid, BeSafe, and Diono. Some actively market themselves as cleaner options without being fully transparent about what’s still in the foam. Evenflo’s Green and Gentle line is a good example. The fabric is marketed as FR-free but flame retardants are still disclosed in other parts of the seat, which is exactly the kind of greenwashing that makes this category so hard to navigate without doing the research.

One exception is the Doona. We’ve used it for every trip and it's a great setup. It's a car seat that converts into a stroller, you check it at the plane door, and when you're navigating an airport with a baby it's one of the most convenient things we bring. It contains flame retardants so it's not something I'd use as a daily seat (also not the greatest for added storage), but for occasional travel where the alternative isn't much cleaner I've made my peace with it. Do your best with what your baby is in every day and don't stress the rest.

Stroller

Same reason I trust Nuna for the car seat is the same reason we have their strollers. Their entire line is flame retardant-free, PFAS-free, and OEKO-TEX certified, and they’re one of the only brands that has been independently lab tested and come back non-detect for PFAS. We have the Nuna Flex System Stroller Frame which connects directly with the Nuna PIPA infant seat. We also have the Nuna TRVL single which we loved for a long time, and just got the Nuna TRVL double which has been so good with both kids and it folds up really easily in one motion. If you want the infant seat and the TRVL stroller together, the Nuna TRVL LX + PIPA urbn Travel System is the better buy than getting the stroller frame separately.

Baby Carrier

For the newborn stage, a wrap-style carrier is what I LOVE. Most of Elliott’s naps happened when I was taking a walk or doing something around the house, as long as I was moving and doing something he would be easily rocked to sleep that way.

Last time I used a different baby wrap but this time I just bought this Organic Cotton Baby Wrap. It’s made with 100% GOTS certified cotton.

After the newborn stage, the Artipoppe Zeitgeist is the carrier I've gotten the most use out of and I know I'll be using it constantly with this baby too. Made from natural fibers with no toxic chemicals or dyes. It's a splurge but one of those things that earns every dollar because of how much time you spend in it. The thick strap design gives good lower back support as the kids get heavier, I used it until Elliott was two.

For a more budget-friendly option that’s also clean on materials, the Nuna CUDL CLIK is a great option. It’s OEKO-TEX certified, free of flame retardants, BPA, phthalates, PVC, and PFAS, uses organic jersey fabric on the parts touching baby’s skin, and works from birth to three years in both front and back carry.

Bassinet and Travel Crib

I never ended up using a bassinet or travel crib with Elliott. He slept in our bed with us, and when we stayed in hotels we’d request a crib and bring our own bedding. But if you’re planning to use a bassinet or know you’ll be doing Airbnbs with a little one, it would be more worth it.

For something beautiful that fits a more classic nursery or you want to be able to move it around the house for naps, a Moses basket is what I’d choose. The Design Dua Moses Basket is handwoven from natural elephant grass with an organic kapok fiber mattress and a liner and sheet made from GOTS certified organic cotton. Free of flame retardants, lead, and pesticides. The Finn and Emma Carry Cot is another gorgeous option in crocheted GOTS certified organic cotton and that transitions into toy or blanket storage when baby outgrows it.

If you want something widely available to add to a Nordstrom registry, the Stokke Snoozi is a good option. Beechwood legs, soft oval shape, Greenguard Gold certified, flame retardant-free, PFAS-free, no motion, no wifi. It adjusts from a newborn bassinet position to a lower setting as baby grows.

For a bassinet that doubles as a travel crib, the Nuna Sena Aire is flame retardant-free, PFAS-free, Greenguard Gold certified. Sets up in a bassinet position for the first few months and converts to a lower setting as baby grows. If you don’t want to buy both separately, this is the one to register for…

The full list continues below for my Substack family. Every category, every product, every link, and which ones I have in my home and why I’d choose them again:

Read more

Between having a baby who came so quickly I almost didn't make it to the hospital and a body that seems to go earlier with each pregnancy, these last weeks matter more than ever. My midwife has mapped out a very specific plan for me and I've added a few things on my own that she's signed off on. The herbal formula she put me on, what she told me to start eating soon, the week by week breakdown from here to delivery, and how I'm mentally preparing to show up to this birth completely differently than the last ones… sharing it all in this post for my Substack family:

If you missed my previous pregnancy posts check them out here: Everything’s Different This Time and What I Changed after My Last Midwife Appointment

Read more

In recent years, the war on gluten has led a lot of people to cut out wheat entirely. We were one of them for a while! These days, the main gluten I eat is in sourdough or homemade tortillas, and when we do use wheat, we make sure it’s high quality, organic, and in a form that’s easiest for our bodies to digest.

There’s a big difference between a loaf of sourdough and what you grab off a grocery store shelf. Unlike conventional bread, real sourdough is made through a long, slow fermentation process that uses wild bacteria and yeasts to transform grains into something your body can actually use. That fermentation also produces prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria already living in your gut. I explain more in my starter post, but the short version is that the fermentation breaks down gluten and removes anti-nutrients that block mineral absorption, making the bread easier for your body to process.

If you’re baking your first loaf, I know it can feel like a lot of steps. It looks way more complicated on paper than it actually is. That’s exactly why I filmed a full step-by-step video and included it in this post. Watch that first so you can see what each stage looks like. Seeing the texture of the dough, how I shape it, how it moves, makes such a difference. Then, while you’re actually baking, you can come back here and use the written steps below as a reference so you’re not guessing.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, I have a previous post where I walk you through how to make one from scratch. It’s easier than you’d think. You’ll need an active starter before you begin.

And if you’re thinking, I work full time, there’s no way I can be home all day doing stretch and folds, I included a simple baking schedule at the bottom of this post. The fridge makes everything flexible. You can slow fermentation down and make sourdough work with your schedule instead of rearranging your life around bread.

If this is your first time, just know you don't need to get it perfect. You just need to bake your first one. The more you bake, the more confident you'll feel! And once you have the basics down, sourdough opens up a lot more than just bread.. bagels, pizza dough, focaccia, tortillas, pancakes, discard crackers, the list goes on!

What You’ll Need for Baking Sourdough Bread:

• A dutch oven (the one I have HERE, or this one)

• A banneton proofing basket, the ones I use HERE.

• A mixing bowl. I love this one from Ballerina Farm, the size is perfect for stretch and folds.

• Bread covers for the bowl or tea towels (you could also use a plate over the bowl)

• A bench scraper

• A bread lame (the one I have) or razor blade for scoring

• Parchment paper

• Bread Slicer: optional of course, but I love mine and use it with every loaf, makes it so simple to slice.

Step 1: Feed Your Starter

Feed your starter about 12 hours before you plan to mix your dough.

For example, if you want to mix your dough at 8am, feed your starter around 8pm the night before. That’s what I usually do. I’ll feed it around 8pm so it’s ready and bubbly first thing in the morning.

In colder months, especially if your kitchen runs cool, it may need the full 12 hours to properly rise. In warmer months, it might peak a little sooner.

You want to use your starter at its highest point. It should have doubled in size, look bubbly all the way through, and smell pleasantly tangy. If you see that it has already risen and fallen back down, that just means you missed the peak. No big deal. Feed it again and wait for it to rise before starting your dough.

Step 2: Mix the Dough (Autolyse – No Salt Yet)

In a large bowl, mix:

210g water (1 cup)
60g active starter (¼ cup)

Stir until the starter mostly dissolves.

Then add:

300g flour (2½ cups)

Mix until there’s no dry flour left. It’ll look rough and shaggy. That’s exactly what you want.

Don’t add the salt yet.

In the video, I added the salt at the beginning because that’s how I originally learned. Sometimes I still do it out of habit. It won’t ruin your loaf if you add it now. Salt tightens gluten and slows fermentation slightly, so adding it early just makes the dough develop a bit more slowly and feel slightly tighter during the first rest. It’s not wrong, just not ideal.

