There is something about this dessert. It’s just so so light and yet so satisfying. It’s so intimidating, but did you know that all it requires is 4 ingredients? I’d say the hardest part is to pour it on a baking sheet with pastry bags. But if you act like it’s an art class and [...]
Cream for pastries. This Italian pastry cream is often used to fill cakes, cream puffs, and as a regular dessert that can be eaten by the spoon.
Organizing! It looks simple, but it’s not as easy as one would think. You know when you are good at something, but you never think of why you are good at it and the systems that you use? We see so many beautiful organizing hacks like the ones used by the Neat Method. They make [...]
Love a good potato soup. And if it's dairy free and vegan that makes us even happier. Siena often says it's her favorite meal for dinner. It's so simple to make that I am surprised that one of my kids requests it so often. Although the majority of kids meals tend to be the simplest. [...]
These cookies are an awesome alternative to break up the traditional chocolate chip cookie. Made with miniature peanut butter cups. A simple recipe for happy tummies.
Fish! Such a sensitive subject at our home. Our household is kind of divided in half when it comes to this one. I grew up absolutely hating fish. I didn’t like the smell of it or looking at it at the store. The street markets in Italy often would sell it in a different section [...]
This healthier version of a Carrot Cake is made with Vegan Frosting, Monkfruit, Apple Sauce, and Coconut whipped Cream.
I found an old journal entry about fear from starting one of our own businesses. I wrote how God helped us along the way and how growth comes from facing our fears.
Sweet Potato Paleo Bread 300 grams cooked sweet potato (peeled. it's the equivalent of 1 medium sized potato)1/2 cup coconut flour (almond flour is a great substitute)3 eggs3 tbsp coconut milk1 tsp baking soda1 pinch salt In the pressure cooker cook the sweet potato on the vegetable setting for 5 minutes with about 3 cups [...]
Chocolate Flan Recipe
holiday traditions and family games
This authentic and classic delicate tiramisu recipe. Made with barley powder to avoid coffee. It's quick and simple and delicious.
Super moist and easy to make pumpkin bars. Topped with creamcheese. With no butter. Perfect dessert for the colder fall and halloween days.
Happy weekend everyone. School has started. We decided to homeschool one more year our two oldest kids for right now so we took two extra weeks before starting academics, but even then we couldn’t dodge for long all the activities and responsibilities that had all started back up again. We got soccer, gymnastics, and dance [...]
Recently we had to redecorate our condo in Utah County. We love Utah County. We have lived there for the past 14 years. Close to the same amount of time I have lived in my native land, ITALY. So I can officially say it’s my home now. We have been traveling a lot this past [...]
I tend to miss a good sale, but this year I was determined not to. While I still want to enjoy the warm summer days it's also nice to catc a few pieces before the cold weather actually hits and a lot of things are out of stock by then. So this year I decided [...]
A few tips and tricks for parents trying to begin homeschooling.
Vegas trip during this not busy time at all and had the best time. I shared a few deals on hotels and for shopping to get points back on online purchases. They are all free services!
Tory burch sale is going on right now. I particularly love their shoes. They are usually close to 300$, but I shared a few pieces that are on major sale right now. If you have been looking to purchase some Tory Burch's before, here are a few cute shoes.
Sharing my two favorite swim suits. One is high wasted and one is a one piece swimsuit. Happy summer to everyone!
A kid friendly snack.
A few organizational solutions for the garage. From shoes, to tools, to toys. Perfect solutions for a clutter free space. Bicycles can be hang, too. Perfect spring garage organizational storage ideas and tips. Flowwall to shoe closet hangups to keep shoes off the floor.
A great protein and fiber rich smoothie perfect as a breakfast or afternoon snack.
Ring the bells because "It's the most wonderful time of the year", and it's not even June. Yes, with everything going on lately I have often caught myself playing Christmas tunes in my head.
An italian classic recipe. Takes 5 minutes to make. I grew up eating this dish as a side all the time during lunch and dinner in Italy
Sharing how I have been saving my budget over the months to purchase a few higher brand dresses. Sharing my favorite finds for this spring and summer season.
Tips for teaching your children. How to stay motivated as a parent, and programs for children especially when managing different children at different ages. Activities such as the Osmo pad and the Osmo Little Genius, Play Doh recipe, and Magnetic Sand to keep the little ones entertained.
Life is a journey where we are given the chance to find out how we can have joy through any circumstance. So what are some ways that we can find joy through these times? How can we find peace and grow? Bad things don’t just bring bad things. My son asked me the other day [...]
I grew up with my dad making this apple cake recipe. We make it often and it brings back so many meories for us. Here is a quick video and I won't waste anytime and jump right into sharing! Youtbe video below as well for a quick tutorial. Will you guys please hit the subscribe [...]
A few of my favorite items to organize the home. Perfect pieces to keep drawers, closets, and garages clutter free.
