About
Advertising
Disclosure
Privacy Policy

Nav Social Menu

Christina Maria Blog

Peaceful purposeful home

home decor
DIY Tutorials
seasonal
Design Styles
Shop our house
Instagram
Shop

latest from

the Blog

Bold Eclectic Design Style Guide

FREE decorating ideas – decorate your home for zero dollars

How to make money blogging in 2020

All natural products from my home to yours : my Etsy shop is open again!

Beginner Gardener Series: Preparing your vegetable garden bed

Home Garden Ideas

« Go to Previous Page
Go to page 1
Interim pages omitted …
Go to page 3
Go to page 4
Go to page 5
Go to page 6
Go to page 7
Interim pages omitted …
Go to page 103
Go to Next Page »

Footer

Meet the Author

Over here, we do imperfect.
We do real.
We have limited budgets, not enough sleep, and big dreams.
Every day is an adventure – and one we love sharing with you.
We’re working on making our fixer upper a home, one project at a time.

I believe in making a beautiful home on a budget, so we can enjoy life with our families in a space that we love. Come see more about us

Let’s Connect

Looking for something?

Christina Maria Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. As part of this Amazon Associates program, the Website will post customized links, provided by Amazon, to track the referrals to their website. This program utilizes cookies to track visits for the purposes of assigning commission on these sales.

christinamariablog

📷taken at 7:22 AM Setting up cozy spots in our

📷taken at 7:22 AM
Setting up cozy spots in our home is like an unspoken invitation to rest. To get comfortable. ✨
We make an effort to do this year-round, but there’s just something extra special about that Christmas glow 🥰✨
.
.
.
.
.
#christmaslights #christmasglow #cozyhome #cozyspaces #sunroom #balsamhill #ohchristmastree

☝🏽life happens here☝🏽 Since we’ve all

☝🏽life happens here☝🏽
Since we’ve all been home allll the time for the last 8ish months ... we’re using every square foot of our house
.
.
.
It’s messy. It’s loud. (Evidence of BOTH shared in my stories today 😳🥴🙉)
.
.
.I am going to be 100% honest with you. My husband and I are both HSP and neither of us really thrive on ‘loud and chaotic’. 😅 But, we’ve got three kids with lots of energy and opinions that are part of our family. 🤗
.
.
.
When I talk about having a ‘peaceful purposeful home’ ... sure I love a good quiet & cozy moment. But that’s not really what it means to me.
.
.
.
In our home, we want people to feel loved, accepted, embraced, and *at peace*. I need to make intentional decisions every single day to make this happen. It’s a choice to not let our home just be a place to put our stuff, but a place that is truly life giving.
.
.
. I’d love to hear what you do to cultivate that feeling in your home 💗 please share... nothing is too big or to small!! 💗
.
.
.
#idhtbptbb #shiplap #myhyggehome #peacefulhome #lifegivinghome #homeiswhereyourheartis

✨dreaming of a cozy Christmas✨ Anyone else? In

✨dreaming of a cozy Christmas✨
Anyone else?
In a year where we’re all feeling the heaviness of the world... *home* feels more important than ever.
On the blog today- I’m sharing my most favorite tips to give you the coziest Christmas season ever. Bonus: most of them won’t cost you anything 🥰
.
.
.
Click the link in my bio to read all the cozy ideas 🥰
.
.
.
.
#cozychristmas #homeforchristmas #boardandbatten #cozyvibes #myhyggehome #christmasbedroom #mychristmashome #christmasdecoratingideas

Whew 😅 how about those stories today, huh? This

Whew 😅 how about those stories today, huh?
This online space is a crazy one. In a weird way, I feel like lot of you have watched me ‘grow up’ these past 10 years as I’ve shared my life on here.💗
.
.
.
Some of you may just have joined more recently, but have maybe heard me talking about the impact that our homes can have on our mental health.
.
.
.
I’ve never actually talked about my ‘story’ that I’ve been living these past few years, today felt like a good time to talk about it a little more. 🙃 there’s been a lot going on behind what I share online. And I feel like God wanted me to share it with you today for some reason 💗
.
.
.
I feel like, weirdly enough in these BIZARRE times we’re living in ... we’re somehow in a better place as a family than we have been in a long time.
.
.
.
It’s because we’ve been doing *hard work* for years. Addressing root causes of deep issues going on ... mentally AND physically. And of course we’re not DONE ... and we never will be. And that’s ok 💗
.
.
.anyways - if you want to hear it, check out my stories today. I’m saving it in a highlight too. Your story responses have been so kind, and the fact that many of you have told me that it was the push you needed to take some next steps ... that means the world to me 😭 that’s why I share. So thanks- for those of you who stuck through it all and who are willing to learn more about other people’s struggles (or your own) 💗
.
.
.
#highfunctioninganxiety #highlysensitiveperson #highlysensitive #gravesdisease

