Inspired by... creating content for my RISING*SHINING audioblog and the lovely comments I've received from listeners. Thank you! My goal this year was to produce audioblog content for the months of April and October but now I'm wondering if I can keep it up regularly. I'm not ready to fully commit to that but I'm percolating the idea. Purchased... summer capsule wardrobe items like another pair of my favorite Patagonia quick-dry shorts, two tank tops, and swim shorts. I also bought the percale sheets from Brooklinen I've been eyeing for awhile. I am obsessed with them! They're soft yet cool... Read more →

There's a phenomenon at our house that, despite our best efforts to ward it off, appears most weeks. We call it...Thursday house. Thursday house is dirty dishes at the sink, baskets of laundry waiting to be folded, and the boys in-progress art projects laying across the breakfast table. It's a package that needs to be returned parked on our dresser and looking in the fridge to find few options for packing a school lunch. The boys' dirty clothes are in the bathroom, looking like they stepped right out of them and into the bath, which is exactly what they did.... Read more →

Chris takes a break from his backyard office to catch up with Maeve and me It's time for another stay-at-home check in and I wonder if this could be my last one, or maybe second to last. Although life is not completely back to "normal" I do feel that we are leaving the season of staying at home behind. The boys are in school, Chris and I are both fully vaccinated, and generally we're feeling less worried about COVID-19 although we are still staying home for the most part. I'm feeling very optimistic that the increasing rate of vaccinations will... Read more →

A question I'm often asked is how the transition has been from being a full-time working mom to being an at-home parent. As I started to write this post I realized I have a lot to say. I thought about breaking this up into a few posts but instead I'm going to leave it as one giant post so all my thoughts are in one spot. I'll touch on why I quit my full-time job as a science writer three years ago, how my days go now, my thoughts on finding my value and identity after being a full-time working... Read more →

In honor of Dashiell's eighth birthday today I'm re-sharing the story of his birth here and as an episode of my RISING*SHINING audioblog. I had not revisited the full story of Dash's birth in some time and I love being reminded of when we first met. Happy, happy eighth birthday to my radiant boy. I'm so excited to celebrate him today. The morning of April 9th was crisp and grey and the air felt fresh; a perfect spring morning. When Chris and I took a walk that morning with Drew I said, “This would be a great day to have... Read more →

Planning and organization are dear to my heart. I like talking about my own systems and I like hearing about other people's. If you feel the same then I have two fun things for you: this post, which is all about my current calendaring system, and this week's episode of the planning podcast Best Laid Plans featuring yours truly. I've followed Best Laid Plans host Sarah Hart-Unger for years on her Best of Both Worlds podcast with Laura Vanderkam and on her blog, The SHU Box. She launched Best Laid Plans in July of 2020. In the episode this week,... Read more →

Happy FIRST birthday to our Maeve! We met her one year ago today. After waiting and waiting ten days past her due date, Maeve arrived in a speedy but peaceful birth. Outside the birth center a global pandemic was gripping the world but I felt cocooned in love and calm that morning. The first thing I said when Maeve was in my arms was, "It's really a girl!" After she was born Maeve was quiet and alert and she started up at me for a long time. Born at 9 a.m., we were home with her by 1 p.m. Now... Read more →

Along with the return of perfect spring weather, I have felt my happiness and optimism bubble back lately. I haven't felt unhappy these past many months but I often did not feel like my best self. And it's no wonder! There was the general anxiety of living in a pandemic plus interrupted sleep, little time to myself, and parenting through being at home and online school. I'm happy to say that significant progress has been made on all fronts! I'm hopeful that we are emerging from the pandemic, Maeve is sleeping so much better, I've been energized to make time... Read more →