"As a busy mom to toddler twins, Jenica Parcell knows maintaining a perfectly organized and impeccably designed home just isn’t always realistic. But thanks to the blogger‘s effortlessly chic style that mixes fresh, neutral decor with cozy French design elements, the Parcell family’s Utah home always looks comfortable and stylish.
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Keep reading to find out the tidying secret Jenica and her husband Tyler have implemented into their daily routine to clean up after their adorable twins, learn more about Jenica’s struggle with infertility, and find out which furniture and decor items the mom-of-two thinks are most worth splurging on!
Name: Jenica Parcell, Blogger at A Slice of Style
Location: Utah
Sq. Ft.: 2,500
Years Lived In: 6
Rent or Own: Own
Children: Harris, 3, and Goldie, 3
Tell us a little bit about your blog, A Slice of Style! What can readers expect to find there?
Readers can find good deals on items that I love! I also blog about my life with my twins, Harris and Goldie, as well as support for couples struggling with infertility because we struggled with infertility to get our twins here.
How did you get into blogging?
I knew that I wanted to start a family and to be a stay-at-home mom, but I also wanted to have a creative outlet from home. So, I started it not knowing that we would struggle with infertility. After five different procedures (three IUIs and two rounds of IVF), I blogged about our third round of IVF, and my blog grew a lot from there because a lot of people could relate to the infertility aspect that I was going through.
How would you describe the design style for your home?
White, fresh, with a French twist and a lot of neutral colors!
Were there any quirks in your home you had to design around? If so, tell us about them.
No quirks really! I would say that my tip is to build with neutral colors, and then you can design with other colors for the pillows and other things that are easy to swap out as your taste changes over the years.
SHOP THE LOOK
Your home is so clean and white! How do you keep it tidy with toddler twins running around?
My home is definitely not clean while they’re awake! My tip is to clean while they are asleep every night. My husband, Tyler, and I always do a big power clean-up of the whole house before we go to bed every night so we can wake up with a clean house. I’ve just had to lower my expectations with twin toddlers because it’s definitely not as clean and tidy as I would like it to be during the day. I want them to have a place where they can feel that they can play and have fun!
Your blog is all about living your best life for less. Where are your go-to places for affordable furniture and home decor?
A local store called Osmond Designs as well as online at Wayfair!
What items in a home do you think are worth splurging on and which items are better to save on?
The items worth splurging on to me were my bedroom furniture because I wanted beautiful furniture that was very high quality that I knew would last for decades. So, I definitely invested in the furniture for that room, and I absolutely love it!
Items worth saving on are the accents that you know you’ll switch out every couple of years that may be more trendy. So pillows, decor items for your mantle — things like that that won’t be staples for decades!
Do you have a favorite room in the house? If so, why?
My favorite room in my house is my bedroom because I really invested in it and took a lot of time to decorate it, and it feels really serene and calm to me!
Your pantry is so organized! Do you have any tips for keeping the pantry tidy?
My pantry is incredibly organized because I hired someone to organize it! It was extremely unorganized before she came. I hired Chelsea from the Neat Method. My tips are just to set up a good system and then follow it! So, have containers for each individual category and then stick with whatever system you set up!
SHOP THE LOOK
Let’s talk about something more personal to you and your family: infertility. How did you know it was time to see a doctor? What was your diagnosis?
I knew it was time to see a doctor because Tyler and I had tried for a year and weren’t able to get pregnant. After three IUIs and two rounds of IVF, it was determined that I had polyps in my uterus that I had to get removed, and also my egg quality was poor. So, during the third round of IVF, we used human growth hormone to strengthen the embryos. It was a long process, but it was worth it! It’s been a blessing because I can now help others who are in that same boat.
Before getting pregnant, you did three rounds of IUIs and three rounds of IVF. How did you deal with the rounds that were unsuccessful? How did you decide to keep trying?
We kept trying because we knew that we were supposed to have a family. I truly believe that everyone has their own trials in life and issues that they have to go through and work through. We grow when we go through hard times. So, I just tried to always look for the silver lining. I tried to do things every day with Tyler to stay happy and also do things that we wouldn’t be able to do as easily once we had kids — like buying a dirtbike!
Do you have any tips for couples going through IUIs and IVF?
I have a whole infertility tab on my blog. I blogged about my entire third round of IVF as well as what we did on the round that worked!
Did infertility and going through IVF affect your relationship with your husband? If so, how?
Infertility did affect my relationship with my husband, and surprisingly, it was in a good way. It was good to see his good attitude during a really hard time and see the way that he dealt with it which was by making me laugh and staying positive. That helped me to have a stronger relationship with him!
What was your reaction to finding out you were pregnant with not only one baby but with twins?
I was completely shocked but also very, very excited because we had been trying for so long, we wanted two kids by then anyway. So, it was a really good, exciting time for us!
SHOP THE LOOK
Do you have any comforting words you would say to other moms struggling with infertility?
You are definitely not alone! I would find a community of women that have gone through the same thing because it feels really good to be a part of a group that really understands you. I’m creating thesliceofsun.com as a community to help women come together and be able to communicate with each other and read each other’s infertility stories. That will be available in a few months!
What can someone do to be helpful to a friend who is going through IVF?
I would say call and check in on them, and be aware of when their appointments are. And learn about the process with them so they can feel like they have a buddy through the process!
What does a typical day look like for you?
Waking up, reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, getting dressed in my workout clothes, getting my kids up, feeding them and getting them dressed. When Tyler gets home from working out, I go work out — in the summer, I typically ride my bike. When I come home, he leaves for work! I try to do some type of activity with the kids in the morning like going to a museum or playing outside. They have nap time in the afternoon after lunch. That’s when I get work done, email, write blog posts, and I have a babysitter come over for a couple of hours so I can get work done then as well. In the early evening, we play, have dinner, then they go to bed. Tyler and I clean up the house and try to relax for a little bit before we do it all over again the next day!
How have your twins, Harris and Goldie, inspired you?
Harris and Goldie have inspired me by having such fun, adventurous spirits! It’s been really fun to see the world through their eyes and see how exciting everything is to them. It’s helped me to get really excited about the small things again.
If you had to pick just one, what is your favorite moment of motherhood so far?
My favorite thing about motherhood is really just daily life, so not a specific moment. I love when we get to spend time together; I get to see them play and watch and learn and grow and just see how much they love me and trust me. It helps me to want to be the best version of myself.
Jenica Parcell is The Everymom…
Favorite date night activity? Dinner and a movie!
Piece of clothing you wish would go back in style? I can’t honestly think of one — I think all of the old styles I’ve had in my life are coming back again!
Favorite Instagram to follow? My sister-in-law, @rachparcell. She has really great creative style both for herself and her home!
Self-care activity you love? I take a bath every night!
Dream vacation? We went to Positano, Italy several years ago, and it was incredible. I’d love to go again!
Go-to meal to cook? I like to grill chicken and veggies on the Traeger and then add them to a salad!
Kids show you secretly love? Any of the Barbie movies on Netflix!