I’ve been quiet lately because we’ve been enjo

Roll call 💫 What state or province are you in?

Roll call 💫 What state or province are you in? We are in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon to be exact) and here we have lots of ferns, forests, and rain. 🌲🌿🌧 Before we moved to OR we lived in Arizona! (Aka the land of the sun ☀️). We are glad our family can experience seasons now, but every winter we miss Arizona just a little bit. ☺️

Favorite summer activity? Family bike rides! ✨ L

Favorite summer activity? Family bike rides! ✨ Love this new yellow 21-speed bike from @_sixthreezero_ to match my girls’ yellow bikes.

We hit 105+ degrees a few weeks ago here in the PNW 😱 So we will definitely be spending lots of summer days bike riding on the forest trails to stay cool. 😂

What’s your favorite family activity during the summer? We are also excited to try out camping for the first time. 😱😂 do you have any tips for us?

Sourdough ✨ Blueberry bagels, chocolate chip bag

Some days I wake up in a cold sweat suffering from

Some days I wake up in a cold sweat suffering from flashbacks. I see crushed up white pills on a plate. I panic then place it on top of the fridge, away from tiny hands. The house is trashed. Bookshelves are thrown onto the ground. I can’t find the floor. Coffee-flavored ice cream is half-eaten, half-melted in numerous tubs all over the kitchen. Animals that were supposed to be pets would lie in their cages for days without food, then eventually die. I’m only 10. I come home from school and get to work vacuuming, cooking, and cleaning up the mess. Wishing that someone else would clean it up for me. Hoping that someone would see us suffering, quietly.

But not today. Today I splashed in the river, talked about homeschool history cycles and paper sloyd, felt the sun on my skin, listened to the white-throated sparrow’s cheerful song, and then I drove home with my girls at dusk. We listened to frog & toad on audiobook, one that we’ve listened to hundreds of times. As I stare into the rear view I can’t help but feel emotional. I hope they know how much I love them. How much I want them to feel fullness and contentment in this life. How important their happiness is to me.

Healing in my thirties is hard. It means confronting everything I chose to suppress all throughout my teens and twenties. Pretending I was okay. That none of it affected me. But now here I am, living my dreams and still having to confront it all + work through the damage it’s done. It all feels very different from the life I currently live but I’m working at it a little at a time amidst the beauty of our every day. I’m thankful for a supportive husband, my friends who lend an ear, and my Savior who has been my rock through it all.

Photo by my sweet friend @wildernesstogether 💓

We finished term 3 of our “kindergarten” year!

We finished term 3 of our “kindergarten” year! Are you schooling through the summer? I shared a rough breakdown of our summer plans in my stories this morning! ✨

I also have a full review of this math curriculum on my blog + @youtube channel if you’re looking for something for Kindergarten for your child next year! I’ve already started planning school for next fall and I have to say I am SOOO excited. 😱✨❤️

Tonight the review video & my thoughts on our handwriting curriculum + phonics practice (explode the code) will be live! 💓 #lichomeschool

I've waited about four years to be able to share t

I've waited about four years to be able to share this in this space, so here we go... on Father’s Day. I first laid eyes on my father at the age of 27. I can’t even describe how surreal it felt to see his face for the first time and see myself so clearly.

I had been told my whole childhood that we didn't know who he was and that I'd never be able to find him, so after years and years, I simply gave up. I accepted the inevitable. I'd never know my Dad...I was okay with it. I was used to seeing other girls...women have relationships with their fathers and I knew that that would never be me. You sort of grow numb to the reality of it as the years go by.

But, right before I gave birth to my now three-year-old, we miraculously connected, through a friend of a friend. It’s an extremely long, detailed, and complicated story of how this came to be and why I haven’t shared about him for so long. But the short version is this: I contacted him after learning his name. After a few back and forths, we both agreed to take a paternity test. We got the results back and we found out that we were indeed related! It became a joyous new adventure from there on out. We had our first phone conversation, tried to make up for lost time, shared our favorite things, our life stories.

Now he wishes me a happy birthday, happy mother's day, happy everything.... on every holiday, each year. He sends me birthday cards (I’ve always wanted a birthday letter from a parent!) 😭 He asked me to call him Dad pretty much during our first conversation, and he's been there for me through birth, death, the pandemic, and more.

I finally met my father face-to-face at 29, and this is the only picture I have of him and I together, but I hope to change that very soon. <3

I want to encourage you today, if you don't know who your father is, or you've been told to give up hope, don't. Don't stop praying and don't stop looking, because it could happen. It's something I didn't know I needed. Now, I have so many answered questions, so many new family members to meet (that’s my brother!) and spend time with. So many new memories to be made.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. 💓 #fathersday

We are having a heat wave now, but the mornings an

We are having a heat wave now, but the mornings and evenings are still breezy and glorious. That’s when I pull out all my sweaters to layer with tank tops and summer dresses.

