Left: cover still from a TikTok video by @ashleehardin. Right: Collection of colorful children's drawings displayed on a wall (Unsplash photo by Julia Taubitz).

Mom Frames Her Toddlers Scribbles Like Gallery Art Hanging Them on…

Oct 13, 20263 min read

Most kid artwork ends up stuck to a fridge with a magnet for a week…

Left: cover still from an Instagram reel by @cozy.renter. Right: a cozy living room with a sofa and plants (Unsplash photo by Clay Banks).

From Bare Rental to Cozy Corner: A Renter-Friendly Living Room Glow-Up

Oct 6, 20265 min read

Renters often get told that a truly cozy, personal-feeling home is something to save for…

Two stills from an Instagram reel by @chaos_partyof9: a boy seated at a dining table with a bundt cake, then a hand cutting the cake with a knife.

Kids Really Do Say Whatever Comes to Mind 🫠🤣

Oct 6, 20265 min read

@chaos_partyof9 has quietly become one of those accounts that parents forward to each other in…

Left: cover still from a TikTok video by @lorenzopaschal. Right: a young child eating with a pink spoon (Unsplash photo by NHN).

She’s Got It All Figured Out. 😂

Oct 6, 20265 min read

Some posts are funny because they are exaggerated. This one, from creator @lorenzopaschal, is funny…

Two stills from an Instagram reel by @anna.marie.shartzer.

It’s A 50/50 Chance: Sugar Or Spice, This Year I’m Waking…

Oct 6, 20265 min read

Pregnancy announcements and gender reveal countdowns have become their own online genre, but creator @anna.marie.shartzer…

Two stills from an Instagram reel by @green_fam23.

He’s Grown so Much in 2 Short Years but That Attitude…

Oct 6, 20265 min read

There is something almost universal about the scene @green_fam23 filmed, which is probably why it…

Two stills from an Instagram reel by @talia.alivia.

Thankfully The Lamp Kept Me Warm While The Kids Took Over…

Oct 6, 20265 min read

There’s a very specific flavor of parental martyrdom that comes from losing your own bed…

About Me
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madison Cates

Mom, Wife, Minimalist.

Join me in my journey to declutter my life and live a simply beautiful life.

Gallery

Ornate golden clock on a marble fireplace mantel
Two moments from an Instagram reel: a mom vacuuming the kitchen, then a bed piled with laundry.
Left: TikTok still of an older woman in an apron in her kitchen. Right: a smiling older woman in a scarf (Unsplash photo by Benjamin Brunner).
clutter entryway
Left: Instagram reel still of kids watching a tree crew from the porch. Right: an arborist cutting a tree (Unsplash photo by Zack Masters).
Two moments from an Instagram reel: a bin of toys being sorted, then vacuuming the playroom floor.
A woman with long blonde hair in a black tank top and jeans packs a cardboard box at a white kitchen counter, with yellow text over the frame about kids not appreciating what parents do (still from the creator's Instagram video)
A hotel bedroom with a wooden bed frame, red accents, and a fruit bowl
Two moments from an Instagram reel: a mother holding a drill while building a playhouse, then the finished playhouse.