A single droplet of water with ripples coming out.

Resources

Practical support and ideas for your life.

This is where we share what we're learning about making life easier—home systems, asking for help, navigating chronic illness, and everything in between. You'll find blog posts and free resources here. Take what's useful, leave what's not.

Our most Recent

HME x JSM: Greater than the sum of the parts

|Lacey Tomlinson
I've always loved the expression "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts". It feels like magic that one thing can be more than the elements that were...

Looking for More?

The Village is our free community space where you can grab extra resources and connect with people who get it. No strings attached.

 Get Support Now

All Posts

Filter by topic

Getting Things Done Home Management Mental Health Sara Self Care Support Lacey Motivation Seasonal Parenting Mindset The Mddl
When to Call an Ambulance: Why Asking for Help Is So Hard
|Lacey Tomlinson
I nearly passed out rather than call an ambulance. Sound familiar? Explore why we struggle to ask for help and discover 3 questions to shift how you show up when you need support. Read more...
Embracing Easy: Learning to make life easy
|Lacey
I've had a complicated relationship with the word "lazy" my whole life. It became a word I used to beat myself up with. I often equated lazy with easy.   This has led to a complex relationship with productivity, input, output, appearances, and life's "shoulds." It might not paint me in the best light, so...prepare to like me a little less.   Lazy and Easy   Here's an honest confession—many things in life have come easily to me. School was easy. I was fortunate enough not to need much studying... Read more...
Surviving the Holidays: Mental Health Edition
|Lacey
Introduction Ah, the holidays—where joy meets chaos, and twinkling lights mask the mental gymnastics many of us perform. You know the drill: juggling parties, shopping, and relatives with plenty of opinions on what you should be doing. It's a cocktail of excitement and exhaustion. I LOVE the holidays, but I also really struggle with all the expectations—both internal and external. The mental load can weigh as heavy as a fruitcake, but don't worry, I've got some light-hearted tips to keep our spirits bright and buoyant! Understanding the Holiday Mental Load... Read more...
The Self-Care Struggle for Parents
|Sara
As a parent, it seems the default setting for self-care is having it at the very bottom of the never-ending to-do pile. But we know how that cycle goes: Do everything for everyone else → Become burned out and resentful → Yell and lose your cool → Feel bad for those around you and yourself. Parents must prioritize self-care to break this cycle. This cycle is easy to perpetuate, and it will continue to not feel good. Until… you take one step for yourself. Just one step, one minute, one... Read more...
Feeling Overwhelmed as a Mom: Strategies for Finding Balance and Support
|Lacey
Feeling overwhelmed as a mom is a common experience, yet each of us feels it uniquely. Between juggling the never-ending demands of parenting, managing a household, and often balancing work responsibilities, it's easy to feel like we're falling short. We're here to explore strategies that help bring balance back into our lives and provide the support we so deeply need. From understanding the roots of our overwhelm to practical tips for everyday challenges, we'll navigate this journey together. It's vital to acknowledge that feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean we're failing. Instead,... Read more...
5 Alternatives to "What Can I do To Help"
|Lacey
Stop asking "what can I do to help?" Learn five specific ways to offer support that actually make it easier for people to accept help when they need it most. Read more...
Time is on my Mind
|Lacey
Our relationships with time are complicated. Thinking about my own relationship has become a necessity and something I can't escape. Read more...
Is Self-Care Important?
|Lacey
Spoiler Alert: Yes, Self-Care is Important. I almost hate talking and writing about Self-Care because of how it has been turned into a gimmick. It has become a quick note of something that you should do to survive a difficult phase, or something an employer tells its employees to do without giving them the actual tools/ability to do it. There is also a chance someone is trying to sell you something. Which, totally guilty of here, but I’m not trying to sell you a bath bomb, so feels a little... Read more...
Grieving Myself
|Lacey
We say goodbye to old versions of ourselves all the time. Many times we grieve our old selves without acknowledging it. Read more...
Moving The Mddl
|Lacey
Ch-ch-ch-changes are a-comin! When I started The Mddl in October here on Substack, I thought it was going to be a little side thing I did to make myself happy. A place to share my writings and maybe at some point I would be able to make a little money from it. Then, my entire life changed. I am so thankful for that Lacey, and what she set into motion. You see, without The Mddl and the start that I already had, I don’t think I would be anywhere near... Read more...
What does Positivity look like in The Middle of a Struggle? Is it Toxic Positivity?
|Lacey
This may be an annoying toxic post about how maybe all of this is the best thing to happen to me? I’m an optimist. I have always been. There is no secret sauce recipe I can give you about how to be one. I wish I could because I could make some excellent money with it. In general, I am able to see the bright side of life and not get too bogged down in thinking the worst in the world and people. This doesn’t mean that I am infallible... Read more...
Avoiding the Middle
|Lacey
Something is wrong with me. Just admitting that something is wrong, is a very difficult thing for me to do. I like to solve a problem before I can even admit to myself that something was wrong. If we can fix it before everyone (including me) knows, we can avoid the messy middle. I am not being purposely vague, I don’t know what is wrong. I am having several physical and mental health issues that are becoming debilitating for my normal life. Yes, I could list out all the things... Read more...