Remember when I used to spotlight my favorite #slowfashion brands? I need to bring that back, so today I want to share with you @lenvers_fashion. L’ENVERS is a small family owned business based in Spain. The items in their shop are made-to-order, which is wonderful! Providing made-to-order items benefits the customer because garment measurements can be customized, BUT, more importantly, L’ENVERS is only making the garments they need to sell...and nothing more! This is a WAY more sustainable approach to selling clothing and I wish more brands would follow in their footsteps!

The cardigan is made of cruelty-free, pure merino wool sourced from Spain. I find it to be incredibly soft compared to other wool I own (which can sometimes feel itchy). In this photo I am wearing the “Claude” cardigan in the color Camel, and I took a size XS, then I asked if I could shorten the body of the sweater to 23 inches. If you’re on the hunt for a sweater that will last for YEARS, you’ve got to check out L’ENVERS. The quality is superb and their approach to sustainability is something I am proud to support. Their motto is: “We make it slow to make it last.” 😍 #gifted #larissawears

Experienced the most peaceful moment this morning.

Experienced the most peaceful moment this morning... I lit a candle, turned on Josh Garrels, sipped my coffee, all while I..... I folded towels 😅 I know this is unpopular, but I find folding laundry extremely therapeutic, and I actually ENJOY it 😱😂

What is your favorite mundane household task? ✨

G (6) helped me unpack the pantry a few weeks ago and she wrote the name of each flour on top of the jars for me so we could identify them until we get a fancy label maker. (We have like seven types of flour!) I had to capture this, because her sweet little handwriting and spelling of “spelt”, and the way her face beamed when I handed her my special “mommy” pen just melted me... I want to remember it forever. 💓

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• January 13, 2017

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I'm Larissa. A mama to daughters and wife to my college sweetheart. I am passionate about sustainable fashion, whole foods recipes, and Charlotte Mason home education. I also love being outdoors with my family. You can usually find me sporting a wide-brimmed hat, with a baby on my back.

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I’ve been quiet lately because we’ve been enjo

Roll call 💫 What state or province are you in?

Roll call 💫 What state or province are you in? We are in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon to be exact) and here we have lots of ferns, forests, and rain. 🌲🌿🌧 Before we moved to OR we lived in Arizona! (Aka the land of the sun ☀️). We are glad our family can experience seasons now, but every winter we miss Arizona just a little bit. ☺️

Favorite summer activity? Family bike rides! ✨ L

Favorite summer activity? Family bike rides! ✨ Love this new yellow 21-speed bike from @_sixthreezero_ to match my girls’ yellow bikes.

We hit 105+ degrees a few weeks ago here in the PNW 😱 So we will definitely be spending lots of summer days bike riding on the forest trails to stay cool. 😂

What’s your favorite family activity during the summer? We are also excited to try out camping for the first time. 😱😂 do you have any tips for us?

Sourdough ✨ Blueberry bagels, chocolate chip bag

Some days I wake up in a cold sweat suffering from

Some days I wake up in a cold sweat suffering from flashbacks. I see crushed up white pills on a plate. I panic then place it on top of the fridge, away from tiny hands. The house is trashed. Bookshelves are thrown onto the ground. I can’t find the floor. Coffee-flavored ice cream is half-eaten, half-melted in numerous tubs all over the kitchen. Animals that were supposed to be pets would lie in their cages for days without food, then eventually die. I’m only 10. I come home from school and get to work vacuuming, cooking, and cleaning up the mess. Wishing that someone else would clean it up for me. Hoping that someone would see us suffering, quietly.

But not today. Today I splashed in the river, talked about homeschool history cycles and paper sloyd, felt the sun on my skin, listened to the white-throated sparrow’s cheerful song, and then I drove home with my girls at dusk. We listened to frog & toad on audiobook, one that we’ve listened to hundreds of times. As I stare into the rear view I can’t help but feel emotional. I hope they know how much I love them. How much I want them to feel fullness and contentment in this life. How important their happiness is to me.

Healing in my thirties is hard. It means confronting everything I chose to suppress all throughout my teens and twenties. Pretending I was okay. That none of it affected me. But now here I am, living my dreams and still having to confront it all + work through the damage it’s done. It all feels very different from the life I currently live but I’m working at it a little at a time amidst the beauty of our every day. I’m thankful for a supportive husband, my friends who lend an ear, and my Savior who has been my rock through it all.

Photo by my sweet friend @wildernesstogether 💓

We finished term 3 of our “kindergarten” year!

