Liz Denfeld Blog

A Portland, OR based life + style blog that focuses on honest, approachable, inspirational writing on motherhood, style, travel and more.

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About Me

Hello There! I'm Liz Denfeld, wife to Corey and mama to two spunky little ones - Elodie (4) and James (2). After nearly a decade working in digital marketing at a Fortune 500 company, I recently pressed pause on my career to stay home with my kids and pursue my passions of photography, writing, social media and blogging. Here you'll find honest, approachable, inspirational writing on motherhood, style, travel and more. Thank you so much for being here!

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  • When Corey was on his most recent business trip I felt so low. I like to pride myself on being a strong and independent woman. And then my husband leaves and just like that my whole world’s axis feels completely out of whack. That frustrated me. It made me feel shame. It made me feel weak and inadequate. Luckily I have an amazing support system who I turned to with these deep feelings and they reminded me what a gift my marriage is. And rather than dependency, what we have is just an incredibly strong bond. We’re better together, and that goes for our entire family. We are a tight-knit little group and when one of us is gone we all feel it. As hard as it was to be so affected by Corey’s absence (me AND the kids), when I really think about it, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I am so grateful I have a partner who is so freaking awesome that when he’s gone I FEEL it. I really, really like this guy and am so grateful for him. And for us. 🖤 Now if he could just never leave us again that would be super awesome 🙃
  • Woke up way too early because internal body clock, but then I WENT BACK TO BED 🙌🏼 Still up before 8, Corey brought coffee back to the room and we leisurely hung out, read and enjoyed the peace & quiet (besides the sounds of the city outside our window). A fun night out and slow morning together. Just what we needed after the long week. Now off to enjoy this sunny Portland day with a walk along the waterfront and lunch al fresco! It may not be New York City but I’d say it’s a pretty great consolation prize. P.S. Can we talk about how appropriate our hotel is for St. Patrick’s Day?! 🙌🏼😜💚
  • You know those weeks everything just seems to fall into place? Everything feels in alignment and all is good in the world? 🥰 WELL this week was NOT that week. In fact it was the complete and utter opposite. It was my first week solo parenting while working and let me tell you ... I feel like a big fat failure. I was barely hanging on by a thread this entire week. I was not my best self (or even second best, heck I was pretty much my worst self 😭), I was mentally and emotionally depleted and just in a bad place and on top of all that my body felt like it was fighting a weird bug — like I had the flu at 25%. Now I am grateful it wasn’t at 100%, but I really could’ve at least used some physical health to help push me through. I am generally a positive person, a Pollyanna type who can find the silver lining in pretty much anything, but this week I just couldn’t. There were so many tears and so much frustration. It was really hard and really ugly. There’s no punchline here. I just thought you should know that my life is messy, too. Oh and I almost forgot. I cancelled my trip to New York. That’s where Corey has been all week for work and I was planning to meet him there but I just did not have the capacity to fly across the country after the week I had so we are taking a rain check. It’s a bummer but it has been a huge relief not having to prep myself and the kids to be away for four days, it was just too much. So we are looking forward to a sunny Spring-like weekend in Portland instead 😎 I truly hope your week was better than mine, and if it wasn’t, well, CHEERS TO FRIDAY 🙌🏼🙌🏼 #honestmotherhood
  • I used to find the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” to be kind of annoying. I love my people! I don’t need the absence of them to remind me of that! But the truth is, just knowing that next week we are leaving these two for four days has made me extra aware of the treasures they are. I have been soaking up the sweet little in-between moments with everything I’ve got! Perspective really is everything, isn’t it? #honestmotherhood
  • I grew up in a family of women. Strong, independent women. After my dad cheated on my mom, he left his family with no remorse, even leaving my mom to file for bankruptcy. Broke, alone, betrayed and three small children to care for. Tears well in my eyes thinking of how this must have felt. How if it were me, right now, I am not sure I could be as strong as she was. What’s truly remarkable is that I have no memories of a broken mother. I don’t even think I remember her crying once. I remember dancing around the living room belting out Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” with her, and her working out of our home 24/7. I’m not sure when she slept or if she slept. I know she found a way to keep us in our home, keep us in our schools, keep us with our friends. Growing up with my mom and her strength, her beliefs and her resilience, it never occurred to me that anyone was stronger or more capable than a woman. I’ve never once accepted that a man is more deserving of any job or title, that a man could do more or be more than me. She taught me that I am capable of anything and I don’t need a man by my side to take care of me. My mom showed me that even in life’s darkest moments, there is strength to be found. Today, on International Women’s day, I think of the great fortune I had to be raised by the most amazing woman I know. I wouldn’t be the strong, independent woman I am today without her. My only hope is that I can be half the mother she was to me to Elodie and James, and that both of my children understand their power and their responsibility to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women. 💪🏼✨💗 #internationalwomensday #girlpower
