Grab your modestly sized red cart, swing by the sample station for a tiny coffee, and join me for a little shopping trip at Trader Joe's! This is the first post in my new series In my cart at Trader Joe's. In each post I'll share four items I purchased at Trader Joe's recently. Some will be standby favorites. Others I will be trying for the first time. In each post I'll tell you a little bit about the product, what I liked or didn't, and give you the bottom line of love it, like it, or pass. I will... Read more →

If you've listened to The Girl Next Door Podcast or know me in person then you've probably heard me talk about ... TRADER JOE'S! I started shopping at Trader Joe's about six years ago after a good friend kept mentioning all the great things she bought there, especially as she made us delicious meals. Conveniently, it turned out there was a Trader Joe's just a few miles from our house. (Thank goodness!) After being used to the big grocery stores, it took me a few shopping trips to "get" Trader Joe's . But then I saw the magic. Instead of... Read more →

We are more than half-way through June and my mini summer sabbatical is well underway. Not going to work feels surprisingly normal for having gone most days for the past ten years but I am being consciously appreciative of how I spend my days now. I am not ready to take this big change for granted. My goal for this summer is to clear as much of my mega to-do list as possible so that with the start of the school year I am ready to get to work writing without my list nagging me. Although I always know there... Read more →

In June and July I have part-time childcare so both boys are home a few days each week. It's my first time doing significant and consistent solo parenting! Heading into it I felt both excited and a little bit intimidated wondering how much squabbling or other challenging behavior there might be. But so far it's been really great! For days at home with the boys I need some routine and predictability. So I consulted my schedule-loving mama friend Sarah Powers who shared a blog post with me that she wrote years ago about a "just structured enough" summer schedule. I... Read more →

May felt like the longest month ever – in a good way. I think this ws because the month had so many different parts: I had a week to myself post full-time job (the second of two weeks with full time childcare and no job), we went to Austin, my sister got married, we had a full week in Austin to hang out, we went to Galveston for three days, were back in Austin for two nights, came home to Arizona, had Memorial Day weekend, and then the boys went to three summer camp preschool. It was all great! And... Read more →