a realistic day in the life of a designer & new mom (with timestamps)

I hope you guys like the way this vlog is edited .. i wanted to try something a little different. let me know if you want more of these realistic day in the life videos :)

@GardenAnswer is a wonderful knowledge base for garden design. Though she has acreage, she likes slightly more formal with whimsy mixed in. She always says never have a bed wider than three feet. You want to be able to reach all the way across when planting or harvesting. They are gurus with irrigation tape, zones, etc. Her raised vegetable bed is inside a picket fence and is such a neat, tidy design.

Coming from a mom, who has a 4 year old and a garden trust me, the garden IS a play area!! She’s always playing in it! Add a water feature, and a bench, and I’d recommend a swing or digging area or something so while you are weeding and working in the garden your kiddo has something to do!

You may want to hold off for a couple of years on the garden as baby won't be able to "help" until he's 3 or 4. Also, a lawn is a good place to run around and burn off some of that energy once he's walking. Since you are a newbie to growing your own vegetables, perhaps you could start out with large pots until you are ready to expand to a full blown garden. It's easy to grow tomatoes, peppers, carrots, potatoes, berries, lettuce, herbs, etc. in large plant pots. This is how I taught my grandsons to garden.....they each had a large pot of their own and they got to pick what went into these 2 pots. You can also plant some annual flowers around the outer edges of the pots to disguise the veggies which are planted in the centre. These pots could be placed on your front porch by the kitchen door or on your back patio by the pool or upper patio by your eating area and BBQ.....wherever the sun is best. Best of luck.....once you've mastered container gardening, raised beds will be a breeze.

If you are looking to learn about gardening and growing food, I can’t recommend Garden Answer YouTube channel enough. Such beautiful gardens and so informative x

Baby Cade is going to need lots of grass area to run around. Smaller garden so he can run around. They grow so fast!!

Don’t forget having a bit of lawn for when Cade needs to run a few laps in his toddler years. That’s how my family got me to sleep when I was hyped up 😂

That big cleared area in front of the house, would make the perfect space for a little boy. As a mom of 2, I can tell you that your little boy will need and appreciate that space to run around and enjoy all types of boy activities. Perfect for releasing energy and getting good at throwing a ball with dad, and build those memories. Sometimes we as creative minds, have to think outside our needs to create and build cool things, when we notice that others around us also have their own interests. Owning a home and starting a family is about that family and how we sacrifice and support each other’s needs and interests.

Love to see all of you all together. I thought it was sweet of Romeo to call Kinsley over so she wouldn't feel left out. He is a wonderful daddy to his little family. Very thoughtful. God bless all of you. ❤❤❤❤

Garden answer is one of the best YouTube channels! Just know in gardening it’s about the journey, there really is no destination. Nothing is permanent and there’s always next year!

EpicGardening here on YouTube is amazing and based in California! His homestead and gardening advice is truly epic.

One thing I recommend for your vegetable garden, is to start a compost system now so that you can plant it in with your soil. You could use a Japanese Bokashi Bin which is a system that pickles / ferments your waste and is suited to small spaces, or just a regular composting bin (I'm not 100% sure what you call them in the USA).

its so funny how many of us moms in the comments say grass and thought about the need for a play area… i didn’t read the comments before writing mine but it just goes to show how necessary it really is! its so nice to get them outside and let them wear themselves out playing.

Don't forget you need room for your son to play outside. You can start small on the garden. Everything doesn't need to be a massive project. Thank you for sharing

A keyhole garden is a raised bed that you can make any size you want- super designed and beautiful and perfect for kids to get involved without stepping on everything!

Gardening is so therapeutic to me and there’s nothing like the taste of your first vegetable that you grew. I learned with my mom teaching me growing up and I cherish that. We actually just recently made a pea gravel garden bed area and bought vego garden beds that are modular and you can change the layouts. They’re more modern looking than I liked but I got the navy color and they look really good! Also, your son will still have room to run and play. Don’t let others discourage you for taking up such an amazing and fulfilling hobby that you can share with him 💕

That free area is where your boy will play ball, soccer, golf, and play with the dog. A large patch of grass is awesome for a kid. My 17 year old boy is still playing in the open grassy area in our yard.

As a mum of a 4yo and an 18mo, i would keep as much grass as possible because in a year cade will want to be running around all day, every day. Its so good to have an area for kids to get all their wild energy out ❤ i'd start smaller with a veggie garden and have the opportunity to make it larger if you find you dont need more room for cade to play ❤

You may want to wait on permanent changes to your front garden. Littles need a soft place to play and grass is really good for playtime. I'm a mom of 3 and outdoor play was essential for the kiddos for several reasons.

If you go with the raised bed garden, I suggest you install them all at the same time…one & done. You don’t have to fill them all with vegetables/ herbs from the get go. Just plant a couple with vegetables/herbs, the remaining ones you can fill with flowers (a cut garden) for vases, or something as simple as clover (it “feeds” your soil) and it’s beautiful. When I prepared my garden I covered it in red clover. People actually stopped and took pictures because it was so beautiful! It looked like a red, velvet, blanket. Other suggestions for a play area for Cade are also great ideas. Perhaps you have space for both. You could even do the center as a play area with raised beds as a surround. Even beautiful pots can make a great vegetable/herb garden and very easy to manage. Tucking vegetables/herbs in your existing beds is another idea. You’ll be surprised at how much yield you get just from that. Just know a garden is ever changing and can grow and change right along with your family.