we thought you’d never ask volume 6

We love this series and we are so glad a reader reached out and asked us to do another one! I mean we were going to get to it eventually, but just knowing even one person actually wanted us to write a little more about ourselves was enough to light that proverbial fire under our bootays. So here we are on volume 6 and feel like we have barely scratched the surface!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

P: I am a beach girl. Anyone can see that by just looking at my golden bronze natural island tan. A place that has remained on my bucket list for many years is Bora Bora. I want to stay in a tiki hut and do tiki hut things. Italy is also calling my name. The Amalfi Coast I must see at some point and Tuscany looks so dreamy. Lezzzzzzzzgo!

J: Greece is definitely at the top of my list. Nick’s mom is 100% Greek so our life is basically out of a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding minus the plastic covered couches. My mother in law actually told me last week to get out the Windex to keep the flies away…ha. Nick has never been either and would want to see all of the old historic stuff and ancient churches. I would want to park my booty on a beach with some saganaki and wine. Opa! I’d love to visit Italy as well. Rome, Venice, Tuscany…I want to see it all. I’m dreaming of the day Nick and I can travel around Europe but we need to wait until Hayes gets a little older to be able to leave him for an extended amount of time so we can make the trip worth it. Someday.

Favorite international airplane outfit? Something comfy but don’t want to look homeless either

P: I get super antsy and have to like bend and straighten my legs a bunch and change positions repeatedly so no jeans. Good cozy underwear, these are my go to undies and this is my daily wear comfy seamless bra. I don’t want a thong riding up and bugging me for hours. If I’m cold I freak out and if I’m hot I freak out. Damn I’m fun. I have to have a tank top (all time fave) or simple t shirt and a fleece or sweatshirt to go over it. Sneakers and joggers for sure and a small blanket shoved in a bag to wad up and use as a pillow or wrap all around yourself with zero shame if it’s cold. Also everyone annoys me on a plane. There will be a loud sniffer, someone that talks obnoxiously loud, just rude inconsiderate way too loud sounds coming from all over the dang place. Get these headphones to find that zen spot in the skies.

J: Comfort is always my top priority when traveling. I like to have layers because I’m almost always cold. I would suggest some joggers (which are cozy but seem more dressy than leggings to me), a solid tee and my favorite denim jacket. I always use my LV Neverfull as a carry on and golden goose because nothing says comfortable but cute more than these babies. These are all items you could wear again with different things while away which is nice when trying to pack for an international trip. Hope you have the best time!

How do your spray tans do while on vacation when you are in the water a lot?

P: No matter what, get one anyway. Mine do fine and I strategically wear bikinis at the beginning of a trip and save the one pieces for the end in case my tummy is looking uneven. Here is all my advice on prepping and removing a tan. I get one weekly and wouldn’t be caught in a swimsuit without one!

J: I make sure to moisturize a lot to help extend the color but salt water and chlorine will definitely make the tan come off faster than normal. Mine never seems to get splotchy and it looks a heck of a lot better than showing up to the beach pasty so it doesn’t bother me. Just go into it knowing that your tan isn’t going to last as long as it normally does.

Jeni-Any advice from your husband on navigating his role as step-dad?

NM: I’m sure every co-parenting dynamic is different, so I can only speak to my experience. I think I can say that for all 4 of us that the primary goal is to always do what’s best for the kids. We believe that if we are successful in our relationship, it only creates a better environment to raise happy, secure kids. If we are at odds and trashing each other, the kids suffer. As far as the relationship with their dad, we started building the relationship early. We had lunch when Jeni and I were still dating and talked through the situation. I tried to reassure him that I would always speak positively about him to the kids and that I never seek to replace him as dad, but be a complimentary role. Thankfully, he is very involved and loves his kids so there are no insecurities on his part about his role as father. He wants them to have a good relationship with me just as much as I want them to have a good relationship with him – that’s what’s best for the kids.

How do you guys split holidays like Christmas? His family, extended, etc.

