It’s summertime. I’m in the kitchen cutting up blackberries for a salad. They might be the only thing on the plate that my kids eat. (I’m hopeful anyway.) The kids are playing in their room, so my attention is split between the task at hand and the baby monitor propped up on the bar. There’s …
We’re a few weeks into the new year. Kids are back at school. Hopefully, many of us are back into some semblance of a routine. February is a long month for being so short. I find this month to be one of my favorite times of the year to shake things up. It’s far enough …
There’s a trend going around social media where you compare yourself now to where you were a decade ago. Despite having a blog, I put very little of myself and my family on social media these days. But I found the idea intriguing. In 2016, ten whole years ago, I was already more than 10 …
I’m not one for resolutions. I used to be. When I was younger, I’d look at the new year as a time to overhaul everything. Change myself, my routines, and try to make myself better than I was. There’s something to be said for grabbing and holding on to that kind of motivation when it …
We’re officially halfway through January. How are you feeling? If you’re a resolution setter, how are they going? (I’m not a resolutions person, although I do usually look at some of my habits and routines to see what needs to be reworked). Making resolutions, or recognizing where we need to change, is often the easy …
A little confession before we begin: I’ve been trying to write this post for a long time. It’s been a draft for a few years, but I think about it often. I’m not sure why this idea has such a hold on me. I’m even less sure I’ll be able to communicate it to you …
A few weeks ago, we traveled to my parents’ house for a quick visit. The kids played, and my mom and I tackled part of a long-overdue project – cleaning out some of my stuff from their house. I lived with my parents well into my 20s, so this was a daunting task. We spent …
I recently got a new laptop. Not really because I wanted one, but more out of necessity. My old machine is being phased out, as Microsoft ends support for Windows 10. So I did my research. I created a spreadsheet, outlining the pros and cons of laptops in my price range (as any Type A …
I originally wrote this in April 2014. At the time, I was working in my hometown at a small local nonprofit. Housed in a church, it was the only free after-school program in the Valley. We provided after-school care for 30 upper elementary school and middle school students, many of whom were first-generation immigrants to …
I found this writing in a folder from a long-ago (and very short) stint of writing for a small local magazine in my hometown. I had titled it “Bread is Like Life,” which I still think can be true. Originally, I wrote it in 2013 after spending the morning in the world’s tiniest kitchen trying …
