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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  • This kid ... 3-years-old but looking like a straight up teenager these days 😭 He is still in diapers, still sleeps in a crib in a sleep sack and sits in a high chair for meals. We haven’t forced the transition out of any of those things because we always knew it would just become clear one day that he is ready to move on. And here we are ready to give our high chair away that has been lovingly used the last five years, and I can feel we’re really close to turning his crib into a toddler bed. Potty training is a whole other story. He insists he doesn’t want to use the potty and I am a firm believer that forcing potty training just makes it a more painful process, so we wait. I don’t mind holding on to these last pieces of babyhood just a little longer. The best is yet to come, and even so, I find myself desperately wishing I could freeze time ❤️ Oh, Motherhood.
  • Don’t underestimate the power that even 10 minutes for yourself can have on the rest of your day. Over the last 15 months I’ve been on my @barre3 journey, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot about myself, my body, my deepest thoughts, the way I talk to myself. A year and a half ago, committing to any sort of regular fitness routine felt darn near impossible as a mother of two young kids. I didn’t have time. I didn’t have energy. I was so out of shape. You name the excuse, I thought of it and convinced myself there was no place for working out in my life. Oh how wrong I was! barre3 was a safe place for me to start — because barre3 is for EVERYONE. No matter if you’re young, old, haven’t worked out in five years or run five miles a day. Perfect for pregnancy and postpartum. A workout that empowers you and celebrates you — exactly as you are. . . . There’s still time to sign up for the #barre3anywhere challenge this July. It’s starts TOMORROW!! You’ll get FREE 10- to 30-minute do-anywhere workouts (perfect for these hectic summer months full of camps, vacations, BBQs and more), an exclusive barre3 summer workout plan, live streaming workouts every Friday on Instagram and Facebook, and a chance to win prizes from barre3 and their partners. If you’ve been curious about this workout (that I can’t stop talking about! It’s that good!) and if it could be for you, this is an incredible way to take that leap and give it a try. You’ve really got nothing to lose! The link to sign up is in my profile — I’d love for you to join me! #barre3partner #ad
  • When we were in Amsterdam last month I noticed a daughter, maybe age 10, taking a photo of her mom on one of the canal bridges. I stopped and asked if they’d like a photo together. “Oh…Sure”, the mother reluctantly agreed. “Just make sure to take the photo from up HERE, to hide all my chins”. I cringed inside. YOUR DAUGHTER IS LISTENING. YOUR DAUGHTER HEARS YOU. YOUR DAUGHTER LOVES YOU AND ALL YOUR CHINS. My mind was racing with possible responses, but I just giggled, feeling uncomfortable and sad. I walked away and thought of how our kids aren’t born with the idea that they look better from certain angles, that the way our faces wrinkle and fold isn’t desirable. They aren’t born with the urge to critique every inch of their bodies while standing in front of a mirror. The opposite, in fact, is true. Elodie and James look in the mirror with confidence and pride. They LOVE themselves. As they should! 🖤 🖤 🖤 Our children are watching us, they’re listening, they see where we place value and our words have a weight heavier and more impactful than we can even imagine. If they hear us lament our many chins, our squishy tummies, our wrinkly skin, they are sent the message that these things are important. But the truth is, the way we look, what size jeans we wear or what the number says on a scale, those things are the least interesting and least important things about any of us. It’s what’s inside that matters. I don’t always get it right and I’m guilty of gushing over how cute my kids are or how adorable they look in a certain outfit. But instead of praising my kids on their appearance, I want to praise them for qualities that actually mean something: Their kindness, generosity, creativity, curiosity and tender hearts. It’s up to us to change this dialogue for the future. It’s up to us as parents to reject the norm of glorifying “pretty” or “handsome” and instead glorify positive inner qualities. Next time you feel the urge to tell a child how cute they are, try telling them how strong, smart or kind they are instead. And while you’re at it, give yourself the same courtesy.