We finished term 3 of our “kindergarten” year! Are you schooling through the summer? I shared a rough breakdown of our summer plans in my stories this morning! ✨

I also have a full review of this math curriculum on my blog + @youtube channel if you’re looking for something for Kindergarten for your child next year! I’ve already started planning school for next fall and I have to say I am SOOO excited. 😱✨❤️

Tonight the review video & my thoughts on our handwriting curriculum + phonics practice (explode the code) will be live! 💓 #lichomeschool

I've waited about four years to be able to share t

I've waited about four years to be able to share this in this space, so here we go... on Father’s Day. I first laid eyes on my father at the age of 27. I can’t even describe how surreal it felt to see his face for the first time and see myself so clearly.

I had been told my whole childhood that we didn't know who he was and that I'd never be able to find him, so after years and years, I simply gave up. I accepted the inevitable. I'd never know my Dad...I was okay with it. I was used to seeing other girls...women have relationships with their fathers and I knew that that would never be me. You sort of grow numb to the reality of it as the years go by.

But, right before I gave birth to my now three-year-old, we miraculously connected, through a friend of a friend. It’s an extremely long, detailed, and complicated story of how this came to be and why I haven’t shared about him for so long. But the short version is this: I contacted him after learning his name. After a few back and forths, we both agreed to take a paternity test. We got the results back and we found out that we were indeed related! It became a joyous new adventure from there on out. We had our first phone conversation, tried to make up for lost time, shared our favorite things, our life stories.

Now he wishes me a happy birthday, happy mother's day, happy everything.... on every holiday, each year. He sends me birthday cards (I’ve always wanted a birthday letter from a parent!) 😭 He asked me to call him Dad pretty much during our first conversation, and he's been there for me through birth, death, the pandemic, and more.

I finally met my father face-to-face at 29, and this is the only picture I have of him and I together, but I hope to change that very soon. <3

I want to encourage you today, if you don't know who your father is, or you've been told to give up hope, don't. Don't stop praying and don't stop looking, because it could happen. It's something I didn't know I needed. Now, I have so many answered questions, so many new family members to meet (that’s my brother!) and spend time with. So many new memories to be made.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. 💓 #fathersday

We are having a heat wave now, but the mornings an

We are having a heat wave now, but the mornings and evenings are still breezy and glorious. That’s when I pull out all my sweaters to layer with tank tops and summer dresses.

Remember when I used to spotlight my favorite #slowfashion brands? I need to bring that back, so today I want to share with you @lenvers_fashion. L’ENVERS is a small family owned business based in Spain. The items in their shop are made-to-order, which is wonderful! Providing made-to-order items benefits the customer because garment measurements can be customized, BUT, more importantly, L’ENVERS is only making the garments they need to sell...and nothing more! This is a WAY more sustainable approach to selling clothing and I wish more brands would follow in their footsteps!

The cardigan is made of cruelty-free, pure merino wool sourced from Spain. I find it to be incredibly soft compared to other wool I own (which can sometimes feel itchy). In this photo I am wearing the “Claude” cardigan in the color Camel, and I took a size XS, then I asked if I could shorten the body of the sweater to 23 inches. If you’re on the hunt for a sweater that will last for YEARS, you’ve got to check out L’ENVERS. The quality is superb and their approach to sustainability is something I am proud to support. Their motto is: “We make it slow to make it last.” 😍 #gifted #larissawears

Experienced the most peaceful moment this morning.

Experienced the most peaceful moment this morning... I lit a candle, turned on Josh Garrels, sipped my coffee, all while I..... I folded towels 😅 I know this is unpopular, but I find folding laundry extremely therapeutic, and I actually ENJOY it 😱😂

What is your favorite mundane household task? ✨

G (6) helped me unpack the pantry a few weeks ago and she wrote the name of each flour on top of the jars for me so we could identify them until we get a fancy label maker. (We have like seven types of flour!) I had to capture this, because her sweet little handwriting and spelling of “spelt”, and the way her face beamed when I handed her my special “mommy” pen just melted me... I want to remember it forever. 💓

Spent our nine year anniversary apart yesterday. I

Spent our nine year anniversary apart yesterday. I took the girls to nature group while he worked during the day and then we had family dinner and after that I rushed off to a homeschool mom book club 😅 while he put the girls to bed solo for the first time EVER. 😳 We snapped these quick photos before I left though, and I’m glad we have them! Next year is the big 10! ✨

Photos 1& 2 were on our 9 year anniversary.
Photo 3: our first date
Photo 4: the day we got engaged
Photo 5: our engagement photos
Photo 6: our wedding day
Photo 7: pregnant with N

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