Three nights ago I stopped sleeping. I had insomnia through high school, college, and early adulthood and having sleep come easily and fitfully for the last two decades is something I’ve been grateful for. So when sleep disappears it triggers panic. I’m sure you all know the drill; bed isn’t cozy. It doesn’t feel safe…
Bulk Grocery Shopping to Quieting the Noise: Lessons from 2020
Whew. 2020 was something, wasn’t it? A year ago everything was going along as it always does. We stepped into the shoes that make our big right toe hurt every single time we wear them, threw the kids lunches together, and came home to get something somewhat nutritious into the mouths of our families for…
New Year, NEW (smaller) YOU! Thoughts to Help you Through That Not-So-Wonderful Time of Year
Here it comes; that not-so-wonderful time of year. Those post-holiday weeks when we are assaulted with messaging that we are not enough; not thin enough, strong enough, healthy enough, young enough… we are not enough of anything, except when we are too much. There is so much to deconstruct about why this advertising works so…
5 Tips for Making your Hot Chocolate Bar Magical!
One year I was walking through HomeGoods, found a cute winter plate with a snowman on it and thought “this is so cute! I think the kids would really like this. But what will I do with it? Will I really use it or will it just be something else to fill our space?” On…
The Humanity of a Pandemic
My God. Do you feel it? Do you feel something happening? What is it? It’s a shift like nothing we have experienced. I’m aetheist. I am not new-agey. I don’t buy into any of that bullshit. Except. Something is happening… and it feels like humanity. For the first time in history humans in every corner…
We’ve All Fucked Up & 74 Other Quick Things I’ve Learned at Midlife
Being younger is awesome; so much hope and potential. Everything is still a possibility. As we get older responsibilities pile up. Some of us have kids. Some of us follow a passion. Some of us are kicking ass at our careers. Suddenly we look up to realize we are “midlife”. As we reflect, we think…
Christmas Mailboxes: A Fun Family Tradition
I was walking through Michael’s about five years ago and saw these mailboxes. They were so cute! I loved the colors and how festive they felt. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them but I bought two- one for each of my kids, and brought them home. This started an unexpected…
Video Games are as Important to Learning as Music, In My Experience
Currently, my kids are big into music. They listen to it, play it, read about it, watch it, and talk about it. My son plays his guitar for at least five hours a day, usually more like eight. He has never had a single lesson. My daugther plays the drums every single day. She takes…
September 11th: Where I Was Not, A Different Perspective
September 11th did not directly affect me. Not really. I did not live in New York City, or Washington, DC or have a loved one aboard one of the hijacked planes. I will never know what that day was really like. I did not witness the smells and maybe worse, the sights. Nor did I…
It’s Okay to Turn it Off and Tune Out, It Doesn’t Mean We Don’t Care
There is so much scary in the world right now. Add on any normal life challenges and it feels impossible, doesn’t it? I’m reminding myself that there are very few things I can do about most of it. I wear my mask when needed. I’m donating to animal sanctuaries located in areas where the fires…