The biggest challenge while homeschooling: this sw

The biggest challenge while homeschooling: this sweet 2 year old 🥰 this girl really is in SUCH a fun phase though and I can’t get enough of her 😭 but also ... she can’t hang for our daily read-aloud times in the morning. All she wants is my attention and our readalouds just aren’t 2 year old material.
.
.
.
When my older kids asked for me to read “just one more chapter please!!” (Which happens every single day 😅) I asked them if we could do it at nighttime instead. I made some hot chocolate and we snuggled in front of the fire for a solid hour 🥰 I asked @pthibbs if he could read some other books to Heidi - and also if he could take a quick picture so I could remember this memory. I found this on my camera roll 😂😂 it is SO representative of this time - I just had to share it.

.
.
.
.
In all honesty though - challenges aside, I am really loving homeschooling way more than I thought I would. I think we all are. Not saying it’ll always be like this! But I’m enjoying this season that God so clearly has us in for a reason right now.
.
.
.
But what I do want to know: any great readaloud suggestions for kids ages 5 & 7? I’ll share the books we’ve read already in my stories so my caption isn’t too long 😅 but I’d love to hear some of your favorites!!
.
.
.
.
#readaloudfamily #readaloudrevival #fireplacedecor #shiplap #limewash #livingroomdesign #homeschoollife #homeschoolfamily #classicalconversations #homeschoolproblems

One month into homeschool 📚💗 Here’s what I

One month into homeschool 📚💗
Here’s what I’ve learned in this month as a newbie homeschool mom:
*slow mornings work well for all of us 😴
*readalouds are always a good idea (we’ve finished Charlottes Web, a Cricket in Times Square, and almost done with Pippi Longstocking)📚
*taking ‘screen time fasts’ is scary but has opened up the kids imagination a million times over ✨
*getting up for a walk & listening to an audiobook before everyone is awake is a huge sanity saver
*homeschooling with a 2 year old in the mix is hard 🥴
*giving the kids personal responsibilities around the house is messy but I’m already seeing the fruit from this practice 🤩
*somehow God always finds ways to connect what we’re reading and learning to things that are happening in our lives 🤯
*daily tea is something we all look forward to
*homeschooling in non-COVID times would be better (being in community is hard right now)☹️
*I’m feeling such a peace of ‘this is exactly where you’re supposed to be.’ I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like my role as their mother was ever as important as it is right now (of course it WAS, but I’m feeling it on a deeper level lately) 💗

.
.
.
Today wasn’t our best day (as you saw in stories) but it wasn’t our worst either. Even more than math or reading, I hope that my kids can develop rhythms for life that the can keep with them forever. I hope that I can show them that it’s ok to have bad days. And it’s normal to get overwhelmed. But it’s also important to not get stuck there 💗
.
.
.how are you guys doing? In person school friends? Virtual school parents? Homeschooling families? I know this is a tough season for all of us ... if you have any wisdom/lessons you’ve learned in your season, I’d love to hear them below 💗
.
.
.
.
#homeschool #homeschoollife #classicalconversations

As much as I would have loved to have a perfectly

As much as I would have loved to have a perfectly staged picture of a beautifully set table (and preferably when I had taken a shower after doing yard work 🤪) this is our life! #sponsored

This is what you’ll see when you come into our kitchen at dinnertime every night. And as I talked about in my stories, @Giant wants us to share how we’re connecting over food at whatever stage of life you’re currently in. #ForTodaysTable

Did you know that when you sit at the table as a family and eat together, studies show that kids develop higher levels of language? Did you know that studies also show that kids tend to eat a wider variety of food when they’re surrounded by others eating a meal? And as they get older, studies show that kids who regularly enjoyed family meals had lower levels of depression. 🤯

There is something so simple about gathering at the table. Or the picnic spot. Or even in your your car together. The important part is the *connection.* The routine. The fact that your children know that you will have a time to listen to them and be together as a family every day. Eating together (if you can’t do dinner, try to make an effort to be intentional with breakfast or lunch!) is one of those things that’s just good for every family.

The meal doesn’t have to be fancy. Your table doesn’t have to be set like you’d see on Pinterest. Your kids don’t have to be getting along. But just keep going.💗

@Giant believes in this so strongly, they’re working towards donating 1 million meals* to families in need. For every picture shared (tagging @Giant and #ForTodaysTable) they will donate 100 meals* to those in need! I love partnering with companies who care and who give back to the community, so it is an honor for me to partner with them for this program.🤗 Please tag me in those pictures too! I love getting glimpses into your life as well! (and make sure you see my stories to see how our unfiltered life looks around dinnertime). I’m nominating @inspired.motherhood , @carissa_nunez and @whitehouseblackshutters to take part as well!