It’s better to add the salt after the autolyse. During that 30–60 minute rest, the flour and water are fully absorbing into each other and the gluten is starting to form on its own. If you add salt right away, it tightens the gluten and slows that process down a bit.

Leaving the salt out at first makes the dough more relaxed and stretchy, which makes it easier to work with and shape later.

What I usually do (when I remember!) is measure the salt at the same time as the flour and water, but I put it in a tiny separate cup next to the bowl. That way it’s ready to go and I don’t forget to add it after the rest.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plate so it doesn’t dry out and let it rest 30–60 minutes.

Step 3: Add the Salt

After the autolyse, sprinkle: 6g salt (1 teaspoon) over the dough.

Wet your hand and gently squeeze and fold the dough until the salt is fully incorporated.

Step 4: First Stretch and Fold (This Happens After Autolyse + Salt)

Over the next two hours, you’re going to do four sets of stretch and folds. The first one happens now, after the autolyse and after you’ve added the salt.

With wet hands, reach under one side of the dough, gently stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat. Go around the bowl 4–5 times. That’s one full set.

When you’re done, cover the bowl with a tea towel or a plate so the top doesn’t dry out, and let it rest for 30 minutes before the next set.

Step 5: Continue Stretch and Folds

You’ll do three more sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart.

Each time:

• Wet your hands
• Stretch one side up
• Fold it over
• Turn the bowl and repeat

Cover the bowl after each set and let it rest 30 minutes.

By the fourth set, the dough should feel smoother, stronger, and more elastic.

Step 6: Bulk Rise

After your last stretch and fold, cover the bowl and let the dough keep rising. This stage is called the bulk rise.

Now you’re just letting the dough build air and strength. You’re looking for it to become slightly domed on top, puffier than before, and a little jiggly if you gently shake the bowl. It doesn’t have to fully double, but it should look noticeably fuller and lighter.

For reference, mine is usually ready after about 3 hours total in this stage. If it’s not looking slightly domed and puffy by then, I just let it keep going. Sometimes it needs more time.

Warmer kitchens will move faster. Cooler kitchens will take longer. Try to watch how the dough looks and feels instead of focusing only on the clock.

Step 7: Preshape

Turn the dough out onto your counter. Don’t flour the surface for this step. The slight grip of the counter is what helps you build tension on the outside of the dough.

Gently gather the edges of the dough toward the center. Then flip it over so the smooth side is facing up.

Lightly pat out any very large air bubbles. You’re not pressing all the air out, just evening it out so you don’t end up with one giant hole.

Now place your hands on the counter so your pinkies are touching the surface and you’re gently cupping the dough. Pull the dough toward you in a straight line across the counter. As you pull, the bottom edge will tuck underneath itself.

Rotate the dough slightly and repeat. Each pull tightens the surface a little more. You’re building surface tension so the loaf rises upward in the oven instead of spreading outward.

Once it forms a smooth, round shape, leave it on the counter, cover it with a tea towel, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 8: Final Shape

I use a bench scraper for this step because it makes lifting and moving the dough easier.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Then use your bench scraper to gently flip it over so the floured side is now facing down on the counter.

Gently stretch the dough out into a rough rectangle. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Fold one side into the center. Fold the opposite side into the center so they meet. Then start at one end and roll it up like a burrito. This helps tighten the structure and build strength inside the loaf.

Now lightly dip the sides of your pinkies in flour so they don’t stick. Place your hands around the dough and gently cup it. Pull it toward you across the counter again to build final tension, just like you did during preshape.

Turn it slightly and repeat. I usually keep turning and pulling for a minute or two until it forms a nice domed shape and the surface looks smooth, with any fold lines tightened underneath.

Step 9: Final Proof

Take your banneton and dust it generously with flour. Rice flour works best because it prevents sticking, but all-purpose flour works just fine if that’s what you have.

Using your bench scraper, gently lift the dough and flip it into the banneton seam side up. I usually give the seam a little squeeze with my fingers to make sure it’s fully sealed.

At this point, the bread is essentially upside down in the banneton. The smooth side is on the bottom, and the seam is facing up. Cover it with a tea towel.

Let it rise until it increases in size by about 30–50 percent. It should look slightly puffier and feel airy when you gently press it with your finger. This can take anywhere from 1½ to 4 hours at room temperature.

Or, you can refrigerate it at this point and bake the next day. I do this often depending on timing. If I don’t have time to bake the same day, or if I want fresh bread ready early the next day, I’ll prep the dough, put it in the fridge overnight, and bake it straight from cold. It’s usually the easiest method for fitting sourdough into real life.

Step 10: Bake

About 1 hour before you plan to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F with your empty dutch oven inside. You want the dutch oven fully hot before the dough goes in. That blast of heat is what gives you a good rise.

When the oven is almost done preheating, flip your dough out of the banneton onto a piece of parchment paper. Make sure the parchment is large enough that you can grab the sides to lower it into the dutch oven.

When you flip it out, the smooth side should now be facing up and the seam should be on the bottom against the parchment.

Use a bread lame or sharp knife to make one deep slash across the top. Don’t be timid here. A confident cut helps control how the bread expands in the oven.

Carefully remove the hot dutch oven from the oven. Using the parchment paper as handles, lift the dough and gently lower it into the hot dutch oven.

Put the lid on and bake covered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake another 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Step 11: Cool

Let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. I know it’s tempting to cut into it right away, but if you slice it too soon, the inside will be gummy because it’s still finishing cooking.

Once it’s fully baked, the bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it.

When I’m ready to slice, I like using a bread slicer so the pieces come out even, especially if I’m serving it for dinner or making toast the next morning.

Sample baking schedule:

Option 1: Bake Once a Week (Two Loaves at a Time)

This is perfect if you want fresh bread for the week and don’t want to go through the whole process multiple times.

If you’re making two loaves, just double every ingredient in the recipe. You’ll mix one large batch of dough in one bowl, then divide it in half after the bulk rise before preshaping. You don’t need two separate bowls.

For example, you want to bake Saturday morning:

Thursday Night
8:00pm – Feed your starter so it’s active Friday morning.

Friday Morning
8:00am – Mix your dough (double recipe).
Let it rest 30–60 minutes (autolyse).
Add salt.
Do your first stretch and fold.

8:30am – Second stretch and fold.
9:00am – Third stretch and fold.
9:30am – Fourth stretch and fold.

Then let the dough continue rising until it looks slightly domed and puffy. This usually takes another 2–3 hours depending on your kitchen.

Around 12:00–1:00pm – Divide the dough in half.
Preshape both pieces. Rest 30 minutes.
Final shape both loaves and place them in bannetons.

Cover and refrigerate both overnight.

Saturday Morning
8:00am – Preheat oven with dutch oven inside for 1 hour.
9:00am – Bake straight from the fridge.

You don’t need to bring the dough to room temperature before baking. I bake mine straight from the fridge most of the time.

Bake one loaf, then bake the second right after.

If you’re not eating both loaves right away, let the second loaf cool completely, slice it, and freeze it in a freezer-safe bag. You can toast slices directly from frozen.

You can leave shaped dough in the fridge up to 24–36 hours. The longer it sits (within reason), the more flavor develops. After about 36 hours, it may start to overproof.

If something comes up and you can’t bake when you planned, just leave it in the fridge and bake the next day. It’s very forgiving.

If you bake weekly, keep your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week. The night before you want to bake, pull it out and feed it so it’s active by morning.

Option 2: Full-Time Work Schedule (Minimal Daytime Hands-On)

If you’re not home during the day, use the fridge to slow everything down. The cold replaces some of the daytime stretch and fold timing.

