Pretty Over Perfect

We're here to find the goodness in the messiness of real life... and this week has been full of messiness. Jessica shares about a family accident and a neighborhood tragedy that occurred over the past week and how it's rocked her world, and left us both wondering how we can show up for people in their times of need, build better communities going forward and keep pressing into life when...

This week is all about the things we’ve been loving lately - from our favorite foods and accessories to the best internet hacks we’ve found! If you’re interested, here are the links to our favorite things: Accessories - Jessica: Bright Statement Earrings and Gold Glitter Bracelets - Michelle: Fun shoes like Espadrilles Skin Care Product: - Jessica: Beauty Oil - Michelle: Tula Skin Care and L’Oréal...

It’s back to school season, and whether you have good, bad or mixed feelings about the transition, the time is upon us. So today we’re talking about getting ourselves and our kids ready for the change of pace and the new schedules. Plus: where to find the best deal on pencils, how to celebrate the season and Michelle reveals she’s a little bit obsessive about food storage containers. These are the...

You asked and we're answering your questions about parenting kids baby-middle grades. We’re talking taming tantrums, teaching responsibility and how to know if you’re doing enough as a parent.  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

We are so excited to share Jill with you this week! A mother both Jessica and Michelle truly admire, she is letting us in on her thoughts about parenting teens and pre-teens. This episode is full of parenting GOLD! Jill is so intentional, practical and fun - and we know you're going to learn so much from her - we sure did! Jill discusses teaching kids to be gracious, helping them develop thei...

This week we chatted with our kids to ask them about how they feel loved, how they contribute to our families and what their favorite memories and traditions are! We even asked them what they think parents of kids their age should know.  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

In these long days of summer, all parents could use a little encouragement. We're discussing the latest in our favorite parenting books, podcasts and ideas. Parenting is an ever-evolving journey, and we discuss our thoughts on our currents ages and stages. We share our take-aways from Grit  by Angela Duckworth , Hunt, Gather, Parent  by Michaeleen Doucleff, Bringing Up Bebe  by Pameral Drucke...

We don't want to live a life stuck in the past or buried under a massive pile of memorabilia, but we do want to pay attention to the evidence of good in our lives so we can carry it with us into the present and future. We're talking this week about keeping track of things or moments that are meaningful to us - from organizing our kids' artwork, to journaling our own experiences in s...

Today we're talking tips and tricks for getting good photos. We love taking pictures - and we also realize photographs don't always do our memories justice, and in fact, can steal the moment from us. So we're chatting today about when to pull out the camera and when to leave it behind and just enjoy the present. And! If we're going to pull out the camera - we might as well get...

Summer is a great time for making memories - it feels out of the ordinary, special and free to be full of fun. But we can easily get in our own ways - so concerned about every moment being perfect that we don’t pay attention to all the good things happening around us. This episode is all about how memories are made (hint: it’s usually when things aren’t perfect), how to have real fun making them a...

Summer is upon us - with all it's fun, freedom and potential for friction! Today we're discussing ways we're going intentionally into this time that allows us to pursue passion projects, spend more time with family and friends and enjoy the sunshine. We're discussing how we set and manage expectations for ourselves and our families - with ideas ranging from young kids to middle...

We are so excited to have Mallory of Oregon AgLink on our show today to tell us a little bit about the amazing world of agriculture. Though it's a system we might not think of often, or if we do it's with mixed feelings, we all depend on the work of famers to provide the food we eat. Mallory has so much to share about how the farming industry works, is all inter-connected and is constant...

This week we’re recapping our spring favorites: foods, activities and life lessons from our past few episodes. Jessica talks about making tiny hats for baby bears and Michelle talks about where the word “quarantine” comes from.  Michelle recommends  Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek and referenced this podcast interview of Anna Lembke on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (please note that this episod...

If you’ve ever wondered where Michelle and Jessica come from, now is your chance to find out. We interviewed each of our moms about motherhood and we can’t wait for you to hear their wisdom and inspiration! Plus, you’ll get a little bonus insight into who we were growing up, and what we’re most thankful to our moms for teaching us!  Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyove...

Did you know Jessica's dad, Rich, is a Master Gardener? He really knows his stuff and he is here to help us get started with some gardening made accessible for anyone. If you're like us, you might want to start planting but have no idea where, when or how! Well, today you're in luck! From taking the mystery out of tomatoes, to container gardening in limited spaces, Rich walks us thr...

Last week we posed the question, "Why is Enough Never Enough?" and now we're going to try to figure out what to do about it. We start off asking, "What even is a happy life?" We've discovered that true satisfaction comes not from clicking or bingeing or numbing but from doing hard things that matter. So this week we're talking bucket lists beyond sky diving, the...

Buckle up, folks! We've got a big episode today! This week we are diving right into the deep end with the question, "Why is Enough Never Enough?" Why are we constantly feeling inadequate and unsatisfied both with what we have and who we are?  To find the answer we're going to get a little nerdy about neurology and talk about the brain processes at work - how dopamine is meant t...

Let's face it, it's not fun, but we all have to have a relationship with money. And just like organizing our homes, looking at our finances can feel like a totally daunting task, until we break it down into little doable pieces.  This episode is all about money matters: from everyday budgeting to planning and saving for the future! We won't pretend to be financial experts, but we ar...

It’s our fiftieth episode!! Woo hoo! And we’re celebrating by looking to previous generations to learn about being thrifty and self-reliant in an increasingly fast-paced and convenience-based world. We’re going over Country Living’s article, “30 Ways to Save Money Like Grandma Did.” And we’re adding our own wisdom because… it’s our podcast and we can do what we want. This episode kicks off a whole...

In this week’s episode, Michelle and Jessica talk all about real ways they maintain organizational systems: from getting started to the long haul and everything in between. Plus! Ways we keep the clutter at bay moving forward! Take the Clutterbug quiz here to find out your organizational style! And share your results with us on Instagram! Jessica recommends the book “Organizing for the Rest of Us”...

The next step in our organizing journey (after clarifying our vision and decluttering) is to set up systems that work for us! In this week’s episode, Jessica and Michelle talk nitty gritty for getting your most common problem areas under control. We’ll know a system is working for us when we can reasonably (and joyfully) maintain it! And of course - no organizing method would be complete without a...

Originally aired in March of 2021, this rerun from last year's month of Organization is a brief overhaul of all our organizing tips and tricks. Listen in while you declutter, and we'll be back next week to share new thoughts on those problem areas we've all got in our homes! Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!  @prettyoverperfect

This one goes a little long - but it’s only because we have so many ideas to share about organization - and in this first episode we are motivating ourselves by finding the “why” behind organization. We are clarifying our visions for a month  of spring cleaning: creating a space that is functional and peaceful and free so we can live well. After we’ve clarified our goals, we’re tackling the second...

This might seem like a funny episode to follow our last one all about finding delight in every day experiences, but trust us, they are two sides of the same coin. Expecting that every moment is going to be totally enjoyable is unreasonable and sets us up for disappointment. So, we're letting go of preconceptions of how things should be, and allowing them to just be as they are. We're pra...

We talk about finding joy in the everday… but how do we actually approach rewiring our brains to see all the goodness available to us on a daily basis? It’s easy to miss moments of delight because we get caught up in expectations, worry about the future or shame about the past or even jealousy and comparison. But by paying attention and choosing to revel in the present, we can find so much (free!!...