PW: N/A

JM: Luckily most of our family is in the DFW area so this makes it pretty easy on us. We can make it to one side of the family for Christmas Eve and the other on Christmas Day if needed. I’m hoping when our house gets built we will entertain more often & can just have one big celebration with both sides. Where it gets tricky for me is splitting the holidays with the big kids dad. Waking up Christmas morning without all of your kiddos sucks. Period. I hate it. We each have to deal with it every other year but it never gets easier. That schedule is much more difficult to navigate than sharing holidays with our extended family could ever be.

Just got diagnosed with ADHD. Any tips?

PW: Welcome. Here is what works for me, kind of, depending on my level of scatterbrain. I have a running to do list on a white board in front of my computer. I lose my train of thought more than I lose my keys and phone which is unreal. Keeping up with a calendar, appointments, 4 kids activities, etc leaves me spinning. I keep a paper calendar above my computer so that I can look up and see the month at a glance, I also keep an iPhone calendar and even then I get switched around and still forget which babysitter comes on which day so I’m glad they know. haha. Waking up early helps me to knock a bunch of little work tasks out before there is anyone or anything to distract me. I am so productive with even an hour alone and it’s glorious. I take adderall if I know there are 4 or more straight hours I can work at my computer. I don’t like to take it if I’m doing photo shoots, being social or really doing anything other than work stuff. It makes me irritated when someone interrupts me and I need to be in the right mindset to grind it out for a while or I will feel snappy. I find that 2 or more cups of coffee helps my focus and that was validated by my doctor who told me that caffeine hits the same part of the brain as adderall. Not nearly as helpful, but at least it’s something. To avoid trying to start 47 things and juggle every ball I have while trying to get through one frickin task, I turn on a podcast. It seems like that would be more distracting, but it silences some of the “do this, no do that, now do this, what about that, if you did that you will take over the world, but this would be epic” internal monologue that has me constantly switching gears. I got one of those big circle key rings to help me keep up with my keys. It doesn’t help. Being able to laugh at myself and knowing that ADHD is a part of what makes me Paige makes me ok with it. My unorganized house and life though may beg to differ. One of my favorite quotes is “Creative minds are rarely tidy” I live it every day. As much as it can be frustrating, people like us have some of the best traits! Out of the box thinking, sense of humor, drive, creativity, risk taking, spontaneity, high energy, and no dull moments.

JM: I have no tips but good for you for going to get tested and for reaching out for advice. I am surrounded by a lot of ADHD people (ha) so I kind-of understand the struggle and I hope you find something that works for you soon!

What is a typical day like for you?

PW: Alarm goes off at 6 in the slower season, 5 in the busy season. I try to get a little work done before the kids get up. When they are in school, I have 4 kids at 3 schools so that takes up a huge chunk of my morning. By the time I have dropped off the last kid, I either head straight to my photography studio and prep for a session or get home to edit photos, or work photography or blog stuff. The firs kid gets picked up at 2:30, then my two middle kids get off the bus at 3:15 and my oldest gets picked up about 20 minutes away at her school at 3:30. I have had to hire a babysitter to come in the afternoons so that all the kids can be picked up. Then the babysitter helps them get started with homework and helps me divide and conquer. I usually have to leave for my sunset shoots before Zach gets home. I’m gone on shoots for about 2 hours and then come home and try to squeeze in a bit of hang out time before I typically get back to work to keep up with the never ending list. Usually once a week, on a day I don’t have a studio session, I go to a pilates trainer. I’m not very good at keeping up with cleaning the house, but I do laundry off and on all day. I try to only shoot one day a weekend, but sometimes weather and other things cause reschedules and I end up with multiple shoots a weekend. Blake hates extra curricular activities so she just chills after school, Kylie is in volleyball, softball and dance, Aven is also in dance, Griffin is not in anything yet. In my free time I like to start lifestyle blogs and create loads more work for myself, it’s currently 1:03 am and this post has quite a few questions left. Summer is so much better for me though without the school pick ups and drop offs and every now and then I will sleep until like 7:30.