For example, you want to bake Wednesday evening:

Monday Night
8:00pm – Feed your starter.

Tuesday Morning (Before Work)
6:30am – Mix dough.
Rest 30 minutes.
Add salt.
Do one stretch and fold.

7:00am – Do one more stretch and fold.

That’s enough.

Before leaving for work, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge. The dough will rise slowly all day.

Tuesday Evening
6:00pm – Take dough out of fridge.
Let it sit 30–60 minutes if it feels very cold.
Preshape. Rest 30 minutes.
Final shape and place in banneton.

Put it back in the fridge overnight.

Wednesday Evening
6:00pm – Preheat oven.
7:00pm – Bake straight from the fridge.

You can leave the shaped dough in the fridge up to 24–36 hours if your schedule shifts.

If you truly can’t do four stretch and folds, don’t stress. Two solid sets are enough. Just let the bulk rise go a little longer.

If You’re Brand New

If this is your very first loaf, I’d recommend doing it on a day you’re home so you can watch how the dough behaves. Once you’ve seen it once from start to finish, adjusting the schedule to fit your work life becomes much easier.

The biggest thing to remember is this: sourdough doesn’t require perfect timing. The fridge gives you flexibility. If something changes in your day, you can usually slow things down instead of starting over.

Helpful tips:

One of the best pieces of advice I got after I took my sourdough class was simple: bake five loaves. Even if they look ruined. Even if you’re standing there thinking, this isn’t going to work. Just bake them.

It’s so tempting in the beginning to judge the dough before it ever hits the oven. You think it didn’t rise enough, or maybe it rose too much, or it feels stickier than last time. I’ve been there. But the truth is, you don’t really learn until you bake it and see what happens.

After about five loaves, something starts to click. You stop relying only on the clock and start paying attention to what the dough actually looks and feels like. You begin to understand how long bulk rise really takes in your kitchen, not what a recipe says it should take. You notice how different it behaves in the winter versus the summer. You see how your starter peaks a little faster on warm days and takes its time when it’s cold.

And even the loaves that aren’t “perfect” are still fresh bread. A slightly flat loaf still tastes incredible toasted with butter.

So if you’re unsure, bake it anyway. Give yourself five loaves before you start judging your bread. By then, you’ll know way more than you think!

Let me know how it goes, send me a message on here or in the chat and I can help you with any troubleshooting as well! :)

xx Brittany

Almost years ago, I signed up for a sourdough class because it seemed too overwhelming to try to figure out on my own. I was a bit confused on the starter portion of the whole process. I had been following Ballerina Farm for a while and she was selling sourdough starter kits on her site, so I ordered the set.

But once it showed up I realized I had the tools but I’m a better visual learner. I was really motivated to want to bake my first loaf, but I needed someone to walk me through it step-by-step, which is why I found a class to sign up for. A woman who made bread for the farm box I was ordering vegetables from at the time offered an option where she would come to your house and teach you. She showed up at my kitchen in San Marino, (our rental house at the time), with a jar of bubbly starter and this calm confidence that made me feel like maybe I could actually do this.

I invited my friend Heather, and with her kids, Poppy and Jay, we all sat around the table and learned how to do it. She gave each of us some of her starter to use for the class, showed me how to feed it, what to look for, when to know it was ready. Having someone go through the steps and teach me was really encouraging! This is why I filmed the video walking you through how to get your starter going from scratch, step by step, day by day. If you’d rather read through everything and reference the tips as you go, it’s all written out below too.

That was right when I was trying to learn how to cook more from scratch. We had gotten bloodwork back and knew we needed to change up our lifestyle, particularly not eating out as often, and I wanted to feel more confident in the kitchen. Sourdough felt like a good place to start. I love bread and had heard it was more beneficial for you than regular bread because of the way it breaks down the gluten and makes it easier for your body to digest. The thing I didn’t fully understand until last year is that it’s not just about taste. The long fermentation process actually changes the bread. I heard Dr. Bill Schindler, an archaeologist and food scientist, explain it well on a podcast. He said when sourdough ferments slowly, the bacteria produce lactic acid, which drops the pH low enough to activate an enzyme that breaks down gluten strands. It also gets rid of anti-nutrients like phytates and lectins that can mess with digestion. It’s not gluten-free, but the gluten has been broken down into something our bodies can actually work with. I notice a real difference!

Once you’ve had a fresh loaf that you made yourself, store-bought sourdough tastes like cardboard. Most of it isn’t even real sourdough anyway. If you flip over the package and see yeast, citric acid, or lactic acid on the ingredient list, it’s fake. They just add sour flavoring to regular bread and call it sourdough. A real loaf takes a day and a half to make, and the fake version takes an hour. So if you’ve been curious about starting your own, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to do it. It takes about seven days to get a starter going from scratch (sometimes up to 10 days), but most of that time is just waiting. You’re not actually doing much, just a few minutes a day. If I can do it, you can do it! Next week I’m going to post my full how-to for making sourdough bread from start to finish, and you’ll need an active starter to make it. So if you get yours going in the next few days, you’ll have it ready in time to bake along with me.

What You’ll Need:

I’ll link my specific products below so you can grab the same ones if you want.

• Two glass jars. I use Weck jars because they're wide at the top, easy to stir, and they have a glass lid that isn't screw-on so it still allows air to flow. They come with a rubber ring and latches for canning but I don't use that part for this. Any wide-mouth jar works though. Just make sure there's a few inches of room above the starter for it to rise. The reason for two jars is so you can always feed into a fresh clean jar and keep everything organized. While one jar is being used, you wash the other and have it ready for the next feeding.

• A kitchen scale. You really do need to weigh your ingredients for this because measuring cups are too inconsistent.

• A spatula for stirring. You’ll be mixing in the jar so something that fits easily inside works best. This is the one I use from Ballerina Farm, or you could use a thin spatula.

• Whole grain rye flour. Rye has more nutrients than white flour and helps kickstart the fermentation.

• Unbleached all-purpose flour. I usually buy a pack of six at a time so I always have some on hand when wanting to bake bread.

• Filtered water. You need to use filtered or bottled water for this, not tap. Tap water contains chlorine and other things that can interfere with fermentation and slow your starter down or keep it from developing properly.

• A warm spot, ideally around 75-80°F and out of direct sunlight. I keep my starter on the counter overnight after feeding, and if my kitchen is too cold, I put it in the oven with the oven off but the oven light on. That little bit of warmth makes a difference. If your kitchen runs cool, warming your water to around 80°F before mixing also helps.

• A rubber band or hair tie. After each feeding, put it around the jar at the level of the starter so you can easily see how much it rises. This is one of the best ways to know if things are moving in the right direction.

What You’ll Need for Baking Sourdough Bread (Next Week’s Post)

If you want to get everything ordered at once so you’re ready to bake as soon as your starter is active, here’s what you’ll need for the bread itself. I’ll go into more detail on all of this next week.

• A dutch oven (the one I have HERE, or this one)

• A banneton proofing basket, the ones I use HERE.

• A mixing bowl. I love this one from Ballerina Farm, the size is perfect for stretch and folds.

• Bread covers for the bowl or tea towels

• A bench scraper

• A bread lame (the one I have) or razor blade for scoring

• Parchment paper

Why Rye Flour

You’ll notice I start with rye flour in the beginning and keep using it throughout. Rye has more wild yeast and nutrients than white flour, which helps get things going faster in the early days. It gives your starter a boost that all-purpose flour alone can’t provide.

