With January, routine and weekly rhythms returned along with school days for the boys and work days for me. It feels really good. I've also been experiencing a deep satisfaction with our home and daily life. I think the completion of our front yard and our post-Christmas organizing/decluttering are big contributors. As I walk through the house I can sense the tidiness and organization. Even if toys are strewn about and laundry is waiting to be folded, I know everything has a home and serves a purpose. Chris reminded me that just a few months ago I said I felt... Read more →

On my desk right now: + potted succulents that are doing well but have a few gnats – tips on getting rid of them? Trying to let the soil dry out really well. + Tommy John underwear that started fraying that I need to return + masking tape holding my computer charger in place (need a better solution) + old hard drives to be destroyed + Trader Joe's wool ball diffuser (with eucalyptus oil) + portable phone charger to be put away + Democratic National Committee survey to be completed and returned + papers reminding me that Dash needs to... Read more →

After years of dreaming about it we finally have a modern and water-wise desert front yard! Here's what our front yard looked like before: Not terrible but to me there was no personality. Although we've been wanting to replace our grass and get trees for just about as long as we've owned the house (almost 10 years!), the cost of the project kept it from being on our priority list. But a couple of years ago we decided we were tired of watering grass that wasn't even that healthy looking and paying someone to maintain it. Plus, we felt eager... Read more →

The celebrated poet and Pulitzer prize winning poet Mary Oliver passed away last week. Even if the name Mary Oliver is not very familiar to you, you have likely seen excerpts of her poems floating around the internet. Perhaps most notably are the final lines from her poem "Summer Day": Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life? Poetry has always felt unapproachable to me, at least until I heard an interview with Mary Oliver on the podcast On Being. I had one of those "driveway moments" where I sat in... Read more →

When it came to health goals for 2019 I couldn't get excited about committing to any one health habit. And so I picked 12! Here's how it will work: for each month of 2019 I will challenge myself to do a healthy habit every day, and each month will have a different habit challenge. The habits aren't cumulative so when the month is done I can stop doing pushups, stop tracking my food, whatever. I'll only focus only on the current month's challenge. In coming up with the 12 different ideas I wanted to pick challenges that were do-able enough... Read more →

There's always a flurry of goal posts here in late December and early January: reflecting, planning big, and planning for the month ahead. Big goals for the year are always exciting. Goals for the month are where I put those big dreams into action. A tangible representation of putting goals into action is my January health challenge of 10 push ups per day which I've done so far. Another good habit I am practicing: scheduling out most hours of my childcare days so that I prioritize creating (writing, podcasting) and keep my expectations realistic. January through March or April is... Read more →

Happy 2019! Among my book club we joke about how excited I am on the morning of our annual retreats waiting to leave: up since 5 a.m., grin plastered on my face, cup of coffee in hand. That's pretty much how I feel about heading into the new year with my list of goals to go with it. Goals and fresh starts are my jam. Read more →