I shared today a little easy up do I like to do for my little girl with curly hair together with my favorite products to use to keep her hair moisturized and soft.
I know it can feel demotivating to all stay home right now. So I wanted to share a little list of things that we can all do to stay motivated, sane, healthy, and hopefully happy. I won’t chit chat too much and I’ll attach it right below. It’s a self care bingo. Choose one row [...]
This super flully cake is seirously so easy to make and so delicious. Here is a quick video of the day where we made it with the kids. I was having a tough time managing all the kids at once. So Dorian and I got busy baking, while we had Siena read outloud to Davide [...]
Recipe for Carmelita. Enriched with fiber and made with reduced sugar and butter.
3 pair of jeans and a few favorites to go with them. Perfect for a day at home and also a night out.
Why do we like this recipe? Because it reminds me of dessert for dinner. But at least it doesn't have all that sugar. I love to pair a cornbread with chili. The best perks come because the kids constantly ask me to make these two. It's become a super easy combo to make for our [...]
I know we all want to be real and a perfect life doesn’t exist. Yet there is something about putting yourself together for the day. You feel beautiful. You feel refined. You feel more curated. I often tell my kids that just because we are not in a palace with servants and have visitors all [...]
A few of my favorite spring pieces from this french atelier!
Italian fluffy chocolate cake. With no butter. A light and airy cake perfect for breakfast or for an afternoon cake. Similar to a bundt cake but light and airy in consistency and less calorie dense.
I recently finished our first project and it involved wallpaper. I made a quick video for you guys in case wallpaper scares you away. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and I like that the finished product did not have as many imperfections is I thought it would have. [...]
I remember about two years ago that I realized that I wasn't in love with my clothes. Yet, I had bought the clothes that were now sitting in my own closet. I would see big fashion people purchase items from super cheap stores and look well put together. So I knew that I had the [...]
I wanted to share today a few of my favorite items for my babies’ room. I have had the same set of furniture since I had my very first baby. Our nursery converts into a full bed so I guess at some point we might turn it into a regular bedroom. Our crib was originally [...]
Our all time favorite books that we like to read over and over again.
I love a good egg salad sandwich. What I love even more is that I can get my kids to eat celery without them knowing it every time I make this recipe. They are perfectly disguised and the only thing that they notice is that it's tasty and a bit crunchy. I mix the same [...]
We all know the struggles of finding any personal time after being done with our formal school education. Whether it's because we start working or because we start a family. I have read many statistics on how many people never even open another book after being done with college. After studying for so many years [...]
Depression is dark. And only people who have witnessed it can truly comprehend it. I often didn’t understand it until I was out of it. But when I rise past those bad moments, I am able to see what happened to me. Often times when I have been depressed I was believing the lies that [...]
Alright ladies, I am so excited to share this with you. I used to own so many different lipsticks and use none of them. I loved a lot of brown hues for the longest time, and nudes. I have bought so many lipsticks over the years. I eventually had to purge them all because they [...]
I wanted to share some love with you all by sharing something that I love. So from my kitchen to you one of my favorite ways to cook up a hamburger at home. It’s quick, mess free, and that stuffed cheese inside is the icing on the cake for hamburgers.
Decadent chocolate smoothie. Perfect for winter days and the perfect protein smoothies for weight loss.
Home made pasta made from scratch. I am sharing one of the things I love so much from my home country.
Ever had left over oranges lingering around the house? What to do with them? We usually are pretty good at cutting and eating fruit, but sometimes we hide certain foods in the pantry and forget they are there. So when I find that I have not so fresh oranges that won't taste good to eat, [...]
Today I was sitting in the nursery's rocking chair with my two year old Zara while trying to put her to sleep, when my four year old (Dorian) walked in the room and started talking to me. I quietly listened to him while smiling and pondering about my life over the last decade. I remembered [...]
I recently found the right words to share some of my personal stories on depression. I published it on another blog. I am linking it here. I hope it will help you in someway to anyone who may need this. https://byrslf.co/i-beat-depression-by-believing-in-myself-and-overcoming-my-fears-88911e468ae Love, Serena
Opening up about my problems is something I am not so good about. I see all the time how so many women are good at being true and honest about their struggles. I often shy away from talking about my problems because I am trying to heal from all my wounds. I have noticed in [...]
Growing up in Italy manners where so important. I remember when I first arrived in the states that I was so shocked about a few things. I remember one time paying with a card and the girl tossed the card back at me over the counter. Whaaat??? Oh my goodness. It’s like I had never [...]
I don't ever buy hot dogs at our home. I know they are not healthy so I avoid them as much as I can. Every once in a blue moon though I head over to a local butcher and there they sell their own home made hot dogs. So I like to surprise the kids [...]
Parenting is the most rewarding thing you will ever do. I always tell my husband that I want to report to God some day and know that I did everything in my power to be THE BEST PARENT I could possibly be. I don't want to live with regrets for not being a good parent. [...]