How to Use Your Scale

If you’ve never used a kitchen scale before, it’s really simple. Turn it on and make sure it’s set to grams (there’s usually a button that switches between grams and ounces). Place your empty jar on the scale and press the tare button, which resets the scale to zero. Now anything you add to the jar will be weighed without counting the jar itself. Add your flour until the scale reads the amount you need, then press tare again to reset it back to zero before adding the next ingredient. So for example on Day 1, you’d put your jar on the scale, tare it, add flour until it reads 100g, tare again, then add water until it reads 125g. That’s it. Once you get the hang of it you’ll never want to go back to measuring cups.

Before you start, think about what time of day works best for you to do your feedings. For the first three days you’ll only need to feed once a day, about 24 hours apart. Starting on Day 4 you’ll bump up to twice a day, roughly 12 hours apart. So if you do your first feeding at 7 in the morning, your second one would be around 7 in the evening. Pick times that fit your routine so it’s easy to stay consistent. It doesn’t have to be exact down to the minute, but keeping a general schedule helps your starter develop.

One more thing: when I feed my starter, I always get a fresh clean jar and add the ratios to the new jar. It keeps everything organized and you can wash the old jar and have it ready for the next feeding. This is why I like using two jars.

Day 1

• 100g whole rye flour

• 125g filtered water

Mix in a clean jar and stir until there’s no dry flour left. Cover loosely with the lid resting on top, not sealed tight, and put it somewhere warm. That’s all you need to do today.

Next feeding: 24 hours later (Day 2)

Day 2

Check your jar. You might see bubbles, you might see a lot of activity like it’s trying to climb out, or you might see nothing at all, and all of that is normal. I didn’t see much of anything the first couple of days when I made mine from scratch, but some people do. Take a second clean jar and scoop 75g of yesterday’s mixture into it, then throw the rest away. I know it feels wasteful, but you can’t use it yet so just let it go.

• 75g carry over starter from yesterday

• 50g whole rye flour

• 50g all-purpose flour

• 115g filtered water

Stir well, cover loosely, and put it back in the warm spot.

Next feeding: 24 hours later (Day 3)

Day 3

There’s often a burst of activity in the first couple days that suddenly dies off around now, and a lot of people panic and think they killed it. You didn’t. This is completely normal because the initial bacteria are dying off and the good ones are moving in. Just keep going.

• 75g carry over starter from yesterday (discard the rest)

• 50g whole rye flour

• 50g all-purpose flour

• 115g filtered water

Mix, cover, and rest.

Next feeding: 24 hours later (Day 4 morning)

Day 4

Today you start feeding twice a day, about 12 hours apart.

Morning feeding:

• 75g carry over starter (discard the rest)

• 50g whole rye flour

• 50g all-purpose flour

• 115g filtered water

Next feeding: 12 hours later (Day 4 evening)

Evening feeding:

• 75g carry over starter (discard the rest)

• 50g whole rye flour

• 50g all-purpose flour

• 115g filtered water

Next feeding: 12 hours later (Day 5 morning)

Days 5 and 6

Keep the twice-daily feedings going with the same amounts:

• 75g carry over starter

• 50g rye flour

• 50g all-purpose flour

• 115g filtered water

You should start seeing consistent signs of life by now, like bubbles throughout, the mixture rising and falling between feedings, and a sour smell that’s tangy but not gross. You’ll know it’s working when your starter is noticeably rising after each feeding and you can see the level has gone up past your rubber band. It might not be doubling yet, but if it’s rising and falling on a predictable schedule and smells sour in a good way, you’re on the right track.

Feed every 12 hours: morning and evening

Day 7 and Beyond

Now we switch to a slightly different ratio that you’ll use going forward. Each feeding, twice a day:

• 20g starter (discard the rest)

• 30g whole rye flour

• 70g all-purpose flour

• 100g filtered water

By now your starter should be getting more predictable. After you feed it, place a rubber band around the jar right at the level of the dough. The next morning, you'll be able to see how much it rose. Once it's consistently doubling in size past the rubber band, your starter is ready to bake with. It rises, it falls, and it smells sour in a good way. When it’s bubbly throughout, has roughly doubled, and looks alive, it’s ready to bake with. If you’re at Day 7 and it’s still not quite doubling or looking as active as you’d expect, don’t get discouraged. Some starters take up to 9 or 10 days depending on your flour and your kitchen environment. Just keep feeding it with this same ratio and it will get there.

Feed every 12 hours: morning and evening, until ready to bake or store

The Float Test

Once you think your starter is ready to bake with, you can do the float test to check. Drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of room temperature water. If it floats, it’s active and ready to use. If it sinks, it needs more time or another feeding. The first time it floats is a really satisfying moment.

Timing Matters

When your starter is at its peak, that’s the best time to use it. You’ll know it’s at peak when it’s risen to its highest point, is full of bubbles, and looks light and airy. This is usually around 8-12 hours after feeding, depending on how warm your kitchen is. If you wait too long and your starter has already risen and fallen back down, it’s past its peak. At that point the acids have built up and started breaking down the gluten, which means your dough won’t hold together as well and you won’t get as good of a rise. If you miss the window, just feed it again and wait for it to peak before using it. It’s better to wait for a fresh, active starter than to use one that’s overdeveloped.

Once Your Starter is Active

Once your starter is rising and falling predictably each day, here’s how to use it and store it:

If you want to bake tomorrow morning: Feed your starter the evening before and leave it out on the counter overnight. By the next morning it should be bubbly, roughly doubled, and have that good sour smell. That means it’s active and ready to use.

If you’re not planning to bake anytime soon: Feed your starter, then put the lid on (I still do the loose lid method with the Weck jar, it’s not fully sealed) and stick it in the fridge. The cold slows everything way down so you only need to feed it about once a week to keep it alive. I’ve gone two weeks before without feeding mine and it was totally fine. These starters are very hard to kill.

If your starter has been in the fridge and you want to bake: Pull it out about 12 hours before you want to bake. So for example, if I want to start my sourdough dough the next morning, I would feed it around 7pm at night and leave it on my counter, or in the oven with the oven off and the oven light on if it’s cold. By the next morning it should be awake and ready to go. If it’s been more than a week or two since you fed it, give it two feedings to wake it back up before you bake with it.

Saving the Discard

Once your starter is stable, you can start saving the discard instead of throwing it away. I wait until after day 10 to be on the safe side and make sure the starter is really active and ready before I start keeping it. Every time you feed it, the portion you would normally toss can go into a jar in your fridge. I keep a running discard jar and add to it throughout the week. There are so many recipes you can make with it, sourdough waffles (we make this weekly to use the discard), sourdough cinnamon rolls, so I don’t like to throw it away.

What If You Miss a Feeding

Life happens. If you’re a few hours late or even miss a whole feeding, it’s not the end of the world. Just feed it when you can and keep going. Your starter is more resilient than you think.

Troubleshooting

It’s not rising at all: It probably needs more warmth. Try moving it to a warmer spot or putting it in the oven with the oven off and the light on. If it’s still not rising after a few more days, give it time. Some starters are just slow to get going.

It smells like nail polish remover or alcohol: This means it’s been too long between feedings and it’s very hungry. Scoop off the top layer and discard it, then feed it and continue on. It should bounce back. (This has happened to me before when I’ve left it for longer than two weeks when we were traveling).

It’s too thick or too runny: You can adjust your water slightly. If it’s too thick to stir easily, add a little more water next time. If it’s super runny and not holding any structure, use a little less water.

There’s a crust forming on top: Just stir it back in and make sure you’re covering it better. The loose lid method helps keep moisture in while still letting air flow.

A Few Things I’ve Learned

Don’t stress about perfect timing. If you feed at 7am and then 8pm instead of exactly 12 hours apart, your starter can handle it. And if you see liquid forming on top, that’s called hooch. It’s not mold and nothing is ruined, it just means your starter is hungry and needs to be fed, so stir it back in and give it fresh flour and water. If you ever see anything pink, white and fuzzy, or green though, that’s actual mold, and you’ll want to toss the whole thing and start fresh.

