Oh, for the love of toddlers! Surely they must take the cake for being at once the cutest and most exasperating creatures on the Earth. Our lives have been steeped in Maeve's toddlerness for the past year and a half which has brought so much sweetness, and put our patience to the test (often multiple times a day). Although it feels like we've had a toddler for a long time (and honestly we've had a toddler almost continually for about nine years so no wonder) I know that suddenly this season will be behind us. Lately, I've felt myself looking... Read more →

Let's talk about dinner, shall we? That daily meal that can be – at least to me – both a satisfying comfort and a source of unresolved stress. Of all my routines in life, dinner seems to be the one I cannot figure out how to optimize. And for someone who loves to optimize and to cook that can leave me feeling quite frustrated. Not to mention that dinner comes around every. single. day. Last year I wrote about our current dinner situation, its challenges, and some ideas for simplifying. More recently I've been revisiting our dinner routines again, possibly... Read more →

As of this past week we could declare that we've made it through another hot summer, hallelujah! Let's not think of those endless hot days again until we have to next year. In September we enjoyed being outside again, especially in the morning, and started leaning into fall. From where I sit right now at our dining room table I see little pumpkins at home on our bookshelves, a wax-dripped skull candle holder, and some half-hearted spiderwebs in our front yard tree. (Note: the used spiderwebs at the thrift store are not worth it.) I've pulled jeans on for the... Read more →

On our annual podcast retreat this past weekend, Erica and I took a walk through the woodsy neighborhood where we stayed. During the walk I asked, "So what's the rock in your shoe lately?" We had a good conversation, each answering the question and brainstorming solutions to our own rocks. I liked the question so much I wanted to share it here. Here's the thing about a metaphorical rock in your shoe: it's not an emergency but it causes just a bit of friction or discomfort on a daily basis. You can get by with a rock in your shoe... Read more →

It's time to say goodbye to 2022. I'm in an end-of-year contemplative mood and am enjoying listening to podcast episodes and reading blog posts reflecting on the year. There are so many highlights and changes to celebrate from this past year. Some of the good changes brought challenges too, like relocating to a new city for a month and being out of our routines, living through a whole-home renovation, and keeping up with an ever-changing toddler and our big boys. Reflecting on the past year helps me to see and celebrate growth and accomplishments, big and small. This practice also... Read more →

(My blog host, Typepad, is having some issues and photos aren't loading. Hopefully I can add photos soon!) It's cloudy, blustery, and chilly today – delightful! Hello, November indeed! We had a fun Halloween on Monday night with the cutest little kitty and two deathly ghoul boys. Chris and I dressed up as a PB&J! We trick or treated with neighbor friends for part of the evening. Then, winding our way home, the boys I did a long loop by ourselves. There had been some big emotions and costume frustration just before we left the house as there always is... Read more →

September 2016 / April 2020 / September 2022 Chris and I love to plan for and talk about the future. But whenever we talk about a certain year and what we might be doing then I'm always asking, "So what grades will the kids be in then?" or "How old will we be?" Knowing those things gives me an anchor when peering into the future. Because otherwise all I can see are my 9, 7, and 2 year olds and I just picture myself older but still in the same season of parenting: playground sand dumped from shoes onto the... Read more →

Hello from the other side of a two-week fall break for the boys and from the downhill side of October! Just this week we can open the doors in the morning to let the cool air in and I pulled my favorite golden yellow cardigan from the closet. Instead of trying to catch up on October goals I thought I'd write a post in the style of the coffee date posts that Lindsay on Pinch of Yum shares occasionally and which I always enjoy. A coffee date is best started with coffee. Currently I'm brewing about 6 cups of coffee... Read more →

This post is also available in podcast format in which I read the post. Search for "rising shining" on most podcast platforms and subscribe! Around June I remember thinking that I should write one last pandemic check-in post since it seemed that life was heading back to normal. All the adults in my family and many friends were fully vaccinated. New cases numbers for our county seemed to be holding steady in the low hundreds, which was a significant improvement from making headlines in the New York Times as a hot spot months earlier. Mask requirements were significantly eased in... Read more →

Here's a fun perk of having a blog and podcast: when I want to ask lots of people for advice I have a way to do that! The title of the post says it all. We are seriously considering buying a second home in the Midwest. We are in the early stages of researching where that might be and I would love input from my readers and listeners who live in the Midwest or have spent enough time there to give advice. But first let me give you some more context: for a few years Chris and I have talked... Read more →