Hi, friends! This coffee date is brought to you by a pumpkin cream cold brew and a quiet early morning writing session, courtesy of our kids sleeping over with family (thank youuuu!). August was chock full, and also so so hot. Let's catch up a bit... Settling into routine We're over a month into our school year and I've started to notice that we're settling into routine. Our mornings are going smoothly and I'm really enjoying being back in a work routine. Our days are not without parenting challenges but I always really notice how good the routine of school... Read more →

**Registration for Everyday Habits, Routines, and Rituals has closed for 2024. It will run again in 2025. Sign up to be notified of my next workshop.** I'm delighted to announce my next workshop: Everyday Habits, Routines, and Rituals. I'd love for you to join me! This workshop brings together my years-long passion for and study of habits, routines, and rituals in a cheerful and relatable way. During this engaging and encouraging workshop, you'll learn how to bring more intention to your days by creating and keeping practices you care about, and that fit your season of life and your personality.... Read more →

I'm sitting alone in a quiet, empty house. It is a revelation. The revelation is not only the fact of these hours today but that this will happen again later this week. And again next week. For the first time since early March 2020 my weeks will have some predictability, routine, and, most importantly, consistent time to myself. I think it's the beginning of a new season. I don't think I've ever experienced such a long stretch of time with so little dependable time to myself. Simultaneously I've been navigating demanding emotional and physical challenges. There's been the anxiety over... 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 →

I'm excited to share the launch of a month-long creative project, the RISING*SHINING audioblog! During the month of April I will be releasing all blog posts in two formats: written and in podcast form in which they will be read aloud by me. In addition to new content I'm also going to experiment with releasing older blog posts as new episodes as a way to refresh older content and to give listeners more episodes. To hear the audioblog you'll be able to listen in two ways: use the embedded player at the top of the post or subscribe to the... Read more →

My pregnancy is drawing to a close and I'm reflecting on the things I've loved these last 40 weeks. From maternity clothes to foods to books there have been some stand-out favorites that I'd love to share with you... My maternity wardrobe is bigger than these eight items (one not pictured) but these are the things I'm reaching for on a near daily basis. Honestly it's kind of been the capsule wardrobe of my dreams. I love not putting much thought into what I'm wearing for the day but still feeling pulled together and comfortable. As evidenced by bathroom mirror... Read more →

In the spirit of MAGIC in 2020 I created a list of 20 easy-to-do things that will add magic to my year. I'm imagining the list might be especially useful on bleary-eyed days with a newborn or on days we feel not quite on top of parenting three kids. Basically on days when I'm not feeling the magic. At those times I hope I'll remember to look over my list and choose something to add a little sparkle to my day – several of the items would also brighten someone else's day. I've listened to Gretchen and Elizabeth on the... Read more →

Places I don't like clutter: kitchen counters, bathroom counters, on my desk, on the dining room table...okay fine, I really don't like clutter anywhere. Including my email inbox! Even though I don't have a full time job and I diligently unsubscribe to unwanted ads and newsletters my inbox can feel out of control pretty quickly. But not any more! I've been using a Gmail organization system for over a year that has tidied up my inbox and keeps it tidy. Are your ears perking up? The way email inboxes are set up, with one long list of emails and maybe... Read more →

My friend Georgia (hi Georgia!) sent me an email recently asking about my favorite books on goal-setting and accomplishment. I had fun thinking of my favorite resources and then realized it would make for a great blog post! Here's a roundup of the books, podcasts, and materials that have been the most helpful to me for making goals and setting myself up for success... Read more →

"People are so relieved when you start telling the truth." This is one of the many phrases that I scribbled down on my notepad, barely able to see in the dark theater, as I sat next to two dear friends last month listening to the wise and funny writer Anne Lamott. Over an hour and a half she talked about mercy, hope, and writing. Anne describes herself as a devout Christian and although I am atheist I find her reflections on love and faith accessible and uplifting. Her advice about writing I could listen to all day, or at least... Read more →