Other Tips

Your starter will develop its own personality. Every starter is a little different because it’s influenced by the flour you use, the water, and even the environment in your home. Over time you’ll get to know how yours behaves, how fast it rises, and what it looks like when it’s ready. Trust your instincts once you’ve been doing this for a while.

Keep notes. It sounds old school but jotting down quick notes like what time you fed it (I use my notes app), what the temperature was in your kitchen, and how it looked the next day can help you troubleshoot if something isn’t working. After a few weeks you’ll start to see patterns.

Don’t switch flours mid-process. During the first 7-10 days while you’re getting your starter established, stick with the same flours. Switching brands or types can throw things off while your starter is still trying to stabilize. Once it’s active and predictable, you can experiment more.

Warmer weather means faster fermentation. In the summer your starter might peak in 6-8 hours instead of 12. In the winter it might take longer. Pay attention to how it looks and smells, not just the clock.

You can dry your starter as a backup. Once your starter is active, spread a thin layer on a piece of parchment paper and let it dry completely. Break it into flakes and store it in a jar. If anything ever happens to your starter, you can rehydrate the flakes with water and flour and bring it back to life.

A Note on Cost

Once you have the initial supplies and an active starter, baking your own bread costs almost nothing. Flour and water are cheap, and a homemade loaf that would cost you $7 or more at the store can be made at home for less than a dollar. It adds up fast.

Quick Reference Guide:

• Days 1-3: Feed once a day (every 24 hours)

• Days 4-6: Feed twice a day (every 12 hours)

• Day 7+: New ratio, twice a day

• Ready to bake when: Bubbly throughout, roughly doubled, smells tangy

• To store: Feed it, then fridge with loose lid, feed once a week

• To bake after storing: Pull out, feed, leave on counter 12 hours

You’ll probably have a moment around Day 3 or 4 where you’re convinced nothing is happening and you’ve failed. Push through and keep feeding it, because it’s working even when it looks dead. And when you pull your first real loaf out of the oven, one that you raised from flour and water and time, you’ll get why people get a little obsessed with this.

Next week I'm posting my full guide to baking sourdough bread from start to finish, so get your starter going now and you'll be ready to bake along with me. If you have any questions along the way, drop them in the comments or send me a message and I'll do my best to help. I'd love to see your progress!

xx Brittany

The first time I walked into one it felt kind of weird. Most of the time you’re in someone’s actual house, walking through everything they own. Sometimes families will hire someone to run it and move everything to a different location, but usually it’s right there in the home. Once you get past that, though, you start looking around and realize some of it is really good. Not everything is worth a second look, but that’s what I enjoy about it. Solid wood well-made furniture built to last, ceramic mixing bowls with real weight to them, unique serve-ware that would be hard to find new. I like scrolling through the photos a few days in advance so I can stay organized and figure out which sales are worth visiting.

I stumbled onto estate sales when I was trying to figure out how to find real antiques without spending a fortune. Every blog I read pointed to the same answer. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I hadn’t been to one when we were living in LA (now I’m kicking myself because I’m sure there are so many good ones there) but I was curious enough to check it out. And now I get excited when I see a new sale posted near me. It reminds me of when Anthony and I were planning our wedding. It was very DIY and very budget friendly, and we would go to yard sales every weekend the entire year and a half we were engaged to source glass bottles for flowers, furniture and old frames that could be painted and hung outdoors. Very 2010s Pinterest wedding. But we looked forward to it every weekend, checking yard sales and thrift stores, and our wedding came together so beautifully (more about it this post HERE).

We saved so much money on all the pieces and they all felt very personal to us!

Gone are the days of me trying to buy all matching furniture because I’m in a rush to get the house furnished. That’s how it was when we sold our first house. The new owners bought all our furniture, so we moved out with basically nothing and felt like we were starting over. I don’t regret it, we needed a home (especially a couch!) and we made it work, but the quick route feels a little more rushed and limited to what’s currently in-stock. This time around I can take my time and enjoy finding each piece as I find them.

The Piece That Got Away

So I lost a really great piece because I waited to buy it, and I’m still kicking myself. I had favorited this gorgeous storage piece in the listing photos before the sale even started and went specifically to see it in person. It had these carved flower designs on the front and the wood was in really good condition- even more beautiful in person! It was late in the day and we did the math. If it was still there tomorrow… it would be half off. The odds seemed pretty good, so we left our number with the woman running the sale and asked her to call us in the morning if it was still available and we’ll buy it (also when we were there no one was looking at it, the kitchen items seemed more popular). She called the next morning and said it was still there, so Anthony drove over with the truck to pick it up. He texted me, “someone else just bought it”. UGH. When he arrived, the piece had his name on it with our agreed price, but someone else had offered more and they sold it to that person instead. I kicked myself for not just buying it the first day when I had the chance. It was right there in front of me and I talked myself out of it over a discount. Lesson learned. If you love something and the price is right for you, just get it. There are other people out there looking too, and antique dealers especially. They know what something can resell for and they won't hesitate. You really can't count on anything being there tomorrow.

The piece I did get was an 1800s pie safe that was still in really great condition! I talked about it more in this post, but I found it on the second day of a different sale, already marked 30% off. It was built in the 1800s and now it’s in our playroom holding art supplies and toys. I think that's pretty cool!

At a different sale, I found an early 1900s wardrobe for the baby's room. There's no closet in that room so we needed something for hanging clothes, and even though it's the only piece in there right now and we haven't figured out the rest of the room yet, it already sets the tone for what I want that space to feel like (pic from the estate sale listing):

The rest of this post is for my Substack family… All the tips I've picked up along the way, the app I use to browse sale photos before visiting, how to tell if a piece is genuinely well made, and what to avoid bringing home.

Read more

(Picture of this mini pocket bible that includes the Psalms that I like to bring with me in my bag, especially when I travel)

I went through a Psalms study at our church recently and wanted to pass it along because it was such a great resource. The way it breaks the book into themes almost gives you these little guideposts depending on what you’re walking through. There are sections for grief, for anxiety, for praise, for feeling far from God.

The other thing that came out of this study was realizing how much I’d undervalued memorizing Scripture. I started using the Versify app to help me learn them and having even a few verses tucked away in my mind has been such an anchor throughout the day. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or my thoughts start spiraling, having something true to come back to makes a real difference.

Anyway, I thought this might be helpful if you’re looking for a way into the Psalms or wanting to be more intentional about Scripture memory. And if you’re new to faith, you can check out my post with resources on where to start.

Week 1: Psalms of Wisdom

Psalm Readings: Psalm 1 to 4, 37
Memory Verse: Psalm 1:1 to 3 (NIV)

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither,
whatever they do prospers.

Week 2: Psalms of Comfort

Psalm Readings: Psalm 16; 19 to 21; 23; 27
Memory Verse: Psalm 27:4 (NIV)

One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.

Week 3: Psalms of Repentance

Psalm Readings: Psalm 30-32; 38-39; 51
Memory Verse: Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Week 4: Declaring God’s Strength

Psalm Readings: Psalm 42-44; 46-47
Memory Verse: Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

Week 5: Psalms of Trust in God

Psalm Readings: Psalm 57-58; 61-63; 66
Memory Verse: Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you.
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

Week 6: Psalms of God’s Goodness

Psalm Readings: Psalm 73 to 76; 78; 82
Memory Verse: Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV)

Whom have I in heaven but you
and earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Week 7: The Wonder of God

Psalm Readings: Psalm 84; 88 to 89
Memory Verse: Psalm 89:8 (NIV)

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty
You, Lord, are mighty
and your faithfulness surrounds you.

