MOMS WE LOVE
master your craft like this Dallas mom
Words The Editors Published March 2020/DallasChildUpdated
March 9, 2020
Lilly Neubauer finds beauty in the simple things. She is the founder of Camp Crafty Parties, which brings old-fashioned arts and crafts to modern celebrations. Along with her husband Markus, Neubauer created the blog Open Hearted Home. The couple lives in Dallas with their 6-year-old daughter, Heidi, and a small menagerie.
6AM I wake up to the delivery of a Bulletproof coffee, or butter coffee, from Markus. (Once you try Bulletproof coffee, you won’t go back!) Markus and Heidi have a raging morning breakfast routine, complete with Disney songs thumping bass through the house.
I prefer a more quiet, meditative type of morning. For the first five years, I woke up at 4:45am to get my quiet time. Now I just hide in my room with the company of my dog Little Child, some prayers I keep in the notes of my phone, my journal and daily devotionals.
6:35AM I make my bed. It’s a daily ritual that reminds me no matter how rushed I may feel in the moment, there’s time to do things the right way now.
7:30AM I drive Heidi to kindergarten while we listen to our favorite podcast, Story Pirates. It’s helped everyone in the family get back in touch with our silly sides. A good dose of silliness does a lot of the heavy lifting around our house when it comes to chores or getting out the door on time.
9:20AM I catch up on some emails and head into Sculpt45 at Class Studios in Preston Center. I love Sculpt45 because it’s a mix of intuitive dance and full-body connection and strengthening.
You never know what you’re going to get, but it always leaves me feeling strong and connected to myself—two things I can use daily as a mom and business owner. I enjoy two chilled eucalyptus towels after class because I earned it.
11AM I’m settled deep into work—hopefully a good writing session for Open Hearted Home. I have a little over 1,000 entries in the notes section of my phone, where I organize my thoughts on the spiritual journey of having a family, my desire to live more authentically or what I just bought on Amazon.
I write to the version of myself I was three years ago, when I could have used a good dose of experienced hope from a woman like me on the other side of the rock bottoms.
3:15PM I pick Heidi up from school. I always ask Heidi about her day but have learned digging in a little deeper gets better answers. I ask her what friend she enjoyed playing with, what game they played on the playground and what they read.
3:25PM It’s time for a pop-in to our after-school hangout, Central Market! We check in with our grocery store family. Miss Crystal will have a snack for Heidi in the demo kitchen. At the coffee bar, Jeremiah likes to comment that we’re here every day (as if my family takes days off from eating).
Steve is making the rounds—if I’m wearing one of my new crafts, he often notices. Cornelius in sushi is doing much better now that the Cowboys are in the off-season. Heidi and I both feel quite grown up as we head home with a hot cocoa for her, a matcha latte for me, and our dinner supplies.
4PM Heidi helps me with dinner prep at the counter. I usually try to do dinner in our Instant Pot or on a sheet pan so I have some time to connect with Heidi while everything is cooking.
If it’s nice outside, she’s in the backyard climbing logs or looking for frogs; today I take advantage of the winter weather by inviting her over to the craft table with me so I can see how she brings some of my new ideas for Camp Crafty Parties to life in her own style.
6:30PM Markus is home and dinner is served. During the week, we try to eat dinner together on at least four nights. After a family moment of three “big deep breaths” and a gratitude prayer, Markus asks what our favorite part of the day was to start conversations.
If my phone just happened to sneak over to the table with me, he keeps a zipper pouch nearby that I can store it in.
7:35PM Markus does bedtime with Heidi while I prep tomorrow’s lunch for school, tidy the kitchen and feed our backyard animals (our chicken, Cecilia, and pig, Lorena).
If the moonlight is good, I pop my head into the house to let the other two know and we’ll all take a look together. I make one last pass at email and Instagram before my phone is confiscated (in the name of love) by Markus for the night.
8:30PM Markus and I punch out as Mom and Dad and start winding down together. I’m too lazy to set screentime limits, so instead I never replaced our television when it broke a few years ago. We typically chat with our fireplace going and work on one of our family-friendly-meets-cool Spotify playlists.
My favorite evening pastime is when Markus reads to me. Currently, it’s Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution, by Todd S. Purdum, and Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe, by Laura Lynne Jackson.
10PM I bring in the dream team—weighted blanket, lavender diffuser, linen spray—and turn in for the night. I surrender to the universe and promise to do my best to stay in gratitude and accept the lessons that will head my way if I get the chance to do tomorrow.
Fast Facts
What she’s reading Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein
Whose Instagram she digs Gabrielle Blair (@designmom)
What’s in her Netflix queue The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Politician
Favorite movie Groundhog Day. Markus and I have watched it every Groundhog Day for 13 years.
First celebrity crush Vintage John Travolta
How she and her husband met Washing dishes at a Domino’s Pizza in Lubbock
Date night spot Drake’s or Lula B’s Oak Cliff
Beauty product she can’t live without Beautycounter Countertime
Favorite scent White Rock Soap Gallery’s rosemary mint
Secret talent My perfect karaoke delivery of Sammy Kershaw’s “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer”
What she does when life gets stressful Sweat, shower, go to the lake, drink a glass of water or cry. #watersignlife
Motherhood in five words Who is teaching who here?
Celebrity mom she admires Kourtney Kardashian (I never said I was a role model.)
Go-to spot for self-care Misaotra Beauty Sanctuary
Favorite indulgence Estate sales
Best cheap meal with her daughter Sharing entrees at Asian Mint
Photo courtesy of Vanessa Christina.
What a day Sound full but rewarding. Thanks again for sharing your lives. I think of how my life will change after this isolation from being face to face with friends and hugs. I had daydreams of eating out at restaurants. Then I went to lunch with friends and we ate outside o the patio. Sadly as I drove home I realized that I had been so focused on being safe. That I forgot to enjoy my meal. Lol. I keep reminding myself that this is not temporary. That the zodiac room will possibly be safe during the holidays Love you’ll.