  • I bit off a bit more than I could chew yesterday — giving Corey the day “off”, trying to take care of the kids on my own while preparing to host Father’s Day dinner. As it turns out it’s really hard to clean the house and backyard, cook a brand new recipe (also a meat I have never cooked — pork) in a new-to-me appliance (looking at you Instant Pot) and entertain your kids all day (with no screens!) 😅 The result was a stressed and frazzled wife who was not in the mental state to fully appreciate this incredible guy. Which is really unfair because he is truly remarkable in every way, but ESPECIALLY as a father. I know firsthand the pain of not having a dad around to love, nurture and protect me. To watch Corey be the father he is to Elodie and James will forever be one of life’s greatest gifts to me. To know Corey is to love him. Despite the fact that he is crazy smart and super sharp and has a successful career, his priorities are straight — he puts family first, always. I admire him more than words could even begin to express and am deeply grateful I get to parent beside him. I am always learning from him and love how he follows his natural instincts. While I am on the side reading every parenting book and article trying to figure out how to raise decent humans, he doesn’t need any of that. He already knows: To raise good, kind, generous people — you just need to be one. Lead by example. So, honey, I’m sorry I couldn’t gush my heart out to you yesterday because I was too busy losing sight of the purpose of the day and instead getting stressed over small, insignificant things. We wouldn’t be able to do this life without you. Thank you for all you do and all you are. YOU. ARE. LOVED! (And next year we’re canceling mother’s and father’s day because they cause undue stress and pressure 😬)
  • I’m going to be honest. I was worried to be away from my @barre3 studio for two weeks while we were in Europe. It had nothing to do with feeling the need to check off a certain number of classes a week or fear that my my body might become squishy from all the croissants (spoiler alert: it did — and it was worth every single bite!), but because a regular barre3 practice has truly become the cornerstone for putting my health and myself first. barre3 is my best coping mechanism for anxiety and stress. When I take care of myself in this way, I find it so much easier to enjoy life and truly soak up all the beautiful moments, people and places around me. Luckily the barre3 online classes had me totally covered. I can’t say I made the time for 60-minute workouts while I was away, but being able to press play on a 10-minute calming workout at the end of the day or a 30-minute energizing workout to start my day was the absolute perfect way to stay connected to my b3 practice and continue to reap the huge rewards while I was on vacation. We have tons more fun planned for this summer, both in Portland and beyond, and all kinds of excuses to push good self-care habits aside, but I’m making it a point not to let that happen. This is my summer to make the time and prioritize the things that fill me up! 🙌🏼👊🏼 Join me in the (TOTALLY FREE!!!) #barre3anywhere summer challenge — all the details are at the link in my profile! #b3partner #sponsored
  • Kids are asleep, I’m on the couch, in my cozy robe at 8:45PM indulging in some @saltandstraw ice cream. This is what Friday night looks like around here and you want to know what? THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED. This is my bliss. I hated “going out” on the weekends in college and as a young adult. Seriously never my jam. I let myself think I wasn’t “cool” because of that. I felt ashamed and just so lame. I spent so many nights doing something I hated doing simply because I felt like I was SUPPOSED to like it. Was I even a real college student if I hated going out and partying? I’m sad it took me so long to feel peace with exactly who I am and what I like and don’t like. And feeling confident in the fact that I don’t need to be out at a party or restaurant until late in the night to prove that I am worthy or interesting. So here I am at age 33 happy as a freaking seagull with a french fry (or 3-year-old with a bowl of ice cream 😉) with my quiet night on the couch with my husband (and dog). I’ve always been an old soul, I’ve just never been proud of it. Until now 👵🏼✨💗 #grandmaforlife
