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Cloistered Away

is a lifestyle blog, focused on simple, purposeful family living, written by Bethany Douglass.
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for the weekend | eight watermelon recipes
Today marks the beginning of a new month and a long holiday weekend here. We’re packing up again to travel and visit family, and also to find ways to keep cool in this Southern heat.
packing light | family travel with economy
Deciding what is essential to pack for each family trip can feel like simplifying a complex math equation, one that includes a limited travel budget, growing children, and shifting weather. Roughly nine years ago, when
saving seeds from the home garden
We didn’t plant a spring garden this year, minus a few yukon gold potato plants (which we’ve already harvested) and a handful of herbs. The spring felt heavy with projects around our home, and I felt the
real talk real moms | on preschool at home
One of the greatest gifts in my thirteen years of motherhood has been friendship, having other women in my life to hash out the hard questions and celebrate the victories of this beautiful, complicated journey. I
the slow renovation | a small, white bathroom
I realize white for the home may seem rather dull or unoriginal, but I love it unashamedly, especially in small spaces with ample natural light. It always looks fresh and broadens the visual space, and
our homeschool in pictures | april + may
Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete.  ― Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air _______________________________
taking risks, changing course
Mark resigned from his job this week, a somewhat spontaneous decision following months of weighty conversations after dinner or over morning coffee. He and I are generally not the risk-taking types–more often falling into the first-born, responsible,
Nurturing Wholeness | Evening Rituals + Sleep
At some point I’ve realized many of the boundaries and routines I create for my children are habits intended for me, for my well-being as well. How often do I manage my children’s intake of nutrients
the hidden gift of boredom
I’m not quite sure how or at what point the word bored enters a child’s vernacular, but it has here. In the last six months I’ve heard the word more than ever, and I find