Week 8: Psalms of God’s Compassion

Psalm Readings: Psalm 90-92; 98-99
Memory Verse: Psalm 90:1-2 (NIV)

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Week 9: Psalms of Praise

Psalm Readings: Psalm 101; 103-104; 106; 109
Memory Verse: Psalm 103:1-2 (NIV)

Praise the Lord, my soul
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul
and forget not all his benefits.

Thank you for being here!

xx Brittany

This year I’m cooking for 10 people with one oven compartment, which means I had to get organized early. Because the turkey will take over my oven for most of Thanksgiving morning, I planned out everything I could make the day before and asked my mother-in-law to bake a couple of the sides. Having a clear plan was the only way this was going to feel smooth. I wanted this year to feel peaceful and enjoyable, so I wrote out my entire schedule in real time and turned it into a step-by-step plan you can follow too.

Inside this post, you’ll get the exact Thanksgiving timeline I’m using for our family this year, including everything I’m making, what my mother-in-law is baking, and how I’m organizing it all so the kitchen stays calm. I break down the entire menu, all the make-ahead dishes and a full three-day plan (starting with the full grocery list on Monday) that tells you exactly what to prep and how to store it. I’m also sharing the Erewhon-inspired pumpkin and apple pies I tested a few times. I used the ingredient lists from their app and adjusted until they tasted right and I think these versions are pretty spot-on!

You’ll also get Wednesday’s full prep day written with timestamps (starting at 10am), plus the complete day-of Thanksgiving schedule so your turkey comes out on time and every side dish is reheated perfectly even with only two shelves in the oven. At the end, I included a full recipe collection so you can screenshot each one without having to scroll through anything.

I’m big on breaking bigger projects into manageable steps, so if you missed my Two-Week Countdown to Thanksgiving Checklist, make sure to check that one too. I’m keeping the rest of this update for my Substack family. The full post continues below:

Read more

This planning approach to Thanksgiving reminds me of my college days when I’d write forty-page research papers after Jadyn went to bed for the night. I knew when the due date was and worked backward so I could commit to writing max two pages each evening. I always turned my papers in early enough to get my professor’s feedback before the final draft was due. This strategy guaranteed A’s every time because I was great about planning ahead and breaking the work into smaller chunks. I had friends who would pull all-nighters and write entire papers in one caffeine-fueled session. They got A’s too. But I knew that approach would guarantee me an F, I love to research and I need time to do it properly. Breaking things into manageable tasks over a longer period keeps everything less overwhelming and actually fun.

Hosting Thanksgiving works for me in the same way. I know the due date and working backwards… inside you’ll find my detailed two-week timeline that breaks down exactly when to tackle each task. I’m also sharing the tablescape inspo I’m loving this year to help with ideas to get you brainstorming. Plus the linen napkin fold that looks like tiny pumpkins and takes less than a minute once you know the trick.

This checklist has evolved through trial and error (and one memorable year when I forgot to turn the oven on for the turkey and it came out way later than the rest of the food). Now it includes the tips that makes hosting actually enjoyable: when to set your table for maximum sanity, why you need twice as much ice as logic suggests, which dishes actually improve when made three days ahead.

Whether you’re hosting two people or twenty, this timeline keeps you from that Thursday morning panic. When everything’s already handled, you can actually be present with the people filling your house instead of stressed about what you forgot.

For me, this is about creating the Thanksgiving memories my kids will carry forever. These moments get imprinted on them and when I’m planning, I’m thinking about them as adults someday, looking back on their childhood Thanksgivings. I want them to remember a house that felt warm and cozy, where mom wasn’t frantic in the kitchen but actually sitting with them, laughing at the table. That’s the whole reason I plan like this!

Two Weeks Out:

I’m keeping the rest of this update for my Substack family. The full post continues below for subscribers…

Read more

When you’re new to Christianity, it can feel like stepping into a whole new world. There’s so much to learn, so many questions to ask, and a lot of voices telling you where to start. About a year and a half ago, Anthony and I decided to fully recommit our lives to God, and that decision changed everything. Our priorities shifted and we started to experience what it really means to walk with Him day by day.

I had always believed in God from when I was little and knew the basics of the Christian faith, but I realized I wasn’t truly living it. When we had little ones, it hit me that I wanted them to know the Bible, but I didn’t really know it myself. That conviction led me to start reading Scripture every day. I grew up going to church, but I had never really opened my Bible on my own, and once I did, it completely transformed my faith. It brought peace, clarity, and a real desire to know God personally, not just know about Him.

Around that time, I also started reading apologetics, which helped me understand the why behind what I believe and gave me even more confidence in God’s Word.

Before diving into the resources or where to start reading the Bible, I want to first share what it really means to be a Christian, so there’s clarity on what the Gospel actually is. I love how my pastor outlines the main points below:

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

Good news. At the heart of it, the Gospel means “good news.” It’s good news because of the very bad news of man’s sinfulness and inability to change himself. It’s good because it’s about God, who is completely good in His character, doing the best act of goodness that has ever been done. In fact, God is where we need to start in order to get a full picture of this good news.

God is the Holy Creator

There is only one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23). The word we use to describe God’s distinction from everyone and everything else is holy (Isaiah 6:3). When the Bible says God is holy, it means He is unique. He is completely different from us. God’s holiness is also connected to His separation from sin. James 1:13 says that God “cannot be tempted with evil.” Titus 1:2 and Numbers 23:19 both state that it is impossible for God to lie, and Habakkuk 1:13 says that God’s eyes are purer than to even see sin or look at wrong. God is perfect in all His character and in all His ways. He is without flaws, fault, sin, or imperfection of any kind. God is holy.

The God of the good news is not only holy, He is also the one who created you and me and everything else in our world (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). The Bible’s very first words are, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Genesis goes on to detail how God made our entire universe out of nothing, using just His words, in six days before resting on the seventh. While all of God’s creation was amazing, He uniquely made humans in His image. He formed the first man, Adam, out of the ground and then made Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs.

Psalm 96:5 emphasizes the importance of recognizing God as the creator: “For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.” First Chronicles 16:26 makes the same point almost verbatim. When Paul began preaching the Gospel in Athens, he began by describing God as the one who made the world and everything in it, which makes Him the Lord of heaven and earth (Acts 17:22–24; Revelation 4:11). The reason it is crucial to the Gospel to recognize God as Creator is that it puts Him over us. God has the right to rule over us and our world because He made it (Romans 13:1). And after each day of creation, Genesis records that God saw that each day of creation was good. When He was done creating, God said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

So what went wrong? How did we go from a perfect creation that was very good to the mess of the world we have now?

Man is Totally Sinful

Genesis 3 records how Adam and Eve sinned and plunged all of humanity into sin. God had given them just one prohibition in their perfect paradise. They could eat from any tree in the garden, except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned them that on the day they ate from that tree they would die. In Genesis 3:1–5, Satan came to Eve in the form of a snake and accused God of lying and of keeping something good from Adam and Eve. Eve was tricked into believing Satan and ate from the tree, and then Adam chose to eat from it too. In that moment, all that was perfect in God’s creation was shattered. God put a curse on all of His creation, from the ground to Adam and Eve to the snake. Sin had entered the world, and nothing would remain unstained by it.

Adam and Eve’s sin was not just a distant event for you and me, however. Its direct result for us is that now we are guilty as sinners too. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Romans 3:10–12 paints a bleak picture of who we really are:

as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands; no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:23 clearly tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is breaking God’s commands (1 John 3:4). It’s doing what He says not to do, or failing to do what He says we should (Luke 10:27–37). And all of us have done it. There is not a single human alive who has not sinned. Even if we sinned only once, James 2:10 says we would be guilty of all. Once we break God’s commands even one time, we are permanently lawbreakers. The standard is God’s holy, sinless perfection (Matthew 5:48).

