Subscribe
Sign in
Home
Notes
Archive
About
A Weekend in My Life as a Mom in Southern California
A slice of life in urban San Diego with two small kids
Feb 12
•
Rachel Ward
20
7
3
Latest
Top
Discussions
How to Make Home Exchange Work for You
Approaches and tricks to ignite a sense of adventure and save loads of money
Feb 5
•
Rachel Ward
11
4
2
5 Tiny Steps Toward More Adventure and Simplicity: January Dispatch
When a month heavy with promise just ends up heavy
Jan 29
•
Rachel Ward
17
6
5
My Luxurious, Radically Minimalist Skincare Routine
Allow me to de-influence you, step by step
Jan 22
•
Rachel Ward
27
7
2
A Mother-Daughter Reading Life
I might have rushed into the chapter-book era
Jan 15
•
Rachel Ward
19
21
2
Another Mom Leaves the City
The highs and lows of an impulsive decision to trade urban thrills for peace and sunshine
Jan 8
•
Rachel Ward
16
19
2
My 26 for 2026
Because I can't resist that clean slate energy
Jan 1
•
Rachel Ward
31
22
3
Christmas Card Edition: 5 Moments of Adventure and Simplicity
Little invitations for connection and delight
Dec 25, 2025
•
Rachel Ward
7
2
1
The Year of Making Getting Dressed Fun Again
On letting go of nailing it
Dec 18, 2025
•
Rachel Ward
26
13
4
The Matrescence Questionnaire 02: Rachel Ward
Longtime editor, adventurer, simplicity seeker, and mom of two: Rachel Ward of Life Unoptimized answers the Questionnaire!
Published on Ordinary Animals
•
Dec 11, 2025
See all
Life Unoptimized
Finding adventure and simplicity in modern motherhood.
Subscribe
Recommendations
View all 8
Growing up WEIRD
Guen Bradbury
Intentional Style with Conni Jespersen
Conni Jespersen
Aleksandra’s Substack
Curious and Capable Kids
The Nap Trap
Marina Mofford
Dailyness
Madeleine Dore
Life Unoptimized
Subscribe
About
Archive
Recommendations
Sitemap
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please
turn on JavaScript
or unblock scripts
