Teddy has always been relatively easy to please when it comes to gifts and I usually have free reign but this year he has been pretty specific about certain things. For example, he's been asking for a "model rocket" for months now. And a stuffy. God bless this child who can be equally besotted with Optimus Prime and a stuffed teddy bear. We...

Continue Reading

It's hard to believe we will be gifting presents to a SIX YEAR OLD this Christmas... Goodness gracious where did the time go? And I feel like it's so different now too... She can, how can I put it? Do more? Enjoy more? It's less about toys to tinker around with and more toys or items that specifically cater to her talents or...

Continue Reading

I can't believe it's been a full year since I've done one of these! I used to be better about doing them four times a year, but last year was crazy so here we are!  So happy Sunday friends! It's a dreary but sadly humid one here. The kids woke us up at 6:30 so we've already had our breakfast, cleaned up and...

Continue Reading

It's been a while since I had a good "everything is wrong" cry and so last night, sitting on the kitchen floor with a roll of paper towels, it felt just right. Ever since school started and life started to whiz by at lightening fast speed I've been trying to keep up with a smile on my face. Appointments, classes, lunches, sick pets...

Continue Reading

Happy friday friends!! Did you know that tomorrow is the official first day of fall? We're due for some drizzles but I'm hoping to still make it out to the farmer's market and perhaps a pumpkin patch. I'm just relieved that we're finally settling on temperatures slightly below 80 for the following week. Gosh I'm so ready for it all! The crisp mornings,...

Continue Reading

I spent a lot of last year on the run, theoretically speaking. I wanted to run far, far away from everything that was causing me pain, discomfort or unhappiness. Running looks different for everyone but it is similar in one big way - it causes damage. It leaves us feeling breathless, spent and utterly lost. And for all of the energy exerted it...

Continue Reading

One of the biggest changes I've implemented in this last year is practicing constant gratitude in the moment. Wherever we may be, theoretically or physically, I try to notice things to be grateful for. Some days it's easier than others but even on the tougher days it helps to find little ray of sunshine. I wanted to write down some things that brought...

Continue Reading

I often get asked about how we manage to keep such a clutter free home. I actually don't consider myself a "minimalist" and I'm not going to tell you how to konmari your home. To me clutter starts in the mind and then spills out physically via our possessions. So in order for me to explain how I got to where I am...

Continue Reading

She's already asleep but my mind is racing. Lunch packed? Check. Clothes laid out? Check. Water bottle filled? Check. But also - how? How is this day already here? It's been almost six years in the making yet it still feels too soon. Our days have been inextricably intertwined since the day she was born. Wherever I went, she went with me. When...

Continue Reading

tennis shoes // lunch box // overalls // tights // shoes // backpack // pants // cardigan The last time Birdie did any sort of "school" was two years ago when she attended preschool twice a week. So this time, kindergarten, feels a little different. Most noticeable is the fact that I am now buying size six clothing. Six... It feels surreal. It...

Continue Reading

We had a wonderful past school year homeschooling. It was my first time trying my hand at it and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. We explored, we painted, we read and learned how to read. We added two plus two and went to go see newly hatched owlets. It wasn't always easy but we always had the promise...

Continue Reading

My how the times have changed... I was looking back at my last "toy roundup" and it looked very different from this one. It's bittersweet though - although we don't have toddlers anymore who play with rattles and stuffies we have children who love to move their body, create and pretend. It's an exciting new frontier and I love watching them develop new...

Continue Reading

When you come of age during the "golden era of social media" separating fact from fiction and reality vs. perceived reality can become a complicated task. It's the old adage of "if you didn't post it did it happen?" As we all know, it did happen, so much in fact happens outside of these apps or sites. I have found myself stuck in...

Continue Reading

Quite a few of you have expressed interest in a post about the non-toxic and safe cleaning products that I have been using in our home. You may have heard about the study that was released this week showing a direct link between formaldehyde and cancer. It's of deep concern that formaldehyde is found in many common household and even beauty products. I...

Continue Reading

It feels fitting that the moon is a waxing crescent on the eve of my birthday. Had you told me ten years ago that I would write a sentence like that I would have rolled my eyes so hard they would probably still be in the back of my head. But times change and we change and it seems that I'm getting weirder...

Continue Reading

I don't consider myself an "outdoorsy" person per se. I don't kayak or hike regularly. I don't own a Patagonia jacket. But these last few months the "outdoors" have been my saving grace. When I feel unmoored, when I feel the anxiety welling up inside threatening to erupt, when I'm just blue or sad the best thing I've learned to do is get...

Continue Reading

This is it! We finished our very first year of homeschool. Birdie has completed pre-K and Teddy has completed his first year of preschool. I have so many emotions flowing through me... I feel immense pride for them both and the massive strides that they made. When we started Teddy could barely trace a straight line on a piece of paper. As of...

Continue Reading

I’ve been thinking a lot about what to write after last week. How to put into words the massive ups and downs. How to express my gratitude. Last Sunday I made a return to social media, with a caveat. With the promise to be truly open and painfully vulnerable. It seemed to me that the road back would mean taking a new path...

Continue Reading

For being an over sharer I’m pretty shy when things get tough. I’ve watched and admired many individuals lean in and share their pain or struggles but when it comes to myself I’ve always just closed down shop. Sharing publicly requires vulnerability--period. Even if you’re just sharing a rug.  It’s your rug, in your home. It’s invasive. But sharing your life – your...

Continue Reading