I’m learning calligraphy. So that I can label jars and all of our spices. I recently got the glass jar spices and it has room for me to label them myself. I also know that many interior designers have that skill under their belt for when decorating homes. Calligraphy comes in handy when owning chalkboards [...]
This delicious tomatillo cilantro recipe is one of my favorite for lunch salads.
Have you ever wanted to teach your kids a new language or learn one yourself?Let me share a little bit about how I did it and how you could do it too.I was born in Italy so Italian will forever be my first language. I always dreamt of learning English as a child, but I [...]
#lighttheworld https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=emb_title&v=yXWoKi5x3lw We watched this wonderful video of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Eve with our family and friends. As I watched this video I couldn’t stop from tearing up as I watched the tender moments between Joseph and Mary. As they went through the hardships of life and as [...]
Homemade Christmas Italian Classic Recipe.
I have suffered from depression on and off throughout my life. To help me learn to cope with it, I have often sought help from licensed therapists and done research by reading books and articles. This is something I would highly recommend to anyone. I have also loved learning about depression and how the brain [...]
This is something that is very dear to me since I lost my mom when I was 17. I know that to many this may not seem as difficult as their own loss. I know that everyone's situation is different, and they may have felt differently about it. But to me losing my mom was [...]
With this wonderful Christmas season fast approaching, it is easy to get lost on spending and feeling overwhelmed with all the decor, and the things that we could get our hands on. I wrote a few tips from our family on how to avoid overbuying, and on what we can focus on to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
My favorite programs that we have used to home school our kids and teach academics at home while in elementary school.
Perfectionism. We all have heard of it. It's something that can drive many people to despair and inadequacy. Yet, it's something that we need. I was often called a perfectionist, but for many years I didn't recognize it in myself. At one point in my life I saw how it started to affect me in [...]
I often ask myself: When did I choose that I wanted to be a mother? For me it started as a teenager. I remember learning by studying the scriptures and going to church that the family is the most important thing we have on this earth. And I remember having a huge desire to get [...]
A while back I posted a little bit about minimalism. I know quite a few people said they'd like to find out more about it. So I wanted to kind of share for us our journey and how we have adapted it into our lives. I remember that when I read my first book about [...]
I love this mantra. I have applied it to many things in my life. I may not have always been able to leave every hotel room I stayed at better than when I arrived. Those are actually my one place where I can finally throw my towels to the floor and not have to make [...]
I wish sometimes I could have someone follow me around for one day to take a few snapshots of our life right now. Not for fame reasons, but more so to remember some day the billion of things that there are to do as a mom. I recently got myself an iwatch and I seem [...]
I think most people have something that they dread doing. When I talk to other moms it often seems to be dishes or folding laundry. For me it's chopping vegetables. It's not quite my least favorite, but it's one of the first things that can come to my mind and deter me from wanting to [...]
Today I was trying o to comfort my daughter who woke up late at night. She was really mad for some reason and nothing I did seem to work. Oftentimes I end up putting her back in her crib because she is my only kid that wants to almost fall asleep being left alone. I [...]
The easiest way to stay slim without having to deprive yourself and suffer any pain? Impossible. Yet, I have realized that there are some things that I have learned over the years that I have been able to do and require little to no effort at all. So let's go straight to them. Here they [...]
Growing up I had a happy childhood. There were also lots of hard things, but ultimately we lived a good life. As children, life happens because our parents are involved in our lives, and make things happen. When we are little, they often decide what we do, and how we spend our time. For example, [...]
It's been on the forefront of our society for the last few years, but lately has become something really big. This is something that is dear to me since I have been touched by the darkness of depression in my life after the passing of my mom when I was younger. I don't like to [...]
Doing what everyone wants you to do and realizing you are not happy. About six months ago I hit a point in my life where I finally realized that I had spent many years doing the things that seemed to be what everyone does, and what everyone expects us to do, and what everyone may [...]
Happy Mother's Day to all of you. One of the cutest things about Mother's Day is having a yummy breakfast made by the kiddos. I love when the kids get up and come up with their own cute ideas. This year it was the first time in a long time that I was able to [...]
Welcome!
My name is Serena. I am a wife and mother of 4 children. We also have a fish and a dog. Here I share my favorite fashion finds, parenting hacks, beauty tricks, household tips, and more than anything, food and recipes. I tweak many recipes to reduce the fat and sugar content. I have a culinary background, and most important of all, a fitness license. I only share what I think you will find relevant and enriching for your own life!
Wanna stay up to date on posts? Hit the button right below!
Ciao!
My name is Serena. I am a wife and mother of 4 children. We also have a fish and a dog. Here I share my favorite fashion finds, parenting hacks, beauty tricks, household tips, and more than anything, food and recipes. I tweak many recipes to reduce the fat and sugar content. I have a culinary background, and most important of all, a fitness license. I only share what I think you will find relevant and enriching for your own life! To stay up to date on posts hit the button right below!