Learn more about For Today’s Table here: www.giantfoodstores.com/1for100 [CONTINUED IN COMMENTS]

Homeschool - here we go! 📚🍎😱 . #lowesp

Homeschool - here we go! 📚🍎😱
.

#lowespartner: As we decided to homeschool this year, we realized that there was no space in our house to actually set aside for homeschooling. 😬
.

So we moved things around, tweaked our plans for a full wall of built in bookcases on this wall, and made a space that will work hard for us! You have to see my stories to see how it all came together - I still can't believe we did all of this in one weekend!!
.

I love how @loweshomeimprovement has made the tag #DIFY - Do it FOR yourself. Because DIY and home projects are great and fun, but if they're not actually adding function and practicality to your home, then they're just not as valuable. #sponsored
.

And let me be clear - you do not need to overhaul your living room and make a big built-in unit like we did. But making your own giant chalkboard for under $50? Using your wall space for book storage and making simple book ledges for under $20? Those are all major #DIFY moments that should be celebrated too! (tutorials for both coming shortly!)
.

Having this much needed storage space (I was getting stressed with literally no idea where we were going to be putting our school supplies or curriculum materials 😅) is going to be SO huge for us! The little book nook next to the window is one of my favorite additions too - this whole space is just making me that much more excited about homeschooling!
.

And again - a PSA: whatever schooling option you chose for your family is GREAT for your family. I am celebrating all the choices! We are confident that homeschooling is the right decision for our family at this time, but completely understand that this is not what everyone is called to either. 💓
.

PS - this is phase 1 of 2...sometime in the future we'll be adding built-in bookshelves on top of the butcher block. Just not yet - I'm tired and we've got a school year to start 😂😉
.

What's one project (big or small) that really helped transform the way your house *functioned*? I'd love to hear your smart ideas in the comments using #DIFY!

(Blog post in my bio with all sources & more details of the space!)
#DIYproject #homeschoolroom #homeschoolspace #firstdayofhomeschool

Do you do mandatory quiet time with your kids? 🤔
I’ll be honest - when Isaac was in full day Kindergarten, we didn’t have quiet time. And when Nora was in preschool, I felt bad having her do quiet time after she was away from me in the mornings.😣
.
.
.
But now we’re allll home & together allll the time 🤪😂 and since we’re homeschooling next year, this isn’t changing! I love LOVE my children, but quiet time is essential 😅 (see my stories for what ‘quiet time’ actually looks like now that Heidi isn’t napping 😩🥴).
.
.
.
I think it comes down to boundaries. I am naturally VERY bad at setting up boundaries. It’s a problem 😅 this is a boundary that I’ve noticed works well for all of us 💗 I need it to be a better mom, and my kids really need it too! It’s a nice ‘reset’ in the middle of our day... and hopefully my kids will realize that healthy boundaries can be a really good thing for them to implement in life later down the road too 😉
.
.
.
Now - people in my stories are asking for quiet time activity ideas ... if you have any simple realistic ideas - leave them in the comments so we can all help eachother! 🤗
.
.
.
.
.
#quiettime #settingboundaries #fireplacedecor #Shiplap #limewash #livingroomdecor #homeschoolroom #sensorytable #lifewithlittles #momlife

And then he was 7 😭💙 as I watch you grow, I

And then he was 7 😭💙 as I watch you grow, I feel such a mix of “slow down... weren’t you just born yesterday?!” and also “I love watching the person you’re growing up to be”. Parenthood, man. 😩
.
.
.
.
Seven years ago, you made me a mom. I have loved watching you grow into a curious boy who loves his family hard. You love your home, the lake cabin, reading books, routines and traditions, listening to silly stories, and learning new things. You’ve stuck with us while we have had to learn everything about being parents through your firsts, and have made lots of mistakes along the way. 🥴
.
.
.
Isaac said the other day ‘Coronavirus has been sad, but it’s also given us a lot of gifts. I like how it’s made our family closer’ 😭😭💙💙 and I totally agree. While we hadn’t originally planned on homeschooling, I am seeing this next year as such a gift with you, Isaac. We get to have you back home, learning together and growing even closer.
.
.
.
...and let it also be noted that Isaac has always asked for chicken noodle soup for every birthday dinner since he was 2 😂💙 I pray he always finds such joy in the simple things!

Copyright © 2020 Designer Blogs· Built on the Genesis Framework