JM: A typical day for me includes a lot of various mom tasks. Probably similar to a lot of you it’s the constant taking kids where they need to be, sports, homework, lunches to pack, dinners to make, arguments to break up, laundry to do, messes to clean up…you get the picture. Life is busy with 3 kids. The 2 older are in sports (they can pick one each season). Right now it’s soccer for Presley and basketball for Jackson. I’m loving the slower pace of summer where we can spend a few days a week at the pool and stay up a little later. I run a pretty tight ship during the school year and this is a welcomed break. The blog has brought some fun into my life but it’s been a bit difficult to manage the work/home balance. I don’t have help with the kids very often outside of school so things like keeping the house picked up have been slacking for sure. I’m loving the creative outlet though and the fun I get to have with my bestie which definitely breaks up the Groundhog Day a bit.

Paige-Do you ever hang out with Jeni’s McKinney friends?

PW: They don’t ask me to. RUUUUHOOOOOOOD. I did get invited to go watch Narci’s beautiful testimony and life story at their church and that was so fun. I talk to Shay here and there. Keep in mind I live over an hour away. If I moved to McKinney I’m sure they would welcome me with open arms and wine bottles and if they didn’t I would TP their houses or something. In all honesty, they are a precious group of friends who support each other fiercely! Jeni is lucky to have found them, it’s hard to find friends when you move to a new place as an adult. I still feel like the dork in the cafeteria half the time meeting people that have been in fort worth for generations and have no need to befriend me.

JM: I would love to merge my two bestie groups! It would be similar to me hanging out with Paige’s FTW besties…we are just in different areas but I know they would love her….I mean how could you not?!

Where do you get your eyelashes done?

PW: Kari Wood has her own little room at Tan2Glow and she is the guru.

JM: I go to Flirty Girl Lash Studio in Plano. Sunshine is my favorite technician. I can easily go three weeks between fills with her. Its a pain in the arse to keep up with but it sure is nice to not have to wear much makeup, especially in the summer.

What/how much do you eat in a typical day?

PW: I like to drink coffee for breakfast after I have had a big glass of water. 2 cups is the magic number. One with collagen in it, one without. I push off lunch until I feel hungry which is usually anywhere between noon and 1. I usually eat a cheese stick, wheat thins, some fruit, I love pickles and nuts, peanut butter toast, just kind of pick around the pantry a little and I keep it pretty light. I eat dinner at around 5 or 6 and we make a home chef meal. Then I don’t eat again until the next day lunch. I only have water after dinner. This isn’t every single day, but it’s the typical. I order dominos pizza once a week, and usually go out another time and two and eat whatever. I just find it so much easier to watch the clock, eat dinner early and then be done. I lose weight this way and stay trim so it works for now!

JM: It’s different daily. I don’t follow any type of diet. I start each day with 2 cups of coffee. Like I literally cannot think until I get a cup…definitely not a morning person. Sometimes I eat breakfast, sometimes I don’t. I make semi healthy choices throughout the day but I have a major sweet tooth.

Do you have a house cleaning service or do you do it yourself?

PW: The same lady has cleaned my house for like 10 years. I still frantically am cleaning up my pig stye every single Wednesday to prepare for her. I would never be able to keep up with the actual floors and bathrooms and stuff. We would all die of e coli or something. Housekeepers, we salute you.

JM: We have a housekeeper that we love like family. I still have to clean daily…we have three kids and a dog and massive amounts of laundry. But it is such a treat to have someone else help every now and then. I’m very thankful for that.

How did Jeni get remarried? Story of that.

PW: No one cares about my response here so I’ll give it another n/a.

JM: You can read a little more about that here. Nick was my college boyfriend. We had a lot of history and after my divorce I ran into him while Paige and I were at a Tech/TCU football game. This was our second beginning. In short and at the risk of sounding cheesy and cliche, he came back into my life at a time where I was at an all time low. He was a tangible example of God’s love for me and he healed my heart. We aren’t perfect and we do not have a perfect marriage by any means but we KNOW how lucky we are to have each other.

How old are you?

PW: 37, but ageless duh.

JM: 37. 23 in my head.

Thoughts on Trump?

PW: He doesn’t cross my mind. His spray tan looks a bit off. I haven’t ever followed politics very closely. I did like how he used his cobra striking snake hand motion to tell people “you’re fired” on the apprentice. How’s that for deep thoughts with Paige Walker?

JM: Nope. I stick my head in the sand. My husband listens to enough of the political stuff for the both of us.