  • Corey and I are doing a long weekend in New York next week and I’ve officially reached the point in the trip planning where I don’t actually feel excited but instead feel dread and anxiety. I start questioning why I thought this was a good idea in the first place and feel like I can’t leave the kids. Both because I will miss them so much my heart will hurt, but also because I am full of worry. The thing is, Corey and I have been lucky enough to take at least one solo vacation a year since we had Elodie and we always have the best time. It’s why we keep planning the trips. They give us something special to look forward to just for us. They give us the ability to connect on a level we really can’t when we’re in the midst of our day-to-day (even with date nights, which help, but aren’t the same). We have so much fun together and use it as an opportunity to dream big together and speak those dreams out loud. We do things that used to bring us so much joy but we don’t get to do as much since having the kids (like taking long walks and leisurely drinking our coffee in bed in the morning). I swear we practically slip back in time to our pre-kid days 😍🥰 And what’s even better is back home I know the kids are having just as special of a time staying with their grandparents. They actually beg us to leave so they can have a sleepover at Grammy and Grandpa’s 🙈😂 But it’s funny how I choose to focus on the chance that they will miss us and feel guilt over that instead of focusing on how they are having so much fun with people who love them more than life and they will most likely look back on our trips with incredible fondness because of that, instead of resentment for being left behind. I know once we get there we’ll have a good time, the lead up is just always hard for me. And I don’t think that will ever change. Anyone else? Do you go on kid-free vacations? Do you remember your parents doing it? Am I a crazy person? Oh wait, don’t answer that 😜😜😜 #honestmotherhood
  • This girl fell asleep on my lap this weekend and it was pure bliss. Also feeling like I wish I was passed out on the couch right about now because Monday after a little weekend getaway is just that much harder 😅 Honestly, I am feeling a little extra anxious this morning despite the fact that I started my day with a 6AM @barre3 class, have been drinking a ton of water and had a protein packed breakfast. It just goes to show that even when you’re doing everything “right” sometimes things can still feel off. I am learning to be okay with that, not judge myself or get frustrated and just accept where I am and take extra great care of myself when I need it. Often easier said than done, but I can’t say I’m not trying 💛
  • The Oregon Coast is rarely warm, but it’s always quaint and cozy ... and when you luck out with pure blue skies like we did this weekend ... it’s downright dreamy ✨ • • • Had the best weekend with this crew + my mom, sister and her little fam. James is officially done with his packnplay after sleeping in a twin bed with a toddler rail with zero issues. My big boy 😭 One of those unexpected milestones that really get you all emotional and remind you that every day we’re moving further and further from the baby stage. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great. The kids are so much easier on car rides now (we didn’t even use screens at all!) and they slept in the same room, each in a twin bed. It was awesome! But a little sad too. This parenting thing sure is bittersweet guys 🥺 #honestmotherhood • • • P.S. James is still in a crib at home and will stay there at least until age 14 😇😅🤣
  • Inching closer to his third birthday we are definitely moving into threenager territory ... He has been pushing alllll our buttons and testing boundaries like no other. But he’s also the snuggliest little mama’s boy who can do no wrong 🙃 I mean look at that smile!!! 😍 We had a fun snow delay this morning despite the fact that I was ready for spring 6 weeks ago 😅 Thanks for this photo I will treasure forever @whitlikesfit!
  • I have a confession ... The baby fever has been strong lately and it has really caught me off guard 😱 I can’t figure out if it’s because James is almost three and Elodie is almost five and both of our babies are definitely not babies anymore (and that really BREAKS MY HEART). Or because I have been torturing myself looking at baby photos and videos of the kids. Or because it feels like everyone is having their third baby. Or because my best friend just had a little angel baby who looked perfect in Corey’s arms. Or because Corey is nearly 100% certain he doesn’t want a third so it’s easier for me to pretend I want another because why not? Or because I actually do want a third. Or if it’s the opposite and I know in my heart we are done with that chapter and it’s time to close it with more finality (cough ✂️ cough). Or because the thought of snuggling a newborn baby on my chest gives me all the feels. Or because, looking back, I feel like I didn’t fully soak up my pregnancy or pretty much the whole first year of James’ life because adding a second totally rocked our world and it’s kind of like I want a re-do. But doesn’t everyone feel like time is moving too fast with their littles? Would adding a third really be the answer to my woes? I don’t know guys. I’m sick of going back and forth on this subject, and I know everyone around me is sick of it too. I’M ANNOYED WITH MYSELF and yet here I am, looking at baby photos not able to make sense of what the heck I’m feeling or thinking. I envy people who just knew the number of kids they wanted and that was that. Clearly that’s not me 😑 Send help. Or a psychic? Or an accidental IUD baby? 😮🤭😂 #honestmotherhood #likereallyhonest

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