Since my first blog post on January 1, 2011 I've been putting an exclamation point on my new year posts. While I can't stand to break the tradition I'm not sure I'm feeling quite as excited as that exclamation point. Excited to leave all the hard parts of 2020 behind? YES. But living through 2020 (plus not being done with the pandemic yet) has not left me with the same new year energy that I usually have. It's more like a sigh of relief but we don't have a punctuation for that. And of course the year has already brought... Read more →

New year, new DECADE. Hello 2020! I'm always excited for a new year but I feel especially good about 2020. The number itself is so nicely symmetrical which makes me happy. Plus can you believe we get to live in the year 2020?! I can remember sitting in elementary school and having to figure out how old we'd be in 2000, 2010, and 2020. I can't remember if I had any specific thoughts about what I might be doing at 36 in 2020. It was probably pretty unimaginable to 11-year old me. I bet I thought 36 seemed really old.... Read more →

At the end of 2019 On the first day of 2019 – Cedric's face changed from toddler-ish to little boy this year I feel so reflective this time of year and in that spirit I reread my 2018 wrap up post, which I close in this way: "We'll be asleep well before midnight and everyone in our house will be awake before the sun rises for the first time in 2019. It'll be like any day in our house and yet it will feel like 365 new days have been unrolled like a carpet ahead of us. I wonder where... 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 →

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 →

Every year I love the holiday season: the lights, the music, the time with family, and slowing down. I savored all of that this year but I might be enjoying the post-Christmas, pre-New Year's week even more. Chris and I have been in major decluttering and organizing mode this week, which always seems to find us after Christmas with the influx of new stuff. This year our efforts have matched up nicely with the stretches of independent play from the boys, courtesy of new Christmas toys. (Although there's been plenty of fighting, too!) We spent yesterday morning taking down all... Read more →

I always look forward to the fresh feeling of a new year but this year I felt especially eager to put the past year behind us. Although it was a really good year for our family overall, parts of the fall semester were pretty stressful with Chris's new (more demanding) leadership role at work. And throughout the year, the state of our country and of the world weighed on me more than ever before. And so, usually I like to let Christmas linger but this year I was craving that slightly sparse feeling in the house when the tree, garland,... Read more →

I hope you have been enjoying a restful holiday! There is so much excitement leading up to Christmas and it's been nice to have some time post-Big Day to hang with family and friends. I'm thinking a lot about the past year and what I'm hoping for in 2018. In 2017 I set out with CHOOSE as my intention for the year. I still love my lists and goals but felt inspired by Erica and Sarah who always pick guiding word for a new year. Here are the goals I set with CHOOSE at the beginning of the year and how they went... Read more →

When I set my word of CHOOSE for 2017 I was interested to see how I would manifest it in my life. I said that above all else I want to CHOOSE family and writing this year, the two things that are most important to me. At the time I had a very full plate: working full time, parenting two little boys, co-running a household, co-hosting and producing two podcasts, co-owning Copper Quail Style, working part time as a freelance writer, exercising regularly, being active in a book club and trying to write for myself on this blog. On top... Read more →

In October, even when it was still hot, my thoughts were pulled towards the new year and what goals I would set. My day to day was feeling too busy and I was craving reflection and focus. In six years of developing a practice of goal setting I've found that a few quiet moments, a blank piece of paper and a pen (or even a fresh note on my phone) can be incredibly calming and powerful. By my own design and doing my life is full. In 2016 I filled my plate more than I ever have. I got a... Read more →