And this is an immense problem because God is the Holy Creator. As Creator, God has the right to tell his creation what to do, and because He is holy, God cannot allow sin in His presence or for sin to go unpunished (Nahum 1:3). Romans 6:23 soberingly tells us that the punishment, or the “wages,” of sin is death (Ezekiel 18:4). We will all die, and after that we will all face judgment before the holy and righteous Judge (Hebrews 9:27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). To compound our problems, we cannot get rid of sin on our own. Even the righteous things we try to do are no better than filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). Even if we tried to obey God’s law, we couldn’t get rid of our sins because “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20).

So if we all have sinned, and God punishes all sin, and we can’t get rid of our own sin, where’s the good news?

Jesus lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, and rose victoriously from the dead.

The good news is that Jesus did for you what you could never do for yourself. He lived perfectly, never committing a single sin, before He died on a cross. First Peter 2:22 and 23 says, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.” Peter had already described Jesus in 1:19 as a lamb “without blemish or spot.” Jesus was perfect because He was fully God and fully man. God has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and God’s plan of salvation was always for the Son to come to earth as a baby and then live out a life of perfect holiness. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah who God promised would rescue his people (John 20:31; Matthew 16:16; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 5:1).

Why did Jesus die if He had never sinned? It wasn’t because He had sinned, but because He was taking our place. First Peter 2:24 goes on to say, “He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus’ sacrificial death was to take the punishment we all deserved (Colossians 2:13–14).

The good news would not be good, however, if Jesus had merely died. Had He stayed dead, there would be no Christianity. If Jesus didn’t come back from the dead, the apostles’ preaching would be empty, our faith would be empty, we would still be in our sins, those who have already died would be eternally dead, and Christians would be the most pitiful people on the planet (1 Corinthians 15:12–19). “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Paul’s summary of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1–5 is, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

How does Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection affect you, though? The good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection comes with an implicit command to you.

You must repent and believe

The Gospel calls you to respond, and that response ought to include repentance and belief. Repentance and belief are two separate actions, but they are two sides of the same coin.

Repentance means “to turn away from sin”, while belief describes us turning to God. Jesus preached repentance regularly (Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3, 5). At the conclusion of Peter’s sermon on the day the church began, he commanded those who were responding to his message to “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). Paul summarized his missionary work as declaring all across the known world that all people should repent and turn to God (Acts 26:20).

Repentance is more than grief over sin (2 Corinthians 7:10). The Gospel does not allow us to say we will embrace our sin and Jesus. While Jesus does not demand that we be sinless, He does demand that we willingly turn from sin to Him. Paul complimented the Thessalonians because they turned from idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

While repentance is a necessary part of responding to the Gospel, we must be careful to see it as part of belief. All of us as humans are prone to want to work for our salvation. We want to earn God’s favor, or try to balance out the scales of our good and bad, or at the very least feel like we are contributing to our salvation. But the biblical Gospel is that we are saved by grace, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Ephesians 2:4–9 says:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

When a scared, awed Philippian jailer came to Paul and Silas at midnight and asked how he could be saved, they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:30, 31). And while the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). Gifts are not things you work for or earn, or else they aren’t gifts.

Salvation comes to those who put their trust, their belief, in Jesus, not in their own actions or goodness. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

The Gospel begins with God and, in the end, brings us back to God. The Holy Creator made the entire world good, but sin ruined man’s relationship to God and the goodness of this world. In His love, however, God planned to send His only Son, Jesus, to fix the sin problem we could never fix on our own. Jesus lived without ever sinning, died to take sinners’ punishment, and rose to conquer sin and death and Satan. The Good News is that you can be rescued from your sin simply by believing this wonderful message.

If you’re new to faith, this is where your walk with God begins. Understanding the Gospel (that Jesus died and rose again to save you) is the foundation. The next step is growing in your relationship with Him through Scripture, prayer, and community. Here are some resources I love that can help you build a strong foundation as you begin your walk with God:

Bible

If you’re new to reading Scripture, start with a translation that’s accurate and clear. The ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible or the NIV Life Application Study Bible are both great options.

Even though it’s convenient to read from your phone, I’ve found that using a physical Bible helps me stay focused and not be distracted by notifications coming in. I like being able to highlight verses and jot down notes as I read. Every morning I spend at least 15 minutes in Scripture, it’s become part of my routine, something I naturally do as I start the day. It clears my mind, centers my heart, and reminds me of my purpose before anything else. I use the Life Application Study Bible and really love the footnotes… they give helpful context to what I’m reading and offer practical ways to apply it to everyday life.

If you’re wondering where to begin, try:

• John- shows us who Jesus truly is, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. His goal is that by reading, you would believe in Jesus and find eternal life through Him.

• Luke- tells the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, showing that God’s salvation has come for everyone. It highlights His compassion for the lost, the outcasts, and those society overlooks.

• Psalms- captures the full range of human emotion such as joy, fear, gratitude, sorrow, and hope, all directed toward God. It reminds us of His faithfulness and serves as a guide for honest prayer and heartfelt worship.

• Proverbs- is filled with practical wisdom for everyday life. It teaches how to live with integrity, make wise choices, and honor God through the fear of the Lord, which means having deep respect, awe, and reverence for Him while recognizing His authority and truth.

• Romans- lays out the foundation of the Christian faith. It clearly explains the gospel, that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own works, and that this gift is available to everyone.

I love the Versify app to help me remember scripture as well. You plug in the verse you want to learn and it tests your memory by having you fill in the blanks.

I’m currently reading the book of Ezekiel and plan to continue reading forward from there. Anthony is doing the same, reading each book in order, he wanted to start in Genesis and keep going, so everyday he reads a little in order and now I think he’s almost to the New Testament. However you decide to read, make it a daily habit.

I love using these Bible tabs - they make it so easy to find each book, and just seeing them regularly has helped me memorize the order of the books too.

Podcasts

Dial In Podcast- The pastor at my church, Jonny Ardavanis, hosts this podcast, and I love how he shares his heart for helping people understand and live out God’s Word. As he says, “God’s Word has changed my life, and my passion is that people would understand and obey it. The truth of Scripture has the ability to renew our minds, give us joy, and transform us into the image of Christ.”

For The Gospel Podcast- For the Gospel Podcast provides sound doctrine for everyday people. By discussing practical topics, answering tough questions, and interviewing influential guests, we want to inspire you to live for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Alisa Childers Podcast- Helping you answer Progressive Christianity and skeptical claims against the gospel from a biblical worldview.

Books

I love reading apologetics, which simply means learning how to explain and defend the truth of the Christian faith. Studying apologetics strengthens my own faith and gives me confidence when questions come up, whether from others or in my own mind. It helps connect reason and belief, reminding me that faith in God is both intellectually sound and deeply personal.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis- Originally a series of radio talks given during World War II, this classic lays out the core beliefs of the Christian faith in a clear and thoughtful way. Lewis explains Christianity with logic, reason, and warmth, making complex ideas simple to grasp. It’s a great place to start if you’re new to faith or want to understand what Christians believe and why.

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel- Written by Lee Strobel, a Yale Law graduate and former legal journalist for The Chicago Tribune, this book follows his journey from skepticism to faith. As an atheist, he set out to investigate the evidence for Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection- using his background in journalism and law to examine the facts. What he discovered ultimately led him to believe. It reads like a true investigation and is easy to follow even if you’re new to faith.

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek- This book makes a powerful case for why Christianity is both rational and evidence-based. Geisler and Turek walk through history, science, and philosophy to show that it actually takes more faith to deny God’s existence than to believe in Him. It’s written clearly and builds step-by-step, starting with logical proofs for truth and moving all the way to the evidence for Jesus and the resurrection. It’s one of the best books for strengthening your confidence that faith and reason go hand in hand.