  • WE DID IT! Two weeks in Europe with a 3 and 5-year-old. And you know what? It was amazing. Maybe it was because I went in with ridiculously low expectations, but the kids blew me away with their resilience, patience and love of exploring new places. I have been dreaming of a trip like this since before Elodie was even a tiny little bunch of cells in my belly. Living in Amsterdam, I loved Corey and I’s life of adventure together, but I was so excited to eventually get home and start a family. I would walk around the city imagining what it would be like to bring our kids back and tell them all about where we lived and what we did. We finally made it happen this year and I am bursting with joy and gratitude. I am really riding a high, especially now that it’s over and we are safely and happily home and I can look back and just be in awe of how fun it all was. Before we left, my anxious personality had me wondering what it would be like. Would the flights be long and hellish (they were actually totally fine!)? Would the jet lag be horrendous (not at all!)? Would the kids whine the ENTIRE TIME (only part of the time 😉)? There were certainly moments I wanted to pull my hair out, but hey, those happen on the regular at home too, so it’s not like I was expecting they wouldn’t happen on vacation! For me, the hard work and hard moments that go into trips like this are completely 110% worth it. I know not everyone feels that way and that’s okay! But right now I am just so thrilled thinking about the doors this trip has opened up. Already scheming up where we’ll go next… Except it will have to wait a while because we’re now officially broke after two weeks in Europe 😜 {swipe to see some favorite moments} #havekidswilltravel #honestmotherhood
  • In case you were wondering, slathering kids in sunscreen sucks just as much in France. Tantrums are the same in London as they are at home. Sibling bickering is just as annoying in Amsterdam as it is in Portland. Taking kids on vacation doesn’t magically change them or their behavior, and yet the day-to-day really does feel more magical. It has been so incredible taking them on this trip. We’ve made such happy memories that will never be forgotten. Sure they threw fits and refused meals and tested our patience, but truthfully, they have exceeded our every expectation. I can’t wait to share more about our trip! For now, I’m going to get back to savoring our last days in our idyllic French villa, feeling all sorts of grateful for this amazing experience ✨💙✈️ #havekidswilltravel #honestmotherhood
  • Elodie was sitting at the kitchen table munching on her cereal with her legs scrunched up to her chest. She told me her legs were feeling tingly and she didn’t like it. I told her to stretch her legs out because the position she was keeping them in was making them fall asleep. She gave me the most sweet, innocent and perplexed face as she inquired what that meant — how could her legs fall asleep? But that’s actually all beside the point. For some reason, in that moment explaining to Elodie about that tingling sensation, looking at my amazing daughter with her darling brother in my peripheral vision, I was hit with the crazy thought that I AM A MOM. Holy crap. I am a mom to TWO KIDS. And I have to explain things to them and teach them things… And by the way I still find myself calling my own mom asking her questions about how to get a certain stain out of a dress,how to substitute an ingredient in a dish I’m cooking, what fabrics are safe for the dryer or a million other things. How can I be a mom when I still call my mom for help on the regular?! I guess I always thought by the time I was a mom myself I’d have all these answers, I’d know ALLTHETHINGS. HA! Hilarious. Okay, I realize I sound like a crazy person right now, but tell me I’m not alone!! Do you ever have random moments like that?! #randommotherhood 🤪#honestmotherhood
  • Today is my last day in the office before we head to Europe, but that’s not until Saturday. I was telling someone at work that I was taking one extra day off (I’m always home with the kids Friday’s) so I could do laundry, pack and clean and they were stupefied. “You just stay up until 2AM and pack! Isn’t that how you do it?!” And while yes, there have been many times I found myself in that situation, in recent years I have learned so much about my capacity and my limits. And I’ve learned how incredibly toxic it is when I push myself beyond those limits. Nobody wins. I’m stressed and anxious, I don’t feel well-prepared, I snap at my family. The list goes on. Our society today has a tendency to put pressure on us to GO GO GO. DO MORE. We glorify being busy. Unless you are pushing yourself to your breaking point you’re not doing enough, you’re not busy enough, there’s room for MORE. I vehemently reject that lifestyle. I am a better, happier me when I give myself space to actually ENJOY my life. That means I say no a lot and I’m protective of my time. I know what is important to me and what falls off the priority list if I start feeling overwhelmed. So tomorrow I’ll be in an empty house doing laundry, packing the kids and myself for two weeks in Europe. I will have the mental clarity and physical time and space to do it right, and come Saturday I hope I’m a little less of a frantic mess 😊 I hope this post encourages you to take charge of your life and your time and live it intentionally in a way that brings you joy and peace — I’m giving you permission 🙌🏼✨💗

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