Hello! Let me introduce myself.

Hi, I’m Megan
I’m Megan Hartley, a mom of two in Portland, Oregon, and the voice behind this little corner of the internet where parenting is less about perfect plans and more about what happens when you live real life together. Most days you can find me doing the classic rotation of school drop-off, snack negotiations, laundry that magically multiplies, and the steady attempt to make dinner feel like something other than a race against the clock. I’m not trying to win parenting, and I’m not here to hand out gold stars. I’m here to share what I’m learning as I raise my kids through shared experiences, one ordinary day at a time.
My Family
Our home is busy in a very normal way, which is exactly why I started writing. I have a 9-year-old daughter, Nora, who’s thoughtful and creative and can sense the mood in a room like a tiny emotional weather station. I also have a 6-year-old son, Miles, who is all motion and big feelings and loves building things just to see how they work. My husband, Chris, works in IT and has a calm, steady presence that balances out my tendency to do a lot of thinking out loud. We also have Juniper, our older rescue dog, who moves slowly, loves everybody, and somehow always ends up in the center of the living room when we are trying to clean.
Why This Blog Exists
I started this blog because I kept noticing a pattern in our home. The lessons that actually stuck were not the speeches I gave at bedtime when I was trying to be wise and inspiring. The lessons that stuck were the ones that happened while we were doing something together, even something small, like folding towels, fixing a wobbly chair, cooking pancakes, or walking the dog in the drizzle. That’s when my kids talked. That’s when they practiced patience without realizing it. That’s when they learned how to try again after a mistake, and that’s when they learned how to be part of a team.
Parenting can feel noisy and complicated, especially online, and I wanted a space that feels grounded. Here, we focus on shared experiences because they create the kind of learning that feels natural. You are not forcing a lesson. You are building it into the day.
What I Mean by “Raising Kids Through Shared Experiences”
When I say shared experiences, I mean the real-life moments you already have, plus a few you can intentionally create. It is cooking together and letting your kid crack the eggs even when shells happen. It is giving your child a real job that matters to the family instead of a fake chore chart that everyone forgets after three days. It is learning how to lose a board game with dignity, and learning how to apologize after snapping at each other when everyone is hungry.
Shared experiences work because kids learn best when they are inside the moment. They learn empathy while they are taking care of something. They learn responsibility while they are trusted with something. They learn emotional regulation while they are frustrated and you stay steady beside them. The experience becomes a memory, and the memory becomes part of who they are.
What You’ll Find Here
This blog is built for parents who want connection and practical tools, not pressure. I write about:
Everyday routines that build cooperation, like mornings, dinner, bedtime, and cleanup, especially when your house feels like a tornado zone.
Life skills as family activities, like cooking, grocery shopping, planning a weekend, budgeting in simple kid-friendly ways, and learning how to fix little things.
Big feelings in real time, including tantrums, anxiety, jealousy, sibling conflict, embarrassment, and those moments when you realize your child is struggling but cannot explain why.
Family adventures that actually teach something, like hikes, library trips, volunteering, seasonal traditions, and low-cost weekends that feel meaningful.
Friendship and social confidence, including playdates, conflict scripts, manners without shame, and helping kids speak up for themselves kindly.