Designing A Life Fantastic -

easter eggs

How to Build a Low-Waste Easter Basket Your Kids Will Love

Easter is one of those holidays that sneaks up on you. One minute it’s…

lots of hearts

Classroom Valentine’s Day Ideas That Are Fun, Affordable and Low-Waste

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is still very much a classroom tradition.…

Plitvice Lakes Croatia

Two Days at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Croatia had been on my travel wish list for a while, and when we…

Woman with wallet not spending money

Why You Should Try a No-Spend Day—or Month

How It Started I started doing no-spend days before I had kids — mostly…

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I'm Robin; traveler and lifestyle blogger.

I'm on a mission to bring more joy into my life. Follow along as I share travel tips, life hacks, easy sustainability swaps, design inspiration and more.

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easter eggs

How to Build a Low-Waste Easter Basket Your Kids Will Love

March 23, 2026March 24, 2026

Easter is one of those holidays that sneaks up on you. One minute it’s February, and the next you’re throwing stuff in a basket. Here’s the thing: Easter baskets don’t…

lots of hearts

Classroom Valentine’s Day Ideas That Are Fun, Affordable and Low-Waste

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is still very much a classroom tradition. We did them once, in Kindergarten, and making 50 valentines was more stress than fun, and…

Plitvice Lakes Croatia

Two Days at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025

Croatia had been on my travel wish list for a while, and when we finally made it happen, there was one place I knew we had to see: Plitvice Lakes…

Woman with wallet not spending money

Why You Should Try a No-Spend Day—or Month

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025

How It Started I started doing no-spend days before I had kids — mostly as a fun little challenge to help me jump-start my savings. I wasn’t always consistent back…

Plymouth Village

A Family-Friendly Weekend in Plymouth, MA: History, Museums and Harbor Walks

July 17, 2025September 22, 2025

Plymouth, Massachusetts—often called “America’s Hometown”—is a rare mix of living history and seaside charm. From walking the decks of the Mayflower II to chatting with costumed interpreters at Plimoth Patuxet,…

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thejoyfulrobin

775

Raising kids & trying not to burn the planet down ✨
On a mission to design a life I’m obsessed with
No perfect vibes, just what works ⬇️

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 5

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 17922483849164101

My anxiety and overwhelm are at an all-time high. After the end of school/sports sprint, our apartment is chaos.

Studies show that clutter not only affects your ability to focus and feelings of anxiety, it also steals your time by the amount of effort it takes to manage it all. I want my home to be a place of refuge, a calming oasis. I’m tired of friending my weekends cleaning.

As an experiment, I’m getting rid of 1,000 items to see how it transforms our home and our moods. AND, if I finish before Labor Day, we’ll go out for a fancy dinner in the city. No kids. Where should we go?

Day 1: 44 items removed

If you’d like to do your own summer cleaning, comment 200 and I’ll send you a list of 200 things to start your decluttering journey.

Be sure to share this with your bestie that always complains about their messy home. Life is too short to let our stuff steal our time and energy. No judgement!

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 follow along as I share the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic.

My anxiety and overwhelm are at an all-time high. After the end of school/sports sprint, our apartment is chaos.

Studies show that clutter not only affects your ability to focus and feelings of anxiety, it also steals your time by the amount of effort it takes to manage it all. I want my home to be a place of refuge, a calming oasis. I’m tired of friending my weekends cleaning.

As an experiment, I’m getting rid of 1,000 items to see how it transforms our home and our moods. AND, if I finish before Labor Day, we’ll go out for a fancy dinner in the city. No kids. Where should we go?

Day 1: 44 items removed

If you’d like to do your own summer cleaning, comment 200 and I’ll send you a list of 200 things to start your decluttering journey.

Be sure to share this with your bestie that always complains about their messy home. Life is too short to let our stuff steal our time and energy. No judgement!

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 follow along as I share the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic. ...

16 0

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 5

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18120513943809527

My anxiety and overwhelm are at an all-time high. After the end of school/sports sprint, our apartment is chaos.

