Motherhood

Words & Photography
by Jessica Ahrens

...embracing the wrinkles in my laundry that I let sit on the floor for too long, developing a taste for cold coffee (or just adding ice and pretending it was supposed to be that way)...

Motherhood: embracing the wrinkles in my laundry that I let sit on the floor for too long, developing a taste for cold coffee (or just adding ice and pretending it was supposed to be that way), researching how to do the perfect messy bun because you’ve got at least one day left in that hair before it NEEDS a wash, and knowing she’s worth every sacrifice and every bit of that messy life.

Our Three Feathered Ladies

Words & Photography
by Alexandria Smith

There’s something so sweet about thinking of them throughout the day as I keep my fruit and veggie scraps for them; it’s my way of saying thank you.

Courtesy of our three feathered ladies; Buttercup, Petunia, and Dandelion. We’ve kept these organic laying hens for a couple of years now and you’ll usually find two bowls on my countertop - one for the hens and one for compost. There’s something so sweet about thinking of them throughout the day as I keep my fruit and veggie scraps for them; it’s my way of saying thank you.

Tag Me Out

Words & Photography
by Shelby Goodman



That magical time of day when Daddy gets home
(and all the tired mamas say, “Tag me out.”).
It never gets old hearing them run to the door to greet him, though.
And I can’t believe there’s gonna be a third set of pitter-patters
and baby boy hanging off his leg SO SOON!
How did I get so lucky to be the # 1 girl to all these guys?

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Words & Photography
by Kelsie Millet



What is your earliest childhood memory? Most of our early childhood memories start at around the age of 4. My earliest memory was my mom calling me in from playing outside and having me decide whether I wanted to go to Preschool or take gymnastics. Of course I picked preschool because I was all about getting the backpack. To this day I’m still a bag lover, what can I say.

...I want to create memories for my kids. I want them to remember waking up on Saturday morning to pancakes.

So the point of all this memory talk is that I want to create memories for my kids. I want them to remember waking up on Saturday morning to pancakes. I felt really ambitious the other day and made them into animals. My kids freaked out, in the best way. Only bad thing is I can never get away with a normal plain just syrup pancakes again. So you have been warned. But they love it, and I love that they love it.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Yields: about 10 small pancakes

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons agave (or honey)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Butter or oil spray
Half scoop of your favorite vanilla protein (optional)

Directions
1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
2. Add all dry ingredients, and then finish with your 1/4 cup of milk.
3. Unlike a normal pancake, I like to cook these at low temp and really let them cook majority of the time on one side. These do take longer than a normal pancake to cook, just be patient.

Notes
*Use a whole lot of butter on your pan before putting the batter on.
*If the batter sits too long it thickens up quite a bit, just add a little water if needed.

Showing Up

"None of us really know what we’re doing

but the beautiful thing is that our kids don’t need perfection,

they need connection and a willingness to show up

whether we’re feeling strong or weak,

happy or sad, competent or completely lost...

Why? Because you are the answer. Your presence."

- Tracy Gillett

[Photography by Jackie LeBlanc]