Five on Friday + Life Update

Happy Friday!

Before we get down to the 5, I wanted to share some pretty big news…

I resigned from my corporate job.

I’ve written and rewritten this announcement a million times but it’s truly too much to unpack in just a few paragraphs. There were a million factors, discussions, therapy sessions, sleepless nights, overthinking and prayer that went into this decision, but the simplest explanation is…my family needs me. And not the burnt out, perpetually exhausted, distracted, short-fused me.

Pausing my corporate career has honestly been one of the most difficult decisions to make, and it has been accompanied with a waterfall of emotions. I am sad, excited, nervous, and relieved all at the same time.

If you’ve been reading along for awhile, you know that I am really proud of the career I’ve built over the past 13 years. And the last 8 of those years I have balanced the role of mom while climbing the corporate ladder. My job has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, so it’s definitely been hard to let go of. However, at the same time, the pressure and expectations were often all too consuming. And as our kids, my career and Matt’s business have simultaneously grown, it has become increasingly difficult to keep my family at the forefront while working full time. So, I’m following my heart and putting my career on hold to show up better for them. And we, as a family, are beyond fortunate that we could make this change.

So what does this mean for y’all and Carolina Charm? 

Honestly, nothing really changes in this space for y’all, yet everything changes behind the scenes for us. Now more than ever I am incredibly grateful to have this creative space to pour into while the kids are in school. I’m excited to bring you all more content, to shift blogging to daylight hours, to tackle post topics that have been swirling in my head for years and to pursue projects I’ve always dreamed about.

I also really want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all of the love and support you’ve given me and my family over the years. I am so excited to bring you along for this next chapter in our life.

Alright, on to the 5!

1. St. Patrick’s Day

I hope you all had a great St. Patrick’s Day! The kids were elated to wake up to a special Lucky Charms breakfast! This is their favorite cereal and we don’t buy it often so they were even more surprised to see the Marshmallow Clusters edition — and green milk! And in their lunch boxes I added another festive surprise — a Lucky Charms bar.

PRINTABLE: FERNANDINA PAPER

2. Sprinkles

I’ve got new Sprinkles content for ya! My friend April actually made this bow many years ago for Caroline. For real, isn’t she the cutest?

3. Spring Allergies

One day last week I received a call from the school nurse seconds after Caroline entered the building informing me that Caroline was complaining about ear pain. Our kids are super prone to ear infections so I immediately ran up, grabbed her and took her to the doctor. (Side note: It was a mind blowing experience to not be sent into a tailspin over notifying my boss and rescheduling my entire work day to grab a kid from school). Anyway, I was extremely thankful when the doctor said both ears checked out clear but that Caroline is likely experiencing pain deep down in her ear from allergies (which both kids get really bad during the spring time). So he recommended Zyrtec daily as well as steam showers. I always keep a bag of Dr. Teals Epsom Salt Vapor Bath on hand for when someone is congested or sick so I sprinkled a generous handful on the shower floor and had Caroline take a steamy shower. Between the vapor bath salt, daily allergy medication and saline nasal spray (both kids get terrible nosebleeds during the spring too), Caroline was feeling better by the next day and back to school.

I was telling my girlfriend Lisa about Caroline’s steam showers and she shared another awesome product recommendation that I immediately purchased — Vick’s VapoShower Bombs! These last a lot longer than the epsom salt since they take a little longer to dissolve.

Allergy Products

Dr. Teals Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution: Walmart (cheapest), Amazon & Target

4. Teacher Appreciation Week Snack Cart

Aside from showing up for class parties, teacher meetings and school events, I have usually chosen to donate in other ways than my time to the kids’ school during the middle of the work day. And so this week I was unbelievably excited to volunteer to push the snack cart to every classroom for Teacher Appreciation Week! Passing out popcorn cups was seriously the highlight of my week and the excitement across both kids faces as they ran to greet me in their classrooms had me teary. And they were shocked when I signed them out for early dismissal afterwards.

5. Amazon Spring Dresses

Last weekend I polled y’all to see what your favorite content from the previous week was. The most popular response was Five on Friday, followed closely by Amazon spring dresses!! I haven’t received any new dresses yet (still weeks away) but I wanted to round up my favorite dresses already in my closet in case you’re itching to grab a few now so you’re not waiting weeks by the time everyone is ordering.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Amazon Spring Dresses: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Have a great weekend friends!

In Case You Missed It

• Weekend Rewind
• Mexican Chopped Salad
• Nordstrom Swim Suits (One Piece & Bikinis)