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears- A clear, comprehensive overview of what Christians believe and why it matters. It breaks down big theological ideas, like sin, salvation, and grace, in a way that’s straightforward and rooted in Scripture.

Systematic Theology, Second Edition: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
This is a great book to keep on hand when you want more clarity on specific areas of the Bible. It explains big biblical themes in a clear and structured way, helping you see how everything connects. I use it like a textbook, referencing it when I’m studying a topic or passage and want to understand what the Bible teaches about it as a whole.

Can I Trust the Bible? (Docuseries by Wes Huff)
Not a book, but a great series if you’ve ever wondered how we know the Bible is reliable and historically accurate. Wes Huff explains how Scripture was written, preserved, and verified over time in a way that’s easy to follow and deeply informative. It’s perfect for new believers who want to understand why we can have complete confidence in God’s Word.

Find a local church

Finding a local church is one of the most important steps you can take as a new believer. Look for a church that actually teaches from the Bible and keeps the focus on Jesus, not trends or opinions. Most churches have a what we believe section on their website, and it’s worth reading through. You want to see that they hold to Scripture as truth, teach repentance and grace clearly, and believe salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone.

When we first moved to Franklin, we visited a church that had amazing worship, but the sermons only pulled a verse here and there without really explaining the passage or giving much depth. I looked into the pastors and saw that none of them had formal theological training. The messages were rooted in Scripture, but they stayed surface-level and didn’t challenge us to dig deeper.

That experience taught me how important it is to find a church that truly walks through God’s Word with depth and clarity. Around that time, I started listening to the Dial In Podcast and later realized the pastor was local to us. We decided to visit, and right away we could tell it was different. Each week we walk through Scripture verse by verse, and I’ve learned more about God’s Word there than anywhere else. It’s helped me grow so much in my understanding of the Bible and how to live it out.

And once you find a church with sound teaching, commit to going each week. You’ll start to meet like-minded people, build real community, and find ways to serve, giving back your time and being part of what God is doing there.

Final thought

Choosing to follow Jesus is the most important decision you’ll ever make. It’s the start of a real relationship that changes everything. Walking with God brings a peace and purpose that nothing else in this world can offer.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13–14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I want to be one of those few.

The narrow road isn’t the easy one, but it’s the path that leads to real and eternal life. It’s always easier to go with the flow, to live without conviction, or to follow whatever feels comfortable in the moment. But that’s the wide gate Jesus warns about… the easy, popular path of worldly pleasure and self-reliance that leads to destruction. Following Him might cost more, but it’s so worth it.

Your faith will grow the most in the hard seasons, when you realize that God is still steady and faithful even when life feels uncertain. Keep going and stay close to His Word. As you do, your faith will get stronger and more steady.

One verse I come back to often is Romans 12:12: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” It keeps me grounded and reminds me that real hope only comes from knowing God and trusting that He’s in control. When you belong to Him, you can face anything with peace because you know He’s sovereign over every part of your life, it’s not random chaos. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “There’s no panic in heaven, only divine plans.” I love that reminder- nothing ever surprises God, and He’s always in control.

This verse also reminds me why I want to stay on the narrow path. It’s not the easy road, but it’s the one that leads to real life. There’s so much peace in knowing your name is written in the Book of Life. You don’t have to wonder what comes after this life because you know the truth. That kind of confidence doesn’t come from blind faith… it comes from both faith and evidence. The Bible has proven itself again and again through history and prophecy, and when you really study it, you see it’s the only truth that stands firm.

It’s an honor to walk with God and to know that what you believe is real. The more you learn, the more your faith grows, and the more you realize that following Jesus isn’t just the right path- it’s the only one that leads to lasting purpose and life that never ends.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any other great apologetic books that I should read next!

xx Brittany

Before Poppy was born I was clocking far too few hours of sleep and dragging through the day on coffee alone. Trying to fall asleep earlier was my biggest challenge when I first tried to adjust my sleep habits, so I gave myself a full month of implementing changes before getting discouraged, and it really helped! By the end of two weeks of me really following these tips, I was falling asleep easily at night and waking up feeling refreshed.

I started all these changes about a month before I gave birth to Elliott and kept them up (overall as best as I could) even when I was nursing him throughout the night, and I still was able to have good sleep.

Overall, going to bed by 9:30 pm gives me time to read for a little, and then asleep by 10 pm and waking up at 6am. And when Elliott was born, I moved my bedtime so much earlier (around 8 pm) to give me time to nurse him in the night and still get enough hours of sleep, and that made all the difference. I, of course, was still tired with him, especially when we first brought him home, but NOTHING like the complete exhaustion I experienced with Poppy. I owe a lot of that to getting my sleep in a good place before he was born, so that I had the routine established and it was an easier adjustment to bring him into that.

All that to say, now almost two years later I still track my sleep every night and I get great sleep! Here’s my top five tips:

1. Swap harsh LEDs for warm, blue-light-blocking bulbs
   Light rich in blue wavelengths suppresses melatonin release and pushes your internal clock later, shaving off total and deep sleep. I replaced every cool-white LED in our overheads and lamps with soft incandescent or blue-light-filter bulbs to preserve my natural melatonin rhythm and fall asleep faster and more deeply. If you don’t want to swap everything out just keep all overhead lights off and use a lamp so you only need to swap out that one bulb in the room. I unscrewed any canned lighting that was LED so that way if I went to turn it on by habit, they wouldn’t work. This is another reason not to be on screens before bed. If I have to do something before plugging in my phone I make sure my phone is on full red-mode. Or if we watch a movie I wear red-light glasses to block it out.

   Source: “Blue light has a dark side,” Harvard Health Publishing

2. Go full darkness with blackout curtains and a sleep mask
   Even tiny light leaks (from streetlights or appliance LEDs) can fragment sleep and shorten REM cycles. Installing blackout curtains and wearing a silky sleep mask blocks ambient light entirely, leading to fewer awakenings and higher sleep quality. Black tape works to cover any charging lights.
   Source: Sleep Health (January 2023), “Effects of Dim Light Exposure on Sleep Quality”

3. Chase morning sun- even for 15 minutes
   Bright natural light first thing in the morning advances your circadian clock and strengthens your 24-hour rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up at consistent times. Stepping outside for at least fifteen minutes flips on my internal wake-up switch better than any alarm tone.
   Source: Figueiro et al., “Modeling the Influence of Daytime Light Exposure on Circadian Rhythms,” Science Advances, 2023

4. Eat early so dinner can digest
   Eating close to bedtime forces your body to juggle digestion when it should be repairing and regenerating, leading to more nighttime awakenings and lighter sleep. Finishing dinner at least two hours before bed lets your body focus on rest and repair, resulting in longer uninterrupted sleep. So because I wanted to get in bed by 9:30 I knew dinner (and/or dessert) would need to be finished by 7:30pm and no more eating after that.
   Source: St-Onge et al., “Meal Timing and Sleep Quality in Adults,” Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2021

5. Brain-dump journaling before lights-out
   Racing thoughts and mental to-dos fuel nighttime anxiety and delay sleep onset. Spending three to four minutes writing down tomorrow’s tasks or worries “closes” those mental tabs, reducing cognitive arousal and cutting the time it takes to fall asleep. I like putting 3 things I was thankful that happened during the day and my top 3 priority to-dos for the next day.
   Source: Kellogg et al., “Putting Worry on Paper: Expressive Writing Reduces Pre-Sleep Arousal,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2018

Bonus tip: Move your body during the day…take walks, chase the kids, or crank out some steps. Higher daytime activity makes your body crave real sleep at night.

Let me know any tips that you have for getting good sleep in the comments- would love to know!

Thanks for being here,

xx Brittany