Studies show that clutter not only affects your ability to focus and feelings of anxiety, it also steals your time by the amount of effort it takes to manage it all. I want my home to be a place of refuge, a calming oasis. I’m tired of friending my weekends cleaning.

As an experiment, I’m getting rid of 1,000 items to see how it transforms our home and our moods. AND, if I finish before Labor Day, we’ll go out for a fancy dinner in the city. No kids. Where should we go?

Day 1: 44 items removed

if you’d like to follow along, comment 200 and I’ll send you a list of 200 things to start your decluttering journey.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I’m sharing the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic.

My anxiety and overwhelm are at an all-time high. After the end of school/sports sprint, our apartment is chaos.

Studies show that clutter not only affects your ability to focus and feelings of anxiety, it also steals your time by the amount of effort it takes to manage it all. I want my home to be a place of refuge, a calming oasis. I’m tired of friending my weekends cleaning.

As an experiment, I’m getting rid of 1,000 items to see how it transforms our home and our moods. AND, if I finish before Labor Day, we’ll go out for a fancy dinner in the city. No kids. Where should we go?

Day 1: 44 items removed

if you’d like to follow along, comment 200 and I’ll send you a list of 200 things to start your decluttering journey.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I’m sharing the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic. ...

2 2

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 4

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18212805592338100

If you’re going Spain this summer, skip the sangria and order a tinto de verano. Tourists drink sangria, Spaniards drink tinto, red wine mixed with a lemon lime soda, served on ice. It’s chilled, bubbly, less sugar than sangria and my favorite drink in Spain. To me, it’s summer in a glass.

Save this for your euro summer planning 🇪🇸

what’s your fav summer drink?

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff. And probably eating out more than my bank account would like 😆 Follow along as I document the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic.

If you’re going Spain this summer, skip the sangria and order a tinto de verano. Tourists drink sangria, Spaniards drink tinto, red wine mixed with a lemon lime soda, served on ice. It’s chilled, bubbly, less sugar than sangria and my favorite drink in Spain. To me, it’s summer in a glass.

Save this for your euro summer planning 🇪🇸

what’s your fav summer drink?

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff. And probably eating out more than my bank account would like 😆 Follow along as I document the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic. ...

80 0

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 3

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 17944841505037262

We rarely do the more touristy things in NYC, but this one has been at the top of my bucket list for years: climbing all the way to the crown of the Statue of Liberty

A few things to know before you go:

👉 The Crown Reserve tickets sell out months in advance, so book as early as you can. The crown is actually much smaller than I thought it would be.
👉 Be careful when booking your tickets. Many sites only offer grounds access. Statue of Liberty Tickets is the only authorized seller of tickets INSIDE the statue.
👉 It’s a steep climb but the views (and the experience) are absolutely worth it. There are 354 steps from the ground to the crown, including NARROW spiral staircases intertwined in a double helix.

If you’re visiting New York, this is one adventure that’s worth planning ahead for.

If you’ve been to the crown, what did you think?

Save this post for your next trip to NYC and share with your travel buddy!

What NYC attraction would you like to see next? Lmk so I can play tourist again 😁

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff. And probably eating out more than my bank account would like 😆 Follow along as I document the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic.

We rarely do the more touristy things in NYC, but this one has been at the top of my bucket list for years: climbing all the way to the crown of the Statue of Liberty

A few things to know before you go:

👉 The Crown Reserve tickets sell out months in advance, so book as early as you can. The crown is actually much smaller than I thought it would be.
👉 Be careful when booking your tickets. Many sites only offer grounds access. Statue of Liberty Tickets is the only authorized seller of tickets INSIDE the statue.
👉 It’s a steep climb but the views (and the experience) are absolutely worth it. There are 354 steps from the ground to the crown, including NARROW spiral staircases intertwined in a double helix.

If you’re visiting New York, this is one adventure that’s worth planning ahead for.

If you’ve been to the crown, what did you think?

Save this post for your next trip to NYC and share with your travel buddy!

What NYC attraction would you like to see next? Lmk so I can play tourist again 😁

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff. And probably eating out more than my bank account would like 😆 Follow along as I document the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic. ...

72 4

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