Jacquie Ellis

It took years for my husband to convince me to take a vacation without the kids, but trust me there is nothing better than taking that vacation for two! Finding a way to tune out the chaos for a bit, is amazing. Vacations for two will level up your normal quality time with your spouse; date nights can’t compare. Growing up some of the best memories I had were vacations with the family. We didn’t go far, mostly camping, but we were together. My husband grew up in a similar environment, so it was natural for us to always bring the kids with us everywhere. Letting Fears Stop You It…

When you lead a busy life, there are distractions and obligations around you constantly. It is easy to fall into a habit of multi-tasking everything. You are thinking of your to-do list while you are working on a project report. While folding laundry you are planning your meals for the week. The truth is our minds never stop planning for future events or feeling guilty of what we missed doing. Learning how to find quiet moments will help us enjoy life again. When I first started reading about mindful moments and taking quiet time, I honestly thought it was impossible to do.  What mom can go to the bathroom by…

You have to work late again, to finish that project report that is due tomorrow morning. This isn’t the first time this week you’ve worked late at the office. In fact, over the last year, you have had to work late more often, and you even bring work home with you. You feel tired, frustrated, and guilty. The guilt of work taking time away from your family never goes away. You get home after that long day and stuff is everywhere. You step over the pile of shoes at the doorway and cringe at the mess. Dishes aren’t done. Flyers are on the kitchen island, along with everything else it…

Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil doesn’t work so well for business. Problems happen, but it is how you address those problems that will matter.  Do people listen, or are they making a snap judgment on what they think is happening? How engaged are people in their jobs? Workplace improvements start with empathetic listening; learning to listen for improvements. When you are able to help people with their work frustrations, you will build both morale and trust within the workforce. People want to do their best work, but don’t always feel empowered to make the improvements to make it better. Listening for improvement opportunities is one of…

Feeling connected to others is a core need for everyone. We all need to feel love, to feel understood, to not feel lonely. One of the best ways to improve your mind space and overall well-being is connecting with others, even if you are an introvert. Mental Health studies are now saying that feeling a connection with someone ranks higher than any other change to your healthy lifestyle.  You read that correctly. Feeling that connection with someone has the single biggest impact on your health and well-being than if you were to quit smoking, change your eating habits, or start exercising. Connecting with others improves your happiness, and happy people tend…

I was more than 75 pounds down in my weight loss journey, exercising, eating healthy, and feeling great about my health journey. Then things went sideways and I didn’t know why until recently. It took me three years and gaining back almost 50 pounds for me to figure out that my gut health was the cause. Let me explain. (This post includes an affiliate link) My symptoms that finally shook my world enough for me to stop and say, “ENOUGH!” included: dry patches of skin that were itchy and couldn’t be remedied with lotions weight gain even when eating healthy and exercising mood disorders which included anxiety and periods of…

When you’re juggling kid’s school schedules and live in a busy home it is easy to forget important dates even if they are on the schedule. Important dates to remember, mail and forms laying around, and no one knows what to do for dinner at the last minute. This simple family communication center is a DIY must do! Chaos was a daily occurrence in our home until I found this idea on Pinterest, and figured out how to make it work for our family! The Pinterest idea that I used to gather inspiration was a command center for the family. It included baskets for different items, a calendar, and a…

Going home to visit family or friends is great when it’s just you or your partner, but what if you are the only one with kids? Visiting family or friends can be stressful when you have kids, especially when they don’t have small children in the house or aren’t used to having small children in the house. We found a way to make hometown visits fun for the whole family. For many years we would make the car trip back home to visit family and friends.  It was a long trip but we did it to stay connected to those we loved.  However, most of the time we were traveling…