Bohemian Heart Workshop

Starting Fresh in 2024 A moment from the heart: I will begin by saying - I know I've been absent for almost a year. My life and my kids' lives took a drastic turn at the end of June last year and we are finally starting fresh this year after some BIG changes to our family and our daily lives. We have gone from a family of 4 to 3.  It has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs and frankly - I haven't had it in me to speak about it without a sickness welling up inside me. The past 6 months were very difficult for us. However, the three years before it were much, much harder. You can't force someone to change or to grow. You can only ask to be treated better: with the respect you deserve, to be shown love instead of given fear, and to be treated like an equal - not a property. And you can only hope that it will happen for you. If a person you love chooses not to change the behavior that's hurting you or refuses to grow with you, you have to ask yourself how long you wan...

 ~This post contains affiliate links~ Let's Get $h!t Done! * The lost art of doing things Let's be honest... it's hard to get $h!t done sometimes . This is a subject I've written about before and one I'll probably write about it again someday. Especially around Christmas break, Thanksgiving, Easter coming up, whatever holiday has you planning, plotting, cooking, cleaning, etc., it's the worst time for actually getting $h!t done.  I don't know what it is about this "downtime" but it sucks the ambition right out of you. And turns children into messy feral gremlins. Cute gremlins, but still messy and feral.  Motivation doesn't come from an Instagram post, a Pinterest pin, or your friend Becky, who pretends to have her $h!t together on Facebook when you know good and well that Becky is full of $h!t because you saw her house last week on a surprise drop in... She only cleaned the corner she took the photo in, then labeled it "Blessed". I...

Are you kidding me? This post isn't to offer advice, but simply to warn. I have been through the twos which were not so terrible. I survived the threes which were positively deafening. We had a lull in ages and now we're stuck in the 10s through 12s and I'm sure will continue on, surpassing puberty, to the 25s... Oh Puberty...why do you rear your ugly head? I went through it. You went through it. We all go through it. Having said this, why is it so bad for some? I was a demon in my puberty stage and so were others in my family. And yet, I've seen some children glide through it like the hormones were sprinkled with unicorn fairy dust. Where's that fairy dust now?? My son is in the pre-pubescent stage, so he hasn't hit full-on puberty just yet. If his tantrums and anger are this bad now - what is it going to be like when the hormones hit their high-powered surge? Do I build a shelter? Do I find the ultimate hiding place? How are we going to...

~This post contains affiliate links~ Summer is just around the corner! We all say we're going to lose all the holiday weight by the time bikini season rolls around. Believe me, I say it every year right around January 1st.  It's time to make a change ! Time to clean up my eating habits! Time to exercise!  Honestly, we all know it's more like, "time to eat a salad followed by 2 burritos and a plate of hashbrowns washed down with a diet shake." If you've gone through this cycle year after year and are feeling fed up with that extra bit of chub around the midsection where the Oreos live, the taco tummy, and the burrito booty then this is the place for you to start. I found myself at a size 14 when I first used this plan. That was post-baby weight (1-year post...) and it needed to go. I saw a picture of myself on the back of a camel at the zoo and I instantly felt bad for that poor camel's back. That was the first time I realized I neede...

You know what?  Winter sucks . Especially if you're in the Northern Midwest. This cold melancholy season can feel like it goes on and on forever in a neverending loop of boredom and depression. So, how does one keep themselves sane until Spring returns? Well, there are many ways. You just have to think outside the box sometimes. Staying sane in the wintertime is a problem for many people. Winter is just a time of year when your favorite pastimes are put on hold for months on end. But, does it have to feel that way? Bears hibernate, right? They take the "easy way out" so it seems. Do you ever wish you could just hibernate? Maybe you can! Not for the whole winter, of course, but you can snuggle yourself into your own bear cave and bring some extra comfort to your winter. Hygge is very popular around the world these days and there's a reason for it. It's not only a way to find ultimate comfort, but to use that peaceful time to reflect o...

What is campfire stew?  Well, it's just a stew that I started cooking over a campfire at the lake with my family. It grew so popular that it has been requested at most camping expeditions and events. Serve this stew alongside my Viking Pie for your cool-weather dinner party. Honestly, you don't have to cook this over a fire...you can make it wherever you wish. It is   much more convenient to make in the kitchen. This recipe is SO versatile and incredible, you'll have people swarming your campsite (or dining room) to slurp up every last spoonful. AND it's fairly easy to make. I never wanted to give this recipe out. Ever. Never, ever, forever, never, ever. However...I get tired of it being requested so often that I'll just pass it along so folks can make it themselves. Not only is it delicious, but it is also surprisingly healthy. It is a low-carb stew and definitely doesn't taste like it! Here we go! Ingredients: 8 oz. cream che...